rpfc

The life of a Melbourne supporter - fear the worst, and revel in being the first to fear what eventually happens. It's a defence mechanism. Let's grow: Scully will play 250 games for the dees and win a flag or two. Anything else would be disappointing.

I feel like a Black Bear. Grrr.

Not going to bite on this one, Grimes is a very good kick. And one of the best 22 gamers going around. Maybe you should find another dead horse to [censored], Freak. Hmmm?

Uh, thanks? I always fine that insults work better when they are insults.

Somebody's a misogynist... A boon for DLand this bloke is.

Absolutley. He looked tired today. Dar-win at a cost? And I wouldn't get ansty about JB being unable to properly summise in three words. Hard to do. Must be incredibly busy, JB. Only has time for the 22 names and a further 66 words. That's 88 words. Mustn't be paid by the word I guess...

Grimes can play midfield. Jones can play midfield. Grimes can play HBF. Jones cannot play HBF. Grimes can play midfield. Moloney can play midfield. Grimes can play HBF. Moloney cannot play HBF. Grimes can play midfield. Scully can play midfield. ... Get my drift? Grimes may end up in the midfield but as a HBF he is valuable for his vision, his skills, his run, and his ability to beat his opponent and help out his teammates. He doesn't seem to be getting the plaudits he deserves; he's played 22 games. 22.

Read a bit more of the thread, Chook. But thankyou for being inflamed.

After today, I fail to see the path the coaching staff are taking us down... Does that inflame anyone? It inflames me.

What I am saying is that if enough players get paid $50k more than they should then that will push out a very good player.

When? On what topic? Sometimes I think 'groupthink' is the narcissists way of explaining away the utter rejection of a particular thought he has by everyone around him. He/she didn't get called a troll because of what he/she posted - the troll accusation comes when you have never posted before and your first post is inflammatory. And it is their right to call him a troll. And his/her right to refute. Everyone is so bloody sensitive. Again, some on here should get a blog and disable the comments. They, and I, would be a lot happier.

Yeah. Or... Post what you want but don't expect the nonsense you spew out of your keyboard to be left untreated. When I see some sh!t, I point it out, flush it, and send it to Werribee. It's a forum. If you want to spew and not have anyone call you out - get a blog and disable the comments.

The problem comes with giving those major pay days and having to give some players more than they should get. If 8 players get $50k more than they should, that is one very good player that will be forced out in a later year. Let's say we are paying $7.95m as people are claiming and we are paying about 85-90% of that in real terms (the p.a. average of a contract) then we are taking $1.2 to $800k out of a future cap and putting it into 2010. I'm worried that this hole a couple of years down the track will inflate a few contracts, only slightly, but enough to have an impact. Remember, you have to pay someone, and if our senior players are on a pittance than our talented youth will be on marquee wages.

Well, you restrained yourself. I was expecting you to call me weak 5 times in different ways in a wall of text that would make Tolstoy cringe. Progress.

Aaron wouldn't. His agent might. Moving on. My problem, and you all will have to bear with me because it is involved, surrounds what might happen in two years/three years time when our best players are on their small-back contracts and we have to find homes for $8.5m (or even 92.5% of $8.5m) that we will pay our young talent over the odds to reach the minimum as our senior players are taking so little of the cap. Have a think about it. I'm sure Harrington will be grappling with it very soon.

Fitzpatrick is how long away?!!? You have got to be kidding me. This is where most posters would comment on your age but I won't. Above all that. I will say this, if you think Jack Watts will come on next year you are optimistic, if you think Fitzpatrick will come on next year you're hepped up on goof balls. And a forward line with Watts, Jurrah, Petterd, and Bate will be fine with marking enough ball - mainly because Scully, Trengove, McKenzie, Gysberts, Bennell, and Grimes will be shovelling it down their throat - with quality and quantity - for a decade.

Surely Jamar should have been rested. He's rucking, get this...all by himself. I know, right?! And for a seasoned professional at the age of 26 I think it is ridiculous that he is asked to his job for most of the game. Anyway, back on point. Probably had to rest the kids after the Darwin heat, I bet they lost a few kilos and are feeling it.

You're both right. And isn't it amazing what can happen when a coach sticks to his philosophy and tells players and recruiters to adapt rather than play a gamestyle designed for the VFL side he inherited. I cannot believe posters argued this as late as last year. Just amazingly daft.

I frequently miss your point, DD, behind the wall of text. Pithyness is a virtue. I would love to develop a second ruckman. But we do not have one that demands an AFL game, let alone 40% of AFL game time. We are in a development year. You don't need to tell me that, I knew that when most on here thought it was Bailey's 'D-Year'. But there are limitations to even a year like this and bringing in a ruck who hasn't got the form, and who would be playing so little time doesn't cut it with me. There's development, and then there is development for developments sake. BTW, Jetta needs games as well, and he is earning his.

The cap is $7.95m in 2010. I'm staggered we have found enough talent to find homes for almost $8m. And a direct quote from Harrington or Schwab would not go amiss... Frontloading is a much better scenario than spreading money around our young talent and inflating their wages but I am yet to be convinced of the virtues of paying almost 100% rather than just getting to 92.5% - a number we wouldn't get to in real terms. I argued going after a big name to soak up some of the funds so that we don't inflate players wages. I still believe the frontloading is a 'kick down the road' solution and I hope it doesn't lead to complications with agents/players confused over the worth of a player; a player getting X suddenly gets a third of X, and then a fifth of X... But what am I thinking... Player agents are god's children - they would never lead anyone astray...

I'm also not worried but I just want to clarify something. We are frontloading contracts to make the 92.5% minimum of the cap, we are not paying the full $7.5m cap or whatever it is. It means we have even more room to move in a few years time but can also mean that are youngsters will be on inflated contracts which might be an issue down the track.

We have Colin Sylvia. We have our lionshare of stupid.

And that is why you fail. I don't see how anyone can think that 20 mins is useful for an up and coming ruckman. To play two-thirds of one quarter and expect to get better?! What is the point of that? Jamar is our dominant ruck and as his standards have gone up, so do our expectations of him. BTW, our gameplan requires more run than other sides. We need run. Not mediocre ruckwork for 5 centre bounces, and 20 minutes of following.

Jamar has become the player he is because he is the dominant ruck. It is absolute rubbish to suggest we are taking years off his career by playing him for 90% of the game in the ruck. If anything, it will give him more run in the legs and train his body to do more for longer. Bringing up ruck tandems that have won premierships 20 years ago, or even 5 years ago, is disingenuous as the game has changed so quickly. All I have seen in the argument for a second ruck is the worrisome paranoia (Dees supporters do this very well) of what could happen to Jamar if we don't have help for him. But what about this 22nd player? What would he bring? 20 mins of outfield play and 5 touches? A handful of ruck contests? Why should we give a bloke a game who has only one bow string and not a very good string at that? Keep a runner in the team and get Miller or Sylvia to sacrifice 20 mins of their game.

PA average age was 25 on the weekend. They went in unchanged. Jetta, Miller, Wonna, and Morton, were brought in from the VFL. Watts and Garland are noticably suffering from a lack of a fitness base. Our midfield has an 18 year old, two 19 year olds, and a 21 year old in there and that isn't including any of the previous 6 I have mentioned. All this has an affect. And kids are going to do this. Deal with where we are at as a club before you all get ulcers.