bing181

Not sure if you're crazy, but starting two threads with identical posts both here and on BF is ... brave? Surely one would have been enough, especially given the speculative nature of the content. Interesting to see that you're getting a rougher ride here than in The Other Place, I would have called it the other way! Maybe they're just warming up.

You're comparing apples to oranges. The target this season for Richmond is 50 000. It's on their membership page. The 40K for us that you mentioned is also for this season. The implication in your post is that we're way behind Richmond for membership, or even for targeted membership. Which is simply not the case. Richmond might end up being around 10% ahead of us this year, same as last year. Nothing like the nearly 50% that your post suggests.

... by 2014. This year it's 50K, and they're counting down towards that on their membership page. They're also expecting 3 finals appearances and at least one top 4 finish by 2014. .... !!

At least get your facts right. Tigers are targeting 50K members - and are currently at under 4000. Last year, Richmond only had 3000+ more members than us in any case. As for Collingwood ... dog memberships, 3 match memberships etc. etc., but sure, they're the MU and Barcelona of the AFL. With 71K members last year, you'd imagine they'll eventually get to 100K - but it won't be for a year or three.

Perhaps getting cut from the list was the motivation that he needed ... interesting.

Well, that's obviously the fear. But against that, you can look at players like Barlow and Pods who languished in the VFL for year after year. I'd also take someone like Bail - he never really shone at Casey, but seemed a natural at AFL level once he had a few games under his belt. Difficult to judge Crouch, especially at this age, but at the very least, I'd give him the benefit of the doubt. At least we'll get a decent look at him.

Quigley: Players I Don’t Rate that Everyone Else Does Waldhuter – doesn’t get enough of it for me and I have concerns about his ability to step up to the next level.

Not so sure. Malthouse, Neeld, Watters all gone ... new first-year coach, been to the well one too many times? Interesting that Rawlings had the choice between Pies and Dees and chose us. Sure, Eddie has done well, but they're the Man U and Barcelona of AFL, so it's not all that unexpected.

Where the hell is the evidence that he's pissing the boys off left right and center? Especially given that all their public utterances have been completely the opposite. e.g. Trengove's tweet today: "Massive session today. I have a feeling we are going to be some fit blokes come xmas! The boys are flying and loving the whole new set up!"

and ..... http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/tom-scullys-dad-phil-scully-to-get-giant-pay-rise/story-e6frf9jf-1226196015004 "PHIL Scully is set to receive a tenfold pay rise as a full-time GWS recruiter after spending only two years as a weekend talent spotter. The father of star GWS recruit Tom Scully will be paid a minimum of $100,000 a year by the Giants after earning only several hundred dollars a weekend with the Sydney Swans. Scully is considered in the industry to be an enthusiastic recruiter who pulled no punches in his analysis of teens playing in the TAC Cup and private school system in the southern Melbourne region. He is believed to have earned less than $10,000 a season assessing talent in the APS school competition and for several TAC clubs."

FFS, he has spoken to the players one on one, and presumably in some detail. And he hasn't cast "aspersions on their prospects at all". I took it as positive encouragement and direction more than anything else. Sorry, but really bizarre post IMHO.

Really? It's the smoking gun: "This position is to commence from 1 November 2011 and will cease 31 October 2017. We look forward to you becoming part of the club." Why would they have offered that to Tom's father, if it wasn't as a sweetner for the deal with Tom himself? Also, be interested to know how many other AFL scouts are on $100K+ a year!

Tom was in China for at least part of October - maybe that's the real reason he returned? Also, presumably this goes (much) further, as surely Tom's agent would have been involved in the whole deceit. The whole episode is about as bad and as tacky as it gets. All that's missing is brown paper bags stuffed full of money.

... or 54/Rookie?

And on the HUN now ... http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/tom-scullys-father-offered-680k-job-in-november-2010/story-e6frf9jf-1226195036084

But see other thread re Scully's dad ... written by Michael Warner, which is what the HS tweet was about. Sanderson ... another story if true.

QUESTIONS OVER GWS SCULL-DUGGERY TOM Scully's father was offered a six-year contract worth $680,000 to work as a recruiter for Greater Western Sydney in November last year.

Can't believe some of the negative posts here, can't also believe that the players don't accept and even endorse what Neeld is saying. But .. the point I wanted to bring up is the one that Neeld himself mentioned in an earlier interview, regarding advice from Malthouse when he started at Collingwood that "the players can love you or hate you - make sure they love you". Look at the various comments from Collingwood players and supporters re Neeld's appointment, and even the responses to these interviews - they love him! He's not trying to belittle anyone, or put anyone down. In his own words he's challenging them ... respectfully. But more importantly, he's also making sure that no stone is unturned in making sure that they have what they need in terms of support and preparation. He's doing his bit, and is just asking the players to do the same. Finally, I feel that the players who he's named have been named deliberately, in the full knowledge that they'll do what's being asked of them. If he'd got stuck into Blease or Gysberts, who both seem to be a bit overwhelmed and underdone at the moment, it might be a different story.

Deemed inappropriate by whom? The posters on Demonland and Bigfooty? Poor comment in a poor post. Neeld certainly deserves to be judged on his results, but for the moment, he can only be judged on how he's doing in the pre-season in regard to the players and the club. For the former, too early to say, but attracting Clark, Craig, Misson and the others onboard says something about his capabilities. Would Craig have come to the club if Bailey was still here?

The cynic in me instantly went back to one of Clark's first interviews where he spoke of wanting to 'earn the trust of his new team mates'. Still, good on him. I feel it also goes to show how important it is to have real A-list stars and senior players around to set the pace. In spite of everything, Brisbane still has a couple of those, whereas we're in pretty short supply. Reading some of these articles makes me amazed that we actually did as well as we did last year! Talk about a shonky outfit (off-field/FD) ...

Based on what exactly? Try this from St Kilda followers: "Our soft tissue injuries have been kept to an amazing minimum since he's been with us, would be gutted if he leaves too!" and .... "He was the one who had Sydney go through the year in 2005 virtually without an injury, leading to them winning the flag. Week after week they were "no change" at selection and he was the one credited for that. He was probably as important to their flag as anyone. He then came to us and we hardly had an injury in 2009, when we won the first 19 games of the year and went down by 12 points in the GF. He could be a more important loss than Lyon." ... and that on the back of: "At Sydney, Misson was credited with helping to develop a system based on individual programs for players that gave the club the best injury record in the league."

Yes, it's going to take 12 months ... but I'm still excited by 2012. How can we not be, whole new FD, fitness dept, maturing players ... Really looking forward to it. But Neeld ... certainly talks the talk. To publicly start naming names like that ... ouch. Aaron Davey must be looking for a hole to crawl into ...

Gee. Be interested to see what stats or info you have to back up such a sweeping generalisation. FWIW, I have first-hand experience of elite level sport at a junior level, and it's the complete opposite of the picture you paint.

Don't have time to read back, but when was the last post in this thread on New Coaches?

or .. Jennings