binman

These puns are shocking!

Yeah it is. And for it to happen in a dull scrappy game against GC at the [censored] end of a dismal season gives it added poignancy. I remember seeing him come of in discomfort and thinking hell i hope hasn't broken his wrist. The post match reports seemed to suggest it wasn't that serious but for it still to be an issue 6 months later is a big worry. One positive is that he has been able to work on his aerobic capacity and i would presume his overall strength, at least in in his legs and core (obviously limited how much upper body work he can do). I don't reckon he'll take long to get his ball handling skill up to speed. Make no mistake he is an absolutely key player for us. In a team lacking real a graders or players with an X factor a fit, firing LJ is vital

A bit unnecessarily narcy i would have thought. And by the by we'll see if that list is halved in two weeks - how often does a a 2 week injury magically blow out to a 6 week injury (see Jurrah, amongst innumerable other examples over the last few years Melbourne). Also how did Evans hurt his back and why is it indefinite?

Just call me Kermit. My favourite time of year is pre season. We haven't lost a game, i'm always full of hope. My experience in following the dees has been the season usually provides more than its fair share of reality checks so i'm sticking with 11 wins in a row to start the year. P.S - how many games did Wet Coke win out of its first 11 last year?

Couldn't agree more. I listened to SEN for the first game and watched the replay this am. Watts's intensity was fine (despite what is being said on the Jack Watts thread). I watched the second game live down the pub and again thought his intensity was good. Sure Brennan out bodied him on one occasion but thats to do with his strength not his application. I was a pretty big critic of Watts' intensity in 2010 and felt he really needed to step up in this area to make it as an elite player (little lone fulfil his potential). As i have written previously i thought he was terrific in this regard last season. I can't quite understand the pretty negative vibe of many comments about his game (s) last night or where he's at

There seems to be a fair bit of similar nonsense on this site as well unfortunately

Nothing more heart warming than a blossoming love affair

Yep

Yep. Really, who does he think he is with a quote like: "I'll give Melbourne a nice heads-up - keep going after my players and I'll knock off all your sponsors," he said on Triple M. He's also seems to think he is the puppet master when it comes to the AFL as the following quote indicates: "And not only that, I'll go to the AFL and say they've obviously got too much because they're paying over the odds, so stop giving them money. "That's the way I roll on these things." Give me a spell Eddy, "that's the way i roll on these things", please. I know this is just media rubbish but he needs to be put back in his box. They give us QB? Is it not possible for the AFL to schedule us against say the bombers or tigers with us as a home game on that day. Or even alternate the home game with one of those clubs? Stuff collingwood - the G is our home ground.

Sorry chook can't agree with this. Sammy, like the rest of the team, has been busting a gut all pre season and again like all his team mates would have been dying for the chance to have a proper game of footy. Denying this reward will do more for his development than 18 minutes of quasi game time

My preparation is often improvised

Perhaps not but it would have been great to see some edited highlights of the game. As we move increasingly to an online, muti media future media such as dee tv will need to actually start producing some real content, not just silly interviews with our newest supporter from the US. Already clubs such as Man U, et al have 24 hour pay tv channels and whilst it is fanciful to think we would have something similar at the very least, in the next 2 -3 years, we should expect to see some serious online visual content (eg proper vision of training and practice matches, video analysis etc)

I s'pose it's the sign of the demon (mate)!

