P-man

I guess your interest in the club doesn't extend to knowing that our best player, which Frawley is, is sidelined for the rest of the season. He's also one of the few, the very very few, who was back to his best form just prior to when he got injured and would therefore be way down the list of those deserving of a spray. Maybe put a bit more thought into the targets of your sprays.

Please tell me you're not serious. Wow.

You're having a laugh, surely. Either you are extremely unaware of your own actions, or you're having a laugh. You are a prime offender on here for calling people idiots, morons, or just generally insulting their intelligence for expressing an opinion, and you're getting precious over a comment about private schools that wasn't even directed at you? I went to a private school, but I couldn't give a stuff because the larger point being made is they are soft outside types with no mongrel in them, which on the evidence, is a fair comment.

Go on, give us a name.

Not really, they deserved the plaudits. One thing they have over Melbourne is they will fight tooth and nail no matter what the circumstance, and they were super impressive for three quarters today, just got ran over in the last. The final margin wasn't a fair indication of how even the game was for three quarters. IMO they played close to their best footy of the year today, and their appetite for the contest and slickness of ball movement is something I haven't seen from a Demons side in a long time. They do have some aging stars but they also have some young blood on the verge of stardom. Don't turn this into a "poor old Melbourne" thing. This club has miles to go before it earns respect from anyone.

Whilst I think there are big question marks over Grimes, especially his kicking which continues to be an issue, the "Melbourne effect" can't be underestimated. Dylan Grimes is very highly rated at Tigerland, one of the first selected in the backline when fit, and he's supposedly the lesser Grimes brother.

Disagree. They are certainly on the more mature end of the scale, but who is teaching and leading the young players in the middle of the ground? Royal is effing useless, clearly. We need some older heads that can take the next generation forward, as well as providing some direction, inspiration and quality on the field. Sewell and Montagna still have a few years left. Sewell especially is arguably the toughest inside player going around. He's what this club desperately needs. Unfortunately I think our chances of getting him rank somewhere between buckleys and bugger all. There are bigger issues here than wins and losses, namely the disintegration of club culture. These players would form an important part of addressing that.

Grimes is very ordinary. We're going nowhere with he and Trengove leading them out. Jones must be made captain next year and I'm hoping that is one of the first actions of the new coach.

I'm now convinced that trading in some QUALITY experienced players is a number 1 priority. The likes of Sewell, Thomas, Montagna..we need to be doing everything in our power to acquire these types of players. It's the only thing that is possibly going to drag the club off the canvass within the next 5 years.

Alot of that is fair enough, but geeze they're up and about for a club that just notched up its first win of the season. It becomes alot easier to give someone a whack after you've beaten them, although perhaps you were talking to some 19 year olds who just felt like looking down on another club, for once. Worth noting this is the same mob we kicked 12 goals against in a quarter. But for now they can enjoy their win. It's also no tragedy we didn't get Sheedy. His role at GWS seems to be that of a spruiker rather than a senior coach, and they're still playing in empty stadiums with no-one giving two hoots about them. Maybe he could've done a better job than Bailey, but I personally don't chalk it up as one of the club's failings, of which there are many.

Yep, then we'd only be 6 players shy of a competent midfield.

Rational reasoning? I've been rationalising this club's performances for years. The sky isn't falling, but the reality is grim. This is a club in its knees being ritualistically beaten about the head. PJ has a massive, MASSIVE task on his hands, as does the poor bastard who puts his hand up to coach this mob of "professionals".

The concept of playing the ball and not the man seems as foreign a concept to you as it is to the players. Most here manage not to turn the anger and bitterness onto our fellow supporters, yet you are consistently unable to do so. You are not better than anyone here, get that through your damn head.

A pathetic soulless mess. If it was an animal you'd do the humane thing and put it down to save it suffering any further. I've just about had it with this club. I really have. It's just a joke that never ends, with players that either don't give a [censored], or give a [censored] but aren't good enough to do anything about it. The anger is well and truly turning to apathy. We lost to GWS today and I barely care.

Richmond's captain is one of the absolute elite midfielders in the competition. We have a couple of plodders that, right now, would struggle to get a run in any other team. We need genuine guns leading this team out on the field. Players that inspire. That would be a good start.

I think I've run out of energy to even discuss it.

If he was actually considering the job, which I don't think he is, I doubt a loss this weekend would alter his thinking in any way. He knows the club is a basketcase.

Yep and I appreciate that, hopefully that's all it is. We badly need him out there next year.

They're okay, but as thrilled as I am that he's found himself a hobby, I'm really not interested. He seems to be getting pretty serious about it too. Openly seeking work. Within hours of the North decimation last week, instead of a post about how determined he was to get back, he posted a photo of his dog chasing bubbles in the backyard. I just hope he's back soon, and that the ongoing injury combined with getting thumped every week hasn't sapped his passion for the game.

..not be surprised.

There's a fair degree of "who's on first?" about it.

Yeah that was a prime example of how his brain works. I think he fancies himself as the Kyle Sandilands of the AFL.

Maclure makes a decent clown, but he's just about the furthest thing from an expert you could find. No research and no understanding of the issues. Just says the first thing that comes into his head without any forethought. Transcript below (minus the bit about "dumb and dumber" which came directly after): Maclure: Why Rocket? Why Rocket? Does Rocket become the be all and end all of the coaching thing? Is it..does it..he wants to coach? Why does he want to coach? Does he want more money? Is it about money? Cause if it's about money he shouldn't do it. Gerard: No, Rocket's driven to coach. And if the field is three.. Maclure: Does he want to pay more? Does he want to get more pay than he's getting now? Because they haven't got any money. Gerard: Well they've got as much money as the AFL has got. They've got an open chequebook to sign whatever they want to sign. Robbo: Why not Rocket? Maclure: But why Rocket? (Maclure and Robbo start talking over one another for a while) Maclure: if he wants to do it for money, he shouldn't do it. Robbo: You're only assuming he wants to do it for money. Maclure: Well okay, let's offer him a contract that's low. See how much he wants to do it. (silence, possibly just letting the stupidity sink in..) Robbo: Do you think that there's a shortage of senior coaches going around? Maclure: You think there's a shortage of senior coaches. Robbo: I'm asking you. Maclure: Don't get angry at me. Robbo: Don't throw everything back at me when I'm asking you a question! (some joking around about Robbo thinking he is Mike Sheahan) Gerard: Who do you think it should be? Maclure: I don't think we should look at the obvious, sometimes I think we should look at the not so obvious around the place. Robbo: Well give us a name. Maclure: I haven't got one in my back pocket. Robbo: Well don't make statements about non-obvious people when you haven't got any! Maclure: Oh, you getting upset darling?

I want Watts to stay, and I think he is an important player. But he's been a case of "will come good" from the beginning of his career, and there is nothing to support calling him the best player. He clearly isn't, and his draft number doesn't make it so. I respect his wanting to wait, but with the bold, public statements he's made very recently about wanting to stay and wanting to be at the club when things turn around, signing on now would've been a good way to back up his words and show a bit of leadership. At the end end of the day, does it make much difference to him as a player if its Roos, Eade or Williams? There'll be enough in the cheque account to bag at least one of them. They're all experienced coaches, so unless this is about him particularly wanting Craig to stay, I don't see it makes too much difference. He's acting within his rights, but it doesn't alter the fact that it would've been a strong message to sign on to the club, not the coach, you claim you're committed towards.

Welcome aboard. Straight jackets are up the back. Help yourself.