hoopla

So Brighton Grammar is known for its softness is it? Fairly provocative comment I would have thought.... So you would advise anyone who wants their kid to turn out soft, to fork out a bit of extra money and send him off to Brighton, would you?

No one who plays AFL football is "soft". Jack is not yet comfortable in the physical clashes because he is not yet big enough to win them ..... but that doesn't make him soft. The problem for the opposition in a few years time will be to find someone tall enough to stop him in the air and fast enough to match him on the lead. Like anyone ... his appetite for body contact will grow when he finds himself big enough to withstand it. Some people on this thread have suggested that he wouldn't be getting as many games if he had been a No. 20 draft pick......................... Give him a break - if he had been a No 20 draft pick , we'd all be salivating at the way a skinny 19 year old who hasn't done a pre-season is contributing to the improvement in our forward line. Back to topic - a $300k front-ended contract would not be over the odds

Thank-you Inner Demon , for an excellent analysis. There are two matters that might alter the scenario 1. The possibility that The Gold Coast will take Miller giving us formula- driven access to another pick - potentially in the top 50 2. The possibility that we might be able to trade out someone like Cheney to a club that will give him more opportunity .. ( which the playing group might see as a positive) The big question you raise again surrounds Junior. On form before his injury - he would have been a certain starter next year. I reckon the decision will be his .... and his form in the next two weeks will be crucial. With Fitzpatrick, Gawn Spencer and a fit(?) Martin the mix, there must be a question mark over PJ? Whether or not Strauss gets an extension must surely depend on the extent of his injuries this year ... and his own will to succeed. These are things we are not in a position to judge.

Wrong... If he is getting a good run ( and for the most part he has been contributing to an effective forward line) , it is because he is a fast and agile tall capable of causing headaches to the opposition for the next decade in the most important position on the field. Unfortunately Cheney and Maric are dime-a-dozen small to mid-size players without explosive pace. In fairness , Maric may have some special "football smarts" .. and I'd like to see him get a few more chances to show it

Fair call .... But just to check - has he had his contract extended past this year? ( and good hear that Tapscott's injury is not serious)

Good point. Still no info on why he's not playing for Casey this week?

Just noticed that Luke Tapscott has not been named for either Casey team this week. Has anyone heard anything about an injury or illness.He'll certainly need to play the two remaining games with Casey to qualify for the experience of participation in the VFL finals.I trust he hasn't suffered any major setbacks.

Although only 18 are on the field at any one time ,the game has effectively become 22 v 22 ..... and the contest is distorted ( 22 v 20) when one team loses a couple of players early in the game. For the integrity of the competition ,I think it is important to re-introduce the concept of a substitute.For many years , clubs only had a 19th man .... and the 20th man came later as more and more teams began to finish a player short. As injured players began to recover on the sidelines, the call went out to allow substitutes to interchange - and then as teams continued to struggle to cover on-field injuries, the interchange bench was increased to four. Somehow this core issue has been lost in a debate about the ability of sports scientists to rotate players for maximum speed. The question should be : Do you want 18 plus 4 interchanges plus 2 substitutes or do you want to cap the total at 22 (so as not to put more pressure on total player numbers)? If you want to keep it at 22, then you have two of the AFL's three present options. Leaving 4 on interchange and capping the number of rotations will do nothing to overcome the distortions caused by injuries during a match - and is an unnecessary arbitrary restraint on the evolution of the game. Let's make it 20 v 20 ( 18 on the field at any one time) plus two substitutes - and allow the 20 to rotate as many times as they like.

30 into 22 won't go ... and so 8 are unhappy. I'd be worried if we had a group of players who were as happy as Larry when they didn't get a game ! Thank goodness Harrison doesn't rule ! (Sorry - just had to add to the chorus of those who have criticized this mischievous post)

Also the initial article referred to a medial ligament strain. Medial ligament is not nearly as serious as anterior cruciate ligament damage. Hopefully he won't be gawn for long.

Agree .... every time he gets near the ball - which is a lot - he has to carry the weight of all these blind detractors.

