Webber

There's no such diagnosis as 'soreness'. In the biz, we say there is 'no such thing as a 2 week hamstring'. It's a tear, and will be minimum 3 weeks. They all are. So round 5 at earliest for Big Maxy. There's a lot of grand statements on here about cutting injury prone players from the list. This is short term impatience borne of desperation to get a successful start to the season. We all feel it, but this kind of absolutist CUT THEM ALL!!! talk is rubbish. Almost all players go through repeat injury phases, and a very select few have very few injuries (Nathan Jones). There is as much chance that the players being talked about here get into an injury free phase that sees them string 50 games together with little interruption. NONE of their injuries are career threatening. It's bad luck, it's bad timing for the club, and it's coincidental that they're all talls. See it for what it is, and suck it up Demonlanders.

I'm not debating 'diet'. There is no question that a uniformly 'ideal' diet for everybody does not exist. Different people, different needs. I'm talking about the provision of complete protein via a plant based diet as biochemical fact.

They can argue all they like, but this is not theory or hypothesis, it is FACT. At the level of amino acid delivery through diet, the full spectrum is available in a plant based diet. This is not complicated, nor is it disputable.

Be careful about thinking you know who you're talking to. Clearly science is not your forte. Amino acids are the constituents of protein, of which the plant kingdom has the full array. And 'to be clear', muscle bulk is as achievable through a veg diet as it is for meat. Practical scientific truth. If you want to make assertions that can be either justified or shot down by science, then it's better not to be ignorant of that science. Do some reading.

As disappointing as it was to lose on Saturday, it is a seven year relief to see the WAY they played, and hear Roos justifications for it. It's a relief to have a coach who sees the big picture, i.e. that change is a month by month rather than week by week project. For me, the future of our playing style is for once grounded in logic. Possession control, and hunting possession when it's lost. The stats also bore it out against the Saints. Lack of forwards and uncertainty cruelled us, but the practice is rock solid......and it's been a long time coming.

Well put, Cudi. If people can't gain some confidence from the new game plan, and see how it will allow us to progress, then they're being blinded too much by our still present deficiencies......which comes mostly from historically damaged confidence and inexperience. All ultimate success has to come from controlling and dominating possession. What we saw on Saturday was a team getting used to HOW to use the ball in this situation, and having woefully limited options when pushing into attack. What I am equally confident of is that Paul Roos is just the man to get them to hold their nerve, and back themselves to improve. That said, it's hard not to see Sunday as being a blowout.

After 5 years of being mauled, necked, jumped on, held without the pill, and any other offence you care to mention, TOTALLY ignored by the umps, Jonesy deserves every questionable free kick he gets.

And a predictable response

Worst post I've read since last night

He got the corkies in the first quarter, and kept him quiet in the second. Hindsight wisdom by many on here.

Totally on the money. Our possession game style is leagues ahead of last year, when we just couldn't get our hands on it. They will get better at it, it's just the simple reality of repetition. The turnovers will lessen, the confidence will grow, and when we have a forward or two to kick to, we'll see the picture start to come into focus. Thinking that leaving McDonald on Riewoldt was a mistake is classic hindsight wisdom. He had done the job on him in the first half ( got the corkies in the FIRST quarter, so it was logical to stay with him. Riewoldt killed the game in 5 minutes in the third. There were lots of personnel positives from last night also.....Watts, Toumpas, Tyson...... Having said all that, and that we WILL be much more competitive than last year, I'm not sure where we're gonna get a win from! Gawn and Blease tore it up at Casey yesterday, so they're automatic ins it seems.

6. N Jones .....yawn! 5. J Watts ..... When he gets it in his hands we look like breaking the game open 4. L Dunn..... Not beaten, and used the ball properly 3. M Jones..... Good ball finder, decision maker and user. 2. D Tyson..... For pushing through the game and getting the pill despite inexperienced errors 1. J Toumpas.....as per Tyson

Roos is a big wrap for Matt Jones, and I completely understand why. What I DON'T get is why some on here rate him so lowly, and particularly relative to Sam Blease. As much as Blease has the excitement factor that comes with speed, his basic football talent has just not revealed itself. His lack of ball getting has for most of his career been a liability to the team on game day. Roos likes 'footballers', not flakey performers, no matter how great their potential.

