sylvinator

Even if he does get subbed, it's not the end of the world. He'll still just as awesome. Watts was subbed when he was playing poorly... and it was the moment that kick started his vast improvement of late.

People are starting to bag Morton irregardless of how he actually plays. Watched the replay yesterday and thought he was excellent. He now realises he has to go in when it's his turn. He's always be outside player, but every team needs them. He's still very very young, he's only just began to develop his body to AFL standard, and since he's come back in the team he's contributed positively each and every week. I wouldn't be surprised if he's the type of player where everything just clicks when he turns 24/25 and turns from an ok play to a great player

Not the craziest call i've ever heard. His first 3 games and he's already better than Bate and Dunn have ever been

Exactly. And something to think about, to all those fools who wants wants dropped last year when he wasn't dominating... Would Jack Watts be playing like he is now if this was his 10th afl game, instead of his 30th? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Nothing beats senior AFL experience. It is the number one way to fast track development

Yes, he'll be stiff, but we absolutely can't play 3 ruckman. Hasn't worked for bombers, who have 3 quality ruckman, and won't work for us. Jamar and Martin are number 1 and 2 at the moment. I wouldn't be too worried though for Gawn... he'll continue to improve and develop at Casey, playing as the number 1 ruck for the rest of the year. He's 19 years old, and most ruckman don't peak until their mid 20s... he's off to a great start in his career, and we can now feel comfortable that he can come in and play a role whenever required.

Firstly, sacking Bailey mid-season would not achieve one single positive thing. rediculous suggestion. Secondly, whatever happens to Bailey, he has done really great things for this club and we should all be appreciative. We'll all be looking back in 2 years time (assuming Bailey isn't coach), being bloody thankful of all the young stars that were all drafted under his tenure. He has managed to develop several players beyond our expectations and has really set the club up for 5-6 years at the top starting from 2012 or 2013

That is a given. Of coarse we all expect and demand improvement, and if we don't improve this year from last then Bailey will get the sack. Last year we won 8.5 games, we're currently on 4.5 wins and i'd suggest that if get don't get to 10 wins Bailey might be out of a job. BUT... if we win 10 games + get games into, development and improvement from the likes of Scully, Watts, Trengove, Gysberts, McKenzie, Martin, Tapscott, Howe, Strauss, Nicholson and Evans, then the year would definitely not be a step backwards. I think many of our players have improved from last year, except for a few shockers we've played some good football generally, some senior players have been taught a lesson by being dropped into the vfl, lots of games into youngsters... it is not all doom and gloom

To fix our midfield, what we really need is for our young midfielders- Scully, Trengove, Mckenzie, Gysberts, Blease, Bail- to get to 50-100 senior afl games ASAP. Because at the moment we are relying on them but they're just too light and inexperienced to play really consistently. but we all know they have huge talent and will come good. To fix out forward line, what we really need is for Watts, Cook, Howe and Jurrah to get to 50-100 senior afl games asap. Our defence line is actually really strong, and performs VERY well each and every week considering our defence has been decimated by injury and we concede up to 70- yep you didn't misread it was 70- inside 50 each and every week. Garland, Frawley, Rivers, Grimes, Tapscott, Bail is a really nice defensive unit imo. Could use more games playing together. I think everyone can see the argument i'm making is that we have been unrealistic with expectations this season and all will take is patience and faith in our youngsters- bc they will come good in the end

IN: Jamar, Garland, Petterd, Tapscott OUT: Gawn, Evans, Jetta (inj) + ???

Yes, we need a big marking forward, but we will end up being bitterly disappointed by the lack of different that big forward makes to our team if he isn't a QUALITY big crash busting forward. Fevola is not an option- there is a reason he got sacked by 2 clubs, because he is a terribly bad influence of club culture and he is still off the rails. Plus he's 31 years old next year and out of our age bracket. Jesse White- is not a quality footballer AT ALL. Equivalent to Brad Miller quality. David Hale last year is a perfect example. Some people wanted him bc he's the 'TYPE' of player we need... but he isn't good enough at that position to make a significant difference. If we would have traded for Hale we would never be getting experience into Gawn, we may not have discovered Martin's upside and we wouldn't have Jeremy Howe, who looks like a really strong half forward flanker who actually prides himself on tackling pressure and agressiveness. Get a Chris Dawes would be ideale

Calrton is a good template for us. They were the most pathetic team in the afl for no less than 5-6 years. They were bottom 4 each and every year and even they started ahead of us in terms of personelle. Yet in 2009 and 2010 they finally started to show some improvement, sneaking into the 8 without winning a final. 2011 they're top 4 and now they'll be challenging for the next 3-4 years at least. There is absolutely no reason we can't sneak into finals 2012 and 2013, then challenge for top 4 2014 and beyond for the next 5-6 years. I considered this year is continued development (too many young guns still <50 afl games), and we are actually pretty on track in people actually sat back and looked at the big picture, instead of experiencing the roller coaster of emotions of worrying what happens on a week-by-week basis in a development season.

