RalphiusMaximus

Having not seen the game, I really only have one thing to add to this discussion. I love seeing the name Johnson listed on the Bullants half back line.

I just loved seeing him line up Maxwell, flatten him and take the mark. :D His love of physical contact just adds to his game. That and good skills. Looks like we were all wrong about him (well, those of us calling for his head).

It's absurd to judge Watts on one game played in the rain. I was expecting 5 touches and a score. He's gone better than that. Next game he'll be playing in better conditions and he'll have a better idea of the game at this level. He'll do fine.

The way I see it, the reason we've seen finals action but not a flag in the last decade has been that we've always had a good number of B graders, but a serious lack of A's. The thing that the premiership sides have all had is a couple of top line players capable of tearing apart the opposition single-handed. What we have now is a very solid core group coming through. The defense is looking great and we are getting to the point where we can't play all of our mids in the same side. The great weakness in the forward line is being addressed. The big question then is whether we have anyone with the star quality we have lacked in the past. Personally, I think that the answer is yes. Colin Sylvia has shown glimpses of this in his attempts to win games off his own boot (often our only winning player on the bad days). In Watts and Jurrah I think we may have two more. If even one of them reaches the level we hope and Sylvia keeps his form going (or improving) we will be well on our way. Even better than this thought is that we may wind up with more still should Scully become what everyone hopes he can be. All in all I think we're well and truly on the right track.

Did you read the article on Sylvia? It gave an interesting insight into McDonald as a captain. The little note that when he was down and things didn't seem to be working, the captain called him up out of the blue and told him that he was doing the right things and it would click for him. That raised my opinion of him as a captain through the roof.

Geez, enough with the Jones bashing! The guy was great today. He was one of the few players willing to take it up to the Pies. Twice he ran after the loose ball on the boundary, bumped his opponent into the fence and won the contested ball. This was a great game for him, showing his strengths and just how valuable he is to our team.

Bell Junior Whelan Robbo? Trade bait from: Wheatly Dunn Bartram Bate Miller I'm torn on the rucks. PJ was shocking today. His disposal is absurdly poor. My only concern with getting rid of him would be the lack of depth we have to cover his loss.

Out: Bell, Whelan, PJ In: Jurrah, Bennell, Martin It might take a little shuffling to get everyone in the right places. I'd like to see Jurrah and Watts both playing in the forward 50. Bennell is a straight swap for Whelan. I have no idea where Martin would wind up playing, but it's simply a waste not to have him out there.

Positives: Sylvia Jamars big marks Sylvia's big hit on Maxwell (and mark) Jack Grimes for the first half Sylvia's long goal. I admit, I may have been wrong about Colin Sylvia. He seems to be coming along quite nicely.

Funny thing. I saw that same handball and suddenly said "Holy crap, I think I see what everyone's talking about!" The agility and evasive skill for such a big guy to find space in that mob and then hit a teammate he shouldn't have been able to see was hellishly impressive. If I have one complaint about what I saw on Saturday it's that he tried to take a big grab from behind when he should have punched, but if that's his only problem then we have a hell of a good player on our hands.

I thought he looked a little undersized. Surprised to hear he's that big. It looked to me like he was pushed around by a significantly bigger and stronger opponent in the first half (I have no idea who, I don't see enough games to tell most VFL players apart). That guy must be huge.

Sad to say, it looks very much like the notion of impartial umpiring has left the building. Either that or they are just not training them like they used to.

I'm very interested in the number of people who have put Bartram in our best today. Am I the only one who noticed that his kicks went to the opposition more than they did to his teammates? He's probably near the top of their goal assist stats for the day. Seriously, the guy is a menace with the ball in his hands. Worse than Godfrey any day.

Is he any relation to the other Silvagni?

No Jurrah?

Complete with the poor grammar?

So shall I be the pessimist and say Watts out for season! Sorry, but someone had to do it.

Meh. Fairly standard. There are dozens of players who would have done exactly the same thing in the situation. Basically it was a shocking kick and set the poor stepladder up to be climbed on.

So no chance that Fitzpatrick (I think) would drop that far? It'd be a bit of a coup if he did.

That'd be us, right?

That'd be two former all-Australian ruckmen who have both had a few lean years due to injuries. They have size, skill and experience on their side and Gardiner in particular has been dominating this season. We desperately need a ruck who can give us some decent service at stoppages. You would be amazed at how much better our midfield would look if the ball was coming to the to advantage.

I'm not worried. They have two matches against Richmond to come, and the one at Subi should be theirs for the taking. They play us again and I don't see us winning it without forwards. Add to that the Western Derby which they will absolutely try to win, and there shouldn't be a problem. Richmond may be another story. They will have a caretaker coach who isn't trying to win to keep his spot. Hell be doing his best to rebuild the playing group, starting with draft picks. We'll probably see s lot of fringe players getting game time trying to prove they should be kept on the list as well. I think they are a real chance to beat us to the spoon.

You don't think Scully is worth first pick in this scenario?

If you read the sentence after the one you highlighted it would make more sense. Either Watts or Jurrah to take Bate's spot.

Isn't Hughes a rookie? It's another couple of weeks before he can get a go. I really want to see Jurrah get a game or two. It seems like he's settled really well in the Casey seniors now. He's playing good football consistently. Let's sit Bate out and give him a shot. While i'd love to see Watts play this round, there's no way they'll put him in without Miller there to protect him a bit. He may be a bit of a spud, but Miller is a genuine hard nut when he needs to be, and Watts on his own is asking for trouble. So, if Watts comes in, it'll be for one of the small forwards, probably Bate. Jurrah as an outsider to make the same swap. If they do one of these, the forward line won't have much else altered. If neither of the newby's get a go, Bell and Miller can take a bench and make way for Newton and Robbo.