Doggo

Agree with most of whats been written. Too early to tell with Naita', happy with JW. I'll reserve judgement until at least the end of next year.

What would u suggest? Until more detailed match summaries are posted, that's all i've got to go on. FFS

I can't stand the bag-pipes. Earlier in the season, she was absolutely raping our song. Since then she has improved, but still doesn't sound good IMO. I'd much prefer the trumpeter to be honest. Each to their own i suppose.

Terrible. But they're terrible most weeks so i wasn't surprised.

Just finished watching the replay on the AFL website. I knew he had a good game (i had him in my votes), but i didn't realsie how good it was until seeing it again. The amount of hardwork he does in the stoppages and inside tight contested situations is amazing. Blocks, shepherds, tackles, all great. He was everywhere on Saturday, and his ball-use by both hand and foot was superb. Would be close to winning the B&F this year, up with Davey and Sylvia, you'd think. Always been a favorite of mine has Beamer and seeing him belt that song out with gusto... now that's passion! I hope he's the next long-term captain of the club. Strong, passionate, hard-working, and a true leader. Not the best player in the team, but he's all heart and leads by example, both on and off the field. Geelong were always going to trade players for picks to get Ottens, apparently at the time they were initially shopping Kelly and Tenace around, but we were adamant on getting Moloney (our midfield was severely lacking hardness at the time). Cats fans i know have always rated Moloney as 'the one that got away'. Took him a while to get his body right, but he's finally playing some consistent good footy this year. Growing up a Demons supporter as a kid, i'm sure he was more than happy to come to the Dees. The Cat's just weren't that keen to trade him.

PJ had 32 hitouts against the Bombers a few weeks ago, with a good amount of them to advantage. In his games against WC, WB and Hawthorn this year, he's rucked very well against some quality opponents. Had the better of Taylor/Campbell, and broke even with Cox and Hudson. Tell me he showed nothing in the ruck in those games? Surely even you'd agree that it's fair to say his rucking has improved significantly, to at least an acceptable level. The real issue, and the reason he's not in the side at the moment, is that other aspects of his game have gone backwards. His kicking and decision-making have regressed big time, which is odd, considering that these were not an issue last year or in any previous seasons. The problem's not his ruckwork anymore, it's his ball use and confidence in his own skills.

Fair enough. As i said earlier, i didn't see the game, although I don't think it's too unfair to expect him to dominate or at least make the bests when he goes back to VFL level.

Miller not in the bests? Hmmm, against the VFL's whipping boys, and after being dropped, you'd expect him to have a day out. Disappointing for Brad. Happy to see PJ 2nd best on after being dropped, hopefully his confidence is back on the way up. Bell, Dunn and Juice keep pushing for selection, despite being out of favour with the FD (and generally not good enough at AFL level). Those 3 are playing for their careers. There's some good healthy competition for spots at the Dees, but who would u drop after Saturday's win? Terrible news about Strauss and Maric, was really looking forward to seeing James debut this year, but we'll just have to wait. Also, did Danny Hughes end up playing? Another player I was really hoping to see him in the red and blue sooner rather than later, hopefully this adductor strain isn't too much of a setback. He needs to be given a chance before the year is out.

I'm not sure Meesen has shown enough to suggest he'll be a long term prospect. His 4 games this year were ok, but prior to that his exposed form at VFL level was not that great. Injury hasn't helped his cause to be fair, but he certainly isn't as cut-and-dried as many people make out. Jamar's ability in ruck contests is right up there with Sandilands, Cox and Hille, but he still has some (a long) way to go before we can consider him a true top-liner. He's headed in the right direction though, now he just needs to find a lot more of the footy. The forgotten man PJ certainly is well out of favour at the moment, but i have faith he can bounce back.

WON FOR JIMMY

6. Grimes 5. Bruce 4. Moloney 3. Warnock 2. McLean 1. Jamar Tough week this one, was such an even team effort. Great game! Now i'm off to an engagement party to smash a few (complimentary) cocktails...

The PJ issue has been done to death, i don't really feel the need to add anymore. I'm very much on the same page as Dappa Dan re: PJ, and i'll leave it at that. What i will say is this; as ardent a supporter as i have been of him over his career, his form this season has been far too inconsistent to warrant not being dropped. He was woeful last week and has been several times this year, but peppered in between are some good to very good games. For those that say he hasn't played any good footy, i disagree, he has played some very good games this year (see rounds 7-10). It's just too often that he'll play a good one, then a poor one, then a good one, then two poor ones etc. He definitely needs to work on his consistency and find some confidence, because at the moment his confidence in his own skills looks shot. I don't remember him having any real howlers last year the way he has this year, so IMO it's all above the shoulders for him. I'm hope he can bounce back. I do have faith that he'll go back to Casey and get back to basics, work into some form, and find himself back in the team sooner rather than later.

