DeeSpencer

I think this side has potential for success and the right grounding for sustained success. But we all thought we had that in 2010 and 2011. I mean if you look at all the position groups with a discerning eye you can see there's still a lot of work to go. Last year the main players that we 'found' were the recruits - Tyson, Cross and Vince. Besides from that we had a few players cement themselves and a glimpse of some future talent, but that's about it. Dunn and Jetta improved. Howe nailed a half back spot. At the same time we lost Frawley and Clark for good. Tomorrow we get 4 new guys trying to cement their spot - Lumumba, Newton, Frost and Garlett. Plus we need more from the guys who in the past have just been nice to watch here and there. By that group I mean Salem, JKH, Hogan, Toumpas, Kent. This years bonus players so far are vandenBerg and Brayshaw. It's an exciting team tomorrow and if a lot of tomorrow's team can perform well enough to not get dropped and see us win 6 or even 8 games then I think we'll be on to some sustainable. But we can't roll this group out for a 3 or 4 win season because that probably indicates we aren't going anywhere in a hurry and the development still isn't working.

At least this year with McCartney, Goodwin and Plapp on board Roos doesn't have to watch! Anyway Howe got the all clear to be in the back 6 and they clearly decided on Vince not playing. So after that it was a matter of picking the best of the rest to fill the depth midfield and half forward spots. Brayshaw didn't have to be clearly ready or have amazing form to edge out Matt Jones and Bail, particularly if he's just set to be the sub.

The physical burden of being moved to the midfield when you are injury prone (Jones, Grimes and Trenners was Neeld's favourite midfield combo after he got Moloney, Green and Davey and even Magner out of there) certainly didn't help. Jones was ready for midfield minutes after Bailey had used him in a variety of roles teaching him the game. Trenners could handle it to an extent but was overburdened. Grimes had NFI and a brittle body. He never should've left the half back flank. The number change was a sign of just how ridiculous Schwab was but it was an effect not a cause. I will say this though - going back to Casey and rediscovering his form and fitness will help him improve. But he'll also be wearing a different number there!

50/50. Probably vandenBerg for the mature body starting. But he'd be really good as an impact sub. All depends on the coaches confidence in Brayshaw mixing it with Gold Coast players in the middle. I guess he wont be right mixing it with Ablett, Swallow or Prestia so there's opportunities against lesser names or on a half forward flank.

Both had a lot of injuries and dropped weight to stay fit. Instead of that approach I think they need to put the weight and power back on and live with the fact that if they get injured so be it. Otherwise they will be part timers at the top level. I have no understanding of vegetarian v meat eating, but with supplements (legal) and the right foods I think you can get everything without eating meat. Time for Grimes to bulk up and muscle up although his current frame would do the job at VFL level so that is the other approach. Fix your form that way and see if you can compete when back in good habits.

Being dropped is the best thing for him. He needs to find his speed again at contests. Needs to trust his body and put it on the line. Needs to develop confidence in his kicking. He can't do that at AFL level under pressure. Due to injuries and an ill prepared body he just hasn't been competing at AFL level and instead has just been hanging on for grim life. Now he can reset. I said it a few weeks ago he needs to take a few weeks or even a few months to do another preseason to get some weight on and push his body back to AFL standard. Then he needs to come back and play at least a month of being in the best in the VFL. He has to be a physical half back flanker, that's the game to suit him. He can't have this lean listless body and game, he doesn't have the pace or skill for it. Different issues, but look at Mitch Clark at Geelong. He looks a new player. Grimes needs that. I'd seriously consider sending him to train in different circumstances. Maybe some more proper sparring boxing. Or some martial arts. Add in some basketball even. Anything with spatial awareness and in close movement and strength. Then go to work on his footy skills.

Gold Coast have packed their side full of mids. Miller, Bennell, Rischitelli, Martin, Garlett, Sexton are all mids really. Not goal kicking forwards although a lot of them are handy forward. It tells me two things: 1) Gold Coast are keen to run all day and make this a scrap 2) Ablett will see a lot of time forward

For all the talk of selection pressure: Grimes, Gawn, Bail and Matt Jones haven't been good in preseason. Pedersen is unlucky given he didn't have a lot of chances but he didn't smash the door down. Michie didn't do enough when given a chance at Casey. Given Vince isn't ready there's very little else available. McKenzie, Stretch, Fitzy, Oscar Mc and Harmes are about it and no one is in a hurry to pick them! Brayshaw, JKH, Kent, vandenBerg did enough. Howe did enough on the track. Toumpas in the first 2 games and in preseason pushed his case. It's time for those not picked to stand up at Casey now. I'd hold Matt Jones as the emergency but the rest need to play and play well v Collingwood to show they truly are 'depth'.

