monoccular

Well they will know just what he has to offer, hidden somewhere the last few years, and Craig in particular presumably knows why he couldn't cut it at the Crows. I would be extraordinarily surprised if Craig were to pull this one out of the hat, risking his own reputation in what is really one of his first acts at a new club, unless he was pretty damn certain that the "issues" we're well and truly buried, confined to the cellar.

I think that is the crux of our midfield problem - we see it at Hawthorn, Collingwood, Geelong etc - the midfield working as a team. Now we have a coach who has a history of great success with a midfield - this is the year to see if the problem is with the cattle or the drover.

So we have had some influence at the top of the table even during our disgraceful on field years? Port. Collingwood. Now it is time for us to have that effect directly on the filed.

Hey - sadly we didn't have any impact on the Pies on field last year, but if our appointment of Neeld dented their Premiership chances on iota then it is a cause for celebration. And I was really amused by this : ''We've need to put some more integrity around contracts,'' said Demetriou last night. An interesting juxtaposition that I don't think I have ever seen before. Integrity and Demetriou in the same sentence. LOL.

How about........Claire Voyant?

I presume that you are meaning that every year a wannabe successful coach needs to move on. I still have terrible memories of ND trying to emulate whatever plan the previous year's Premiers had used, and especially post 2000 it got us nowhere.

The new coaching panel and new game plan will hopefully see this very clever and skilled player find a definite role, probably HBF/BP small defender.

Well, he will either be fired up, or be fired!

I wouldn't write him off, in the midfield (weaknesses noted) and under a new coach, who presumably believes in him, (at least a bit.) And if he doesn't shine and establish himself in the best 28 or so, he may wish to be traded at season's end. Win, win.

I agree and suspect that you are referring to Collingwood, Geelong, Hawthorn in particular whose mids always seem to find ways to help each other out, especially with blocks and shepherds. I hope that Neeld, the Collingwood mids coach, will instil this into our mids. There is no reason to expect otherwise. He id after all coach a Premiership midfield, and almost a second.

Great news re the captains, although I also am not (or have not been) a real fan of what may be seen as a decision of indecision. It is certainly a very forward looking move, and hopefully as well as reflecting the optimism of those in the inner sanctum, will also make a very public statement about where they see us heading. I agree that the absence of Moloney is a bit of a surprise, though maybe he is a leader without title, as to me is the inclusion of Bartram who I would have considered as marginal in a fully available list. I guess Neeld et al see things in Bartram that many here do not.

...and plenty of room for improvement. Coming of a dreadfully low base. I doubt if Neeld will put up with too many "non contests". Its time Cale - time to put in or move on. NO MORE EXCUSES.

And now he is stuck with him, or rather each one stuck with the other. I wonder if he was actually consulted by Vlad the powers that run GWS prior to the dirty deal? If not they sound more dysfunctional than the HSU.

The sub rule as it stands deprives one player most weeks of at least half, often three quarters of footy. If it happens for consecutive weeks it could really be detrimental to a player's development. It was introduced so we were told because there were too many interchanges and the game too fast. Easier solution: restrict interchanges to 20 per quarter; in case on injury any replacements beyond that number in a quarter would be regarded as a substitute, i.e. the replaced player cannot come back on. It would make the coaches hold back on interchanges a little, but still allow disaster recovery. Win / win.

Ahhhh.....great memories of Jim Cardwell who did all this stuff and more during our "glory days"!

In the Ball situation......maybe more protection for players who are shafted by their coaches and who want to move on to greater opportunity?

...or do you mean that we can make or break free agency, or at least get it to work FOR US?

Whilst much of this thread was prospective, and opinions were, as per every sample group, divided, hindsight is a wonderful thing. But remember, he was suffering rather badly from OP, and our medical / physio / fitness staff (at least at that time) had a pretty poor record in managing that. Had we picked him and he only managed a handful; of games,,how many would have backed up BP's decision? None too many I would imagine. Collingwood got lucky / had the team to get him through it and he became and effective player in a good midfield. Would he have been as effective in a slower and less mature midfield? Again, one can only speculate. It is over - time to move on on this one.

Well done Neil Craig, and well done Football Department, Board, Management and Coaching Department for getting him to the club.

Yeah? When? Will anyone own up to that suggestion? Even his greatest fans would have to say that he has "under performed".

....but I guess that if Clark does his job, and JW has a breakout season and can become a match breaker, and if Cook doesn't progress then he will be on shaky ground. On the other hand if the above positives don't work out and Cook does progress then it will have been a good call. Hard to predict tomorrow let alone 2-3 years. Always a best guess. Time will tell.

Thanks to all, especially Angelus BTVS (whatever that means). I was particularly excited by your opening statement re Watts holding up in big man body contests: hopefully this will be his real breakout year - I know he progressed a lot last year but just wasn't a game breaker (but then, who was for that matter?). Now is the time, Jack. GO DEMONS

.....and you know that for a fact? And Freak - do you know that for a fact? Does anyone here actually know? IF Neeld managed to put a rocket up Col and he takes it the right way, look out!!

I may have missed it but did anyone see Colin Sylvia in trouble with a quadriceps strain as reported in Friday's H-S? http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/colin-sylvia-suffers-quad-scare-at-training/story-e6frf9jf-1226253939032

Is that an oblique reference to what the club did, out of necessity mind you when Ox went down again, with David Neitz? EDIT: Apologies daisy cutter - hadn't seen your post. YES is the answer.