DeeSpencer

This came up not too long ago on bigfooty. The consensus was that if the kid was adopted legitimately at an age before any doubts could be put forward then he would be illegible for FS. There was somewhat of a test case. Apparently the FS rule could be applied to club staff as well as players in its infancy and that a female Essendon (who would've thought) director with links to the Indigenous community had a strong connection with Richard Cole. And at the time the club did make some overtures about the father son rule.

Very serious. Women have the right to be upset by the LFL, but I can't see how it's sexist. They aren't playing in those uniforms because men forced them to. Do you know what's sexist. Men and women tennis players getting paid the same when men offer a far superior product. That's sexism.

Well actually with these new digital TV channels I think you'll find if that if someone makes a program for free and it will be watched by anyone at all then they'll air it. 7mate may be paying a bit for a broadcast deal to help supplement the costs of production but if they are screening in 10:30 on a Saturday night on mate I think most of the costs will be covered by the league. So in all likelihood the crowd attending the game is supplementing the broadcast on TV which in turn is hoping to draw more to the games. I presume other sports in particular womens sports would do the same plus would add some government funding to make it all happen +/- be broadcast on the ABC.

Good point. Money and picks aren't worth that much too us at the time. We've had plenty of both to use with no success. I'm a bit more worried about Vince in terms of picks and money! And a 3-4 year deal at 28 not 24

So women choosing to wear a uniform are then demeaning other young women who are then bad role models for other young women? Even if that's true then what does sexism have to do with any of it? And presuming you're a man what does it have anything to do with you? If you don't like it don't watch. But don't watch porn, go the strippers, listen to Rihanna music, buy Victoria's Secret or do anything else that promotes women cashing in on their bodies. And to not be sexist don't buy bonds undies with pat rafter or Michael Clarke in his jocks, don't listen to Ricky Martin and avoid shopping in any shops which have picture of male models on the walls.

Maybe watch a game. I'm a big NFL fan and know (not a close acquaintance) a girl who's part of the LFL so I watched a brief bit of the game that was on 7Mate Sunday night. The girls play hard. Literally more hard tackles in one game than a season of watching the dees. They CHOOSE to play and wear the uniforms as they know it increases the audience in the hope that one day they can get paid to play a tough, physical and fun sport. The chances of it taking off in Australia and slim but if the girls play well enough they might get a shot in the US. A lot of the girls have done other spots wearing similar uniforms. Whilst this sport clearly sexes up the uniforms for the girls compared to men you can argue that's true for a lot of sports. There are certainly performance benefits for women to wear skimpy outfits in many sports ie. beach volleyball, but that doesn't stop them showing off their bodies. Same for tennis, where I'm sure there isn't a lot of performance benefit from shorter and tighter dresses compared to a standard outfit. Then again the crowd cheered plenty whenever Pat Rafter took his t shirt off. LFL in no way is a miserable event. It's women making a commercial decision and good on them. The Richmond president, as a woman used to mixing it in a mans world probably respects that. If you want to make the world a less sexist place maybe focus on issues that actually are sexual discrimination not choice.

Wow that's a fail isn't it. Hopefully parents can get kids out of school and there. Not like they are learning much at this time of the year, or not much that can't be better learnt by eating sausages and watching dees training. That's life lessons right there.

Driving without license and failing to stop. Nothing that amazing really. His careers been cooked for ages and whilst I don't fully blame him for that he needs to take a look at himself for this stuff!

2002, 2003, 2004 was a bit of a rollercoaster. I agree Daniher isn't responsible for anything 2010 on wards really. He made his run, it fell well short, rebuilding already started in 2007 and then Bailey came in after that. I'm pretty comfortably entrenched in my view that Daniher left a poor quality of senior player. His run seemed characterised by the type of player who had a one great season but could never back it up, hence why we often looked the goods in 2004-2006 early and mid season but fell away when the going got tough. He was a very good coach who gave us a period of success whilst working in massively under resourced conditions but he had short comings. The first rebuild can be put on him, the second and now third rebuild shouldn't be.

