Whispering_Jack

Collingw&%$'s progress is a tribute to the volume of money and resources available to the club. They seem to be streaking ahead of the field in terms of player development and their cash situation allows them to recruit from places where less financial clubs can only dream. That kid Martin Clarke is the most advanced Irish player ever to come out here (and to think we pioneered the recruiting of Irishmen! ). They boast that they have the best of the NSW scholarship players and they've got some good top 10 draft picks still to come into the side in future years. Another example of how they use their financial position to advantage is that their chartered flight home is travelling at lower altitude because that's supposed to aid recovery (I suppose they can afford this because they rarely have to worry about travelling interstate so they've saved on having to make many flights over time). The people brawling at St. Kilda should note as should the MFC. Get yourself in a position of strength financially and then you can spend on the things that give you the winning edge.

Dean Bailey has already sent a clear message about the standards he will require at the club and that is that they are going to be a hell of a lot higher than in the past. It's tough on the players who have gone but he's acted swiftly and decisively. We're on our way!

Few people selected Port Adelaide as a likely finalist at the beginning of the year but from the opening game of the season when they beat the Dockers in Perth, the Power have been one of the teams that have surprised the pundits. A lot of things have gone right with Port including their recruiting. Port’s drafting post 2006 went like this: - Rookie Elevations: Greg Bentley, Tom Logan National Draft: Travis Boak (5), Paul Stewart (23), Nathan Krakouer (39), Robert Gray (55), Justin Westhoff (71), Ryan Williams (83) and David Rodan (86). Pre-Season Draft: Adam Cockshell (4) Rookie Draft: Alex Lee, Gavin Grose, Nathan Batsanis and Peter Hardy. These players replaced Matthew Bishop (delisted), Stuart Dew (retired), Ben Eckermann (delisted), James Ezard (delisted), Josh Francou (retired), Adam Kingsley (retired), Aaron Shattock (delisted), Peter Walsh (delisted), Gavin Wanganeen (retired), Elijah Ware (delisted) and a couple of delisted rookies. The net result was that 12 new players were introduced into the club in the one year. Interestingly, although they had been reasonably active in previous years, Port Adelaide didn’t make any trades during the exchange period last year. Obviously, a lot of other things have gone right for Port but they made some good recruiting decisions this time a year ago. To have players gained from picks 71 and 86 and a rookie elevation in the team that’s made it to a Preliminary Final is a handy effort.

TEAC OVAL (Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne Melway 2J E1) Tram: Route 109 – from Box Hill via Balwyn, Deepdene, Kew, Richmond, Victoria Parade, Collins Street and Clarendon Street, then via reserved track to North Port. Bus: Raglan Street stop bus route 232 (North Altona); route 235 (Fishermans Bend) and route 238 City Terminus (Flinders Street). SANDRINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB PRESENTATION NIGHT The Bentleigh Club Yawla Street, Bentleigh Thursday 18th October 2007 commencing 7pm $50pp includes a three course dinner Drinks at bar prices For further information & bookings contact the club on 9598 8629

Kev. Time to change that signature. BamBam Pickett's unavailability this week suggests that at least his dynasty in football is over.

Omitted from the Sandringham team to play North Ballarat on Saturday and didn't even make the eight players from which the final interchange bench will come. That's close to a delisting in my book.

The first delisting = David Teague of Carlton according to tonight's TV news.

In Barry's absence, here are the teams for Sandringham's cut throat semi final on Saturday:- TRUenergy VFL TEAMS - FIRST SEMI FINAL Sandringham vs North Ballarat Saturday 8th September TEAC Oval (ABC TV) at 1.10pm SANDRINGHAM Backs Bode Lamb Monaghan Half backs Ferguson Warnock Biddlecombe Centreline Garland Summers Dunn Half forwards M Newton Crowe Buckley Forwards Poyas Sautner Valenti Followers Neaves C Liddell C Johnson Interchange (from) Dean Gilchrist Hughes M Johnston T Johnston S Martin Martyn Paterakis NORTH BALLARAT Backs A George Moloney Goodes Half backs Feery Searl Sharkey Centreline J Spolding Grima Roach Half forwards Harding Urch Whyman Forwards Campbell Cartledge Thomas Followers Stephenson Lower Clifton Interchange (from) Chester Clark L George Gregg Hardy Limb McConnell Peace Riggio Schultz Coming into the Sandringham side are six handy players at this level - Bode, Ferguson, Dunn, Newton and CJ from Melbourne's triumphant Round 22 winning side against Carlton and Chris Lamb back from injury. It's a much stronger team on paper than last week.

