titan_uranus

Without having read any of the first two pages of this thread... I think it's a pretty fair article. Quite clearly, right now, Hurley is a better player than Watts. But to make the call on their careers now is stupid. Watts started from way, way, further back development-wise, and is still not as physically developed as Hurley. Moreover Watts has a different set of attributes (agility, movement, speed) than Hurley (strength, marking, kicking). Sure, if Collingwood was asked which one they'd take to add to their list in 2011 it'd be Hurley no question. But that does not mean we erred in picking Watts (in fact nothing will ever make that an error), nor does it mean that Hurley is already destined to be the better player. Brereton's also right to say that right now Hurley seems more comfortable with the physical contact side of the game than Watts does. Again, that's not to make any call over what Watts will be like further into his career.

Watson. Holy moly. 185 (not out) off 96. 15 fours, and a record 15 sixes. And we had 24 overs remaining. If Bangladesh had scored a few more he could easily have made 250. Wowee.

Damn. Read: Phew.

Not entirely true. What we should be doing is putting a side out there that, clearly, is capable of winning, but also has an eye to the future. We are not a premiership contender this year, so we need to be thinking about who we want in the side in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Newton does not qualify. Moreover, he has 'thrust his hand up' before, and upon getting his promotion, stunk it up. Picking Newton is nothing but a step backwards.

NFI. I think it's clear I don't want to see Newton back in the side. Granted, he has been knocking on the door, so credit where it's due, but I just do not see the point in going back to a player who has had his repeated chances, most of which have come after similarly good Casey form, and not progressed at AFL level. As for Watts, I still think we're better off playing him than not. But that's not to say if he doesn't show improvement that he shouldn't be dropped. If he can't get more into the game against the Suns he might not be around for the trip to Perth.

No it is not. It merely tells you if and when a disposal went near a team mate. It does not tell you if that team mate was under pressure. Or the right option. Or forward or backward of the player. Or 50 metres away, or 5 metres away. Its meaning is not anywhere near as profound as you think it is. I never said anyone said he was a star. Just re-inforcing the fact that he is a limited footballer whose best is not as good as people are making it out to be.

Martin is the perfect number 2 ruck. Jamar is the perfect number 1 ruck. Spencer and Gawn are both replacement number 1s.

Bail.

Good call Maldonboy. Pity others don't see what we see. Sure, he's not setting the world on fire. He goes missing for long periods too. But his off-the-ball work is still good.

That statistic has little to no meaning, don't bother using it. Jones had a good game today. No one is disputing that. But he is not a star, this game does not change that.

Maric does not deserve a re-call. And there's absolutely no way he is better than Wonaeamirri, who played his role today exactly as Maric should have the last two weeks. If Newton comes in, and I would not think that helps the MFC in any way at all, it would not be at Watts' expense, it would be at Dunn's. Whilst Dunn's not playing well, Newton is terrible. We all know it. He's had periods at Casey before where he kicks goals, but we all know that when he gets promoted he stinks. Just like PJ. There is no long term benefit at all. Watts is not playing as badly as people think. There is more to it than just kicks/marks/goals etc. He is running hard, chasing, making space, leading etc. He is not 'undroppable', but he doesn't deserve it just yet.

The only change I'd consider is Petterd for Morton. Other than that, no one is really knocking on the door at Casey, like Gysberts and Wonaeamirri did. And there's no real weakness in the side at the moment. Watts didn't get a lot of it but we get nowhere by playing him at Casey and playing Newton instead.

Missed the point. That game from Lenny Hayes, Gary Ablett or Chris Judd is not as big of a difference from their norm as it is for Jones. He still made some crucial errors, by hand, by foot, and with marking. Yes, he played well overall, but we are heaping praise upon him for an effort that we should be expecting each week.

Difference though is that Frawley is proven star and is integral to our team. Morton is neither. I don't think he's deserving of a full game next week. I think he'd be better served playing a full game at Casey instead.

Overall a good game from Jones, but it says a lot about his average output when his 'good game' still features numerous skill errors.

He didn't look anywhere near deserving of a spot in the 22 today, and that I reckon comes down to a lack of match practice. He seemed to have lost his touch. I don't think we can play him as the sub again next week, and he certainly doesn't deserve to be in the starting 21, so I think the best thing for him and the team is a run with Casey, which is what he should have had this week. What do others think?

