DeeSpencer

Whilst I appreciate the background I'm starting to feel like every age article is a sermon. Disappointing that Harley seems to have continued the cycle of drug use from his old man. I'm not going to hang him for a couple of lines when he was 20 but when your old man is locked up you shouldn't even go near the stuff.

Huge chance for King to play a game as the main man forward for the Scorps. Similarly Newton, Michie and Harmes should get full chance in the midfield to impress. Another injury in Lumumba and taking the 2 emergencies up will test the depth.

He should be a superstar. Has all the talent. Can get 30 touches a game and kick bags of goals. Look at this scorecard. He can have 8's and 9's level games and then follow it up with 4's and 5's. http://www.aflplayerratings.com.au/Ratings/Player/115765/Harley-BENNELL You'd probably be the only person to say he's not inconsistent.

It is classed as performance enhancing if you get caught on game day you will get a 2 year ban. Saad's ban was too heavy but his substance was also only illegal on match days. Harley Bennell himself is testament that the party lifestyle is not performance enhancing. His inconsistencies on field are surely reflective of his inconsistent lifestyle off field. The AFL will not implode due to a few players taking illicit drugs. Athletes from sporting competitions across the world - NBA, NFL, NHL, EPL, Golf, Tennis, rugby codes have all been caught with illicit drugs. We can tighten the penalties and ban players, lessen the testing and lessen the protective health care measures that have stopped players going off the wagon or both. Nothing is really going to change.

I'd love him but it's a matter of doing the due diligence and not paying anything for him, just like Jeffy Garlett. Risk/reward. At least the form of Toumpas, Watts and Stretch the last month has given us some hope for outside runners, but none are the level of Bennell. His game against Geelong last year was something to behold.

His trade value just got a hell of a lot cheaper. And in the week after he had his most possessions for a game. Come on down Harley.

FB: Jetta Dunn Garland HB: Cross McDonald Lumumba C: Toumpas Jones Watts HF: Brayshaw Dawes M Jones FF: Garlett Hogan Spencer Foll: Gawn Vince Viney Int: Tyson Stretch Howe S: ANB We will be tall forward. But it's possible to work if we are smart with the rotations. Hogan 85% forward. Gawn 60% ruck, 25% forward Howe 70% forward, 15% wing Dawes 70% forward, 10% ruck Spencer 30% forward, 30% forward. Subbed at 3/4 time

Yeah have to see them play Haw, Syd and Collingwood before I really rate them but they are clearly a top 8 side and should be in the fight for 4th. They have a fantastic forward line and are coached really well in their defensive set ups and ball movement. I think they are a difficult team for us to match up with because we will have to score well to beat them and we are much more adept to a scrappy game than going head to head with a team that can slam on goals quickly.

What exactly do you base this from? It wasn't pretty but the ball control game plan from last year stemmed the bleeding. There have been a number of solid tactical moves within games this year. The last 40 seconds against the Saints was everyones fault and I think people are reading too much in to the Oxley QB'day thing. I'm happy to be guided by Roos if he wants to handover faster than anticipated then I back his judgement. But I wouldn't be pushing him out.

I think you're unnecessarily harsh. Jamar has kicked goals out of the ruck before. He got one in each of the first 2 rounds. He works hard to get to the right defensive spots and compete. None of the rucks he played against this year got high possession totals. No he doesn't chase little men, he's too slow to bother really. No he doesn't spread offensively, he was probably never taught to effectively. He got down the line to mark as was predominantly the ruckmans job. There's no way he'll be in the side this week. We'll either stick with Spencer or go without a 2nd ruck and he's too slow to play predominantly forward unless he by some miracle discovers his goal kicking form of 2010. But I don't think it's right to bash him too much. I reckon GWS or Sydney wouldn't mind having him as mature ruck depth. Derickx was terrible against the Tigers and the young GWS ruck was smashed against Goldstein.

There is no reckless. In their wisdom the MRP removed negligent and reckless and combined them for careless. So it's now very hard to find the middle ground that the 3 previous categories provided.

Buddy lucky. It looked like 2 weeks. Tippett 1 is fine. The big problems with the MRP come where non malicious acts (see May) get multiple weeks due to a player being injured. Otherwise taking injury in to account isn't a bad idea and the MRP have got most right so far this year.

