Go the Biff

There's no single answer. I doubt anyone is suggesting one midfielder is going to fix our woes. But if you don't think Thomas would be extremely valuable to our midfield you are kidding yourself. FFS, watch him play. Don't be deceived by the tricks & flashy stuff. He works his arse off, loves a contest & has no fear of going into the thick of things If we don't have a crack at him we'd be even more inept than the last several years have proven.

Nice to see someone watches

Consistently plays likes a bloke that hasn't reailised that it is a team game.

Right on brother !

Thanks WJ

Did you believe him ? Serious question.

If you read Rhino's version of events, which is pretty close to how I recall it, Schwab was not so much sacked as sacrificed

Wasn't that at the end of Joe's & the start of Zondy's reign ? I remember the incident but not the timing

I understand Dawes recruitment I understand the recruitment of Byrnes I get why we got Rodan This one has always escaped me. It's not as though he was being kept out of North's forward line by Carey & Longmire

Who's to say he'd be getting that in our midfield ?

Stuie, seriously, would you please fark off with the stupid gifs

Good post. A lot to discuss in it but I've settled on this line above Out of interest, would anyone know what % of members generally vote for the board ? It would be those at the AGM plus proxies I'd imagine but I'm interested in the approximate percentage of total members I'm wondering how those people decide who to vote for. My mum for example wouldn't know Russell Howcroft or Guy Jalland from a bar of soap. But if Laurie Mithen stuck his hand up, she would be front & centre voting for him faster than Ricky Jackson on a loose ball in the forward line. I suspect a lot would vote along similar lines to my mum so I wonder how we go about educating the membership as to what's needed to drive the club and come election time, why e.g. Geoff Freeman would be a better fit than Spud Dullard

The other thing people forget is that the Freo Steves (Harris & Rosich) had already pretty much stiched up Lyon for 2013. I'd assume these were talks held without Lyon's management's knowledge as well. There's an interview with one of the Steves where this is mentioned but franky I don't care enough to be arsed looking for it. It was the end of 2011 when they were so dissatisfied with Havey that they decided to try to reel in Lyon a year early.

Fair call. I'm sure he was recruited to fill that taller midfield role that Gysberts should have made his own. This looks like one we got right ! I think he's improved pretty much each week & is probably growing in self belief as well. Long may it continue

Agreed - it's been taken out of context but you can bet the media will react as most here have. Neeld will kick himself when he realises how many guns he's loaded with those words - and they will all be trained on him.

Theres a Jackson interview with Matt Burgan up on the club website

Nearly spat coffee all over my computer. Classic Old Dee. This should go in your posting Hall of Fame. Even though JB is long gone you still manage to pot him But FWIW I agree with regard to Nicho.

Which ruckman is the most lumbering is not the issue. It's about how many of your four blokes at centre bounces are likely to effect a clearance. With 50% of your contingent intent only on stopping their direct opponent, your chances of gaining a centre bounce clearance are much diminished. As a result of our midfield set-up, I would suspect Nate Jones leads the league in "tackles received"

Nah, can't have it.Harley Bennell he ain't but he was never this slow in his first two years.

I'd be moving Rawlings on first. The amount of goals we have leaked this year through defenders, particularly small defenders, not being goal-side of their opponents at stoppages beggars belief. That was an aspect of defence that Wellman was dynamite on. We should be on the phone offering to triple his salary if he'd return next year. I'm no Royal fan but he's not got much to work with. Although that said, two taggers & a lumbering ruckman at centre bounces is a nonsense. Leaves us with only one bloke trying to get the ball.

You don't HAVE to play anyone but I understand the perception created if you drop your captain or put him into mid-season training. Which is why you announce he's got a groin injury (which I suspect he has anyway).

As Ling pointed out, he's not the player he was. I for one don't believe he's anywhere near fit. The year is farked. Playing him like this achieves no useful purpose. Take him out until at least the bye - call it a groin injury or whatever - but get him on a specific training program that allows him to recapture his fitness & whatever acceleration he had in his first two years. He won't like it but playing in the condition he's in at the moment does neither he nor the team any favours

Wish I could find the article but Jamar's best year came following a year where he was out injured for a good chunk of it. He spent that time studying other ruckmen & returned a much improved player. Particularly around the ground. He got to better positions where he could influence games Sadly he has regressed to the form that earned him the name Donuts Mark needs to find his notebooks & do a fair bit of revision. Or he will be bypassed. At the moment, Spencil would offer more. That's damning.

I don't mind this approach. Play him next week. Explain that he's been given a month in the AFL to see what it's like & now he's getting a month in the VFL to work on the gaps that he & the coaches see in his game to bring him up to AFL. He's got a lot to learn I don't recall anyone describing him as AFL ready

Cook has a great record at both West Coast and Geelong. In both cases he had a club operating out of a stadium where demand exceeded supply. That makes life a bit easier on the financial front. The miracle he achieved at Geelong was convincing the bank (the NAB I think) to take a haircut of some millions. Without that the Cats may well still be rooted. If he has any more miracles in his bag of tricks I'd like him to throw a few our way.