Certainly Neeld needed to get the fitness based up immensely (Misson noted this when he arrived) and the quality of training to improve as well. My question is why couldn't the fitness base be improved by running in drills. Misson and his crew have the players hooked up by GPS with almost a dozen staff on hand to monitor the work loads in any one session. It's an impressive set up for those who haven't been to a training session. So why for 2 years did our players do endless 300 or 400m runs to boost fitness? I find it hard to believe things were so bad that we had to do basic running instead of in drill running. i wonder if that was Neeld's call as a display of flogging and mentally toughening the players. Or whether Misson simply devised the easiest way to get fitness in to the group and Neeld approved it. It's basic human nature that when given the choice of plotting out basic interval runs around and oval compared to monitoring running across drills that the fitness guys will go with the former, but it's wrong. I did at the time and maintain it now that Neeld had a fundamental problem with the way he conducted training sessions out on the ground. He was incredibly passive and distant. Often just sitting out to the side and brooding. In comparison to Neil Craig and Paul Roos it's a stark difference. They delegate to the appropriate staff but they are also in full control. They know when and why to stop a drill. Which players to ride on with the stick and who to give the carrot too or have a quiet word with. Considering that's also a great strength of Malthouse I'm not sure why Neeld didn't pick it up.

I saw it the other way. Cross was definitely not just playing a normal farewell game that day, he was busting a gut to try and impress suitors for a new contract and no one more than us. Anyway my days of dreaming that top drafts picks will become stars are over. But I do still expect Toumpas to make an above average AFL midfielder capable of racking up disposals and using the ball very well. Training signs so far indicate his body is better prepared and that his worst football should be better in 2014, which means he can hold his spot in the team by being improved defensively and more physical around contests. That sounds like a good start to me.

Agree training seems to be more game and pressure based which is a positive. Important to note this year that with only 2 nab challenge games that most clubs will be heading in to round 1 without a heap of match practice so that might help even the playing field in the early games. Although another change of coach and new game style means we might start slowly again.

Question? Are you talking about round 1 or the best 22 likely to play the majority of the season? Certainties: (14) Clark, Hogan, Frawley, Garland, Grimes, Vince, N. Jones, Howe, McDonald, Viney, Watts, Trengove, Cross, Tyson Probables: (9) Dawes (inj), Dunn, Clisby, Terlich, M. Jones, Toumpas (Firming), Evans, Michie, McKenzie Possibles: (10) Fitzpatrick, Jamar, Spencer, Gawn, Strauss, Tapscott, Kent (inj), Byrnes, Blease, Pedersen Unlikely: (6) Nicholson, Bail, Salem, JKH, Barry, Riley (inj), Hunt Round 1 team will likely come from the certainties, plus most of the probables plus one or two from the possibles. I've list all 3 primary rucks as possible as that's what they are. I'm yet to get a read on any discernible difference in training or if Roos has a preference. A lot depends on Clark and/or Fitzpatrick proving capable back ups because then it's 3 guys in to one spot and hence none are better than possible. I've got no doubt the coaches will like Jamar's experience, Spencer's hard competitive edge and Gawn's natural ability to mark, link up and be of use around the ground. 1 or even 2 of Dunn, Clisby and Terlich make way from the final 22 but right now that's a battle for the last couple of defensive spots and the same goes with a decent crop fighting for the last few midfield spots or small forward/rotating mid. That's Toumpas, McKenzie, Michie, Evans, M. Jones, Byrnes, Blease all for a couple of spots. Toumpas has looked great on track but I don't want to set the bar too high. Alternatively I think Roos and co will push through with Tyson (for development), Watts and Cross almost regardless of immediate form. It's 3 guys who they'll be super keen to see do well and will have patience on keeping in the side.

Really? I can't think of too many how did Blease do that moments. I can't think of a lot more why did Blease do that moments when he does something stupid. Howe is our how did he do that guy! Jack Viney winning clearances putting his head in places he shouldn't makes me take notice. As does the very rare Jack Watts moment. And maybe Jack Fitzpatrick, to see him run away from players at his height is great to see. Blease has raw legspeed. He will/does do the odd turn on the after burners, blow past an opponent and put it on the boot for a long goal. But I'm yet to see any other trick that a guy with speed can pull off. Not many run down tackles, not many sustained bounces along a wing, not many link ups in to open space. Some more of them and I might get interested

Really? After all you've heard of Neeld you need that explained?There's been several Neeld reports of belittling and an overly stern discipline that certainly could've made the players feel like children. Roos on the other hand is about professionalism and standards. Working the guys hard but making them own it like adults

