george_on_the_outer

Intra-club and practice (NAB) matches mean nothing to me. In this day and age, they are an anachronistic left-over of what footballers did 10,20,50 years ago, but football hasn't caught up. Training is where footballers gain fitness, endurance and exposure to the drills the coach is trying to implement. The idea that you need "match practice" today doesn't sit with full-time athletes, especially in AFL where the risk of contact injury is high. Having said all that, it is great for the fans because they get to see new players in action, and hopefully determine whether they are any good. So the observations made by many at the intra-club would seem to show the following: Lamumba, Garlett & Frost will be great additions to the side. Their presence WILL mean we can perform better than we did last year. Hogan should also make a positive difference, but we probably already know that. There are plenty of others who might show something more than they did last year ( but then every fan at every club thinks the same) At a minimum, putting 4 more very capable players into last years side will see us win games that last year we lost. The improvement in others from last year is conjecture, and we won't know that until the real games start, but it will be an additional bonus....i.e you won't work that out from intra-club matches

Just about everything has been reported, but I would like to add a couple more observations: * Viney is one tough, hard and competitive beast. Brayshaw thought he had a chance one on one going for the loose ball. Not only did Viney win it hands down, but Brayshaw walked away holding his jaw. Certainly hope he was OK, and although he played on for another 10 minutes, he was last seen going up the race with a trainer, still feeling the side of his face. * Garlett was simply a streak in the forward line. Something we haven't seen since Flash. Just when you think the ball is bouncing around going nowhere, in he comes...making everyone else look like they are standing still. And his snap from deep in the pocket under pressure was an obsolute pearler. Most of the crowd were silent, because they didn't believe it was a goal. * Salem kicking in will be an monumental step up. Accurate, raking kicks to the open man was a delight to watch. Grimes is going to struggle to find a spot when you already have Garland, Dunn, McDonald, Lamumba and Frost filling the main spots. Where do Howe and Jack fit in if Salem is in the mix as well? * Gee Jonesy is great. His carving through a series of players in the first quarter was beautiful to watch. And Cross is another one who seems to make time stand still when he has the ball in his hands. Again poetry in motion * Jamar absolutely owned the ruck, but dropped out of the game around the ground too quickly. Pedersen is going to be the bonus player for us as he can play in virtually any role....forward, back or ruck. * Lamumba is something special to us as well. Finally, we have someone who can break lines and open the game up. Even when he marks with his back to the play, he twists in mid-air looking for the next option...no static play in the backline with him around!

With Colin and a few others now on board we are up to 26639

26290 10/2/15

I think the player who has changed body shape most is Jimmy Toumpas. I really struggled to work out who he was at training this week....much trimmer and lean. I would be interested to know what his weight is today compared to draft day for him. If it has these sort of results, the good wife may insist on a similar diet for me ...

26112 -6/2/2015

hope he joins his brother at Geelong, so that way they have no money left for Dangerfield!

....and it is important not to place supporters expectations on a single line used by PJ. He is the CEO, not the Coach. And as such he has to formulate a budget based around certain assumptions. That was the budget he presented last night as well. It was conservative, and assumed and made projections on all sorts of things. Like match attendances, memberships, AFL distributions....and guess what....where the team would be at the end of this year, and where it will be next year. Why? Because the on-field performance will affect all of those things...match attendances, membership, sponsorship, AFL distributions. It is irresponsible to take his comment in isolation. He was making it to demonstrate those very assumptions he has made in formulating the strategic plan and budget out to 2017. Far better that he explain it, with a conservative approach, than to come out and say we are going to play finals this year and be Premiers next year, and then base a budget around that. If we do play finals this year, it will be a financial bonus. But you cannot spend the money beforehand expecting to make the returns from finals. That's a sure way to go broke. It's not how you run a household budget , or a football club budget.