The first quarter was horrendous. Just like the second half last week, we were listless, lethargic, weak and stupid. Luckily something changed at quarter time and things looked a lot better in the second, effort-wise anyway. The skill level was down all day but at least for the last three quarters we looked like we were trying. Some strong signs in the second and third quarters. Jurrah's performance was notable not just for the 5 goals but for the chasing and pressure he applied. He needs to keep working on introducing those things into his game. Jamar was immense. Moloney too. Rivers was outstanding in defence, and Frawley improved as the game went on. Bartram was poor though. Dunn too. Watts again did a lot of hard work that people seem to ignore or not notice, and his hands were good again, but he still isn't getting enough of the ball. Wonaeamirri justified his inclusion over Maric ten times over. Maric needs to go and look at Wonna's work rate, pressure, and defensive work if he wants to get back in the side.

We have Nick McCallum doing some sort of pre-game introduction, today introducing the new mascots or something. Then we raise the 'Grand Old Flag' (a flag that looks kind of like a premiership flag, only it just has our emblem, name, and the ring of stars on it) to the tune of the trumpeter playing the song. Then the trumpeter gets up in the stands and does it again, although that time his microphone wasn't working so well. We leave ourselves open to criticism with this flag business. Against Sydney some Sydney supporters were making the exact comment everyone's thinking ('That's the only flag they have'). I've never liked the trumpeter either. It's just a waste of time.

6 - Jamar 5 - Rivers 4 - Moloney 3 - Jurrah 2 - Jones 1 - Wonaeamirri (his pressure, chasing, tackling, and effort levels were great. Fell away a bit in the fourth, but he did his job nicely).

Anyone got a reason for Petterd getting dropped? I don't. From that bench I'd play Morton as the sub, he could give us some value in the second half. Can't really see Dunn or Watts as the sub.

What I want to see: Watts, Petterd, Dunn, Morton (sub) What I think I will see: Watts, Petterd, Dunn, Jones (sub) Jones has been bad enough to warrant being dropped, and Morton should hopefully be OK to play 1-2 quarters. Of course there is the risk that if we get an injury early that we'll have to sub Morton in for most of the game, and that might be enough for Jones to retain his spot. Watts and Petterd do not deserve to be dropped. Dunn's spot is less sure, but I think he'll keep it. Needs to get more of the ball though. Correct. Glad I'm not the only one.

I do not go out of my way. I merely observe and comment. Unfortunately for Maric, he brought it upon himself by not looking like he was giving 100%. Furthermore he has yet to play one decent AFL game. I do not subscribe to your argument that he has 'shown potential'. I haven't seen it. And I'm talking AFL level potential. It's just not there, people want it to be there, but it isn't. He doesn't deserve another 2 games because his previous 2 (or 1.2 if you want to be nice to him) haven't been any good. If he had retained his spot for this week I don't think he would have done anything anyway.

That would be 3-4 more games than Maric. You need to actually watch his AFL games to appreciate that. Sure, he might look good in the NAB Cup or at Casey, but when he has been given his chances at AFL level, he has never, not once, stepped up and delivered. And it's more than just disposals or goals. It's effort. It's intensity. It's looking like you're damn well trying. Wonaeamirri will give me all those, even if he gets a similar amount of the ball as Maric did. For that reason alone, although I believe Wonna will give the side more than just that, Maric goes.

Agree with that. Every time the going gets tough, the structure falls apart. For once I do not want to see a loose man behind the ball when we get a couple of goals behind, and when it gets worse I don't want to see the forward line behind the centre. When we are winning we often don't have anyone loose behind the ball and our forwards are deep enough so that on the turnover we have targets forward of the ball.

Huh? I thought he was OK at best. Still goes missing for too long. I want a four quarter effort from him for once. Disagree with both points. Watts was left at CHF presumably because he was playing well there. I thought he played some of his best football in the first half. As for Jurrah, he doesn't get enough of the ball sometimes, so a move onto the wing to utilise his pace and agility is probably a good thing every now and again. Someone also needs to get in his ear and tell him he doesn't need to take MOTY every week.