Clintosaurus

I think there is a third reason - to play regular senior footy. Take Koby Stevens for example - is he prepared to wait 2 or 3 more years, getting 6 or so games a year, until a space opens up in the Eagles midfield? I doubt it, and if he came to the Dees, he would be close to a first 18 player and could expect to play most weeks, injury and form permitting. There are plenty of players at other clubs that would love this sort of opportunity, and we are in a position to offer it.

Carlton's main problems are they drink their own bathwater and have an overly inflated opinion of every aspect of the club, but when reality sets in someone has to be burnt at the stake, and a cargo cult mentality where they go and buy someone (e.g. Judd) and think this will just make it all happen. It seems Ratten is the victim this time when it goes far deeper - the President should be taking much of the responsibility. They really are an [censored] of a club and one only needs to look at their membership slogans in recent years to see what they are made of.

To answer this question the lack of development of players within the club must be considered, plus role models. Naita has Dean Cox alongside him - who has Jack had? I am sure if Jack was drafted by Hawthorn or Geelong he would be much better than he is at the moment purely due to who he would be surrounded by. I'm still backing him in. I just hope Neeld is as patient.

I don't expect him to rip shreds off the players in public, but most of them should be wiping spittle off their faces after he is finished in the team meeting after the game. Anything less will be pissweak. Not that we ever know what was said.

You would think the out of contract players and those on the bubble would be having a huge crack instead of this half paced shite. Neeld will be ruthless both after today's game and also at the end of season meetings.

Everyone is having a crack but the skills are lacking for a lot of players. We will see a rather large turnover of the list. Shocking start to the second half too. Going to get smashed here.

Made me puke watching two teams we were ahead of a year or two back playing for a spot in the 8. So much better than we are. Even the spuds have a crack nearly all of the time.

TV just went off before I kIck it in. Just terrible. 6 [censored] years in a row with not much hope of Improvement any time soon. Bring on cricket season.

The Spence v The Mullet. I'm expecting Stef Martin to do a lot of ruck work.

Don't worry about the Gold Coast - they will take Whitfield. GWS need a ruckman and should take Grundy. If we finish 16th the we can expect to get Jack with the second round pick unless Vlad changes the rules again to include comp picks in father/son bidding. Would not surprise.

He's playing a couple more for Burnie too this season going by today's Mercury. Cameron Mooney is also playing at least one game for Glenorchy after registering yesterday.

That's the one. Just found Gaunt's Twitter feed. Very amusing and just as I remember him, only with more cuss words. It's @wellminted if anyone wants to have a look.

Don't think it's worth giving picks 3 and 4 (if that's what they are) for pick 1. We would be effectively losing a potential 10 year player to get someone who might be a little bit better than each of the 2 that we can have as it stands. I would rather finish 12-13 on the ladder and use pick 6-7 for Viney with 7-8 and 11-12 as our other first round picks. I'd almost guarantee Sheedy will put in a bid for young Jack regardless of where we finish just to be a [censored] even though it has no real benefit to him. The only way to negate that would be to finish last but that would mean losing to GW$ twice and I for one could not stomach that.

Some funny thread titles over there. The 'ology poster I miss bantering with is Graham Gaunt. The EPL thread was worth posting in while he was there, and kudos to him for actually not posting when he got a 'holiday' even though his account couldn't be suspended. I think he was a little too clever and honest for some of the posters there. Would be a great bloke to have a night on the sauce with. I wonder if he is back in England or still hanging around in Melbourne.

I don't entirely disagree with what Darcy says, but by Christ I'm sick of the club being potted by everyone in the media constantly. Can't the wankers in the press find something else to write about? The other thing it does is cause keyboard warriors create endless threads on how [censored] we are on BigFooty. Yes we don't appear to be much good right now but what is the point of 100 journos each writing an article on it, other than feeling big and important by giving us another whack when we are already covered in bruises? Seriously, write about Essendon or Adelaide or whoever the latest team on the rise is.

Eagles have slackened off this quarter. Someone from AFL House must have sent a message for them to slow down. Must be working out the margin to get us on the bottom of the ladder..

Neeld can hardly come out and say 'we were [censored], 18 of the 22 today were spuds' etc. The knobs at the Hun would have a week of stories out of that. What he can do, and I would hope does, is tell players individually and as a group what they are doing wrong or not doing at all. For the last 4 years the game style was entirely one way and now they are being taught how to play both ways (with and without the ball) but excluding the Collingwood game this had only appeared in patches. The biggest concern for me is the lack of spread to cover opposition players when they have the ball.

The difference is Carlton is a ruthless club who will do anything to be successful, but we don't seem to take it as seriously.

I think the development of our young players is held up by the lack of genuine A-graders on our list. A kid who gets drafted by Geelong or Collingwood is going to develop quicker and be a better player in most cases as they have Chappy, Bartel, Selwood or Swan, Pendlebury, Thomas to train with and setting the example for them to follow. Who do we have?

Frees are 10-1 to the Eagles. Shouldn't expect any better over there.

Am I too cynical for thinking that we have had a better sponsorship offer in the wind that is for the front and back, so we needed to find an 'easy' way to get rid of Energy Watch? Probably not the case given the 'damage' the issue has caused the club but the thought did cross my mind.

This is worse than 186. Showing absolutely no respect to the Stynes family.

Can't listen to anymore of the circle jerking. At one point they compared Port to Geelong. Hard to tell how we are going other than the score line and possession count. Both shithouse.

Dennis is the best. I also like Huddo, and must give a tick for his commentary of the Swans/Cats final in 2005. It must have been killing him to have to call what transpired in the last few minutes but he remained professional. Gerard Whateley is very good as well.

88 marks to 30 says plenty too, they have had over 100 possessions more than us.