JJJ

Number of wins: 4 Average losing margin: 33 Average winning margin: 7 B&F top 3: 1. McLean 2. Morton 3. Sylvia Leading goal-kicker: Bate (44 goals) All Australian representatives: you're kidding, right? Top votes at the Brownlow: McLean Best first year player: Bennell the kid is all class Breakthrough year (first-year players do not count): Petterd Disappointment of the year: Collingwood making the finals Biggest area of improvement: The backline Surprise packet of 2009: Spencer finishing the job that Setanta started Headline of the year: Mega Watts: Jack kicks 11 goal against a hapless Xavier College Best win of the year: Against the Blues Worst loss of the year: All of them Final membership numbers: 34,683 And just for fun... Number of times Demonland posters wrongly refer to Sylvia as lazy in 2009: 45,876 Number of games until Rivers and Moloney both break down with injuries: 1 Number of weeks until McLean makes headlines for being an early brownlow favourite: 3 Number of weeks suspension served by Newton for whacking someone in the Casey reserves: 4

I am using common sense. We can't carry too many talls every week. It's just not feasible. Someone has to miss out, so I nominated the player who has the least amount of flexibility in his playing style and someone who is a below average kick. You are making too much out of 2 players height and over compensating. Warnock can easily cover Hale. He has taken taller players before and done the job. Also, Hale is hardly a big power athlete at 201cm (like Roughead is) so he doesnt present the same problems for shorter defenders. I agree. Exactly. I believe the Roos talls can be taken by Rivers, Warnock, Frawley with Garland offering relief. This leaves us with more options to choose from to defend the dangerous small/medium forwards and perhaps play another midfielder. Where was Martin in that marking contest? He played didnt he? What are you saying here? That defenders arent successful all the time? This doesn't support your arguement. Form, ability and balance make up a huge part of the selection process, especially early on in the season. Roughead took the mark because he made better position, used his girth to advantage and in the end is a top 5 talent among the key forwards these days. Pretty simple. Do we? Coaching panels spend hours trying to get the balance of players correct and most say they could always use more midfielders. With the workload for modern midfielders growing the need for fresh runners is vitale. Anyone who watched us on Saturday can attest to that. Thats a bit over the top. We need him and he will play a lot of footy. As I have said, Petrie and Hale do not represent a significant challenge to our backmen, like playing against Hawthorn, Geelong, StKilda etc. Petrie is a worker, a runner and a great leader but he and Hale, like all forwards rely on supply. It is this point that leads me to go with an extra runner than having a surplus of defenders. What is a stay at home forward these days? If he plays a majority of his time in the forward 50 then I would imagine that the need for a defender the same size is limited. He will be surrounded by players from both sides with little room to operate most of the time. If the Roos do bomb it long to him that plays into the hands of a modern day defensive group. Also, Martins mobility and lateral movement are first class for a player his size. He is only missing out because I feel we can do the job without him and I think we will take running players. It is equally risky to take a tall team into a game where runners are at a premium. As I have said, if Martin plays I will be neither surprised nor disappointed. I actually think we have a pretty good chance of winning this game, well a better chance than we were last year.

The difference for me is form, ability and team balance. Frawley has had a dream preseason and deserves a go on form. Warnock has not put a foot wrong and established himself as a legit key defender last year so he plays. Rivers has class and pedigree and is a required player. Garland has the ability to swing from talls to smalls and would allow the other talls to rotate if trouble was brewing. Martin misses out due to the need for runners in the team to rotate through the midfield. Other teams have players who are better match ups for Martin. eg: Fevola, Roughead, Lynch, Hall, Tippett, Lloyd etc etc etc. He is good and will play, I just think the others are pushing themselves further up in the coaches eyes. Ultimately if Martin plays i would be extremely confident in his ability to shut down a forward.

I am happy for Warnock to go at Hale, even with the difference in height. Petrie is taller than Frawley but I think you will find that Chip has grown to be over 195cm these days. Once again his form warrants selection and Petrie will have his hands full trying to out run Frawley. Add to this Rivers and his ability to leave his man to help and I think we can cover their talls. Martin in my eyes would be unlucky to miss but I think he will have at least 18 games or so to prove his worth with the big boys, just not in round 1. How the Kangas rotate their smalls is of more concern to me. Jones, Campbell, Thomas, Harvey and co will trouble us I think.

I agree, Martin would get nothing out of playing forward for us. He will learn more playing as a KP defender with Casey as he is still learning the finer points of defending.

gee... a user name that reflects your personality nah, its this or work. they look the same from a distance and means I dont have to do the dishes.

He got knocked over on Saturday because he didnt see the Doggies player coming straight at him. His awareness is just so unbelievably below average it hurts to think about.

