old dee

Sure it was 1955 for Barass misjudging those marks? Given Charlie Sutton last week said his favorite moment of the 1954 GF was having RDB run into his elbow, I think Ron may have arrived by then.

Anyway, one G Lyon on Footy Classified made the interesting admission last night that in his very early days he had precisely the same problem as Watts, in keeping his feet.

Lyon said there was an issue of growing into his body and building up leg strength. Neither he nor Grant Thomas had any doubt Watts will make it.

Yes "pitmaster" I saw the same program however I think Grant Thomas once said "you don't need ruckman they are over rated"

So I don't take too much notice of him.

I hope Gary mean't it. if Jack turns out to be as good as Gary I will be very happy.

Important to remember even the very, very best AFL tall forwards rarely, if ever, show much before they're 20. It doesn't help to throw these kids in the deep end. They need to play in situations where they can actually get their hands on it and have shots on goal. Getting 3 touches and being beaten to the ball all day long doesn't help kids develop.

This is the same reason Watts could use another couple of games back at Casey to get his hands on it again.

Spot on "Inner Demon"

Jack should be playing for casey this weekend, his spot goes to Dunn who kicked 8 last week and will not intimidated by pie thugs.

You are correct Bobby I am only a little younger than you but remember it well.

That is exactly why Jack should be back at Casey this weekend.

He needs a confidence lift playing at a lower level.

Give the boy time to develop. Let me tell you a little story of one Ronald Dale Barassi. In 1955 he was playing good footy in the 2nds and was promoted as full forward in our developing seniors team. He was an absolute flop as he flew for 'screamers' without getting near the ball. In fact, he found it so hard to get the pill he was dropped back to the seconds. Again, at full forward in the twos, he kicked a bag and was promptly reinstated to the firsts. Same story. Completely out of his depth or so it seemed.He was dropped back to twos where he played in a 'new' position of 'ruck rover'. He did very well and was given yet another chance.( Was it because his father was a famous Melbourne player we thought?) Boy, oh boy, did he take it!!!!! As a ruck rover in the firsts he was a sensation and never saw the twos ever again. This is a true story folks. I was there at the 'G' to witness the beginning of this great man's career. ( pleased to say I was only 14 at the time but I remember it vividly.)

Now, the playing styles of Jack and Ron are completely different but in my humble opinion, true, natural ability will eventually shine through. Maybe Jack does need more time at Casey but I have a lot of faith after watching him play against Port up there in Darwin. Let us help him by not coming down on him like a ton of bricks when he has a quiet day.

It says on the Melbourne site in the injury list that he is going to be out for 2 weeks and that was last week. So I think he will be out for one more week and he will be back playing.

Finger crossed as I really want to see him play.

Thank you but what is actually wrong with him?

I may have missed some news on the subject of Blease's health.

Does anyone know were he is at and what is the current problem.

My feeling ( based on very little info ) is tha this year is a wash out.

Should he be sent on holiday till 2011 pre season?

Could not have said it better myself. Well done Jerry!

I hoped we would rise 4- 5 places on the ladder this year, that might be a bit hard with a very young side who tend to get tired in the second half of the year.

For the remainig games I think we have a good chance against Adelaide, Essendon,Richmond and Port Adelaide. If we could win those four we would finish with 8 wins. I was hoping for 10 this year but down deep inside I thought 8 wins would see us out.

Hope it will be more but i find it hard to believe our forward line can kick a winning score against the other teams.

Can some confirm for me - was it the 5th or 6th Carlton goal of the first quarter where Sylvia lined up on Kruezer at the bounce? Carlton scored a goal within 30 seconds. Next bounce - back comes Jamar.

The poor Russian. He's got no support; he knows he has to ruck all day. I thought he did well against 2 taller opponents and he took a few marks in the backline. He also gave away too many frees but that can happen with ruckwork and umpires interpretations.

