QueenC

You are definitely not alone on that !!! And I do agree with that...... He does seem to have a steep climb ahead of him.

On here, yeah there were a couple of unfortunates...... Anywhere else, I would bloody well hope not !!!

Thanks for the report dee-luded...... Reading the opinion of those there is wonderful for those of us that have no way to see the games. So it is greatly appreciated :D !!!

Congrats Jacey, I agree with you, as that, to me, is the most logical and common sense assessment of what we need to do........ (although I think that Pickett is in a touch more trouble than that, given his total lack of commitment to everything this year. A poor attitude is a killer to me) Of course age isn't the only factor going into all of this, but if you think that it won't be a huge influence on who stays and who goes then you are kidding yourself. The kids on our list, we hope will have a far greater up side in the coming years than watching the same folk, no matter how loyal their service to the club has been (and that is why I hate this time of year) going around again and again. There is no denying their contribution, but that is diminished with every passing year. So we have to play the younger members of our list to find out just how much they can give. The club cannot and should not be getting rid of kids who could prove valuable in the very important next five years. Those years where we hope we can be a legitimate Premiership contender. Some say that these kids will not be able to help us with that, but the reality is that neither have the current crop so the future is where we have to turn. I am not saying that all our older players should be thrown away like yesterdays garbage (in fact none of them should) but we have to make some room to find the best set of players we can to build our long term future around. Of course all of this is a risk, but that plays against the potential reward. Garland, Bode and the like should therefore be allowed to show that they can make an impact at AFL level. And the thought of delisting them because they haven't yet set the world on fire in a collective of three or four games is staggering, and massively preemptive because we haven't yet had a real chance to see what they could be capable of and they haven't had a chance to grow into the level that will be required of them. They and the club deserve and need the time to see if they are capable of being what we want them to become.

No probs Coxy....... And if you are looking for a game there is a TV Guide on the Fox Sports website. TV GUIDE

It is replayed at 3.30pm on Tuesday afternoon on Fox Sports 1 as well.....

I am not usually one to get particularly snarky, but seriously what a lovely contribution to this discussion, you must be very proud....... And while I have come to agree that Miller's days are either numbered, or at best extremely limited at the MFC, that was completely useless. And that attitude is the aspect of the ongoing Miller discussion that has always [censored] me the hell off. I will never be able to understand such apparent hate towards one of our own players, no matter who they are, or what they do. Nor will I even try to make heads nor tails of berating those that try to support players under fire from everyone. So for gods sake please, grow up.

I'm doing pretty well this week....... I tipped the Tiges and the Dees. There must have been something in the water !!!

I'm sorry to hear that Deanox !!!

Well that helps ........ I am watching our special feed of the Demons game after getting back from Homebush (Saints V Swans) and watching live one of the most ridiculous games of footy I have seen for a while (although it was great being one of the Pink Ladies on the ground at the beginning of the game). And I have to tell you watching the Dees is an absolute joy, and I truly didn't think I would be saying that again this year. Well done boys hopefully this is a good indicator of what we mights be able to expect for next season !!!

I must have missed that......... He really doesn't look like he has put on anything to me, sorry. That being said I admire his courage and he always gives his all but that doesn't seem to be enough. So as long as we are throwing players out, I would imagine he will find it very hard to keep his spot after this season.

Sorry to say I am with Tim on this one...... Played a great game tonight? Well thats fantastic but it is about bloody time. Yes he has been down on form throughout this season that is obvious, but part of that is due to his total lack of commitment in regards to his fitness. But there also seem to be no drive (or at least there wasn't) to play and if that isn't there then he is just wasting space on the list. If he truly wants to play then he will show us but I am not going to be sold on a single performance at the end of a wasted season, where is has definitely let a hell of a lot of people down.

And we have been down this road a thousand times now........

I was aiming for the glass half full approach there, my dear Rhino !!!

Anyone actually think to blame Richmond ?!!!

I guess being an interstate member gets me off the hook for some of the stuff being thrown around in here...... I would love to fly down more more often, I hate not being able to be there and do get jealous of those who can go week in week out. But a combination of ongoing bad health, which subsequently means no money, makes that a little difficult, if not impossible. I have been a (interstate) member (along with my dad) for about 20 years now. Since I was in primary school. And I adore going to the games when the boys do actually come to town :D !!!

But remember Deanox the game is won in the forwards :D !!!

Sorry, I am not a fan of quoting myself....... But I would like to congratulate Colin for finally getting to his 50th game milestone !!!

Yze's skills have never and will never be in question....... He is one of the most gifted ball players we have on our list, and has more ability in his little finger than most guys do in their entirety. The problem I have with Adem is summed up pretty well by Rhino here. It is an attitude problem and it is something that seems to make him shy away from hard work and team orientated moves. And that is something I have less tolerance for than skill issues (skills can, or should be able to be improved, but the lack of an on-field work ethic is another thing) Now, I would love for him to prove me completely and utterly wrong, to make me eat my words and my opinion in 2008. I genuinely hope that a new coach can install a new and vastly improved attitude, or at least hold him accountable for a poor attitude next season, but sorry I am not going to hold my breath !!!

