Little Goffy

When a 'good bloke' with four kids goes out drinking every night for a month... yeah, that's for real. Could easily hae crashed out, burnt a few key relationships and not really gotten it back together. Ended up like Carey. It's interesting that he's willingly put it in the open. I guess it's better than having it gossiped about later. Possibly also a cathartic process. Might even be doing it as a kind of public service announcement - sometimes you fall off, you've got to get back on. I like that the Demons have been part of getting things back right for a champion of the game. I also can't help wondering if this is another part of the 'out-in-the-open' club culture which is so actively being developed, and which I have huge respect for. It takes guts, that's for sure.

It might not even be footy related. After Travis Cloke was attacked up on the Gold Coast, the hopelessly drunk guy who did it ended up going for a drive, crashed and died (as I understand it) People who do these things might just also be dumb/crazy enough to think that somehow he is a related target.

Guys, this isn't exactly a Fiora v Palich or Tambling v Franklin issue, is it. Morton is an excellent young player, offering first rate football as a teenager, depsite being a tall with a still very skinny frame. The possibilites are immense. And if we'd had Rioli, would Wonaeamirri have gotten as much of a chance from the rookie list? Particularly important given his injury issues in his second year. Rioli is also a gem and filled the role he was targeted for perfectly. I think it has and will work out beautifully for all parties concerned.

Gotta remember that looks wise, according to the 'experts' I'm acquainted with, Miller is just about on a level with his spectacular wife Pia. I also hear from more vague sources that they are both lovely people. So the rest of you can 'suffa in ya jocks'. Looking forward to seeing Brock on. I wonder if he's got a specific topic to bring up and that's why he's been put on.

Carlton were 4/7 at the middle of the year then lost 11 games straight, including more than a couple against bottom four teams. They were talking up 'their' number one pick months ahead of the draft and even ahead of the end of the season. We are 1/7 after eight rounds in a season with only a couple of teams noticably off the pace. We're playing a host of kids and players who are coming back off in some cases years out of the game, so we are highly likely to simply get worn out. Our draw gets a little easier and we do seem to be improving, but we'd be about 50/50 in anyones best guess to make it to five wins playing and 'list managing' with full competitive effort. Anyone who accuses us of deliberately tanking will lose all possible respect from me. It's not like we'll get to round 22 and be think 'oh gee, we'd better go soft and make sure we don't beat St. Kilda'.

Oh the pain, make it stop!! Of course, there's still a selection decision or two left, but we'll cross that Rivers when we get to it. At least we know there wont be any change near Davey/Jones lockers. I can't believe I replied and kept going. I took the Bate in, and now I'd better Bail out. I'm clearly not a Wellman, but nobody knows Watts wrong with me.

Boycotting [censored] umpiring? Geez, we'll miss you. As for boycotting the hawthorn home game at twilight, it probably saves the club a little cash since the entry wont be activated. I don't know the exact rules, so don't quote me. But I'd rather go and carry a sign saying 'Twilight games suck and stop fidgeting with the rules you $%$#ers' But I guess it's a moot point for me, not being in Melbourne. Dammit. I hate geography. Meanwhile, how much fun would it be to send first hawthorn and then Colling$#%^ into proper tailspins in the space of a few weeks?

Bartram is still very young, and missed a season/pre-season with injury. He's also, as mentioned, had a [censored] of a year off-field and I don;t care how courageous he is, that'll be affecting him. He's ok and does his job right now. Give him the time he deserves and he could continue to grow the way McDonald did. He's certainly ahead of Dunn right now. And I'm not a Dunn-hater or anything, but he needs to make some changes between his hears. And not the haircut, even though it's not great either. All that said, if Moloney is rested/sore this week I'd be interested in giving Bell a ring. If things continue on their current paths, it would then be Dunn who makes way for Moloney's return.

Heh heh. The Grimes will be our Danihers!

With or without one extra pick this year, if this team isn't having a serious and sustained impact on finals by 2012, I'll buy a hat just so I can eat it.

Oh for Christ's sake. Enough with the planning based on a priority pick. Did no-one else notice that we just pushed West Coast at Subiaco to the limit, and then backed that up with a one-goal loss to a top four team six days later? To get the priority pick we must win just three or fewer games for the rest of the season. Out of more than a dozen games left. Our first half of the season has been/will be the toughest draw of any club, by a long stretch. We would need to win just one game in every five from here to quality for the priority pick. The chances are very slim. Be ready to let it go and accept that we HAVE a team which can develop to stellar heights over a few years.

