DeeSpencer

Have you been watching? 1. Ability to stick with the likes of N. Riewoldt 2. The fact he's never blown up and headed to the bench + that he plays huge minutes 3. Repeat efforts after a spoil he's quick to find his feet 4. He does run well out of defense and link up when he's around a contest I've seen plenty of his run from the backline but we do need to see more I will agree on that. We also need to target him from kick outs as with a decent pair of hands and tall body plus the endurance he should be a target running to open space. Just to play CHB as a young player requires a big tank. I think he can take it up a notch a tad but remember the more you run off your opponent the further it is to get back on to them if the ball is turned over. There's probably a limit of how useful top quality endurance is as a tall defender compared to a midfield but McDonald has been using his now he just has to step it up. He's a decent runner to get the ball and link up but needs to improve his skills so he trusts himself to do it more.

If Dunn was a tall bloke capable of bringing the ball to the ground and filling the structure role of a Dawes or Hogan I'd be all for it but he's not anyway. Pedersen has already been swapped from defensive back up to forward for that reason. As Dunn is currently in line for a round 1 spot in the backline I'd leave him there. We will still have the 2 rucks in Spencer and King it just means Spencer does the major work load but that's out. And we still have 2 key forwards in Pedersen and Howe. Ok one is no good and the other in undersized but I don't see it as a massive issue. If we are keen for a guy to spell Pedersen and fill in as a big body and do some hard leading up at the ball I'd actually prefer Tommy McDonald. In fact I would consider using him for a short 5 or 10 minute spurt at some stage just in case it's something that can be implemented in the season proper.

It looks bad for the lions but they can bounce back in the second nab challenge game and be on their way for a reasonable season. I don't think they had any real illusions about making top 8 anyway. Also remember they had their starting ruck (Leueny), starting key forwards (Brown, Staker), starting key defenders (Merrett, Patfull), starting midfield (Rich, Redden, Rockliff, Moloney, Hanley) and a few other handy players - Adcock, McGrath, Paine out. They didn't just have a few missing but they have key structural pieces missing. I totally agree their depth has taken a huge hit. Longer, Karnezis, Polec, Docherty and Yeo probably all would've played tonight and potentially played well. Instead they replaced those guys with kids and Trent West as a back up ruck. Either way to me I'd say if they have a good run with injuries they still have enough midfield and backline talent to be someone closer to the 8 than the bottom regardless of tonight. If they lose a few with injuries they may sink low enough for a bottom 4 run. I don't want to sound too cocky but one thing about Brisbane is if they lose Brown and Staker (who's not really a key forward anyway) then the kids and mix of retried talent like McGuane and Lisle based on the evidence tonight might not be much better than our own depth battler in Pedersen.

Rivers.. good defender on the right match ups, will get beaten by anyone significantly quicker or bigger than him. Doesn't attack the game enough for an experienced player. Handy, but hardly a huge loss. Troy Chaplin (similar player to Rivers, a bit softer but gets more ball, both not true key defenders) left Port to Richmond and both teams improved. No reason why Rivers can't be good for Geelong but why we can't be just as good (backline wise) without him. We do need to desperately draft and develop a mid range height defender to go along with Garland. Not sure if either Georgiou or Dunn are great long term options.

LeCras' best football is as an undersized full forward target (?10 goals v Essendon) although he can play well as a forward pocket opportunistic player as well. Sylvia isn't a similar player and isn't of the same quality.

The biggest revelation with Sylvia is the blokes just not much good. Can't win a clearance Isn't a reliable kick Isn't a natural spread and run player What he can be is a tough match up as he's got good burst speed, strength and over head marking. And he can tackle. He's a back up midfielder and flanker trying to find he's way in a new team playing a hard system to learn. Let's leave the deep analysis of his Melbourne career in the past. Sylvia leaving allowed us to get Vince. If Cross, Tyson, Michie and Riley can provide the help to Viney and Jones in the grunt work then Vince will be of much more use to us than Sylvia would've been.

