binman

I don't know Tim. I went to the president's lunch where it was announced they were our sponsor (the GC game). He gave a short speech and a bit of an interview then swanned around a bit. I said to my mate i was with that there was something totally wrong about this guy. Definite nutter material. For example he said in his speech that he actually barracked for the Bulldogs and banged on about it. No probs about barracking for the dogs but why would you say in front of a room full of dees fans when you just become the major sponsor? Also his whole energy and body language was weird, quite aggressive in vibe and very macho As i said i called it then and was not surprised when he unravelled (i didn't know jack about him btw ie wasn't aware of his ADHD or back story)

I reckon Martin is a monty to come in. He is big enough to play a similar pack busting role as Clark and having that player is a key to Neelds game plan. Also he played well last week so a call up is warranted on form. Cook was average at best last week and in any case isn't big enough. It is funny how players can fall out of favour, Martin was given heaps of respect and love last year when he stepped up to cover Jamar being out. Deservedly so IMO and he was a massive improver. Perhaps Clarks injury represents a similar opportunity'. I really rate him and despite his flawed kicking technique can still play that forward role well.

I watched the replay last night and made a point of watching Watts. He is very confident down back, much more than i have seen him previously. In the last quarter he brought the backs together and almost seemed to be giving instructions about where to go and to keep shape etc. In a post match interview he said that people were saying he was a loose man but that was wrong and always has a man. I noticed this during the match, he often played well off his man when the ball was say in dispute on the wing or midfield and if it came back towards their goal was prepared to run to the space where it was coming or cover his man if that was more of a threat. Very impressive confidence and reading of the ball and was never caught out. His disposal wasn't as good this week as it has been (only 70% efficiency) but he reads the play really well. he seesm also to have permission to set up on the wing at bounces, which he did a few times He also went to the contest when he it was his turn but when it wasn't he sat of it and on few occasions ended up with the spillage and got it out with quick hands. I doubt Neeld will risk stopping his momentum at the moment but swinging him up forward in bursts, say swapping with rivers or Garland for 10 minutes, and he could be lethal

No i don't think so, see post number 111 for my rationale

No i don't think so, see post number 111 for my rationale

According to an article in today's Hun they were seeing a specialist today and getting more scans. I assume from what i've read that they should have a pretty good idea of the extent of the damage, indeed this info would critical to determine how to best treat it (surgery and plaster or just plaster/boot). Hopefully we'll get some good news today. If they decide no surgery it would indicate injury is on the lesser end of the scale apparently

I actually don't think that's the case having watched both incidents now a few times on replay and having read the (excellent) article J Riv posted on the injury (see below). In that article it says how it explains how it occurs and one way for footballer is their foot getting stuck in the turf and the weight of the body moving across the fixed foot breaking it basically. If you watch the Magner - Clark incident this is precisely what happened, his foot got stuck and flexed badly in the middle as he dived forward. Similar i suppose to the turf toes Sandilands has had (but more serious). Apparently an injury jockeys get when they fall and their foot gets stuck in the irons. When he was on the ground he motioned to to his foot to the trainers indicating something was wrong and though he looked groggy from the hit when he got up he was limping quite badly. Nothing to do with Magner though. After the first problem (first quarter mark when he came down stiff legged) he was pointing to his knee and when he came to the bench the trainer was working on his knee and upper calf The article makes for depressing reading as it sounds quite a serious injury, can impact and much depends on whether there is any fractures to the bone and how many bones are injured. On 927 they were reporting it as a fracture but i reckon that might not be right as the injury has also been called a broken foot amongst other things. Fingers crossed http://www.sportsmd....les/id/283.aspx

Ok thanks for the clarification. I agree having faith your teammate will win the ball etc is a player responsibility, though i would say trust is often a function of the whole culture at the club. A unified strong club on and off the field will more likely have players who trust each other on field. I would also i have no doubt the increased uncontested possession count is also a function of an easing in the training load meaning they are fresher in the game and more able to run hard to space, something which as been very evident the last 3 matches

I'm not sure if you are quoting me RP with the "tweaking" reference but seeing i put that word in a recent post i am assuming you are. To be clear i wasn't referring to his game plan i was referring to his man management, in particular how he has managed his senior players. As i have said on a number of occasions he appears to have, softened is the wrong word, but certainly eased up on the stern tough guy talk and seems to be taking a more inclusive approach. The players are really playing from him and i applaud a coach who is man enough to change and adapt.

No absolutely spot on HG. I watched the Neeld presser (with Sylvia by his side which was interesting - again after a win not one of the skippers but someone who is oft criticized) and that is exactly what he said. I almost fell off my chair. Perhaps more evidence of what i have previously noted ie Neeld seems to have tweaked his approach a bit, partic with the senior players and appears open to learning and growing which is crucial, not to mention a great example for his players

Yep me too. Happy to join you in a serve of the old humble pie if Sellar continues to improve at the rate he has in the last 3 weeks

Absolutely, as was his perfectly weighted 40-50 metre kick on the same wing (going the other way) with his left foot to a dee (i can't recall who - perhaps trengove). Gorgeous kick and gutsy too as if it had dropped short even by a bit the GWS player would have swallowed it and it would have come back over his head When Nik Nat can do that come and tell me we made the wrong choice!

