hardtack

I've been praising him all season, but even I was surprised to hear tonight that he has been averaging something like 28 disposals over the past few weeks.

And I'm a semi-Canberran... out-posted in Sydney, so I have to make regular trips to Canberra for my work.

I guess this thread, if nothing else, debunks the myth about Dees supporters always being up at the snow instead of attending games. It's obvious we are all globetrotting... Kenya, Thailand, UK, France, Virgin Islands...

6 - Rivers 5 - Jones 4 - McKenzie 3 - Green 2 - Bennell 1 - Martin

What I am liking is that you can see the deep respect that Bailey has for those players and the feeling is so obviously reciprocated.

I think it's safe to say we have won it now :-)

You've not been watching the game? He was subbed off with a badly corked thigh.

Happy birthday.... 5 goals lead going into the last; it's theirs for the taking if they want it bad enough. And I'm talking all credit as I tipped the Bummers to win knowing that would play in our favour :-)

Jones has been superb... definitely NOT the game of a 'C' grader!!

This whole Selwood, Murphy argument is so spurious it isn't funny. Those kinds of players are not C, B or A class... they are elite and are very few and far between. Would he get a game at Collingwood or Geelong? Another spurious argument at best as they don't need a Jones... they are already where we want to be. If you had asked that question 4 years ago, then the answer would quite possibly have been a resounding yes. Just because he isn't as flashy as your Selwoods, Judds or Murphys, he is doing just as important a job as any of them and doing it very well. I would rate him as 'B' class bordering on 'A'; maybe in a struggling team he doesn't look so good, but once we are up and firing, it will be in no small part due to his hard ball gets and his willingness to put his body on the line. As someone else mentioned, he just needs the likes of Scully to be running off him, and he will start to get the recognition he deserves.

Not the point! You continually rate him as 'C' grade, yet he consistently piles up good stats against quality opposition, his kicking is improving with every game to the point where he is delivering some scintilatingly (new word I think) accurate passes to advantage, and he is completely fearless in his play. He is definitely a part of this team going forward.

I agree entirely. As an interesting comparison, it is interesting to note that Moloney's game has really dropped off without Jamar there to feed the ball to him... yet Chunk keeps piling up the stats with his hard ball gets and to paraphrase what you say, he is consistently one of our best. I would think he is probably currently sitting in our top 3 for the Bluey.

+1

Who knows what might happen tonight. Well said. by the way.

There are only three players on their list that make me a little nervous; Jetta, Zaharakis and Heppell. Contain them and I think we stand a good chance. From the beginning of the season I predicted that the Bummers would come out firing and, being a young upcoming team, expend all of their energy early on and would start sliding down the ladder from around mid-season. The other mitigating factor that will assure us of a win is that I have selflessly (at the cost of my own chances on Oztips) tipped us to lose.

Hey, it wasn't all good news... I notice that the specialist said Jimmy wouldn't be up and dancing with Olivia Newton John anytime soon. Hang on...

What a rubbish post... seriously. He has taken some very gutsy marks running into the play... and for a player of his size and build, that speaks volumes for him. I think you have simply never forgiven him for shirking that one contest in his first season - he has since made up for that well and truly. And I would say that your moniker "old dee" says it all when it comes to your memory of how many good games he has played.

Get of his back FCS! He is one player who is worth persevering with as it will definitely pay off. There are many who are worse at present and he put in a better performance than many last week.

No doubt, but I tend to have improbable thoughts. I think it was an association between Chunk's head and a combination of the Skull from the old Marvel comics (possibly Capt America?) and the wrestler Skull Murphy. If I had time, I think I might worry about myself.

When I saw the title, I seriously thought this was going to be a thread about Jones.

Judd's grandmother's at it again?

Announced by the AFL today Final 8, 22 Rounds and Modified NAB Cup Format

Knees, feet and ankles I would think (not being any kind of medical expert), are rarely related to fitness - most are surely caused by a combination of surface and sheer bad luck - it would be interesting to know what percentage of all such injuries in the AFL occur at Etihad. Hamstrings I agree could be a fitness issue, but only one of our injury list, Tapscott, is a hammy injury... the rest are knee, ankle and foot injuries. If any investigation should be done, it should be into how they are in the odd case, playing on with these injuries which inevitably makes things worse. As for how these injuries could in any way be related to the drive to Casey, I just don't know what to make of that... too many gear changes and late breaking are putting undue strain on the players' feet, ankles and Knees?

File under "Chestnut" For what it's worth, I consider it to be coincidence.

The things in our favour are: having Trengove back as he will be out to prove a point, we will possibly have Scully back (although I tend to think he will be a sub at this stage) and we may see Gawn (he would likely sub in the event Scully slotted straight back in) and Howe get a run. Since early in the season I have been of the opinion that the Bummers will slow down towards the half way mark as being a young team and pushing so hard will inevitably take its toll. Pushing hard is something the Dees can not be accused of, so if they decide to go out with the intention of giving it their all for 4 quarters, there is no reason they couldn't run over the Bummers for a much needed (in so many ways) win.