FB: Bachelor Rance Houli HB: Newman Chaplin Vlaustin C: Ellis Cotchin Grigg Hf: Edwards Vickey Lennon FF: Edwards McBean Lloyd Foll: Hampson Deledio Martin Int: Griffiths, Astbury, Morris, McIntosh, Banfield, Miles, Helbig, McDonald Stephenson, Foley, Gordon Potential Richmond team. No Maric or Riewoldt but they have 2 senior rucks to our 1. Plus a midfield experience at playing together. Some questions over there forward line as well

Id say hoping that we dont have injuries I'd have 8 different players in the red vests throughout the game. Ie. 2 start sub for first game. At 1/4 they come on. Half time pick 2 new subs. 3/4 take off 2 more. That way 8 players play the majority of 3 quarters. The other 18 get managed throughout the game.

And a converted defender in Pedersen and an 18 year old rookie from NSW in King. So yes not a lot to scare the opposition there but help is on it's way by next week.

I'd go with FB: Dunn Frawley Strauss HB: Grimes McDonald Terlich C: Vince Jones Watts HF: Toumpas Pedersen Trengove FF: Blease Howe JKH Foll: Spencer Cross Tyson Int: King, Michie, Georgiou, M. Jones, Clisby, McKenzie Subs/Emer: Nicholson, Byrnes, Barry, Evans, Bail Backline (Garland), Midfield (Viney) and small forwards (maybe Kent and Salem pushing for a spot) aren't far off full strength so I'd like to see some competitive signs there. Pressure for a round one spot should pretty much be on from now. Tall forwards and rucks will have to do the best they can so good luck to them.

We've had a thread on this before but I'm all for it but it might be better off as a voluntary thing because if you aren't in to it you are wasting your time. A little shocked that Misson requested it thought, I'm not convinced I believe in that. And Dylan and Tyler are such average names, but I suppose with kids names these days it could be worse. No concerns about Tyler helping out with trainings as mainly a ball boy really. It's good experience for him and he seems a smart kid and isn't a distraction.

And then he doesn't take a mark, doesn't hit a target by foot and gets beaten repeatedly in ruck contests including getting pushed off the ball or horribly mistiming his leap. I like Spencer's attitude and he took a positive step in late 2013, but in reality he moved from complete waste to nearly serviceable. He still had improvement left to get to league average. I'd say this year though he's probably finally got the mix of muscle and endurance right to physically compete so I'm keen to see improvement. Taking on some big boys from Richmond as pretty much a lone hand will be a good start.

Lets combine the 2. Jake Spencer's unique brand of pace, inco-ordination and height could be just the guy to get your grandsons interest

Often because (and we've all done it) training reports can be loaded with a persons crude assessment of a player instead of just descriptions of what they are seeing. From then on debate starts and its ok for a while but does get out of hand. As of Friday we will at least get games and stats to analyse instead of random observations.

Mine neither. And he plays forward this game and hopefully by the second NAB challenge we have Dawes and Hogan back and then we can decide whether to try Pedersen in the back up ruck job if neither Fitzy, Gawn or Jamar have come up by that time (although I presume at least 1 will). There will be a lot of shuffling of the tall forwards and rucks until at least the early rounds of the season is my prediction. But that can be a good thing, competition should develop pretty quickly.

Say red and blue print 10 times quick enough and it sounds like Roos-print. It will be nice to see a team playing together in a simple and unified plan. But winning would be nice as well.

My guess now we know that those who haven't had a full load of main group training are likely ruled out: FB: Strauss Frawley Dunn HB: Grimes McDonald Terlich C: Vince Jones Watts HF: Toumpas Pedersen Trengove FF: JKH Howe Blease Foll: Spencer Tyson Cross Int: King, Michie, McKenzie, M Jones, Clisby, Salem Plus for subs/emergencies take your pick of Evans, Kent, Georgiou, Bail, Byrnes, Barry and a few others Ok we might be down on tall forwards and rucks but what a great opportunity to play a whole bunch of skilled and speedy midfielders and practice running super hard both ways, moving the ball quickly but safely and getting the right defensive structures.

