DeeSpencer

The AFL will be in big trouble in a decade or two if the league doesn't provide a useful method of equalisation. I don't mind the Bulldogs suggestion of a pokie tax for an initial method. If clubs are supporting themselves by these horrible means they could share the wealth from it. Ultimately though the AFL need to make a clear and responsible choice on the fixture And if they don't even it up then they will have to be very strong on fat Eddie and his mates and to explain the situation about the massive compensation owed to the shafted clubs. Also I certainly think the Afl should try to purchase Etihad early which would boost north and the bulldogs.

Dominates the VFL but lacks a yard above and below the shoulders at Afl Level and foot skills which the hawks thought they could fix. Good decision for us to let him go and when you look at Hawthorns defense it's not a horrible pick up from them.

If McKenzie is coached properly he can win clearances on good opponents. This thread is largely because of a couple of bad kicks during last weeks games, which aren't actually a bad thing. If Jordie is racking up touches it probably means he's fit and finding the ball. Even as the games progresses last week he learnt his lesson and fired off a nice handball or 2.

Season 1 - injured entire year Season 2 - made a nice fist of playing half back flank, disposal and toughness impressive but lacked the fitnessed to do it for the whole year Season 3 - Up and down year again not having a full season, flashes of quality play but not enough, used as a forward and sometimes as a sub and with the lack of ball coming in to Melbourne forwards line it was hardly a surprise Season 4 ??? Looked to have a better preseason and fitter but still some injuries So end of story we have a guy who can play footy and kick the ball and is tough and aggressive. Injuries have prevented him developing fitness and consistentsy. We now need to see him play another season to work out if he'll be a talented half forward with midfield ability like Paul Chapman or a battler.

Actually sounds like you are the one who's not thinking clearly and are thinking through your pocket. What kind of theory is the game means something otherwise it wouldn't be played. After 2 losses in nab 1 we can't win the cup so it means very little. Even Port have named a pretty lowly side.The injury risk and the fatigue risk is low you are correct, but why take any risk at all. I want everything the club to do everything they can to win as many games as they can during the season. This game does mean something. It means a chance for some of our lessor players to wear the guernsey with pride and to put themselves up for round 1 selection. I hope that's what you go to see and I hope our players can deliver that.

Already got him in the team. I hope as the year progresses he is used more sparingly and in some games as the sub but looking at the team I think he has to start in round 1. We've got 4 (Viney, toumpas, matt jones and kent) potential debuts I think we'll need experienced types starting

Yep the AFL blab on about integrity but if they can't have a fair fixture and a proper commercially equal fixture then what is the point!

Ok so the following guys have been rested from the trip to Renmark, plus I'll add in Sylvia, Frawley and stay positive that Blease can make it up for round 1, but there's still a few spots up for grabs FB: Garland Frawley ****** HB: Dunn McDonald Watts C: Toumpas Jones Grimes HF: Sylvia Dawes Byrnes FF: Howe ****** Blease Foll: Jamar McKenzie Rodan Int: Viney ***** ***** Sub: ******* Now to me it comes down to a few positional battles. Small defender: Nicholson v Strauss v Jetta v Terlich Midfield depth: M. Jones v Evans v Magner v Couch v ? Barry Small forward/Sub: Kent v Davey v Taggert v Tapscott v ? Bail v ?Evans I think Pedersen is pretty likely to start as the ruck forward but so whilst I've left him out of the team I think we don't need a poll. However feel free to agrue the benefits of Pedersen v Fitzpatrick or possibly playing both or Sellar. So pick your men and tell me why they deserve the spots and whether you are a fan of them for the whole season or just for now. For me I think Strauss' skill and defensive work put him in as a small defender. I like the idea of 7 rotating defenders so I'll go with Jetta as well who can also rest forward and displayed some nice skilled kicking on the weekend. That leaves me Matt Jones on debut as a running midfielder because I think we need run and for the sub I'd go with Evans because he's nippy and can find the footy either forward or through the midfield. Kent is unlucky to miss out.

One thing about Sylvia is he often starts the year slowly, sometimes its due to injury but I think it his form as well. By getting some extra games and touch into him it should allow him to find form for early in the season. I imagine he doesn't have to play a full game or a large percentage in the midfield but just getting a run might be good for his form.

