Nasher

Fair enough. I had it etched in my brain that this has been 100% set in stone for some time, but I've got no evidence to support this (can't see anything conclusive in the old threads etc). Cheers for that.

I'm extremely surprised, but I guess I shouldn't be. Don't know whether I'd be wishing him all the best or tell him to jam it up his arse, as I'm feeling a touch of both. Instead I'll just say nothing and recognise that it's probably a good enough outcome for both parties. The most disappointing thing, as RobbieF has already said, is that we'll get nothing in return, however I feel that if the club thought that was a problem they'd have been more accommodating in their negotiations*. * Yes, I realise I don't actually know how accommodating or otherwise the club was in this.

I thought we already knew that?

I agree, and the whole reason I bother to read phantom drafts at all has little to do with what order the players go in. It's to gain some insight in to the types of players who will be drafted, and who in particular the author rates. Without the phantoms, I wouldn't know Jack Riewoldt from Jack Juniper. I learn truckloads about the young players that I'd know zero about otherwise. It also an air of mystery when someone like a Jordie McKenzie, Liam Jurrah or Jordan Gysberts appear on our laps completely unexpectedly, then you discover that you've found absolute gold. It's the same thing that bugs me about the types of posters who say carp like "well what bold predictions have you made recently?" (Demonology readers know who I'm talking about.) "What's your prediction?" style threads don't interest me much either. Who gives a shit what yours or my or anyone's crystal ball says right now? It's the discussion and insight that is interesting, not the "ha ha I was right, you were wrong" pissing contest that comes afterwards.

Un. Frigging. Believable.

If he really is as narcissistic as all reports indicate, then it's more likely that he's spent the last year confused and can't understand why he got delisted. Then he'll spend next year confused and won't be able to understand why nobody picked him up.

I have to admit I was disappointed when I read the name, but I only had to scratch the surface with a bit of thought to realise my worry was based purely on the fact that he's not shiny and new. The only other fact is that he's an assistant coach with considerable experience - to have survived this long in the caper he must do something right. So what's to be disappointed or concerned about?

I decided it wasn't appropriate and deleted it.

Why? Frawley, Garland, Grimes and co are not going to turn in to hacks overnight just with the appointment of a new coach.

Indeed, and it would make no difference anyway. He'd have to nominate for the ND to be eligible for the PSD, so we may as well pick him up there if we wanted him.

Really? I was under the impression that Watts had a body more than capable of gaining weight, and the only limitation was a soft limit imposed by the fitness staff to ensure he had the core strength to handle the additional bulk first. Obviously I'm no expert (everything I've said above is 100% regurgitation from those who seem to know what they are talking about), but I've always associated the "difficulty gaining muscle" with the Cale Morton types. I'd love to hear from pringle or anyone else who may have knowledge of these things.

Indeed, but I'd be equally unsurprised if he wasn't rookie listed. It's commonplace for players who were marginal for delisting to continue to train. And also, sorry to have to put on my spelling nazi hat, but it's "Meesen", not "Meesan". You've been spelling it wrong for years and it's giving me the [censored].

Precisely. You'd think it would be two games in a row max - after that the player would need a full run, either for MFC or Casey. The idea of having a designated sub makes no sense.

There's not going to be any such thing as a permanent sub.

As I alluded to, Lake has the tendency to do this without the endorsement of his coach. Despite the fact that it can come off, I'm not 100% comfortable with players ignoring coaches instructions and doing as they please.

Wonder why Western Bulldogs never gave Brian Lake a shot at full forward (besides when he parked himself there without the support of his coach), even when they were crying out for forwards? It's because he's a defender. He's always been a defender and he'll always be a defender. And a bloody good one at that.

I've seen that too, no idea why it happens. Doesn't seem to happen every time either. The URL seems to be correct, so...? I've never had any issues in the site either. Makes it pretty hard to diagnose when I can't see the issue myself.

My view is that a number can only be as great as the last person who wore it. It seems pretty silly to be happy to toss any old player in a jumper for years then suddenly, three players later (or many in the case of 31) say, "oh, this number is reserved for greats, you have to prove you are worthy of it". So on that level, I think Jake Spencer is a more than worthy recipient of the great Paul Johnson's number 11.

Big Jake! Given the previous three wearers have all been ruckmen, this seems like the logical progression.

That's actually now, by the sounds of it. Looking at the first paragraph: Sounds as if he's having a serious crack at a professional Basketball career?

Yes - after 1990.

When I clicked on the James McDonald link, it took me to Junior. I assume it's meant to be a different James McDonald.

Greg Tivendale and Jason Saddington do not belong in that list.

Don't know anything about the guy, but nothing raises alarm bells like being delisted in the same season you signed a new contract.

Speak for yourself. I think there's logic in this situation. First rucks The role of the first ruck is to be aggressive at contests and make sure our midfield have a very large body in the middle with them to help them win it out. Our first rucks are Jamar and Spencer. Bonus points if the first ruck can kick goals, but this is not his primary role. I believe if Jamar were to go down in 2011, Spencer's aggression and size will provide an adequate replacement (obviously he is no Jamar yet). Second ruck The role of the modern second ruck is to have short stints in the ruck while the first ruck rests, and provide a marking and goal kicking option in the forward line. This is the role we had earmarked for Hale, but given our failure to recruit him, we currently have nobody on the list who has taken this job by the throat. Potentials are Martin, Fitzpatrick and now Newton. Newton might not make it, but he's got the attributes to - a high leap, capable of taking a mark, and can kick goals. He might not have done much of any of those at AFL level, but the physical attributes are there and he will be approaching mental maturity now. Retaining him allows us to hedge our bets on Martin (and Fitzpatrick to a degree), and we can do it for damn close to free - he was already delisted from the main list last year and he's already on the rookie list so we don't have to "find" him, or hope he'll still be there when our 7th or 8th draft pick comes around. The other thing to consider is that this is a brand new role for Newton. He's currently in a reprogramming phase and given the hole in our list that he is being groomed to fill, I'm happy for the club to allow him some time to adjust. There's nobody else ready, so the risk is very low - rock bottom in fact - but the potential payoff is high. So many people wanted to keep PJ as "insurance" - but we've got insurance for both rucks already. First ruck: Jamar, insurance: Spencer Second ruck: Martin, insurance: Newton