rpfc

I said sometimes...

It was pure dressage that little 'kick-out.' Work in progress is Stefan's kicking...

Where the hell is Freak?! He should be arguing now that Jack has a fundamental flaw in his kicking. Davey was mercilessly tagged and Grimes, at 20, decided that this game was his to be the set-up man off half back. Great stuff. Effing good kicking too...

Excuse me, mate. I was there when we played this same mob at Optus Oval and 9000 dragged themselves along. I was expecting sub 20k and 23k was a pleasant suprise with about 2k of them being WCE supporters. I think you need to sit down for a moment and collect your thoughts.

He might be moved on to progress the list, but I am sure you cheered loudly as he sealed the game today as he has so many games for the club we all love. Robbo is, and always will be, a great player for this club. Even with his excesses, sometimes because of them... Show some respect.

Moving the thread slighty off (the unfair) topic... There was another backup ruckman of the future that I was interested in - he can play forward, back, but may need some work on his kicking. Stefan Martin could invaluable as a relief ruckman for Jamar/Meesen/Spencer for a decade. Does not bode well for PJ though, who has equisite skills, but turns the ball over far more than Martin.

Rivers had some clangers. Who gives a flying frenchman when he goes back with the flight and does the kind of things that we, as supporters, take for granted. Who here doesn't know the feeling of holding your breath as you look upon the MCG as an opponent kicks an up and under toward the square and you see Jared Rivers, with eyes unwavering, look at the football he is about to mark or spoil? Robbo was Robbo. His bad habits would only be eradicated by brave selection many years ago. Today we take the great with the awful, and hope that the same bad habits don't get transferred to a young Liam Jurrah. Great game never-the-less.

I have to tell you, joeboy, I really don't like the 'three-word summary' idea. I guess its good to get the clift notes on how each player is going but I like a bit of depth. Sometimes you need more than three words. Anyway... Jetta had 7 touches and 6 tackles and 3 assists. Again. Limited influence? Maybe... But when the ball was near he wanted it, and helped his teammates get it. Bate was the driving force across half forward. Selwood said after the game that the Eagles defence set-up with nullifying Bate across half forward. He drew the ball and his unco-ordinated kicking may annoy Freak but it is incredibly, and undeniably, effective. The guy can kick the footy. McLean was great, and so was Moloney, and Jones brave. Our middle tier players stood up.

Morabito is on the wing... Could push Davey forward in later years? We could use an outside mid or two?

If affirmative action for quickness means Morabito then I'm on your bandwagon. Rohan not there in the skills dept.? Footy IQ? Size?

I think the hype we made has been hyped. We did a few press conferences... And all this nonsense about, 'where making him out to be the great, white hope and its unfair,' is tiresome. He IS a great, white hope, and life is hardly fair. The best kids are given to the worst sides and hopes will be placed on their shoulders. BTW, Morton is also a GWH, and Scully will be a GWH, and Morabito/Trengove/Rohan will be a GWH...

We need a star. But could we get a star with pace? Trengove will be a leader, and shepards, and listens to instruction. But Morabito looks a tad quicker, but I am still looking for informed opinion here. And with speed in mind that Rohan kid would have to be tempting, although I believe Blease is a similar size and would play a similar role. I guess what I am saying is that I want affirmative action for quickness...

I was comparing the 28 clearances he managed to get against Haw, St K, Coll, and Ess to Judd. So you need to calm down. He had a patchy start to the year, punctuated by some poor games, but his recent form has been much better than you, and others, give credit for. Stats in-and-of themselves mean little, but don't tell me McLean had a poor month of footy leading into the Lions game and deserves to be dropped - because you're wrong.

In the 5 games from Rd 8 (against WB, Haw, St K, Coll, and Ess - some good midfields there!) Mclean has averaged 13 kicks, 12 handballs, 8 contested poss., 5 tackles, and 7 clearances. That last stat is Judd-like... His kicking hasn't been great but you don't put up numbers like that in poor form. And you certainly shouldn't be dropped for it. Some on here need to 'change their minds when the facts change.'

Agree. Let's not eulogise.