I think the difference is Watts needs every minute he can get in the midfield learning that area of the ground. Presumably Spencer rucks about 75% of the game and spends the rest of the time on the bench. That means King does 25% ruck but can also play out of the goal square for a chunk of the game maybe 30 or 40%. The rest of time Pedersen and Howe can carry the load as the key forwards. If part of Watts' rotation is to half forward to then get up the ground and back then that's fine but mainly he needs the midfield experience. I would almost consider pitting him against a Tiger midfielder like a Shaun Grigg on a wing and not tag but use the opportunity for a bit of a head to head battle at least so his defensive requirements are highlighted to him.

Except Blitcavs won Geelong's time trial where as when King was running a repeat 400m earlier he ended in preseason up on the ground in a pile of spew! But I agree on the sentiment, he's got an opportunity to show what he can do. He looks a nice moving and well skilled big man. If he can dig in and compete physically then it's a great opportunity to get a kick start to his career. Plus practice match or not it would be a huge thrill for the lad to wear the red and blue and play AFL.

Max King could be the answer for Melbourne against Richmond in the NAB Challenge Sounds like no Fitzy, Gawn or Jamar either. Could be just Spencer and King in the ruck and Pedersen, Howe and presumably a bit of time for King forward.

Headline should be: "Hogan and Dawes rested from mid February practice game in order to be fully fit for round 1" That would make everyone happy. Pedersen can be a big body and a target, he's really just a less classy version of Dawes. Fitzpatrick or a second ruck can play deep and Howe can get the 3rd tall and work on his one on one game that is needed anyway. The lack of talent in the key forwards shouldn't impact the importance of defensive play, stoppage work and 2 way running which is what we really need to establish in the preseason.

How much work in rehab did Clark get through? After some heavier weeks he really hasn't done much the last week or so. Lots of reports of him walking. Did he get through some sprints? What about Watts? He obviously left early but I hope he did enough to show he's healthy and can be on track for Friday.

I'm expecting a bit of a Yes for the first point. Enough hard workers to at least stall momentum and not get blasted by 8 or 10 goal quarters too often. I also think midfield running should be much improved so a yes to this. But probably a no to the third one. No team can really stop the opposition once they've given up a bad turnover. Again I expect to see good tackling, chasing and one percenters. But no to the last point. If we get the ball forward of centre or in space I think we will attack and around the packs I expect to see much greater ball handling and movement from stoppages, but when put back in our own back 50 I don't think there will be fluent attacking play. Holding on to the ball, sharing it around and getting to the right positions will probably be the start. That's what I saw from the intra club.

Roos is very confident and self assured and if he was wrong more often then he'd come across as arrogant. It's hardly a surprise that a fringe player on a rubbish Fitzroy team would see the golden child of the club as a bit self righteous. Especially when that same person knocks your team out of a grand final when you are coaching. And yes Roos is getting near on ridiculous financial compensation but he is also putting his record on the line so he'll either do a good job and enhance that record or he will fail and he'll look arrogant and stain his record. To be honest I think Grant Thomas' failure to get ultimate success and outspoken behaviour is a bit of a shame because I think a few of the things he did probably worked really well and could've been spread through the AFL industry. He developed an outstanding young team and took them to two prelim finals. He developed elite players, his player leadership with rotating young captains actually worked pretty well. The young saints in 2004 who won 10 straight games were a great team on the rise. A lot of that gets lost now with GT.

Doubt he has the physicality or foot skills to make it as a defender, much better suited using his pace in leading to find space forward. Remember Rory Thompson was a last chance kind of guy who failed as a ruck and forward and GC had the opportunity to give him a shot down back and persevere with him regardless of form. I'm not sure we've got that opportunity with Fitzy and he's shown too much as a forward and forward/ruck to mess around with his development on a hunch. At the moment a depth key defender is high up on the draft list but it will only be if Frawley leaves that we need to panic and think about trades.