While it is only February and it IS only training, there was plenty to like about the situation we had today on the track. I don't need to repeat what TDI and Ruffles have reported, so I'll just add some general observations, and what makes this year different from the past dozen or so years that I've been at training ... * The way the training is so much more organised. As Ruffles noted, the coaches have multiplied like rabbits in the off-season, but it is only good. It means when you have 40+ players turning up, we have the resources to spend one-on-one time with them. Especially good for the younger ones who can be taken aside or given extra tuition. Roos runs the show, but then expects all the assistants to get their groups together for specialist work. e.g. Goodwin with the mids, but working on boundary throw ins. Rawlings with the defenders, but working on getting to and spoiling a contest, and then following up with delivery out of defence. * The concentration on kicking. Now I know this has been a bug-bear of supporters for many years, and we all envy the likes of Hawthorn who deliver flawlessly when needed. However, there has been much more emphasis on clean delivery by foot this year, and again, while it is only training it certainly looks to be having an effect. Practice makes perfect, they say, and it looks like it might be happening. For the whole session I didn't see a kick go astray. Certainly can't say I've seen that before, so hopefully come the season ... * The competition for spots. Again it is a month away from any serious type football, but we are in a good place. TDI and Ruffles have told you about who is on limited/restricted work, but of that whole group Howe, Watts, Vince and Terlich were the only ones who played last year. And Watts and Vince must be within days of a return to full training given the speed they are running around the boundary. Remember the start of last year? Garland, Gawn, Jamar all missing, T.Mac out after 1 game ... This year for example the backs are Dunn, Garland, T McDonald, Frost, Lamumba, as certainties. Fill the last remaining hole with Grimes, Salem, Howe, Watts, Jetta etc. In the ruck Jamar, Spencer and Gawn are all fit, with Fitzpatrick looking in the best condition he ever has at the club. 1 ruck last year to start, and we have 4 this year! Can we throw in Pedersen as well? Forwards are equally endowed with Hogan and Garlett as extras this year. The mids have added Lumumba (when not defending), and have a full list to pick from save ANB at the moment. Did I mention draft picks 1 & 2? Where do they fit in? A big change from when we pushed the prime draft picks on to the field at the first opportunity in years gone. Expect some interesting viewing at Casey in the first half of the year. * Medical management It's only little things, but we are keeping players on the track now through better management. Watts and Vince allowed to run at will and full pace. Not so Howe who had to run a steady pace with a trainer alongside. No risks being taken, and problems managed on an individual basis. Big players ( Dawes) given occasional light sessions to save them from the punishing that happens. Players told to report the slightest injury or suspected problem as soon as it happens. No "getting through it" or "running it out" before the medico's have had a look.

Never been checked at all the AGM's I have attended, except for the merger meetings.

I don't know that our ruck stocks are all that bad when you look at other teams. I'm struggling to find one that has 2 decent ones on their list, and it hasn't held back the likes of Hawthorn, Geelong, Collingwood, Essendon, Richmond.... Proven ruckmen, but who is their number 2?: Freo: Sandilands and Clarke Port: Lobbe and now Ryder Colliingwood: Wood? Richmond: Maric Hawthorn: Hale Sydney: Pyke Footscray: Minson St.Kilda: ? Essendon: Bellchambers Geelong: Bliclavs? WCE: Natanui? GWS: Mumford Adelaide: Jacobs? GWS: ? GC: ? As others have said, your probably only need someone to negate the opposition, or a filler like Pedersen/Dawes/Fitzpatrick to give the main man a break.

Apart from the centre bounce where rucks have an exclusion zone, they really cannot provide any hitouts to advantage around the ground like they used to. Mids are too well trained and taggers don't give their opponents any room. When at Sydney, Roos instructed his rucks to bring the ball to ground at their feet, so that their superior mids could do something with the ball in a contested situation. So the role of rucks has become minimal in a game. They become a useful tool when they drop into the forward line and stretch the opposition. But that goes at both ends of the ground, so the opposition can stretch you when they are in possession. I often wonder when a coach will give up with a big man at the centre bounce to get another real ball getter in there. As to the question posed, Gawn is the only long term prospect we have, with the trend to the tallest possible to do the job. And he can mark the ball above his head, and kick the thing as well....unlike Spencer.

The desire to publish salaries is predicated on complete transparency. It doesn't and won't happen. Why? 1. As others have pointed out some clubs have different salary caps e.g Swans, GWS 2. Marketing allowances are not in salary cap. And there are at least a dozen player being paid AFL sponsored "ambassadorships". 3. Front loading and backloading of contracts means a single player is paid different amounts in different years. .....see this article: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-millionaires-on-the-decline-in-2014-20150122-12w48o.html we all know Scully was being paid over $1M, so is Buddy on average, and Ablett? Are they in the range this year? So without consistency there is no longer a point to the exercise.

