Whispering_Jack

My afternoon and evening were busier than I thought they would be but happily most of the above posters have well and truly covered much of what transpired at training so just a few random observations from me: The first thing I noticed was Lynden Dunn's moustache. It's still there and it still looks frightful. Lynden was working with the forwards and there's definitely going to be plenty of competition for places in that division. I remember the first training session I attended in the new year of 2011 and finishing up waxing lyrical about one Tom Scully training the house down at Casey Fields. Nobody stood out in that manner today but, strangely enough, the player who replaces him IMO (because I'm assuming that if Scully stays we can't afford him), Mitch Clark looked the goods as a tall forward who can take a grab and is mobile as well. Not as mobile or as fast as Jack Watts or Tom McDonald for that matter but it's clear that our combination of tall forwards augmented by the likes of Jurrah, Green, Petterd, Dunn and Howe provide us with plenty of potent forward line options. Even the small forward stocks look good with Davey freshening up for a new season and Sam Blease looking fast and enterprising with his move forward. Where do we fit them all? Perhaps, the likes of Watts and Howe might find themselves as part of the midfield at some stage? I've been happy with the development of the defence and I think it can only get better with the re-inclusion of Grimes and Strauss. It's been remarked already that the latter is well advanced on where we all thought he would be but what I did notice as well is that he has bulked up a bit more and this should hold him in good stead for when he returns not too deeply into the season. James Sellar lends a bit of extra size which will come in handy when we come up against the bigger and stronger forward lines. Getting to the midfield, I would suggest that we're going to be relying in the same olds but Jordan Gysberts looks a little stronger and Rohan Bail looks like putting his hand up for a spot. I watched Dan Nicholson closely and I reckon he's been working hard on his disposal by foot. We're not going to be first world in terms of midfield quality for a while but if Jack Trengove continues to make strides and Jack Grimes is given a go in this area (he was taken out of defence and placed in the midfield for that ill-fated game last year v the Crows) we could surprise. It will be of interest to see how differently Mark Neeld organises the midfield structures compared to his predecessor as this could be the crux of our midfield improvement. It would have been great to have been able to retain Scully (on a reasonable contract) but that was not to be. We won't necessarily have a star studded midfield like Collingwood, Geelong, Hawthorn or Carlton but we might be able to make up for it with some true blue collar workers in this area. And of course, I missed the new kids on the block although I somehow doubt that any of them will be instant candidates for a senior guernsey. All in all, I left feeling reasonably confident that a better season awaits in 2012. Same as this time last year but I'm more confident in our ability to kick higher scores if that makes any sense at all.

I was also interested in the subject of intensity as raised in the OP and I can only surmise that what we are seeing is the transition from the real hard core fitness work of the early part of the pre season to the skills work once the footballs are in play a lot more. I have no doubt that it's all very much pre-planned and can assure all that it's no country club out there. The main difference I saw from the last few years (and please note what I said in my earlier post about not knowing too much about the specific purpose of the drills) is the additional amount of coaching and training personnel which will only help the club in the long run.

I also attended training this morning and it was a lively session. I'll do a report later but it was just my luck that all of the newbies to AFL football were receiving some form of induction run by the AFLPA at Etihad Stadium so I missed them all. According to their twitter: Mitch Clark and James Sellar were there as they have already been in the system and weren't required for the induction of new players. I think Clark will make a very suitable addition to the forward line and provide the height and strength that we've been so badly in need of for a long time. Of course, he can't do it on his own there and will need help from fellow forwards and good service and delivery from the midfield. I'm not good at the bit about about describing all of the drills but it looked very structured and I await reports from others on such things. I was moe interested in seeing the players and how they were progressing ... and of course, the new blokes ... ah well. More later.

I agree. It's his business and there are no rules that make him beholden to the football club. Like all of us, he's a free agent and doesn't have to explain his decisions to anyone. On a different note, it's interesting to see that Waratah, the team for which Brendan Fevola, Waylen Manson and Kayne Pettifer were "fly-in" players in the early part of the season, were well beaten again today. Earlier in the season they won the first six in a row when the big guns were playing and firing but since then they've lost five and drawn one (against Tiwis when they had Fev and Manson). There must be a lesson there about sending messages to the players in your team about commitment.

A few of you might be wondering about the mysterious disappearance of Redleg so I'll fill you in on what I know. As you're aware, Redleg is regularly accused of flogging a dead horse on these forums. Well, he's currently involved in flogging some horses but they're not dead ones - at least yet although the way some of them run you might be forgiven for making the error of believing that to be the case. Yes, Redleg is up on the Gold Coast feasting on bananas and trying to sell a few of his ponies at the Magic Millions. Those of you who watched the Gold Coast v Melbourne Heart game this evening might have caught a glimpse of him during the Foxtel telecast where he was apparently hobnobbing with the official party. That's right he got in on a freebie. And he's promised to make a comeback to this thread very soon if I post Chapter 2 of Orange and Charcoal. However, I don't have the time to do that and fit in MFC training tomorrow so one will have to wait.

I'm at a loss to understand why the need to criticise Mark Neeld for publicly giving a couple of his more talented players a bit of a sting. It's a time honoured practice used by coaches in a number of sports to send subtle messages to the whole team about having the necessary commitment for success and in many ways it's something of a compliment to the players concerned because you only do it with the better ones. Moreover, I agree with maurie that it's neither humiliating nor offensive to the players concerned so I consider this to be not even worthy of even being considered a storm in a teacup.

