rpfc

And the penny drops... Would all those who believe that Casey is 'just too far out' please expose themselves now. We will call you 'The Bluey Brigade' (a nod to the pathetic waste of skin that posts on Demonology and has this view). If you're a player that lives on the other side of the city I have a failsafe remedy to the travel problem... Move.

I spoke to a bloke at the club at the end of 2008 and asked about how Newton can still have a waist wider than his shoulders and whether he had a shoulder problem or something to prevent his upper body from developing. The answer that I got back is exactly what I have gleaned from watching him play and train myself - he is a coaster of the highest order. That may have changed in the time since then, or it may change now that he is 'delisted,' but it is not some unfounded, or misinterpreted, view of mine. He should be bigger than he is. The club knows it. He knows it. And every Demon fans should ask no less than, barring injury, their players get their bodies in the best shape to play for their club.

FA is inevitable and it will not be the disaster that some envision. The Salary Cap will see to that. The NYY and the Dodgers get the best players because they are allowed to pay an infinite amount. The AFL has the cap, and the draft will only become more of an entity of equality as the best kids become marquee players as soon as they get to clubs as they do in the NBA and the NFL. And if we cannot keep a 25 year old Tom Scully who has played in a few flags in number 31, then what are we doing?

It's the blue we used to wear. And it beats the purple we play in if the sun is out.

You and I both believe that Martin can provide a target in the forward line to ease the pressure on Jurrah. We are butting heads on this because I don't think Martin is anything other than a decoy forward whose ability to release pressure of Jurrah, and to a lesser extent Watts, will be minimal. I agree that a forward line with Martin would function better, but I don't see him having the effect that you envision. I have no problem with you Billy, if I did I wouldn't engage with you; I would be indifferent. And I don't ignore points, I may have misinterpreted the points that you think I ignored.

I am boring people, apparently. And I meant 2010 - 2012, Watts will be little more than a decoy in these years.

That's more like it Melbourne supporters! Reducing complex issues into a simplistic truth which leads to a snap decision without all the facts.

This is a tired argument we are having but I will say again, Jurrah is the centre of our forward world for the foreseeable future. Martin won't change that nor will any other tactic we wish to use. You can give him decoys, but that's all they are. And I think Jurrah will be fine in that position.

I'll ignore the snide remark. 2011 will be a landmark year for both Watts and Martin according to you. Jurrah is, for the foreseeable future, our number one forward. He will be treated as such, until someone of similar talents can compete with him - Watts when he is ready, and Martin never; he is not good enough. Oh, and your naivete has touched on one thing that I should correct - Morris is the best defender at the Bulldogs in terms of keeping a player in check, Lake was AA because of his counter-attacking instincts and execution.

Yeah, I'm harsh on him. As a footballer. The only thing I question that has to do with his application is the fact that Bate, who came to the club at the same time, and played half of his career in the midfield, has more upperbody definition than Newton. He has not, up until now, done the work in the summer to give himself the best opportunity to succeed. Posters need to stop questioning the coaching/development methods that lead to a problem like Michael and look at the man himself. And Miller, Bate, Jurrah, and Martin, have all shown more than Newton playing the position he wants to play. And I haven't mentioned Watts yet, who will, hopefully, soon possess those attributes I said Newton lacked.

But you didn't. Someone else did. Just because they are 'no-brainers' does not mean that a recruiter shouldn't get credit, or blame, as the case may be. The early ones are the ones you HAVE to get right because that is, usually, where the talent is.

I reject your analogy. Brian Lake rarely plays on the best attacker. Morris takes Riewoldt. Lake is an attacking backman in the mould of Scarlett but he rarely plays on the number 1 forward. We can split hairs over whether this person would or wouldn't take Jurrah, but I will tell you this now, without equivocation - sides will set-up their defence to counter Liam Jurrah should he spend his time in the forward line. Now we can put Martin in there to help, or Jamar, or Bate, or Miller. But unless Jurrah is moved out of the forward line, other sides will still set-up their defence with the notion of quelling Jurrah.

Just because I say that Martin is going to be our 1st tall doesn't make it so. Or Bate for that matter, or Miller. Your 1st tall, or number 1 focal point, is the player that attracts the footy when it comes into the forward line. They attract the footy because of their talents, which are over-and-above other forwards. The midfielder is running through the corridor and sees the lead of multiple targets, who do they go for? It's a judgement call; forward talent, distance to targets, proximity of defender, etc. But unless there is an open target to hit, the easiest way to decide is forward talent; the midfielder will kick it to the forward they trust to do the most with it. That is Liam Jurrah. It might Jack Watts in a few years, but it certainly isn't Martin, Jamar, Bate, Miller, or any other target. It is all about quality...

