monoccular

GEES --the bloody maggots are giving the Blues absolutely every half free --- and not one to us. But we should never have let Betts take that uncontested mark.

WTH....McDonald in the back...no free...........Ellard a free right in front for absolutely nothing.

I don't now what the hell they are going on about re Robinson into the fence - legitimately tackled inside the field of play. The tacklers made a point of letting go of him when they reached the boundary.

What an absolute BS free to Judd against Jordie - they were interlocking each others' arms. Protected $pecies!!!!

I would take the Swans mid past decade years of consistent, tough, uncompromising team orientated grind far ahead of the odd flashy feelgood big win of the Bailey years. I hope and believe that is what Neeld is working on. We need a team, not a group of flashy selfish individuals, and the sooner he weeds out those who play for themselves and not the team the better.

Y E S

Why in the world would we contract anyone, however good at the job, for this club-future-defining "super-draft" when he won't be able to get involved? Do we use another "fill-in" for such a pivotal moment? If true this must be one of the very worst decisions our Board have ever made. Please tell me this isn't true.

I must say I don't know a lot about him, but if that is true don't we already have 12 & 22 of them?

LOL :-)))

In fairness I think one should maybe add the context, otherwise Mitch sounds as if he is just bagging Aaron and not being a good team man -- Aaron had just shown a scar on his chin that he claims was from being shot as a youngster.

After the bye, I would hope that the "new game plan" has sunk in, the lead swingers and malcontents will have been dispatched permanently to Casey and beyond, and only those with a passion and commitment will get game time. This should bring at least some promise of ongoing success as we approach the end of the season.And, Mitch Clark came over despite our horrendous second half of 2011, so late season results clearly aren't necessarily a huge factor.

We cannot afford to wait until October - we need to get on with 2013 planning right now, and it looks as is we are likely to know quite soon which picks we will have. Definitely need a guy with a proven track record. Well they as a team did a bloody good job, so reunite them asap. "Fail to plan; plan to fail."

Some innovation. I am not quite sure what it brings but I guess the coaching staff have some idea. I also found it interesting that Tom McDonald was the man, or at least the first to have his footage go public. I suspect that they see his as someone important looking ahead. As an aside I would like him to get some time at CHF later in the season, hopefully after the mids start getting some clearances - could have a future there. PS: From the header, I thought that some new famous German guy, Helmut Cam, was at training :-)

Go for him, with due diligence. But if his main problem seems related to Misfit's loose tongue, then maybe it isn't a real problem at all. This looks (again) like being our big opportunity: we can't afford to stuff up inane way at all.

well...be farmed off then.Good to see Davis named at least in the 25, and all those named have been listed in the better players regularly at Casey, but one would have to wonder just why we rookied and promoted Couch.

......mmmmmm.....interesting.Couch? Martin or Fitz? Tappy. Blease?

Oracle You make a good point for later comparison with the early Clarkson days, or maybe even years, and similar things were being said of Thompson even as late as the early rounds of the first year of their current dominance. I guess neither were regularly flogged nearly so badly as we have been, but anyone who calls Neeld a disastrous appointment, at this stage, should cool it and thing about the re-emergence of Hawthorn and Geelong in the first decade of this millennium. Sure the Cats had some pretty good cheap F/S picks, and didn't bottom out entirely, and the Hawks only briefly, but go back to 2006 when we were the best performed Victorian team and you will find those two were really struggling. They rose very quickly after that. The wheel turns. In perpetual hope - monoccular

We have had more than our fair share of handouts, and have failed badly to utilise them wisely or effectively. I would much rather we headed the Geelong way: no priority picks, but a player driven campaign to rid them of the handbag label and to play for each other as a relentless hard team. That of course would require senior players to swallow their false pride, and actually lead the way......sadly that seems a pretty unlikely scenario.

and I just loved Ox's very impassioned response on SEN.

Ox - you are a legend! Please Gazza - bring him down to the club, in an unofficial capacity if needed, to try to impart a bit of PASSION into the players. If even use a little were to rub off we would take a huge leap forward. It is an honour and privilege to play for the club - Col, Beema, Aaron? Heard of that?

I think it was 10, and alongside the Ox - Ox's last game at the G before........."the knee" as I recall.

Neeld needs to go and speak to each player individually, and ask them "will you play to my game plan". Watch their eyes, and if they equivocate even slightly, give them a map to Berwick-Cranbourne Road and tell them not to come back until they are prepared to do so without question. One weak link will bring the whole team down. They mightn't like it, we mightn't like it, but HE is the coach. Like it or lump it. Insubordination cannot be tolerated - bring in the firing squad!! MFC has been too soft for too long.

Barassi (anyone believe in him?) said words to the effect that he disdains players who have talent and don't put in the effort. I guess he wouldn't have a lot of time for #12 then, though Neeld surprisingly still seems supportive.

...and even worse were it the weekend of 15,16,17 June ! :-)

Maybe, though I am sure classic musos may question it, maybe jazz players have more intrinsic passion and drive (and ability) to change? We want our guys to have the basic skills, but without the passion, and the ability to improvise, that will get absolutely nowhere.