Slartibartfast

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And now we move from a recognition thread that thanks our sponsor for their wonderful generosity to a juvenile exchange between the usual protagonists. FMD Demonland, why do you allow these guys to ruin so many threads! Drives me mad and turns so many off an otherwise great opportunity to support our club.

I'm not sure if it's already been done but I want to publicly thank the MFC and our sponsor New Balance for the fantastically good offer to members of being able to purchase online clothing and footwear at an exceptional 70% discount. I've made the most of it this year and easily saved the cost of my membership. I ordered last week and received the order this week but unfortunately there was an error in the delivery. A quick phone call and all was sorted without fuss and the rest of my order is on it's way. Thanks to Theresa at NB and the MFC. I trust it's a win win win situation. Cheers Baghdad Bob

No, perfectly honest. Imagine what he is the rest of the time! (just kidding rfpc, you do great work here)

Explain how he plays it and the others don't.

Wagner has played one average game where the experienced players in the defence were woeful. Hunt needs to get experience. Lumumba doesn't defend.

Can someone explain to me why you'd keep Lumumba ahead of Wagner or Hunt? Wagner plays a much more defensive game and Hunt is a young developing player who at least goes hard at the ball. After 200 odd games Lumumba provides no defense, doesn't tackle, doesn't hurt the opposition with his possessions and isn't going to get better. We aren't going to make finals this year so why are we investing valuable games in a player with no future? I just don't get it.

I would imagine the replay will be put up on the MFC website in due course but I thought I'd give a quick run down and my impressions of the game for those that are interested. The Conditions They were awful. The condition of the ground was good apart from the centre square which was a bit boggy but the rest of the oval was in first class condition. There was a very strong wind blowing pretty much straight down the ground and this made any sort of possession chain footy almost impossible to play. It was not a day to judge game plan or see players roles in any meaningful way as it was a crowded game with numerous stoppages ( I reckon there would have been in excess of 100) and it was just a slog. It was one of those games where there were 30 players within 15 metres of all the stoppages and looked like the school playground type game. I spent the first half of the game in the grandstand which was as far away from where the majority of the play was but in the second half I went to that pocket to get a closer look. Accordingly my impressions are mainly from the second half because it was very difficult to see much from the stand in the first half. Oscar McDonald - Didn't see him in the first half but in the second half and particularly in the last quarter when we were defending he was very good. He read the ball pretty well in the air and kicked and handled it with confidence. A solid without being outstanding performance. Clayton Oliver: I thought he was very good. Found the ball easily, has an uncanny knack of being able to keep his arms free in a tackle and regularly finds a very good option. His found some space when others couldn't and was one of the more effective players for Casey. He's too good for VFL footy and I'd be very surprised if he plays for Casey next week. Max King: Shared the ruck work with Pencil but didn't do much against Jamar. He competed well but it really wasn't a day for big men and he struggled to have an impact beyond competing in the ruck. Jack Trengove: Solid and unspectacular performance where he accumulated possessions in close and took good options as you'd expect. Was run down in space in the first quarter which worried me a little but the game was such that it is impossible to judge his pace. Took a few nice marks and judged the conditions better than most but it wasn't a game where he banged the door down. Liam Hulett: I've seen him 3 times now and he is getting better and better. He took some good contested marks and he kicks the ball very well. He is getting more and more involved in the play and appears to be getting more confidence. Having said that he is only now becoming a consistent performer at VFL level and IMO is nowhere near AFL standard. I be surprised if he played senior footy this year but he is certainly making good headway and is a chance for the future. Mitch White: I'm a big Mitch White fan but confess to be a little surprised at his numbers because he didn't seem to be that involved in the play. With what I did see he was good by foot where others struggled and clean by hand. He also is tough. Jake Spencer: Quiet and struggled a bit early but started to do better as the game went on. Jamar is still a good opponent and Jake contested well in the ruck but probably lowered his colours there a bit but did well around the ground. He took some good contested marks and kicked a good goal after marking in the goal square at the beginning of the third. Billy Stretch: Was a bit of a surprise packet for me as I've always thought of Billy as an outside mid but he excelled in close with clean hands and fast feet. He found the ball consistently and used it very well in both tight and open situations. Provided our best bit of line breaking run in the third where he took the ball at half back and ended up just missing the goal after a few bounces. I thought he was our best but I'm a big fan so my view might be bias. But he did find the ball inside which I haven't seen all that much before and it was not a day for outside runners so his performance was great. Dean Terlich: Got it, spent it, does a lot of good things until he kicks it. He's a very good VFL player who turns it over a bit. Viv Michie: Lots of the ball and used it well. Played off half back. It was his sort of day with lots of stoppages and his strong body stood him in good stead. He's a very good VFL player but needs show he can do it at AFL level. I don't know where he fits on our list with clearly a few mids in front of him and as a HBF he's competing with Hunt and Wagner who seem to be flavour of the month. Hope he gets a chance because his form has been consistently good and it's hard to see how he could do much more. Angus Brayshaw: Concussed early and was very very wonky walking off the ground. You almost feel he needs a month of training and should just reboot for the second half of the year. Ben Newton: Solid contributor mainly on the outside and a beautiful kick. A solid game in conditions that don't really suit him. Like Viv it's just hard to see where he fits. ANB: Workhorse type game. Strong at the ball but doesn't have the pace or lateral movement to find space and make the most of his opportunities in a crowded scrap. Jack Grimes: Didn't notice Jack much but the stats say he got it a bit. Wouldn't have thought he pushed his case for a call up all that much but I may have misjudged his game. Colin Garland: I thought he was good. Defended well, took some good marks, clearly is trying to take the game on more and his kicking was good. It was a good Garland game.

