titan_uranus

Richmond is going nowhere fast. As evidenced on the weekend, they are not even close to matching it with the better teams, and against teams around them on the ladder they can't string 4 quarters together (their 3rd quarter against Brisbane would have cost them the game had the Lions kicked straight). Their skills are at times as bad as ours can be. Yes, they've won 5 games more than last year but they've beaten crap teams. And when they lose, they lose big (average losing margin of 41.8 points). Unless Richmond shoots up the ladder next year (i.e. makes the finals), Wallace won't be there after 2009. If they start the season really poorly (such as we did this year), he won't see the season out.

There's more to Sylvia's problems than fitness, but if he can at least get a pre-season completed, then I'm betting on improvements. The real question is whether those improvements happen at the MFC or at another club.

Wow, it's been a long time. Obviously we lost, but does anyone remember by how much?

We are favourites! http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl...1-19742,00.html Could change between now and Saturday but who really cares because I don't think at any stage in any week this year have we had better odds than our opponents.

I agree with you deanox. You would assume that Geelong would jump at that deal considering their position on the ladder (barring another club offerring their first-round pick which I don't think will happen), and Prismall looks like a genuinely talented and hardworking midfielder.

Really? Well that sucks. I assume that means both of them stay next year. I agree. He's gotta be worth something. And I guess anything is better than nothing.

Well all of them bar Bell would be brought back into the team this week if fit, so there could be up to 4 changes.

And we got smashed. Embley ran riot that day. I think that was the start of our 7 game losing streak which sent us from 2nd to 11th. I had high hopes for that game.

I'll be there. Let's just hope there's decent weather. With some rain we could be in for an absolute disaster. Although West Coast beating Essendon yesterday might mean a few more Eagles supporters.

Bad luck to PJ if in fact he has no choice, but my guess is they've chosen to ensure his shoulder's right for the upcoming pre-season. I never thought I'd say this, but I hope Jamar is fit so we can bring him back in.

I agree Nasher, but it's not the players' fault that there isn't a tall forward to kick to. It's the coaching panel's fault. We need someone in the forward line to take a mark. Anyone. And both Newton and Holland aren't playing. There wasn't anyone to kick to becuase the coaches didn't select one. And for mine, Bruce should have kicked it long, because I believe, if you're going to turn it over, you might as well turn it over as far away from the opposition's goals as possible.

The positives for me were the size of the crowd, Maric, Martin and PJ's goal.

Great point sylvinator. I wish people would stop bringing that up. Let's not forget how some people turned on Carlton (e.g. 'Carltank') for not winning games last year. Sounds a tad hypocritical to now suggest that we would have been better off tanking. The reality is that we should also have beaten North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, the Bulldogs and Essendon last year, for a total of 9 wins (I could have missed another one, those 4 are games I remember where the margin was small and we led for extended amounts of each game).

3 go out, 4 come in. Heh, I don't even think having an extra player will help us... FWIW: IN: Miller, Davey, Jamar OUT: Carroll, White, Sylvia If Davey's not fit then bring in Petterd, if Miller's not fit then bring in Dutchy, for Pete's sake we need a marking forward!

Gee, that crowd really surprises me. Everything was against us last night (weather, 1 vs 16, Olympics) and yet we managed over 30,000. That's a good result for mine.

I have to say, with no offence intended, that those comparisons are pathetic. Garland has already shown in 15 or so games that he has miles more talent than Carroll ever did. He can read the play and had some decent skills too. Warnock is nothing like Wheatley. Maric showed last night that he can play either midfield or in the forward line, and after only 3 games he's already adapting well to AFL standard. How can you be so quick to condemn Maric and Morton? When was the last time you went to a game?

Often in these situations there's no free kick for in the back because of 'sprawling' (where the tackled player's knees buckle and he deliberately falls forward to get a free). But this instance wasn't one of those, it was a free kick to Monfries.

I doubt he will leave Essendon, as he fits Matthew Knights game plan perfectly. Knights will not want to let him go. Would take him if the right offer arose, but it won't.

It's in the HUN today, Gerard Healy's article entitled 'Barry Plotter' http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/afl/the...s/barry_plotter In the paper it has a team and lists of 'Possibles', 'Teasers' and 'Retired/Delisted', all based on our next premiership tilt, which according to him will be around about 2012. Jared Rivers is in the 'Teasers', based mainly on injury. So too are Miller and Sylvia. Bruce is in the 'delisted'. Green is on one wing. I can remember Maric, Wonna, Garland, Morton, McLean, Jones, Bartram and maybe Petterd in the team.

FF FB Rover

Exactly. Still, I'd like to see him get the recognition he deserves. Might help him with his confidence.

If Miller's fit he comes straight back in. In: Miller Jones Out: Garland Davey

I think the Bruce situation was laughable. It was either a 50m penalty or a free kick for legging. I would love to hear the umpires reasoning as to why he didn't pay a free kick. In regards to the theory that the AFL assigns umpires based on the status of the clubs playing, I would assume that to be the truth, but Hayden Kennedy was umpiring in our game vs Essendon, and McLaren vs North Melbourne. Experienced umpries aren't necessarily the best umpires.

They will try their hardest. They don't play at the MCG that often and they will want to show the competition how good they are. If we were to get close to them at any stage they would just up the ante and put us to the sword.

I have to say that I was extremely disappointed to hear that Newton had been offered another contract, let alone 2 years at that. I don't think he is the answer, I have yet to see anything that suggests he will become a good player and his attitude and lack of second efforts haven't been addressed. I would love for him to prove me wrong, but I'm pretty sure he won't.