Thanks She Devil 64. Now I just need to reshuffle some commitments for tomorrow and, with a bit of luck, I can make it down. Cheers

Not wanting to labour the point of the cricket analogy but Tim Lane's story in today's Sunday Age on Michael Clarke's declaration in the second test is an insightful look at the elements of captaincy - Clarke's road less travelled.

That might well be the case but I thought he put his case well and argued it through in a clear and concise manner. That's what debating and discussion of this nature should be like rather than the nitpicking, ad hominem attacks or misrepresenting other peoples' viewpoints which happens on this and many other forums (please note, I'm not having a go at any individual poster on this thread). BTW, I read the views of the new AFL coaches for 2012 in Inside Football and didn't consider it a contest between them as to who was the best or the worst media performer. That's something that in the main is in the eye of the beholder anyway (I was more interested in what they had to say about lifting their respective teams and all made some interesting points and observations). I consider Malthouse and Clarkson as poor media performers but they're premiership coaches and I think Clarkson is a terrific coach in that he is innovative and flexible both during and between games. He's fortunate to have a great list but it's what he does with it that impresses.

Strange game this soccer. Newcastle Jets players score all three goals of their match against Melbourne Victory and they lose 1-2.

Strange game this soccer. Newcastle Jets players score all three goals of their match against Melbourne Victory and they lose 1-2.

Yes and we could ask on of our other Taswegians, Jeremy how it's done.

One of the posters on Bomberblitz asked Rhett Bartlett of Foxtel about the NT football telecasts and they might consider it. The NTFL resumed today with the Tiwi Bombers thrashing the Darwin Buffaloes. Tiwi Bombers 38.22 (250) d Darwin 6.6 (42) Goals Tiwi: Tipungwuti 5, Cunningham 5, Height 5; Darwin: Wilson 2 Best Tiwi: Palipuauminni, Albert Tipungwuti, Donal Mungatopi; Darwin: Shaun Wilson, Lee Cranswick, Gary Ariuu Austin Wonaeamirri played for the Bombers and kicked one goal.

I haven't had the opportunity yet to make it to a pre season session so I wouldn't know but I think the blokes running them know what they're doing and that each of the sessions has a purpose for the different mixes of players at the club. What might appear to some as a drop in intensity might not be what it seems. Hopefully, I'm going to get the chance to be at training soon. If anyone knows where and when the next session is on I would appreciate it if the information was posted here at some time over the weekend. Who knows? The stars might align and they could be training at a location close enough for me to get down and have a look.

You make a good point. Perhaps the title to this thread should be changed to "Leadership straits of an AFL club Captain"?

Brad Wing couldn't make it at the Sandy Dragons but he's doing ok in college football in the States: Brad Wing, cut by the Sandringham Dragons, finds fame as a US college punter He will be in the action in the BCS National Championship game between LSU and Alabama. The game will be telecast live on ESPN on Tuesday at 12:30pm.

The only problem I would have would be if McGuire was commentator for games involving Collingwood but Foxtel has assured that this will not happen.

I was just having a look at some of the other footy supporter sites and noticed that Rhett Bartlett who works at FOXTEL has been posting on Bomber Blitz with information about the new FOX Footy Channel which begins on February 17th, 2012. The thread was started to provide information and get feedback about the new channel and I thought it might be worthwhile posting some of the FAQ's and responses that have been provided to date: When will the channel launch ? February 17 2012 How many games will you be showing ? We will be broadcasting every game of the AFL Premiership season, live, in HD and uninterrupted siren to siren. The same goes for Finals matches (excluding GF which will be on delay) Will I pay extra for the channel ? The channel will be part of the existing Sports Tier (which is $16) Is the channel in Standard Defintion? The channel will be broadcast in standard definition and hi definition What if there are multiple games on at once ? We will broadcast a game on the Fox Footy Channel, and the other game on a Fox Sports Channel. Will you be broadcasting Ch 7 game ? Yes, we will be broadcasting them on the FOX Footy Channel, and upscale them (if they aren't shot in HD) to HD. Note: Programming details are not yet available but popular requests were for the return of two of my old favourites from the old Fox Footy Channel - White Line Fever and Grumpy Old Men.

With so many of our quicks breaking down, I would have been inclined to lift their load by including an all rounder of the ilk of Christian or Faulkner at the expense of Cowan or Marsh but I believe the 12 has already been selected so that debate is off the table. Presumably, Siddle's knee has come up OK.

Thanks for that. They really need to overhaul the rules about use of technology in cricket and have it standardised from test to test. I suppose we have to satisfy the people who control international cricket that it's in the interests of the game.

Question about the dismissal of MS Dhoni on a return catch to Hilfenhaus. I wasn't watching at the time the wicket fell but wonder why the umpire referred the decision to the third official to check on whether the shot was a bump ball. We either have a referral system or we don't. What was the justification to refer when the Indians are against the use of this technology? Where's the consistency?

Now, Snatch was a very, very funny movie and Pitt played the very sensitive Mickey beautifully.

Watching the cricket before (as you do on a balmy day by the sea shore) and wasn't it another selfless team act on the part of Michael Clarke to take himself off whilst on a roll in favour of the new ball bowlers? I reckon taking Tendulkar's wicket secured him the MOM for the test.

How did they sack him? By phone or email?

He might have done that. I have it on good authority that he recently arrived in a banana republic.