Barry really looked like a kid last year, much like Jayden Hunt this year I presume. So when you contrast it's probably easy to see a difference. I think Salem is probably more suited to start his career as a forward than Barry. Salem's junior career showed decent marking and a desire to hunt the ball and tackle. All components for a small forward. Particularly a Paul Roos small forward who's responsibilities for pressuring and locking the ball in probably outweigh the ability to get the odd goal. Barry might have the edge in pace but Blease has shown that pace alone doesn't make you a small forward. Barry is very much an out in space run and carry player and the modern game makes it very hard to find space as a small forward. In light of Kent being injured and rehab-ing slowly a spot could open up whilst Kent gets back from injury and we'd all be happy to see Kennedy Harris or Salem in it I'm sure. Saty I know I've had a go at you for what I see as being overprotective of players reputations on here but some of you're little insights gleamed from the players are pretty useful, particularly it's nice to know you got the thumbs up from Mitch and Dawesy. No particular surprise the players would rather get the miles in their legs from footy training than repetitive lap running, that's pretty obvious.

I don't care if it's Dom Barry or any other player on the list how nice would it be to see earning a jumper back in fashion instead of just getting one. (without having a go at hardtack).

Great report Rog!

Mitch Clark died early in this thread but seemed to come back to life later on. This is possibly counter intuitive but rucking part time may actually be protecting him compared to playing forward full time. Sounds like today's training was very physical with the aim of getting some tension out before a final week then Christmas break. Nice to know Kent is alive. Shame he's a far way back. If he's got patella tendinitis I wonder if they'll be able to fix him before next season. Physios opinion please! Tapscott in full training in positive as well.

The AFC really is a bit of a mess isn't it. Denver and New England just don't fill you with confidence the way they play defense and no Gronk takes the pats offense down a peg. They have to do something about targetting knees. Not just a fine but a straight hit to the knee of a defenseless receiver should be a week off. Indy are shot and at the end of the day it's still Andy Dalton at QB for the Bengals. Can he beat one of Brady or Manning in the play offs? I'd say so. But two in a row like the ravens did last year? KC are every shot to beat Indy week 1 but then how do they beat Denver? They've tried twice and can't. And the last wildcard - Miami or Balltimore maybe, they shouldn't beat the bengals. The 49ers struggle the same way that Cinncinatti do when you talk about beating good teams 2 weeks in a row. They're every chance to beat whoever they come up against week 1 from the NFC North or East but then likely taking on New Orleans before then getting Seattle (or vice versa) - good luck with that. The play offs always throw up surprises but with their records at home I can't see how the NFC championship game wont be played at either New Orleans or more likely Seattle and how the home team wont win. I suppose the biggest factor is injuries that's about it.

That would be good for him and provides continuity with VFL/AFL guys. Also Troy showed versatility to play at either end of the ground which is handy as the Melbourne talls can develop around him, he doesn't have to play a specific role.

I've heard a player say Toumpas is very Morton like ie. very outside. The difference is so far Toumpas has shown the way he's attacking this preseason that he's likely working on his body and will be These kind of comments often come from lesser or frustrated players when referring to the new boys especially golden child types like first round picks who will invariably be giving games ahead of strugglers. The amount of [censored] I've said about team mates in local footy is 10 times worse than a throw away line. Anyway bad luck Ben Hur on your nephew being a [censored] as it is routinely known across most of Melbourne that Hannebery's mates aren't the sharpest tool in the shed eg. the caravan rolling down a hill at Falls Festival incident.

Howe wrestling with Miller. Oh what is that, maybe they are teaching him how to use his body in marking contests which is a huge weakness of his. Surely not actual proper skills of the game training.

I would suggest that's a puddle ie. very little depth. The counter to that would be that we have 3 decent key forwards and a nice forward/ruck in Fitzy, 3 options for 1st ruck all of whom can at least provide something, options with tall defenders and small defenders. But when it comes to the midfield I'll take a puddles depth in 2014 compared to not even enough to fill an entire team in 2013.

- Ok I'm on my own but I liked the collar, gave us an air of class - Still think the red isn't perfect. I know Schwab's experiment with the red was a stuff up but this is still too tomato coloured and not a deep rich red. However it might fade a little and be the right colour on TV. Last years jumper was right on TV, this one just looks a little too bright in that video. - Don't like having the MFC logo as well as the sponsor and AFL. Makes it cluttered and asymetric