RalphiusMaximus

I have no problem with banning the spear tackle, but the whole dangerous tackle thing is just stupid. The correct way to tackle a player is to pin their arms so as to prevent their passing the ball. Now we're being told that this is in fact a dangerous tackle as it prevents them from protecting their head when they hit the ground? And "slinging" a player? So if I only get hold of a handful of jumper or one arm I'm supposed to let go and try again rather than put them down? Every player in the competition understands that there is a slight possibility of being hurt when these things happen and they accept that. What I do like is the notion of fining players who dive. In particular I want to see something done about the practice of falling to your knees when tackled from behind. It has become a true blight on the game to see the number of frees payed when the player being tackled has dragged their opponent down on top of themselves.

On the wing. With his speed and run he'd be an almost impossible matchup.

I don't think it's a question of whether he is ready. When you look at the number of players who can play in the midfield, perhaps it's felt that he's a better option back there being a rebounder/playmaker than in the middle where there are plenty of others who can play. Moving into the midfield is not the sign of a better player, despite what the brownlow judges think. How many of our mids could dominate in the back 6 and still provide run through the middle when needed?

Interesting picture of Hughes and Watts. Make Hughes look like a big lad. Also quite happy with the look of Spencer. He's clearly put on some muscle.

I really hope the last two years show as much as the 2007 batch, especially in terms of depth. If our top picks kick on and we get consistent games out of the lower ones we'll be well ahead.

Awesome. Now was this not offered to Scully and Gysberts or did they not want to sign?

The club will be compensated, but not fairly. I have no faith whatsoever in the AFL's "secret" formula to determine the value of a player. This whole mess is a disgrace and should be grounds for the immediate removal of Andy and his entire board.

Have to say the Armstrong story is the best of the lot.

Nice little article on Grimes in the Herald-Sun. JACK GRIMES PROVES NO SHOW PONY Very interesting to hear him talk about his setbacks and how they handled them.

Absolutely agree. For e these hurt far worse than any players leaving us. The most annoying departure for me was Jeff Farmer. Not so much the loss of the player as the way he went about it. His conduct robbed us of a decent trade and we were left having to take what was offered, well below market value.

Very interesting that he lists Scully, Trengove and Gysberts as being possible round one selections. Two of those three you'd have picked.

I'm not in any way saying that that's the only reason he was taken. My point is that in a draft where there was very little to distinguish between many of the mid-range picks, this could well have been a deciding factor in which player to take. Most commentators agreed that after the top ten (or eight, or six) there was a sharp drop off and that you could throw a blanket over twenty or so players for the rest of the first round.

I'd like to address this from my admittedly limited experience of the game. I am not a good footballer. It's not my sport. I have at best mediocre skills and I'm too slow off the mark. I do however have very fast hands and I know how to use my size. I am 184cm, which put me slightly taller than the majority of opponents I faced. When playing in high school I found that my size was a huge asset. I could play on guys who were faster, more skilled and all round better players and hold my own because I had reach and weight on my side. The better players would still leave me for dead, but I found that a few extra cm was a surprisingly effective equaliser for me. This is not just something that has an impact at schoolboy level. At the start of the decade we saw the effect of Leigh Matthews' "Bigger Bodies" policy. He wanted his midfielders to be bigger than everyone else so that they could brutalise them in close. His star midfield was able to monster opponents, could break tackles and get the ball out while being tackled because they were bigger and stronger. Extra height equates to extra weight, making you harder to tackle and harder to move off the ball. You hit with more force so your tackles and bumps are more damaging. Three premierships in a row is hard to argue with. Getting back to Gysberts, I think the overriding factor in his selection was not that he was markedly better than other options at that pick but that he has played with Scully regularly and they already have a good understanding of each others' game. Likewise I think that the club was thrilled with Tapscott falling to 18, not just because of his game, but because of his ties to Trengove. The team-building aspects are simply another aspect of their value to the club. We've been repeatedly told that they want these kids to bond and grow together so that they gel as a cohesive unit. How good is it that the bonding is already well under way before they get to the club?

Happy New Year one and all! May the next 12 months bring us victory in spades and a higher ladder position that any of us dare to hope.

It's not like he won't be tackled harder than that in games. It was just rotten luck, nothing more.

I had a friend in highschool who hit a guy going the wrong way around a roundabout and killed him. Even knowing that he couldn't have avoided the crash and it was entirely the other guy's fault he was really messed up. It's not something where you can shrug and say "not my fault..."

Where can I find stats on this kid? I don't even know his name (aside from Stretch), so it's not easy looking him up. I'd love to know what sort of player we are looking at here.

Only if the Hawks get fed up with his drug abuse and drinking. If so, would we want him?

I just want to say, is this guy having a bad week or what? First the cruise debacle and now this? He has had a shocking end to the year. First he's drafted by Carlton, then he's publicly humiliated by his teammates on a booze cruise, and now this accident. I really hope things pick up for the guy, because right now he's got to be feeling like hell. Article Here.

I think everyone is missing the point here. It seems clear to me that these incidents, while occurring in the past (generally with Fev), were nowhere near as frequent as they have been in the last month. Clearly we are seeing here the influence of renowned bad egg Brock McLean on his new playing group. While it says something about his ability to lead men that he has so quickly had such a profound impact, I think it says more about his character that he should pick up his hard drinking ways so soon after departing Melbourne. But seriously... It looks to me like Fev wasn't the only troublemaker at the club. I'm wondering how often his drinking was urged on by his fellow senior players. We'll see soon enough now that he's in Brisbane how much he differs in his public demeanor. I have no questions about Judd's on field leadership. He is a player who can take a game and change the result. However, there have to be some serious questions about what he does away from the game. I can't see Junior letting that sort of thing go on, nor can I see Judd calling a struggling junior player and telling him that he's doing well and if he keeps it up things will improve. To me he seems more and more a spoiled child who is being treated like royalty and has let it go to his head. Perhaps if Visy fired him from his ambassadorial role he might have more time to devote to the going s on at the club?

All of which is a very good thing. I just wish we were getting them sooner.

When do Viney and Stretch get drafted?

Are you actually saying you don't get it? That's just frightening. Yes he is.

Interesting to see the numbers for each game. I've put us down for wins on a couple of games that are really only maybes, so the number of games tipped is higher than the 7-8 I think we'll win. My votes: Richmond North Melbourne West Coast Port Adelaide Essendon 50-50 Fremantle Sydney 50-50 Richmond Port Adelaide North Melbourne The games against Essendon and Sydney I regard as 50-50 because there is no way to know how they will look next year. Both have had some very significant changes to their lists and could well find themselves struggling, especially towards the end of the year when injuries take their toll. If their new-look forward lines work out, they may well still prove too strong for us, but if they don't I think we can take both sides.

I think that's more the role they have in mind for Fitzpatrick.