beelzebub

and it might well work that way should Meesen and Newton depart that one spot on the rookie list be taken by Spencer ( again ) with I suspect the club casting its net further afield than in past to acquire other rookies...i.e international, other codes..vfl/*fl etc... mature age recruits ...ad infinutm

not that we might need to...but we can re rookie ( or such ) at ND. There will be a somewhat natural attrition come EOS. Going to be a bit of an intereting trade week me thinks ( Oh I know I say that every year...but its gone that way recently ) The Meese and the Newt shan't be occupying lockers next year baring some meteoric rise in fortunes ( on their part ) I cant see the club dispensing with Spencer (sorry..lol) just yet. Stil a work in progress ,albeit slow !!

Also possible sweetener in a multiplayer trade. Now unlikely to go elsewhere but finish out career at Demons. He may wish to try a "Robbo' but will have seen results there. There will be a handful offering their sayonaras at seasons end...one way or another.

We are the boo hoo hoos We are the sooky sooky boo hoo hoos We’re the team that'll cry without the ball We’re the team that plays brown bag ball.

fair dinkum theres some serious hyperbole going on around here. Some contexts.. Gee Huddo an Lethal ...who'd they play for again ??? lol But no doubt there will be comment that they are fantastic players and therefore they know better. Heres the thing...we all have bloody eyes..and can form judgements. As spectators whos is better ?? Its going to depend on where youre coming from. Much gets said in the moment..and as such a little exageration might just sneak in do you think ? Yes both good goals.. tbh the first was nothing that brilliant in the context of "brilliance" Wee all seen many better than that over the journey. The second was indeed heroic and very timely but hardly the best ever at the G. Deep breath everyone... The 2nd was inspirational...but not the best ever at the G

Just thought Id piggy back this thread instead of starting another on jack (as originally didnt..lol ) Just thought id pas this on.. was out with the missus on friday night down at a local venue. Got talking to another couple of whom the lady just hapened to be an aunt of Jack's ( Watts ). She passeed on that he's still just a happy kid.. and still quite in awe of where he finds himself. After delberating for some time between basketball and footy and having chosen the 'great game' he still was mainly focussed on his VCE and its realy only this year that its starting to sink in that he is REALLY playing at an AFL club etc. She joked that his cousins are all trying to get him to eat more..lol.. to get that weight on. Hes very keen to progress to make it, but she thinks likes many of us it will take another couple of preseasons to get into a real body to do the job. Hes apparently just a nice lad.. but am sure she was suitably biased..lol just thought id pass that on...funny who you bump into

A Draw and 2 points is a legitimate result.. has always been.. leave it. would be more arbitrary and unfair to have it swing on the basis on a golden goal or shootout etc.

Flower was in his own fashion a freak. Slightly built by todays needs etc he glided around the park like a gazelle His ability to read the opposition and wrong foot them was worth the price of atmittance on any day. I will never forgive Dipper and Lethal for their cowardly act that day. How Flower never got a Charlie is beyond my understanding. Robbie Flower..a champion amongst champions )

You just get the idea sometimes that as this game speeds up and morphs that possibly what is old could be new again. In this vein I suggest some of the basics like shepeherding need to be utilsied more and more. Scully does it so well. Others ought to look to his positioning etc, providing blocks and allowing corridors for moving players is to be commended and copied. Watts was definitely hung out in that particular passage. it wasnt him per se thatgot lost..he just had nowhere to go thanks to a lack of team play by some who ought to know and do better.

Id put money on the Swans game... or half a game against Freo, a maybe

Blease Gawn and Spencer are particularly likely 2011 starters..Tapscot I have a funny tfeeling might get a run towards the last games depending on how we as a team are travelling. I sense Bailey might like to debut him prior to the next preseason. Jurrah i suspect will return in about 4 weeks. Probably only a half in the seniors then after some time in the magoo-ressies then the maggos building his form. Jurrah's a freak. ( in the nicest possible meaning ) but I think they will bring him back in sooner than later once he's found his legs again

