Whispering_Jack

Had dinner on Thursday night with a long time Carlton fan who was pretty much resigned to his club's fate and openly advocated that it should tank the rest of the season in order to finish bottom two so they can get one of the two talls (Schache or Weitering) in the national draft. Reckons they're a definite chance to do it with only games against Brisbane and Melbourne standing in their way. As a Demon fans know, we've suffered many humiliating experiences over the recent part of our journey but - dead set - if we lose to that lot in Round 21, it will be the most humiliating of them a all.

The AFL has to give them a priority pick.

From the vfl.com.au website ~ Radio: Collingwood v Casey Scorpions Tune into 97.7FM, via TuneIn app or www.caseyradio.com.au from 11am.

I think you'll find that Kavorkian is not available any time these days KC. Passed away in 2011.

Thanks for posting that DA. I continue to like Darcy Parish and, given the placing at #6 it would seem to be roughly in the ball park of where I expect our first pick to be (subject to trading it away). Love this description:- The type of footballer who you expect at a club like Hawthorn or, a couple of decades ago, at North.

Happy for Brisbane to apply for a priority pick and if they do, I would expect Melbourne to apply for one as well, irrespective of how the rest of the season pans out - on any comparison, the AFL would have to either give both clubs a PP or as is more likely, give neither of them a PP.

Relax. Some judges had them threatening for a place in the eight this year with their midfield and the reason they're down is their huge injury list. They thrashed Port Adelaide at home earlier in the year and with seven rounds to go already have two wins which the AFL said was more than enough to exclude draft assistance in 2013. Based on the precedent set with Melbourne's applications over the last two years, they will be told to reapply in 2025.

They're a strange lot in those outer eastern suburbs. I remember there was a ground up that way that had a tree on the half forward line with the fence straddling around it. Somewhere near Olinda if anyone who lives out that way can confirm.

Just consider yourself lucky not to banned from the site because nobody questioned what you reported but instead, your boorish, spoilt brat behaviour in attacking KC who was reporting on the game and was under no compulsion to leave his vantage point in search of an official on the other side of the ground to comment on what was then a FB rumour. In fact, as he rightly pointed out, we would find out when the club issued its injury report, which is exactly what happened. In my book, you owe him an apology.

And Paige Cardona tweeted her top 10 today ... 1. Brisbane - Joshua Schache 2. Gold Coast - Jacob Weitering 3. Carlton - Aaron Francis 4. Melbourne - Harley Balic 5. Essendon - Darcy Parish 6. St. Kilda - Rhys Mathieson 7. Port Adelaide - Charlie Curnow 8. Geelong - Kieran Collins 9. North Melbourne - Harry McKay 10. Collingwood- Sam Weideman

Just caught up with yesterday's TAC Cup Future Stars programme and see that Plough has changed his mind about Melbourne's first selection:- 1. Brisbane - Jacob Weitering 2. Gold Coast - Joshua Schache 3. Sydney* - Callum Mills 4. Carlton - Aaron Francis 5. GWS* - Jacob Hopper 6. Melbourne - Darcy Parish 7. Essendon - Darcy Tucker 8. St. Kilda - Charlie Curnow 9. Port Adelaide - Harley Balic 10. GWS* - Matthew Kennedy 11. Geelong - Rhys Mathieson 12. Adelaide - Kieran Collins 13. Brisbane* - Ben Keays 14. North Melbourne - Sam Weideman 15. Collingwood - Ryan Burton 16. Western Bulldogs - Harry McKay 17. Richmond - Riley Bonner 18. Brisbane* - Eric Hipwood 19. Hawthorn - Josh Dunkley 20. West Coast - Kieran Lovell * Academy bid

I read a few days ago that the WADA brief to CAS was going to contain new evidence but I haven't seen anything further on that point since. My guess is that its fifty/fifty as to whether a hearing involving Dank will ever take place.

Bob, the standard of the games I've seen has been largely dependent upon how many AFL listed players are in the teams involved. For the game you saw at Princess Park, Casey had 15 MFC players (and that was for the second week in a row) which is the best they've had for the season. Earlier in the year, they had good numbers but as injuries built up the number got to around 10 and in those circumstances, the standard drops off even more. The Northern Blues were said to have been depleted in AFL player numbers as well but I did notice the cream of their 2014/5 recruiting like Jaksch, Whilley and Liam Jones . Casey should do well if they keep up the numbers and especially if they can play Jamar and Spencer in the same team, they could go all the way because big man strength is so vital in this competition. Overall however, I feel the standard is in decline and I suppose it has to do with the way football is structured at the so-called "elite" level. The introduction of new franchise clubs has meant the quality players are spread around a little bit more and I don't think the money's there to keep good VFL listed players around either. It's much lower than the "old" days when we were aligned with Sandy. Where were you sitting for the game - in that retreat in the John Elliott stand? It was too cold for me in the inner sanctum.

Bob - if you think the standard was bad on Saturday, you should have seen them last year. I agree that some of the young blokes playing currently in the AFL are doing it tough and need to be brought back to Casey. It's been good having them playing where they will get games in their legs but ANB and Billy Stretch are looking tired and Angus hasn't been the same since his knock. Players like the Russian, Jack Grimes and Jordie have done enough to earn a return and a few of the bigger bodies will be helpful at this time of year. Hunt is interesting but like King should be held back for the future. Interestingly, Hunt is leading Casey's goalkicking after just three games at senior level and King is not far behind him. What I like is that we're developing a pool of young blokes in much the same way that Roos nurtured a few at Sydney which paid off with a flag to Longmire.

Redleg and I bumped into Joeboy at Tommy Ruff's fish place in Elsternwick during the week. Can we have a three word assessment of the tucker that night?

Anyone rumored on Face Book to have done their hammy this afternoon?

It's good to be back at a home MCG game, our first since the Queens Birthday clash against Collingwood (for last week's game, we were the "visiting" team to the Bombers whose "home" ground is Etihad Stadium but go figure?). This is the Lions' only game for the season on the MCG and they are boasting that they will be fielding their strongest team for the season today so it will be another challenge for Paul Roos and the coaching panel. Roosy has stuck to his guns with team selection and persevered with the same 22 from last week, despite the consensus that the result was a bit of a debacle. He's clearly giving the younger members of the side who were a bit down on their form, plenty of opportunities to get AFL game time into their legs which will provide benefits in the future even if not in the immediate short term. The weather should be good for football - no excuses today.

I think he might have punished his auto spell check.

Sounds like Northern Blues development squad isn't very good.

Can we repeat this tomorrow? There aren't many left from the team that played in Round 3, 2011.

See team selection in the OP to this thread.

Bombers 0.5.5 and missing everything this week. Predictable.

Good to see this thread reaching the usual high standards. Any danger that someone might stick to the topic?

I hate flat tracks.

Does anyone remember the 2004 movie "The Day after Tomorrow"? It's one of the greatest films ever made about extreme weather conditions and features a combination of killer tornados, extreme hurricanes, incredible tidal waves, destructive floods and the commencement of a new ice age which just about sums up the forecasts for this afternoon's game and I must add ... in conditions such as those predicted ... anything can happen in a game of footy ... and it probably will