Deeoldfart

We expect nothing less than what the Low Rent Pub Crew were able to achieve with Clark. I presume you are staying at the same digs.

Rush had a solid season without reaching the highs of his AA year (if 2010 was 9 out of 10, this year was probably around 6.5 imo). He seemed to have less impact around the ground and was certainly less telling when resting up forward. More importantly however, his tap work seemed less influential, perhaps because he is becoming more predictable to opposition mids (although he continued to have an excellent understanding with Beamer). I may be wrong, but it seemed to me that he may have lost a bit of spring post-PCL, or at least lost a bit of confidence in the knee. This, plus the loss of match-fitness during his 7 weeks out, would be part of the reason he didn't have the season we were hoping for. Edit: spelling

As appropriate: if the offenders are currently part of the Leadership Group, immediately dismiss them, but reinstate them shortly afterwards if they regret their mistake; or if they are not currently part of the Leadership Group, rebuke them for bringing Demonland/Demonology into disrepute, and fine them a token amount. Handle the discussions carefully though, because you run the risk of the said players making representations to the Board, in which case your tenure as coach could be in jeopardy.

Gawning or fawning ..... that is the question?

I'm enjoying what I'm reading in this thread, and snippets I've heard elsewhere during the year. I havn't seen Troy play, but from the reports he seems like a very good prospect. Again, from those who have seen them play, how does he compare with Tom McDonald in what he can be expected to bring to the team?

I hope you are right mfcrox, but you have more faith than I do. Col has a history of making silly mistakes, and seems incapable of learning from them. Just so damn frustrating.

Hope it was a Dees one

Great lyrics, so well suited to Johnny Cash's gravelly voice.

Yep. Eishold can be relied upon to kick critical goals, especially late in games when the pressure is really on. (Sorry Simon, I couldn't resist ........ but I also know that a few others missed very gettable last quarter goals in that game).

At this time last year I recall saying that in my mind the jury was still out in relation to Neville. There were things I really liked such as his hardness at the ball, tenacity and overhead marking, and there were things I thought he needed to work on such as his consistency within games, the need to kick more goals and his endurance. While acknowledging that injuries have played their part, nothing much changed in 2011, and imo the jury is still out. Nev really needs to put it all together in 2012, or he will find himself making room on our list for what looms as a fairly large intake of new draftees at this time next year.

Let's hope Jack Viney changes the trajectory of our graph. His uncle Jay certainly didn't set the world on fire.

Yep, I hadn't heard of it before your post, but I'm happy for Tuck to get a chance to revive his career at Melbourne, especially given the Satterley endorsement. He certainly has the blood-lines to be a decent player, but at the end of the day that means diddly squat. Good luck to him.

Too true rp ... too true! Now our players need to show that same 'never give in' spirit in our matches. I think they will!

Howie is looking very much like an inspired pick after an excellent first season. He seems to be a very 'complete' footballer - great hands and a good kick, but just as importantly, he is 'football savvy', does the one percenters / team things very well and he seems very calm / level-headed the way he goes about it. I'd expect him it improve in 2012 with a second pre-season under his belt, more experience at the top level and a decent forward structure around him. If he can add consistency to his game, he has the ability imo, to be a high-level player and (dare I say it?) maybe even a match-winner on his day. Good stuff Howie!

Let me guess .... just ahead of Baddeley, Allenby and Adam Scott.

Circumstances dictated that Big Max got some senior experience ahead of when most of us expected, and imo he showed in those few games that he has the makings of a top flight ruckman. Fawning (?) maybe, but I was very pleasantly surprised with the quality of his tap-work, his mobility, his second efforts, and in particular, his general football nouse. For someone who was recruited as a 'project' ruckman he is well ahead of schedule, and imo you can't ask more than that. I look forward to his continued development over the next few years with a fair bit of excitement. A real positive for me is that Maxy got through the season without significant knee problems. What he now needs most is lots of game time, which I expect to be mostly at Casey in 2012 and probably even 2013.

I think you've summed it up perfectly Nasher. Aaron seemed to have some serious problems with his head space in 2011. To me he appeared frustrated (with taggers, but probably moreso with himself), moody and bereft of confidence, and this reflected in the way he played. He certainly showed none of the zip and precision which had become his hallmark over the years, and his body language often set a poor example for his younger team-mates. I'm certainly not writing him off after one horrible season, but he needs to bounce back in a big way in 2012. I imagine that Aaron would be the first to acknowledge this.

Yeah, just listened to a few of those on YouTube and the nostalgia came flooding back. If we continue this 'off-season trip down memory lane' it won't be long before we pass the 1000 mark ...... without one iota of angst.

Wow, that brings back some memories. I remember a 1967 concert at Festival Hall featuring the Yardbirds (For Your Love), the Big O (Crying ... 3 curtain calls) and the Walker Brothers (The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore) all on the same card. Sensational!

The key to this particular thread is what it's not about!. Normally I'd suggest that reading the title would be helpful, but that's been changed umpteen times.

It's easy to be 'bullish' about Tappy. He's an old-fashioned, hard at it, show no fear footballer, and he made a very good start to his career in what was effectively his first year. I'm really looking forward to him getting a full pre-season under his belt under the eye of our new fitness staff. Improved endurance and a bit more acceleration, combined with his strength and penetrating kicking, could make him a ripper. It will be fascinating to see what role Mark Neeld has in mind for him.

At the start of the year I regarded 2011 as a 'make or break' year for Marto. Well he made it with flying colours, and was clearly our most improved player. His greatly improved skills, speed and mobility, multiple efforts, and his emerging versatility, made him a valuable team asset, ideally suited to the new interchange rules. He still has some way to go in areas such as pack marking and goal kicking, but given that he has only been playing the game for a relatively short time, further improvement is a realistic expectation imo. Well done Stef.

Spot on Old Dee.

I don't think we are that far apart old fella ..... I agree with all but your second sentence, and even there I'm giving Aussie the benefit of the doubt (which I think he deserves). Edit: grammar

Sadly for Aussie, 2011 has been a year from Hell. When he is really up an going he brings a touch of magic and excitement to our team, and a small forward role beckons in 2012 if he wants it badly enough. He somehow needs to put 2011 behind him, and have a huge pre-season to get his body and mind right for the AFL. I expect the Club will give him plenty of time (perhaps on the Rookie List), and continue to support him in every reasonable way. The rest will be up to Aussie. I really hope he makes it, for the sake of his late Dad, his Tiwi community, and all Dees fans.