At the moment there is no-one who can fill that second ruck spot, with Spencer, Meesan and Gawn Injured, Martin and PJ out of form, and Fitzpatrick not ready. Maybe Miller is an option. Try something different with him instead of leaving him as a forward who gets 6 touches for the day.

Sorry to say it but the only options are PJ and Martin.

Martin seems to have gone backwards and is sadly out of form.

PJ is ok at centre bounces but useless everywhere else.

So do we play an out of form Martin or PJ who gives us nothing outside of the centre circle.

I can see why Bailey has been pinch hitting with Miller and others.

With all his faults the only choice for Monday is PJ.

At least we get an even break at centre bounces!

God what a choice, glad I am not the coach.

HOME TRUTHS by the Oracle

The word from within the Melbourne camp throughout the first half of season 2010 has been all about a young emerging team full of exciting talent with a great future. While this may well be the case, there comes a time when home truths must be told and the first is that the mantra about this group's bright future will rapidly dissolve if it continues to be as inept, insipid and lazy as it was in the opening stanza of its game on the MCG against Carlton.

Although the first quarter saw the best conditions of a wet day, the sloppy way in which the Demons approached the early part of what was such a vital game for the club was totally unacceptable. The very opening passage of play set the scene with a free kick conceded to the

Blues who exploited the loose checking defence that was missing its star defender in James Frawley, out with last minute back spasms. In the blink of an eye, Carlton had its first goal and then a second thanks to some strong tackling, heavy pressure, solid teamwork and superior teamwork. The hard early work paid off with easy goals, particularly to Ryan Houlahan who seemingly could not miss with his snap shots.

It's amazing how easy it looks when one team is working hard, making position and getting away from the opposition while the other is so switched off that it constantly fails to hit any targets but the opposition players. That's what was happening at the MCG where, before the dust (and there wasn't much of it around) was allowed to settle, Carlton had the first six inside fifties with five goals on the board before Melbourne's Brad Green managed his team's first. Before the initial onslaught was over, the quarter time score of 7.4.46 to 2.2.14 with rain and bad weather threatening was enough to snuff out any chance that the game might turn out an even contest.

Unfortunately for the Demons, the poor start is becoming an all too familiar phenomenon which means that they are becoming very good at playing catch up football but that pursuit is one that very rarely reaps rewards in terms of victories compared with defeats. Melbourne did regroup as the weather worsened and it did start applying more pressure and playing more direct football but the task of redeeming itself had become too daunting. Green kicked his second goal of the game to start proceedings in the second quarter, James McDonald took a grip on Chris Judd and the team should have outscored Carlton for the term but from a bad miss in front from a dazed Matthew Bate after receiving a 50 metre penalty for a late hit and to make matters worse, Jarrad Waite who had been the transgressor against Bate kicked a goal when the Blues rebounded after the point. And as if that wasn't enough, the normally reliable Green who missed an easy set shot. The shining light for the Demons was ball magnet Jordan Gysberts who racked up 15 first half possessions on his way to an equal game high tally of 27 and surely a rising star nomination!

Bate was having a shocker at this stage. He had spilled a simple chest mark that led to an early goal and then misjudged the flight of the ball for what should have been an easy mark in front of goal. He recovered to make a small contribution which is more than can be said of the rest of his team's ineffectual forward line. Brad Miller was hopelessly out of touch and Jack Watts was outmuscled. The loss of Liam Jurrah and later to Ricky Petterd has left the club with a dysfunctional forward line. It has no potency, lacks a dangerous crumber and the best the selectors can do is to reprise Lynden Dunn, who kicked eight goals at Casey Fields, as a forward rather than a stopper or a second string ruckman.

