RalphiusMaximus

It should be on ABC and SEN radio. Sadly that's the best I can get access to. Given how bad the SEN team were to me over the NAB cup, I think I'll go with ABC.

While I would be thrilled to pull off a win, I don't expect one and won't be all that worried if we don't get one. I just hope we show some improvement and some fight. If we give another insipid performance it could very easily be a 100 point margin. That's something nobody wants to see.

It's not just against us. I don't understand why everyone rates him so highly. Averages just under 12 disposals a game 1.6 marks and 0.6 goals. The most impressive thing about him is his 3.6 tackles a game. Watts is beating him in everything but tackles and hitouts, yet everyone seems to think he's a dud.

I have often thought that when I'm a gazillionaire I'd sponsor Melbourne to have nothing but the club logo and player numbers on their jumper. It would bring me such a massive sense of pride to see the club standing for nothing but itself. While I understand the necessity of sponsorship, I hate seeing their names all over the great jumper.

The Gys is going to be serious value for us if he can get his body sorted out. He's got the build of a flanker with the mindset of an inside mid. Wins his own ball on the ground and in the air. We have a desperate need for guys who can rack up big disposal counts, and he went 30+ in his first game. I just want him to have a couple of seasons without injuries.

I expect close to a carbon copy of round 1. We'll put up a fight for the first half and then give way under the pressure. Our forward structure will continue to struggle to produce and eventually the weight of numbers will tell and their forwards will gain dominance. Only difference is that WC are a significantly better side than Brisbane and will hit us harder on the scoreboard.

Bailey played him as a mid. Came very close to ending his career.

I'm amazed that nobody else has put the pieces together. If it is true that the leak was a former player at the club, then really there is only one possible candidate. Who else has publicly slandered the club, lied to the media and proven his lack of integrity? Tom Scully!

The state of our midfield can be summed up by the knowledge that Watts was played there and was one of our better performers. Where the hell are the raft of onballers who should be getting in there ahead of him?

Agreed. Will he burn a few big names or take a safer path and make a few token changes? I say let the bloodletting begin.

As for Misfud, this is now twice that he has resorted to trial by media rather than moving through the proper channels. There are procedures in place to deal with any apparent racism in the game and administration, and he has taken it upon himself to not follow them and instead to simply put it into the public forum and force the issue. This is a totally unacceptable approach and he can not be allowed to continue in such a sensitive position. In my job I too have access to sensitive and often confidential information. I can say with absolute certainty that if I were to make any of this information public knowledge I would be sacked the moment I was found out and rightly so. I can not understand how the billion dollar business of the AFL does not follow the same standards.

Lots of people saying that there was a source within the club. Is there any evidence of this? Has it been reported in an article or interview? To the best of my knowledge there has been nothing said to even hint that there was someone within the club involved.

Did he make it up or was he told this by someone at the club?

Didn't someone pick this a few minutes ago?

The concensus from everyone but the AFL is he has to be sacked it seems. Surely Demetriou has no choice at this point given the way Misfud's earlier exploits have played out. The guy has to be sacked.

I guess the question will be answered in 4 years or so. In that time we all hope to see Mitch become a dominant forward and kick 50-80 goals a season. If that happens then nobody will doubt that it was a great move. If on the other hand he can't find form and plays a mediocre role, in and out of the side, never quite looking right, then we will all know that Leigh was right. Far more likely it will be somewhere in between and he will play the role we needed, take the best defender and let our other forwards develop with less pressure on them to perform immediately. I say revisit this discussion when his contract expires.

He's always said that it would be a consultation process to some extent. He spoke to the entire team before making the call. Maybe there were certain players who were exclude from the discussions at the order of the board, or maybe it was simply a case of the playing group not having real confidence in the leaders of 2011. I suspect we will never know exactly how this played out. Given that both captains have been talked about as "future captains" since they joined the club, I'm not at all bothered that the process has been hastened. It is a clear statement of intent regarding the senior playing group. They are on notice and need to show him something.

1 - Our senior players have been put on notice - and are taking it really badly. 2 - Sam Blease is not a forward. 3 - We need some of the better runners to get fit and get back into the team if we are to have any chance of competing. 4- The long bomb down the line still doesn't work as an attacking move. 5 - Jack Watts still lacks the necessary aggression, but his skill, class and pace still allow him to be dangerous.