This is close to what I think will happen. Here is mine anyway: B:- Grimes: a certain starter in my eyes. We need his accuracy and run out of defense. Warnock: Picks himself. Martin will be unlucky to miss but I don't see a need for him. Garland: Could play anywhere but he will play down back for most of the year I think. HB:-Frawley: Plays on talls and smalls. Great pace and carry. Easy selection. Rivers: Underdone but still integral. When fit he is a league leader in marking from opposition kicks. Cheney: With Whelan NA I think he will get a go. Hard as granite and makes very few errors. C:- Moloney: Looks so motivated at the moment. A genuine vocal leader on the ground. Jones: Came to form at the right time. A workhorse who I think is figuring out how to be more effective. Green: Starts on a wing and plays a kick behind. HF:- Buckley: We need his pace and dare. Will be better suited to the G. Miller: A natural running forward who plays well at the G. We need his size and agro. Bruce: Could play anywhere but if our midfield allows I think we will see him push forward more often. FF:- Petterd: A natural forward who finds front position. Love his desperation in the forward line. Bate: Will start foward and push up to the wings. Could be a damaging leading forward. Davey: Picks himself. Seems to be ready for a better year after a couple of average ones. He is in the same boat as Bruce, if we don't need him in the midfield so much he will make us a vastly more dangerous team. R:- Johnson: Easy choice. Will try as hard as anyone. Will be tried forward often from reports. McLean: Rawlings will sit on him, hopefully giving someone else a chance to step up. McDonald: Im hoping he takes Boomer. His tackling and hardness will be huge against the workmen like Kangas. IC:- Morton: Will start on the bench but finish full of run. A huge star in the making. Sylvia: A marking target who until last week was a certain starter. I predict big things from Col. Wona: If fit he will play. A quality player and someone opposition clubs mark hard. Spencer: Will need all his aggression to counter the Kangas rucks. Unlucky: Newton: I thought he OK on saturday. The conditions didnt suit but he tried. He still turns like he is on skates. Dunn/Bartram: I am almost certain at least one of these guys will play to negate Wells or the like. I am just not sure who they will replace. Bennell: Most impressive 1st year player I have seen. Jetta: If Wona or Davey struggle to come up I think he will debut. Martin: I rate him but I don't see who he will go to. Lacks the versatility of Frawley or Garland and not as effective as Warnock who I assume will take Hale. Injured or NA: Watts, Maric, Bell, Robertson, McNamara, Wheatley, Jamar and Whelan

He is Heath Neville in disguise

McLean needs time. His injury was pretty horrific and he started the pre season very late in terms of running and conditioning. Given that his game is predicated on hard running and toughness, it is difficult for him to impose himself as we know he can in his current condition. He didn't quite make enough contests today but he will improve as he gets his legs back. I am hoping his disposal improves as he gets back into the flow. As Jones showed today, these aspects can improve.

I forgot to mention, thanks WJ for the report.

Call me a cynic but I guarantee that posters on this site would have seen the line about getting along well with Sylvia and used that to attack him. Seen it here before. I am surprised you would need to ask why.

Sorry, that wasn't directed at you. The Colin bashers will be licking their collective chops to have a go at that one.

here we go again....

People need to get a grip. How can you hold a player responsible accountable for your own expectations that you have placed on him? Further to this, we all should know the type of player Colin is by now. We know that he has struggled with fitness and form for his entire career. He is just 1 of a senior AFL list of 40odd players trying to make a career of it. So, he had a bad game (we think). Does anybody here know what his roles were? Watching the telecast made it virtually impossible to make out any system in our forward line and define a role thta Sylvia was filling. Was he a leading forward? How many shots at goal did our other leading forwards get? Was the delivery up to scratch? Why were the Melbourne forwards consistently out numbered when the ball hit the deck? So many variables and people here take the soft option and slag on Sylvia. It's laughable, the hyperbole about this player on this site. From all reports he has had an excellent pre-season and people here want to condemn him on 1 performance this preseason and a career ravaged by injuries. Injuries he had when we selected him. Now, people are going to say, "I saw him laughing with the opposition just after a loss...." Well, once again, what was the context? Anyone? I admit it probably doesnt look great to most ardent supporters but it's hardly a hangable act, particularly after a Mickey Mouse NAB Cup game. If you ever get a chance to see the players up close before, after or during games have a look at Sylvia and then tell me he doesnt care. Finally, if you still want to assassinate his character then just remember one thing, is publicly slamming a player befit the crime of playing poorly/laughing in a NAB Cup game?

