John Crow Batty

Nice to see they gave Phil Rhoden a mention. Almost a permanent reserves player during his career. One of the best long kicks in the game. It was a highlight getting to the MCG early and watching him roost 80 metre drop kicks from kickouts.

I recall Judd was more pleased with Carlton's training facilities compared to ours.

I suspect for GWS to be serious with this alleged offer they would also expect Scully to have a cracking 2011 season and build on what he achieved last season substantially. What if he gets the second year yips? His disposal needs improvement. While some players with disposal issues improve others never do. What if he does his knee? Lots of what if's. If Scully is playing like a superstar around midseason and he still hasn't re-signed then then we should be very worried.

I also hope the rumours are wrong. But at this stage it's starting to sound like the Gary Ablett rumour saga again. They were very loud indeed and proved to be true in the end. I don't think these GWS rumours could be easily dismissed because this turn of events is highly plausable. Even if Tom is sincere in his wishes to be a one club player for us he will find an offer within the range currently speculated from GWS painfully difficult to refuse. And what discount on the GWS premium would he accept from us if he wished to stay? Assuming these rumours are correct.

Well, if we didn't make a mockery of the draft system for several seasons we most likely would never got Scully in the first place. It was OK then for the AFL to turn a blind eye to our tanking but now they have GWS on their "need to build up" agenda. Perhaps we may get paid back with karma. For years we never had many top players worthy of poaching by other clubs. Now having genuine young talent has created new problems for us. If he does go to GWS there is nothing we can do about it. Our tanking efforts will be seen as a waste of time. If he stays he could become the highest paid player by miles at the club despite still being a relative novice. Perhaps being paid far more than he is worth. It will be difficult for other rising players who will have to make do with a lesser share of the spoils. Managing these type of big time player issues will be a new challenge for the club that could make or break us.

I second that.

No one could say that his strong leads into withering traffic exhibited in his first season were soft. He was wasted playing out of position for too many years. He was and still is a strong lead up forward with great skills and not a jack of all trades midfielder.

Persons who thinks Brad Green is soft are obviously confusing him with someone else.

A well deserved reward for Brad. Good to see Jarred there too. These two guys last season demonstrated they were not going to be part of the passing parade of Daniher era players. They are up for the future challenges. And well deserved accolades for Davey and Moloney too.

Our midfield disposal is marginal. Take Davey out of there and it will be the worst in the comp.

He was also a past recruiting advisor for us and Carlton.

How about Mal Michael? Since Carlton usualy go the nepotistc way with coaches, it must be Micky Martyn. He had an illustious career at Carlton and is highly regarded by their fans If Bailey turns out a dud I woudn't mind seeing Mick Malthouse come to us down the track.

I don't know what the AFL thinks about 11 a side games but if someone else tried the idea the AFL would not be able to do much about it. The AFL has no control on rugby/soccer grounds. We know what Kerry Packer and the IPL have done with cricket. And what Rupert Murdoch has done to Rugby League and Union. It is not too far fetched that some predatory media baron like Murdoch if he felt he could generate ratings and money would try something like this.

I know KS is a serious student of all football codes and in his hey day was always exploring foreign codes for new ideas and tactics. He is also well aware of the precarious position of our game in world standings. It is a minor world game compared to soccer, grid iron and rugby. He is suggesting this 11 man game to be played on a soccer/ruby pitch as undeeniable has said. I can see some logic in this as it will allow our game to be played anywhere in the world and provide a more viable opportunity for international growth. But the danger is that the game will no longer be football as we know it. It will be something completely different. What KS is proposing is a revolutionary move akin to anarchy and I don't think he is serious unless he's becoming demented. What makes our game great is its unique, fast spectacular free flowing play into vast spaces with sublime skills. It will not be football on a soccer/rugby pitch. The rules and tactics will have to be totally different. The ball will have to be neutered so it cannot be kicked as far. The play may become more static. It will be mostly running, chipping and handball and will become a lightweight version of rugby in the end.

I suspect Lyon might also be trying to recapture some high moral ground back for the club. By all accounts the grievance with the girl has been settled in house. If the anticipated sledging gets ugly and leads to the debasement of "community standards" he can go on the offensive and start blaming others with statements like "the issue has been resolved and this is detrimental to the girls ongoing welfare and privacy" or "we are helping the girl as much as we can and all this sledging is doing nothing to help her" etc, etc.

Just shows how irrelevant he has become. Once upon a time he might have provided sensible ideas. Now he's just another buffoon in the Lou Richards mould. He's supposed to be selling the game in Sydney and not to the rest of the AFL.

Absolutely sick and crazy idea. Will cause a plague of hammy and other soft tissue injuries. Will run players into the ground before the real season starts. And will confirm the general Sydney sider perception that our game is just aerial pingpong.

1.65 is appropriate for a final eight position. Most pundits think we will make it. If we don't Bailey will certainly be gone. 26.00 is appropriate for the flag and 3.50 for top four looks a little short. I would not be too concerned about the negative impact of Frawley's injury at this early stage of the year. One positive I can glean from this is that if there was any hint of complacency lurking in the ranks this setback will have snuffed it out by now.

I don't think it is necessary to say anything fresh and original. We don't want Vaudeville comedians, poets or cheer leaders. Just to describe and analyse the game in a lucid manner so fans can understand. The game is supposed to provide the entertainment and not the commentators. All commentators use the well known cliches because most fans would not comprehend anything else.

Good commentators are like good umpires. If you don't notice them much they are good. The good ones paint a picture of the game and don't distract listeners or watchers from being absorbed by the game whether on TV or the radio. The ones I seem to know or remember well are the annoying ones like Rex Hunt and some others. Kelli was somewhat distracting but only because of her female voice. I didn't mind much to what she had to say.

I agree with your last statement. Our defence last season suffered a lot due to our midfield allowing too many easy clearances and lack of midfiled support in back line stoppages. Frawley's loss will hurt but a more telling indicator of how much we have improved will be demonstrated by how well we cover key player losses.

I am still getting error messages when I try to log on no matter which browser I use. It takes about a dozen or more attempts before I can actually get to see the home page

Well, its not the end of the world and it was always likely that a few of our top 22 will suffer some serious injury this year. At least he appears OK to resume as the season hots up. Lets see what Bailey can get out of the rest of the boys until he recovers. Warnock had a bad season last year on the back of several seasons of solid progress. Lets hope its just a hiccup for him. If we are to be a genuine top side we have to brush these setbacks aside.

Sad to see her go. She was good but for her to really make it she had to be exceptional. Too many good commentators around and the novelty of having a female commentator wore off long ago. A lot of sexist guys around too that would never take her seriously.

OK, thanks for all the effort. Lets all get back on board. This is going to be a big year.