bing181

Perhaps lacking match fitness. Missed most of the pre-season, then a couple of big slabs of games (ankle then jaw), and you would have to wonder as to whether he could run out the game at the top level. Faded today in final term from reports I've read.

Time?

Ridiculous. Put himself on the line - and copped it for his troubles - on more than one occasion.

Considering we were playing our B team, not a bad effort to win even 2 quarters. If only there were a Fast Forward button, and we could just instantly get 50 games (together) into most of the team.

If only that were true.

Going to be interesting to see who's playing at Casey. Green? Davey? Gysberts certainly picked a bad weekend to have an off day last Saturday, there would surely have been a place there for him. Bennell ... Lazarus!

Yes, but you're not an professional sportsman, at an elite level. Some of these posts surprise me. I don't know that people are quite grasping just what it takes at this level, and in particular, what it takes in terms of work, training and preparation. One missed recovery session can be enough to (seriously) impact on how you run out a game. Or not. I know a couple of pro and ex-pro sportsmen in other sports, and it's no different. It's a 24/24, 7/7 commitment, just to get that 1/2 percent extra that will make the difference.

Given that you follow Emma ... Emma Quayle ‏ @emmasq Why am I seeing Dees fans freaking out over what they'll pay for Viney? The season has barely started. He could well be worth top three. Emma Quayle ‏ @emmasq Viney strikes as a "safe" pick but so did M Murphy. Talented player, aggressive, brilliant, professional attitude, 2 years of prep #relax

"We need some forwards. Our two leading goal scorers from last year, and our leading goal scorer from this are not playing. It's no wonder we can't kick a winning score." Worked it out. What do I win?

Groundhog day?

It doesn't go to show anything. This board, and everything posted on it, is a complete irrelevance in relation to the internal decisions and workings of the club. Which is as it should be.

On the contrary, Neeld IS getting the best out of the team.

Watts wasn't on Brown at the start. Tommy Mc was.

It's a process. Processes take time.

Thanks for the eloquently put, comprehensive and in-depth summary. The board just wouldn't be the same without meaningful contributions like this.

Far too sensible for the Game Day thread.

These game day threads are just unreadable. It's a makeshift team. Not everything's going to work.

Nathan Jones ‏@nathan2jones Disappointed not to be playing. Gave myself the best chance, Will be right next week. Goodluck to the boys today!

No it's not. Best player in the 2000 draft, and taken at 1 ... Riewoldt. Best player from that draft going round today - Scott Thompson. Taken (by us actually) at 16. The draft is not some kind of cast-in-stone predictor of young players' futures. It isn't. If it was, there'd be no point having a rookie draft, they'd all be complete duds, and doomed to stay that way. Don't know if you watched Collingwood take apart Freeo. Dane Swan. 43 disposals (count them). Taken 58. Dayne Beams. 32 disposals. Taken 29. Next best, Jarryd Blair - also 32 disposals. Taken at 29 in the rookie draft, then redrafted in 2010 at number 91 as a promoted rookie. Next best, Wellingham with 29 disposals ... taken at number 10. In the 2006 Rookie draft. Swapping camps, top possession getter for Freeo was Barlow - 37 disposals. Also taken at pick 10, and also in the Rookie draft. So, top 5 possession getters in that game ... highest of them was pick 29, while 3 of them were completely passed over for the draft and taken as Rookies.

This is what gets me about this "debate". In the longer term, the difference between 3 and 7 an irrelevance. Anyone in the top dozen or so would be pretty much interchangeable, and you only have to look back over previous drafts to see that. Try the 2006 draft for example. 3 was Lachlan Hansen. OK player. 7 ... Joel Selwood. If we had to take a second rounder in our first round to ensure getting him as a F/S, we'd need to do some thinking. But to take a high first rounder high in the first round ... don't even need to think about it.

Because they all have to be in Brisbane on Saturday, even as emergencies?

On the contrary, if you're sucked in by Blease giving the odd cameo performance, but not necessarily following instructions and doing the nuts and bolts stuff, then I'd say that it's you who are easily pleased. Hopefully, Sam is going to be a great player for us, but the last thing we need is Col Sylvia mark 2, where 5 years down the track you ask yourself what happened. Toughen up people. One of the reasons we're in this mess is because too often in the past we failed to make the hard choices.

Unfortunate, but good to see Blease get dropped - hard for him, he wasn't bad at all last game I thought, but it sends a message. Same for Cale - not the worst, in spite of his regulation couple of disasters, but the message is strong and clear. Davey has worked hard at Casey, playing two very good games, he deserves a chance (at least). Joel Mac will at least give a solid contest. But suspect that we're after older bodies to put in against the GWS kids.

Don't know if anyone watched Misson's report online, but Jetta only a week away from getting back to Casey - and Evans the week after that. On the other hand, he covered everyone on the injury list - except Liam. I found it a bit pointed, especially after Rudeboy's posts, but perhaps I'm reading too much into it. Which of course, we never do at Demonland.

Yeah, because being carried off on a stretcher would have been the smartest thing to have done ...