old dee

Wow.

Hughes is DONE.

Face reality.

He has had ample chance and there won't be any more.

We have too many similar types that perform his role better.

E25 he has played 2 senior games! on your scale Watts would have been flung last year!

It takes years for the rough-as-guts, shoulder-to-the-wheel type midfielders to get their due recognition.

Jordie will be our version of Boyd from the Doggies or (looking further back) Ratten at the Blues ... he'll have to do it consistently for about three years for the footy world to catch up. It's just a side-effect of the type of game he plays. Luckily, everything we've heard about him makes it seem like he's not the kind of guy who gives a damn about all that extra-curricular carp.

Spot on he is not the type that wins awards just the sort who helps win games.

A good grunt player that gets the ball out and makes others guys look good.

Nothing flash just a gower that every team needs.

Well no. Of course not. That's the point. He was number one for a reason.

Regardless, his progress has been steady. He would have impressed more yesterday if he had been a little more selfish but his tendency to look to give off the ball in the first quarter cost him (and us) an early goal.

But he has already shown he knows:

#how to find the ball in a contest and give off with quick, accurate hands;

#how to take a contested mark;

#how to run ahead of the play to take an uncontested mark in the forward 5o;

#how to kick steadying goals when they count.

That's enough in 15 or so games, I reckon.

(As for Maric, I've yet to see anything.)

I agree with you however it is difficult to judge Maric when he almost never plays!

Why not play him the last two games? Is he going to cost us a spot in the finals?

He should be a replacement for Davey. If he is not picked this week after 3 goals for Casey

then why does he have a contract for next year and why are we keeping him?

Wrong... If he is getting a good run ( and for the most part he has been contributing to an effective forward line) , it is because he is a fast and agile tall capable of causing headaches to the opposition for the next decade in the most important position on the field.

Unfortunately Cheney and Maric are dime-a-dozen small to mid-size players without explosive pace. In fairness , Maric may have some special "football smarts" .. and I'd like to see him get a few more chances to show it

Hoopla I am not big fans of Maric or Cheney. But I wonder if Watts was pick 20 would he be getting such a good ride!

In Maric's case how would we know if he is any good he has had one game this year, which was not as bad as Watts first three, he even stayed upright for most of the game.

But he is straight out after one game!

Correct. You're not being smart.

And how lucky am I to have you to offer an opinion!

can he play casey finals? does he need 2 or less games to qualify? if so drop him so he can play for casey in the finals would be a good expirence for him, see if he can stand up on the big stage.

Do not know but he can definately play there next week.

But you know What ( no pun intended ) My gut feel tells me it will not matter how well he play's or what my opinion is, between now and season's end he will be in the team barring an injury!

Watts and Bennell will both stay in (games into players), as I said I am only like everybody else guessing on what the FD will do......

You are right and they are paid to know.

however it does not mean that they get it right ever time.

As well what would we all think about for the next three days!

I struuggle with this "getting games into players"

How come Meric does not get the benefit of that logic

or is he "not good enough".

Not the first time he has done that. Not long untill it will be known as "classic watts" when he does it or if someone else does the commentators will say that "it has a touch of watts"

I am not being a smart arse but I hope I live that long and your prediction comes true.

That's funny cos I could have sworn professional football people who work for our club think he is? If you honestly think players get games based on draft order you obviously don't understand that football clubs are a competitive professional environment where players get games based on performance and Jack Watts has earned a regular spot this year, not to say his spot is safe if he doesn't perform, but it's plain to see he is in our best 22.

Get behind this kid, he's trying hard, has a truckload of talent, and is an asset to our club. Who would you put in his place if he's such dead weight? Miller? Newton? Back to AFL and learn to understand footy.

What about Bate , Morton or even Warnock at least we would find out if he can play in the forward line.

At what point do you think Watts will not be safe in his spot?

I am not being smart! I would like to know how many more games without showing some improvment?

Is next week the limit? Do we play him for the last two games of this year?

3 games into next year?

May 30 2010?

It just seems to me he is getting a very good run because he is the No. 1 pick.

Meric or Cheney should be so lucky!

No... we have to delist THREE. Minimum.

There is no reason we need to delist 4-5.

Other than the fact that we have at least 3 players that will only survive because they have contracts for next year.

And that was no guarantee for Meesen and Newton last year.

Why keep guys who are marginal? even in a poor draft gems pop up!