A speedy defensive forward with midfield potential sounds good to me but I get the feeling he'd be contracted and whilst we could offer him more money and opportunity to play games I doubt he'd leave his home city, the club his brother captains and such a successful club. Not at this stage when he's still young enough that being in the 2's wouldn't really deter him. I don't know the exact rules or if they still exist but I think his brother was eligible for game ambassador payments as well. Being the sons of a local rugby league legend I think the AFL are very keen to keep the Jack boys right where they are!

I agree. Although personally I'd class Ottens as a big fish. He was highly rated as a forward at the time and then became a gun ruck (which also highlights how nothing is for granted). But the cats had already made a prelim on the back of youth by the time he came. The last 3 flags have also been won on the back of significant trades - Kennedy, McGlynn, Gunston, Hale, Burgoyne etc. So as you've said trading to fill roles is certainly part of the list building package.

You are a bit off the mark here. Of course the AFL are in this for PR. But they also don't want guys going off the rails like the West Coast group did. Since the drug policy the only players to find the media for drug use have been Libba Jnr (who's become a star), Travis Tuck (and deeply troubled individual at the time), Karmichael (who's still fit, healthy and playing rugby) and (likely) the Collingwood boys who wouldn't have been caught if not for some dodgy clen. No more drug related crimes, players nearly dying on overseas trips or any of the other big issues that plagued West Coast. The AFL drug policy is based on best medical practice. It says instead of punishing first time offenders with criminal sanctions that they should be given medical care. They aren't undermining the government at all. To put it simply the AFL are trying to have the best of both worlds. People then start using terms like integrity but why shouldn't the AFL look out for the AFL? Isn't that what the rest of the world does? If the AFL and AFLPA did nothing would you be the first to complain when a player inevitably developed an addiction unchecked and ended up like Cousins?

There's over 800 players in the AFL. Some are on a million per season, some are on 50k. They players already demand more from each other by submitting themselves to a whole bunch of illicit drug testing. Yes they have 3 strikes and yes they keep the results under wrap but they are doing more than pretty much any other athlete. Yet alone politicians, lawyers, doctors and so on. Rockstars, movie stars and pretty much any other celebrity besides sports stars are almost celebrated for their poor behaviour. Yet sports stars have to be saints? Why?

They have their scapegoat in Hunt. What do people expect them to do? Name and shame fellow players for a minor illegal offence in their own time that they can't really prove unless the Gold Coast players (who correct me if I'm wrong aren't under any legal obligation to talk) own up to it. AFL players from every team use drugs, especially at the end of seasons when they are letting their hair down. Hunt has dobbed in his mates and much more importantly his dealer and other connections. It says a lot about the story that the Crime Commission seems to have moved on and isn't interested in the Gold Coast players. If that's the case then maybe we should move on as well.

Like the Roos is seeing the same things that we are - Role players needing to find consistency - Senior guys in Dawes and Dunn needing to lift - Howe to get competitive - Frost to come back and be a defender - Working with Grimes and Gawn to improve - Noticing the improvement Cross has made at half back I couldn't make half the moves Roos made. I couldn't be an AFL coach to save myself. But I like to think that after watching a heap of footy and a hell of a lot of Melbourne games that when I see something that works that I'm right. Especially with Roos' game plan that is pretty simple contested footy without a lot of tricks it does a pretty good job of showing who is playing well and who isn't.

King's a young player who didn't come through the high performance TAC system. He probably had more to do to get used to AFL lifestyle than most and he certainly had more work to do on his endurance than any player on our list. Fitzy has been on the list for 6 or more years and still has one of the strangest body shapes I've ever seen. Obviously the chronic fatigue and diabetes must impact him and I get not every athlete ends up with the adonis style body but I'll be shocked if that's the best he can do with 6 years of training. I don't think Roos is bashing them, I think it's more a throw away line he likes to use but at the same time I'm sure it's the truth!

Seems like the club put in a really good effort and probably learned from the preseason stuff ups which is good to see. Kids getting access is the best thing we can do besides winning to promote the club. Sounds fantastic. Well done to the staff and players of the MFC.