McDonald and Garland will make up for them! But it's not Grimes' kicking that has seen him dropped. He doesn't defend well in marking contests any more and his handballing under pressure is beyond terrible.

Talent, skill, fresh faces, speed. I love it. Not rushing Vince. Backing in the Toump. Having confidence in Howe. The coaches are actually seeing what happens in games and trainings and working out what we need to fix it!!!

Carlton have 2 new talls. Jaksch and Jones. But I'm not sure that makes them better - key defence wasn't a huge weakness when Jamison and Rowe are healthy and Jones isn't much different to Casboult. And a first gamer who might be the sub I would suggest. Richmond have Taylor Hunt and a first gamer on a wing. Both won't hurt but probably aren't huge upgrades from Petterd and Conca. Carlton will rely on Judd, Gibbs, Murphy and a mix of veterans plus young Cripps to get the job done in the midfield. Richmond will again be heavily reliant on Cotchin, Martin, Deledio. Neither forward or backline would claim huge advantage although Rance and Riewoldt might be the most recognisable of the tall names. Carlton have Yarran back and Menzel forward. If you look through Carlton's best performances last year they served it up to Freo and Geel and several other teams with gritty performances but minus the skill to win. Richmond stunk early when carrying a lot of injuries before having a very hot run of form but then crashing out. Both teams are now healthy. Richmond fit and healthy are a good 5-10 team. Carlton have less depth to last the season at that level but as of right now aren't too far below. I'm expecting a close game.

Breust, Rioli, Langford, Roughead, Puopolo even Gunston hunted Sydney's defenders lack a pack of wild (but well coordinated and highly disciplined) dogs. It's the challenge for our forwards and why despite maybe lacking fitness I want vandenBerg and Kent in the side. They have speed, hardness and an appetite for the ball and man. Jeffy Garlett buzzing around, Frost with his speed and Hogan with his attitude as well can bring the pressure. Maybe even a fired up Jack Watts. We can dream I guess.

Don't know if he has the fitness for a hard defensive job. As much as I'd rather not have him in the team if we are going a defensive forward it might have to be Bail. With Malceski, Harbrow, Kolodjashnij and McKenzie all in the same side I don't know if it serves a purpose having a defensive forward. It's almost too much skill to lock down on just one of them. We might be better off going with the 4 most attacking forwards and trying to catch them all out with one on ones.

Half forward spots are tight and he didn't get much of a chance to impress in the midfield. No doubt with Howe and Vince underdone they'll be worrying about fitness as well. But I say throw him in. Every indication is he's got AFL traits and AFL talent and whilst he might not be ready to perform at his best he'll be ready for the challenge of AFL football. Genuinely excited to see if they throw him in. Reckon it's about 50/50 and even then he could be sub.

Wouldn't mind something like this on the banner: H Lumumba 200 great games 1 wise trade decision or H Lumumba - 200 games Just like TV You were great in black and white But you'll be even better in colour

Next Aussies summer: Warner ?????? Smith Clarke ?????? M Marsh/Faulkner/Watson Nevill Johnson Starc/Cummings Hazlewood/Pattinson Fawad/Lyon Big chance for Shaun Marsh or Voges to secure the middle order spot now before next summer. The next opener is a fascinating proposition as well. Joe Burns is presumably still in the picture. Hopefully our man Peter Handscomb is as well.

For the West Indies: Rogers Warner Smith - still not sure on him at 3 with his technique, I'd prefer him at 4 Clarke S. Marsh - Voges has the form, but S Marsh has the incumbent spot. He made 99 in Melb and 73 in Sydney Watson - he's an allrounder at test level and should bat at 6 until (if ever) he proves he can bat at the top 5 Haddin Johnson Starc Hazlewood Lyon For the Ashes just swap either Hazlewood or Starc out for Harris. If Watson is bowling well enough to be the 3rd seamer or if M Marsh gets his spot at 6 for that same reason I hope we are brave enough at some stage to play the leg spinner. He's got the ability to win test matches that Lyon doesn't.

Essendon had Jake Long barely play a game of footy in 2 years. But they aren't your ordinary club!

