Wrecker45

Garland is a very accurate and penetrating kick. No doubt he turned it over a bit last season but I will excuse. He had a poor season off the back of injury and no pre-season. When his confidence grows back this season he will be a very reliable kick again.

Getting the footy. Not actually his improvement but more of an improvement in our ability to get it out to him with more ball winning midfielders. Once he has it in his hands he is an elite user of the ball.

I think getting Hogan's back wrong is something you can only do once. A second time and you will be out of a job.

I've been thinking that as well. We have a lot more inside ball winning midfielders than we have ever had. The more Watts gets fed the ball the better he will be.

I have but you will have to remind me how many were killed there again? And what was the #hashtag for the original victims in Cronulla that instigated the "riots".

Grimes and Garland are automatic walk-ups for round 1. Roos is all about building a culture and there is no way he will let players with zero runs on the board get a game before these 2 who have plenty,

Correct. I have a cousin who is on an AFL list (not the dees) and he was training Christmas day which he chose to do so he could have a day off and a few beers at the boxing day test.

Not going to be a walk in the park for him going forwards.

I think so too. I believe he was a champion hurdler as a teen. Explosive big men don't grow on trees. If his shoulder has been hampering him as Saty suggests he could surprise a few this year. He may look unco but he seems to kick goals.

I can't pick a beset team on paper for 2015. There are too many ifs but hear we go. If Howe plays in the backline and Frost can cement a spot in the side I see Garland and Grimes as midfield rotations. Jetta plays on the best small forward and will follow whoever that is up the ground into midfield rotations as well with Grimes or Garland rotating back. Dunn has to play back after last season and Lumumba is a back. If Gawn does a full pre-season he is number 1 ruckmen and The Russian will play out his days at Casey. If Petracca holds down a HF flank, which is a possibility with his explosive power and big frame, Salem and Toumpas could be fighting for the same spot in the best 22. Both have polish but I think Salem may have more strings to his bow. I like them both but can't fit them both in. Finally some quality in competition for spots. If one of Newton, Pigdog, Mitchie, ANB, Harmes, Matt Jones or R Bail start playing really good football Cross' days are numbered. Again competition for limited spots. If JKH, Garlett and Kent play in the same forward line we will have real speed and x-factor.

Yeah that is why I am only expecting 100 from him. We will probably rest him for a few for player management.

Interesting. I wasn't at training today but heard from my old man that a player he thought was Harmes was doing exceptionally well in the repeat up and down the ground drills near the beginning of training.

Tingay had the skills and the real two way running. Some of his tackling was bone crunching.

I seem to be in the minority that think the Essendon players and coach will not be found guilty by the AFL/ASADA investigations for taking banned substances. I just don't think the link or evidence is strong enough despite believing personally that the doping took place. Essendon will, however, have the book thrown at them by Workcover Victoria who will give a more crippling penalty than ASADA/AFL could ever give. Essendon will get what they deserve it just wont be the way the general public expect.

That is cheating. You can't choose all of them!

Grimes problem is the 22% ineffective disposals seem to go out on the full or hit the opposition on the chest. The other players above seem to just miss their target. I am very confident he will be forced into the midfield next year and prove a lot of people wrong.

WJ what do you think ASADA's strategy is with the subpoenas? If it is just dotting I's and crossing T's shouldn't they have done that a long time ago? In the Lance Armstrong case they had no positive drug tests but a lot of witnesses giving sworn evidence that they had seen or had been involved in the drug taking. In this case all the players say they don't know and the witnesses are unreliable at best. If ASADA are successful in the subpoenas who knows what they will say on the day anyway.

I'm more concerned about the facts than the media but I will say Fairfax has jumped from hanging Hird to a case Hanging by a thread... Reading between the lines and I am happy to admit that I am like the posters that watch a TAC cup player's highlights and then make a decision about where they should be drafted without understanding the full picture. ASADA look desperate to me. They were still offering lighter sentences to all involved for an early plea after having mud slung at them by Essendon and the Hird's in the Court. The players had already had over a year to come in with an early plea. How could an early guilty plea be kept on the table all things considered unless ASADA had nothing? Again without information it just seems odd to me. Then we hear that after the Show Cause Notices have already been sent that ASADA don't have any sworn evidence from Charter or Alavi. It may not be necessary for ASADA's case and we wont know that until it all plays out but surely if ASADA thought it important enough to request subpoenas they should have done it before issuing the Show Cause notices. I'm not trying to absolve Essendon the whole thing stinks.

And what happens if it goes the other way? Do you have any headlines? ASADA listened but is was not HIRD. I have a feeling the evidence just isn't there and a lot of people will be in "disbelief" and crying foul. If the players get off and I am not declaring they will. The Essendon Football Club is still going to be a loser from potential Work cover claims to Sponsorship battles.

Not so much helicopters but there were quite a few he didn't seem to strike properly or kick through the ball. It's hard to make much from the highlights packages.

Different slant indeed. Caro has unfairly maligned Melbourne when we have been at our lowest and kicked the boots in at every opportunity. Forgive me if I don't agree with her assault on Essendon and more so Hird. Originally she was being leaked information by the AFL and Demetriou both of which were at the same time manipulating another investigation to find Melbourne not guilty of tanking but penalise us anyway, Once Caro lost her leak Demetriou and her other Adrian Anderson was long gone she became more shrill and declared Hird had been sacked. How does a Cheif writer of a major publication get away with this blatant rubbish? Essendon is in shambles but they will recover from this Caro wont.

But isn't an unpredictable or non speaking whiteness just as likely to be a win for Essendon who will claim that their non compliance is jeopardising their chance to prove their innocence?

I'm starting to think that Essendon are going to get off. Which seemed impossible after the Hird's court case. Fairfax who have been gunning for Essendon the whole time and even declared Hird had been sacked is now saying the case is hanging by a thread. ASADA's former Chef Executive is quoted as saying about the subpoena's “It is a high risk strategy because even if you could compel potential witnesses to appear you could not guarantee what they would say. It was an absolute last card to play.’’ If ASADA actually have sufficient evidence why would they proceed with this act of seemingly desperation?

I don't think there is a spot for him in the backline this year. He needs to make it as a midfielder and he will.