Yeah that makes sense. FIney on SEN mentioned stress fractures. Chinese whispers. He has just been fantastic for us and just seems to be a great club man. I really hope everything is ok

What is the key concern - stress fractures?

Just heard on SEN that the club is concerned about possible stress fractures - test tommorow. I assume the problem was that mark in the first quarter where he came down stiff legeed and then went off after slotting the goal

Bang! Panned out just as i had predicted, love it. Go dees. The 2012/13 season commenced today

Spot on rpfc. It was a terrific performance from the dees and they will take heaps from it as i do. It panned out exactly as i hoped it would. We hammered a team who had the same number of wins as us. Last years win against GC - now there's a win i took no positives from, quite the contrary. Imagine the negativity if we had put on a similar spirit less performance. Today we played with heart and squeezed the life out of' em an Neeld will have heaps of positive plays he can highlight in the review

Smith for the Scorps looked a goer

I agree old dee. He was poor defensively against the pies and this continues to be his problem. Morton ok but neither player offers enough physical grunt. This game is not about the furure it is about the now. I have no doubt Neeld has picked the side he thinks will maximise our chance of winning this particular match. We will physically smash them on Sunday, of that i have no doubt. That doesn't necessarily mean we'll win of course but i think we will and the line, which is into 21 points is luxury

So far so good in terms of my predictions. No way is this evidence of tanking. Quite the contrary - Blease and Morton wouldn't bruise a peach and we will be looking to do some serious bruising.

Better would be wire to wire. Not sure what the odds are but likely to be around $2. I am super hopeful (expect is too strong a word unfortunately) we will jump out hard and go on with it. I doubt though we will smash them as conditions will make scoring difficult and our percentage suggest a team that struggles to get big scores (though the number of goals we got against Coll was positive). That said just checked the line and it is 27.5. I expected it to be longer to be honest.

Thought of bumping the Training Load thread or creating a new one but there seems to be so many new threads of late that it is hard to keep up or keep across stuff. I'll put my thoughts here instead: Season 2012/13 starts this week I reckon this one of the most important matches for the dees for a long time. If my theory is correct about them training them super hard them on the track for the first half of the season, easing up in the second half and getting some wins to move forward with, we should see the proof on Sunday. I think we have some evidence already of the team being fresher in the last couple of games before the bye with us winning (remarkably) our first second half quarters for the season. We definitely looked fresher than Collingwood, you could really see it, meaning they (the dees) probably actually eased up 3-4 weeks ago. I suspect they will have planned the training load so they are close to cherry ripe for this game. They will have heaps of time into working out how to ensure they come out of the bye in tip-top mental shape (which has been a problem for many clubs after a bye, at least last year, seems to be less of an issue this year). Fascinating timing of the team bonding trip to Torquay ie before the Collingwood game rather than during the bye break. Of course this isn't their grand final but there is no way on gods good earth that club will accept a loss here (and this has nothing at all to do with Scully). For the first time we will play a side that is physically weaker than us in the midfield and I expect us to absolutely smash in. I wonder if that's why Bate has been brought in to the squad - to maximise our muscle and strength advantage. I expect him to play. I also expect Maloney to have his best game for the year. Happy for him to be a flat track bully this week. Spewing Tappy is out as no doubt he is. McKenzie to go with Ward and wear him like a glove. Frawley to monster Cameron. I also reckon they'll pick Davey, a wet day and we will desperately need someone to crumb under Clark's feet (hasn't he been crashing packs - love his DeetV highlights package). I have posted before that there is a really strong sense of unity coming from the club and that perhaps the air has been cleared, some issues dealt with and Neeld may have slightly tweaked his approach. The players are playing form and the talk from everyone is much more inclusive. We will be focused on this game and i have no doubt we will come to play. The first 20 minutes will be very instructive. The rain will help our cause and the GWS will come out of the game knowing they have played an AFL game. Worth noting that they played in really heavy conditions last week, played super well (though the tigers were definitely limping towards the bye and played accordingly) but it will have taken a bit out of them. to have to back that up with a trip to Melbourne and more tough conditions will be hard work for a young team. Huge game and i will be devastated if we lose. The pre season has finally finished at the 2012/13 season starts on Sunday. J Riv said as much. Go dees. Smash them

No way the odds should be even, jeez if i saw the dees at 1.90 i'd throw the house at 'em (well probably not, its not mine). That said a wet slippery day and the Giants fired up, the line could be a good bet. GWS have been a great cash cow this year, super reliable in terms of making their line.

Boak

Top work. Have been looking for an avatar and i've found it!