Tony Tea

5 years? We have played flake footy since Northey. Please give me hard nosed defence, man-on-man coverage, pressure, tackling & aggression. Bump:

I hope Aussie makes it, but I have my doubts. He is a straight kick, but he is not particularly big, strong or fast. I don't believe he has "the tools" to make it as a long term player in the AFL. Sampi most definitely did have the tools. Enormous leap, very fast, one-touch, a gun... if he had had a better run with injuries and got his head in the right place.

Sam Mitchell?

Bate was shopped around last year, no takers. Has his currency increased in 2011?

Does Choco still want to coach? Apparently not:

And of course, all of that is tied in with confidence. If you approach the footy confident that no matter what might happen, you will still be able to get the ball and use it effectively, you get it and use it effectively.

Turnovers are all part of, ahem, structure. If your player approaches the ball (either in space or in traffic) confident that when he grabs it he knows where his teammates are and therefore where to put the ball, he picks it up, gives it and hits the target. If, on the other hand, he approaches the ball unsure about what he will do with the ball when he gets it, he picks it up, wavers and turns it over. That's if, in fact, he picks it up in the first place, since another by-product of a dodgy structure is the fumble. If you know you are going to be able to effectively dispose of the ball when you grab it, you grab it; if you are unsure about what you will do with the ball when you approach it, you are a good chance to fumble it. What 2011 has revealed is that we have been appallingly coached in the contested footy /structure department. Our players currently appear to have no idea what they will do as they approach the ball.

Julian De Stoop mentioned that on Fox Sports mid week.

Loved the Tiger fans' nickname for Knights: the Bald Chicken.

I like the way you are scheming, Harro. And just for kicks, can I toss in that I think Malthouse is very much in the frame at Melbourne, too.

I reckon Eddie's wild threats of legal action are A-Grade Bluster. No doubt the Demons would have to pony up big dollars to get Malthouse, but I would be staggered if Mick did not have an out clause in his 2012 Collingwood contract, thus negating any need to an expensive legal battle. Mind you, what I actually know about the law and Mick's contractual status could be written on a parking ticket.

They tried to trade Bate last year - no takers. There will be no takers this year, either. The opposition probably rates Dunn similar to Bate.

Unless we are on the right end of a golden trade, I would keep Morton to see how he goes under another coach.

Bailey's all class. We should make him coach.

Dee-luded, everyone has their price. I would indeed do that deal. And, since it is topical, if the GWS Ramraiders want to pay Scully a million dollars while we are guaranteed two big picks in return, I would do the deal.

Glass is a huge out. Everyone talks about the renaissance of Cox, Kerr & Embley, but all the best sides have a linchpin key backman - Glass is crucial to the Eagles. That said, WC still look pretty handy, while we still look less than threatening.

Probably. Will book mark it for future reference / finger-pointing / laughing.

Be spewing to lose Martin; can't see us letting him go. First I've heard of Jones. Why would a second club battler like McDonald want to go anywhere? Warnock would probably get a run elsewhere. Morton is a Morton. Maric - hmmm. Dunn - ha!

Rule of Round 21. How many players this weekend will be pinged for running too far?

Both Geelong 1995 to 1999 and Adelaide 2000 to 2004 had mature lists and good players. Geelong wins went 16, 13, 15, 9, 10. Joe Bloggs could have taken over the Cats after Blighty and delivered those numbers. Adelaide went 9, 12, 15, 13, 8 (with several of those last 8 wins attributable to Neil Craig). See Geelong. He obviously could not, ahem, get the job done at either club and eventually lost the players at both; spectacularly so at Adelaide. Nor has he had any experience developing young players at either club. And nor does the VFL count. An experienced coach with a good list should be able to show good results at a lower level. And, and nor has he displayed any great talents in the media, for what that is worth, apart from a talent to spout clichés and refer to his players in the plural. As an aside, lets see how Chris Scott does when the Geelong champs (Scarlett, the Coreys, etc) pull the pin.

Thought: no. We could do worse, but not a lot worse. Took over a good Geelong list - took it down. Took over a good Adelaide list - took it down.

Jack is a big chance in the most prestigious award of all - The Jako:

Just make him Captain Jack now.

It's in Sport Confidential, Herald Sun, page 71. Don't think it is on line.

The Bommers?