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I wonder whether everyone associated with the AFL, including a lot of people on this site, would want to have the game as an industry shrink by 25% because that is what such a decision would represent. The major factors in making the game so popular with television stations are : its entrtainment value and therefore consistently high ratings; the length of the game itself ( more revenue per game); consistent scoring and therefore plenty of opportunities for natural Ad breaks; and yes length of seasons. Reduce the season by 25% and theefore reduce income likewise. All these features give us a natural advantage over NRL and Soccer. Do we really want to surrender these advantages through some ideological decision making? I think not.

Wasn't suggesting we SHOULD delist them. Far from it, if fit, I think Gawn and Tappsott have some of the highest potential in the club. All i was doing was querying how serious their injuries were and whether we may HAVE to delist them. Personally, I think the Gawn recruitment is one of our more far sighted ones, and one that could potentially be a huge contribution to winning a premiership.

Sure the mid field has to slow the delivery down, but it also must attack. One of the heartening aspects of our play over the last three weeks is the attack coming from relentless running, speed of the ball movement and taking risks. If we think purely defensively against Brisbane we will get killed. We must thinmk positively and build on our strenghts as well as negate theirs. We beat them when they were last on the "g" against us by uncompromising running and all out attack in spite of J Brown being in sublime form. We can do it again.

And another tall back in Rivers.For me, i'd put Garland up forward to provide a target, and put Rivers down back

Remember, one of Bailey's few wins in the last couple of years was against Brisbane on the MCG with Jonathan Brown in full flight. If I remember rightly, Wonna was on fire that day. Go Dees

no you aren't. In spite of my posting the "watts" post, I am very optimistic that JW will be another Royce Hart ie a GF match-winner. Watts, Scully, Trengove, Morton , Grimes, jurrah, pettard, sylvia, Jamar, and hopefully gawn will keep us at or near the top of the AFL for a decade starting in two years time. It doesn't really matter who is the best - they will all be in the elite.

does this mean Tappscott, Gawn, Meesen, and effectively Jurrah are out for the season? Does anyone know whether any of the first 3s injuries are likely to be career ending which will lead to delisting? It sounds as though these injuries are pretty serious.

Watching the Dees over the last several weeks, we are seriously small down forward and lack a key target. It is all very well against lesser opposition such as the Crows and Tigers, but it will be a real defficiency against class opposition. At the moment we have a class backman in Rivers playing in the 2's, and a class tall player in Garland playing down back. Garland has in the past provided a tall forward option very successfully. While Watts prepares himself, why don't we swap them. I believe it would greatly strengthen the team overall. Thoughts?

Not a half bad team. Indeed a top 4 team IMO

Wonna when fit will be a huge asset. We need a skilled hard at it crumbing forward, and Wonna in full flight is one of the best in the AFL. He has to though convince the club he will not break down all the time, otherwise he will be traded

Brad Green bleeds for this club. God there are some silly posts on here sometimes. It is about time loyalty is honored and respected.

So who will they be?

I agree. The closest thing to Paul Salmon, well....since Paul Salmon. The russian and PS, what an amazing combination, particularly with Scully and Trengove at their feet.

Well said. My point entirely. We should not pretend on this issue. The facts are there to see, and the coaches know it. Supporters should do the same.

I tend to agree. I did not mean to imply he will not be a good player, but ido think supporters are entitled to query progress. Niknak to me is irrelevant. We have JW, and we have to develop him to his utmost potential. That is what this post is all about.

There are parrallels with Hodge and Judd here. Hawthorn castigated themselves when they missedon Judd in favour of Hodge, but on balance theygot it pretty right. We should not be too concerned, it is early days.

