Binmans PA

The Watts family are close to the Scullys. I know they have dinners together at least semi-regularly. Tom won't ever move to Sydney. I doubt very much whether he'd uproot his life and his family to go up there. He'll play with Melbourne next year. Scully is probably too focused on training and getting himself out on the park, rather than sitting on Twitter. Morton and Petterd could take a lesson or two from him over the last few weeks. Their attitude hasn't been with it. Perhaps get off twitter.

I've gotta say he looked injured last week too.

Well said, although I think our defensive zones or lack there of are just as bad. We also don't run hard enough forward, when we win the ball in the defensive 50. You only need to watch our hard Geelong run out of their back 50. I couldn't think of a more transparent game plan than what we used tonight (which we've used as our only plan all year) - long kick to a pack on the half back flank, which if we don't mark (on a night like tonight we never were), we look to kill the ball out of bounds and reset. It's hopeless strategising. The only possible explanation for our lack of plan B all over the ground is that Bailey doesn't want us to be worked out by other teams before we're actually physically up to challenging for a flag. This is of course crazy talk. It's not so much that we lose the game (we were never going to beat Carlton), it's how we went about it. Barely anyone gave a yelp and we played like we knew we'd loose. It's not just the forwards, it's tackling all over the ground. Pitiful. Furthermore, the things that have let us down this year is poor decision making, coupled with poor skill execution. Of course it's most often the latter rather than merely a poor possession. Never centre the ball unless you're absolutely certain your team mate will take it. If you're ever going to break this rule, you've gotta make sure you execute the skill you were drafted for. If not you ought to be dragged. How far have we come this year? Well, we still have Jones, Warnock and Newton on our list. Warnock can usually shut down your mongrel full forward, but with those types far less prevalent, he simply hasn't been up to it. Newton showed signs one or two seasons back that if he got his kicking right he could have been anything. Unfortunately, he seems to be getting less of the ball, consequently less shots on goal and not converting his opportunities. Perhaps it's the team being placed under pressure or perhaps it's his leading patterns, but he seems to find himself on 45 degree angles far more than he used too. As for Jones, well I cannot understand why he's still on our list and why people rave about him. Okay, so he wins the ball, but he hasn't a clue of his limitations. He constantly tries to take them on and 99% of the time gets caught and turns it over. If he's not turning it over being tackled, he's turning it over by foot. I truly believe we've drafted a fantastic midfield. Even our second string midfield has done well the past three weeks without Jamar. Martin's ruck work has improved out of sight and Moloney, Gysberts, Sylvia and McKenzie seem to be working nicely together. They're not tackling quite enough, but are beating their team mates easily. Inject Scully, Trengove and even Davey in there and you've got a top midfield in a couple of years. Then there's Viney. Where we fall down is a) our structures b ) our forwards' inability to lay tackles and keep the opposition pinned in our half and c) our lack of a tall target "get-out-of-jail" player that we can direct the ball too, so our crumbers can get to work. I originally thought that a medium sized, mobile forwardline would prove more difficult to match up on (and could still prove to be), but this season has so far shown me that we do in fact lack the mongrel to kick it on top of. Jamar, Fitzpatrick, Campbell and Gawn's absence of course delivers a fairly significant blow to our hope of a big bloke up forward, but the more I see us play, the more I think we are screaming out for a tall forward to take the pressure off Jurrah, Petterd and Watts. Maybe finals was too much to expect from such a young team this year, but I certainly want us to improve on our record from last year. Moreover, I'd like to think we'd have sorted out all of our zonal problems by the end of the season. Then again, I was hoping that half way through last season.

So excited by his game. Can't wait for another 30 games under the belt and he can stick it to all the doubters.

I'd certainly back this.

I thought Warnock was embarrassing at times today. He did his job, but was certainly the weak link in our defence. He just holds on every week. Something I've noted others do when they're out of form. Perhaps if he can string some consistent games together, he'll begin to position himself better in contests and use his big body. In short, I think his game today has been overrated. He should play next week though.

Let's hope so, mate.

Still goes in and out of games too often for my liking. Particularly a player who was drafted in '03. He'd be arguably our best player if he was a consistent, four quarter player.

I'll eat some humble pie this week and the turn around was exactly what I wanted. However, it means bugger all if we don't turn up next week. I don't expect us too. As soon as we play away from the 'G, we're very ordinary. I hope some of the players read this and prove me wrong.

Kangas have killed us in recent times due to their massive forwardline. Next week's a time to go top heavy if ever there was.

Add a third to that one. Already showing signs of fantastic leadership and sheer class.

Seems to happen that way. When things go your way...well, things go your way.

It was a good goal. The only downside is he'll think he can do it every week and that's the problem. He'll get tackled every other week. He needs to play to his strengths.

Both favourites. [censored] amazing. Love them.

He reminds me of Kenny Dalglish. Pity he can't come back and do what Kenny's done to Liverpool. One of those rare men deserved of the title of Legend.

If the entire squad had the same desire as Jack did last night it would have been a much closer game. It was a good game from Jack. He must continue to put these efforts in. I'm not trying to insinuate he hasn't previously, but he tried to assert himself into some contests last night. I was reasonably happy with his game.

I'm the same as well. A couple have fallen off the Bailey wagon tonight. I don't think anyone will be jumping on to fill it up too soon either. I can't see a turn around that will have me back on his side.

Has Frawley got money on this game?

Frawley is not interested. Drop him. We loose this and I get off the fence. Bailey has to go at season's end. I've supported him until now, but this is the last straw.

Could it be that our coaching staff back us to beat a Collingwoodesque set up? We did break down their zones twice last year.

He looks far better down back and comfortable in the ruck. Up forward he looks lost. Don't play him there until he can provide a contest every time. At least bring the ball to ground and don't allow an easy defensive clearances. As soon as he went back he looked like an AFL defender. In the ruck he showed deftness with his taps, as he has done in the first two games. He seems to have some confidence back which is helping.

Just imagine who we'll beat if we play four quarters of football some day soon. We still haven't even played two quarters in a game yet. That's a positive and a negative for obvious reasons.

I thought Jetta made some horrible, horrible errors that were fully deserving of his subbing. I like Jetta, but he's not blessed with superb skills, just persistence. I thought his clanger going back with one hand on half back in the third term was the turning point in the game. That and Petterd's selfish ill-converted snap in the third. I watched the first half again today on tv and admittedly Jetta was quite good in our better patches. But he really killed us in the third. I'd sit him out for a week or give him the sub spot. That said, I'd like to see Gysberts and Aussie back in this week. Jetta drops out for mine. Along with Maric.

If you love your club you'll go irrespective of the time. I work Mon-Fri but I still turn up. It all sounds like excuses to me.

Terry's finally starting to explore list management to build a premiership team...Richmond supporters'll ask why he didn't do that before he signed a five year deal with them. This bloke is a joke.