Presuming we plan for hot weather here is the 24 who (judging from the comments in the article about rested players and injuries) are in the squad. Seems like Sylvia was the unlucky guy as to me he is the only clear best 22 player in this squad. Obviously some of these guys will end up in round 1 team. FB: Strauss Gillies Jetta HB: Nicholson Sellar Macdonald C: Evans Magner Stark HF: Sylvia Hogan Tapscott FF: Davey Pedersen Fitzpatrick Foll: Spencer Couch M. Jones Int; Taggert, Barry, Davis, Terlich, Kent, Tynan Rested: Jack Grimes, Nathan Jones, Chris Dawes, Tom McDonald, Jack Watts, Jordie McKenzie, Jeremy Howe, David Rodan, Mark Jamar, Colin Garland, Shannon Byrnes, Lynden Dunn, Jimmy Toumpas and Jack Viney INJ: Frawley, Blease, Trengove, Clark, Gawn, Bail, Clisby

FB: Strauss Gillies Nicholson HB: Watts Sellar Jetta C: Toumpas Magner M Jones HF: Taggart Hogan. Tapscott FF: Davey. Pedersen. Fitzpatrick Foll: Spencer. Couch. Viney Int: terlich. Davis. Kent Barry macdonald Evans Rest frawley, garland, Dunn, mcdonald, jones, mckenzie, Sylvia, Byrnes, jamar, Dawes, Howe, grimes. I'd only play Viney and Toumpas for limited minutes to get some experience at the afl level as well. Really the aim of this game should be to find out who we can put in the team the next 2 weeks to push for a round 1 spot. There are guys in direct competition for small defender, midfield and forward spots

One thing I'd really like to see is us sharing the ball more. Even if it's overuse I think we need to get the possessions up. At one stage Nicholson streamed through the midfield with Sylvia next to him and didn't hand of the ball and then turned it over. I'd prefer to see to the ball given to Sylvia who's had more time to look afield. Another instance late in the Richmond game Dunn gets the at half back and bombs the ball to half forward under pressure. The ball goes to 3 Richmond defenders. Now maybe our forwards are creating space but it looked more to me like the hadn't recovered their positions to provide an option. Here I think there are 2 issues, the lack of spread and the lack of sharing the ball. It might be a game plan issue but really I think a lot of problems are down to the players not being switched on which is disappointing.

I know I saw Brandon Ellis from Richmond get pinged for it twice on the weekend. One seemed correct and one wrong. The rule itself seems practical to me. If someone is standing and about to pick up the ball it is reckless for a player to come sliding in and take their legs out. I definitely think players should attempt to keep their feet. I expect the umps to take a while to figure out who is sliding in and who is simply bending over and first to the ball. That timing would be how id enforce it. If someone is first to the ball but slides due to the wet or to protect themselves then I don't think they are at blame, but if they slide in late then it should be a freekick.

If only this was the NFL we'd just find him a monster ankle brace and send him out there like Ben Rothlisberger did. I hope he's back soon but when he's healthy and I like to think all injuries are partly avoidable and this one could of been helped by more talk to let Blease know he was about to get crunched. At least it came from a loose ball not a hospital hand pass.

Dunne is shocked that you missed him, or is that Dunn. FB: Dunn Frawley Garland HB: Strauss McDonald Watts C: Toumpas Jones Grimes HF: Sylvia Dawes Howe FF: Byrnes Pedersen Blease Foll: Jamar McKenzie Rodan Int: Viney, Jetta, Evans/M. Jones/Magner S: Kent Backline: Frawley and McDonald lead the way as tall defenders. Dunn and Watts both can play as 3rd tall or as attacking flankers. Garland is NOT our 3rd tall defender although he can play that role, he is used to stop a small forward. Strauss and Jetta make up the 6th and 7th defenders and can play up the ground at times. I think most teams will play 7 defenders to get a rotation off the bench. Others in contention for this role are Terlich (haven't seen enough), Nicholson (Not sold on his kicking), Joel Macdonald or Grimes as a defender. Gillies is also an option if we want to go taller. Midfield: Jamar and Jones pick themselves. As do Toumpas and Viney, both who can rest forward to not overwork them. Grimes has to play midfield until we can get more depth. Rodan has impressed me so far. I like Sylvia, Byrnes and Blease all rotating into the midfield from a forward spot. I think the last midfield spot is still up to grabs and is between Evans/ Matt Jones and Magner at this stage. Obviously if fit Trengove comes in but I doubt he'll be ready. McKenzie is vital. I know he made some simple errors but he was also tackling better than anyone in our team and a couple of nab cup games should take out the errors. He'll be super important to go onto Boak who has the ability to take the game away from us very quickly. Forward line: No Clark means it's a toss up as to whether Fitzy comes in or if we play small with Dawes, Pedersen and Howe. I'm tempted to start small in round 1 and just get the extra runner in the team. We are light on for a dominant forward pocket and I have little faith in Davey but I like Blease and Byrnes and I think we have some mids (Sylvia, Toumpas, Rodan) who can play well as forwards. Sub: I think we some speed and ability to find the football based on a nab cup so far I like Kent as the sub. It gives us a chance to play another kid and eases him into to AFL but at the same time I think he can be impressive. Other options would be Nicholson with his pace or another midfielder.

