Blistering

Last week it was said that Grimes was going to retain a role down back but I suspect that it will not be too long before he grabs a spot in the middle. Is it true that Trengove played on Scully?

Thanks for that. Sounds like we should have kept Bishop. He was better than pick 42 and would have been handy for a few years. Good luck to him because he won a flag.

What role did Judd play (if any) in the chained rookie incident? Is the AFL going to act to ensure that Carlton has dealt properly with the incident.

Darren Jolly's departure hurt. Good ruckmen are hard to come by but when the changes to the centre circle rule diminished Jeff White's ruck power we were left with a bit of a hole in that department and the problem remains to this very day!

It's interesting how different the game is today. Back in 1953 the Demons finished second last with a very young team. The following year they made a grand final and then three flags in a row. No five year plans or long term approaches. Just bang!

I was watching parts of the 2004 grand final between Port Adelaide and Brisbane and noticed Matthew Bishop playing for Port. I was wondering if someone could tell me what Melbourne got in exchange for him when he left?

Speaking of that incident involving David Neitz a few years back, whatever happened to Kirsty Marshall? Has she had anything to say about Fev's behaviour, the booze cruise or Andy Lovett or is she just earning her keep representing her constituency these days? For that matter is she still representing a constituency at all?

Interesting that you used the word "yet" because some of my Bulldog supporter friends believe that he is fairly laid back in his attitude, that it's part of his make up and that he won't change because he lacks intensity. He'll always be a player who's hot when he's on but most of the time will just go with the flow. As for Sam Blease, I've heard he's very focussed and very "coachable". Good assets for an individual to have and I wish him good luck.

Now they're being probed for liquor licence breaches. Surely, Eddie can get them off that one? Probably just newspaper talk.

Yes, thanks. Especially one about our first premiership.

Rubbish. The first two teams mentioned were the 2008 grand finallists. In discussing your fixture for 2009 they are relevant. You were given an easy draw in terms of avoiding return games against both. You lost to both. The next best team of 2008 was St. Kilda. You played them once and you lost to them. The only top four team from the previous year that you played twice was the Bulldogs. You won by a point and lost by four goals the second time. You struggle against the real top sides and next year you have a tougher draw. Your coach hasn't stopped whinging about it because he knows you're not going to have a long streak against the weaker clubs that you had this year. I think you should check your facts as well because on your information as above Collingwood only lost four times against the other top 8 clubs. I make it 6 of last year's top 8 - Geelong, St. Kilda, Western Bulldogs, Adelaide, Carlton and Essendon beating Collingwood in 2009. It's not a good idea to turn up around here trying to make an argument when you're factually challenged.

It has been said that his disposal is a bit iffy but he seems to be a bit of a goer and is probably less a fitness risk than Ball. He wouldn't come with as high a price tag as Ball so there might be a case made that would allow us to pick up two recycled players with AFL experience - one with a late ND pick and another in the PSD.

Demons won easily against Frankston but Keath had a quiet day takin 0/28 off four overs. The Dees were so dominant that Keath wasn't required to bat.

According to the Sunday Herald Sun Paul Roos said that "securing Daniel is perfect timing." Well good luck to them but I thought you could only secure a player under a draft system if and when they are selected in the particular draft in question. By allowing this to openly happen, the AFL is undermining the pre season draft and in particular the value of all of the draft selections ahead of Sydney in the PSD. It's definitely draft tampering but because it's going to help Sydney and the AFL needs to prop up the Sydney market, nothing will be done about it.

A true professional whose body probably let him down in his last couple of seasons. I'd love to see him in a continuing role with the club if that's the way he wishes to go. Perhaps as a mentor to the talented indigenous youth at the club and working with our defenders.

When we played them in the opening round two years ago they also had a swag of players missing due to suspension and injury but they still smashed us by over 100 points. We will have a significantly different 22 on the park this time around and I'm marking Saturday 27 March 2010 as the day of the start of our revival. It's too early to say if we're going to win but I believe we'll be hungry and we'll put in a very, very competitive performance.

Good read. Thanks Alpha!

40 days to go!

Seems to be a case of the manager milking the club for all it's worth because this will probably be his last big contract (if not the last full stop). In other words, he's doing his job. That's why there's no sentiment left in the game. When players get to Robbo's age, clubs often can't afford to keep them on. I think Davey will stay on a much better contract (see Brad Green 2008).

AFL stars Hurley and McGurk 'assaulted cabbie' after Footy Show booze-up Tex Hooper | September 25, 2009 - 3:58PM Essendon’s rising star Michael Hurley and Melbourne’s Marty “No Name” Gurk had spent the night partying at a Footy Show event before both allegedly assaulted the same taxi driver in separate incidents in Richmond early this morning. The Essendon Football Club has released a statement expressing its disappointment in the promising 19-year-old, who was taken into police custody following the incident. Meanwhile, the same taxi driver was allegedly assaulted by McGurk whilst attempting to flee from Hurley. McGurk who started drinking at the Grand Final Footy Show after-party and had clearly had too much to drink by night’s end, fell asleep on a park bench outside the Rod Laver Arena where the original Footy Show event occurred. He was woken by screams of agony from the taxi driver and stumbled into the path of his oncoming taxi. "The cab stopped a matter of inches away from my face so I decided to belt the [censored] out of him," McGurk told reporters. The taxi driver suffered minor injuries and was not taken to hospital. McGurk has not been charged because he managed to board a Gold Coast bound flight to join his new club before police were able to question him.

They've devised a new kicking drill for draft camp. If Morabito is that bad he'll flunk the test and probably slide down in contention. We'll see.

You can add Jack Watts since he's not available due to studies.

I don't know whether it looks very good for the future of the players dropped this week. Omission at this stage of the year could be a bad omen for the future.

Their supporters feel they own us too. Here's the Fremantle Form Guilder from Dockerland.

According to the papers today there won't be any priority pick system in the next 2 or 3 years because of the introduction of the new teams from the Gold Coast and West Sydney. This will help with the problem and hopefully a better system will be introduced.