Yep, it really is a no brainer as far as the choice between Morton, Grimes, Jones and Judd. Those are three quality players and people, and that little bit younger, too. As for football being a professional sport.. What are these [censored] planning that means they still need a wallop more cash after they are earning $800,000 while still having time to do part time study? One year, house, second year, retirement fund sorted out, third year... get boring term deposits and go on a round the world trip on the proceeds every few months, maybe a fourth year you can buy a pub/farm/restaurant outright, fit it out and never actually need to do better than break even since you've got no debt on it. It really worries me the way people start to lose perspective once their salary climbs into the hundreds of thousands. 'Marginal utility'; the next dollar just isn't as important as the first.

That is class. Pure class. I'm blown away, I really am. Mr. Cameron Schwab, you may consider me a minion.

Yep, it's a lot cheaper by bulk. And nothing gets people to a game better than knowing that it's on, so it's probably going to work out as at least a break-even cash wise, and every extra number is worth a bit in AFL politics.

Got google maps? Better yet, use the satellite view. Find Yuendumu. Now, how much do you reckon the locals are into learning all about bureaucratic hoopla? And how good do you think their connections with the Etihad Stadium offices are? First you didn't even know he hadn't nominated in time, and said he must not be that good sicne he was overlooked, now you want to question his commitment because of a trivial forms stuff-up. Weak effort, Freak.

If we had two Cale Mortons, then the first would always have the other to kick to... Hopefully we'll see a set up like Strauss and Grimes at HB kicking to Morton, Davey, and Blease on the wings, then whack it in to Watts, Sylvia and Bate, with Maric and Wonaeamirri to clean up any strays. Meanwhile Moloney, Jones and Mclean do the hard stuff inside, Bartram tags relentlessly and our shiny new tall defender squad keep shutting it down any time it comes the wrong way. Notice that you don't even have to include a single pick from this coming draft to get a pretty exciting picture?

It is incredible. I can't choose between three or four guys. Aaron Davey has sstepped up on and off - and he's never been weak at either. Would he be the first indigenous captain of an AFL club? He'd be a fair choice and it would be great to see how he'd respond. He certainly does the team lifting things on the field - the run down tackles, great runs, fantastic goals. But then he also does the low-screw-up things. And he's an honest and hardworking, friendly to fans kind of guy off the field.

I'd be very keen to see Wheels stay on at Casey even if he has to go at the end of this year. He's someone worth keeping as close as possible.

I'll cross my fingers and hope that Rivers doesn't - they'd probably sprain. Poor bugger. At least all the reports so far have been that it's not as bad as it looked and might only be a relatively minor injury.

Morton isn't actually getting cheap kicks. The difference between Morton and Bowden, for example, is that Bowden is hanging away from the play being the 'whatever, let's try again' player - Morton is constantly, and I mean constantly, running to space to offer an option and then looking for the next step along, sometimes spotting very clever options. His endless movement to next position is one of the things getting us out of our swamps at the half back line, as surely as Davey's run and excellent kicking. He works very, very hard for those disposals. come to think of it, that might be part of why he has that nasty habit of the outright shocker kick here and there - legs just too tired to put proper force in. Only a thought. But a nice one, in that the problem would gradually resolve itself as he gets match-hardened and learns his limitations better. He's going to be a weapon for years, our Cale.

Yep, and it wouldn't be the first time Richmond came last but didn't get the first pick - Carlton got a 'before round 1' priority pick in 2007 even though Richmond was last. Of course, Carlton got Kruezer and Richmond got Cotchin, so it's touch and go who has done better with the pick at this stage. But it's important to remember that we really can't be banking on that extra priority pick - this first half of the season we play the entire top eight from last year, plus Port at AAMI and West Coast at Subiaco. The second half of the year is going to be dramatically different for us - so far we've won every game we've played in Melbourne that wasn't against a top eight side.

We get $250,000 for the Canberra game. It's a flat rate regardless of attendance as I understand it. Basically, the ACT government is paying for the chance to remind everyone that Canberra exists outside the parliamentary triangle. The morons still haven't figured out that they should probably upgrade Manuka oval - nothing beats sitting in the open in a Canberra winter - you can get sunburnt and frostbitten in the same afternoon. It's a magical experience! And as for the 13,342 for North... it's already been said here but I need to join this chorus - we get more than that to a Sunday twilight game in utterly miserable weather, compared to a saturday night indoors... and it's not as if we're playing any better than North this year. It gives we no pleasure to think that the North Melbourne revival is starting to stutter a bit. I'm just immenseley relieved that we already have the money in the bank from Debt Demolition and the AFL/MCC deal, plus the two solid sponsors for multiple years. And 30,000+ members already signed.

Sean Wellman

OMG! The story here is maybe that the food at the 'G is such a poor selection that, irony of ironies, players can't eat it. We better look into that, before anyone decides to give a toss about the occassional 'soft' meal from a player. You were kidding, right?

Weak. WEAK. First game for the year, sixth of career, and you're hanging s#$% on him? WEAK.