No, we need a midfield who gives our forwards more than 30 forward entries and concedes less than 70 inside 50s for the opposition. Playing in our forward line is possibly the hardest place to play in the entire AFL, and consdering the lack of opporunities, our forwards are actually very good

Anyone read Goddard's statements: "I'm out of contract at the end of next year so in terms of that, we haven't gone down that path yet," Goddard said. "In the position I'm in at the moment, I can't look any further than next week," he added, before flagging the possibility of a move. "For me personally, I'm as loyal as they come but at some stage players are going to start thinking about their future and life after football is a lot longer than life in it," he said. "I believe I've given everything I can to this footy club and they've given back to me as well." To me that sounds much more worrying and left the door much more open than scully ever did with his statement. It makes sense a player who's played at AFL for 9 years would want to get the huge contract to finish his career and set him up for life (think Ablett), it still doesn't make sense to me for a young kid in his second season of footy with a lot to prove.

Petterd is way way way too talented to be in the vfl for too long. Like Morton and Bennel (who are both bona fide afl players), they needed to be taught a lesson about forward pressure... but he needs to be back at afl level asap. He's very talented player

This list is fully up to date with articles confirming everybody http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=767361

I think we all agree Scully hasn't signed any contract yet. In which case this is awesome news. Because until he's signed on the bottom line, it won't be legally binding. If the word is that now he want to be a demon, he will be!

Because 2 years ago our club was a rabble, very close to folding or being moved to another state, in $5m of debt, with a crap team on field and lots of instability off-field. Add to that our terrible facilities and not enough money to pay good coaches or medical staff. The prospect of trading for a gun now is very different. - we are widely seen as a team on the rise who should be playing finals for several years between 2012-2018 with heaps of talent all over the park - we have top notch facilities sharing Olympic Park with Melbourne Storm and also at Casey - we are stable off-field, no debt, improving asset position, not in any danger of folding anymore - we have front loaded contracts for the past 3 years, creating a massive $1.5m hole in the cap which has been expressly created to (1) keep our young group together AND (2) trade in a gun - our youngsters are really starting to develop and we now basically know where the holes are in our list, so we can be really specific in the players we target for a very specific role (gun big crash-busting forward anyone?) - we are not the desperate losers begging players to come to us. We have the talent on our list, if other players want to join in the ride, they're welcome, if not they can get stuffed. In my opinion MFC has never been in a better position to trade. I'd be looking for us to attempt to do 2 trades at the end of the year (number 2 can be completed over any of the next 3 years) 1. With our awesome teenagers already starting to surpass many more senior players, I'd be taking this once-off opportunity to trade for one of the best four 17 year olds in the country. GWS are forced to trade these guys and I'd be offering package deals to GWS for players no longer in our best 22 but who could really benefit GWS- Dunn, Warnock and Bate wouldn't be sneezed at. Chuck in a draft pick or 2. 2. Specifically target a big crash-busting pack-marking tall forward to finish off our forward line. Identify exactly who we want (it'd be Chris Dawes for me personally) and throw absolutely everything at him. Imagine Chris Dawes in MFC, with Watts, Howe, Jurrah, Green and Cook allowed to play to their strengths without having to be smashed piller to post each and every week. Exciting times ahead

Breaking it down, to get through unscathed, we only really have to sign 2 players in 2010 and 4 players in 2011. If any players outside those mentioned below were to be lured away, it would SUCK, but it wouldn't effect the projectory of the list in my opinion. 2010: - Scully - Sylvia 2011: - Garland - Jamar - Jurrah - Trengove http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=767361

I've actually started reading it every day, it's always good for a laugh Also found this demon-related one, which is actually a genius idea that could help keep Scully at the demons. http://thewhitemaggot.com/2011/03/30/demons-leverage-attractive-female-supporter-base-to-retain-young-talent/ Today's one is a classic (and very spot on) http://thewhitemaggot.com/2011/06/07/demetriou-named-most-promising-dictator-by-wto/

In terms of how to play Jamar and Martin together... When Jamar is fit and firing, he should always have at least 70% ruck imo. Martin should be aiming to play the Leigh Brown role (major roles in defence and up forward and ruck relief), rather than the Darren Jolly role. Jamar is the 3rd best RUCKMAN in the competition. Anyone who watched him last season knows he plays his best footy when he's got the number 1 ruck responsibility- in fact he played his best footy when he was the lone ruckman in the team.

Unfortunately, unless the sub-rule changes again, there will never be room for 3 ruckman in a side. Bombers have 3 absolutely awesome ones and it just doesn't work. But that doesn't diminish the importance of having some good ruck depth. Jamar (27) and Martin (24) hopefully will be ruck duo for the next 2-3 seasons. In 3 years, once Jamar starts to nudge closer to 30 years old, Spenser and Gawn will be 22 and 23 years old and just about ready to take on the number one ruck spot.

Just for something a bit lighter after the intensity of the past month's footy rollar coaster I've recently come across this site, really funny stuff all footy related and a lot of Demons references. The White Maggot- this one is about Brad Green http://thewhitemaggot.com/2011/06/06/cometti-reprimanded-for-failure-to-reference-green’s-manchester-united-background/

Scully, Trengove, McKenzie, Gysberts, with Viney, Evans, Nicholson running around as well.... + Grimes + Blease -------- Ablett, Bartel, Corey, Ling, with Chapman, Enright, Selwood running around as well..... + Varcoe + Wojinski God Geelong have a good midfield, we can only hope

+ 1. Evans and Nicholson have now had a taste. Done well too and will be back. Bartram is always one of the first picked each week and is especially important against Collingwood and Petterd is a huge talent just needs a kick up the a$$ to make sure he works harder defensively

Has Petterd paid his dues yet? Too good a player to be in VFL for too long and always plays well against Collingw@@d