GOLF

The strategy is fast moving attack. The first tactic (plan A) is to do this through the corridor. Looks fantastic and wins games when it is working. But sometimes we came up against sides with stronger, tougher midfields who choked us in the corridor (and bullied us, but that will change with time). Our second tactic (yet to be developed) should be to spread fast and go round the wings (Plan B). The trick is to realise when Plan A isn't working and switch to plan B. If we could get these two appraoches ingrained in the players (and maybe fix the kickins up) we would have something for the players to practice, become totally familiar with, get to trust each other in the execution, and hang any other variations on. Hope it starts happening in 2011.

We need a big forward as insurance in case Watts and/or Fitzpatrick don't make the grade. We need an AFL standard ruckman in case Jamar gets injured. If we can get them in trade or draft, andything else is for future development.

So lets say the "best available" at pick 12 or 14 or 16 when we get our go is a midfielder. Explain exactly why we need another midfielder just now and when you think he will get his fisrt senior game.

Martin Pike was a monumental disaster off field. Where did he go from Melbourne? What did they do - keep or delist. Where did he go next? What did they do - keep or delist? At his 4th club, under a legendary tough man as coach, he stayed for a while. His 4 premierships, and a string of talented and courageous displays on field, show he was a good player. His record at his first 3 clubs show that he was a ****head off the field. I would just love to know what Lethal said to him the day he arrived at Brisbane.

Non-negative post coming right up ...... YES, we can make the eight In 2011.

We already have Jurrah. We are developing Watts and Fitzpatrick. We can try one of our tallish backs (Rivers, Garland) as a tall forward. The only time we need to sell our grandmother for a tall forward is in 2013, if those options haven't turned out well. Sure, we might find something in the next two drafts, but GC17 and then GWS will have picked those over, first as 17yos and then as 18yos, so don't hold your breath. Any tall we draft in 2012 won't be ready until 2015 (talls take longer to develop). We have a backline. We have a midfield that just needs more games and harder, bigger bodies. We have small and midsized forwards. We have the potential structure of a tall forward line. What we are desperately short of is a ruck division. What would we look like if Jamar got injured? Or got lured away by GC17 or GWS? PJ is just not cutting the mustard. Meesen is probably ending his career this year. Gawn is still injured and hasn't got onto the park yet. And he is only 18 and hasn't even started his development. Spencer is at least playing, but won't be effective until he is 22 or so (2012). Don't even mention Miller, Dunn, Sylvia or Martin. They are an embarrassment when they take 5 minutes to rest Jamar. If you want to look for a tall, look for a mature bodied ruckman. May not even play in the ones if Jamar stays and stays fit, but we need another one until Spencer and/or Gawn are ready for action. Think in terms of the role Meesen would have played if he hadn't been injured. Or that PJ would be playing if he had developed better.

GC17 will be already chock full of 17/18/19yo's from the plundering of the underage and then this years draft. They will want players of reasonable experience from the other 16 clubs. They would be very interested in a mature-bodied ruckman. If you want something to worry about, try thinking about what our team looks like without Jamar.

No, that's the AFL.

The problems with our forward line are: Watts is very young and very tall. Talls always take more time to develop. By 2012 he will be good, in time for our 2013 flag. Jurrah is injured. Petterd is injured. FitzPatrick is young, even taller than Watts, and a beanpole. Again, watch him in 2012. Miller is a spud who has played less than 13 really good games out of 130. Bate and Green aren't key forwards. Can help, but not dominate. Try coaching that lot at the moment.

Was it some other Johnson named in the best for Casey then?

Who played better - Rivers or Garland? Who do we bring in if both Jones and Junior are out injured? How do we devewlop Watts if we don't keep playing him? Are we all now fully convinced that Miller is 1) not up to AFL standard, and 2) not part of the MFC future?

Damn straight.

So lets offer Carlton a deal in trade week this year. We get Kreuzer. (We need a back up ruck who can play araund the ground). In compensation, we take Brock back. Or is that offering them too much?

I would never compare Scully to Judd. I don't think Scully will captain a footy side who fall into a drugs culture, then leave that club and go to another for money where he captains a side with a serious booze culture. I would never compare Trengove to Cousins. I leave the filling in of the reasons as an exercise for the students. The pair of them remind me of two youngsters starting out their careers, with loads of talent, loads of encouragement from club, teammates and supporters, who could be brilliant, but will be brilliant in their own moulds. Lets look again when they have 50 games or so on the board.

Someone said that no team have ever won the week after playing in Darwin. Anyone know if this is true?

If we had lost, Carlton would now be without one of Judd and Krueser. And we would have had better picks in 2007 and 2008. What do you think caused us to win? Could the job on offer for 2008 to our coach that day had any bearing?

Glad to see you take my point. One mention in the Casey best is not grounds for a recall for someone dropped for lack of performance. There has to be a spot in the seniors not currently being filled by someone who is performing well.

Listen to the wisdom of Sylvinator when it is spoken. I would not like to lose Ricky to GC17. But what if they are really after a mature (say 27yo) tough ruckman, currently well up in the league stats? And have just been successful at keeping it quiet. If you want something to worry about, try chewing on that.

The reports I read had only Newton and Dunn (remember them?) in the best for Casey. And either of them could help Jamar out in the ruck!!!! Can't see what the agitation for Maric is all about. Cheney maybe particularly to mark a speedy smaller forward. But what would Maric add to the side?

We aren't going to make finals this year. So I hope the next two weeks give us more development of the young and no more injured rucks. Neither game is a "must win". But beating either of Carlton or Collingwood is always sweet.

And from this weekend, reports are that Spencer is injured. We have 5 ruckmen on our list: Jamar, PJ, Meesen, Spencer and Gawn. Forget FitzPatrick, he's a forward. Three of these are out injured: Gawn (indefinite), Meesen (indefinite), Spencer (unknown). This is, I think, what is called "a parlous state", particularly when you take PJ's recent form into account. We have a backline. We have a midfield that only needs more games to be great (bows towards Gsberts). We have a possible forward line in a year or two around Watts, Jurrah, FitzPatrick and maybe Morton. But we are on our base a**e bones for ruckmen. One serious injury to Jamar and we may well be putting our flag in peril.

I miss Wheels the way he was in earlier years, but it was right to let him go when we did. I miss, well not so much Robbo himself, but the gutteral roar from our supporters that greeted each of those marks. I miss wheatley's booming kicks, but we have improved our skill levels by replacing him. But then I also miss the young TJ, the Febey boys, Wilson, Flower and even Peter moore. Life, and footy, moves on.

Remember also that some of those senior players will be coming to the end of their careers in 2-3 years and will be "making room in the salary cap" in the more traditional way. Junior turns 34 this year. Do you still see him running around in the ones at 37? Bruce will be 34, Green will be 32, Rivers, Moloney and Warnock will be 30. Even if (and I hope some of them are) they are still playijng at seniors level, they will not be at the height of their careers and will not be commanding huge wages. The current youngsters, on the other hand, will have 50-100 games up, will be 21 - 25, and (after 2013) will all have a premiership medal round their necks. That is when we will really need room in the cap.

And Gysberts misses out?

Rucking depends on size and jump. Sylvia has been relying on the latter in his cameo appearances. But he really isn't part of the answer. Dunn? Nah. Miller? Was good kicking goals and needs to concentrate on that to hold his spot. We either go with Jamar alone or we select a backup ruck. Jamar alone means Jamar worn out and/or injured before the season is out. Backup means Spencer. And unless Maloney's appeal has succeeded, Gysberts is a lay down misere.