george_on_the_outer

No horses running?.....I'll be there ( she who must be obeyed permitting )

Cooney is rapidly becoming a disappointment. A monster in the under-age competition, he stood out. Now that he has to play with the big boys, he isn't the matchwinner any more. Certainly will not get his own ball, and appears not to work hard enough for the team. Players in subsequent drafts have long passed him in terms of output. Is he Footscrays version of TJ?

and from Bealzebub: "Instead of constantly wrapping these guys in shiny shiny glitter, look at them in the cold hard reality of where we are and what they achive. pretend for a moment they were players from another team and critique them as such." Absolutely spot on both of you! It is about time this club and its supporters woke up and stopped the adulation of mediocre players. I know - it is a fault of all football club supporters, but to suggest that any of the players mentioned is untradeable is ludicrous. WE TRADE TO IMPROVE OUR LIST. If we don't our only avenue to improve is through wiser drafting. And don't pretend ( again like most myopic fanatics do ) that a fringe player at our club will be worth a 1st or 2nd round pick or that we can trade Wheatley for Judd. Apart from the fools at Richmond every other club has a strong recruitment and knowledge network. So let's get real....you can only trade something of value in the hope of getting something probably of equal value. However both clubs would be looking to fill a need in their own lists. And whether the myopics like it or not, our truly tradeable players are Bruce, Johnstone and maybe White. Sheedy had the guts to trade Salmon to Hawthorn years ago and with the draft picks got Lucas, Lloyd and Wellman. The result probably gave them the 2000 Premiership. He traded something special to fulfil the needs of his team. As others have said" have we got the cohunas to do the same?" And by the way if they can't win a Brownlow in our side this year, then they never will at another club. Remember Woey?

Bazza: firstly the Richmond fanatic ( Phantom from the Punt Road End )who tried for an EGM gave up when it was pointed out to him what it would cost his club. To others who think footballers are great Board members, I can't find any on the Sydney, West Coast or Essendon boards. And I think Brisbane and Adelaide are the same.....now when did another club outside that group last win a Premiership?

The kid is doing really well. He has a "footy" brain, is willing to run through the lines and despite an awkward kicking style, actually hits the targets. He is still skinny, but definitely has the body which will fill out. At the moment he is getting no help from others around him, including some disgraceful efforts from 2 of the senior players last week, he still hasn't dropped his head. In a couple of years we will be saying how glad we were to pick him up as a KPP when available in the draft. Richmond would give their right arm to have him on their list today.

Dean, while the club only gets 50% it is better than nothing. This arrangement means the club does not have to use volunteers or pay for people to do this job. It has meant a HUGE increase in income for the club from the "chook raffles" we used to run before on game day. However, I agree that donating to the club directly is a better outcome....providing you do that!

One of the early competitors in Big Brother was Millsy, who was reputed to have spent the night with Paris when she was here.

Nothing different that we did. Collingwood ran a huddle with NO outriders. As a result we had players who would break free eventually. Very, very different from what other teams have thrown at us.

I wasn't able to get to that famous match in '87, and I have only ever been to 1 AFL match at the Western Oval ever! That is despite all the nostalgia about suburban footy, the place was and still is an absolute disgrace. Let's remind ourselves about it: 1. A wing on the eastern side that was about 100M in a straight line, western wing not as bad, but the ground is not an oval. 2. Planks of wood holding the dirt in terraces around the ground, which became mud piles at the slightest hint of rain. 3. Toilets? were there any to be found. 4. Food? There was that horrible beer stand at the southern end 5. Parking? Non-existent 6. The Williamstown brass band for entertainment at half-time 7. The cheer-squad and their blanket at half time begging for donations No I have no nostalgia for the "good old days". They weren't all that good at the Western Oval. I do have fond memory of the peanut man who could throw a bag across rows of spectators...who would think of eating peanuts at the footy today?

The turnout is not all that difficult to understand. Count the Port supporters there, perhaps a couple of hundred? If every single Melbourne member had turned up we still wouldn't have got 30,000 through the gate. If we were playing another Melbourne side there would have been 30,000 there and not a single extra Melbourne supporter would have been needed to get that number.

