bing181

What team in the AFL could win with 7 or 8 first-22 players out - including their entire key forward setup - and then lose 2 more key players in the first quarter? Uphill battle.

Dawes: He's a professional footballer, I'm sure the last thing he wants is to spend his time watching his teammates take the field without him. Frustrating for all concerned.

Viney not ready. Underdone. Same for Hogan, even if fit, will need a run or two at his old stomping ground at Casey. Suspect Pedersen will stay in, can play forward or back, they have plenty of talls. If he can make a contest, provide some backup, that's a start. McKenzie perhaps, Gawn, maybe one of Blease and/or Jetta.

Having a contrary opinion is one thing. Expressing it in an abusive or disrespectful way is something entirely different.

Plays more from behind I think.

Dalai Lama. Daily tweeter. (though even with a direct connection upstairs, he seemingly has no recommendations for our forward line, or insights into Mitch's timeframe).

Classic response to a new game plan, new coaches etc. where players are more intent on not messing up. Which, as is always the way, often leads to messing up. For the moment.

Adelaide lost Tex Walker and Tippett last year … how did that work out? Hawthorn lost one key player this year in Franklin, and on that alone, plenty have been writing them off. Many here are saying we should have easily beaten St Kilda because they had 3 or 4 of their mids out, which suddenly makes them easy-beats? Injuries, sure. But having 5 key talls/forwards out, plus a key backman - that would have a substantial impact on ANY side in the comp, hard to see how anyone could suggest otherwise. In any case, that wasn't the point of my post, or what I was replying to.

6. N. Jones 5. Watts 4 Tyson 3 Vince 2 Trengove 1 Toumpas

Viney, Garland, Dawes, Hogan plus one or two of Clark, Jamar, Gawn, then later in the year, one of Salem or Hunt. It's there, but not yet on the field.

To those bitching about Howe, he's not - and never will be - a KPF. He's a great marking flanker, and being stuck up there with their first choice defender was never going to work in his favour, especially as it's just too easy for their defence to just manoeuvre him out of position - unless the ball comes in quickly. Howe needs to be 3rd or 4th in the pecking order in the forward line, floating into the midfield, with some space, and with some big contested mark targets to work with/off/around. Disappointed to lose, but the difference was that they had those couple of key marking forwards who were able to make a difference once they were able to get the ball down there. On top of the outs we have, we were really hurt by McDonald and Fitzy going down early on, and it's no accident that the Saints got on top when they went off in the second quarter.

The lack of any real forward targets, plus losing McDonald and then Fitzy so early was always going to make it an uphill battle. They may have had a lot of mids out, but they were just able to get those few goals when they needed them.

Just not sure what people were expecting. Unrealistic much?

JKH sub. Surprise surprise.

Not in Switzerland. Still Swiss francs. Same as it ever was.

No real surprises, good to see the Toump included after the hammering he's had on here of late. M Jones or JKH as sub?

Well, apart from the fact that not only is it not "bleeding obvious", it's almost certainly not even true - from all reports, he's in Melbourne.

Only on your part.

Well, you're wrong here on both counts: Testing positive for a banned substance is proof that that substance was taken. However, the reverse is not the case for any number of reasons, the main one being the obvious shortcomings of a system that requires testing and consumption to occur more or less simultaneously - not to mention, not all drugs can be tested for. As for being charged with murder without a body, it's within the law (i.e. legal) and has/does occur: "… it is clear that the fact of death, like any other fact, can be proved by circumstantial evidence." (Lord Goddard on dismissing the appeal against a death sentence - later commuted - for a murder for which no body was ever found.)

This from the Demonland poll prior to drafting. ("don't know's" make up the difference). For those having a slow maths day, Toumpas received more than double the votes that Wines did. Who should we select? Wines (67 votes [28.51%] - View) Toumpas (147 votes [62.55%] - View) Makes for interesting reading (if you're that way inclined): http://demonland.com/forums/index.php?/topic/32253-poll-wines-or-toumpas/

Apart from anything else that's going on, he's also injured (calf strain apparently). As such, continues to be paid under the conditions of his contract, as do all injured players.

Reports are that he's (still) in Melbourne. Shows how much most on here know about what's going on.

Second on the left, third door along. This is Demonland.

We're all just speculating, but mine would be that the causes lie in that not unfamiliar Bermuda Triangle of (i) problems at work (LTI), (ii) problems with ex/partner (whatever they may be, word that she's gone back to Perth) and (iii) being a separated father. The perfect storm perhaps.

Behind every 26 year old millionaire professional sportsman is a human being no different to the rest of us.