Our Football Department has been lobbying hard for Jordie to get a nomination. On consistency, contested possession and tackles he is far more deserving than many who have already been nominated including our own Gysberts.

Surely this week!

Sorry "grand new flag" in my opinion he was not in our top 6 players yesterday.

He works hard but does not stand out because of the type of player he is.

Won't get a look in I am afraid.

On reflection Guys now must be the time the time that management are deciding who goes and who stays at the end of the season.

We have to de-list 4 - 5 players from the main list.

This will not be easy seeing as a couple of the ones I would drop have contracts for next season.

We may see a couple of old stagers bob up for a last game vs North in the last round.

On top of that not many of the "kids" playing at Casey are in the right space at present because they are either not fit enough for AFL level after injury effected seasons( Blease, Tapscott, Mcnamara ) or too raw ( Fitzpatrick )after those guys who would you give a run? Not many left unfortunately, the rest all injured for the rest of the season.

Glad I do not have to decide it looks very hard.

What a great idea, bring Moloney in who has leg problems for the last four weeks, stick him on a plane for an hour and a half, and play him on a quagmire of a ground..........no I don't think so, I can see the team only having one or two changes one for Davey and I think that may be to give Tapscott or Blease a taste, Tapscott was fine at the weekend but didn't play for Casey...maybe freshening him up...........the only other player who I think may be worried is PJ (read his review) not sure of Port's ruck stocks at the moment, so he could be under threat for who I wouldn't like to guess...

Find it hard to believe they just rested Tapscott! Why?

I agree with Moloney he should come back via Casey after 4 weeks out.

Why take Watts to "quagmire of a ground" from the past experience he is next to useless on a heavy ground!

I have watched Blease at Casey he is no where near fit enough for AFL, 2011 for him.

Why do you leave Bennell in he has been marginal for weeks and yesterday poor.

In: Moloney, Warnock

Out: Bennell, Davey (injured)

Backs: MacDonald, Warnock, Rivers

Half backs: Bartram, Frawley, Garland

Centres: Bruce, McDonald, Green

Half forwards: Bail, Dunn, Jurrah

Forwards: Trengove, Watts,Wonaeamirri

Followers: Jamar, Moloney, Sylvia

Interchange: Johnson, Jones, McKenzie, Scully

OUT: Davey, Bennell, Watts, Trengove

IN: Moloney ( If ok but I doubt it ), Bate, Morton, Maric

I doubt Maric is good enough but deserves the last two games to show his ability.

The critical thing I keep noticing is the depth of the list.

There are of course many kids with 'potential' who it would be foolish to mark in as players in 2014, or that sort of crystal ball gazing. But the simple fact is that even with a few of our highest rated players out (Petterd, Grimes, Moloney most obviously) and fairly experienced bodies like Bate, Warnock and Miller in the 2s, we still have trouble fitting in everyone who 'deserves a game'.

We have a shortage of a critical ingredient from our rebuilding process that Carlton, Essendon or Richmond all have... list cloggers!

Four or five have to go of the main list "Little Goffy' who are they?

Glad it is not me picking them

Hope he signed this morning as he lost 50 grand by 5.00 pm today!

So we're out of the finals race, which is neither shocking nor consequential to our bright future.

With 2 games to go, should we go down the development path or the win at all costs path?

Do you rest Jamar if he's sore? Frawley? Do we rule Moloney, Davey and Grimes out for the season?

Does Maric, Cheney and Strauss come into the side at the expense of the likes of Trengove and Scully, so we can see if they are worth persisting with?

Does Jack Watts go back to Casey to work on his game, and Miller gets rewarded for recent good form?

Or do we play the rest of the year with our best available team, to try and win the next 2 games and give us some momentum going into next season?

I think Meric deserves the last two games, I don't think he is good enough however he deserves the chance to show his wares without the fear of being droppped imediately. Bennell's spot is available he was poor again today.

Cheney is a good VFL player seen him before.

Watts should be dropped it is time for a reality check. I find it hard to believe Bate, Morton, Newton, Bell, Warnock or Miller could have done less in the forward line today.

Strauss is not fit enough 2011 for him.

I hope Miller never gets another game for the club. I have nothing against him personally I just think playing him is a backward step when we have other younger players with more talent in the VFL that are yet to get a chance. Miller has had 133 chances to make an impact at AFL level and it hasn't happened, by playing Miller the FD will find nothing out about him that they didn't already know.