Hulett is learning the trade at Casey and is just beginning to become useful there. He's miles from AFL footy but he's a good prospect.

Hulett was good. Looks like a player. Presented well and is a nice kick. Took some nice grabs as well. That Stretch isn't mentioned in the best is unfathomable. Also I thought Smith was poor although conditions didn't do him any favours.

I laugh when I see people calling for TMAC's head. Don't they realize when he plays poorly we lose? Drop him and we're no chance. Just so so dumb.

O Mac also very good. Stretch a stand out with quick hands inside and good decision making. Best game I've seen him play. Garland very solid. Michie better than Trengove and Grimes IMO.

Garland dominating.

Where did I say I rated his game and yes, I was there. I thought we had 3 players yesterday that could be satisfied with their game and Watts wasn't one of them. I also thought he was far from our worst. I think the Saints worked a lot harder than us and had players round the ball so in many instances Watts was outnumbered. I didn't think he lacked effort, just impact. His season thus far has been significantly better than he's produced in the past but yesterday was one of his two poor games.

A leopard never changes its spots. And I'm not talking about Watts.

They'll return when they are ready. Does it matter if it's 2 weeks or 3 weeks or 4 weeks. They are hardly critical at the moment and I'd imagine if we stay fit they'll be given plenty of time to ensure they play the second half of the season. We can be conservative and we are. Good planning I say. I think you're being a bit picky.

Let's hope we don't fall over in the race to 40,000 Old. That just wouldn't be acceptable!

Justifying someone's actions because someone else does it doesn't work for me. I don't care what Reiwoldt does, I'm interested in what Bugg does. Bugg has recognized he was wrong on both counts and says the $1000 fine was deserved and that penalties for having a go at an injured player in the hands of trainers are warranted. I'm agreeing with Bugg but suggesting the penalty he received is not strong enough. I know I'm being harsh. Viney is genuinely tough and so are a number of others. Bugg wasn't tough, I don't know why many people say his incident with Reiwoldt was acceptable. I like his attitude, I like that he's aggressive and I like what he brings to the team but I don't like what he did. Either does he and either does the Club. And can you explain to me how the incident with Reiwoldt "help us win games"?

I'm not aware of what he's done "behind the scenes" and would be interested to know. Can you elaborate? And yes I agree it's nice to finally have a Chairman who realizes it's not all about him. He knows his role and he's playing it unlike many before him.

I don't think too many would have argued Watts has paid his way until this year and this year has only just begun. I think many, like me, could see what he could be and wanted to hold him in the hope he'd succeed. It's taken some proper development coaching but it seems to be paying dividends. I think there may be some clubs around lamenting they didn't offer that pick 25.

If the Club made its displeasure known Bugg's apology is lessened. Buggs collective actions were "all about Bugg". That's not team orientated which he acknowledged. There are lots of players banging the door down and Bugg is one who could make way. Dropping him would be very harsh but it would make a statement to the rest of the list. And it would make space for Petracca!

Samuel where do you see Viv? When he came a few years ago our midfield stocks were very low but now they appear to be overflowing. Viney, Vince, Jones, Oliver, Brayshaw, AVB, Trengove, Tyson and ANB all seem to be in front of him. Then there are the forward/mids/winger types like Kennedy, Harmes, Kent, Stretch, M Jones and Petracca all competing for spots he might fill. It's hard to see him getting a go and it must be hard for him to maintain his enthusiasm. Any thoughts?

Couldn't agree more Mauriesy. What Bugg did to Reiwoldt was just cowardly. What are you proving my having a go at an injured player who is in the hands of the trainers. Bugg, the Club and the footy public knows it's wrong. If Crowley had done it to Hogan the approach of DL would be totally different. The showboating from a player like Bugg is also pretty silly. He's a player of limited skill who's main attribute seems to be to get under the skin of opposition players. That won't be good enough to keep his spot in this team. I don't want a player of limited ability acting like a big headed coward representing my club. I hope he gets dropped this week as discipline from the Club (no public comment necessary but I'd tell the AFL what I'm doing) and I hope he learns. He's got something to offer but it's got to be in the right context.

Seems Bugg doesn't agree.

I think it's more likely this sort of thing than within the footy department as I think Roos would understand that Goodwin needs to have clear air to take control of the team. Having someone looking over your shoulder wouldn't be helpful. But would he want that sort of non FD role? I don't know. I wonder how he really feels. I'm not doubting his effort or intent but he was a Swans player and a wonderful Swans coach and you can't help feeling his heart would understandably still be there. Whether we like it or not he wouldn't have come to us without a large financial inducement and while I think it's been a great investment by Jackson how all that fits together in the future is anyone's guess.