jabberwocky

Yeah we are 18 months into a total rebuild of the playing list. Anything less than a premiership should be deemed a failure. Next question.

Robbo continues to play while Watts and Jurrah develop. My feeling is that Watts and Jurrah will be more than capable with the ball on the floor and I don't believe we will lose a lot at ground level by playing these blokes with two other talls. Bate also is pretty handy on the ground in close with his bullocking work but does lack agility. I think when Watts and Jurrah develop they will line up comfortably with Miller and Bate. I suppose we need to suck it and see if Watts and Jurrah have the agility and pace to do it all. I think they can. It would probably mean that the resting ruckman would go to the bench. The other option is to play Jurrah or Watts as an attacking wingman.

Great post, spot on. Can't help wondering if fitness is an issue. He had a big impact at the start of the the second quarter and spent the last 10 mins or so on the bench. I think at this stage he may have a limited tank. If he improves he fitness and imposes himself in a few more contests he could be a extremely dangerous player.

Let them do it. It will only fire us up. I would also love to see Nathan Jones stick it up em with a big game. After kicking the winning goal I want to see him kiss his jumper right in the face of the Collingwood cheer squad then point to where his dad is sitting.

out: MILLER, BELL, possibly MCDONALD in: WATTS, ROBERTSON possibly CHENEY

I think its you.

Steamin pile of bu@#!hit.....I think not. I believe you and your claim is supported by the release of the article on the MFC website. Normally when players are endorsed in a headline as being "a chance" they play.

Can someone tell me when the rookies can play? After round 11? Hughes would have to be close.

My thinking is that maybe they are keeping him away from bone crunching marking contests against gorilla full backs. Playing him up the ground gets him to get his hands on the footy and improves his running capacity while he strengthens up.

Yeah like Ablett, Bartel etc

When can the rookies start playing? Hughes would have to be very close to selection if allowed.

Matthew Bate is such a confidence player, he is doing very nicely tonight. Strong hands and smart footy on the deck. Brock is in everything. Grimes has not wasted a kick and has taken some courageous marks. Maric is a smart, nicely balanced player. Rivers V Koschitzche is a worry. Lenny Hayes is a great player.

I think the difference is that they are different. Cale will probably always get more of the footy than Rioli. Cale may one day be in the elite class. Rioli could end up one of the stars of the modern era. He is an extremely dangerous player, his motor however is not as big as Cale's. If Rioli develop's the motor to play in the midfield he will destroy sides on a weekly basis. Cale is a bit stiff in this thread to be compared to the best young talent to be unearthed in a fair while IMO.

edited for you steamin

In all honesty and with respect to Cale and our recruiters.... in a heartbeat. That doesn't mean that our recruiters made a mistake, you can only act on the best info you have before you at the time. Cale will be a very good player. Rioli will be an out and out star. He and selwood are ain front of the leagues other young players by a fair stretch.

I think thats what you call a premature ejection.

Thank you my learned friend.

This kid is a real find. We desperately need classy mids. He could really be one of those given time. He is the player at pick 34 (or whatever) that Ricmond wish Tambling was at pick 3.

I unlike a lot of other posters have been far more critical of Morton's courage than this disposal. I actually believe he is a highly skilled footballer who will hit targets with a few seasons to adjust to the speed, angles and spaces and we can never under-estimate the importance of appropriate options and the ability to decide on the correct one. I actually believe that this is far more of an issue with our footy team than just putting the problem into the "skills" basket. Jones, Morton, Frawley, etc and others can actually kick the footy. A few weeks ago I started a thread taking issue with the apparent type of player that it appeared that Cale was trying to become. There is no place in todays game for a player who wants to only play uncontested footy. I stand by that. At the time that thread was started I observed that Cale had been taking his eyes off it for several weeks. It is interesting to note that in the game following that Adelaide game he started out of the starting 18. Cale has shown a lot more intensity in contested situations since. In the third qtr yesterday he kept his eyes on the footy and needed to be strong in a couple of hairy situations. I was calling for him to be sent to Casey a few weeks ago. It appears that I may have been hasty. It gives me confidence in the coaching staff and the player that they have for now adjusted his thinking. Cale isn't build like Jones or Moloney and winning the hard ball is never going to be his forte, but he has to be more than an outside runner, I think he can and will be with the right coaching. One dimensional players are a liability, can be countered easily and are found wanting in the big games.

Sorry, but herein lies the problem with the three word analysis.

I understand the emotion involved but you can't introduce a hard helmet without then indroducing full body armour to protect the rest of the body from the helmets. Imagine players diving head first into contests using the hemet as a weapon. Our game has changed enough, hard helmets would make it unrecognisable. On what Jared Rivers did, Luke Hodge does it, Glenn Archer did it etc etc. Acts of selflessness are what raise the bar of courage in a team and may win you flags. The game is still very much about courage, don't change it.

Can confirm that Cheney wont be making the trip. Make of that what you will.

Exactly what I was thinking.

Get Jimmy to adopt him. No I am only serious.

I think if Cale continues in his current vein some HEALTHY criticism on Demonland is going to be the least of his worries. I am sure his team-mates are a greater priority. I reckon facing Brad Miller, Junior and Brock Mclean would be a far more intimidating proposition. And you can be sure his teammates will make him accountable eventually. I want Cale to be a great player. Those people saying that he doesn't need to put his head over it because he is an outside player are dreaming. Make no mistake if this problem isn't fixed it will be terminal to his career because his team-mates and the coaching staff won't put up with it. There are not many people who disagree with the assessment that Cale is not prone to taking his eye off the footy. Some have different ideas on how to deal with it, ie leave him in the ones and hopefully he will grow out of it or run him around in tghe twos till he can prove he can do it. One way or another I do not want Cale to be a fair weather player and play only onhis own terms, like a taller, less skilfill version of Trav. He needs to learn to play for the team.