I didn't mention NickNak. It is unfair to compare the two. First of all they play in different positions, and secondly he is nearly a year older than Jack I did not mention the position he was playing, i was more interested whether he could beat average or below average3 opposition. From all reports on this site about the game from people who claimed to be there he not only was not able to, but he was well beaten. That is why a raised the question. I did not compare him with Nik Nat

I know this is a very unpopular thing to say, but are we fooling ourselves about Jack Watts. From what we can gather about the game at the weekend young jack was beaten pointless by a less than top 50 draftee. Why was this so? Was he injured? Was he unfit? Or was he not good enough? I dearly hope I am wrong on this, but I fear he may be another Molan. Reassure me someone. Show me evidence to the contrary.......

Agree. What we lack now are quality talls up forward, but gee the quality coming through is really exciting

Did anyone notice after round 3 we were rated 16th in goal kicking accuracy? No doubt explains why we have been dominating games but not on the scoreboard. What can be done about this? There was an interesting conversation on SEN the other day when they were saying every aspect of the game has improved out of sight in the last 5 years except goal kicking. One of those talking was David Schwartz who knew a thing or two about kicking goals in his time. He said a lot of players don't even do the basics right (eg he singled out Roughhead who has a terrible tackrecord in this, the single thing he does wrong apparently is to lean back when kicking). He suggested some other things as well. All seems pretty basic stuff. How cane we get some of these basics into our players? Maybe we should second "Tanks" services. One of theworst offenders at Melbourne is Tom Scully. He seems to very much lack confidence when kicking for goal from a set shot. I think he needs mentor. Maybe one of the two Davids - Neitz or schwartz. Any other suggestions? We need to fix this before we come up against top sides.

I think Watts will eventually be another Carey, or as someone said more like Royce Hart. Now that puts him in the elite elite. The thing I like about Jurrah is that extraordinary touch of brilliance - the abilty to do the impossible. Few footballers have it, and it is what brings fans through the gate. A forward line made up of Watts, Jurrah, pettard and Morton will be unstoppable. Indeed an exciting prospect, all of them will be in Sheahan's top fifty within three years along with trengove, scully, grimes, davey and maybe even jamar if he keeps improving at this rate.

We all on here go through our selections every week and say how much harder it is getting to pick the team etc etc, but the fact remains we are still 1-2, were thrashed by Hawthorn, pipped by the magpies, and only overcame Adelaide in the dying minutes of the game when they only had one interchange player in the last quarter. This begs the question where are our weaknesses and which players will not make it into our top four side. I know some will say that once they first round draft picks get between 20 and 50 games then we will make it via that route. Personally I think we need more than that as there are clear weaknesses which still need filling, and at the moment the most urgent is that we are incapable of kicking a large score, as well as kicking straight. I'd nominate the foowing weaknesses: 1. Second ruck/power forward. Gawn may be the answer eventually, maybe Martin immediately 2. Centre half forward. Watts is the obvious answer, with maybe eventually backed up by Fitzpatrick 3. Small crumbing forward. Wonna is the answer IMO. Pity we missed out on Alwin Davey though. 4. Back flanks: we still need some good running backs in the Stephen Febey mould. the attack out of defence IMO often goes missing under pressure What do others think?

I think there would be nothing wrong with a female umpire of any sort as long as they are competent (as the current female goal umpires appear to be). Indeed I have no objection to female football commentators as long as they are competent and authoratative. The problem with this one she is neither.

I think the AFL will eventually do a Brisbane Bears in West Sydney. They will find it such a black hole financially as well as producing a winning culture there, that they will eventually realize they need the expertise and tradition of an established club, as Brisbane found. Thediscussions on here knocking the lions move north I think is nonsense. It was a brilliant move by all concerned - it ensured the Lions survival, brought on-field and off-field success to the club and ensconsed the AFL as a viable force in what was previously a rugby dominated state. Also brought about 20% of the population ing to the afl fold which did wonders for their leverage in negotiations for the last television rights. It was one of the best business decisions made by the AFL in the last 20 years. So will be their decision to move North to West Sydney which they will make in the next 5 years w as their West Sydney adventure implodes.

personally I think a merger with Western Sydney is more likely a la Bears and fitzroy. The Bears were a fiasco just as WS look like being (believe me I know l Iive in Sydney). It would also makemuch better sense for the AFL.