This realy isnt as daft or unrealistic , other than time line, as many might think. The AFl landscpe will undergo a change of a kind unheralded in the coming years as International participation lifts and moves from novelty to legitimate. expect to see African and South American players.. so a biggish Chinese isnt so far fetched. We have been clever cultivating our sino relationship and fully expect to see more and more attending traing camps etc furhering this connection. Yes it may be a long long time before AFL is played with anything other than a cameo in China but more and more clubs are looking to the athletic ability of a bloke first and then his potential to being turned into a footy player. why wouldnt you look at China.... theres a few of them there i hear

well our X-man is on the mend !!! returning to a scren near you son....fantastic. This wil lgive our forward line the potency its been somewhat lacking. Opponents defensive makeups will change accordingly bettering the oportunites for our other forwards. Hes been definitely missed, and sorely this year. He alone would haveprovided a catalyst for last week resulting in a win not a draw. A big call some would suggest...hardly!!. He makes things happen...from nothing..and there was a whole lot of nothing in that game. Others ( demons ) fall under the spell and lift a bit too Ive noticed Plaudits to the club for managing him back to health,no need to rush him.

my apologies..didnt see it back there.. mods merge please ..cheers

Im drawn for some reason two a compelling comparison between two Jacks. One , a seemingly overnight sensation ( but actually his fourth season ) and another in only his second and only 8 games to his name. Jack Reiwoldt almost seems to have sprung from nowhere. Having been taken by Richmond with its first pick in 06 as their big shiny hope as a KPF he languished in his early games and whilst improving in 08 and 09 he certainly wasnt setting the world on fire. Many observers and especially his own club's followers were wondering about his commitment and indeed his suitability for such a key role in attack. He had the pedigree, he had the runs on the baord in his junior days . He was a marvel suppposedly. But he just wasnt clicking out there on the ground.. His attitude has often been brought into question. Then comes season 010 and after taking a littel while to refind his feet and get up to speed he explodes onto the scene. Its taken only 4 years for this kid to arrive !!!! ......and then we have another gangly kid taken with a clubs first pick in a draft, indeed the first by any club in the 08 draft.....and there's an eery similarity in progression. A youngen with a prodigious talent, sublime skills and touted as the next great thing in forward's footy and he isnt setting the world on fire. And likewise questions are being asked. Reiwoldt - 58 games... has arived Watts - 8 games...is getting there. and when he does... why do players suddenly 'step up ' ? why do some take giant strides almost over a preseason....it just works that way for some. There's mental aspects...there's physical ones. Thats just the way it happens....and Jack Watts will also happen....not overninght !!!!.....but he will happen:)

Robbie Flower = Football poetry in motin My all time fav Demon.... in a way before his time. Had perfected run and carry before anyone dreamed up that expression. To watch him glide across the G was a priviledge. Happy memories )

Marks comments with mine in Italics Clint Bartram - Barty was quite solid without having a big influence on the game Actually thought he was pretty good ... Matthew Bate - Matty worked really hard and provided a good option up forward. good assessment Cameron Bruce - Was good and used as a switch option as a player who could run out of the backline. Funny how we never hear from an MFC stafer how crap Bruce is with disposal.. it just undoes his efforts!! Aaron Davey - Ran hard up the ground, provided run-and-carry and had really good composure. was good ..agree Lynden Dunn - Dunny presented well and took a really good contested mark. He had opportunities to kick goals and that’s all we want from him. We just want him to work hard, present up and finish his work. Dunn's was a pretty solid effort James Frawley - He played on Paul Medhurst, beat his opponents and ran at the ball hard. He won a lot of one on ones. was Medhurts out there....lol......well done Chipper Col Garland - He was outstanding. Some of his spoiling and contested possession work was fantastic. spot on Brad Green - Just a fantastic option up forward and always is. He always hit the target. You can’t fault the way he presents and the way he targets. Hit targets ??? theres this little target comprising of two upright sticks... and uncharacteristically couldnt hit the side of a barn... A good option whilst not his best game by far. Jack Grimes - Jack was a little bit like Barty. He too was solid, without having a major influence. Curtailed by injury me thinks Jordan Gysberts - He played his role, as a defensive inside midfielder. I actually think Collingwood paid a bit more respect to him this week, after his first two games. He was a bit limited in getting the ball. fair assessment Mark Jamar - Was fantastic in the ruck and took them on. He had 33 tap outs and pushed forward and kicked a goal. He also took some really good contested marks. Boy has he stepped up this year...well done Russian Neville Jetta - Nev was lively without having a big influence on the game. Kind words !! Nathan Jones - Jonesy battled really hard all day on Dane Swan. He got caught on the bench for a six-minute period, which wasn’t good, because Swan got a few touches then, but that wasn’t Jonesy’s fault. A lot of Swan and Jonesy’s possessions were one-on-one battles and that was good. Jonesy would’ve learned a little bit out of today’s lesson. Jonesy I feel has found his new role... keep at it mate. Jordie McKenzie - Jordie just defended really well and played a real team role. Yep Brad Miller - Brad worked hard up forward and presented often and gave us an option out of the backline. Is pretty fair without being brilliant... does try hard though Brent Moloney - Moloney had an outstanding game and worked really hard around the stoppages. Great effort...could straighten up a little at times.. Cale Morton - We used him as a drop off player from the centre bounce. His use of the ball was good. Coming back to best Jared Rivers - Jared was very good. He attacked the ball well and took some good marks. was quite good today not a major influence though...imho Tom Scully - Tom was good. He set up really well and we thought his work-rate was good. His involvement in play was really noticeable and that was important. A big day with lots of attention.. is coming along well. Needs a bit of coaching with kicking.. but thats nit picking Jack Trengove - Jack was important in passages of play. He got involved with handball receives and got the ball inside 50. yep Matthew Warnock - Matty played a real team role and battled away. He tried to play close and get to the contest. Good and bad..with the good outweighing the bad. Jack Watts - Jack did some good things. He took some good marks and just needed a bit of length on his kicks a few times. He needs to keep going. Felt he was let down at times. otherwise as above

