whatwhat say what

I too would doubt whether Pickett, Moloney, and potentially McLean will have the fitness base for a round 1 team. I think the latter will probably play regardless, but the other 2 might have to prove themselves at Sandy first. Holland should definitely be in as St. Kilda are so tall - but it's possible they might go for Ferguson. I'd go for Holland as he's just that much bigger. I think bizzell will be included as he offers some versatility btw being a tall and a mid-sized player in the backline I think trav will start on the bench; he usually does. Until he can play 4 quarters as well as he plays 2-3 he'll never be more than a "very good" player. Hopefully 2007 is that year. Dunn gets first crack at CHF. My personal belief is that Miller doesn't suit our game style that well any more, particularly not on the mcg. plus dunn can actually kicks goals. Frawley will just miss a chance to debut, presuming the likes of pickett and moloney aren't fit to come up. he looked promising against Hawthorn, but Chris Johnson MUST play, and i think Yze will hold his position in the senior side (for now), so Chip just misses out. Jamar will get first crack at the ruck tandem position, but I'd hope that the more mobile Paul Johnson can replace him before mid-year. Ward over Brown for mine. Both spray the ball around, but Ward runs slightly faster and hits slightly harder. B: Matthew Whelan (45) Nathan Carroll (41) Ben Holland (4) HB: Daniel Bell (21) Jared Rivers (27) Clint Bizzell (3) C: Nathan Jones (2) Brock McLean (5) Brad Green (18) HF: Matthew Bate (6) Lynden Dunn (14) Chris Johnson (17) F: Russell Robertson (24) David Neitz, Capt. (9) Aaron Davey (36) Foll: Jeff White (34) Cameron Bruce (32) James McDonald (23) I/C: Daniel Ward (10) Adem Yze (13) Travis Johnstone (16) Mark Jamar (40) Emerg: Brad Miller (7) Chip Frawley (8) Ryan Ferguson (35)

it wasn't too bad; it wasn't too brilliant. we clearly didn't look as 'ready' as they were, but when we were actually appearing to be bothered (second quarter, mostly), we looked pretty good. for mine, here's how i saw the players: 1. simon buckley - looks the goods. has genuine pace, can win the ball, and deliver it nicely. 2. nathan jones - clearly ran out of puff, but is superb in the clinches. doesn't chase much though, does he? must improve the defensive part of his game. 3. clint bizzell - looked terrible. i had high hopes he'd return to (near) his 2002 best in 2007, but he really does look 5 years away from it. perhaps he was just rusty having essentially had a year off injured in 2006, but he just didn't read the game as he used to do. 6. matthew bate - his ability to break through tackles is super impressive. strong over the ball, silky mover, seems to have all the goods. now he needs to find consistency. 7. brad miller - stick a fork in him. he's done as an afl footballer. couldn't mark on the lead under any pressure whatsoever, kicks go up and under, and he runs to the wrong spots when deep in the forward line. it was no coincidence that we dominated the game when he was off the group. 8. james frawley - has the strangest kicking action i've seen. it seems to work, and his endeavour looks good. would be surprised to see him play in the seniors unless there's a rash of injuries - touch wood! - but he's definitely one for the futre. 9. david neitz - for such a big bugger, and an old man, he's superb at ground level. looks fit and firing. 10. daniel ward - provides great run, but only runs one way. no real accountability. i agree completely with those who say we can only have one of ward or brown in the side. for mine, it's ward. he's tougher. 11. paul johnson - clearly the better ruckman for mine, as he can work with the ball around the ground. he won his share of taps, but only took 1 mark (uncontested at that). 13. adem yze - those writing him off based on this game do a disservice to adem's proud history of representing the mfc. he has his limitations it's true, but he looked good early and put his body over the ball on the hf flank and got crunched in the back. looked extremely ginger thereafter. 14. lynden dunn - yep, love him. this is what a chf looks like - ability to create something out of nothing (cf. the soccer goal), can lead up and mark the ball, a good kick, a smooth mover. leave him at chf and fughedabout miller. 17. chris johnson - definitely his best game in the mfc guernsey. he played clever football, moving to the right spaces, worked hard without the ball, and used it well when he had it. the dilemma is where he plays - he's a flank player, and can flit btw hbf, wing, and hff, but ideally you want him to settle in one or the other. has time on his side. 18. brad green - his kicking was superb. he's a clear leader on the field too. great to see him looking to be back to his best. 21. daniel bell - his lateral movement and recovery when the ball hits the turf after the first contest are a worry, but e's tough as nails, constantly tries to do his best, and disposes of the ball neatly when he's not dithering over what to do with it. 23. james mcdonald - blew the cobwebs out, laid a few excellent tackles. 24. russell robertson - was a pleasure to see him being able to move freely. he's such a tireless team-man, and will be vital to the mfc having a good 2007. super dangerous whenever the ball comes in deep. 25. nathan brown - see daniel ward, minus the aggression. 27. jared rivers - looked as rusty as the proverbial gate, but still read the play nicely. 30. simon godfrey - slower than the ox at his chunkiest, takes too long to dispose of the ball, doesn't stick to his man as a tagger should, and will hopefully not play for us all year. 32. cameron bruce - wasted disposals, but got plenty of the ball. virtually all were receives though. 37. matthew warnock - how a defender can be beaten by a one-sided forward i do not know. get on his left-hand side fer chrissakes! poor awareness, but i do like his endeavour and application. 38. daniel hughes - one-sided. moves well, but strictly a receiver. still, you need to have a couple in every side, and seeing as ours are 'veterans' these days, he's probably worth keeping an eye on. 40. mark jamar - oh good grief. big, lumbering, and can't use the football. will win his fair share of taps, but sent most of em to hodge, mitchell, and crawford. 41. nathan carroll - see rivers. all in all, i think it was a reasonable first-up hit-out. most important thing: no (serious) injuries! oh, and davey is going to love the 'no hands in the back' rule. the amount of spills it creates at contests means he'll rove the packs all around the ground better than most. tj too.

every time whelan goes down injured we lose all drive out of the backline. he's the best ball carrier in our back half by a country mile.

moo kowal. for mine, still the worst player to play 100 games in the red and blue. had pace...shame he couldn't kick, mark, or handball. sean charles and brent heaver both debuted by kicking 5 against carlton...who recruited both of em after they'd given us service. paul prymke was shaping up as one of the best fb's of his generation, only to be cruelled by a bad back. we picked up a lot of duds from sa - sampson, ormond-allen, nick pesch, et al. balme had a soft spot for his fellow croweaters.