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Dappa, I don't think it is a storm in a teacup at all. This bloke has pretensions of being a leader. He is our only effective lead-up forward. AND he cost us three goals last night just in opportunities he stuffed up, not to mention any chance of scrounging others through defensive pressure. In the context of a young team busting a gut on the hope of a win, Robbo's effort is shocking. He needs a serious spray and a serious demotion. Selfish, arrogant little.... If Newton did it we'd all be saying how unsuitable for top-flight footy he is. I'm sick of waiting for Robbo to change. RR is right - he cannot, he will not. The less he stuffs up other player development the better. Hell, it would be better playing Hughes or Zomer than Robbo. At least we'd see if they could play. Robbo's wares are all too evident.

Dear Cam, great to read your input - a quick post here and there will do wonders to clear up the odd confusing issue. Rapt to see the changes re: Casey continue to be nurtured by the current admin. Must say I was a bit tense about the whole sponsorship issue thing - I'm sure you were confident that whole time! Again, thanks for the post.

It's a good point RR. I think the PJ looks as if he could play in a number of positions, but he doesn't. Too much about him is 'as if', not 'has done and succeeded'.

Green has played forward, midfield and over the last few years, as the sweeping backman. As a result he has not been playing as a 'frontman' in any sense of the word for some time. Arguably he played forward and midfield when our backline was stacked wth bigger, older and more experienced players. As they have left and green grew up, he assumed his current role. I don't remember Green hearing footsteps (and I'm sure he must have because almost every footballer has at some point according to R Walls in that excellent article of 1-2 weeks ago).

THis gives me the runs! For goodness sake, can we just get a clean run of luck of a while. Just 12 months would be good.

I'm wanting maric and have wanted to see him for some time. i hope he gets a go this week. Not sure what else he has to do to get a damn game.

Hazy - a good thread and I completely agree that ANZAC day is being trasnformed into a media guilt/war/death/hero marketting exercise that has stuff all to do with the day, the people or a 'legacy'. What I hate more than anything is that the ANZACs are mythologised into super-aussies. For me, the most sobering thing is that they were not and did what they did, died how they died, fought how they fought. The media will obscure the 'truth' of this for their own ends (viewers and ad money). ANd we buy it. To me it is a way of debasing the past. It is kind of gross really. On a good note, I've just loved (in a sober, humble sort of way) the Les Carloyn books on gallipoli and the western front ('The Great War'). i think they are a great read, but can be very, very hard going.

Hawthorn has had everything go right for them - good planning BUT a hell of a lot of good luck. Hodge is, IMO, not a midfielder - he plays loose man in defence. He hits blokes hard, mostly from behind, when they go for the ball. He is effective but also easily nullified. The fuss about him is disproportionate. Give me a midfielder who actually plays in the midfield any day. Hawthorn would have traded sewell for ferguson. Fergeson refused. Great planning that.

I think the 'griffen deal' is not bad - it does fit with the age & stage of both clubs. Maybe freo would need more of a sweetner?

Goodvibes, I agree that Jones has made some tangible changes. His attitude appears form my distant position to be superb. I would like to see his kicking improve- he does all this gutbusting physical work only to spray his kicks! It might just have been that I've only seen the bad ones, but he missed green and that led to green's injury, he missed newton and miller on the lead a few times. Hit those latter passes and it is shot-on-goal time. Makes him go from 'improved' to 'damaging'.

I think that we all identify that Brad has flaws (oooohhhhhhh). I would go insane if I were miller. The number of times that he nbeats his opponent and the ball is kicked anywhere but out in front is mind-bending. Seriosuly, no bloody wonder he gets gun-shy and ratty in front of goal - he must be concerned that this is only damn time he'll get a decent shot.

bub59, I think we tried this under Danners, didn't we - I thought that Gazza, and frawley and maybe sylvanie were all mentoring 1-2 players. Not sure if something like this is still going.

Mo! it is not like you to snipe at Bailey or the gameplan! What's gotten into you? I presume then that every kick over 15 metres is not following the gameplan. So Morton's passing yesterday should have seen him dragged?

Bob, it sounds like Meesen has actually improved each week for the last three or four now. We'd have to play him against Port, surely - his erffort and improvement is earning him a place. Who would you promote out of Dunn or Bail (or both?)? If Dunn/Bail and Maric are available, who do you drop? Was Newton today more use than Sylvia yesterday? Thanks.

Buckley had groin probs in pra-season I thought. Garland is annoying as hell! I like Martin but his disposal frightens me. I wonder who we'd play him on as I know little about c'wood's forwards. Missing Garland is doubly annoying 'cause I guess he would have got one of the pies free-kick seeking, swan-diving hardball shirking lumpy-spunk small forwards.

I really don't understand finances, but this sounds bloody good. Three years of some economic safety. Three years to rebuild. And that a 'grass-roots' supporter got the deal going is just sensational

My go at this is: B: Cheney, Martin, Frawley HB: Garland, Warnock, Bennell C: Green, McLean, Bruce HF: Petterd, Miller, Sylvia F: Wonaeamirrri, Bate, Davey R: Johnson, Junior, Jones I: Buckley, Morton, Spencer, Moloney E: Newton, Rivers, Dunn

On field, I'd like to see a few things: 1. Our young defence get more game time and continue their improvement. Wheels to retire at season's end. Thanks for everything, you're a favourite but not fit enough for long enough. BTW, please teach the poleaxing tackle to Cheney. 2. Our kids to get game time - that means you Petterd, Wonna, Grimes, Maric, Bennell, Morton, Strauss, Bail. Now, you'll be replacing Bartrum, Dunn and Sylvia in the main, as well as others as the usual injuries hit. Our midfield is gagging for ball users with vision and a bit of poise. Show that and you are in, baby. 3. Our forwards to begin to blossom. Crumbers in wonna and maric, bate from the goal square, jurrah in a pocket and MIller doing grunt CHF work. This willtake until round 11 or beyond to get everyone fit and there, but that group will give opposition team kittens. I think a ladder position of 14-12th would be good and realisitic, but like Jaded, I would not be disappointed with 4.5 wins and no 80+ point losses.

Sorry Mo, I think you are wrong. Time after time the dogs beat us yesterday in the midfield: they stood up longer, handed off quicker, ran off better. Our mids are not up to this level. Same against sydney, if you saw that. They got blokes forward of the ball and it worked for them (that said, it fails as soon as you lose the contest). As for it working in 2006, well, it simply did not. If you remember, Bruce was a leading clearance player, Johnson played last half of quarters mostly and yze played inside the forward line predominantly. We did not hand off well to outsiders, what we did was kick quickly and long. WE also played more tempo footy that year, so we kicked backwards and wide a fair bit. Totally different game plan - much slower and we'd be killed by the zones teams now employ Though, given the keen student of the game that you are, you'd know that. Hey, here's a tip Mo - and even better it is for free: try not blaming dean bailey for everything. It may mean that you have to think before you write somethhng, but even that has its upside - we'll here from you less.

THe other problem mo is that our mids are not good enough to win the ball reliably and get in to the players forward of the contest. WE're too exposed.

I thought meeson played better the longer the game went - he was awful at first but much better in the last. Spencer is a better tap ruckman now and our midfield looked good with him out there.

THanks Apocalypse - fabulous to hear a eye-witness report.

Congratulations Gippy Dee. I was in the same position with my lil tacker april two years ago. It's very satisfying, beginning that association with the dees. In fact, my little fella's first phrase was 'go dees' (actually said DE Dees! with a little fist pump).

Many thanks to faultydet and JNR. Great to read the reports.

That's the most fun I've had reading a match report in ages.