Sarcasm aside, though witty as it was there is the real expectation that the setups and methodologies employed by the forwards leaves a lot to be desired. Positioning leading into contests is often poor. Leading to foward incursions is often lacking. Presenting ...see leading. As this obviously falls under the auspecies of Josh Mahoney , here lays the reason many ask who is teaching Jack Watts. Our defence is solidifying and becoming more cohesive by every match. our midfield is a force in the making...our forward line... our forward line ... Ferris...hello !!!!!! You win games by amassing goals...amazing really that. we can stop them... we just need a better ability to score them...and early. So again if its JM job...he needs to do better. forward line to date season 2010........... 5/10 Yes it will be better with LJ but hes a freak and hardly needs coaching..( in fact better if you dont ) Will be better for Petterds return.. but he needs more tutoring as well. If we are to fight on with what we have.. Josh ( if owning the comensurate knowledge and skills ) needs to impose this learning with a greater emphasis.

Of course there's an impact but it wont be the world ending meteor that the doomsdayers predict. whatyou will see is a change in the way the savvy teams go about recruiting talent. Many kids who wouldnt have had a look in will now come into play. Many players who thought the bus had eft will enter AFL as a more mature recruit. They will be ready made players compared to the kids who need 2-3 years to come good etc. Expect to see more experimenting with international rookies. we are about to witness a revolution in the make up of this game. The MFC is well placed to survive..others who cant get up to speed with lateral recruiting will indeed find the going a slog. such is life

Hooah !!! Bit of a giggle that article... talk about panic merchant !! Yes the GC and GWS franchises are to get a serious leg up but as Enforcer ,HT and (apologies ) others have alluded its not quite as simple as assembling potential talent and unleashing hell. if it were that simple wed be making room on the shelf for more silverware as I write. . They will have to learn to play as teams...to compete at the highest level and to maintain their efforts. So much more than just draft 18 players -add water !! As an aside there is much talent out there that til now hasnt had much of a look-in. There are others like Pods ( well of his calibre ) who languish in the VFL SANFL WAFL etc that will now come into the picture. There wont be a drought of players to pick simply because GC and GWS get their picks. Talent is one thing...developing it is another.. combining as a team and playing elite football is yet another. Some tell Rendell the sky isnt falling...not today

I think there are legitimate grounds for the question ( op ) Our forward line, it's structure ( if any ) and certainly it's potency IS our Achilles .Seaoned observers are questioning our approach and it warrants attention, answers and action. Remember it's not just what you have but how you use it. We need todo better and if it's down to Mahoney then he needs to produce something more

Well done !! And thankyou Carlton

thanks for the clarifacation there Scwabby there goes the conspiracy theory ...lol

Im not particularly suggesting Petterd isnt going to be there...but it is strange he wasnt mentioned.

Without trying to be a Watts apologist, and whilst not particularly impresed with efforts to date I do however suspect that this is just a year for Jack..he'll put another dozen-15games under his belt and get into a injury free preseason coming out all the better for it. ( hopefully )