McLean has been great in the month leading up to th Lions game. And he plays a different position to Miller and Johnson. Rivers is returning from injury and has been patchy. He also plays a different position than Miller and Johnson. Jetta has already been dropped for 6 weeks, has been getting assists lately (3 against the Lions). He also plays a different position to Miller and Johnson. Bruce would be right behind Davey in the Bluey at the moment, his shoddy delivery aside, he runs a marathon every week and is a great player for the MFC. He also plays a different position to Miller and Johnson. Miller and Johnson, up until this week have missed a combined total of one week. And they have been very poor of late. This 'soft option' argument is not winning me over.

You don't have to yell that... And he's not even listed, so it would be hard to be delisted. Good luck to him. The next three months will be the defining time of his football career.

Argued with RR about Valenti, I really want him to get a run of games but... McLean up unitl last week was managing his injury well and had a great month of footy leading up to his diabolical game against the Lions. Macca is the captain, and the most decorated player on our list. He deserves to play when fit. Jones has been better this season, but still very patchy. Moloney has ran the gammet from consistent to fantastic this season. Some on here are convinced that three of these players, who are similar to Valenti, cannot play together and we have four in at the moment. My personal wish is that McLean prepares for next season with 6 rounds to go and Valenti gets a month and a half to show he is worth a spot on the list in 2010.

Miller has little confidence in himself and needs whatever swagger he had to perform his role. PJ has played some good games this year, but the vast majority of games have been punctuated by poor disposal, critical errors, and inept marking attempts against smaller opponents. He doesn't play like a 200cm, 100kg ruckman. THE FUTURE Miller has a chance to play long term, but he isn't a natural footballer and gets lost very easily. Bate is moving past him as the lead up option. PJ is in dire straights. He is a backman ruckman at best, and there is a backup ruckman by the name of Stefan Martin who has shown that he can contribute back, forward, link across midfield, and contest very well in the ruck and, this is important, when the ball hits the ground after a tapout. BTW, they have played 12 and 13 games respectively, so I cannot see how they are the scapegoats of the match committee...

Hun and MFC site (but trusting the MFC/AFL site is fraught with danger). Ratios are difficult to measure, especially considering we are the worst team, but Steve Johnson is at 68 I50s and 24 assists, and Chapman is 56 and 20. Montagna is 68 and 23, Dal Santo is 58 and 22, and Goddard is 46 and 22(!). Davey 38 and 18. Bate 39 and 17. Sylvia 52 and 15. Miller 23 and 10. McLean 32 and 9. Moloney 47 and 8. Jetta 22 and 8. Jones 48 and 8. Bruce 37 and 7. Green 22 and 6. Make of those stats what you will. My conclusions are that, while it isn't a perfect illustration of each players ability to hit a target going forward, it shows some players are better than others at turning thrusts forward into goals with their delivery.

Davey and Bate are around 2 Inside 50s for every assist they have. They are good deliverers forward. Jones (especially), Moloney, and McLean are running at about 4 I50s for every assist they have. They are not good deliverers forward. And considering evolutionary theory, surely a chicken like creature evolved from, as birds apparently have, from the dinosaurs. And considering that those bird-like dinosaurs laid eggs, I would suggest that the egg came first.

The Demons will not lose this game.

Jim is a great person going through a difficult time. The club is thankful for his ONGOING work and we appreciate it. The board's work got a little harder but they should be able to continue their good work. Tough times happen. We can throw up our hands and curse our luck to the gods or you can offer support and advice to secure the future of the MFC.

Can someone, who has seen more and has more knowledge than just seeing yesterday's games (because that's my level of expertise on this), please tell me if this would be a decent plan heading into November: Scully at 1, Morabito/Trengove/other mid at 2, and one of Carlisle/Fitzpatrick/Talia/Panos/tall prospect at 18. Which of those would still be there at 18? I only say that because, like the popular opinion, Butcher looks like a work in progress...

The bolded part - He is coaching a group that has lost all confidence, anyone can go out there and tell the players to take the game on, but the players don't do it because they don't believe they can do it successfully. They mentally seize up like a team that has won 9 of their past 57 matches would. The italics - It does matter how bad or inexperienced someone is. If you continually screw up, and don't have the inner belief to keep taking risks, you are going to retreat into your shell. And it stands to reason that those with unrelible skills, and lack of experience, would be those to 'screw up' the most. Oh, and one more thing, I suggest you purchase the 'name-a-game' copy of the WB game earlier this year to see how a group of players under Bailey's charge can play some daring footy against a very good side. I only say that becasue of the first line of your post suggests that you see no progress toward this gameplan.