I maintain that now is the time to bring Strauss back in. WC have lost their two best small forwards, so he's not as likely to be thrashed defensively, and he'll be a huge bonus with his ball use out of the back half. He would also combine well with Morton, who will love being able to float out into the wide open wings of Patterson's and receive a perfect pass from Strauss to go loping off along the boundary. It would be a good opportunity for both to show their strengths. Rives has to go. Not because he isn't a good player, but because he can't play on any of the big forwards WC has. Fletcher, Lynch and either Cox or NicNat will be down there and he simply can't compete in the air with guys that big. Sellar may not have quite the same skill set, but he has better mobility and a couple of inches in height over Rivers. He has to come in to take one of the man mountains. We may be forced to send Big Stef back there to take the resting ruck as well. This would leave us with Garland, Grimes and whoever is included in the side to take on the medium/small opponents. I don't like to drop Blease just yet. He played poorly, but it was in a position he isn't really comfortable with. I think we may see an Andrew Walker case here. Play him in a position he knows how to play rather than trying to force him into a mold he'll never fit. Let him run a wing or HBF rather than the FP. We'll get far more out of his pace and ball use that way. Crouch has to come in for one of our mids. I have no idea which one will go. From the sound of Neeld's comments Green is out, possibly Moloney and Davey too. This would allow Petterd, Dunn and of course Crouch to come in. I'll be very interested to see exactly what happens on Thursday.

I doubt Magner will miss. For all we know it's just a minor knock or twisted ankle and they pulled him off rather than risk a real injury. It's not like he's a kid who needs to be babied through the season.

I say bring Strauss back into the firsts. He was playing pretty good footy when he copped that elbow to the head. WC are down their two best smallish forwards, so he won't be taking on a big gun and we could really use his kicking to create play for us.

Wow. I don't know what I was thinking when I put those tips in, but it must've been good. I thought I'd gotten 4 this round. Turns out I got 7.

I think Tynan may fill the small defender role for us in years to come. He is beginning to look like a hell of a find. Our midfield is not elite and probably needs a bit of an overhaul. I'd love to see us trade for 1 more experienced mid to add a little extra immediately while our younger players come on, but I don't know if there's anyone we'd want in that position who will actually be up for trade for what we can give. Small forward is a must. Kel Lawrence is showing no sign of being the player we need, although he's lasted close to 18 months out here when he was reported to have huge homesickness issues early on.

This is something that has been hurting us as a team for a few years now. Our midfield has a very low possession count. We don't seem to have any serious ball-winners who will rack up 30+ disposals week in week out. We have a few guys who are damaging when they have it, but so many need to add about 10 to their average before they can be called good players.

I finally got around to watching the first half and I was honestly surprised by how well some of our boys played. Listening to the fire and brimstone on these boards I had expected diabolical. The truth is that in the first half we looked ok. Not great, not a premiership contender, but not bad either. There were some very nice bits of play from a number of players and it wasn't all the long bomb down the line. A couple of points. Watts - He was certainly one of our better players for the half. Noteworthy to me was a contest in the middle (which ultimately ended in a ball-up) where he came in on his knees, took possession, fended off a tackler one-handed while still on his knees, and almost got the ball out of the pack. I loved seeing that on so many levels. It showed desire for the ball, physicality, poise and ability. I'll also note that his one goal showed just how fast he is. He looked to be jogging, but burned off a guy who should have had him, took a bounce and turned it into an easy finish. Trengove - I can really see why people compare him to Bartel. He has a similar approach to contested marks. Bartel once said that one of his junior coaches told him the harder he went at the mark, the less likely he was to get hurt. You can see the same sort of attitude when Trenners throws himself into the air and/or his opponents to bring in a mark. He marks well above his size and can win some good ball around the ground. Magner - I am so glad I saw this half from him. I can't believe it took so long for someone to take him. The guy isn't only a clearance machine, he can kick and for some reason the umps seem to love him. The second free was soft, but it wouldn't have happened at all if he hadn't slotted a difficult shot from a sharp angle to start with, and all after a great tackle on a guy who has made a career from getting out of tight spots. Martin - Not a lot to crow about, but that one contested mark in the square is something I've been wanting to see from him for years. He has always been able to get to the ball, but usually he can't get it into his hands and winds up fumbling to the boundary or a ball-up. If he can control the ball like that more often he will become what we all hope he might. Incidentally, I was listening to SEN today and they were adamant that he should have been traded to the Hawks for Ellis and Young. Interesting notion. Davey and Blease - I think they can both have the same comment. They were really involved in the first few minutes, then vanished. I don't know if that is an endurance thing or a concentration thing. If one of them can keep that level of play up for the whole match they will be doing well. I'm beginning to feel the Tynan Vibe. The kid is fearless. He doesn't have the poise or polish yet, but he has what so many of our draftees lack - appetite for the contest. Imagine him in a few years when he's got a bit more weight on his frame. He'll be the new Wheelan. So yes, very unhappy with the way we folded in the third, but there are positives for me in the first half.