Inner Demon

Probably a bit early to be writing off his 2nd year in the 2nd week of February...

I love people who bemoan a mascot 'not intimidating the opposition'. Can't you just see the scenes in opposing changerooms pre-game: Coach: "Now boys, before you run out there for the warm-up, I want you to remember what we've been speaking about all week. I know that picture of a demon has had you all sleeping with the lights on, but you just have to find a way to get past it. Furthermore, I need you all to be very brave, because there's going to be a real-life version of that demon out there on the ground running the boundary and taking photos with kids in the crowd. Look, I don't blame you for being scared out of your wits of this person in a styrofoam suit, and if it helps I don't mind you holding hands to calm each other down. This is going to be a real test for you boys, show me what you've got."

I wouldn't see guernsey numbers or a profit/loss announcement being described as "cool". Sounds more along the lines of a partnership/event/gimmick type situation.

I think Bail would be wasted stuck deep on a small forward. He's so attacking and fast, really fits the mould of the old-school wingman. Looking forward to his play this year, could be a smokey at a good price in Supercoach.

Agree wholeheartedly. He's been tarred with that brush and nobody will accept any evidence to the contrary. Now when people watch him and he makes a single mistake the response is, "Ohhhh Bartram you always butcher the footy". It's very annoying.

From what I've read, which is all any of us have to go on really, Jack's "head issues" seem to be just as much physical as they are mental. If we wind up passing on this kid who does appear to be talented and ready to play, I will back the judgement our recruiters have made based on the extensive research they will have conducted on both this kid's mental state, and most importantly, the state of his ongoing health. That said, all things being equal, I'd like to see him in our team. I get the feeling Darling & Tapscott could do some damage across our half-forward line in years to come!

I think you'll find the idea of the knockout comp featuring teams from the lower leagues is the idea that's been taken from English soccer, namely the FA Cup format. They're not suggesting the curtain raiser portion of the idea has English influence. On the topic, I love this idea. I would definitely get there early to watch a VFL team take on a SANFL team. Obviously it would be endlessly better if the VFL team happened to be Casey.

Unfortunately I think you may have erred in your judgement of Cameron's personality as unfortunately an 11-year player holding the club to ransom is precisely what we've just observed. The reason there are tears being shed over it, is because Cam has overestimated his value to the club going forward.

It seems more likely to me that Cameron (and Nixon) thought that he would have the leverage he needed to force the club's hand into giving into his demands if it realised it would lose him for nothing. I'm glad we didn't fall for it.

Somebody made an excellent point a couple of pages back regarding the Club's recent handling of renewing contracts of key players with reference to how we handled negotiations with Aaron Davey. One of the frantic doomsayers in this thread was trying to use the Bruce situation as a pointer to how the Club would mishandle future important negotiations with players like Grimes & Scully, incorrectly assuming that the Club was now taking some unreasonable hardline stance where it would make a single offer and not entertain any sort of compromise. Just a year ago we were faced with the horrifying possibility of losing Aaron Davey who wanted more years than we were willing to give him and the Club made an excellent judgement call in ceding to that player's wishes because he represented long-term value to the Club and it was a battle we were winning to lose in order to win. Clearly the idea of paying Bruce more money or giving him an extra year was judged the opposite to the Davey situation. This isn't mismanagment or carelessness, this is a clear illustration of where the Club is willing to compromise where necessary, but not just cave in whenever tested. Excellent stuff.

Jeff White retired end of 2008. Mark Jamar All Australian 2010. Great move. Arguably one of the best ever.

Not made up accusations at all. Yes, Cam is a good trainer and in that sense he had leadership qualities insofar as setting an example for how to be a professional footballer. That's not in question. But he was never a promoter of clubmanship and very much a holdout of the old ways where the players were not expected to be a part of a bigger footy club culture, but rather told they were more important than that. He has often been heard in recent years talking through gritted teeth about the youth culture at the club and resented that he was no longer the one with his name up in lights. These are observations made from close range, not the grandstand. He has and always will be on the "What the club do for me" side of the fence as opposed to "what can I do for the club".

Out of interest, why do you put so much stock in the 20/20 hindsight opinions of this highly respected past player who floats around the periphery of the club but have decidedly little faith in the decisions of the highly respected past player who is living and breathing the club 24/7?? Doesn't really add up.

If I said I spoke to a current and a past player who both think Royal is a terrific appointment and that Chris Connolly is doing a great job do I win the thread??

Cam gets a lot of undue credit for being a leader based solely on his age and experience. Unfortunately he has always been pretty selfish and money hungry. He is a true relic of the Daniher era where the best players were considered bigger than the club and he's pushed back against the club's youth led revival in recent years in a way we didn't see from the true leaders and clubmen like Neitz & Junior. Put simply he hasn't been on board with the rest of the Club and now he's gone because of it. This is neither a sad or happy day, it's just another day that will not significantly alter the upwards trajectory of the Club either way. Don't be sucked in by claims this is a flow-on from Junior's retirement. The man himself made peace with that long ago and if he has then I don't see much basis for claims that a selfish bloke like Cam Bruce is staging some sort of ethical protest on his behalf.