Little Goffy

That's really quite something, you don't attend a service lightly. Condolences to you and your family, DH. Ingerson is there representing us all.

On the bright side, like last year, Melbourne will have a nice bit of time to make their next selection after that top 10 - Gysberts at 11 last year, ? at 12 this year. But seriously, the AFL HQ reveal their lack of substance every time they add a new gimmick. Everything is a gimmick in Demetriou-land.

15 pages on one delisting. I'm glad we didn't end up with something like ditching Medhurst, Fraser, Lockyer and Davis... Actually... the experience of those four guys is pretty much exactly why Bruce has left. Next year maybe, and almost certainly the year after, he'd be in the same kind of situation. Better Melbourne and Bruce part ways now, for both parties. Still sad though.

Simon Godfrey thread. I'd recruit him as a rookie at 18, but if you konw that is all you're going to get then you use the spot for a shot at a brighter spark. Referring again to the whiteboard wednesday (wk3?)discussion of list management, we want 7/6/5 level players. Not a host of 4s.

Bizarre bad form. Not least of all that would be disrespectful to Presti, who the media conference was supposed to be about, no? And that is the case whether Jack Anthony is a complete criket's tossbag or not {to clarify - a cricket's testicles can weigh up to 14% of their total body mass)

Sentimental for $300,000 a year? The fact is the club need people to do a job if they are going to pay them six figure sums, and that job is now 'get us to a premiership'. They reckoned Bruce would be doing that job next year, but couldn't be sure of it after that. There's no shame in him deciding that he wants a different job, and if the Hawks (for example) reckon he'll do for their needs next year and after, so be it. I don't think he should, or would, be particularly sooky about it. And neither should the club complain - all people have a right to refuse a contract if it doesn't suit them. It would be nice, though, if the system had better provisions for managing older players. Some variation on the Veteran's List maybe, which at the moment is designed just to 'protect the asset' that is one or two marketing stars. Cameron Bruce has at least $3m in his pocket for his first ten years work almost straight out of high school, doing a job that has opened endless doors and seen his primary activity being self-development. I seriously doubt that any reasonable person, Bruce included, would really get sooky about that, even if they are sad to see it end.

To paraphrase - "It's the fish Scott Clayton rejects, that make Scott Clayton the best..." Can't say I'm excited about any of them. For pick 50 something you could do worse than Jack Anthony, he may yet bloom again. Probably the only real quality experienced player available is Cameron Bruce, but he wouldn't really suit our needs and wouldn't be around long enough to really help towards a premiership. So another year of kids it is.

I'd be up for an annual birthday party, combining a kind of family/kids day and a 'present' for the club like a hyperbaric chamber or something, depending on what is raised. And a big, big cake. But let's be clear, the sums would be a whole lot less than Debt Demolition. It would be as much an echo of the spirit and a nod to the 'foundation heroes' and the 'little foundation heroes' who were able to make the difference when it mattered most.

Poor Clint Bartram... has he even got a mention here, even as a tagger option? Anyway, the trouble with 'replacing' Cameron Bruce is that he was more or less a utility. USed more recently as a shut-down-and-rebound half-back, certainly. Looking at the pure tagger need (every team needs one) I'd be hoping for one of Bail or Bartram. Jetta might be an option if the engine gets there. I prefer Dunn as a dangerous defensive forward. Petterd also is an effective medium forward who can go into the midfield and has a good defensive work ethic. Neither are 'the new Cameron Bruce', though! Gysberts and Morton will both be pushed towards being tall utilities, and both will coached constantly on the importance of their defensive game. Gysberts seems to me to be the most likely to most closely resemble Bruce, for what it is worth. On half-back flank - noting Gys and Beefcake are available there - personally I think Grimes will own that area as well as contributing to the midfield over his career. I like Bennell as a HBF, and if Strauss is going to 'make it' it will be on the back flank or tagging, if his engine and attitude get there. Garland plays tall and small, as does Frawley though he would generally be expected to play taller. And of course there's Joel MacDonald, who even has the same shaped head as Bruce, but is a bit beefier. In fact, sometimes the same things have bugged me about MacDonald as have bugged me about Bruce... how 'bout that?

As much as the AFL have indeed handed us a very nice fixture for 2011, seriously what are the chances they'll give us a prime time slot to open up the finals for the year? If we're in a prelim, well, at least there's next week and the certainty it'll be at home. Hmm... so maybe examine if there's a pattern on elimination finals, to be sure. One moment please... Elimination finals 2010 - saturday and sunday 2009 - friday and saturday 2008 - saturday and saturday hmm... alright, you're stuffed unless she wants to do it on sunday night... oh wait... twilight games. Probably just gonna have to go with the flow.