After conceding the first goal of the second half to stretch Carlton's lead to 45 points, Melbourne initiated a rear guard action that yielded five of the next six goals in atrocious conditions with the rain bucketing down. Mark Jamar was in total dominance in the ruck and the Demons belted the ball forward from the stoppages. Suddenly, they were going more direct and finding their targets in the dreadful conditions. The highlight was Nathan Jones' goal from outside fifty metres. The onslaught could have produced even more but for the fact that the Russian is a mere mortal and must rest from time to time. The sight of Colin Sylvia jumping up in the ruck against Carlton's

behemoths was more than a little comical. Sadly for his team, its inability to snaffle a goal or two late in the third quarter prevented what could have been an exciting fight to the death at the finish.

The Blues effectively ended the contest with the opening goal of the final term. Judd was off the leash and dominated with telling early possessions and the Demon comeback petered out.

Although one rookie player is hardly likely to make the difference, it's time for the selectors to restore Jordie McKenzie for the team to take on Collingwood. Whatever caused his demise from the team, it's clear that it is missing his tackling and the pressure it put on the opposition earlier this season. Melbourne showed that, when it applies that pressure and works the corridor as it did for most of the third quarter, it can test the best of them as it did earlier on in the season. It needs to do that from the very start next week against the Magpies if it is to revert to that early season form that excited its supporters and the football world.

Melbourne 2.2.14 3.4.22 8.6.54 9.6. 60

Carlton 7.4.46 9.6.60 11.7.73 15.11. 101

Goals

Melbourne Green 3 Bate Jetta Jones Moloney Sylvia Watts

Carlton Houlihan 4 Waite 3 Betts Thornton 2 Carrazzo Judd Robinson Simpson

Best

Melbourne Gysberts McDonald Jamar Grimes Bruce Moloney

Carlton Walker Waite Robinson Houlihan Simpson Carrazzo

Injuries

Melbourne Jones (hamstring) McDonald (hamstring tightness)

Carlton Nil

Changes

Melbourne James Frawley (back spasms) replaced by Matthew Warnock

Carlton Nil

Reports

Melbourne Nil

Carlton Jarrad Waite by field umpire Vozzo for high contact on Matthew Bate in the second quarter

Umpires Vozzo Armstrong Pannell

Crowd 49,745 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

I think you have covered it well seems we went to the same game.

I would only add that with the exception of Green we had a very bad forward line ( not news I know ).

It cannot and will not be done but we should replace five of the six for Collingwood.

A performance like that on Monday will see a big thrashing, Collingwood is IMO a better side than Carlton.

We will need Dunn ( if he gets a game not sure what he did to be dropped )to kick 5 to have a chance IMO.

Well old55 I hope I live long enough to see the flames!!!!!!!!!!!!

It seems there are three categories of Watts-supporters:

The first is the group who thinks he is a dud, and will never make it. They fail to spot the moments where Jack has displayed immense ability at ground level, smart kicking and good hands, evident in the West Coast and Port Adelaide games.

Then there are the people who cannot stand criticism of Watts at all. They fail to recognise his apparent lack of hunger, aggression, intensity or passion on the field (that's not to say he doesn't want it, but he sure as hell doesn't look like he wants it).

Finally, there are those who combine both, who can see his obvious talent and ability, can see that he is hampered by his lack of fitness, the fact he is only 18, the fact that the team isn't playing well, and the fact that he's played only 7 games. But at the same time, there is a pressing need for him to show more hunger, more desire and more passion on the field, given that there are players at Casey who are doing just that.

Hopefully those who fall into one of the first two categories will, sooner or later, move into the third category.

Well Titan you have pretty much covered the situation with your comment. Given your three options I unfortunately fall into group 1. I don't want it to be the case I hope you are right I hope in two years time you can call me a dill.

I dont think at this stage he should in the senior side.

When I see that he kicked four goals for Casey or he is listed in the top 3 players in a game I will agree it is time to play in the seniors.

Until then he should be at Casey.

Wouldnt it be Dunn for Miller instead of Watts?

After yesterdays performance there are 5 spots available.

The only one of our forwards who earnt his place was Green.

