bing181

Senior players are appraised publicly by all and sundry through being exposed to all and sundry via match day, TV, replays, reviews etc. etc. (… think back to Roos's 3/4 time spray to Watts and Howe) Casey players are, for the most part, under no public scrutiny at all. As such, I see Allison's feedback as information for fans who are interested. I also feel that Allison's feedback is responsible and constructive - for every criticism, there's a positive and a note of encouragement. As it should be and would be in any professional environment.

Getting a mental illness is a huge mistake?

BOOM Melbourne youngster Jesse Hogan has not given up hope of making his highly-anticipated AFL debut this year, despite being placed on the Demon’s long-term injury list. The power forward broke down with stress fractures in his back on the eve of Round 1 and suffered a setback last month when he tried to resume training. But Hogan, 19, is expected to see a specialist this week and when given the all-clear will start running again. Hogan is fresh from two weeks at home in Perth and could be get a start around Round 17 or 18. But the Dees will maintain their ultraconservative approach on the man they secured through the 2012 mini-draft and are confident once fit again the issue will no longer plague him. It is believed Hogan is fighting stress reactions in more than one bone in his lower back, a condition which can affect fast bowlers in cricket. Hogan won the Casey Scorpions’ best-and-fairest last year, booting 39.21 from 15 appearances for the Dees’ VFL affiliate. He played one NAB Challenge match — against Geelong in Alice Springs — which is where his back injury originated.

If we had this solid coach from the start, the question is whether a player like Blease would have been drafted to us at all.

re Allison's reviews. Just goes to show, stats aren't everything! Not too many knocking the door down at Casey. Which is, on the one hand, disappointing, but as Allison says repeatedly in his player reviews "xxx knows what he needs to be working on to be considered for the seniors", so they're being given clear directions. A couple of disappointing names in that list though - Fitzpatrick, Evans, Blease etc. have all been around long enough now to have progressed past the "still learning" phase. Given that they need to produce the goods for 4-5 weeks at Casey before being considered for the seniors, you'd have to start to wonder whether we'll see some of these players this year - or ever (again). Pleased to see Dom Barry getting a decent wrap. Hopefully he can continue to build on it.

Some great bands/artists mentioned in Hardtack's post. Wildly different, but prompted in response to a post on the Daniel Cross thread that refers to "unthanked talent". The Unthanks: Contemporary English folk music. Saw them on the BBC/Jools Holland one night, couldn't believe it. And if your tastes are a bit darker … the mistress of Alt Country (or Goth Country): Lucinda Williams:

Just on that, worth remembering that Barry was comparatively late to footy - he'd come down to Melbourne as an elite junior tennis player, and only took up football in his last year or two at school in Ballarat. Doesn't necessarily mean that he'll make it, but I would have thought that he'd be worth looking at for another year. Agree with most of the above, not sure on Fitzpatrick. On how things finished up last year, I'd have taken Fitzpatrick over Pedersen, but somehow that's now been reversed. In any case, I believe Fitzy has another year on his contract as he resigned last year, so it would have to be a trade (if anything). A few others running out of time to establish themselves though.

Becoming a familiar theme down there ...

Meaningless stat. You would need possessions before/after Grimes went to him to be using stats to make a Grimes/Martin point.

We deserve this.

Well, been here a few times recently. Can we finish?

Missing JKH up forward.

The big fallacy in your argument is that GC didn't have to take Viney, they only had to bid on him ... knowing full well, as every man and his dog did, that Melbourne would take him at 3 (or 4) if we had to. The consequences of your assumption are then also fallacious. GC didn't have to choose between Martin and Viney - we would have taken Viney F/S at pick 3 in response to their bid. The choice for GC would have been between Martin (mini-draft) and O'Rourke or Toumpas … which is a fairly cut and dried choice I would have thought. Just one of those win-win-win deals. (But not in front of the children.)

I would have thought that the fact that a one-off player like Viney was taken at pick 26 is all the proof that you or anyone would need that a deal was done. Not exactly draft-tampering, but some very slick moves off the ball to make it all happen.

With you on that one.

You're labouring under a serious delusion. It's an impossibility that we could have had those 4 in the same draft. Yet alone then trading pick 20 (or similar) for Chris Dawes. Been thrashed out here before, but you seem to be one of the few who still doesn't get it. Under your scenario, our original picks 3, 4 and 14 might have got us Viney, Wines or Toumpas and then Grundy … but then pick 26 was never going to be enough to get us Dawes. We could have used pick 26 on … I don't know, how about the player who went one pick before our 26, at pick 25 - Spencer White, KPF. Name ring a bell? Taken by St Kilda. Yet to play a game. Or pick 27? James Stewart. One match last year for GWS, 2 disposals. So, in the real world, instead of: Viney, Toumpas, Hogan, Dawes plus Dom Barry we could have had Viney, Toumpas, Grundy …. then … someone else.

ASADA needs more evidence to charge Essendon for using thymosin beta 4 on Bombers players The first paragraph is surely contradicted by the last 2? Talk about a non-story!

That probably covers all the ailments that you could be asked about pro-bono here on Demonland, especially the latter. Smart move.

Or Frawley.

Some of the numbers in those stats speak volumes about the kind of coaching and development that is now being put into the not-quite-first-22 players, as well as the trust that is developing between coaches and players. 15 tackles for Toumpas, 30+ possessions for Blease etc. Impressive work by all concerned. (not that one swallow makes a summer either …)

Thanks for the info. More important that Roos stays than Hogan does. Though having both would be the ideal outcome ... Just think we have to wait and see re Hogan. A lot of water to go under that bridge, and having managed to get Roos against all the odds, I'd be happy to give us a more than sporting chance of keeping Hogan. And Dunn.

"Of the Demon-listed players, Blease and McKenzie were the most prolific with 32 and 30 touches respectively. Both players worked hard in then conditions and did their chances of senior selection no harm. Tapscott worked his way into the game well, scoring two important goals, while using his strength around the ground. Michie and Aiden Riley both worked hard around the ground and under packs. Dom Barry played an important running role across the wing, and Jimmy Toumpas worked his way into the match during the last term, with his defensive pressure impressive."

And that's just the grammar: Qualities?

Lots to like, but lost it through a combination of lack of class around the stoppages and a few soft goals, especially Dunn vs Crameri. Would still rather Frawley down back, feel like we're losing more than we gain, though he was better up forward tonight. Wouldn't mind seeing the stat on "fumbled handball receives". Viney is an absolute gem, but isn't quite at Sam Mitchell level with his quick disposals. Ironically enough, for all the stick he gets here, felt we didn't look as good once Terlich went off. Sure, he fluffs a few, but we weren't quite getting the same drive off the back half once he was subbed. Byrnes the new whipping boy it seems. Salem to play a full game and Blease in to cover - though McKenzie's the one who most deserves a call-up it seems.

You always exaggerate.