Good News....the meeting with Clint is ON. 12.00 for a 12.30 start see you there, and last chance to join the group if you are not already in...... P.S. Tim H could you pass this on the Bernie again, thanks

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Hi everyone, We have been trying to organise a meeting with Clint Bartram, which will also serve to kick-start our season for 2007. We have a history of winning after these events, so we thought now was the best time...... Anyhow, we have contacted the club and are trying to organise a get together this Sunday at 12.00 at the Mountain View Hotel, Bridge Road Richmond. ( upstairs bar ) Problem is that Clint has gone home for a couple of days to Geelong, and the club will not be in contact with him until Friday. So at this point we are asking that everyone "pencil in" this as a meeting, and we will have a definitive answer on Friday, when I will e-mail everyone who has signed up to date. For those yet to sign up for the 2007 sponsorship, this will be the last opportunity, so hope to see you there. Tim....could you let Bernie know about this....thank you

Agree Classy Dee.....and Browns injury is probably a corkie....another collision injury. It is also amazing how TJ is now supposed to have a hamstring problem, right after he had x-rays for a broken hand. Whelan is another that I would question as he left the field after bumping Sandilands and came off second best. Opposition players can't target a hamstring but they can "test out" a shoulder or hand if they know about it.....

I saw a fair bit of the pre-season training when Alwyn was with us. Not ever did he do anything in any of the sessions that I saw, that would warrant even a rookie spot. He was ( and probably still is slower than Flash ), didn't seem to have any enthusiasm about what he was doing, and not surprisingly was passed over. Not only by us, but by 15 other sides as well...including Essendon! He went back to the SANFL where he apparently excelled for the season, and Essendon took a big gamble in selecting him. He is an obvious standout in a side of sloths and oldies. Will he continue to shine, when other sides take notice of his performances...we'll see... But even though he is doing well with the Dons, do we really need another small crumbing forward in our side? Better the selection used on a promising mid or a KPP, as we did last year.

It used to be called groin injury....but it is the same thing.

...3aw are absolutely correct and so are the commentators on 774 who said exactly same thing.....starting to see a trend perhaps? Take of the rose coloured glasses and you have the reason why the club was beaten by 10 goals today and should have been beaten by 20! None of these players would get a guernsey at Port, Brisbane, Adelaide or WCE. But that's why they win Premierships...even their best are expected to do the hard work.

And welcome back for 2007 to Mary H. who has joined our group again.

There is only 1 change this week which is compulsory: McLean out due injury. Rivers is an automatic selection, but is a backman. Therefore we need a mid-fielder to replace McLean, and 1 less backman. Pickett or Godfrey for the mid-fielder...take your pick.....you only get 10 seconds. 1 less backman = no Brown, probably no Wheatley, or Bizzell . Holland doesn't have a logical match up for size and speed, so is likely to miss. If a Brown, Wheatley or Bizzell is to come in it has to be at the expense of Ward, Bell or CJ. Or is Yze now classified as a backman?

Welcome back to Raymondo, who has joined the group again in 2007

There is no doubt that Adem Yze got plenty of games last year simply because the club had no other options due to injuries. Remember the last couple of rounds, when we had Godders 426, and Phil Read getting games? And we were fortunate that we had kids like Bartram, Dunne,Bate, Bell and CJ fit and playing well enough to be selected on a regular basis. So let's not write off Adem yet. Yes his position in the side is under threat. Yes he has to show something to justify his continued selection. But even at this stage we have Bartram, Frawley, Wheatley, Sylvia and now Dunne probably missing for round 1. So who would get a run in the seniors ahead of Adem, even if you wanted to drop him? He'll be there round 1, but as these other players return......

Thanks to Judee who has signed on again for 2007

Also: # Chewy also has a lot of compatriots in the Hawthorn membership numbers, so he won't seem out of place # But Chewy may be at risk of being identified, because he has teeth # He is a great scout because unlike most of their supporters he has 2 eyes # He is prepared to put his nose into areas where others would not go

None at all. For those of us who have been around a long time, while we remember fondly turning up early to watch the U19's and ressies before the main game, the reality is that the grounds cannot cope with the damage, particularly in winter ( if it ever rains again ). Also when do you play the ressies game for a club playing on Friday night?. No as Jack said we won't be going back there, and to see a reserves side, you will in all likelihood be heading to Princes park or the Western Oval or Junction oval.