Looked good: Buckley. At times he got lost but I feel he is let down by his teammates not utilising his run. Bartram. An honest effort. same ol same ol.... maybe a bit bigger. Miller. Was very good. good hands and great kicking Frawley. All over Bate when Bate was up forward and provided great run. MOrton. Found space and showed class. Petterd. Good start and kept it going. Played midfield and pushed forward. Grimes. POised and skilled. Played tall and small. Garland. Continued from last year. Cheney. veey solid and good skills. Meesen. The bar is pretty low but he wasn't awful. Wona. Looks primo. Better pace and strength/intensity. Zomer!!!!!! Actually looked ok but I feel he is in the same boat as Meesen. Jetta. As mentioned was very active up forward. Bail. Good ball use and pace. Found the ball regularly. Spencer. Was aggressive and effective. cannot kick. Bennell. Showed huge amounts of class. Also faded in and out of the game. Valenti. Was in the better players. Strauss. Played ok but his disposal was a highlight which puts him in my good books. Meh. Jones. Still misses targets but foot. Why can't he learn to handball more often/effectively??? McLean. Needs time. Bate. Played multiple positions and seemed to be pacing himself. Johnson. Number 1 ruck option. Thats not saying a lot. Sylvia. workrate and intensity was great but he looked scratchy. He should be better for the run. Dunn. Was good except for when he ducked on 2 occassions backing back. Green. Cruised around. Bell. Played forward for a while and kicked a goal. Interesting.... Moloney. Needs time. Bruce. Same as Green. Martin. Pretty solid but hardly spectacular. Warnock. Missed a few spoils which were a little embarrassing but otherwise ok. Whelan. Paced himself. ????. Watts. Runs well. Signs autographs well too. Maric. DNP McDonald. DNP Robo. DNP. Rivers. A virtual DNP Newton. Wow! When will the message sink in???? McNamara. DNP, at least I think so. Wheats.DNP Davey. DNP Hughes DNP Jamar. DNP MacKenzie ??? Healey. I saw him get a couple of kicks.

He had off season surgery and did sweet FA today and a guy near me told me he hasnt done much all preseason.

Of those only Maric, McLean and Robertson would seem to be serious with McLean and Robo well on the road to recovery. I will be curious to hear what happens on friday with Buckley, groin injuries with young players scare me. One thing I forgot to mention, Strauss' kicking action is similar to a former MFC B&F winner who now plays up in QLD. Hopefully he has a better work rate and application to his career.

Watts did run very hard early on. He came through metres in front of his group in the 1st couple of sprints. Im happy for him to push himself and hang on. Its how all the great players do it. Mr Moose: Training actually started at 8am and there were at least a dozen younger kids buzzing around. Whispering: There are a few missing. I cant actually remember seeing McDonald or Whelan but that doesnt mean they werent there, Valenti left the track a little early with a physio (didnt seem serious, they were laughing etc), Wheats was there but didnt stand out and Russian was his typical self, strong marking and below average disposal (He actually played as a deep forward in the drills).