It always amuses me that footy fans go ballistic at the thought of a player being a traitor and leaving their own club but won't bat an eyelid at trading out players or throwing in a couple of stalwarts into a deal mix to get a good player from another club (who of course is being traitorous to the club they are leaving). We hate Scully (yes more for the way he handled himself but never the less) but laud Clark for joining the dees (after telling Brisbane he really, really wanted to go home to WA). Ahh the beautiful mystery of football! (P.S not having a go at you JD, your post just made me think of this apparent double standard amongst footy fans)

Burgan's post scratch match interview with Bale is also pretty interesting in terms of what role Bate see's himself playing, the Neeld game plan and the training "volume". In some ways the Dee TV interviews are much more revealing than the standard group media door stoppers or conferences, in part because of their length (ie stuff sometimes just pops out) but also because of the players seem to like Burgan

Certainly not the most comfortable or confident interviewee. You could add to saying s'pose heaps the amount of times he says mate. Even Burgo (mate) gets in on in the act by the end of the interview. Happy for Frawley to lead by example. I've really enjoyed the interview series with the LG. On the whole they seem a a pretty switched on group, quiet, considered and intelligent. Also some very interesting insights into the new regime, training program and possible match day strategies. Some random thoughts: Burgan an ok interviewer who goes extremely red - paint a blue line on his face and he'd be demon mascot. Tends to repeat questions (ie same q, slightly reworded several times in the one interview, eg "what do you see as your leadership qualities?") Clark very nervous but seems a pretty quiet guy. Jones surprisingly articulate and thoughtful. Garland a ripper, would be great to sit down and talk footy to (the dees should tap in to this somehow) Grimes oozes a quiet confidence Trengove is really young and will take a while to find his feet as captain (unsurprisingly) Bartram seems a pretty switched on bloke and likes the new coaching set up

Funny this was raised. I went to last years intra club game and Beamer gave a young fella (can't recall who, could have even been a Casey top up player) an all mighty spray. From my, quite close, vantage point it seemed unfair and was by any standard well out of order. During that same game he drove another young fella into the ground and was generally mouthy to all and sundry. Hardly positive leadership was my thinking and i reckon this trait may be one of the reasons he isn't in the LG. That and the fact he appears not to be the sharpest tool in the shed, which is in contrast to this years LG if their interviews on dee tv are any guide (which seems to indicate they are a pretty thoughtful, reflective bunch, not a bunch of pumped up yobs)

Not for the first time i agree with you Ron, not so much about the moral high ground, more that we've had our GWS hit and can focus on this season without what has been acknowledged by the club as a major distraction. I for one feel sorry for supporters from other clubs who might have to go thru the sort of drama we endured last season, but better them than us. To paraphrase my second favourite PM Scully was the defection we had to have

I agree. Its easy to forget how good he actually was last year. When Jamar was out he was the man. As noted by Trident his skills below his knees are first class and as he is a relative new comer to aussie rules, having only committed to it as an 18 year old, his skills will only improve. I reckon he's also got a good footy brain, that again will only improve with more games under his belt. Still heaps of upside for Stef and i reckon he could end up being as good as Jolly and better than Dawes, two players who contributed heaps to the Pies success in 2010.

Terrific report and really interesting to hear about stuff not covered in other reports. The sausage congrats circle is something new. The masters should be about the dees and then you'll be fully justified going to all 22 (plus finals) games and even more training.

Not so sure about this. The Bombers responded pretty quickly to Hird and there are some obvious similarities. Like the dees this year the Bombers were coming off a really tumultuous previous season, again like Melbourne were given a completely new game plan to master and finally were also considered by their incoming coach and fitness staff to be unfit and were duly flogged on the training track. Essendon (with West Coast perhaps) were near the fittest side at the beginning of 2011 which really helped them get going early, including an impressive NAB cup campaign (during which they ran ll over the top of an unfit dees outfit). I reckon we might go all right (though i though that last year!)

Cut and pasted from Demonolgy FYI (poster was Nick48, ta):

Yep, agree on both counts

Fair 'nuff

I don't agree with this. I was critical of Watts before the start of last season in terms of his intensity, hardness at the ball etc and felt that he really needed to focus on this area or play in the maggos until he had improved. To his huge credit i reckon he really improved his intensity last season and for my money, whilst prob not on a par with say MacKenzie for hardness at the ball was almost the most consistent player across the season in terms of competing, second efforts and attacking the ball.