Dunn should get any of the other five spots he wants.

Please, Old Dee. Surely your not going to compare Scully who plays as a receiving midfielder, to Watts, who is being played at deep in the forward line????

I reckon if I stood in the middle for 4 qrts, i might get a couple of touches too.

EDIT: And just to clarify, i am not for one second, saying Watts has done more than SFA in the last 2 matches, but to call him a dud....Please.

I was replying to Rusty Kingswood who said " how many 5 gamers influence a game.

I am not for one moment expecting Jack to get as many touchs as a mid fielder.

Just stating that a seven gamer influenced that game.

You are obviously better than me I would get killed out there in the first five minutes would not last 4 quarters, too old and too soft now adays unfortunately.

This is exactly why Jack should not be played in a key position YET. He is not ready.

Give him senior games in the backline if he is to play in the senior side.

Otherwise play him at Casey for the rest of the year.

Could not agree more, I did not see him play a game for Casey that justified his promtion last year or this year.

I think he has been played for political reasons that are not the kids fault.

Unfortunately being a number one pick does not guarantee you will make it.

In a very poor forwrd line he gets a lot more pressure than if he was playing for a good side, and right now he is not good enough to play a major role. I just hope he will one day because the early signs are not great.

How many other 5 gamers seriously influence the result?

A kid called Scully almost won us the game against the bulldogs in his seventh game.

From Memory he had more possesions in the last quarter than "Jack has had in his 5 games!

'old dee', can I get in early?

From Watt I've seen, & the fact he's been held back, "while still growing" & not yet filling out, I think we'll see him play a fair bit @ Casey, &, If I'm not getting ahead of myself, playing finals with Casey, & going full tilt come September.

Followed up by a Big Pre/Season & a totally Optimistic 2010!

Well "Dee Luded" I hope you are right, I really do!

I would love to see him carving up the forward line for Casey.

For gods sake, look at his game DESPITE the lack of goals he kicks.

Today was a very bad day for him, but also in very bad conditions.

In dry weather, look how good he is below his knees. His clean hands are great, he reads the play incredibly well, and has a good kick.

He needs core strength, more games ( albeit in casey ) and ......time.

To suggest he is a dud is just stupid.

Thanks for your confidence "Rusty Kingswood" just let me know when he plays in a game where he actually influences the result.

He should be good below the knees he spends alot of time on them.

So Dunn in for Watts next week?

Thats the no brainer of the week. Dont know why Dunn has not been used as a forward that's what he came to the Demons as when drafted.

It is not as thought we have six good forwards forcing him up the ground!

the last 2 weeks has shown absolutely nothing and had zero impact on the game

I agree and as well I have seen nothing that suggests he has what it takes. Saw him in two games at Casey last year and saw nothing that suggests No. 1 status.

I really hope I am wrong but I think we have a dud!!!!!!!!!!!!

God I hope in a year or two you are all calling me an idiot with no idea of picking talent

However I have watched a lot of football in my 60 years and I havea bad feeling in the pit of my gut about this young fella.

I would rather be plaining Hughes at present at least he gets to where the action is an up right position.

I agree with you Akum and has anyone noticed still only one ruckman. We seemly have no one to help him. God help us if he gets injured.

Does anyone know if Spencer is playing for Casey or is he out injured? if he is injured I guess there is only Martin and he seems to have lost all form and desire.

I think I am losing it Spenser is out for 4 weeks!!!!!

And I forgot we can always swing Sylvia into the ruck!!!!!!!

Kreuzer/Jacobs both 200cm, O'hAilpin 199cm, Waite 194cm.

Frawley 193cm, Rivers 192cm, Garland 191cm, Bruce 190cm.

It's not just the risk of two key defenders being outmarked by someone significantly taller (and just as fast), it's also stopping them getting the ball to ground to the advantage of small forwards & midfielders. And it's not easy to run off Kreuzer or O'hAilpin either.