Liked the intro HT. Really set the scene nicely! Damn Lotto!! Built me up just to break me down.. :angry: P.S. HT, #1 for WA was Travis Coyler.

I really like Morabito, but with his skills and the role he plays, i find it hard to justify using a pick 2 on him, especially considering the footskills of our current midfielders. Different to Naitanui in that kicking skills aren't so much of an issue for a ruckman, but i understand your sentiment. In Morabito's particular role as a hard running midfielder, he'll be finding a lot of space and carrying the footy, so i'd really prefer someone with tried and true kicking skills. Morabito could definitely improve his kicking, and at times he can look quite good by foot, but i think it's a risk i'm not sure we can take (at pick 2). Would snap him up if we had another pick in the top 10. Unfortunately, he won't slip to our 3rd pick you'd think. Never know though, a lot of clubs might be scared off by his kicking, but 2nd round is unlikely. Trengove was great in the first half, but did fade in the 2nd. I think, to go with his previous form, and the strength of his first half, he's still ahead for pick 2 for mine. Looks ready made, and his skills are superb. Would love to take a tall with pick 2, but no-one really stood out to me. Was hoping Butcher would have a big one, but he was exceptionally poor. I'd be less harsh on him if he were ok or just mediocre, but he was poor. Jake Carlisle's performance for the rest of the year at Calder Cannons will be interesting watching. Was really impressed today and hope he can shine for the rest of the year and kick big bags at Calder, really put his hand up. Butcher is out of calculations now, in my mind anyway. His 'fragile mindset' today on Luff wouldn't have impressed anyone.

Welcome back YM. I think even your most ardent opponents on this site would have missed you. You gotta miss optimism like that! LOL

Completely shocked. Just gobsmacked. My thoughts go out to Jimmy, i hope, firstly and foremostly that he is ok and it's nothing life threatening. This is very sad news for Jimmy's family, the club and everyone else involved. Considering how well he has been doing so far in his tenure only serves to intensify the sadness i feel at this news. All the best Jimmy, get well soon mate. We need you! I concur the thoughts of others; Garry, we know you won't coach us, but will u stand up and lead this club in Jim's absence, when we need you the most???

