grazman

We need speed and Lewis is slowing down, but you can create speed by moving the ball quickly and hitting targets in space and Lewis has always been an elite kick, he's also a lefty. He can also help us develop our own unsociable brand of footy with a bunch of left footers. For the Hawks to gift away their top two finishes in this years b&f is very brave by Clarkson, he can see the future and he needs to regenerate. I imagine that the Hawthorn medicos will be crossing their fingers and toes on O'Meara.

No what dod sje allegedly say?

Who were you coaching as a matter of interest?

On big coin for a long time. Port may find it hard to move him.

Wow - Clarkson 31 possessions. What a blast from the past - was that the game Stinga took a blinder running with the flight of the ball? We put 40 points on the Crows at home in the final quarter. How footy has changed some very low possession numbers. Doyle only had one less stat than Trent Ormond-Allen though. Of course Jimma was rucking so there was no need for a relief ruck man.

We've also been linked to Tom Cutler, who seems a likely type and many Brisbane supporters rate in their best 22. If we can orchestrate a trade of Dunn for Cutler we should make out like bandits. Josh Watts and Tom Lamb are likely to come pretty cheaply/free. I think Goodwin's priority will be locking in Hogan and the rest of our young guns rather than trying to attract any other name players (Hibberd aside).

I'm not sure about copying the Bulldogs, but I have thought that since Roos came on board that we were only 12-18 months behind them in terms of developing our list. There are some similarities with that way we are going about it, which isn't really copying them, but more following what we have known about footy for the longest time and that is you need to get your hands on the pill first to win games of footy. They have more experience across the back six (Murphy, Boyd, Morris) that really sets up the way they play and its interesting that their zone defence is the way we are setting up as well (much to the chagrin of many of our supporters - see either St Kilda game day threads from this year) Like us they don't really play man on man (i.e. kpd on kpf) in their back six where they rotate onto different players to cover player moving up the ground. The exception yesterday was Hambling who was given the job on Buddy, although I think he should be making some sacrificial offerings to the footy Gods for the rest of his career after Buddy rolled his ankle. They're flexible enough to adapt to circumstances and whilst a parochial view I think our younger tall defenders are the equal if not better than theirs. I also think when Hunt, Salem, Wagner, Hibberd etc play more games together that it will become tighter and our counter attacks from the back half will look more structured rather than a bit haphazard the way they did at times this year. Their best 6 in Bont, Libba, Wallis, Hunter, McRae and Stringer are good/elite but in comparison I think Hogan, Petracca, Gawn, Viney, Oliver and Brayshaw are going to be just as good if not better. The one area I think we will be better than the dogs is in our forward structure. I think they were fortunate in playing another side whose game plan is really suited to a different venue. They rely heavily on running and carrying the ball into the forward fifty and most of their goals came from scrambled forward fifty entries. I think/hope with Hogan, Watts and Weideman/Hulett we would kick a winning score if we had as many forward fifty entries as the dogs did yesterday.

Agree, and I'd take him at Melbourne on about 25% of his current salary.

Given that there's a school of thought that only the well-resourced clubs from interstate (Qld the exception) or the big Victorian clubs can win premierships and that sides like Melbourne will never see another cup, the Dogs victory yesterday puts that to bed. Where there's life there's hope and the way the Dogs have gone about it confirms aspects of footy that are as old as the game itself. Where heart, belief and getting your hands on the pill first are what counts. I'm happy yesterday has been run and done, now I can look forward to 2017 with the belief I've had for a while that we're only 12-18 months behind the Dogs in terms of development. Beveridge will take the kudos as he should, but premiership lists take time to build and develop and we should feel comfortable with the likes of Goodwin (who could be as good if not better than Bevo) and with Macca in charge of development.

