Deeoldfart

I'm glad that you're not going to fold your tent and disappear old dee ..... you are too valuable around here for that. And I'm also glad that you have "almost no belief", because that statement suggests that you still have a glimmer of belief remaining ...... and from small things ..................!!

I agree totally hardtack, this is one of the key questions. How much belief do our players have in themselves (?); in their team mates (?); in our game plan (?); in our current direction as a footy team (?0); in the coaching staff (?); etc. I don't know the answer to any of these questions, but judging from where I sit, my guess is that at least some of these intangibles are missing ......... and it goes without saying that until we have 'total belief' we will not have the success that we crave. Fortunately, I think that belief can be established fairly quicklly (but definitely not overnight).

We have to pin our hopes on something old dee, or all will be lost ........ and like rpfc, I refuse to believe that is the case. Just like the players who will run out onto the SCG on Saturday, we need to have belief.

The saddest part about all of this P Man, is that Brad scott is absolutely correct.

Geez ... I wish he could kick like him.

Sadly, we have had too many over the years that are a class above at VFL level, and can't cut the mustard in the AFL. Let's hope that Tapscott, Blease, Watts and Jurrah can drastically change that trend. Many thanks for the reports guys. The ABC do not televise the VFL in my part of the world and your updates are fantastic..

6. Clark - Another very good game. Marking, kicking, work ethic and leadership by example shone through. 5. Bartram - Very disciplined in defence. Great tackling, won plenty of his own ball, and used it pretty well. 4. Magner - Battering ram. Very solid against Lewis, and like Barty, got a fair bit of it himself. 3. McKenzie - Disciplined and hard working. Solid job on Mitchell. 2. Jones - Did what we have come to expect of him. 1. ?? - Maybe Jamar who worked hard without having a great deal of influence.

Yeah, but we stole '64 when they had us on toast. Perhaps the most satisfying of all?

Our internal media work, providing snippets like this to supporters, has come on in leaps and bounds. Well done MFC.

We desperately need JW back in the senior team ....... but not until our coaching staff are satisfied that he has earned his place!! Yes, I know it's stating the bleeding obvious, but sadly, it's been far too long since our selection decisions have been based solely on form, and not name and reputation. Mark Neeld is a 'breath of fresh air' on this issue at least.

Just to add to the history, it's a record that will never be broken. Top 4 finish for 11 consecutive years '54 to '64. Premiers in '64 as well, and we should have won in '58. What did Barass say in the aftermath of the '58 GF loss? ........ something akin to: 'half of us wanted to fight and half of us wanted to play footy. If we had all joined in the fighting, or all avoided it, we would have won the flag'. No wonder C'wood are the Filth! I guess we did wreak some revenge in '64 though.

Great to see. Consistently solid (or better) form at Casey over several weeks rewarded with promotion. Exactly as it should be!

Strangely, I've had the 1960's hit 'Friday on my Mind' by the Easybeats going around in my head ever since I first read the title of this thread several days ago ................ but it couldn't possibly be a portent of events at the G on Friday night, could it?

I agree, Cale is showing some early signs of having turned the corner under Neeld's tutelage. It will be interesting to revisit this thread at the end of the season ......... hopefully it is not just a 'flash in the pan'. Recent reports from Casey suggest that JB might also be starting to 'get it'. Hopefully JW will also. Fingers crossed for all of them, because they all have the sort of talent that our team craves.

Geelong toyed with us today ..... the scoreboard belied their superiority. At the end of the day we were outclassed by a much better team, but we did have a few bright spots which gives us some hope for the future. Clark, Frawley, Jones, McDonald, Morton and Howe can probably hold their heads up tonight.

It's hard to see Sellar holding his place, despite the fact that we don't have an obvious big bodied replacement. Sylvia should have returned through the VFL to gain form and fitness. I'd give Couch the opportunity he's earned.

6. Clark - Excellent game. Workrate, marking and leadership exactly what we needed. But for a couple of poor decisions and missed set shots, it could have been an outstanding came. 5. Frawley - Didn't give Hawkins an inch all day. Generally held his own despite the frequency of the Geelong F50 entries. 4. Jones - Gave his usual 100%. 3. Morton - Getting better. His best contribution for at least 2 years imo. 2. McDonald - Very good game for a boy against men. A terrific KPP prospect when he gains experience and a bit more size. 1. Howe - In and out of the game, but did enough nice things to earn one vote from me ..... plus there wasn't a lot of competition from his team mates imo.

Thanks KC. Great to hear that Watts has taken a positive attitude into the game.

Sorry to nit-pick bj, but I think the word is 'deepressed'.

Agree it wasn't a sling tackle, but I thought they might have a look at the Grimes one when I saw the replay showing Jackson's head hitting the ground pretty hard. Agree that Lake should have earned at least 2 weeks for his little effort.

How would this benefit our future on-field performance? All it would do is create more fodder for the media vultures, and more negative headlines for our Club. I'm sure there will be plenty of home-truths, but they shouldn't be played out in the media. I thought the presser was just what it should have been in the circumstances, and I particularly liked Neeld's empathy with how the supporters and sponsors might be feeling right now.

The players!

Terrible! Put team-mates under pressure, no second efforts, panicked in every contest he got near (which wasn't many). I've now given up on him (which only proves I'm a slow learner).

6. Howe - a good game ...... would shine in a half decent team. 5. Jones - typical Jones ..... courageous and tireless. 4. Clark - provided a target and created some contests. 3. Watts - closer to what I reckon the coach expects. 2. Frawley - held Riewoldt, against the odds 1. ??

I guess you are referring to Cale Morton deesrule, and I agree they could be similar type players (or at least add similar value to the team). For that to happen though, Cale would need to be prepared to get his hands dirty far more often, ramp up the effectiveness of his disposal to around the 80% mark and improve his decision making under pressure enormously. Do-able? Maybe, but unlikely imo.