Damo

I thought he should have been picked up 2 years ago. He is the player I watch when Ive been at Sandy. I am no expert (lucky we have a few on this board) but Im tipping all those negative know it alls will be damning him with faint praise when he picks up 20+ possessions within in his first few games. Most will ask why has it taken so long. While no Nathan Jones (and isnt it interesting that he gets a gig after Jones is tagged) I can see him not looking back if he is given a bit of a go in the middle. Good luck Shane!

I would have thought you would have been prepared to deal chook. To get a marquee player you have to give a lot.

Good Question. I was thinking about this myself. I scorned those that said Judd could leave last year and ate my words. But I think you have to look at players that genuinely are a chance of leaving their respective clubs therefore I would say Ablett, and Franklin are not on the market. I would give number one pick (and plus)for Brown Chad Cornes or Pavlich. I think they are gettable as well. I dont think the doggies Griffin is available but i would give 1+ for him as well. I would give a high first round for Glass Reiwoldt Simon Black, Rutten O'Keeke Minson(prob cant get him) or Fev. What about Hawks Hodge?they must be tight for salary cap.. I would give a second round pick for Haselby even though he is injured and we have one(brock). I just think he has a lot left in the tank at 25 and can be had. Ive watched his career and he hasnt had much of a go. Could be great.

I dont think Jamar should be compared so closely with Johnson This is like comparing Steve ODwyer with Jimma. They are different players. One is a crash and bash ruckman and the other is a tall skilled player who hasnt been great above his shoulders because he lacks the bang-bangs (a term used by a horse trainer to decribe Damien Olivers reluctance after a bad accident, to mix it with the up and coming jockeys who threw caution to the wind). There is no way PJ would have attacked Frankenstein like Jamar. At the same time Jamar would not be able to run and deliver the footy in a very acceptable manner. PJ can and does. He can contest the ruck moderately as well. I reckon it is maybe Jeff White who must keep pushing himself out of his comfort zone. He did last weekend IMO. Others look at stats and say he didnt. It will depend on the Crows lineup, playing the youngsters and matchups. But if PJ and Jamar are both doing what was required to stay in the team, who says one of them must make way?

In the paper it reported that Before half time some bookies were offering 95 - 1. Then they stopped taking bets on Freo because it was such a sure thing. If true and you spoke to a bookie you may have asked for well over 200 to 1.

I think Wheatley has had a great couple of weeks. I thought he was nearly the only one to hold his head up at half time. Im not a fan because I think he has snuck under the radar that has targeted travis yze green and godders. He has been ineffectual and compromising. Im a fan of good skills and hard work and thats what he is showing. His long kicking to the wing was on display for the second week in a row.. I hope he keeps it up. He has gone from lost hope to a maybe for mine. If he plays to my lost expectations this year it will be due to the coach. Nuhh. Ive just read this crap. Hes no good and wont make it.

Not far away. But who believes anything Dwayne says?

I think moloney has absolutely no place in the team. he got lucky late in the game. Iwould much prefer Yze forward or valenti onball. I do agree with you on White. I thought we wouldnt have won without his first and second efforts. I also saw Wheatley play the best game Ive seen from him.

It is a bitter pill we swallow holding our hands over the flame that is the Melbourne Football Club. The candle flickers in its tatty glory for me. I wonder if when it spits and dies if I will be gutted or emancipated. Rage, rage against the dying of the light..

I see improvement in Robbo working up the ground and we need White to accept change in his game. It is arguable if this can be achieved. But we are better with him until PJ can cope with 100 minutes in the ruck. They are not great leaps forward but you do yourself no favours by proposing mayhem. The graduations in change that may be coming through are hard enough to bear without chopping all class players.

Fai dinkum you two.... Whats the point of being a grumpy old man at any given opportunity?

Very diplomatic...

But not a bad question. i wonder if Griffen would be available for the number one pick? It would certainly win over my six year old who has ominously told me he doesnt need a new footy jumper.

Interesting thoughts. Good post apart from my pet peeves about punctuation...

I agree he is a great kicker in. Although this is one of our perennial faults Moloney should be just as good. I often compare them since their rivalry two years ago. Hunts defense is much more professional and I hold out hope Brent has the capacity to employ more thought to his game. If he did, we would have a great successor to Wheels IMO. But it is all F%6ing pipedreams. I used to argue Wheatley could be a great fullback in the Fletcher mold. But it just isnt as easy as it looks! Nevertheless: Hunt is overrated.

Many teams have average players that hit the high spots because of the class that they are surrounded by. Would Steve Johnson and Josh Hunt be as lauded if they played without the skill and inspiration of their peers? Look at west coast. Doing it a bit harder now. Im sure the coach and players would find it easier to find a "Game Plan" that works if we had a Chad Cornes, Pavlich or Brent Harvey to put some froth on an average cup of coffee. I find it interesting how many posters give up on our list and back our brand new coach. It doesnt have to be mutually exclusive. We should back them both. It is not easy. Im trying to back both our coach and players but its like playing two up when the fix is in.

We have to persevere with Bartram. Bate does not look either fit or interested enough to get picked this week. Valenti must come in. I think Holland should come in before Newton.

Well put RR. You have galvanised my thoughts on this issue. I have no doubt Ooze believes he gives his all for the club but like Robbo, when he runs out he does not put the teams goals in front of his personal ones. I believe Neitz does acheive this. I will miss Adem Yze when he is gone, he is responsible for my son forever having the"lucky number" of 13.

If players are given responsibility to make the best decision when they have the ball we will be more likely to win games. If you think trying to make players go against natural instincts at all costs is a positive you are incredibly naive. I want to win games, I dont see any positives in creating a team where we delist 50% of our list as they arent cut from that cloth. From what I read that is a conservative estimate by those that are grimly holding onto the masterplan. What point is there in changing how players play in a team you are going to get rid of? Im pragmatic, I want to see a win not a car crash.

I dont listen to Stan Alves very much but his comments today were similar to the above. How long does it take to accept that we cant change so radically and expect to win? Is it worth the players and supporters going through inexplicable bad football when the players are obviously under pressure to go against their first instincts in just delivering the ball to a teammate? The new coach is not going to change and the players are not spuds. If you believe that we have recruited wrongly and it is the players fault, how can you be so f&*%king smug we recruited the right coach?

Its not the MCC you should be having a hissy fit at, it is the St Kilda Cricket Club. These fat wankers who hardly use the Junction Oval and have stopped us from using it over summer are much more in my sights. How many members do they have who come and watch them play cricket? how many are family of those cricketers playing? I never see all the carparks taken up by their games yet they have kept us homeless. I would love to stay at the Junction but we have been usurped by St Kilda Cricket Club at every turn.

I thought they were both big losses. So which talls have we had in the back line since they both left 10 years ago? Lamb, Shanahan and Nicho.

Or an announcement that he is going to retire either at the end of the year or after a milestone game perhaps. Possibly a handing over the captaincy baton to another player so as to concentrate on his game.

A. Robbie followed by Alan Johnson (that I have seen) B. Cam Bruce C. Brock

Sorry fatso I havent been able to play at high levels but Ive had a ding dong go at it. How is sticking up for blokes that have pulled on the jumper a bad call? You dont bleed red and blue, so dont damn me with a soft reply. Hammer those who dont go in, but when they have left the playing list buy them a beer and salute them,Dont kick their teeth. We need ex-players to stick up for us so we shouldnt stab them like this.