Pates

I think our club needs to get some kind of sponsorship deal with the company that makes moonboots. This is getting ridiculous. Hope it all turns out ok for Jack.

Couldn't agree more, only thing we miss with Watts out of there is his disposal.

I like the level of expectation he's bringing with his leadership, not just content to talk about the positive steps but to point out that we need to be winning as well. Commentators will forever say that we paid overs for him, but like Clark he isn't just a good footballer we've brought to the club, he's a leader.

Also fair to point out that he's getting on in years (in football terms) so there will be a natural degeneration in fitness as time goes on. He has a very tough period in the last 5-6 years with injury starting with that hammy tear off the bone at docklands, ever since then he has never had the same pace or fitness. But still he showed there's still life in him and I couldn't be happier. Would really like him to finish his career being admired by the fans rather than constantly bagged. His game yesterday was a highlight for the year so far.

For me that was his only blight for the day and should be named as one of the best for us. Such a strange thing to see a Melbourne player be able up hit a target. He really turned back the clock today, was great to see and should've had a goal assist if Jetta had held a chest mark.

I've stopped hoping for wins, I just want the players to come off the ground and be able to look at each other in the eyes and know they tried their best. It's a simple request that seems to be happening very rarely.

I don't care how bad a state Baily apparently left this club in, it should not be taking 5 years to be competitive. I guess the only thing is what he defines as competitive. Is that competing with the best and being up there with the best? Because right now I'll take just being bloody competitive with teams that are meant to be at our level!

So it sounded from the posts as though Peders was no good, but yet he was named best for Casey (that said it sounded like it wasn't too hard to do that!).

Wish I'd got on the lions at $11!

Wow not impressed that we gave him a 3 year deal. Wouldn't 3 year deals be for established best 22 players? So far he has shown very little during his time here and given where he was at with North you'd surely give him two years maximum. I didn't disagree with the trade but we have gifted him a contract.

I don't know why we're rushing him back, he's been out of form and frankly fitness.

It's incredible to think that he'd be "shocked and dismayed" if he were to be given the sack this year. iF the club were to back him in, then I think the need to look at getting a high profile experienced coach to be an assistant and mentor for him much like the Hird/Thompson situation.

I will say this, Richmond have a great history of choking at games they should be winning.

I think the point is that he has been playing well at the VFL this year and has earned the chance to play at AFL level. I reckon most people would know he's not the messiah, but lets give him a go.

Why this week? Why not last week as soon as Grimes went down? He must've had a great week on the track, I guess he'll be in v Richmond.

Watching those original posted clips one thing I see us lacking (apart from effort) is some excitement. Even the Fremantle game when we were still no good we had Aussie jumping around with his awesome celebrations, we have very little flair at the moment.

Get him, we should be dropping some hefty salaries this year with Davey and perhaps a few others. He's exactly the sort of player we need. Question is what we give up for him, Frawley keeps popping up with people but I think he is a better player than what he's showing and is still far and away our best defender. Losing him will really hurt our back line.

That's where I think this GPS data can be deceptive, and also why it shouldn't be shared with the players. The coaches should use that data in their own assessments, but anyone new to the game would be able to tell straight off the bat that there wasn't any hard gut running by just about anyone. Compare the sort of running that we did to the sort of running in the Cats v Dons match on Friday and are galaxies apart. Yes were are not as experienced and well drilled as them, but if our players are fit, and we keep hearing from Dawes and Byrnes that what they are doing at training now is comparable to the likes of Collingwood and Geelong, then you shouldn't need to be trained to run your ass off to chase down your man if you've left them free or you shouldn't need to be trained to run hard to create an option or even just space for others to run into. Looking at the two team on the weekend, one was on their bikes as soon as they won the ball while the other team jogged.

Unfortunately when you hit rock bottom you can't expect to crawl out of it quickly. It has to start somewhere and effort is a start, I agree I want a winning culture not an "effort" culture but I will always be content (not happy) with whatever the result a long as I know that the players have left it all out on the park and they put in the effort expected of them a professionals. I think this is the point that Dawes is getting at. It was an interesting article to read, especially coming from a player who's just arrived at the club. Talk is cheap though, they need to put it into action or the players will watch another coach be kicked out the door.

I can't see any incoming coach wanting the previous senior coach to be his assistant and likewise I wouldn't think a coach that's been given the flick wanting to stick around at the club. I think a major reshuffle in the assistants is needed at the end of this year, for me I see Viney, Craig, Misso, and Leigh Brown as the only ones that are safe and possibly a few of the development coaches could be made redundant to save costs. It appears as though the club has learned from the sacking of Baily, that was handled in an extremely amateurish way so they are now handling this one with patience. There are two scenarios I see happening, he gets given until the end of the year and barring a total squad (save for about 5 players) heart transplant and they start to show some improvement, he is sacked. Or as expected we will be wiped off the park by every team in the next 5 rounds and they sack him after the queens birthday, thereby giving the interim coach 2 weeks to prepare and the players 2 weeks to get over the fact they've killed another coach.

From what I can see on face value the current board was united under Jim but when he passed his responsibilities on after he got sick that was when discord started. I will always recognise that this board played their part in saving our club the last time, but they have got us out of one hole and dug us into another. I really hope there is someone out there that can create a better ticket and get us back on track permanently.

That was my thinking as well, that way the interim coach also has the two weeks because of the bye to prepare both himself and the players mentally.

Actually from what I gather I think he has a good relationship with the players he has now. Most of them have "bought in" or were "brought in". It's just for whatever reason he just can seem to motivate then.

I don't think he will, honestly don't know that it makes much of a difference. Who will be interim coach? Craig or Viney?

Tapscott shows a bit I think, Nicho is quick but poor with disposal, McKenzie tries hard but doesn't do much else, I didn't think Sellar was woeful today and his job as defender is made so much harder by the midfield, Bail keeps falling over and I don't know why, he just can't keep his feet, and Strauss I wouldn't classify as a flat out dud but it's time he showed something.