Chook

I still think Matty Bate is in our best team as a wingman who is given the ball and has the ability to roost it deep into our forwardline when pinpoint passes are not going to be possible. At his best, I rated him as a good guy to get the ball inside 50. He's not really a key forward at all, but a highly specialised kind of wingman.

Can you explain why I and others have only recently changed our opinions of him? As recently as last year I would have agreed with you, but could it be that your opinion of Nathan Jones is a little outdated? Is there even a chance that he's improved his game more than you would admit, or more than you realize?

Our poor form isn't Nathan Jones' fault. So what if NJ wouldn't be in line for a B+F at some other club? He's currently one of Melbourne's best performers of the year, and a few of his team-mates should start taking notes.

I have to agree with you. Prior to this year, I was as far off the Jones bandwagon as you could be, but in the past ten weeks or so, he's been one of our most consistent performers. He's got endurance and strength in spades, and he plays his best footy as the Bruce-like link in the handball chain (with correct handpassing technique to boot). If he can stick to playing netball-type "get and give" footy, then he'll continue to be a good player for us. It's when he tries to bite off more than he can chew that things can go wrong.

Oh, right. Thanks for the info. I've heard of that clotting having happened in the past, like you say.

Exactly right. Also, high oxygen levels (from a hyperbaric chamber) would really only be effective while you're in them. Increasing your red blood cell cound (by engaging in high-altitude training) has effects that last for two weeks or more. Perhaps the benefit of that two-week long surge in blood-oxygen levels has a bigger healing effect than spending a little time in the hyperbaric chamber.

Pretty sure it does... Systematically extracting your own blood (or someone else's), storing it, then returning it to your body when it's needed (aka "blood doping") is far more macabre than simply visiting somewhere mountainous for a couple of weeks. Why don't the Olympics ban Kenyans for living in high places too? I'm just annoyed we can't afford it.

The best way to make people stop saying you're soft is to harden the f*&k up! Being offended doesn't help.

If I was Scully, I'd want Brent Moloney out of my face too. There are two types of good people. One type is quiet and just goes about their business with as little fuss as possible. The other loves to get everyone involved and revved up at every opportunity. Guess which one Beamer belongs to.

What? Kneeing Kosi in the back of the head isn't intimidating enough for you? I've seen him bolt out of the backline and start a chain of handballs after picking up his own ball quite a few times. Also, it's hard to block for your rovers when you're the one actually taking the ball out of the centre after getting 40 hit-outs per game. I don't think there's anything "cheap" about the games he's been playing. A guy who's not a #1 ruckman being asked to ruck for 90% of the game is definitely earning his pay, and Stefan Martin is progressing every week.

He's what you call a football nerd. He probably sits in his basement at nights going over old footage of himself and writing down all the ways he could improve. Methodical to say the least, Tom Scully has no time for such petty contrivances we mere mortals refer to as "socialising." Either that or he spends all his time "girl-talking" with Sheeds.

You only "need" a back-up ruckman who can drift forward because it's generally accepted that most ruckman make atrocious one-on-one defenders. Not so with Stefan Martin. In a world where every backup ruckman rests forward, one who can rest back and not just pick up cheap possessions while doing so is pretty handy.

Those don't exist, Bub. I remember everyone creaming themselves a couple of years ago when Cale went toe to toe with Adam Goodes. I thought that was his "break-out game." Consistently good games are far more important than that elusive BOG.

Bah! Robbie Flower was nothing more than an umpires' pet who didn't realize there were 21 other guys on the field. Consumate team-player, that's for sure. I kid! I kid!

Brock McLean Cameron Bruce Simon Buckley.

What if he doesn't respond this week. Do we send him to Casey then? Why risk it? Why not just put him there this week instead of delaying it by a week. If he answers his critics in the 2's this week, then the whole issue is that much closer to being resolved one week earlier.

Great idea. Get Choco Williams - the only guy in the AFL responsible for a club with a more flakey playing group than ours.

I'm starting to think that Nathan Jones should be our Captain. Not the best player, but always hard at it. Doesn't [censored], and keeps in touch with what the fans are saying. Good trainer, doesn't get in trouble, and is a strong leader. I'm for it.

It just goes to show that copying the Premiers from last year just puts you perpetually behind the eight-ball.

I'm 70 kg, but I eat when I'm depressed. Look forward to seeing me on the Biggest Loser next year. Dean Bailey should be there too because as a coach, he's got donuts.

Neale Daniher must be laughing his arse of right now, by the way. Lucky for him, he's done with this club forever. We supporters however, are screwed.

Kill me now? Kick my nuts? Keep mentioning Newton?

Novel suggestion. Give each player a strong black cup of coffee just before they run out onto the ground. That always wakes me up.

C'mon Dees! Let's show ourselves and the world that we're not just happy to bend over and take it when things get hard. Jones, Watts, Garland, Jamar our top contributers. Trengove also good.

Rivers on Kennedy would be a huge mistake. Kennedy is exactly the type of player who makes Jared Rivers look ordinary. I'd rather play a 7-man backline than have Rivers match up on someone faster than him. Rivers loose = brilliant Rivers vs anyone fast = disaster.