I was down there today. I haven't seen any of the other matches in the carnival this year, so my judgements will be completely based on what i saw at the ground. Tbh, i probably would have preffered to watch the games on foxtel; more informative, with background info on the players season form, and commentary etc. But i guess seeing it live gives a better feel of the players 'presence' on the ground and in the game. Difficult to spot players numbers sometimes, especially SA's tiny jumper numbers. It didn't help that the scorboards at that ground are awfully small too. Took down a few notes, a bit hard to read some of what i wrote, but here's the jist of it. I kept a particular eye out for the best midfielders and rucks, and tall forwards: VC v WA WA won by about 7 or 8 goals. Here are my stand-out performers. WA Chris Luff #39 Tall Defender, 193cm 82 kg --> Played on Butcher and absolutely destroyed him. Some strong marks and loved the physical contests. My first viewing of Butcher this year, and I was left highly uninmpressed. Luff and, on most occassions, another defender running back would spoil anything he went near. Luff got right under Butchers nose, and really put off his game. He was at him all day, bumping Butcher's heavily strapped shoulders at every possible occassion. By the 2nd half, Butcher had stopped chasing, looked disinterested and basically was just cruising around. Kicked two goals, one from a free, the other from an uncontested mark. Luff definitely took the points there and was easily the standout tall defender. Josh Donaldson # 38, Utility/Ruckman, 193cm 86kg --> Undersized for a ruckman, but timed his jumps beautifully, had a huge leap, and was rarely beaten in the ruck all day. Technically speaking, and surprisingly given he was giving away 7-8cm on his opponent, he was WA's #1 ruck and the standout tap ruckman of the day IMO. That said, i didn't really notice him much in other positions of the ground. At only 193cm, he's too short to play ruck in the AFL, unfortunately, because at this level he was fantastic. Has scope to grow, but would always be undersized in the Jeff White mould. Ryan Neates #6, Small Forward/Midfielder, 178cm, 75kg --> Quite short, but talented small forward. Good mark, had a great run down the wing at one stage with very strong 3rd and 4th efforts. Kicked 2 goals. Anthony Morabito #24, Tall Inside Midfielder, 190cm 90kg --> Impressed with his strength and running ability. Very creative runner, ran to dangerous spots, good mark, and highly competitive. Looked at times a bit more of an athlete than a footballer, i.e. not the best kick or decision maker, but plays at a full-on intensity at all times. Missed a set shot at goal, but a couple of minutes later got one back with full on gut-running. Ended with 2 goals and got a stack of ball around the stoppages. Laid some great tackles too. Looked good, but kicking is a worry. Nicholas Winmar #20, Outside Midfielder/Forward, 190cm 78kg --> 'Nicky' Winmar really impressed me with his athleticism, tidy foot skills, footy smarts and strong marking. Showed good courage in the air, and looked silky smooth running on the wing in space. Looked very much an outside player to me at this stage, but didn't lack courage or hardness when he needed to go. Probably doesn't have the best engine yet, because he seemed to flash in and out of the play, and often was found very wide of the footy. Looked great with the ball though, silky passing skills and very good kick for goal too. Watching him in the pre-match warm up, he was slotting them from everywhere. WA had a lot of good players, so it was difficult to pick standouts. Luke Swallow played well, but hardly stood out for mine. Ditto Kane Lucas and Mitch Duncan. Overall they played better as a team and seemed a better-drilled side. Jack Darling was prominent up forward, kicking 2 or 3 i think. Was nice watching a free-flowing, "zone-free" style of footy for once, considering the crap game styles being used by some clubs in the AFL at the moment. VIC COUNTRY Gary Rohan #23, Medium Outside Midfielder/Forward, 186cm 79kg --> The standout player on the ground, and the whole day, IMO. Shock of red hair and some breath-taking double and triple efforts, great courage, very similar to the performance of fellow blood-nut Sam Blease at last years carnival. Occasionally a bit raw with his skills, but effort and application were immense, as was his speed and endurance. Very quick. Strong mark for size. Was everywhere, kicked 1.2 on the day, but it was his running ability and his hardness on the wing that really impressed. Allen Christensen #3, Small Inside Midfielder, 176cm, 74kg --> Was everywhere early on. Very short, not particularly quick, but good footy brain in the stoppages and also in space. Good foot skills too. Played a reasonable game in a midfield that was out-classed. Dustin Martin #29, Medium Midfielder, 187cm 86kg --> Strong bodied player, lacking a bit in pace but very smart by hand and foot. Kicked a goal and overall played a good match. Dominant first half. Think he spent some time on Morabito in the 2nd half maybe? (I have something scribbled on my paper saying something to that effect, but don't exactly remember). John Butcher #26, Tall Forward, 197cm 84kg --> As stated above, was well beaten by Luff. Failed to get any space on his opponent, didn't demand the footy or impose himself on any contests, and looked a bit like a sulking FF getting poor service at times. Didn't see him make (or get to) enough contests. Lack of second efforts and no defensive pressure in the 2nd half. Beaten mentally and physically by Chris Luff. Kicked 2 soft goals, missed one just before the siren. IMHO, based on that performance i'd be disappointed if we went for him at pick 2. Not sure how he'll cope at AFL level to the bigger stronger bodies (physically he was bigger than Luff, but Luff was much tougher and stronger it seemed). The Country boys had a bit of a disappointing game after being in it early. Surprised Hooper won the Larke, I hardly noticed him today, other than his massive kick-ins. I thought Country had a lot of