hardtack

Disagree re precedents being set... as I said, the situation is that we are now entering the start of a new season and Neeld is demanding commitment and application from his players in order that they all enter the season together on the same page... later in the season this situation is unlikely to arise again as they will have been letting their actions on the field speak for them and they will be judged on that alone. I would think that Neeld is insisting that these meetings are crucial to his game plan and are therefore compulsory and that no correspondence will be entered into in the event that a player fails to show on time. Punctuality is directly related to discipline and as all of the others on the team made it on time, then Sam really doesn't have a leg to stand on... I'm sure they all were aware of what the punishment would be, before the "crime" was committed.

Rubbish comment.

I have travelled to China a couple of times in the past 6 months and both times with China Southern... sure they don't have all of the bells and whistles such as screen in every seat etc, but they are a budget carrier that I find very friendly and one that pays a lot of attention to their passengers. I for one would be extremely happy for them to be our major sponsor... they are obviously making a play for a top position in their business, just as the Dees are doing in theirs.

As we have no idea what the real circumstances were, I cannot see why this would necessarily be the case. Perhaps they were informed of the importance of this meeting and that late arrival could mean disciplinary action? Perhaps Sam had been late on previous occasions and was on a last warning? Do you know? I certainly don't. I would also expect that later in the season if a player has proven themselves a reliable and valuable team player, then the punishment will be meted out accordingly; at this point in time though, until they can put up, they need to shut up and show the required level of discipline and commitment.

Well, the obvious notable exclusions are Tapscott, Trengove, Jetta, Jurrah, McKenzie, Cook and Williams.

Agreed... in more recent years our coaches (Daniher and Bails in particular) have tried to be regarded as "friends" of the players... Neeld is obviously bringing his teaching past into play and distancing himself from the players to the point where he will demand their respect and compliance. This is not to say he won't be approachable... but he certainly won't be ignored.

Well, some would have us believe otherwise: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/tanking-fear-sees-priority-picks-go/story-e6frg7mf-1226277564375

Which pick is made first... priority or pick 1? (I've never been clear about that - among numerous other things)

Just as they may be laughing at us for losing our 2009 priority pick to the luxuries afforded by a multi-million dollar lifestyle?

Haha, yes I thought that a strange comment too... he has actually shown some leadership qualities in that area as well, having got Frawley on board (pardon the pun) and Clark I believe, has also expressed interest if he not already partaking in the odd wave.

Unless you are Neeld, I don't think you are in any position to say this with such certainty.

But that is what I am saying by "proves himself effective". Obviously if his form declines and he is assessed no longer good enough to hold the captaincy, then he loses it...however, the club would be making a very big mistake if they gave him a "caretaker" role (even more so if they did that without first informing him); I would seriously see such an offer as having a detrimental effect on his desire to perform. But let's face it, such an offer is unlikely to transpire and I'm probably getting worked up over nothing :-)

Seems we have all forgotten about a young forward named Watts...his ability to pinpoint passes to team mates has for the most part been superlative.

I contend that no-one in their right mind would ever accept being a "care-taker" captain knowing that 12 months down the track you are going to be, in effect, made redundant; this would be he same as being told "there's someone we think will be a better captain than you, but we want to get another year's worth of experience into him first, so you'll have to do in the meantime." - that would be a kick in the guts to someone as passionate about the club as Moloney is. If the club considers him good enough to be captain of the club this year, then he should hold that position for as long as he proves himself effective.

C - Moloney VC - Jones LG - Green, Grimes, Rivers, Trengove

I know Neeld has commented on his starting with a clean slate etc etc, but I still get the feeling hat in the case of the incumbent (Green) he will take last year into consideration as he will be well aware of the kinds of negative effects that could occur by simply dumping him. I'm certain he will have taken note of the treatment JMac received and it's impact on the playing group and will not be wanting history to repeat itself. I personally would still prefer to have Beamer at he helm, but am simply saying Green's reappointment would not surprise me in the least.

In a way, I wouldn't have a problem with Green being reappointed as last year he was as much a victim of poor onfield management (let's not call it coaching) by Bailey as he was of his own poor form. Being stuck in the forward line much of the time really did limit his ability to impose himself as captain and didn't give him an opportunity to play himself back into form. I don't know why, but I get the feeling that Neeld has a lot of respect for Green based as much on his ability as on his reputation...and this may be enough to get his captaincy extended for at least one more season with his likely successor name as vice captain (Trengove or Grimes?). Now to go off topic and say at I am doing my bit for the China incursion by later today delivering a couple of Auskick balls, a pump and an Auskick back pack to my friend's two 5 year old nephews here in Shenzhen as a year of the Dragon/Demon gift :-) I hope to at some point get them to a nearby park for a little kicking/handballing instruction.

Ok, that makes sense re the flights so yes, it is a very reasonable thought.

Just a couple of things... in what way is Jan 25 an auspicious date on he Chinese calendar? I am currently in Shenzhen and after reading this asked my friend what was so special about the 25th, to which I got the response "nothing". The 23rd however is special, because that is Chinese New Year. Also, not that it matters, but I am just wondering how a Guangzhou to Heathrow route puts China Southern in direct competition with Qantas; does Qantas run a route to London via Guangzhou? (I would have thought they would be trying to raise their profile as a budget carrier for flights from Australia to China) As far as China Southern goes, I can recommend them... I have used them on my last two trips to China and although they don't have all of the bells and whistles that other carriers have (in seat video for example was non existent on this flight), they are efficient and friendly and very reasonably priced.

Seems like the new training regime is having the desired effect if Magner's tweet is anything to go by: "Well done to all the @melbournefcboys who had the 3ker this morning! plenty of pb's amongst them!"

Are you suggesting that the MFC didn't have his knee checked out by their own medicos... or that they simply took Scully on his word? I am more than happy to accept that he does have a dodgy knee. And to all those commenting that they wouldn't believe this time as Scully is a proven liar... similarly, I doubt the time would have been passed on to the journo by Scully himself based on what he noted on his wrist watch.

Well, maybe it depends on the situation, but at the Shanghai game where he was Captain, I saw him schmoozing with various officials from Kaspersky and local dignitaries and he appeared quite comfortable, and they appeared quite attentive to what he had to say... of course I couldn't hear what the conversations were about, but he didn't appear uncomfortable at all.

Ok, I suppose the comment about "interviews" threw me... but I would contend that onfield barking instructions/giving encouragement to players he is comfortable with and knows intimately (not in the biblical sense), is a very different situation than having to speak into a microphone and even speak casually with someone you aren't familiar with. I think I once stated a long time ago in a similar thread, that appointing Moloney would probably see him becoming far more focused as being a Dees supporter as a child, this would no doubt have been a lifelong dream... I know that applies to others as well (Grime?) but Moloney strikes me as someone who would benefit from the added pressure rather than buckle as Green seems to have done.

What is this obsession people have with media performance? I really don't care about how he presents himself in interviews as long as he is getting the message across to his team mates on the field of play and at training. I'm sure that he would be "groomed" if the club wanted him to be captain and were concerned about such things as media performance.

From what I have seen of him, he seems to be very vocal and he certainly leads by example - he also has a 100% record as captain - in Shanghai ;-)