So Tex is the new captain at Adelaide: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-01-14/its-captain-tex?utm_medium=RSS strangest part of that article is this: "The appointment of Walker as captain increases the chances of Patrick Dangerfield leaving the club as a free agent at the end of 2015". There is obviously a lot more going on at Adelaide than is apparent at the moment. Did Dangerfield want to be captain? Does he not like Walker? Does this alter Dangerfields contract expectations, because Walker is getting more money?

L.D'Altera was an assistant trainer up to at least 1958 Kevin Beard was Head Trainer up to at least 2006 Spike Harris was Team Manager of U19's and seniors

19th October 1995

It looks like he played a single game in 1906. He had some role within the club as a D.Stanley is pictured with the 1941 Premiership side, and H.Stanley is pictured with the 1948 Premiership side ( looks like the same person). His life membership was presented at the AGM on 6 Feb 1946. From the Argus of the 7th: "Life membership certificates were presented to Messrs J. C. Blair, A. E. Chadwick. Dr J. Jones, Vince Coutie, W. Allan, F. S. Vine, W. M. Flintoft, W. de C. Berry. H. Dona- hoo, F. V. Hughes, F. W. Ince, W. Murphy, A. McL. Paterson. F. Pleass, J. Roach. H. G. Stanley, E. C. H. Taylor, and R. Wynd." ....sorry about the first part, just found out that the Harold Stanley who played 1 game in 1906 died in September 1945. So still don't know who H.S ( G) was or did?

The Sainters haven't learnt from our previous failings either....trying to re-build through the draft alone doesn't work. Yet that is the way they have gone, while losing the likes of Goddard and Dal Santo when they still had plenty to offer. Have cemented another wooden spoon in their trophy cabinet.

There are very good reasons to expect a far, far better on-field performance this year. 1. There are teams which are in dire circumstances. St.Kilda have lost Hayes, Goddard, Montagna, Milne and Dal Santo from their best side of past years. They gave away McEvoy and have pinned ALL their hopes on the draft. Surely, we have shown that you cannot rely on that re-building process alone. Footscray have seen 2 of their best players in Cooney and Griffen leave for other pastures. Something wrong at the kennel when the coach gets sacked and they throw over $1m at a kid who has had a total of 30 possessions in his AFL career. Even Scully was better than that. Signs of desperation when the President is doing the drafting... GWS are now seeing the Scully effect as good players desert the club who can't pay them more. Expect nothing more from them in the coming year. GC are dependant upon G.Ablett totally. He still has a dodgy shoulder and while back training can't handle the ball with one arm. Not good when great players are sidelined,but without him they simply can't win. 2. There are a couple of clubs in decline ( as there always are). Carlton have finally learnt that players can no longer be purchased, and the Judd experiment is coming to an end, having failed. Without Malthouses guile they would have finished further down the ladder last year. Having lost Waite and Garlett who were 2 of their leading goal kickers in 2014, it is hard to see even Mick keeping them competitive. Collingwood have lost 2 of their top 4 B&F finishers from last year,in Lumumba and Beams. Swan is either disinterested or injured or both, and Eddies experiment is falling apart. Richmond bolstered their list with the likes of Rance, Maric, Houli, Jackson and Grigg a couple of years ago. It put them into finals but only while these players were on the field. We saw what happened last year when they didn't. And then the Toiyges didn't trade at all. For a team that fell into the finals, surely trying to add something to the list was essential to getting any further. Their fragility was exposed when we were able to beat them last year, and Port gave them a football lesson in the finals, so expecting no less for 2015. Freo have taken the big gamble to keep Pavlich, McPharlin and Sandilands on the park for one last tilt. Or it could collapse catastrophically if it doesn't work. Essendon face a disastrous on-field year if the findings of the Tribunal/ASADA/WADA fall against them. No-one knows what is going on at Adelaide, looks like Ricciuto is running the club from outside. Sacking the coach or losing players. Not a formula for future success. So overall, it won't take much for us to improve in 2015. A finals tilt is possible because we have already matched it with a number of last years finalists. There are teams on the way down,and teams staying cemented in the bottom 4. We should have won more games last year especially those we were leading in the final quarter. Success isn't that far away. Finals are a real possibility.

Really....the ratio is not important. What is important is that this site is probably the most active among all AFL supporter sites with hundreds of active members. Just look at the numbers post match or during the lead up to drafts. It's one of the reasons we had to upgrade services over the years....we were just getting so much demand. And isn't it great for the fans that a club that has had so little success in recent times can find such a common focus to vent their spleen/passion. Finally, when Andy and Nasher ask for your support to keep the site up to date and help defray the cost of running it, we hope that all those people can find a couple of bucks to keep it all going.