Anyway, no more AFL tribunals please. There needs to be an Australian sports tribunal set up to hear all cases with totally independent staff and it needs to be given the proper powers to summons people to give evidence. ASADA on one side prosecuting. The guilty parting on the other side. The sporting body can sit in and witness the evidence and be given a copy of results but this notion of them setting up the tribunal is just foolish.

I think they did. It seems inconclusive that it was the banned Thymosin in Dank's possession, but even then the link to which if any players took it was tentative. If the Essendon players had imported the stuff or had gone to the clinic to get the stuff it wouldn't matter so much. But as the Essendon players didn't go anywhere for any particular purpose it's not enough to just cover them all with it. That's my understanding of the 2 biggest cracks in the ASADA case.

He's going to do every club over the course of the season. There was very little in there that was news to keen followers of the club, it's not like he divulged stories of our players breaking the law or up to huge antics like the glory days of sportsman nights. We should be thankful we got some press by Hughesy doing ours first.

I've got the ladder break down as: Top 3 - Haw, Port, Sydney Next tier - Freo, Ess, Geel, North Then - Gold Coast, Rich, Adel Then - Bris, WC, GWS Lastly - Coll, Carl, Dogs, Melb, Saints What I'm hoping for is that we have enough games that are close and don't go to plan that sees enough mixing of the brackets. If the teams at the bottom can win 6 games and the teams at the top lose 6 games then at least when it comes to finals it won't be as predictable as it has been the last few years.

I've still got it as a race in 3 for the premiership, but I'm hoping the seasons is full of enough twists and turns to make it interesting: Looking at the swans: Tippett has a bung knee. Malceski left to the Gold Coast. Goodes should've retired last year. Richards and Grundy are declining. Their starting outside midfielders are Jetta (who went badly missing) Cunningham and Jake Lloyd and with Goodes declining and McGlynn moving to the midfield they lack a really potent goal kicker to go with Franklin and Tippett. They will still have some of the best ball winning mids in the comp and plenty of depth coming up like Mitchell and Zak Jones. They will still be there at the business end of the season but I can't see Sydney being a dominant top 2 team. Hawthorn will be dominant. They've only gotten stronger with last seasons additions. They now have almost unprecedented level of depth in most positions. The hope is that as Mitchell, Hodge, Burgoyne, Lake, Gibson, Hale slow down then so do the Hawks. Unfortunately for the competition I think that won't happen next year. I think you should be more confident about Port. With Ryder they now have the tall forwards/ruck, small forwards and midfield depth to match it with Hawthorn and Sydney. Their backline is underrated as well but I think it's got the ability just not the depth. After those 3 it's about who else can get to top 4 and whether anyone can knock one of those 3 out for at least some part of the season. Freo and Geelong will be keeping everyone honest. Essendon with the ASADA stuff behind them, Richmond and North should all push up, hopefully above the likes of Freo and Geel. I can't see them winning the flag but if they keep the top 3 honest and unsettle their seasons then that's a good thing. Adelaide, West Coast and Brisbane are 3 teams who might be able to upset a top 3 side on their day. Although West Coast aren't off to a good start and I don't think Brisbane will make the 8. The next best threats for actually winning a flag are Gold Coast and GWS. Gold coast should make the 8 this year and GWS shouldn't be too far behind them. In a couple of years they'll be top 4 and probably Hawthorn and Sydney will be declining. What I really do hope is we get wholesale change in positioning as the new order takes over. I'd hate nothing more than a top 5 of Port, GC, GWS, Hawthorn, Sydney. Once teams start to drop out they should drop out properly and new teams on the way up should take over.

Cue Prestia coming out and tearing the game apart on Saturday! He's a jet. Plays just like Jonesy. Wins it in close then bursts in to space and uses it well. But I don't really love these rumours, especially at this time of year. Not sure Garry Lyon has done anyone any favours.

As long as it's not Jones or Tyson it's highly unlikely to change the outcome of future games. It's well past time we started to play some antisocial football. As long as we are as hard at the ball as we are at the man it's about time we give out some punishment. The problem is Jones, Viney and Jetta might be the only two who are equipped at bringing the physicality. Maybe Kent and Hogan in time. vandenBerg seems a bit old school. Jamar if he didn't move at glacial pace. Dunn can, but then he'd spend the rest of the game getting sidetracked in stupidity. I'm hoping we do turn the corner and have a critical mass of tough physical players so if we turn the heat up on the opposition they can bring it and withstand the blow back.