Red Sox

Good call.... hardly gimmicky.

Yep...not said Russian would replace Sandilands - he is one of the first picked. Not often a 2nd ruckman is picked more where I was coming from & if he does negate Sandilands reckon he can't be overlooked. providing his form holds to Rnd 22

Reckon it's a damn good thing and can't see why anyone would need to be negative towards it. Something different from other clubs. Good work Hugh. It's a lot more high brow than those out dated ruckles/mascots that just scare the sh!t out of kids!!

Note to self - get in with the prediction before WJ! I'll say Demons by 26 pts......we start brightly nullifying Freo & the crowd factor, maintain the 2 goal lead for the day and kick away! Go dees

Um, he was playing alongside Watts, Strauss, Scully - but - with Vic Metro!!

Firstly, Blease was only on our list from 2009. If he is still scratching around and injured in 2011/2012 these threads/discussions would come for him. Secondly, there is a very good reason why I started this thread which was to create discussion and opinion - you've made yours which thirdly, I agree with except that hopefully no one has to wait until he kicks 4 or 5 for Casey because IF his fitness warrants he should be given every opportunity with the Dees. I include next year in this. If he plays only 1-2 games next year for a total of what? 5 games in 3 years - This will be a massive concern. You can't carry blokes for that long when there are so many options around him. His talent is obvious and is not in question - not sure that anyone has really questioned him being on the list, more asking how long can it continue. He is being given every chance and so he should be.

Good point by Rhino - the last 2 years Russian has really bought this to games where he simply 'hurts' the ruckman all day by jumping early and legally into them. The reference to 2008 shows it is something that has been in his game for quite a while, just needed some of the other things to come together. He will be well up for this contest which in turn could assist us in having a good day if the midfielders have a good game. If he gets the better of Sandilands how could an All-Australian jumper not be his?

Great post - nice to hear of some of those things the coaches put in place that can be easy to overlook from the outside. The toe clearly must have had an effect on him because as mentioned above his burst of speed was something to watch on Sunday. If that is something we see consistently it just adds to the Sylvia package. When on song like Sunday he is a jet of a footballer! If he was a horse you'd back him everytime when returning from a spell!

Just finished a conversation with a client who is a good Demon man and made mention to him the surprising comments I see daily here regarding Riv. His response was that he thought Riv was having his best season for sometime. It is all opinion and people see it differently - at the very least I now know who to avoid within Demonland when discussing Riv, which I will just have to do because he will be part of the back line for the next 3-5 years, no doubt!

Richmond to make finals?? Wow!! 15th with 5 wins but will go 6 from 7 on the run home? Cannot see that and wont be happy if they finish above us. This means that they will beat us in Round 19 wont be happy about that or is that the loss for them? What about their games against Pies?, Saints? Carlton? They wont finish above 12th at best.

Yeah he gives us a good rap Tony Shaw. Brisbane game on Fox he knew all the young kids by that stage, obviously a smart man?!

The players mentioned in the forward line, the position Wonna plays or most likely to play. Bail, Wonna, Bennell, Jetta, Tapscott, Hughes, Maric, Petterd, Bate, Watts, Jurrah do make it a tough call. Looking ahead without say Brad Green - we would hope to pencil in a forward line that included definites like Watts, Jurrah, Syliva and then take a pick from the rest which I'm not going to rank or debate here but just say that from that group Wonna is going to find it difficult for a game. As are many of the names when matched against each other just now!! Would love to see a fit & firing Wonna alongside Jurrah & no doubt we will see it. Hopefully for a long time but you'd reckon he'd have to make that impact again soon which includes next year.

What's his set shot record the last 2 years? Nah, only joking Freak just a flippant response from me to a post with little thought from you. Who said anywhere here to 'get rid of him'? I love the bloke and would love nothing more to see him in red and blue....that's not the point here. But shoot from the hip as you wish.

Like to hear from others regarding Aussie Wonaeamirri: I would hope that he is given a chance to survive as his last two years have been a wipe out. This year he is struggling for consistency which has been highlighted again in the Casey match report. I noticed the thread on players to be cut and only Rhino bought up Wonna as an option to cut - you have no heart Rhino!! But I agree with the sentiment somewhat. I would fully expect that he is part of the list again next year but I would also expect that if he is not consistently playing footy with the Dees, regardless of injury he would find his spot in serious jeopardy. Bennell IMO has all the potential to sail past him. Other players like Bail also have so much upside. It will be interesting to see how this eventuates. If he is still here it will mean he is playing the footy that we all expect he can but the sentiment can only last so long.

Haven't all of these players been fit for the majority of this season? Grimes only recently and McDonald now but he is not part of the backline really. If your going on this year which it seems you are right here BB then Rivers is clearly in the starting or best back 6 has he is picked each week. If you are arguing about further down the track it might be different but then you also have to factor in other players that could possibly be included, Strauss for example and those that defiantly wont be, McDonald & Bruce.

I refer to these as 'franchise players' Ash. You've had your share with Lloyd and Hird. Maybe the Watts decision is a pointer to us finally having a 'franchise' player that is given the world for not much else other than being a great footballer.

It added a bit more mirth to the day!! Easy to say while I type away with my guts hidden under the desk at work!

Was this the runner running towards the Southern Stand pocket near the 50 metre line? If so, yes he was noticed His Essendon counterpart was not in great nick either!!

Nice thoughts and would be a defining game for our season if we could lock away an interstate win especially against the best interstate side going this year. I have my doubts though but would like to see more of the same of the last two weeks. If we can stay competitive and in the game for long periods Freo are a side that can wobble!

Not quite following on your PJ point there.....you could have just replied (but clearly what you want to believe)! I hear you on your point regarding negotiations but if there was any doubt within the walls of the club would they have made the decision so quickly? Might they have not called his bluff to a point and let his manager chase the market as it is this kind of by play that can actually turn in our favour should a club want him? I would find it strange and disappointing if the club signed him up quickly because they saw little value in him? That to me makes little sense. As much as you might like to suggest that is clearly what I want to believe it is actually what I feel from reading between the lines. I may be totally wrong but it has little relevance to what I actually think of Riv as a player, what I think of him as a player could certainly be deemed what I want to believe. Your reply is just as much as what you want to believe or think you know anyway.

The last line of this treacle is enough for me to suggest he is held in high regard by the coaching staff. Not sure why I even bother to justify it really because you and anyone else can carry on all you like, it is obvious that they rate him very highly. He wouldn't be in the leadership group, he wouldn't be offered 2 year contracts. So keep on highlighting his obvious weaknesses. It matters little. Treacle or no treacle it is easy enough to read between the lines in many of the coaches ratings anyway.

And what's the reasoning for dropping Watts?

He was good and needs to continue to be good. I thought we were past using him in midfield tagging roles but he played well on Watson. He actually had much the better in the first half. I think we had 10 contested marks to half time which is nearly our yearly total! Dunn took 4-5 of these. Watson started to get more in the 2nd half but wasn't too effective. A good week for Dunn. He needs to continue this as our midfield options will outweigh what Dunn can deliver. He has shown he can play a defensive role fairly well in the forward line and again, will have to continue to play well as next year guys like Petterd will play this role and would play it better IMO. This is not to mention others such as Bail, Morton, Wonna, Jetta who are still on the edge right now this year and will keep the pressure on him. Like Dunn and his work rate but he will need to deliver week in week out to stay in the 22....this is a reality I think most would see.