Correct but back in those days the coach did all of the jobs which more than a dozen people in football departments do these days.

It sounds very impressive to me however, I think I've heard it all before. I can even remember when Denis Jones was appointed coach back at the beginning of 1978 thinking how impressive he sounded when he outlined his plans. He sounded like a good bloke and he seemed to have some good ideas but there was just one simple catch ... he couldn't coach. Times have changed since then and the process of selection and appointment of coaches is far more detailed but it's worth remembering that we shouldn't get our hopes up to high at this stage only to be deflated in the cool light of day as 2008 unfolds. As far as 2008 is concerned I'll do what every good footy fan should do - take it one week at a time.

Come to think of it, I don't think it's possible to run your own business and be a fireman at the same time unless you want to burn the place down, try to save it and still collect on the insurance .

Ebert wants to be a fireman. That's a good fit for a club called the Demons and he would make an excellent replacement for Doggy Brown who I believe was also studying Firepersonology at one stage.

http://www.afl.com.au/Season2007/News/News...px?newsId=50520 MELBOURNE forward Michael Newton has beaten suspension at the AFL Tribunal and escaped with a reprimand for charging. Newton will now be eligible to play in Melbourne's first AFL match of next season, as well as for the club's VFL affiliate Sandringham in their finals campaign.

Great initiative on behalf of the club. We now have the experience we needed at the highest level (and a great Melbourne person to boot) as well as a fresh innovative coach. Hopefully our winning streak from Sunday night will continue in 2008. Incidentally, only 3 clubs in the entire competition will go into the new season as last game winners - us, the Saints and the eventual premiership team.

I've used my magical mod powers to update the list but have question marks over Bell and Longmuir at Freo. Have they been officially announced as retired?

Actually, Nasher it's black and gold with blue trim

All of those things don't excuse his arrogance on certain issues. His dismissal of Terry Wallace's claims that he felt compromised coaching on Saturday against St. Kilda is a good example of that. What a pity Demetriou didn't take the time to sit among Carlton and Melbourne supporters on Sunday to see first hand what the current priority pick system is doing to the game.

