RalphiusMaximus

Jordie McKenzie.

I really wish I could believe you.

More and more I'm leaning towards not paying Tom significantly over market value. He is going to be a great player, there is no doubt of that, but throwing huge wads of cash at him could potentially do far more harm than good. To begin with there is the ill-feeling it could create within the team to have a young guy who has in no way earned that sort of money being the highest payed player on the list. Then there's the very real possibility that GWS would simply make the same offer to Trengove next year, leaving us with the same debate all over again. On top of the GWS issue, we've already had several clubs sniffing around our young stars, and that will only continue. We need to keep our player payments under control and relatively even if we are to have any hope of fending off the poachers who will see opportunity in the situation. All in all, I would really like it is Scully decided to stick around, but I can't see any possible justification for paying him seven or eight hundred thousand a year. Realistically, the only thing to do is to put it to him that he has in no way earned that sort of money and ask if he could look his teammates in the eye knowing that they are all on less so that he could have more. Sorry to say Tom, you will be great, but you're not worth the potential loss of 3-4 other young guns.

Had another look at the last quarter this morning. Saw Morton competing for a ground ball. He went in full pelt, outbodied his man, won the ball and found a teammate with the handball from his knees. It's only a single incident, but it's exactly what we've all been wanting from him. He's showing signs of getting it. Now he needs to do it all the time, not just a couple of times a match.

Cool. I really thought he was gone for good.

I don't think we need to trade for someone. Cook and Fitzpatrick are building up and they are both pretty good from all reports. Bailey has already mentioned Fitzpatrick as being earmarked for the role when he puts on a bit more bulk. Over the next few years we should see a drastic improvement in our forward 50 as these guys get a foothold in the side.

I don't know about the team as a whole, but apparently Jack Watts was quite ill in the week leading up to the game.

I don't see anyone getting the nod this year, despite a better ladder position. Jamar lost part of the year to injury, so no real chance. On the bright side this will be the first time in years that Sandilands isn't in the squad. Frawley has had an up and down season and there are others in more fashionable sides that the selectors like to rave about. I think Gibson and Harry O are shoe-ins for starters. Green is no chance. He's been well off the standard of last year. I do like the notion that big Stef could be a shot. It's a stretch and would depend on how the selectors went about it, but if they were to pick someone for the second ruck as it is being played now, he would have to be in the running. Possible Vickery would be in the same category. Not many others doing it as well as those two.

I'm not too fussed at the moment. We are winning the games, so it's not a massive loss, and I doubt we'll have to sell home games again any time soon, so it's a short term problem. Live with it until the deal has run its course, then make sure you show up at the ground next time we play Port at the MCG.

Our backline has been a bit of a letdown for me. They're starting to get back to where they were last season, but for the most part they have been less impressive. I am wondering if Grimes will be able to force his way back in given the way Strauss and Tapscott are playing. Given the rapid development of Tom MacDonald and Davis at Casey, it may be that Grimes and Garland find themselves being overtaken by players who are bigger and better kicks. On the bright side, the depth we are developing back there is amazing. I'm also a little bothered by Morton. I have defended him frequently when people have put him in their worst simply because it's what they do, but he has not produced to the level I would have liked. He has had a few good games where he was allowed to run free and play as a midfield linkman, but when he's had to be more accountable he's fallen short. I really hope he gets his head around the way he needs to play, because I still see a great player in him waiting to come out. While Jurrah has looked lazy at times, the reality is that he is in the same boat that Robbo was for much of his career. He's a third or fourth tall who is being forced to play as a primary target while the youngsters develop. I think he's handling the situation quite well for a player of his experience, and his last few games have been a real improvement. He's also being helped by Martin And Watts improving and taking some of the attention away from him. Another pre-season to build his stamina and I think we'll be prety happy with what we see from him next year.

The AFL didn't get it wrong. They simply chose how to play it.

Who's having a good game? Goals?

