the pearl

Before you lay the boots in, recognise that I've since changed my opinion and apologised for being so wrong. But he did make some crucial errors on the week-end. I'd not drop him now though.As I said above:

Posted 05 April 2010 - 03:12 PM

I obviously was way too harsh on Frawley after the game and should have reserved my judgment until I watched the replay on Fox. Sorry and thank you to all those people who called me out on it. I was certainly wrong about him. But he still had a couple of crucial turnovers that resulted in goals, despite his otherwise fab defensive game. I want to set the record straight and say I think Frawley is an awesome player, and if it weren't for these crucial mistakes today, I would have put him in our best. Such is the nature of being a defender that errors just become so much more costly due simple to where you're playing. I know this from experience.

This one came back to bite you Chook. Recanting was a good move - particularly when you have such a strong reputation as a football commentator!

We ran Adelaide around in a practice game over there in a pretty feral environment. A little bit of inexperience and some poor umpiring cost us that game. It'll be different at the "G" with plenty of red and blue support and a team of youngsters that are beginning to believe.

this game used to be tough

if Moloney did that you'd all be worshipping him

No

Out: Newton, Bennell.

In: Anyone ..

I'm in. I'll get it started with one every one and a half minutes. I assume he'll be on for around ten minutes of show-time, so that would put my answer at seven. I'll keep track of it.

You can't read but you can count??

I can't read. What was his approach?

You should get your mum to read it to you.

Norm Smith played with, and coached, a few players who had served with our armed forces during the Second World War and this was where the standard was set. Showing courage and respect for team mates was the most important quality that MFC players could possess. If a player 'jibbed it' ( as Smith referred to the act of pulling out of a contest ), Smith would tear him apart verbally in front of his team mates, eyeballing the player ferociously. If he did not compete relentlessly and bravely at every opportunity after that, he would be shown the door. So developed players of the character of McGivern, Cordners, McMahen, Beckwith and Barassi.

The Demons of 1952-53 showed similar characteristics to our current list. As I said, get your mum to read it to you.

No doubt he dogged it. That's not the issue. It's what the coach does about it that's the key to Bennell's success. Bennell and Bailey should read The Red Fox. Smithy had a very straightforward approach to players with courage issues

Jamar jumped all over them. He inspired confidence and led from the front.

Great game.

Bennell, Morton.

Run away, run away ......

Going a bit early on Bruce I reckon like people used to get on Greens back. I think he can do more but if we are looking for him to dominate matches like when he would get 30 and kick 2 then we are going down the wrong path....

Bruce's form has been under critical attack for a long time.

Dominating games is exactly what we need from him.

It must be time for the coaching staff to reassess Bruce's role in the team game plan.

When he showed his best form, it was probably when the Demons were peaking under Daniher. Bruce was calm, well balanced, creative and a pretty good finisher most of the time. He was ( and potentially still is ) a great defensive player. Bruce could accurately pass by hand or foot to runners, like Walsh, Whelan, etc who would cut through the lines and set up great attacking moves. He could come up with a couple of match-turning goals in bursts.

His decline in form has occurred, funnily enough, with the decline in the team's form.

Bruce passes to stationary targets. Turnover. His misses targets, sometimes because the targets are not moving quickly enough. He misses critical goals.

He must play deep in the forward line where the options when he gets possession are simpler.

Kick the goal! Handball to the crumber who kicks the goal! Tackle the defender and get possession of the ball again!

So, Newton might have done a better job today than Miller did last week. Get rid of them both!

Bennell trip was shameful. Umpires must pay those decisions - even if they've been poor all day.

Scully, Trengove, Grimes, Green, McDonald, McKenzie.

Sorry to ruin the positives, but Jones has tried to be more than he is for 3 years now. He can't continue to play football thinking he is Gary Ablett. He isn't, and either he or the coaches need to drill that into his brain.

But at least he runs.

Agreed.

At his best Jones plays like a battling suburban footballer. He should come off the bench to provide some hard tackling minutes. He cannot be a central member of a mid field that intends to distribute the ball effectively to forwards in motion. He just can't make smart decisions and his skills are uncoordinated.

No-one should ever question his integrity.

Thousands of supporters went to watch the Demons JUST to watch Robbie Flower play up and down that wing. Best footballer I've seen!

Liam Jurrah, whether a star or not, will form part of a young forward line that will pose many challenges for opposition backs in the 2010 season. I can't wait to see the development of Jack Watts - and quick entries into our forward 50 that will give these young blokes opportunities to become stars. Jurrah and Watts will live or die depending on the accuracy of our delivery from the mid field. Maybe this is where we need new stars!

Could be the right role for Miller - look after fashion and style. He won't have to kick, catch or make decisions.

Give him the opposition's best key forward every week and watch him improve.

These guys combined for 32 possessions, 29 effective, for a combined total of 91%. Don't know how much execution you want.

If you've got to rely on statistics you're not watching the game. Pointless chip passes to maintain possession are a blight on the game. With Wheatley and Whelan, it's what they didn't do, more than what they did. Have another lok at your stats sheet and tell me how many times they didn't get the ball or how many times their opponents had effective possessions etc. etc. stat. stat....

One would hope that when supporters look back at Warnock's preformance against Lloyd, in five years time, we see it as a great learning experience. He made errors, showed inexperience and struggled to read the game sometimes but he never looked beaten and showed resilience. He tried and put in his best effort in every contest. i hope that in five years or less, he gets his reward for his persistence.

Two Mortons??

1. Bartram

6. Junior

5. Garland

4. Bruce

3. Morton

2. Jamar

1. Morton

Green was OK. Maric was OK. CJ is playing well. Sylvia seemed to really work when he had the ball but slackened off when he didn't have the ball. Whelan, Wheatley OK at times. The effort was there but not the execution.

People may well laugh at the idea of a Hollywood at Melbourne but as an observer.and in that context only it did seem like there was definitely an inner sanctum.

The carpark at the Junction Oval used to look like a luxury car yard!

It's amazing. In the space of about two days, Boomer Harvey has gone from being in my top 5 most loved non-MFC players, to just about rock bottom, in the company of Lloyd, Fevola, Hall, Franklin and Goodes. What a tool. Play the game, buddy.

You can add the filth's whole team, Nathan Brown, Everitt, Judd and Kerr to that list!

Late.

6. Buckley

5. Whelan

4. CJ

3. Warnock

2. PJ

1. Junior

Minus 6: Sylvia - no effort, no team ethic, no trade value anymore.

Minus 5: Jones - "pass it to our players"

Minus 3: Newton - dumb arse

Minus 2: Morton - must learn that dogging it is not acceptable. If your body is not right, then play next season!

Minus 1: Bell - weak.