90 SECONDS FROM GLORY by Barry from Beach Road Sandringham came close to achieving an improbable victory in Saturday's VFL Qualifying Final when Williamstown midfielder Paul Licuria goaled with 90 seconds left on the clock to give his team a two-point victory after the Zebras had mounted a dramatic final quarter fight back. The goal from Licuria, a dual Copeland Trophy Medallist with Collingwood, gave his VFL team a week's break and forced Sandringham into the semi finals for the first time in several years. It also broke the Zebras' undefeated sequence in finals starting from when they commenced their triple premiership winning run in 2004. Sandy opened its first home final strongly despite fielding a weakened side depleted by injuries at AFL affiliate Melbourne as well as to two of its own most experienced players in David Gallagher (knee) and Chris Lamb (hamstring). Of the six Demons, two are rookies and the senior players have a total of 12 AFL games between them. The team's injury woes opened up the opportunity for Daniel Gribbin to make his senior debut in a finals game while Tom Dean lined up for only his second game at this level. By contrast, the Seagulls had 12 Collingwood listed players, three of whom have more than 100 games experience under their belts with the Magpies. Despite this, it was the Zebras who dominated the opening term thanks to their early dominance in the middle where Shane Neaves was winning in the ruck and Peter Summers, Simon Buckley and Shane Valenti were getting plenty of the football. In much the same way as the side did last week however, it frittered away a few chances to go to a big lead and the nine point advantage did not reflect the effort put into the opening stanza by the home team. The second term was very much a repeat of the first but late in the quarter, the Seagulls midfield led by Brodie Holland, Sam Iles, Ben Davies and Licuria started to get the upper hand and were threatening to take control when the half time siren rang. Sandringham's worse fears were realised in the third quarter when Williamstown booted six unanswered goals in a little over ten minutes of playing time to turn the game on its head. The Seagulls burst the game open with their run all over the ground and they picked up possessions at will and seemed to be under little pressure as they piled on the goals. They finished with ten for the term as they smashed their much vaunted opponents who appeared to wilt in the warm sunshine. At one stage, Willi held a lead of 44 points before Sandy settled through goals to Guy Martin and one on the siren to Shane Valenti to go into the break five gaols down. The last quarter belonged to seven time Frosty Medal winner Nick Sautner who was in sensational form. Sautner finished with 7.5 for the game but kicked 4.3 in the final term taking some brilliant pack marks and generating unbelievable excitement as the minutes ticked away. Inspired by their full forward, the Zebras seemed to gain a second wind and when they hit the front by four points they had turned the game around to the tune of 48 points. This could have been even more but for a brief period of inaccuracy when Sautner scored three successive behinds (all well within range) in mid quarter. Finally, against the run of play, Licuria kicked the winning goal to end a magnificent game of football leaving the Zebras just 90 seconds away from what would have been a glorious victory. Sandringham now meets North Ballarat in Saturday's semi final and is expected to field a stronger side this week. The loss to Williamstown means that, come what may, there will be no replay of last year's grand final because the semi final winner is slotted to meet Geelong in the Preliminary Final. The Zebras will need to reproduce all of their characteristic commitment and desperation to make it all they way because the Roosters are always a handful. The challenge is there and Sandy showed by its stirring comeback that this team will never give in and will keep fighting at all costs. HOW THE DEMONS FARED You might well ask what Demons? The rules state that VFL clubs with AFL alignments are allowed to play 12 senior/rookie list players in finals and as it happened Williamstown had 12 senior Collingwood players available with something like 400 games experience. Lined up against them were six Demons but only three Simon Buckley (6 games), Colin Garland (2) and Matthew Warnock (4) have had AFL duties. Heath Neville has yet to play a senior AFL game, nor have rookies Danny Hughes and Shane Neaves. The cavalry is on its way next week with reinforcements from the Melbourne list and the Zebras should be able to field a much stronger side for the remainder of the finals. That they came within a minute and a half of defeating such a strong Williamstown side is an achievement that should not be underestimated. Simon Buckley - was in everything in the first half but like most of his team mates drifted out in the third. Came back strongly in the final quarter. Has improved dramatically in 2007. Colin Garland - much quieter than in recent weeks and had to come off with what appeared to be an ankle injury. Returned to the field after having his ankles restrapped but couldn't get into the game. Danny Hughes - marked strongly in patches but couldn't convert on the scoreboard. Shane Neaves - had a great duel with the Williamstown ruckman Meyer and I had him ahead overall. Also took some strong marks around the ground. Heath Neville - has made little impact in two years at the club and this was another quiet game Matthew Warnock - defended well for most of the game but unfortunately couldn't stem the tide when the Seagulls were on song in the third term Sandringham 3.5.23 6.7.43 9.8.62 16.15.111 Williamstown 2.2.14 4.8.32 14.9.93 17.11.113 Goals Sandringham Sautner 7 Martyn Poyas Valenti 2 Buckley Dean Summers Williamstown Licuria Williams 3 Lockwood Rose 2 Beaumont Davies Dawes Dick Holland Iles Stanley Best Sandringham Summers Sautner Paterakis Buckley Valenti Biddlecombe Williamstown Iles Stanley Davies Picken Toovey Licuria

You're right of course ... and if he gets to the age of 29 and looks back at a failed football career he might understand why by then.

Naturally, the first bloke he'll have a chat with would be Neita but after that I reckon he'd probably want to seek out Colin Sylvia and tell him what he thinks is necessary to get this kid's career on track. Sylvia was a number 3 draft pick but others in the AFL have moved way ahead of him. It's not all his fault but the time for excuses is over. Colin is one of many who needs to step up in 2008 and he needs to change certain things in his life to succeed. How does someone who won the TAC Cup Under 18's Coaches Award in 2003 find himself drinking late at night (early in the morning) in night clubs in season four years later?

Well said Haydo. I hope you didn't mind the fact that the mod in question did what he did but, as much as we hate censorship, it was probably in the interests of the people concerned including yourself and your source that this was done. You'd be surprised at the number of "journos" who pick through supporter internet sites these days to get their "news". One small point I'd like to make about Bailey is that, while he was a relative unknown, it's interesting that he was often used by Port as spokesperson to the media when some thorny issues arose. I think he'll be able to handle himself.

No, I reckon they might be barracking for Carlton today myself The word out of Brisbane is that Charman is about to sign with Brisbane but that Cameron Wood could be tradeable. The interesting thing about that is that we might be competing with the Blues to get just such a player in the trades. If that's the case, then whoever loses today would gain substantial leverage in terms of bargaining position for this or any other player in the mix. (of course the Blues have the moneybags that we don't so it could be a moot point)

I'm as disappointed as anyone that Sheedy wasn't appointed because I felt we needed a coach with his experience and the profile he could have brought to the club. Obviously, I didn't take part in the process so I can't criticise the final decision and I think we should also start looking ahead to what the new era will bring. The fact that we chose to go the way we did and not take a coach who could also potentially bring substantial sponsorships, memberships and publicity to the club in its 150th year puts an even greater onus on our Board to come up with initiatives to reestablish our financial independence. There will be no excuses from now on as far as that is concerned.