You did notice Strauss repeatedly running back with the flight and getting a fist to the ball right? His defence was really good tonight. I think Scully may be rested. He's listed as an injury and there's a reason he was subbed off. Wouldn't be at all surprised to find that Scully gets a week off and Flash comes in.

Interesting thing watching Morton's game (and I agree he wasn't great tonight). He seems to be trying to be physical and just not quite know how to do it. A couple of times he went in really hard to bump his man off the ball, and while I applaud the effort, he looked really ungainly and didn't really have the impact he was trying for. If he can learn to use his size a little better it will be a huge advantage for him playing in the midfield.

I thought Watts looked like he was really struggling with the conditions. He didn't have his usual run and the set shot he missed looked like his legs were made of rubber. However, when he got the ball he used it with his usual poise. How was his assist to Gysberts?

Howe for me. We'd already found all those guys on the list.

I can't be bothered reading back to see if anyone else has posted this, but it seems the AFL are changing the rules to help GWS snare Scully. Check out the article. Amazingly, even though they signed off on third party payments as recently as last year, they are now telling us that if we try it with Tom it will be seen as part of the salary cap. Gotta love the "even playing field" the AFL provide.

Don't get too excited folks. I hear from a very good source that he's been offered a big contract by GWS. :D

Are we being asked who we want as coach or who is going to be coach? THe poll isn't exactly clear on that. I would love to have Malthouse come and coach us, so if it is the former then Mick all the way. Since I seriously doubt that we have the money to lure Mick to the club and he doesn't strike me as the type to take a pay cut just to work with the best young list in the country, if it's the latter I think we may all be surprised and find that Bailey has been given another year or two. Edit: I swear that question in red wasn't there two minutes ago.

In a thread about Sam, I think I'm entitled to voice an opinion of his game. I agree that there were other people who had far worse games, but I will stand by my comments on his play. I'm pretty sure I've never taken part in the attacks on Watts, Frawley and Garland. In fact, I've been fairly consistent in saying that Watts will be worth the wait. I did say last year that Strauss was soft, because he was. I have been saying this year that he's improved his contest amazingly and is now looking like an AFL player. As for Scully's kicking, it is reliable and reasonably accurate, but his field kicking is too high, giving it more hang time than it needs and allowing opponents to reach the contest. If he wants to be an elite kick at AFL level he will need to re-work his kicking action to fly lower and reach his targets more quickly. Feel free to dispute any of these points, or we could get back to chatting about Sam and his game on the weekend.

Yeah, that's pretty close to what I'm seeing too. I think the Carlton game will be closer than many fear, but we won't win it. The other three of the big four are all bigger-bodied sides who will smash us in the middle. Even if we get wins out of the rest of them, I think the best that will get us is 9th, and since that spot should always be reserved for Richmond, count on us going lower than that. Not a great end to the season.

I'm honestly struggling to find six players who deserve votes at this point. There was a whole lot of insipid out there last night.

Care to address the actual point raised?

Geez, you'd hate to overreact and miss the point entirely at the same time, wouldn't you? I'm talking about the effort he put in. I can excuse poor judgement, poor skills or being outplayed. But he just gave up and let the guy run off. He knew where he was supposed to be. He started to chase and then just gave up and let the guy go. That's an attitude problem, and for a guy getting his first sniff at a spot in the senior side that is not acceptable. Compare this to Howe's first game. He was involved in everything and giving 100% the whole time. When he wasn't going to get the ball he was blocking and sheparding for teammates, running hard and constantly presenting. He played like he was desperate to cement a spot in the side. I am very disappointed that Blease didn't.

The umpiring was terrible, and there were some really obvious howlers that went against us, but there were also a number of bad calls against the dogs. It was a case of the umpires being consistently bad across the board. My personal pick of the bunch was a foul on Jamar in the goalsquare that was not called. He was in prime position to take the mark readying himself to run at the two players in front of him when a Dog defender ran in fro the side and bullrushed him sideways and away from the contest. Whether you call it sheparding in a marking contest (which they got away with all night) or tackling without the ball, it was clearly a free kick.