Funny thing about players from Canberra - James Hird is from North of the lake. Aaron Hammill is from the Tuggeranong valley. Both shining examples of how their communities like to think of themselves... Shaun Smith was also an Ainslie boy, but I don't know too much about him except he can fly.

Couple of brilliant forwards cutting it up at Shepparton lately... I head one averaged about 13 goals a game and the other kicked 40-50 rotating through Midfield. Maybe we should rookie them?

Collingwood did have a very young best 22 - their depth was old, Fraser, Lockyer, Medhurst, Davis off the top of my head. They had talent and a well-drilled system and a couple of stars where it counted, and an amazing good run with injury helped. But we will indeed have become younger for a fourth year in a row, and perhaps most astonishingly we have become younger despite starting the season as the youngest team. For what it is worth, Hawthorn were also one of the youngest teams in the competition when they snuck in for their premiership... and had a well-drilled system and a few stars where it counted, and an amazing good run with injury helped... I guess if we contemplate our list all coming together, an amazing run with injuries and the system clicking, we can imagine stealing an early one as well as developing into the sustained contender which is the fundamental plan. I'll pause for a moment to imagine... then post again...

Yeah, the reaction has been a bit harsh on the thread starter, but Travis Johnstone is well past his best and that was highly inconsistent. He was also never a 'leader' in any sense that we'd want at the club. Shane Woewodin would still be fitter, smarter, and have more to offer...

I think the key factor for me is that we aren't talking about giving 'one' extra kid a go, but giving three or even more a few games over the course of the year - some will just take a development step and not be major contributors, but one or two might become solid in the 22. The other factor is more opportunities for payers who might have got a dozen or fifteen games next year, but now will more likely play all 22. I think the opportunities outweigh the losses, to be honest.

Carlton friday night, Essendon friday night, then Collingwood on Queens Birthday. A reasonably 'soft' early run with little travel or top-8 (2010 obviously) teams. I look at that set up and there's a part of me that thinks 'Big Opportunity', for the confidence of the players and the visibility of the club. Overall, looking at the fixture and thinking about who we'd have a decent shot at 'competing well' againt is a very heartening activity. Feeling pretty positive and looking forward to 2011.

Lol, if Newton comes good it'll be one of the great 'faith rewarded' stories. I mean, Podsiadly didn't crack an AFL game til he was 28... Surely Newton deserves a few more years!

Jim Stynes a little bit... Cameron Bruce did, but then the expectations raced ahead of him. Colin Garland was already on some people's 'discard' list after a few nothing performances in his first year. Then one day he clicked and went ahead of what even the more favourable expected. And finally, Jordan McMahon... nobody really thought he'd have a big impact on football.

First, what's a Christian name? Is it like a given name, except for people who love Jeebus? Also, Beau Muston would be a nice rookie selection. There's a few others there that I'm thinking, hmmmm hmmmm... nah...

Which is a shame, because surely he's the exact match for 'need', as well as being a good player.

So where all on the same page, can we refer to the whiteboard wednesday (week three I think) on list management and the player rating 7 to 1? Referring to 'elite' as the 7 ranking, obviously. A little scattering of champions is something to look forward to. But the 'meat and potatoes' will be... well, the meat and potatoes. Having said that, throw in Ricky Petterd and the host of 'yet to be tested / make their debut' players, we could be looking at elite all over the place!

Almost no kids stop growing at 16! What the hell is this? Even I didn't stop growing at 16. Some kids have barely started their 'run' by then. Geezus. The kid can play, is all we really know.

Quadruple whammy - d) There had been a couple of little murmurings that some players wanted more explicit targeting of development. That murmuring will be all done now, because they have a absolute top-rated assistant coach leading the development program. I think the players will be well pleased to know that their feedback to the footy department was listened to, and acted on decisively.

"What makes him think he'll be a regular starter for them?" Our defence is the awesomest in the universe and will be like that for at least five years, and the Hawks are all old, slow, or one-dimensional? Well, I for one wish him all the best and hope he develops to be the Hawks Nick Maxwell, except standing upright.

On the plus side for the ruck kids, the substitute rule might just work out in their favour. Fitzpatrick in particular is touted as forward+ruck, and Gawn has been mentioned in that role too, so they could be on the 'bench-bench' to step into either role. If they find themselves getting half a game playing as a substitute on a reasonably regular basis, that could actually turn out to be an ideal development path for young ruckmen. AFL experience without getting your body crushed.