hardtack

Interesting concept... is the idea to confuse the Hawks forwards? I like it

I think we need hard bodies. The Gys looked to be getting a bit rattled when under pressure last week and I would imagine the heat/humidity may have taken a lot out of him (he made a lot of very uncharacteristic mistakes last week), so as silly as this might sound, I wouldn't mind seeing Bate come in. On the Buddy match-up, I would be more inclined to go with Frawley as Garland tends to give away silly free kicks, and Buddy is the one person you don't want benefiting from those.

How can you be sure of that? In 5 years time, that kind of figure will be more the norm than the exception, and if the pundits who claim Scully is looking better than Ablett did at the same stage of his career are right, then you would have to think that it is pretty much on the mark. After almost 50 years in the wilderness, just what do you think a premiership is worth? You don't get a premiership without the cattle, and despite all of these admirable notions of loyalty and love of club, good cattle cost money.

Very good article... my favourite line was the last about his dream as a child being to play just one game with the Dees. If he, Jones and Green can all fire at the same time over the next four weeks, the effect on the rest of the playing group would have to put us in with a fair chance of taking one or two of those games.

Let's hope it doesn't get to that point :-)

But you have to remember that since the introduction of the draft, the whole concept of loyalty went out of the window; that is something that can only be built up over time unless the draftee is fortunate enough to go to the club they have followed as a kid. Furthermore, of the players you list, only Martin is of the same "vintage" as Scully - all of the others have been with their respective clubs for a long period of time and have had the chance to plant their roots firmly in the club culture (that is, have developed a sense of belonging and loyalty).

People have been saying that here since the whole Scully debate started and I think it's a very valid point. If Scully is the seriously dedicated footballer we are lead to believe he is, then I doubt he will leave the club with unfinished business... I get the feeling he will want to achieve the ultimate success with this club as it is pretty obvious that is going to be a long way off at GWS, even with the most optimistic of forecasts.

When I was a kid, the only placky balls were Bank of NSW money boxes with your team emblem stuck on them.

Speaking as one such supporter/member, I happen to believe that to this point in time, Scully has absolutely NOTHING to answer for - that will only be the case if it is ever revealed that he had already signed and lied to the club and supporters; until such a time, I remain one of those old fashioned people who believe in a person being innocent until proven guilty.

Don't deserve what, exactly?

At least he is consistent. If you are made two offers of ridiculously large amounts of money, but you need to make a decision as to which one is the best fit for you going ahead, have to make life decisions regarding family, friends, relocation, etc etc and you are just 19 years old... would you be able to give an answer in a matter of days, weeks or months? There was no concrete offer from GWS until AFTER MFC had made their offer... prior to that was a lot of rumour and hearsay. He may well have been considering options prior to MFC tabling theirs, but once the two offers are there and very real, I would imagine all of the imagining and fantasizing prior to that moment would go out of the window. In my opinion, the only truly selfish "participants" in this are the supporters. It's easy for us to make demands and accusations as we aren't in his shoes. He must make probably the biggest decision of his life at a very tender age... give him a break FFS.

Please tell me how exactly he has "mucked the club around" when from day one he has stated that he will make a decision at season's end? The club has very publicly stated that they are ok with that and as he is currently under contract, he is under absolutely no obligation (legally or morally) to do anything other than play his best football. He is in no way responsible for the offers made by either club - he is only guilty of being an extremely talented footballer.

Do you seriously believe that the club is tabling an offer that is purely designed to appease the cheerleaders? I think you will find that the general consensus is that based on his potential and his performances to date (ok, Saturday night was a hiccup in an otherwise pretty exceptional first season and a half), he is probably worth paying to hold on to. I don't profess to being any kind of an expert, but when I hear media pundits such as Robinson and Whateley commenting that he is well ahead of where Ablett was at the same stage of his career, then I sit up and listen; you may or may not have a high opinion of them, but they build their careers around watching players and assessing performances. And on the point of commitment, I believe that should be a two way street. The club obviously believes they have someone special in Scully and they are prepared to commit to keeping him by tabling an offer they consider commensurate to his talent. It is not Scully's fault that GWS are offering ridiculous amounts. I am positive that if Scully decides to take our club up on its "lesser" offer, he will be totally committed going forward and will play his heart out for the Dees for many years to come, hopefully rewarding the club's faith in his potential, many times over.

Round 20, 2005... beating the Cats at the Cattery by one point (99 - 100) Round 21, 2006 wasn't too bad either with a 94 - 94 draw. Any win at Skilled Stadium had to be good.

I'm sure the club thinks about it, but I am equally sure it is not having any affect at all on our performances - thankfully the kids that play for the club are far more focused than many of their supporters. And I'm not sure what the "beamer attitude" has to do with anything, as Scully has said more that leans toward staying than going (go back and read/re-read his presser comments). My comments were directed at the accuracy of the statements.

Wonna set to return

Apparently Jack's was a chest infection.

Ok, firstly apologies re the "gone" comment... I should not have included you in that. Yes, I'm sure that just as I do, you know where Rooty Hill is (I've been to the RSL and it's nowhere near as bad as people would have you believe), but my comment was mostly making the point that Tom, if he did move to Sydney, would be very unlikely to be living in the outer western suburbs. As for the negotiations being handled poorly, both Scully, his management and the club have all been consistent in there contentedness to put discussions on hold until the end of the season. You might think it's been handled poorly, but obviously the club doesn't agree.

Ok, thanks. yeah, he'll take time, but for a player who was being touted for his goal kicking skills, he sure keeps them well hidden.

Is that the Butcher (the bearded one) who was playing in the Claremont v Port Adelaide Foxtel Cup semi on the weekend? If so, I was thinking he really did appear to be someone who was at one time being touted as a number one draft pick (was it the same year as Watts and Nik Nat?) but has really failed to live up to expectations... maybe it was just an off day, but his reading of the play was hopeless and his set shot kicking for goal was terrible.

I was a Jessie White proponent early last year when the same topic was raised, but it turned out the Swans had re-signed him... but I'm not sure how long a term that contract was for (and with Bradshaw now retired, I think they will want to retain him anyway). However, I went along to the Swans v Freo game yesterday, and apart from one of two good things, he was on the whole very ordinary; unfortunately he really seems to have lost his mojo - maybe a new club would see him improve, but it would be a bit of a risk.

I would argue that the only people that have been "clearly mucked around" and the supporters such as yourself who are insisting he is gone. The club has stated consistently that they are content with the situation as it stands and are happy to wait (yes, I know they have tabled an offer, but they at least, unlike some here, understand that Tom needs time to consider his options). As for the Brent Moloney "attitude", as you have applied it it displays a distinct lack of knowledge of Sydney and an even greater lack of understanding of where someone on an annual income of $1mil would choose to live in Sydney - it is an antiquated and elitist view of what represents Sydney's "west" (the Rooty Hill cliche is as old as time). What surprises me more is that it comes from someone actually living in Sydney.

I believe that Joe the Cameraman has been offered the job of chief Cinematographer.

Murdoch's been tapping Tom's mobile???

Valid in what sense RR? We all know why you raised it, but as I said, you also probably saw reds under the bed in the 60's.