buck_nekkid

That was simply one of the most insipid performances I have ever seen. Issue 1: Gameplan. What the hell is it? Win contested possessions? FAIL. Run and overlap? fAIL. Tackle and spread? FAIL. No Gameplan to speak of. Issue 2: protect the kids. This is simply no excuse. When kids are earning the money that these guys are earning, it is unacceptable for them to walk around and be insipid. Second to contests, no tackles, no simple skills. Time to skewer them all. Not good enough. Issue 3: pride. We are the only team that doesn't play for the jumper. Neild's pre game address on TV was appalling, and where is the pride and passion? Today's game must be a call to action. Something significant has to happen. No more excuses.

Lots of people want to play 4 ruck-sized players? How about if Fitzy comes in, Spencil has to go out. Maximus to first ruck, Fitzy support, rotating through CHF with Dawes the deep target. Spencil jumped way too early, too often and got caught in bad positions in ruck contests. Perhaps another game to get the feel of it, to see how he goes. Put flash at his feet. Mackenzie out, and the toump in instead. Dunn to run with Ablett. Jetta in, Grimes out. Would have to think about Tommy Mac having a 'rest', and maybe Sellar or Pedometer to half back (watts straight in if available) Kent to stay. Sub to be Blease.

Poor disposal under minimal pressure. Can't keep our feet. Make poor decisions. Kick to the opposition and 30 m of grass. Sigh.

I worry that we have a complete lack of forward line. Are Gawn and Howe enough? Will they put Dunn or Garland forward? Fitzy could have been an option. With Watts, Mitch and Dawes out, and he can't crack a game, what message does that send him? Expect Spencer and Kent to add plenty to the middle, and Dunn some grunt off the half back. Carlton have struggled on the defensive efforts, so we need to exploit this with quality spread and hope we can keep up with their foot speed the other way. Some are saying 100 points. I would be happy 4 quarters of real effort, a few clearances, no short steps and some ferocity at the contest.

Implications for us = nil. The spotlight is going to be on them rather than our on field performance, which may be a good thing. How Vlad and the AFL manage this is where the interest lies. Cover up, roll over and slap on the wrist, or serious sanctions? Essendon are screwed. If they are not then the AFL is complicit and a farce.

How do people here judge that Watts is running half pace, or lacking urgency, or doesn't have courage? Seems that the measures being used are not the same as those used by the club. Watts to stay in, forward. Dunn IN ( he is not done in) and back. Strauss in. Evans sub. Davey full game. Grimes to the middle. Mckenzie out, pedometer (autocorrect, but I let it stand given he heard 'footsteps' earlier in the year!) out. TMac stays. Rodan out. Fitzy a possible in. Dawes to earn it through Casey.

We were second to the ball, always behind the man, and took too many short steps. They embarrassed us on the spread and overlap. They hammered us in the clearances. The zone doesn't work, when it is stationary! Loving Terlich's effort, Max Gawn, Watts up forward ( showed sublime skills in marking and goal kicking). We won the umpiring by a mile. Maloney cut us a new one. Brisbane kicked 2.8 in Q2: we were lucky to be in it at half time. Work rate, clearances and confidence. Where can we buy some?

Cameron Schwab?? Oops for a minute there I thought I was Caroline Wilson! Such a talent. I hope it works out for him, after the joy he gave us supporters during some bleak times. Gotta say, though, drink driving is self imposed stupidity.

Happy for the old 'spurt of jizz' to do well at NMelb. He is not on our list, and not on my radar. If there was a decision that he wasn't getting us closer to a flag then he is better off elsewhere. 15 ins to concentrate on, not 15 outs. Bring on a whole new Demons in 2013.

Either would be an awesome get. Good selecting, Dees!

KB this morning was an absolute disgrace on the topic. Not innocent until proven guilty, no effort to talk about Carlton, Richmond, Collingwood or west coast. Said tanking was worse than salary cap breaches and draft tampering.... Heard of Cotchin, you senile old git? Sheesh. Looking forward to this being behind us.

