bing181

Seconded. Why do we need separate threads?

Yep. And it's because of that, that he's a good pickup, and is now in the leadership group. People complain that we got rid of good, experienced players too early, and when we do something about it and bring in good, experienced players who can make a difference around the club ...

... who won clubman of the year award in 2012, and was given a standing ovation when he went up to receive it.

None of us have seen the Andrew's report. As such, you aren't in a position to say whether or not the Board and CEO have lied, or what conclusions could be drawn. FWIW, my understanding was that the Andrew's report WAS used as the basis to many of the changes in the FD/Admin structure and personnel at the end of 2011. If anyone has any (real) info to the contrary, I'd be interested to see it.

As opposed to posting on Demonland.

Clearly, some players have been or are sick with flu, why should that be cobblers? Add to the above mentioned names McKenzie and Frawley (both late withdrawals with illness in the latter weeks of the NAB), and a couple who missed training sessions here and there (can't be bothered going back through the threads).

I don't know about the probably, I would have said certainly. I posted this elsewhere, but have a look at the photo of the team walking up the race for the first game against Port: Rodan is there alongside Viney, arm around his shoulder, encouraging him. Terlich credits Rodan with helping him settle into AFL football. etc. etc. Also agree, if they play at all it's a bonus. Not sure I'd be writing off Pedersen quite yet. He's clearly capable, as he showed on Sunday (21 possessions, 11 marks), but he's not yet bringing that to the main game. We shall see. Confidence confidence.

Of the thousands of posts over the past 2 weeks, blaming everyone from the doorman to the entire admin., this sums it all up for me. We certainly do need to fix the midfield - just not sure we have the cattle. Yet. Jones is our Mr. Reliable, but he'd be 3rd or 4th mid in most sides: look at Port: Ebert, Boak, Hartlett and now Wines (ahead of Viney for the moment, but only just, and mainly because he's more physically developed). Even teams like the Dogs have some A-grade mids, and not even worth starting on GWS and GC with their pick of the crop. Jamar is part of the problem, and I'd agree with most of the posts above and go for Gawn or even Spencer. But it's with the running on-ballers where we need - well, we simply need more class, more grunt, more run and better disposal (though equally, better receivers further down the field ...). Not sure where that's going to come from. McKenzie if possible, just to scrag and stop, Bail can probably provide something we don't currently have, I don't believe Kent is quite ready yet and he's more a forward I would have thought, Evans could get another look in ... but they're pretty thin pickings given how dire the situation is.

Kent's illness is mentioned in the VFL player review. Neeld already commented on Watts.

Better not tell that to Barry, Stark, Viney, Toumpas, Kent ... not to mention I've-just-turned-18 Hogan. We've taken as many kids as we always did, and then some.

Craig answers directly to the board, not to Schwab.

Don't believe that's true. When asked, Neeld specifically said that he wasn't prepared to forfeit the game against WC (I'm paraphrasing ... it's in his Presser) In any case, no coach of any team is going to come out with "we're going to win this", whatever the circumstances. We get the usual "the boys up for this" the "we're definitely in with a chance", the "we're taking them seriously, they looked good against xxx" and various permutations thereof. What goes on behind closed doors is perhaps another matter.

Not the time for arguments amongst ourselves, but in regard to our trading, hard to see that we weren't trying to address the midfield issue above all else. Basically all the draftees were mids (or will be), as were most of the trades. In any case, you can only trade for players that are out there, and I don't know how many even C grade mids were available. According to reports, we tried pretty hard for Farren Ray, but I think we were somewhat screwed by the free agency compo for Rivers and Moloney, and were expecting higher/better picks. As for Gillies, I don't necessarily disagree, but in ideal circumstances, he wouldn't even be playing. Our back 6 was pretty settled last year, and not our weakest link by any means. With Dawes out, we've lost Sellar from that to the forward line (Sellar had been OK on 2nd/3rd talls), and with then Tom McD out last week and Dunn this week, we've had to go for Gillies - who remains our only backup tall defender. Hard to defend though, when the ball comes in the way it does and as often as it does.

Colin Sylvia. 7 possessions. And that after the coaches and players got stuck into him.

Sums it up well.

Heartbreaking.

Gillies is the only tall backman left with Dunn out, and Essendon play tall. Rodan wasn't sub, he was emergency. Spencer and Pedersen were the other subs, and hard to see what other mids could have been used for backup. We already have enough (too many?) first-gamers out there. You may not like it, or agree with it, but there's method behind the madness. In any case, even Port supporters thought Rodan made a great sub. Confidence shot. Murdered in the clearances. But we actually look OK when we get the ball most of the time.

Exactly - and perhaps even moreso, they need to trust themselves.

Read my post again. I specifically included "with a few exceptions".

Well-researched? Where did CS ever say "it's no big deal if we lose". (as a for example) An opinion piece, built around Gonzos unique and singular interpretation of events, many of which he has no real inside knowledge of.

Inaccuracies, inaccuracies.

Except that it's nothing.

Yeah, what a shock. Our pick 88 isn't playing this week.

Another BS article. Contemporaries? Most of those players have at least one more years and/or seasons on Watts, if not more (Mitch Robinson is nearly 2 years older). Cherry picking a few of the early emergers, while ignoring the vast bulk of players Watts' age, while also ignoring the fact that JW missed a large chunk of last year just when he was starting to find his feet. Cheap journalism - but obviously, it works.

They (seem to) do a lot of wrestling - which I would have thought was more useful and relative, while still being suitably combative.