Oh "Bonkers" get off his back. He has not turned out to be the CPF we had hoped for however when was the last time he did not give 100%

And a lot of the time he had no support in the forward line and got the best defender every week.

He has played his heart out in the forward line, the back line or wherever he was asked.

It is probably over for him this year have a little empathy and a little less venom, he has done his best.

No doubt your eyes didn't deceive you, but nor does it mean that Frawley won't be playing.

Correct "Hannabal" when Casey plays on Saturday and Melbourne on Sunday someone misses out playing for Casey

Because the emergency player has to stay fresh in case there is a drop out in the Melbourne side before the game on Sunday.

Because Warnock did not play today does not mean he is the side for tomorrow.

This has happened in the past.

I think Warnock will miss out.

If they already knew that Frawley would not play Either Miller or Morton would not have appeared for Casey Today.

If Warnock was in for Frawley there would be no emergency player to cover a problem e.g. someone comes down with the flu tonight!

I think Frawley is playing!

Agree. This is the only change I can see. If they tinker with rhe interchange rules next year ie: three plus one sub only, the second ruckman may no longer be required but rather a versatile tall that can do some ruckwork may actually become more and more commonplace...

On that Basis we should seriously consider keeping Newton, from my observations this year he is doing a good job at that exact role

at Casey. It also makes Martin more valuable.

Outside of our "Ruckman" those are the only two that give me any confidence we have someone who can fill that role.

Mmmmm. I might be wrong and will await the correction but I seem to think that the first 4 listed on the bench have become the final bench amongst the 22?

If so, Miller is a chance.

Well I had the same theory a couple of weeks Back "Demon Jack" and it did not happen.

I think it is "no change" unless there is an injury they are keeping under their hat.

I have expressed this is the past however here goes again, I wonder why teams go through this charade

of naming an extended bench who do they think they are fooling.

They all do it so what is the surprise!

I can imagine The hawks brain trust worrying about wether we play Millar or Warnock instead of Aussie or Rivers.

They Probally wont sleep tonight!

Do not change the rule on hitting the post it is has been a part of the game for 100+ years, leave it alone

It is one the things that is different about our game.

Never give the control of the game to the coaches!

The two things I hate about our game have been created by the coaches!

Their only focus is winning and they will bend the rules and look of the game to this end.

It is the Coaches who created flooding. I hate the sight of 36 palyers at one end of the ground.

As a result some games end up a series of congested scrums.

The coaches wanted 4 inter change players so they would not be disadvantage by injuries and they would not have to send injured palyers back into play. It was never intended to go the way it has.

They created the constant changing of the players to the current ridiculous levels where you have no idea who is playing and who is not.

Any change that results in less flooding and a more stable number of players on the ground is fine with me.

But forget about what the likes of Mick Malthouse thinks he cannot see the forest for the trees.

Some of my non-MFC mates have already started turn against us, and I couldn't be happier. It shows we are to be feared again.

One Sydney supporting mate ripped into me the night after the Swans game, accusing me of being a bandwagon supporter. This is despite me owning the most expensive membership I can afford, plus one for a family member, and me attending nearly every Demons game in Melbourne in both our spoon years.

I've had the years of pity from mates, I've had the years of the tanking BS. I am glad they hate us again, and will do more with every win.

I could not agree more "deefiance" I have had a gut full of the "pity" I cannot wait till they hate us for all our success!

People were calling for both these lads to be dropped last wk, glad they dont run the football dept... I have no doubt the opposition are a hell of a lot more worried when we have these blokes running around up forward. Injury aside, there are many good times to come. We have done some pretty special drafting in the last few yrs.

You are right "Pity" I was one suggesting that one of them should miss to fit

in Moloney / Jones.

So just as well I am not running things.

However Aussie still worries me at timnes.

He does seem to go missing for long periods but I guess even the best half forwards do that.

Plays an important role in our team, especially considering modern footy. Capable of kicking 25-30 goals a season + subdue the best rebounding defenders.

good on him for finding his niche and turning his career around not a minute too soon.

Still prone to the odd brain explosion, but is a starting 18 player now and therefore deserves 2 years

Considering he had a couple of games at Casey and the first couple of games he was played up the ground

I would think 30 min. would be the 2011 objective!