There have been a number of studies looking at the psychological effect of long term injury on professional sportspeople, and at least one I know of based on the AFL. The basic conclusion is that there really aren't ANY players who escape adverse psychology during their layoff, but obviously there is a spectrum of effects. The common response is of significant diminished self worth, which commonly escalates into depression. These guys play football, and their whole sense of self is tied up with their performance. When they can't even get on the park, the self doubts and negativity spiral. This is compounded by their age reducing their inherent coping strategies. The most important thing for MC is that he is getting professional help, which I'm sure he is.

All class is Flanners, and I've never met anybody more passionate about the game as a reflection of the people within it. His love of the totality of our game, particularly it's history, gives his natural writing gifts a lyricism and emotional weight that has no equal in sports writing in this country.

I have a feeling our chances on Saturday will depend on our ironing out turnovers. There have been some good signs in preseason, but not when it comes to turnovers, where we're still the Kings. It'll kill us regardless of who St.Kilda have missing.

Agree. I think the team based possession game Roos is fashioning plays into the idea of versatility, multiple goalkickers, and smaller forwards being legitimate options. Plus, I'm looking forward to seeing what Fitz can do in the role of main man up front!

Yes, if symptoms settle and repeat scan shows all clear, he's good to go.

A stress 'fracture' is just that, a diagnosable break in the bone, and is much longer term. I should have said above that the concern and caution will relate to how close the 'reaction' is to a fracture. That is unknowable.

A stress reaction is effectively a 'pre-fracture' for want of a better description. If it is post-traumatic, as from a knee in the back, then it is a 'bruising' to the bone. If it is from repetitive action, such as forces related to running, then it indicates a focus of increased and adverse load in a part of the bone. I'm assuming that the reports of him suffering it in last week's game are true, so therefore bruising. That should mean he comes good sooner rather than later. 2 to 3 weeks is entirely possible, and likely.

Good OP. Plenty of mistakes last night, but it's a new design they're playing to, and they're on a steep learning curve. They're frustrating but entirely forgiveable, cos there's just so much more to get excited about. Lots of guys out there playing their first game for Roos....Watts, Hogan, Fitzpatrick, Clisby, and still some biggies to come back. When it all starts to come together, we're in for some serious excitement....

All this garbage about Max Gawn 'not coming on as he should have', and being vulnerable because he's had both knees reconstructed. He's the second tallest person on the entire AFL list. He's just turned 22. He's only now starting to get a man's physique, and endurance capacity, which will take another 3 to 4 years to be consistent through a game and season. There's a lack of insight into the long term development of the big guys on here. They only become valuable at around 25, and have a 5 to 6 year career span. The contrast being the Brent Harvey/Nathan Jones type midfielder. As to the knee recons.....ACL reconstructions are no indication of general vulnerability. Nor is the incidence of re-rupture is any greater than would be the case for a non-reconstructed knee. All of which speaks to the fact that impatience and frustration leads us to make ignorant and poor judgements on players who are either too young to be judged against 150+ gamers, or just plain unlucky with injuries. Given his age and injury history to this point, and what he has shown in the matches he's played, I reckon the MFC coaches would be very VERY excited about the future of Max Gawn, but I'm equally sur they'd tell us to temper that excitement for another 3 years or so.

Yep. As good a builder of footballers as anyone coaching in the AFL.

Had a chat to a member of the Stone family yesterday, and there is a LOT of work that the coaching staff feel needs to be done. All we saw on Friday was a group of players who have regained a love of the process and the game, but have a looooong way to go before becoming the real deal. It will be a roller coaster. It seems the general feeling, other than the damage to confidence suffered over the past few years, the 'scars' as PR has put it, is the horrible mismanagement of the talent. The biggest victim being one Jack Watts. The most exciting thing was the sense that the coaching staff are loving the challenge and the work.