P-man

I had him in the "won't make it" basket, but watching him on the weekend, there is a tiny ray of light again. He was good. Used it well. Oly 28 games under the belt too.

Yarran and Lucas are nothing to write home about though. Plus Yarran seemingly has attitude problems. I think we've seen enough of those over the journey.

No way would I be giving up Fyfe.

Dggs would be crazy not to consider offering Griffen. He's peaking just when they are rubbish, and whilst the jury is still out on Liam Jones, it's not looking promising. Carlton will surely throw their hat in the ring.

My understanding is that GWS have already come out and said they'll be putting No.1 (Boyd) on the table, whether Franklin goes there or not.

I certainly don't think we'll get near 7 wins, but I'll be watching with great interest as to how we go in the next two weeks, and indeed for the rest of the year. The season might be shot but in some ways it is like watching the team for the first time this year.

They use that same god awful music for every highlights package. They need to change it.

No doubt we have, but surely judgements over a PP should be largely made on the state of the list as it stands. We got a fairly good indication of that on Saturday night, with all but one of our best contributors being under 25. The Dogs are still relying on Griffen, Gia, Cooney to get them over the line. Once they go, they are in for some pain. I'm not discounting the fact that the PP should be discussed. Our results this year demand that it does. But personally I don't discount the Neeld factor as being significant in not allowing us to get a true indication on the amount of talent we have in this group. I acknowledge I'm in the minority on this. (Let's not get into the "not guilty of tanking" verdict. Not guilty, but we'll fine you 500K and put the culprits of what you didn't do out of a job)

You can't deny that it would raise more than a few eyebrows if we got assistance ahead of the Dogs after pretty much controlling the match against them for three quarters. Big Max was out on his feet towards the end of the game, as could be expected from a young ruckman, and Minson took full advantage. Up until that point, we were very competitive at the stoppages. Plus it's been a loooong time since we've had to hold onto a lead. The Dogs were dreadful on the weekend, let's not pretend otherwise. In saying that, I think both clubs would survive just fine without a PP.

Agreed, a much better comparison. I'd probably have Gibson just ahead but not by much. Apparently those rankings aren't a complete waste of time after all.

Garland has got him WELL covered. I still maintain that Maxwell is the worst AA selection of all time.

Uh oh..

I'm wondering when someone is going to say that almost losing a 44 point lead halfway through the last quarter is evidence of tanking.

It's already feeling like he's always been here.

Just watched a replay, 100% sober this time. I've been one of his critics, but that is surely one of the best games Dan Nicholson has played. A noticeable improvement in his kicking (82%DE) but more importantly his endeavour going both ways was first class and all of his 11 tackles were crucial. Take a bow Nicho.

I get the argument. If I understand it correctly, he's saying that these last two games were always marked down as being winnable. In which the level of the opposition would allow us to see what type of footy Neeld wanted the team to play. Basically Neeld wins either way. If we win/put in a competitive showing, it is due to Neeld's building blocks in place. If we get smashed, the problem clearly wasn't Neeld. I really couldn't care less, all I know is that the side is playing with more freedom and flair than it has all year. We will get a greater indication of how the team has reacted to the new coaching environment coming up against a team like Sydney. If we are competitive, that hopefully puts the issue to bed.

People always talk about NicNat being a marketer's dream, but have a look at how many kids have number 4 on the back of their Melbourne jumper. Lets face it, if you did a poll right now of AFL supporters asking who they'd prefer in their side, the vast majority would take Natanui. You'd be crazy to not want him in your side. But if Watts continues to play like he did last night taking games by the throat, perceptions of him as the failed number 1 draft pick are going to change and change quickly. Personally, I'm glad he plays for us.

I'm always wary of labelling players, especially ones who are 22 years old. Ben is not alone. Too many supporters have placed Watts in a box (mentally and physically soft) and it seems as if he'll need to pull off the superhuman to bust out of it. He is improving all the time, and he deserves acknowledgement for it.

But Ralph, Neeld wasn't coaching in the last two games.. Ah whatever. The Neeld debate has dominated this place for the past 12 months. I'm not getting into it again.

Ben's a quality poster, but I think he needs to eat some humble pie re Watts.

And you'd have to be blind not to notice the marked improvement in his physicality.

Watched the song a few times now. Watts and Chippa arm in arm, belting it out with gusto. Sylvia just to their left, doing the same. I think we're gonna be alright.

What exactly does he have to do to convince you? He was BOG ffs,

Ditto. I thought defensively we were as good as we've looked all year and didn't get caught out of position as often as we have in previous weeks, Alot of this could be attributed to a noticeable willingness to just run harder. The last quarter lapse seemed to be more mental than anything else. Obviously it was a foreign position to be in and we just didn't know how to hold onto a lead. Thankfully we were still ahead when the siren went. Another few minutes and it probably would've been a different story, Ralph - what predictions have you made that "are all pretty much in the ball"? I think claiming that the performances of the last two weeks, under a new coach, somehow validates Neeld, is pretty big stretch, albeit a predictable one. If we'd been smashed the last two weeks, Neeld advocates would have said, "See? The problem wasnt Neeld." This is more about just not wanting to admit you were wrong about the bloke than anything else. Plus, he's gone. There's nothing to be gained by continually banging on about him. Move on. The players have, clearly.

I remember not so long ago the general consensus was that Byrnes was a decent pick up and Rodan was a list clogger. Are we now reversing that?