In the depths of despair in previous seasons, the Demons fans longed for a team that was "just competitive". Well, in 2014 we certainly were just that particularly in the first half of the season. But fans always want more, and have forgotten where we were the previous year. And yet we could have achieved so much more to please the fans in2014, with simply a little bit more composure. Losses to St.Kilda, Footscray, Brisbane,Collingwood and even against Port could have easily been the other way. But.....we lost the lot! And that is the sign of a side that coming from a long way back. We were competitive. We should have won all of those games. The ability to win them was there,but not the belief. Having seen those results, the belief must now be coming. All the players must now know that they were capable of beating a team like Port who went within a smidgen of being in a GF. In 2013 they would never have even thought that way. Even the fans must now think that. They have seen what is possible,but they always wish for more. We are not just looking for showers to end the drought.....it can be a deluge

mmmmm.....could it be that Essendrug might need a coach or two to replace someone in the near future, at short notice? Even if only to coach a 2nds side? Probably don't need too much talent to do that....

While it's true we had great success with Wight and Stynes, the success rate is rather small for the long term. Apart from T.Keneally and maybe O'Halphin, have any others truly made it to the big stage, and then been any good at it? Mike Pike for a non-irishman??? We were spoiled by two exceptional talents. Yet a LOT of time and money was invested in them. Would a club spend that much time today when they could be spending the effort instead in a low draft pick? There is a chance with the International rookie position, but with a cap on football department spending now, which club can afford to use its investment with these slim pickings.......apart from those with "cost of living" allowances in the salary cap? As a final note, I think a better investment is going to be big (tall) US type players to recruit as ruckman. You don't have to teach them too much as we currently have players who can't kick and mark trying to perform that role. But they never get any smaller, if all they have to do is hit the ball to players who can, or just be a big log to stop the opposition rucks.

Great reports from all and I could only add a couple of points: 1. What a great turnout from the fans! It must be a real filip for the players, when the club which has performed so badly during the past year, turn up to a training session and see a couple of hundred excited and eager fans lining the fence. 2. Am amazed at how fit Jamar looks. I've real concerns given his age about his ability to get on the park, but boy he looks as fit as he ever has. 3. Love the look of Petracca and Brayshaw for very different reasons. Petracca is a real bull and has the body to match. Will be a real addition as a "ball getter". Just don't expect the kid to front up round 1. He might be perfectly capable, but with something this good you don't want to burn him. Brayshaw is a really smart operator. He won't be at the bottom of the pack, but he puts himself in the right spot, reads the ball and the play brilliantly, so he will finish a game with some astounding stats one day. Not ready for consideration for a long time, so don't get the hopes up about him either... 4. Am amazed at how we have suddenly strengthened the backs so much. Frost will be a 10 year solid player, while the new Junior Mac looks the goods, although a lot of development still needed. Good to see the two brothers wrestling each other at one stage, and neither giving quarter. Probably like the backyard for the past 10 years! Nice to see a fit Garland as well, and while HL looks to being recruited to the mids, he could always pinch hit down back as well. 5. Still a couple of seasons away is Max King. He is a natural football and knows how to play. Once he has the body he will be something special as well. 6. Hogan and Dawes up forward with Garlett or JKH at their feet.....it's going to be pretty

Our coach has embraced the Moneyball concept fully and has a successful history with this strategy. At the heart of the theory is that you go with what you have evidence for.... rather than something hopeful, yet maybe obviously talented. Our drafting for the past 2 years aligns with this concept, with the result that we actually have had few new draftees to put on to the arena. Last year Salem and JKH were the ones who got the most games, but mainly as a sub. They were being eased into the game as Roos has told us he would. When they tired, they were rested at Casey or completely. Hunt and Hogan both zero games. Yes, for different reasons, but even when Hogan was physically ready, he didn't get a run. In the Bailey/Neeld era he would have been a certainty. So for the new draftees, Roos wants them to show they are capable and ready....slowly and without breaking them. He wants to see what they have got before they hit the field ahead of others who have already got games under the belt. So the genuine rookies for this year Brayshaw, Petracca, McDonald and Stretch, I would expect to see the same as Salem/JKH. 10 to 12 games with lots of bench and sub time.