DeeMfc

This kid is uncannily like a young Dustin Fletcher. Except .......a much better kick. He along with Lever will create a wall and carve the opposition up on the rebound.

Inspired drafting and a steal at this pick in my opinion.

Anxiety.... heard it all now....

Then these poor umps probably ended up in straight jackets did they Ray.... 

4 hours ago, Moonshadow said:

Tex Walker is such a hypocrite. Claims in AFL article that Gibbs has taken a pay cut to come home rather than an increase like Lever. Hey Tex, helps if you don't insult an 21 yo AA squad member by offering $350k off the bat.

Also digs at Lever and Cameron:

"Walker did not waste his latest chance to have a none-too-subtle dig at Lever and possibly also Cameron.

"Sam Gibson and Bryce Gibbs, they don't only bring talent; they bring hard work, leadership and (are) great characters," Walker said.

"That's what we like to get at our football club. I rate people with leadership and character."

Haha! Like a character that gets pizzed watching the footy when dropped like you in your youth?

http://m.afc.com.au/news/2014-11-26/recruiting-files-walker

Take a look at the ‘circumstances’ in which Walker got to his beloved Crows.... 

Hypocrite of the highest order. 

No other team had the chance to draft him and if they did he’d be the first to request a trade to Adelaide if he had the chance. 

Plus the fact that there’d be no go home factor to Broken Hill anyway....

7 minutes ago, rpfc said:

We had an effective trade week - we got our targets, and we paid for them. 

When you get the most coveted young player available you can’t have a bad trade week, but let’s not do a lap of honour over trade week FCS...

No lap of honour here. I thought it was a reasonable trade period for us as such. I was just putting the Lever trade into perspective. 

There are differing views as to the value/currency of draft picks and the hit and miss rate. 

In Lever we have a fair idea (barring injury) as to what we will get for the next TEN years. 

The childish behaviour of the Adelaide representative (forgot his name)walking out on talks and the unprofessional public lambasting of Lever (who did everything professionally and respectfully) by Tex and Co. should be the biggest indication of how much they valued Lever at the Crows.

The whole club was livid that he was leaving. Even uninviting him to the B&F even though he said he wanted to go. I have never seen such behaviour by a club, players and FD as with the loss of Lever to the Crows.

Lever is the ultimate professional in all aspects. He chose us over bigger offers from other VIC clubs. 

Absolutely the biggest trade of the week.

We leaked consecutive goals in a short space of time on a few occasions this year. Levers acquisition will go a looooong way to alleviating that in future years.

That is something you cannot put a price on.

I think a Bex and a good lie down is in order DS

He's had a couple of lean years but the start of his career hasn't been an easy ride. A good preseason to clear the pipes will have him running on all cylinders. Only then will we be able to see if he regularly gets leather poisoning.

8 hours ago, beelzebub said:

is this the Gaffer Tape ?..too much of a stretch ??

 

 

going now

You could be on the money there bub. 

After all it does say 'Highlights Reel'.

The missing link.

Get him Dees!

30 minutes ago, jnrmac said:

If true that is total bollocks.

He stuffed up and has paid his penalty.

^This

Plus by all accounts his response and training standards while doing his time have been exemplary. 

The value of a hard at it player with 6 weeks rest at the pointy end of the season cannot be underestimated.

From my recollection he generally only uses a full straight arm if the opposition ruckman raises his knee to push him away from the ball.

A New addition to rule - 11.3.5 

1. The Player shall not be permitted to block an opponent’s Muay Thai knee to the sternum in a centre bounce contest.

If our mids aren't lowering their eyes when delivering inside forward 50 then put TMac back to take the big forwards and slot Joel Smith in at full forward.

I was never trying to come up with a way to stop it. I was just mentioning the unfair nuance it has at the other end of the spectrum. No more, no less. 

6 minutes ago, Petraccattack said:

Picket Fence.

One of my favorite posters cos he a total nutter and his posts make me lol, but I knew as soon as he posted that I knew there would be no changes. 

Take picket for his comedy and passion, not for his sources.

Let's just say that Picket is no fence sitter!

4 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Yes fair point, but each club has it's agenda. All clubs pull up stumps before the end of the season if they are out of contention. Players have surgeries etc. 

Did we factor in the opposition feelings 10 years ago?

we can make Top 4 if we win games like today and win them well

The bolded above is part of my point. Also read my edited addition above.

5 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

We just keep winning and we go up, not down

That goes without saying but not really my point. 

Ok. Let's say it's the reason we end up 5th instead of what rightfully should have been a prized top 4 spot.

Another example. 2016 - tanking at the bowels of the ladder prevents the Bulldogs from making the 8....... 2017 - Bulldogs last premiership.......1954.

3. Josh Kelly

2. Jake Lever

1. Zak Jones 

*Some seem to already have them on our current list... 

No late changes

Due to the tanking allegations North will be playing with everything they've got today.

*then they'll put the cue in the rack.......

The one thing that comes to mind around the tanking issue is the 'falsification' for want of a better word that it has at the top end of the ladder which is something that could impact our ladder position at the end of round 23 (for the first time in a long time).

If we are fighting for a spot in the 8 in round 23 teams jostling for lower draft picks that would most likely win but don't  could put us in 9th at the end of the season...

Just on Dean Bailey. 

Leaving personal opinions at the time, along with current opinion now out of the picture re the tanking saga.

Dean Bailey's tenure was one of the most 'controlled' coaching roles in the history of football. He was given directives from above, some of which went against and some that went with his plans. 

'In my opinion' Bailey was criminally underrated, especially by those above him, mainly because of the reason stated above. He had a great working relationship with the players and was pulled from pillar to post to please the playing group and the hierarchy simultaneously. This is what lead to his downfall.

With the right culture and support he would have been a very successful coach. You only need to look at what he was capable of doing as a coach when looking at the game against the Swans in Paul Roos last season there as coach. With the benefit of hindsight, the awful drafting and players at his disposal makes it even more compelling. 

The defensive aspects of his game plan would have come with time but he knew what he was working with and all out attack was the best option and all out exciting football was one of the directives from above anyway (to get more members on board).

I had the pleasure of chatting with Dean on occasion and if given a bit more responsibility, respect, input into drafting and a non toxic environment I believe he would be spoken of now in much higher regard.

Neville Jetta has rolled an ankle at training apparently. 

http://m.afl.com.au/news/2017-07-25/demon-jetta-limps-off-with-ankle-injury-at-training

1 hour ago, Ron Burgundy said:

ANB is now a really good player.

I reckon Goodwin can take all the credit for this. He seems to have invested in his development. Some people seem to forget that ANB was an elite junior and was seen to be a lock for a top 25 selection. That we got him at pick 40 was a surprise to many, and he's now displaying the attributes that many thought he would at AFL level.

Stretch is another player in this category IMO.

 

http://m.melbournefc.com.au/news/2017-03-29/goodwins-given-me-belief-nealbullen