hardtack

Damn :-) thanks.

Bennell to put in a BOG performance, Petterd and Jurrah to dominate the Swan's defence and Spencer to surprise his detractors with a very serviceable performance as a support ruck man (assuming he makes the cut).

Noticed that both Cook and Howe are not appearing on any team lists for this weekend (including Casey seniors and reserves), so I'm wondering if anyone knows why this may be. I know that Howe supposedly hurt his ankle late in last week's game for Casey, but neither he nor Cook are appearing on our injury list. Anyone here in the know?

I find it rather strange/mildly amusing thinking about the criticisms leveled at Bennell for being "soft". After watching this match the other night (this being the game in which Bennell did his now famous withdraw from the contest and feign cramp move), I noticed that prior to Bennell's "choke", everyone's hero and next captain, Grimes actually pulled out of a MUCH softer contest on the Collingwood forward line. No-one seems to have ever said anything about it, yet it was a move that led directly to a Collingwood goal! I must admit that I only noticed it watching the replay of this game and missed it when it happened. In Bennell's favour, he was (and still is) a small and at the time, relatively inexperienced player who was faced with the prospect of two or three charging Collingwood defenders and a couple of Dees forwards steamrolling him as he ran to take a mark with the flight of the ball - as it turns out, they were not as close as he thought, but close enough to spook him as he obviously caught sight of them out of the corner of his eye. Thankfully both players have since made amends several times over.

No problems for me at all and I have the site open every day for hours at a time - I'm using Firefox V4 now, but prior to today was using V3.whatever and no problems then either. Also works perfectly when using Safari on my MacBook Pro at home.

I'm starting to think that we are tending to overrate Scully due to all of the hyperbole and his sudden legendary status resulting from the supposed GWS offer. Don't get me wrong, he is very good and will only get much better over the next season or two, but he was definitely NOT the difference between us winning and losing most of our games last year and I doubt very much he will be the difference between us winning or losing on Sunday; I would think Chip will be missed much more than Scully in that regard. One real upside to his omission is the opportunity this creates for Tapscott - now that I AM excited about.

Pray tell who we could have got instead. RC has cost us next to nothing, is a chance to play eventually and in the meantime is a valuable resource when it comes to passing on tips and tricks to up and comers like Gawn, Fitzpatrick etc... he is a premiership ruckman and he has been involved in clinics training kids. Not a waste of time at all if you bother to look at the bigger picture.

20-20 hindsight is a wonderful thing; obviously they thought he was probably ok to play and that he needed a run before the season proper. Maybe he pulled up ok after the first game so he was considered right for the next. You can't help bad luck I suppose. At least all of the doomsayers will be able to get a glimpse of what their future will be like without Scully... the rest of us will get an idea of what depth we have in the department of youth.

Thanks! Actually, Junior didn't play in last year's game when we decimated the Swans (people tend to overlook the fact we didn't have him on the park for a lot of season 2010) and I'm not sure that Bruce actually contributed all that much either... I think that MacDonald, if he is playing, is in a similar mold to Bruce, so his loss shouldn't be felt too acutely.

The problem the Swannies have is that they are going to be relying too heavily on Goodes to get them through, particularly since they are without the likes of Bradshaw, Malceski, Craig bolton, Roberts-Thomson and Kennelly. Additional to that, Jesse White is going to have to step up big time as a target up forward, and as much as I like him, I don't think he will be able to give them the goal scoring option they will be desperately in need of - and Pike is too hot and cold to be relied upon. Without Kirk there to direct the midfield and lead by his example, I feel they are going to be somewhat directionless and that, coupled with the fact that they now have to get used to a new coaching style and possibly game plan, I'm not sure it is all going to come together for them this early in the season. With players like Grimes, Rivers, Garland, Bartram and possibly Bennell to run the ball out of defence, I get the feeling their midfield will be caught off guard and the Dees defenders should be able to give the mids, and consequently forwards, good service. As Malceski is out for a few weeks (10?) with a knee injury, Jones won't be required to cover him, meaning that he could be used on Goodes at a pinch... but I tend to agree that someone like Martin would be better suited to that task. Alternatively (and I know I'll be howled down for this) Bartram is someone who could give Goodes the kind of niggle that will get his blood boiling, and while some players lift when given that kind of treatment, Goodes tends to implode. I would rather see Jones doing his usual job of diving in where no sane person should go. Overall, I believe that if our defenders can do their job with quick clearances, we should have too much speed through the middle and too much class up forward for the Swannies to counter over a prolonged period of time. So far this preseason we have beaten our AAMI hoodoo, we have managed to show we can get off to a fast start against the Hawks, and now we need to step up and show we can get off to a fast start in the finals race by winning the first game of the season. Footy's a confidence game, and what better way to build confidence than by winning the first game of the year without your best 22 on the park. Dees by 23.