Let me firstly say I think concussion is a massive injury and a threat to our game. The game will survive but players who have multiple concussion may be forced to retire very early. But I'm not fully convinced on Greg Williams. I don't think CTE is an established diagnosis yet. We know the brain has changes in these athletes thanks to the work in the US, but if I was Greg Williams I'd be getting a full workup and getting a variety of opinions about diagnosis and management before I'd say I'm losing my mind and footy is to blame.

Not only bringing it to ground but particularly in Dawes' case getting to the right spots to open space for other forwards. Pedersen it was a bit of a rough start for him, but at one stage he took a nice grab that got taken off him for an earlier free kick against. We know he's a footballer. Here's in the back up ruck role to compete and particularly I'd be looking at him getting involved around the ground when he's in the ruck because he wont be a star in the hitouts. Up forward I'm not expecting miracles and he's more about providing an option and taking the load of Dawes.

I think the beard is a classic case of if you look tough you feel tough, then if you feel tough you play tough. Thats what I'm hoping at thats all that Jack needs to make it as a player.

To some degree the number 1 pick hurts him, but the bigger problem is he throws in the occasional half hearted soft effort that ruins a lot of good work. That is his test for the year. Don't flinch, hit the ball hard in the air on on the ground, if he does that all year he will have a great year. The biggest problem remains the lack of effort to spread and force an opponent to beat us going through us not by simply romping around or over us. To me it's very disappointing because from under 12's everyone learns the concept of manning up yet it seems the dees players haven't quite understood it yet. It's on the midfield at the centre bounces where you see 1 opposition player evade 3 melbourne witches hats to then handball to 2 running opposition players, but its a full ground problem. We still don't seem to create any defensive pressure to lock the ball in the forward line. Some of that is on the mids not stopping the outlets, but a lot in on the forwards not realising when the ball is won by their opponents and working super hard to stick to their men.

Jones needs to lower his kicks a bit, probably something that comes with adjusting to AFL. Seems ok though. Couch did show a bit, but he was a fresh in the second game. All we know based on last year is that Magner has the edge on Couch but that could change. I think it comes down to injuries as to whether Couch or Magner get upgraded and a spot in the team for round 1.

Defensively he is fine unless he goes 3rd man up when he isn't needed. But he makes brain fades by hand and foot too often. It's upsetting. He should benefit from the long down the boundary or safe switch form of kicking but he doesn't do it.

Just in reply to the OP is it too late to move Toumpas to a clean flowing exciting number 1 and get Hulk Hogan in the number 5 of the OX!

Hogan - wow. jones has to carry the midfield Byrnes not involved much but positions well Viney got thrown a tough match up in swallow and competed I think we will have teething pains but also some success long term with Dunn, watts and McDonald down back Jordie mckenzie was rusty David Rodan made an impressive difference in the clearances Michael Evans was lively Think Jetta doesn't have the speed to play down back I'd really prefer to play grimes down back, he seems robotic as a midfielder and not quite zippy enough in close Kent missed a good opportunity and a chance at winning the game but he also found the ball. Natural ball winner at half forward is important All in all I think Rodan and others will be vital to support jones to get us a midfield. The skill level might be slightly improved across the board. The defensive press still needs attention to detail but our biggest problem will remain our inability to spread at speed to cover off rebounding attacks. Oh and hogan wow again haha And I just don't think Dan Nicholson is clever enough to play Afl. Makes the same mistakes too often in terms of lack of accountability and with his disposal.

Maybe you need to take your own advise. Some guys need repeated injury free preseasons to get to their best. It's the same across all clubs. Has their ever been any indication that Tapscott hasn't given 100%. Does he look like a guy who doesn't put in?I've actually seem some good footy from tapscott including a very good game I think against gold coast last year. Let's worry about the end of the season at the end of the season

2 early season wins might get us an extra 2,000 members that at $100 each is $200,000. My point is we should focus on the season proper and the pursuit of a premiership not the nab cup.