players showed glimpses, but there were few standouts other than Rohan. VM v SA SA won a tight one after a spirited comeback in the last quarter led by Scully and Jake Carlisle. I didn't take as much notice of the SA team as i did the Metro side, just breif one word notes here and there. Off the top of my head, this is what i remember: SOUTH AUSTRALIA Byron Sumner #1, Small Outside Midfielder, 174cm, 68kg --> Indigenous player, played on the wing. Showed good ball use and poise with the footy. Loves a tackle. Accountability not a strong point. Very creative though. Jack Trengove #20, Medium Inside Midfielder, 185cm 82kg --> Played a pretty good game. Showed glimpses as to why people are rating him. Great skills, pace, attack on the footy and engine. Lots of little handballs in traffic. However, a couple of times he just blazed away when under no pressure, kicking long to contests when there were better options short. Needs to lower his eyes, but overall played reasonably well and deserves his high rating. Had a great duel in the last quarter with Scully. Didn't have much ball after half time. Hayden Jolly #21, Medium Forward/Midfielder, 182cm 82kg --> Presented strongly across half forward and kicked 2.3. Good mark for his size, kicking was a mixed bag. Got a lot of the footy through the middle too. Taite Silversock #23, Small Forward, 178cm 83kg --> Presented well and got into good crumbing positions. Strong mark, didn't look that quick though. I had him written down as kicking 2.2. Had good goal sense, and got his goals at crucial moments. Great surname. Brodie Smith #18, Medium Utility, 187cm 73kg --> Didn't really notice him much, other than a couple of passages where he showed some real lightning pace. Good size, really exceptional speed. Jack Hannath #39, Ruckman, 199cm 84kg --> Impressed with great leap and good solid frame. Will fill out into an imposing figure eventually. His leap was exceptional and he took some good marks in defence. Ruck work wasn't bad, would improve dramatically coached at AFL level. SA's other ruckman, Scott Lycett i think, rucked really well, but didn't do much else. Big unit. Matthew Panos #33, Tall Forward, 192cm 85kg --> Quiet day for Panos, didn't get much delivery to him. Kicked a couple and missed 1 or too, but really didn't have much effect on the game. Started very slow but got better as the game wore on. SA dominated the 2nd quarter and were never really headed from there. Luke Tapscott provided a good target up forward, booting 3. SA faded in the 4th and started getting chopped up by Scully, but overall a solid all round performance. VIC METRO Tom Scully #32 (then switched to) #25, Inside/Outside Small Midfielder, 182cm 75kg --> Gun. Absolute gun. Got smashed in the 1st qtr and broke his nose, had to deal with a tight-tag from SA's Alex Wilson early on. Came back on with the strapped up face and showed why he's widely renowned as the #1 for this year. A predator-type midfielder, not really inside or outside, just everywhere. Reads the play so well and always wants the ball, a lot like Ablett in that his appetite for footy is insatiable. He just loves the footy. Speed, skills by hand and on both feet, decision-making all top-notch. Contested marking around the ground also a feature. Kicked a goal which outlined his class, with repeat efforts and flawless finish. Will certainly end up at the Dee's next year, without a shadow of a doubt. Clearly the best player on the ground, and of the day (along with VC's Gary Rohan) IMO. Andrew Gaff #6, Small Outside Midfielder, 180cm 75kg --> Started like a house on fire, solid in the other 3 quarters. Used the ball superbly, classy kick to advantage and good in space. Reminded me of Carlton Kade Simpson, great intensity, pace, courage, but small in stature. Stood out with his run and ball use. Jack Fitzpatrick #14, Tall Forward/Ruckman, 201cm 86kg --> Skinny and athletic tall who showed good agility. Had a bunch of mates in the crowd in front of where i was with the "Jack Fitzpatrick Wing" banner yelling out to him all game, seemed to put him off. Had a couple of shocking moments, his shot on the run after doing all the hard work but spraying the kick from 30m was disappointing. Looks very raw, but has potential. Only query i would have with him is that IMO he's very similar to Paul Johnson. Not really a ruckman, yet not quite a key position forward, plus he makes some silly decisions and his skills can let him down sometimes. Ruckwork was nothing special and his overhead marking looked suspect a couple of times. Could be anything because of his agility for his size, but doesn't look like he's nailed any one position yet. Jake Carlisle #30, Tall Forward, 196cm 93kg --> The standout tall forward for Vic Metro, kicked 3 goals in the last quarter and 4 on the day. Showed out with some excellent contested marking on a number of occassions. Very impressive athleticism, nice finish on goal and physical type you like from a CHF. Finished his work off well and will have gone right up the pecking order with that performance. Agility might be an issue. Would be a good player to pickup if still available for our 3rd pick, around pick 17. Ayden Kennedy #16, Utility/Forward 191cm 79kg --> Kicked a great goal and looked promising a couple of times up forward. Didn't get a great deal of it, but did alright when he did. Nice shot on goal and finish. A couple of other quick notes: Josh Toy (#34) is no kid, he's got a ready-made body for AFL already. Great game. Daniel Talia (#5, 195cm 80kg utility/defender) took some great contested marks. Ben Jacobs (#35, 184cm inside midfielder) was very smart around the stoppages and at one point was tagging Trengove. Looked good, but lack of pace might see him slip right down. Anyway, that's what i thought. Oh man, that was a task... That's the longest post i've ever written, and i've written some long ones. My brain hurts now! Not the best day for the Big-V, freezing cold weather, and stupidly, the roof open for the first 3 and a half games... but a lot of young talent and a gun in Scully coming to Melbourne was enough to make it all worth it...