Bad luck Max Hopefully you're only gawn for 6-8 weeks ...... until the start of pre-season

They won't pay a fortune for him - but I reckon he's definitely worth a bit to GC. They need strong bodies, leadership and experience to help out the youngsters. He has all those qualities

Got to agree with this ... can't believe how many just happily list PJ as an out Unfortunately we do need a ruck option - Jamar is a better player when he can take a spell up forward - and PJ has been a contibutor over the past two weeks. I really don't know who'll be dropped. May be someone is sore ( Dunn?). At this stage, I'd probably say Morton ( to work on his defensive skills) and Wona ( because he is struggling to put together 4 quarters). Leave it to the FD .... but I'd be surprised if PJ is not in the 22

Quite brilliant. It's now up to all of us to grasp that imagery and spread the message far and wide. We have more reason to be proud of our club than any others have.It just took an Irishman to bring it all together - and communicate it Thanks Jim ... now you get well

We will still be in contention if we lose a game before Round 22.The other contenders have tough draws. Our game against North in Round 22 will be a battle for 8th spot -- if we can win 2 of our next 3.

You get the impression that a lot of scribes want to encourage someone other than picks #1 and #2. The fact that Trenners not in the side at present must be working against him. My money'd be on Hurley if he plays another standout game - just ahead of Hanneberry I must say that I would love Jordie to get a nomination...... he's been fantastic all year

Why then did he play for Casey on the Sunday ? Every time he came to the interchange, he got a lower back (hip) massage .... though he didn't seem inconvenienced on the field

To me the Bentleigh Club is a tired facility in a staid residential area removed from public transport. The Yawla St venue is surely a dead duck. If there is any way the merged entity could cash in on the land value and use the funds to build a new facility in Casey,say, then it might be an exciting opportunity .... no risk - no reward. Like you ,I trust the club to identify all the complex legal and commercial issues that will certainly be involved.

Moloney and Trengove should be automatic selections. The problem is that Jurrah is the only player who couldn't reasonably complain if he was dropped. He needs his confidence back ... Will getting dropped add to his woes - or will a game at Casey give him a better chance to fire? No idea who goes out - surely it will depend on fitness, general soreness etc. Great position to be in

In principle I'd be just as happy if we finished 9th or 10th - but I want us to win at least 3 of our 4 games from here on in ..... and if we do that - we'll just about sneak in. Logically everyone who has criticized this thread is absolutely right.... get some reward for effort and some finals experience to boot. Just as long as everyone recognizes that the difference between 8th and 12th on the ladder is just the luck of the draw .... and that we will have to work just as hard in the off season to be any sort of contender next year as the 12th team will.Who will push themselves harder in 40 degree heat over the summer.... a team that has just been congratulated for making the finals - or a team carrying the stigma of finishing 12th ? Its not insane to recognize that some of our youngsters might work that fraction harder during the pre-season if we finish in the bottom half of the ladder. I desperately want us to get an edge over Richmond and North .... and to beat our AAMI Stadium hoodoo. If we do that we'll make the finals. We'll just have to trust that DB will keep everyone's feet on the ground ... and that competition for places will ensure that every individual works like a navvy to improve before next season

This is one week when I'm perfectly happy to leave it to the selectors..... and to accept whatever they come up with. Its been a long time since we've had 22 players earn another game - when there are several automatic selections out of the side.All of the players know that this year is a development year and that selection will be a balance between long-term plans (including pride in earning the jumper) and week-to -week imperatives. I just hope we can reproduce last week's form on the road.

Bad luck mate.... we've all rounded on you. Yes ... it is a fact...... and I see it as a real positive. It shows that he's been prepared to back himself to improve his asking price over the rest of the season. Quite frankly I would have been a little concerned about his confidence and ambition if he'd locked himself in when he was running around on the wing at Casey. Keep on posting!

Couldn't have said it better myself............... very lazy journalism. Ando must have been too hung over to come up with anything worthwhile. It is a pointless argument anyway ...

Don't disagree with this (esp Maric) ................ the problem is that you have to drop someone. Junior , Trenners and (hopefully) Grimes all have to come back over the next few weeks.