Good question and, since I'm probably the only early riser in the group you mentioned, I'll take first go at answering it and I'm trying not being disrespectful to some of the players who were out there yesterday because they all had a crack and the comeback was absolutely sensational. But … There was one thing that was patently clear if you were watching the game and that was the value of AFL experience and of having the benefit of the intensity of training at AFL level. Williamstown had 12 AFL listed players including three 100 game AFL players in Licuria, Lonie and Holland as well as a number who have played a part in the Collingwood surge of 2007 – the likes of Cook, Cox, Iles, Stanley and Toovey have all been contributors to their AFL campaign this year. Davies who was terrific also deserves to be in that group. You would expect these guys to have an edge in terms of experience and skill over a team like Sandy which was virtually bereft of players with games at that level. I don't know much about their VFL contingent but skipper Brett Johnson alone has played 70 games with Hawthorn and Carlton. This was in stark contrast with the Sandy team - here's the list with AFL experience, if any, in brackets (broken up into AFL lsited and VFL listed):-- AFL Listed Simon Buckley (6), Colin Garland (2), Daniel Hughes ®, Shane Neaves ®, Heath Neville and Matthew Warnock (4) i.e. six players with a total of 12 AFL games experience. VFL Listed Andy Biddlecombe, Rod Crowe, Tom Dean, Rennie Gilchrist, Daniel Gribbin, Marc Johnston, Tomi Johnston, Chad Liddell (29), Stefan Martin, Guy Martyn, Sam Monaghan, Tom Paterakis, Ezra Poyas (9), Nick Sautner, Peter Summers and Shane Valenti. As it happens, two of the Zebras with the most AFL experience – David Gallagher (33) and Chris Lamb (21) were out injured with Gallagher (knee) unlikely to play again this year. This is a case of where the statistics don't lie and where the enormity of Sandringham's achievement in coming so close yesterday starts to sink in. There are ten players on the above list (including Neville) who played a fair bit of this season as Sandringham reserves players. Demon rookie Hughes was out for several weeks with a groin injury and this was his third game back in the seniors after restarting in the reserves. Gribbin was taking part in his first senior game, Dean, his second. Most of the others only got their promotions out of the reserves in the second half of the season as the Melbourne injury woes started to bite. I think the difference in intensity between their training regimes and that of an AFL player would be like cheese and chalk. So to answer your question about who to replace, you'd have to build up your AFL contingent with players like these who are due to play for Melbourne today but are eligible for the rest of the VFL finals (see http://demonland.nozzs.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=7220) – 27. Chris Johnson 25.01.1986 188 87 29. Michael Newton 27.04.1987 193 87 34. Lynden Dunn 14.05.1987 192 90 35. Ryan Ferguson 29.09.1981 195 93 40. Mark Jamar 09.08.1983 198 103 43. Clint Bizzell 28.06.1976 188 85 48. Jace Bode ® 14.09.1987 183 80 73. Byron Pickett 11.08.1977 179 86 If you added four of those eight players to the list who played Willi yesterday, it would have been a five goal win to Sandy. On this basis I don't share Minka Beaver's pessimism about Sandy next week. In fact, there's every likelihood that they'll win well against the Roosters and set up what could well be the biggest game of the season in the Preliminary Final against the Cats in a fortnight's time. I would bring in as many of the above eight players as are fit to play and I'd drop Garland, Hughes and Neville from the MFC list and drop Dean, Gribbin and M. Johnston from the SFC listed players. The other two to go would be stiff but that's finals football! (as far as Zebraman's comment that Byron won't play, I'd be disappointed if he didn't but it would probably demonstrate his lack of professionalism and motivation and not only vindicate his decision to retire but also cast doubts on the wisdom of his decision to play on at all this year)

You're right. It's Jamar who will be available. BTW. I think the Zebras are still a good chance to win four in a row despite losing today. They had virtually no AFL experience behind them while Williamstown had a strong contingent and yet they managed to scrape in on the strength of one big quarter when they produced some amazing accuracy for goal. Againt a Sandringham with half a dozen extra players with AFL experience, they would have struggled.