Nasher

This is garbage. He is not going to be dropped from the side. The only changes that get made are ones that genuinely improve the side; there is not a player better than Jack Grimes kicking around in the VFL, full stop.

Persevere. He makes poor decisions at times, but he tackles well, runs hard and is a good reader of the play. I think supporters are needlessly harsh on him. I'm confident the one or two poor mistakes a game can be eradicated from his game.

You obviously have not been paying much attention to selection this year.

Agreed. Happy for Pedersen to pinch hit in the ruck as before Gawn joining the side. Pedersen continued his awesome form too. Has developed in to a reliable, tough big man. Easily the most improved player on our list I reckon.

I think it works *because* there's only two, not in spite of it.

Bump.

Two minutes to go but it's over. Amazing effort but just lacked a little in the last quarter. I went from hoping for not to be disgraced to thinking we'd win to just absolutely shattered.

Won't happen. Firstly, there are only 3 states that could field viable teams. If you think anyone represented by (or representing) a team called "the Allies" gives a fig about it, you'd be wrong. You'd never get the same sense of tradition that the NRL gets because of this because you're not playing the same team each year. Secondly, clubs would never clear their best players (assets) to play. They're far too valuable a commodity to risk for a game that isn't for four points.

It's nice that we can delude ourselves that we can match it with the best I'm with you, for the record!

Not one of your post remained. That may tell you something.

Thought Salem may have been due for a run at Casey, but not displeased. Happy with selection, as I have been all year really.

Thread is 36 posts lighter, including most of what was the second and third page. A few repeat offenders probably earned a ban or two in there somewhere too, but having to wade through all that has sapped my will to live, so no further action will be taken.

Yes, you could lose 20% of the time and only win 15% of the time. I think this stat is just reflective of the style of game we're playing. It does indicate that our opposition is having trouble winning the ball, and that's great, but it doesn't give any indication about how much we are winning the ball.

Brisbane's is my favourite.

Who gives a toss how much he costs? Leave the money issues for the bean counters and the dreaming of gun players for the fans. It really does floor me when fans would prefer to worry about player's salaries than making our side as good as possible.

Tyson, Cross and Vince? The former two definitely had the option not to and I'd argue Vince did too.

Not the same people. People have differing views - funny, that.

Because he wanted the monkey off his back.

To be fair, the guy has once in a lifetime athletic attributes. Pick 2 is over the top with the benefit of hindsight, but the idea that a player like him would have ever made it to the late pick or rookie list stage is laughable. You'd surely, at worst, take the risk that you could turn the freak althlete in to a footballer with a pick in the 20s at the lowest.

I'm not sure how comfortable I would be as a player with (one of) the coach(es) posting his feedback in such a public fashion, but I agree with you in principle. As a supporter I find Allison's reports greatly insightful.

+1 for 'never'. These always go on all year. The easy ones like third year players will be done soon, the tough ones like Frawley will take all year, and then there will be a last minute of signing or axing of borderline players as our draft/trade position becomes clear. I think it's not something worth worrying about because you just never know what is happening behind those closed doors.

It's probably more reflective of my depth of thought Time constraints and the nuisance of typing on my phone are what keeps my posts brief these days.

Spot on.I'll also add that I missed the birth of one (of four) of my children through no fault of my own, and it's #1 on my life's greatest regrets. I can't imagine how I'd feel if I had elected to miss it. Then there's the thought nobody wants to consider: there are plenty of babies that don't live for long after their first breath. And some that don't take one. You just don't know what you could be giving up. But let's listen to the single blokes tell us that none of that matters if you earn 500k a year.

One obvious reason for promoting a rookie before you are forced to is so you can select them in the side. Clisby is a good case in point, he's a player in his mid 20s who is ready and capable of playing AFL football. If we'd kept him on the rookie list, a player like Harmes or King may have ended up on our senior list instead, when they're not ready to play yet.

It's never too early. I enjoy seeing how people's opinion - including my own - evolve over the year.