Me too...... And as with everyone else in here I continue to be astounded that Dunn remains on the outer. You would think that his continued development at club level is the most important thing at this point in time. Would this because of his form a Sandy not being up to scratch (I am asking someone in the know, as I have no idea)? I am happy with the selection of Bode and look forward to finally seeing him play. All in all though not too bad a side, but I am still not going to be holding my breath for a win !!!

As was yours Rhino....... I agree with you assessment of our midfield options, and your opinion on what we need to improve this vital part of our game.

Yep, because if you are anywhere else (well in Sydney anyway) you have the fantastic choice of Swans v Saints on both broadcasters <_< ....... Not to mention having the rare third option of actually being able to go to the game (which I am by the way)!!!

I am going to preface this by saying that I think that Aker is a complete [censored]. That being said there are two ways (to me) that this whole situation can he looked at and neither is particularly right or wrong........ 1. What Aker wrote in the article was utterly irresponsible, attention seeking and without merit or more importantly proof. I have read the article and proof is something which he categorically said he did not have, but he seemed more than happy to cast unfounded aspersions and innuendo across a number of teams (or at least at those that played that season at the Gabba on a Sunday) and the whole sport that he plays anyway. Couple this with the fact that the match in question apparently occurred twelve months ago, it does not lend a hell of a lot of credence to his wanting to do what is best for the code. The divulging of his apparent suspicions now and in public can be seen as nothing more than a calculated attention seeking grab. The other problem with the piece was that is was based on nothing more than a hunch that drugs may have been involved which in turn is based almost solely on the fact that this particular opponent could run away from him, or played better football that day than you have seen them play in the past This seems massively egocentric, although not necessarily surprising given who we are dealing with. It is also staggeringly naive, something I really don't think Aker is, to think that once the bee hive had been (deliberately) poked, even without the individuals name being dropped that no-one, in the media or otherwise, would have not gone out of their way to try and figure out just who the hell he was talking about. He would have, or at least should have, expected this reaction, and if that is the case then he is not as innocent in this as some would have him be. Or....... 2. The reason Aker wrote the article was because his heart was in the right place with regards to the drug debate within the AFL. It was not written necessarily to tarnish a possibly innocent fellow player, but to shine a light on the lax drug testing regime that currently exists, and he chose this particular game as an example of how players can exhibit signs (to him at least) that they may be taking performance enhancing drugs and not getting caught. And in regards to the current regime he is probably 100% correct. The drug testing system does seem to be unbelievably inadequate. This was quite clearly shown up recently by Ben Cousins (just an example) who managed to maintain an alleged drug addiction for what could have been years without getting caught. That is an indictment on the system if ever there was one. And it is something that needs to be rectified if the code is to maintain its credibility, especially when it comes to performance enhancing drugs because in the world athletes exist in taking an EPO or something similar is quite simply a crime. The AFL does need to do something to stop the speculation regarding drugs no matter the cost. So maybe Aker was trying to say as much, and given he didn't name anyone from the game in question he could maintain that the article was nothing more than as example of how potential drug cheats can slip through the system, and he gave a personal reason for why he believed that this player could be juiced up. And despite all the reactions and allegations he will stand by his piece because he may believe that it was not a personal attack but rather a swipe at the system. So in conclusion....... I think that there is probably some middle ground between the two. But as far as Aker is concerned it was an egocentric and miscalculated piece. The system is inadequate and probably needs to be overhauled, and there should definitely be more money spent on testing, especially all players after every match for performance enhancing drugs, if that is at all possible or plausible, with continued possible random illicit drug and blood testing. Until this happens media like this will continue to happen and speculation will continue to occur and this will be to the detriment of the sport, if it isn't already. Whatever the price may be it would be a small price to pay to maintain the integrity of the code. That would be the only possible upside of what he wrote, as for the downside there is more to that because of its self serving nature and lack of evidence. The drug system something that has been talked about for a long time now and I don't think that Aker's article really shed anything new or particularly fascinating on the debate. What it did do however was open a can of worms (which was probably the intention) and Micheal Braun has become the victim. No Aker didn't name him, that was Channel 7 who would have to be in some serious legal trouble. But what Aker did do was in putting his unfounded opinion out there he made sure that it was looked into and, whether he meant it to or not (and he is not stupid), that it and the player he believed was guilty would be named. You don't shake an apple tree and then act surprised if an apple actually falls out. I didn't like what he had to say, nor how he said it. If you have genuine suspiscions then you go through the proper channels and then let those in charge deal with it, even in the AFL. You don't wait and then cast very wide ranging and potentially damaging aspersions far and wide in the hope that you will hit something. Michael Braun may or may not be guilty, but I sure as hell am not going to condemn him on the basis of an article lacking credibility written by Jason Akermanis.

Thanks for the summery Alpha....... But if you will all excuse my naivety, could someone please explain to me why we (if we in fact do) have a "poor relationship" with the AFL? Thanks in advance :D !!!

Great news for everyone and he continues to be one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal year...... But please sweetie don't rush, or push yourself for a possible return this season, you are more valuable than that. Your return will be a welcome one but only as of next year when you are fully fit and we are not in a play for nothing position.