Wow. Now we are talking. This article is the first real sign of mongrel from our club. We just upped the ante with the selection of Representation. The AFL will not want to see this in the courts, and won't want to loose. Solution: have it go away..... Love it, love it, love it. Good job Dees!

So they have Nothing. Hard facts would mean they would issue a similar statement like they sent to the crows. A few snivelling innuendos from a B grade journo and some disgruntled employees means circumstantial at best. Lets have a FANTASTIC 2013 draft, watch the crows in the news for a while, and take a breath from all of this tanking BS for a while

Tom Gillies? Is he an option for us do you think?

Thanks M38. Appreciate your efforts and insights.

Thanks, guys. Every report is gratefully received!

With on field improvements, even success. Tanking stuff put to bed, stand alone VFL team, settled sponsors (you forgot the sponsor drama of that power mob) , increasing membership, great weather, warm beer and cold pies, beating the filth on QB (Dawsey kicking 7 and giving Buckley the bird). Tell me I'm dreamin' , but I'm looking forward to 2013... Oh, and that witch having to publicly apologise AND face Gary Lyon on TV.

She's not very good at admitting when she is wrong, is she? Rather dig a deeper hole than get out with dignity or grace.

Nah, 45. Just reflecting back the 'mood' of footy fans outside of this forum. The lunch was on a back porch with 50cent bets, a few tins of beer and a TV. Nothing fancy here. It was dorks and filth supporters who were crowing the loudest about our misfortunes. They took any opportunity to sink the boots in. But that's footy.

So will the integrity commissioner now call Vlad? Will he be charged for bringing the game into disrepute? He was complicit with the leaders at Melbourne and even defended them in the public domain! This is the nail in the coffin for this whole thing.

Heard at a Melbourne cup lunch: Have you heard about Melbourne's new uniform for next year? It features a tank top. If it wasn't us, it might be funny.........

I stand corrected. I have only seen him spoken about as a KPF, and seen highlights of same. I would have thought this was a more 'accepted' description- but if he could be a super CHB, then I would also not be disappointed....

Defensive? HACKS! A simple fact- Hogan is a Forward you goons. If the newspaper idiots can't even get this right, what can we expect on more critical topics? Any ideas Ms Wilson? On topic, it will be great that he can be developing and skilling up at Casey towards a rapid injection into the seniors in 2014. Btw- worst case scenario: guesswork by the same genius that know where Hogan plays...

Right next to Ms. wilson's so called 'article' is the rehash of the Sheedy 'I didn't get the job, they were hopeless, I'm the only one that can save them' piece by Adam Cooper. Nearly a full page of irrelevant, self serving rubbish. Some context: there is written evidence of breaking clear rules by Adelaide, Tippett and his agents. Tigers have serial issues with Dustin Martin, and now Edwards. Facts that could be reported and commented upon. Please, Ms Wilson, as you troll this site (pun intended) to feel important, please note that your continued poor efforts at true journalism and allowing your bias to show serves no one. Your editors have let you down by allowing you to make a fool of yourself by publishing your vitriolic opinion. You, madam, are the Alan Jones of sports Journalism. Please put your facts up or shut up. Report or comment on facts based stories would be a minimum standard of even high school journalists. To spend 5 days pumping your own bandwagon, hatred and attempts to damage an institution and everyone in it based purely on innuendo is really poor form. Attacking the legacy of a dead person who had more courage, dignity and decency in a toenail clipping than you have in your whole body is reprehensible, appalling and belittles you further. I would suggest you crawl under a rock... But the spiders and slugs may find you too repulsive.

Sheesh! I'm over it! Why does good news always get squished under bad news? Was there really such stupidity? Is it provable? Get on with it Vlad. Over and done with. Had enough. Weren't we punished enough that we got Skunky? Time to pay the ferryman and get to the other side of this one.