They (the property developers/council whoever) have sold all the land surrounding the oval at Waverley for housing besides the 1 remaining section of the stands that is the Hawthorn base and can't be expanded. It was clearly a great investment when they moved out there but as other clubs have improved they've slipped down the ladder. I'm not sure 4th worst is exactly right, it's probably overstated but they are starting to miss out on things other clubs have. For comparison Essendon have 2 ovals (1 MCG size, 1 Etihad size) and an indoor training room.

Why do you think our list got so bad in the first place? Poor facilities turned away players and staff. The footy department and club couldn't be located near each other. The players and coaches were definitely put out by having to train at multiple venues. We trained in unprofessional venues and the players and list followed suit. But maybe more than anything the lack of a fixed asset hurt our financial position and will continue to do so with the big clubs - Ess, Haw, West Coast heading for massive training complexes. Toorak park is too small and utilised way too much to be a permanent training base. But a long term training base has to be very high on Peter Jackson and Glen Bartlett's priorities. Back to the topic. This is a smart initiative from the club to stage a night training session in preparation for Darwin and also train in the heartland. Should be a decent crowd if the weather holds up.

That was my postulating in regards to why we might make up to 4 changes despite a good win. Against GWS we had Dawes, Hogan and Frost. We just beat Geelong with Dawes, Howe and Spencer which is much less mobile. Dawes, Hogan and Spencer might not be perfect but it does give us some advantages and I wouldn't be surprised if Roos tries it. Many good teams continue to win playing tall and the bad teams continue to lose whilst looking for more run and versatility and sometimes it just isn't there. JKH had 9 goals in 14 games with quite a few as the sub last year. Not too bad. He hasn't kicked as many this year but 2 goals 3 at Casey on the weekend shoes he knows where the goals (and behinds) are. He reads the play well, has nice hands in traffic and can be creative with the footy. I would keep ANB and Stretch in ahead of him but maybe not Aidan Riley who hasn't scored yet from 4 games (2 as sub), has 8 goals from 25 games and is really a midfielder instead of a half forward.

I agree about exposing a teams backline. I think you should predominantly pick the best side you've got to play your way and win on your terms regardless of opposition too much. But I disagree about Dawes. I think Hogan can take Howe's spot close to goal. The ruckman can play as they did. Dawes can keep his lead up CHF style spot. Which then does beg the question of what to do with Howe. If Howe can provide the work rate and defensive pressure of one of the smalls (ANB, Stretch, Brayshaw etc) then it will all function. It also probably means giving him a stint each quarter on a wing which he should be able to handle. This probably won't be popular but we could try Hogan for the first time in the Roughy role. If he's playing deep forward he could rest up much more and be unleashed for a 3 minute or so burst on the ball just for something different. The Dawes-Hogan-Ruckman combination is big. But not so big as to be impossible. If Howe can play small it can work and I guess we will find out soon enough if they are game to try it.

I agree but: - Hogan and Garland are clear best 22. Hogan and Garland in - The ruck advantage we had against Geelong won't be the same against West Coast and Hogan adds another tall to the forward line. Spencer, Howe or Dawes out? - West Coast have 3 dangerous key forwards (Kennedy, Darling, Sinclair) who need manning, where Geelong was really just Hawkins as a threat. Fitzy in? - JKH is a half forward flanker. That's his position. Bail, Riley, ANB (despite his success in hitting the scoreboard) really don't fit that role. He's also had success in the sub role. JKH in? I see Garland for Bail, Hogan for Riley with either ANB, Stretch, Toumpas or possibly Howe as the sub as the most logical moves. But both JKH and Fitzy are worth the question and the role of Spencer is certainly worth considering as the forward line will be heavily cluttered with Hogan back. The top teams make lots of changes these days. I think Sydney and Hawthorn rarely go unchained. They bring injured players back. Pick the right players for the right conditions/match ups and they rotate fringe and young players to develop their games and the list. Fringe or young players coming in and doing their job but losing out to more experienced or a different role player shouldn't be seen as a bad thing, it should be part of being a maturing list and team and finding a consistent best 22.