Yes you are right in saying "not one" - there are five actually :-)

Ok, I understand where you are coming from in this and your previous post, and fair enough... however, the thought of where Morton was picked in the draft had never even occurred to me. I have just seen enough occasional sparks of brilliance to make me think that when it all finally clicks and he gets consistency into his game and a little more strength into his body, then he could have a break out season; as I said, I didn't put him in my list, so obviously I am not confident it will happen just yet, if at all.

Why? I haven't included him myself, but I can understand why people might. The guy just needs to have a breakout season and he could be an absolute star. What's to be gained by deriding other peoples' opinions?

1. Frawley 2. Green 3. Jamar 4. Jurrah 5. Scully 6. Davey 7. Sylvia 8. Jones (people seem to have forgotten how much grunt he gave us last year and how much he had improved on previous years. Those same people also tend to forget that he is now making what I consider a remarkable recovery from what was essentially a very debilitating injury that few players would come back from so quickly - we NEED his G&D and if he can take a similar step up to last season again, he will be very useful) 9. Grimes 10. Bennell (another player people have already written of... again! - his second half of last season showed that he is going to be a very very valuable player for us going ahead. His run and his innate ability to get the ball will prove essential as long as he becomes more consistent)

That brief period when we had all three of Sean Wight, "Strawbs" O'Dwyer and Jimma going around at the same time, is, apart from our grand final winning years, one of my most fondly remembered; and Sean Wight was my most admired player at that time... unbelievable ball handling skills and an uncanny knack for extracting himself from tight spots Houdini style. I have no doubt he will extract himself from his current "tight spot" just as brilliantly!

I would have Bennell and Martin in there ahead of Bate and Warnock... Bennell could do a lot more than Bate around the forwards and Martin can act as a tallish back as well as back-up ruckman (who else on his list is going to do those duties if Jamar goes down?).

Who had the job on him last year? I had a feeling Bartram had the tagging role and did very well, which led me to believe he would be the obvious choice as well... but that said, I really can't guarantee my memory anymore.

There are two nominated rookie elevations this year - next week and mid-season. That is why I said Evans next week and Campbell mid-season (if Spencer doesn't suddenly find form - I don't think Martin will be a reliable back-up for a full season).

I think the "pre-season" elevation (must be nominated by Tuesday next week) will be Evans and then I suppose if Campbell is up and running and deemed fit enough, I would expect him to be the nominated "mid-season" rookie - a backup ruckman is something we really need and particularly in the second half of the season if Jamar is, as I expect, taking most of the load; then if there is an LTI, I suppose they will look at the best fit at the time according to the position impacted by the LTI.

I have my membership renew automagically, but I can't really recall now when that actually happens... but I am pretty sure my kit arrived within a month - certainly wasn't anything like 3 to 4 months.

1. Western Bulldogs 2. The Filth 3. St Kilda 4. Carlton 5. Geelong 6. Dees 7. Hawthorn 8. Kangaroos 9. Fremantle 10. Swans 11. Adelaide 12. Essendon 13. Richmond 14. West Coast 15. Port Adelaide 16. Gold Coast 17. Brisbane

Maybe the Demonlander going under the moniker of Pink Freud? (a great play on words by the way)

You may want to change that bit :-)

Yes... he said he wants to end his career as a one club player.

Apparently Scully has said there is nothing on the table and that he is fully committed to the Dees for 2011 and beyond. Has said he wants to end his career as a one club player.