I don't expect anything. I know it for a fact. When Robertson was not in the forward line the mids looked to Jurrah, the defenders all went to him when the ball went in the forward line. He is not under the pressure of being our number 1 forward because of my, or anyone else's design, he is there as a matter of circumstance or fate - he is the best forward right now at the club, he will spend most of his time in the forward 50, defenders will look to curb him the most, he is our focal point. I am not saying anything about how he will go with the extra pressure or attention (personally I think there is very little this man can't do, especially on a footy field), all I am saying is that he will get that extra pressure and attention because of the circumstances we find ourselves - lack of an alternative, and his superlative skills.

Watts, Green, Bate, Martin, Jamar, and Miller will help share the load with Jurrah. But Jurrah will get the ball kicked to him by our midfielders because he is our most talented tall forward and will attract their eye. He will get the best defender because of this, and his unique abilities. I don't care if Bailey tells the midfield not to kick it to him, and to look for someone else. If he is in the forward line and the mids are under a manageable amount of pressure - they will look for Jurrah. Call him a FP, FF, HFF, or whatever, if he is in the 50 the mids will look for him.

This is brought up every few months. The guy can't kick well for goal. But he also can't: Put in the work required in the gym. Take a grab in a pack, unless on top of one. Beat an opponent one-on-one. Lead fast. Track back on his opponent. Make compotent decisions with the ball. He has only learnt in the last 12 months: Not to run his mouth off. Chase and tackle when the ball is loose. If we are to employ coaches specifically to improve the talents of Newton, we'd be broke. Get a goal kicking coach, but don't expect that to fix all the problems that encapsulate Michael Newton.

Jurrah on Mackie would do more damage than Martin on Mackie. Of course, Scarlett will go to the most dangerous forward, and until Watts comes on, that is Jurrah. I see your point, but I reject it. If Martin is a productive member of the forward line, it will be as a third tall - who will see less ball than Jurrah and get the lesser defender.

I think you are being slightly harsh on Petterd. I think you are being ridiculous toward Jones. Who will get the clearances? Oh, Scully and Trengove are going to be entrusted with that when they are 18 are they? Fantastic. Welcome to the club kids, now go and get the ball at the bottom of the packs... Moloney and Jones will be responsible for the 'in-and-under' stuff while these toddlers we picked up in the last few drafts have time to grow up.

What damage could Martin do? That's what they would be pondering in the Geelong box. Martin is in the square, and Jurrah leading up 30 out - if I was a mid I know which player I would go to; I would go to Jurrah. Jurrah attracts the pill from the mids and Geelong, or any team, will put their best defender on the opposition's focal point. So we have to start our best forward outside the 50 just so he doesn't get the attention?! Put the white flag down. He is our most dangerous tall forward and is the number one target of the footy that goes into the forward line. Of course, he won't spend all his time at FF, but he is our focal point for the foreseeable future and he will be played predominantly at FF. Where is our Neitz? Will Watts be solid enough to be a FF, or will he be a mobile (Riewoldt-like) CHF? Martin certainly isn't as talented as Neitz, he won't have the same affect on - the mids delivering the ball, and the attention of the defenders. I have little doubt that Martin will play a deep forward role in 2010 and be back-up ruck, but his presence in the forward line doesn't mean that he will get the best defender or that the midfielders will kick it to him more; both of which are needed to relegate Jurrah to 2nd or 3rd tall.

But you are implying that he agrees with RR all the time? Surely if he was to be himself with that implication, he would only agree with RR. You have to be on here a little longer if you want to be patronising...

This is where I get frustrated with posters who think like you do. Just because Martin is going to be a forward and he happens to be a few inches taller than Jurrah, it does not mean that he will become a 2nd or 1st forward, if Martin is down there and so is Jurrah, who do you think Scarlett is going to pick up? This is why we went for a 208cm ruckman/forward and a 201cm forward with speculative picks in the draft - if they do come on then they would be very handy 3rd forwards at a cheap price. Jurrah and Watts are near enough to each other in terms of talent that they will fight it out for the attention of the best defenders for the next decade. Anyone else is going to have to be a hell of a lot more talented than Martin (he is going to be a very good back-up ruck though) to make Jurrah a '3rd tall.'

Moot.

Why didn't we pick him up at 50 then? The MFC obviously rated Fitzpatrick as a better bet than any tall left, so there is your tall forward. And I have no idea how good MacDonald will be when he is thirty, but at 25, Pick 1 in the PSD is a good price for a pro with neat skills.

Angry towns people in South Park. Showing your age possibly? No. Ok, then.

That's great, but the 'hit rate' is as crap in the top 10 than it is outside the top 10. Molan, Fraser, Longmuir, Thorp, Brown, Livingston, McDougall, Hansen, Angwin, Polak, Walsh, and Bradley were all talls taken in the top 10. They are all failures. Talls are just harder to read when they are in their teens.