It's taking a big risk IMO.

I agree with you Akum and has anyone noticed still only one ruckman. We seemly have no one to help him. God help us if he gets injured.

Does anyone know if Spencer is playing for Casey or is he out injured? if he is injured I guess there is only Martin and he seems to have lost all form and desire.

I am hanging to see this new emblem.....anyone that can help...please dont keep it all to yourself !

It is amazing what this football club have done over the last 2-3 years.....Jim, Cam and Chris C are just red and blue through and through and you can see in everything they do and say that they bleed for the club as much as any player on the field.

I am 35 now and never in my time have I felt so connected to the club and so informed on a regular basis by these guys.

I'd suggest that they will release the new emblem around the time of the move to AAMI...wouldn't it be great to smash the pies on Q Bday, move to AAMI and release that new emblem all in the space of a week!!!!!

This fire is burning oh so brightly!!

Go DEES!

Well Demon Jack 16 I am considerably older than 35 and I feel exactly the same. I feel the club is in the best hands in all the years I have followed the red and the blue.

Do we have to look any further than our President!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It seems only yesterday since I thought we were about to turn into the "West Sydney Demons"

I hope I am around to see Jimmy lift the cup on the last saturday in September, 44 years is along time between drinks.

Just returned from the game. No voice left. One of the great victories! I must first describe the crowd. I sat in the Melbourne section; 3 seats from Jim Stynes; just behind Austin Woenamarri's mother; Trengove's Dad up the back with Liam Jurrah to his left; and a myriad of Aboriginal people wearing Melbourne gear & barracking for Melbourne. Jim Stynes happily being photographed with anyone in sight. What an ambassador, what a legend, what a man! The Club can make a success of these Darwin games and cement a place in the hearts of (Aboriginal) Territorians. The victory tonight provides huge impetus for that success.

Four rounds of the Club song were sung with gusto before the players left the field. There will be more victories to come.

Fantastic games by numerous players "out on their feet". Davey, Jetta, Grimes, Garland, Frawley, Miller, Scully, Jones, Mackenzie, ... I was beside myself when we had at least 2 centre square contests in time-on with Jamar off the ground; then he rushed back onto the ground but couldn't get into the square in time. Port got those centre clearances (of course) as they did throughout the last 1/4. But then I saw Jamar try to walk off the ground after the game, I understood; he was buckling at the knees. He doesn't need help at Kardinia Park next week; he must have the week-off. And yes, he is the All-Australian ruckman at this stage of the season. I will mention only one other player in the midst of my euphoria; Jack Watts. In the first 1/2, he personally closed the interminable "Jack Watts" thread. He provided goals, a strong body, incredibly fast clean hands resulting in several assists, and a reliable avenue forward. Yes, he faded in the last 1/4. Yes, he still occasionally canters around the field to the wrong position looking like a lost long-legged pony. But my God, he's going to be a champion, our champion, in 2 years time

Well I agree with almost all you have said But WHAT ABOUT B MILLER!

5 goals is a winning effort!

All that matters is we WON!

Thats what what matters on the last day in September.

We will not beat the CATS next week however we are heading in the right direction to win at Cat Land in 2011 and 2012.

Go DEES

Well all you Miller haters! 5 goals was tonight a match winning contribution. I have long bemoaned the fact that winning is all that matters and with 5 goals from Brad and a win is the end of the discussion.

We got the 4 points and that is all that matters. Now for next week.

I have seen this subject raise by a number of contributors, I would like to see it tried however our coach obviously does not think it is an option.

Last week we could not score to save ourselves, at three quarter time I thought surely now was the time for something different.

But basically no change to the forward line, obviously the brains trust does not think much of the idea of garlend into the forward line.

However this perhaps says more about our coach than the player. I not suggesting changing the coach, I hope I am wrong but it seems that when the plan does not work there does not seem to be a plan B.

What do you all think or am I the only one in the band in step!!!