I thought McNamara was very stiff not to get a game earlier this year. He certainly was in the mix for several weeks prior to his injury.

IMO it's fair to say Bailey's got the job next year. The way the finances are going at the club, they'd be foolish to not let him see out (at least the first half of) next year; the final year of his contract. If we're still anchored to the bottom half way thru next year, no doubt they'll pay him out. But to pay out the remainder of his contract at the end of 2009, as well as fronting up the cost of a new contract for a Buckley/Viney or whoever else is in the mix in 2010, would be waaay out of our reach, financially speaking. Where would we possibly find enough $$$ to do that??? It would take nothing short of an absolute disaster of a result this year for the club to move DB on at seasons end. The only way i could possibly see DB getting paid out at the end of this year would be if we were to lose all the remaining games in '09, by an average margin of at least 50+ points, and finish with a W/L ratio of 1-21, plus a worse percentage than last year. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be much surprise to most non-MFC people if we only won 1 more or didn't win another game at all, after recent showings. 4 weeks ago i would have laughed, now, i'm not so sure to be honest. As much as it saddens me to say, it could actually happen. Finishing on 1-21 or even 2-20, with a % in the 60's would be disastrous. The question will be asked... Can Bailey really survive a result like that? It would make his coaching record after 2 years 4-40. A 10% win-loss ratio; most certainly the worst in the history of AFL. Four wins this year would be ideal. 3 wins and mainly honorable losses would be a pass mark. 2 wins including several honorable losses and the occasional drubbing, and he keeps his job, though mainly due to financial constraints. 2 wins or less, with mainly thrashings along the way, and i'm not sure if he'd be around next year. Ironically, if we finish with 5 wins, i firmly believe he should get the sack. Whoever said the PP system wasn't flawed!? Improvement is the key though. Any final result that's worse than last year would be a massive failure, especially considering the draw we have, and the apparent improvement we'd shown earlier in the year. We play at least 5 winnable games against lowly opposition in the run home, as noted in another thread. I sincerely hope for the club (financially) and DB's sake that he scrapes in for at least another 2 or 3 wins before the year is out. It would be such a shame for him to build a great list, and not be around to enjoy the fruits of it's success. However there's very little room for sentiment in the footy world, and the lucky man who picks up this list after Bailey; whether it be a Buckley, Viney, or even a G Lyon or Matthews or anyone else, will have a far easier job than Dean has had, no doubt. For Dean's sake, at least, i hope he gets 4 wins this year, and 8+ next. Only then can we consider contract extensions.

The rule to qualify for the PP is to have 4 wins or less (i.e. equal to, or less than 16 points on the ladder), for two seasons in a row, correct? Unless i'm wrong, then the very best result we could possibly hope for this week is a DRAW! A draw would put the Eagles above the 4-win/16-point threshold with 18 points, hence robbing them of their eligibility for a PP. AND we don't lose! It's win/win really. B) Or is that lose/lose? lol

Two words stick out like a beacon when i think back to that game- Clint Bizzell. Remember his remarkable solo effort down the wing; just pure determination and guts. I will never forget that passage of play, breathtaking. Also, remember Robbo kicking about 5 behinds (in his 100th game, i think?) and knocking Adem Yze out in the last quarter when Yze was running hot. Not one to remember... I got so drunk that night i fell over and chipped my tooth running across the road on the way home.

I'll be down for the last two games mate, give us a call when u get there.

If that's the case, then surely Buckley should also be in that, having only played 1 match this season?

Agree on both points. Lyon on the board seems more plausible, considering the connection he has with Jimmy, and the fact that he would be able to keep his role in the media. IMO Bailey's got the job next year, unless we lose all remaining games of '09 by an average margin of 50+ points with a W/L ratio of 1-21, and a worse percentage than last year. There's no way DB could survive a result like that, could he? Unfortunately, it wouldn't be much surprise to the majority of the football-following community if we only won 1 more or didn't win another game at all, after recent showings. 4 weeks ago i would have laughed, now, i'm not so sure to be honest. A result anything less than last year would be a massive failure, especially considering the draw we have, and the apparent improvement we'd shown earlier in the year. We play at least 5 winnable games against lowly opposition in the run home, as noted in another thread. I sincerely hope for the club and DB's sake that he scrapes in for at least another 2 or 3 wins. Don't even get me started about what would happen if we won 5...