Attended training this morning. They started off doing some light running and stretching and then proceeded to some harder, faster running. The running drills allowed a few players to stand out, including Frawley who looks pretty focused. Luckily no player in particular looks to be struggling. The full length of the ground drills were pretty standard. They feature running in numbers and handball out of the backline to organise a release man forward of the centre square to kick to a leading target. The main leading targets were Miller, Watts, Newton, Jamar and Jurrah. 1: Buckley: Injured, groin related at a guess. Handballing and helping out the younger players in the rehab group when I was there. Looks very strong and physically imposing. 2: Jones: Looks great. Ran hard in the running drills and was vocal during the ball work. His 2nd efforts were a standout. 3: Bartram: Looks like he has added muscle to his frame but he did miss quite a few targets and fumbled a bit. Fantastic at the gut running drills. 4: Watts: He is quick. Very quick. He isnt as skinny as I thought he would be. His kicking to McLean in a kick to kick drill was sensational (on both sides) as was his kicking for goals later. Doesnt seem to have a massive engine. Has an air of confidence that is very encouraging and was vocal in the drills. His lateral quickness was also on display and combined with clean hands should allow him to play a variety of position early on in his career. 5: McLean: Going at 75% I would have thought. Ran hard through all of the drills and his skills by hand and foot were excellent as was his decision making. He and Miller were the most vocal and enthusiastic. 6: Bate: Injured or at least having a very light week. Participated with the main group for most of the drills but did go inside the change rooms once or twice during. 7: Miller: Trained like his life depended on it. Interestingly he wasnt always starting from the goal square in the length of the ground drills. 8: Frawley: Trained very strongly. Looks bigger. His 2nd efforts on the running drills were excellent. After 2007 I thought he would develop into a powerful runner but last year left me unsure. Today, he was leading his running group time after time. His kicking was ok and his carry of the football was very good. 10: Morton: Started with the rehab group and looks to have added some weight. Was stationary kicking with Strauss and he looked awful. He joined the main group in the full groud stuff and looked great. His kicks to the leading forwards were spot on. He timed his runs to perfection to ensure he was the designated kicker. He was giving instructions as to where to run to some 1st year players. 11: Johnson: Meh, looks to be fit and raring to go. Much of the same from Johnson. 12: Sylvia: One of the best. Hit targets, ran hard and generally showed clean hands and good decision making. He pushed aside Bartram in one drill so easily it was embarrassing. He did lag a little towards the end of the running drills but not through lack of trying, he just needs more work. He was vocal, enthusiastic and generally pretty exciting. 14: Dunn: Trained well. His running was good. Even in drills he makes some weird decisions though. 15: Peterd: Unsighted early. Then walked into the sheds shaking his head and talking to a trainer regarding his right hammy. He then reappeared kicking with Meesen who did very little. 16: Grimes: Bulked up. Has an interesting kicking technique which is accurate but I think will limit his distance. He is a very good decision maker and can run hard for a long time. He doesnt act like a 2nd year player and certainly knows the game judging by the way he finds the ball. 18: Green: Unusually sloppy for a seasoned vet. Made fairly average decisions in traffic. 19: Maric: Injured. Handballed. Stood around. 20: Garland: Trained very well. Made few errors and moves as well as anybody on the team. Not as big as I had hoped. 21: Bell: Kicked well. Ran hard and looks vgood when he didnt have to think about it. 22: Moloney: Injured. Helped the younger rehab guys. 24: Robertson: Injured did some jogging and handballing. 25: Cheney: Looked great. He seemed to move pretty well and his disposal was neat. He caught my eye on more than the odd occassion. He is really aggressive, especially considering its January. 27: Rivers: Trained with the main group. He looked healthy and happy. Probably the highlight of the morning was his presence along with McLean. 29: Newton: Looks like he has hit the weights. His field kicking is excellent but he still dropped the odd mark which says something about his concentration levels in my eyes. 30: McNamara: Doesnt look 190cm. 32: Bruce: Looked up and about. Trying to impress?????? Still cant handball, hopefully Scott West can address this. 33: Martin: Looks huge on the field. So nimble and strong but I never saw a kick really hit the target well and his overhead marking was a bit off. 35: Zomer: If he is who I think he is he may not be seen too much this winter. 36: Davey: Another who looked great. At one stage he had Jetta chasing and he just took 3-4 steps to gap him. His kicking was sublime. 37: Warnock: Looked pretty average to be honest.Im not a big wrap for him so I could be a fraction biased. 38: Spencer: Enthusiastic, ran really hard and tried. His kicking is something else. How a forward could have any idea where the ball is going is anyones guess, including big Jakes. 39: Wona: Kicking is great, either side. Showed a bit of leadership in helping Jurrah. Looks to be in great shape. Bennell: He is small but moves well. Showed neat skills and a bit of toe. Blease: Pretty sure the boys were calling him sauce. His kicking looked a little shabby. He is quick though and skinny. Jurrah: started the longer drills deep forward. He is quick and has good skills. He stood next to Rivers and looked a couple of cm's shorter. He showed a bit of class with his deft hands and decision making in traffic. He is really skinny, particularly in the lower body but you can see the promise.

You havent mentioned the status of Matthew Whelan. He never put pen to paper and now it seems we are trying to low ball him. Expect to hear his decision one way or the other by tuesday.

Sounds like you're describing Bate's game.

Not only are those players amongst our better ones, they are actually some of our better leaders. Rivers is the General of the backline (when he plays), Mclean is one of our leaders in the midfield, Neitz, Robbo and Miller are possibly the 3 most vocal players in the group. 3 more weeks then we can all relax for a bit.....

I know youre emotional but if you ever build up the courage to view the replay you will see that he was one of a small number willing to get 'inside' the contest early. He had a lot of handballs by virtue of the fact that he was in the clinches trying to win possession. You may not be one of these posters but the amount of people with axes to grind regarding Sylvia is pretty staggering. In the eyes of some he will be forever tainted, no matter how good he may become.

Bartram - mentally needs break Bate - abysmal lateral movement Bruce - butchered the ball Buckley - proactive but flawed Carroll - awful awful awful Dunn - ineffective at best Frawley - lots to learn Green - did not lead C.Johnson - not as prolific P.Johnson - held his own Jones - wasteful and overwhelmed McDonald - tried, fundamentally flawed Maric - intangibles top notch Martin - showed some touch Morton - conditions didn't suit Sylvia - competed all night Warnock - out of depth Wheatley - game was disappointing Whelan - a shining beacon White - shouldn't have played Valenti - luck and perseverance Wonaeamirri - a disgusting game