Je Roos Salem

Thanks Tasman and others for reporting, and I hate reading long things. Hope there is another session soon, couldn't make it today but the afternoons suit me better than the usual early morning ones

At least our Etihad home game's early in the season this time.

Opinions? I only use facts here! (wink)

At least they got the ruckman right! Morton and Watts as KPF's is the best bit

He still goes down alright on Sunday nights with a roast dinner though

If we get our pants pulled down twice in the top end again we have to terminate the partnership immediately. The Richmond game is our only night game in Melbourne (And it's Sunday). Some of the slots suck (Wish we could play Carlton early in the season) but who we play twice is fairly trivial as a soft fixture has never really helped us (or our crowds) Also if you include preseason we play the Saints at Etihad 3 TIMES this year We just have to win 2/3 of Bombers, Tigers and Pies to get our season rolling. At our very best I could see us 5-4 after Round 9, but from thereon I could still see us struggling our way to 8-9 wins Also, it's nice to see that the AFL has scheduled us in Geelong for the 2nd season in a row before the bye (wink)

He's definitely not a pure forward but still 2 goals from 8 games this year is pretty poor. Has to find more of the ball to stay in the team, especially given his size (his legs are tiny). I wouldn't have him on the chopping block until maybe 2017 if he hasn't improved, but he will find it tough to crack the 22 with a fit list

Hope so. No one ever waits until the draft to make these best 22 threads though!

But that's not the reason why Dawes butchers the ball and drops marks. If lack of opportunities was my concern then I'd point it out. I think we're better structured without him. Pedo has gone from whipping boy in 2013 to respected contributor this year. People would've agreed with you two years ago on Pedersen but clearly most people have noticed his improvement. Dawes has gone the opposite way.

I feel like I've accomplished something when I run about half of that in 1:50 (Recreationally on streets/trails). That time is ridiculous

And he tries to make up for this by getting in front of Hogan and jumping for marks he can't take. In the St.Kilda game Dawes was everywhere in the first quarter but rolled a simple kick through for a point and then shanked a kick sideways inside 50. Cost us two goals and all the momentum at the start

He was fantastic. Didn't think a lot of him up until then, but that had to do with him being sub. I'd have him in my team too based on what he showed in that game

We recruited Dawes to fill a hole we no longer need him to. He's had 3 years, he's had a lot of time to improve but we still don't score enough. What's wrong with trying something new? I said some of his shortcomings could be excused if he kicked more goals, not that kicking goals is the be all and end all of his game. Dawes is a part of the problem of our slow tempo and poor delivery inside 50. If I thought our play in the middle was a bigger problem then I'd be badmouthing Vince, Jones and Viney.

Why can't I connect a forward who doesn't kick enough goals to our lack of scoring? Hogan and Garlett can create chances out of nothing. Tom McDonald is a star compared with Dawes when put inside 50. Good forwards get in good spots, create chances. If Dawes could maybe kick 1.5 goals a game or be a decent ruck some of his shortcomings could be excused.

Dawes is clearly limited by his fitness and shape! How is Pedo not more versatile? He can play in defence and ruck. Dawes can't get separation on defenders and when he does he's still not a good mark. When he has the ball up the ground he's poor at finding targets too. Whatever 'leadership' you think Dawes can give the forward line it's not working on the field. We don't score enough. Anyway, Pedo's arm injury gave him plenty of time to work on his fitness

Have they ever been dropped for one another? They played together a lot last year but it's different now we have Hogan in the forward line. I'd take Pedersen due to marking, versatility and disposal although he's not perfect either

I'm not claiming its fact, It's just likely Dawes would've stayed in the VFL for longer due to Pedersen's form, which is reasonable

I don't get what you're disputing. Dawes played one game in the VFL, then got back in the following week because Pedersen was injured and Hogan was rested

Pedo kept Dawes in the VFL until he broke his wrist. Even if Hogan likes Dawes it doesn't really matter, they aren't a good combo and this year's results show that

A good measuring stick of our depth will be if Matt Jones gets a game again

They're always pretty kind to us in Round 1. Should be a good game but I wish we could start against Essendon or Carlton.

Agree. He took ages to show any sort of form last season and I don't think we can wait for him to find form/fitness, we simply have to pick a disciplined team who can do the fundamentals and get a score on the board. Dawes drops marks and regularly shanks kicks and it was evident from the R2 GWS game that his mind wasn't on the job

It's really good news for young players. Debuting as the sub particularly gave them no chance to prove themselves

This thread is 'best 22' not 'most likely 22' though...

I honestly forgot about King when I posted. I think he's a good chance to debut next year. Still very raw looking but has good goal sense. Could be a third rookie list success story for us. Whether it's him or not we will need a 3rd goal kicker in 2016 if we're gonna get anywhere, a decent target whether it be Watts, Pedersen or Dunn