I'm glad for the sake of the competition that the Swans might not be able to keep Mitchell. There has to be some payback for having both Buddy and Tippett on big $. (Tippett I think is a bust and they're stuck with him now) The next push will be how they keep guys like Heeney and Mills when their next contracts are due. I know where Tom Mitchell ends up will be a negotiation between himself and the Swans, but you'd have to think there'd be a lot of other clubs with more salary cap room that could make an offer that would better satisfy them than what Hawthorn will.

If you love him so much why don't you marry him?

Those suggesting yes to Boomer, should have a look at his last game. Selfish and indulgent football, the sort of culture we've worked hard to eradicate, not invite back in.

Yes Pates has another year left to run on his contract.

I think there may have been more than one mistake. He was dumped from being a vice captain to being left out of the leadership group altogether. When he was called up to the firsts he played lazy unaccountable football. So yeah the FD tought they would put games into Oscar (who really started to show some wares as a KPD as a result) and now Dunnys done.

Yes Please. He's getting limited opportunities at the Dogs and I haven't seen much of him this year. I think his price 12 months ago would have been higher when he was getting more game time, liked what I saw of him though.

Interesting, you'd think North would have known his intentions before they decided not to renew Nicky Dal. Two of their best user's of the ball by foot. Was interested to watch the Coaches box and lip read Scott's reaction to some of Boomer's efforts - didn't see a lot of 'team first' from Boomer last night.

I think you're conflating two issues here Bingers. Firstly the reason we haven't won a premiership since 64 is our own incompetence. And its a well sung song of recent times. Secondly the concessions you talk about are symptomatic of the market forces that drive the AFL. They need GWS to gain ground quickly. Indirectly that helps clubs like us and North and the Bulldogs etc actually survive rather than die or be relocated. Personally I'm sick of having to listen to insufferable Hawthorn, Geelong and Sydney supporters crap on as though they're God's chosen children while I'm satisfied every second weekend that my team doesn't suck as much as they did three years ago. At least GWS don't have any supporters and those they do actually barrack for other teams anyway. Fortunately the AFL seems to be intent on revising the GWS 'Academy' (everything South of Wagga should be considered as part of Victoria in football terms)

Now he only has to maintain that for another 200+ games for the comparison to be meaningful.

I have heard similar UB from a Richmond supporter with some inside connections they are chasing him, however with Prestia Punt Rd bound the issue will be cost. At their last women's lunch in Canberra, a work acquaintance was seated next to Jack and she asked him if he was leaving. He played a straight bat of course and gave the party line and I imagine as a Belconnen boy he would dearly love to stay at GWS. The problem for him is that their Academy (cough) keeps producing and he's no certainty to be in the 22 in any given week at the Giants - not so much with the Tigers . Interestingly when Hardwick was on the couch Gerard directly asked him whether he'd trade Deledio for Steele and Marchbank. Hardwick swatted it away, but it was a very direct question which I assume has some credence.

Perhaps, but it depends on which Geelong turns up. They've been sublime some weeks and absolutely putrid others. Remember they lost to Collingwood when the Pies were pretty awful themselves. We're hitting Carlton at the right time. Both sides have travelled, but we won comfortably with quite a few who can improve on their performances and they lost to a side that was smashed by 20 odd goals the previous week. They're as flat as a pancake right now- Cripps is on one leg and they haven't won a game since Murphy was injured. I think they might have put the cue in the rack for the season.

I think if Geelong finish fifth the match would be at the G. I did the ladder predictor this morning and assuming we beat Geelong, and the other matches go to script (albeit I have the Eagles to beat Hawthorn over there which is line ball) then the first week of the finals would look like Sydney 1st v GWS 4th (SCG or Telstra), Adelaide 2nd v Hawthorn 3rd AO, Geelong 5h v Melbourne 8th (MCG) Bulldogs 6th v WestCoast 7th (Etihad). as Thom York would say 'Nice Dream'.

Just to be clear that you were responding to Akum, not me. I didn't make that post... not sure why it comes up under my name?

Gave the Chinese swimmer a backhander as well, words to the effect of "I don't respect drug cheats".