deeko

and "elite" awful word Welcome Viv, all the best

That's a different thought process and I enjoyed the read here DeeVoted as it makes you wonder what a team could do with skill and confidence. Even though it's possible it's still very rare for a team to have a '1987' year I think in comparison to a good experienced team who should be continually around the top half. Clearly our issue, and that of GWS is controlling the ball which I think also comes with experience noting how much the game has changed over this time with presses and zoning off. As our players develop getting fitter and stronger I think we will see less turn overs. I still think our biggest issue has been continually letting experienced players go. I have a 2005 Melbourne team picture on my wall which other than Dunn and Jamar I don't think anyone else still plays and I'd argue these two didn't deserve a run last year. Our drafting throughout the 00's was, yes, dust but if we kept all our half decent players with a decent coach we would have still been a decent team. Imagine how different things could have been if our midfield could have had players like McLean, Moloney, Thompson, Jones running through the centre and now chucking in Viney. Sylvia could go back to being a true HFF then. Yes there is some ordinary personalities there but a good coach will still get the best out of his team all the time whether they like each other or not. It wouldn't be a world beating team but I'd rather watch them crash and bash running painfully slow dishing it out to some finishers then watch the crap we have had to put up with over the last 7 years.

Well if we have the same team as last year and still are as disgusting as we were then at least we can put to bed the blame on the coaches and then be put out of our misery and fold. But i still blame the last three for everything. Including why demonland has been playing me up forcing me to actually do some work during the day. The bastards

Wow there is some rubbish around in the media. I'm lucky enough to know Walker and firstly you wouldn't meet a better bloke and secondly he adores Mick as a coach and he is playing with ridiculous confidence right now. Now something that doesn't probaby belong on this thread (just to hard to search old ones on the phone) is our new "Josh Kennedy like" (not actually him but) midfielder we will have this year in one Jack Trengove. Roos will be playing him on ball all year and will he modelling his whole game on JPK. Told after the meeting with Roos the whole group walked out a foot taller after they were hanging on every word they said. All ridiculously excited to start as they will be playing a lot more attacking footy this year. Told from a mate (i know that sounds dodgey to) but he is pretty close with trenners and thinks he will be having a bumper year.

Tried to log in last night twice and received the error but was left excited that both times when it failed the page was ever so kind to leave a YouTube video up. The first was highlights vs Carlton in the 2000 finals, the second was the great Jacko kicking a bag vs the pies. Made my night, thanks guys

Stop getting me excited Bad Grimes Times, very bad Grimes Times!

He is an average midfielder in comparison to others however unfortunately he was one of our best and we continue to see our best players leave. Not saying he's a world beater, or saying Moloney or Rivers are star players but there losses certainly hurt us more than it would if they left a top club. I wanted Col to stay and have stuck up for him previously backing him as a solid enough player. Now he has left he can EAD and we all move on.

Agreed. A great tap ruckman clearly has value and I would love it if Gawn developed into a great player. However I'd rather someone who simply can compete making the stoppage a 50/50 and adding value as a 4th mid like a Cox has been so great at over his career. We were very patient with his injuries so they should hold up fine and we are clearly due for some luck.

I was interested in this, did he pull the pin once we told him he wasn't going to get another contract? Or did he pull the pin due to injury? Always loved him, just loved getting hit or hitting others. Seemed to clumsy at times but was always fair dinkum. I can imagine he would be someone you would line up against thinking you are going to get bruised and beaten today. His kicking, well, let's just say we were all on the edge of our seats when he had the pill in his hands. All the best Joel with life outside AFL.

He's a good man to listen to Frank, very happy for him to retain the captaincy for another year solely allowing Trenners just to concentrate on being a starting 22 player. It's easy to forget how young he is in regards to games played. Would be great to see him with a full preseason and add a couple kg's on the frame as I wouldn't mind him as that big bodied mid we all crave. His kicking his reminiscent of Jobe early on in his career and he has turned out quite nicely. Not saying Jack will be the same or get close but he will continue to get better and never thinks twice of putting his body on the line and I love his spoiling and tackling efforts. Although it wasn't his best year, I am still very happy with my purchase of a signed Grimesy guernsey during the season.

I would love him to come on Young Dee and happy to be proven wrong. I just think there are better players than him out there. I think your description of him 'dominating' VFL is a little over board as well. He was good, being listed in the best 5 times from 11 games and averaged about 20 touches of the pill a game. But he was never best on or did he ever dominate a game which you would think someone who has been on a list for 5 years now would. Team squads now are something like 5 defenders, 4 forwards and 13 midfielders. He is a true back flanker and isn't good enough for the midfield. The guys he is competing with (Grimes, Terlich, Clisby) are all past him now. But, still, I would like nothing more for him (and many others) to prove me wrong.

I really do feel sorry for him in regards to the injuries but lets be honest, in any of his games (even in the magoos) what has he really shown to impress? Although he hasn't had continuity he has still had a chance to impress. And thats more than 99.5% of the rest of us. Even if he never had those injuries not sure he would be much more of a player. He is so far down the pecking order I think now that even Clisby has gone past him. Delist in favour of any type of midfielder

I think if we put in the same effort to attract Pedro to retain Riv then we may have done better. Neeld was all to happy with clearing out who he saw as dead wood. Anyways, apologies about derailing a thread here, back to the topic. To fat for a player you would think was trying to make it and on his last legs To slow to play a flanker role To short to play as a ruckman Not skilled enough to play as a forward Puts on a crappy fake tough guy facade that is only bettered (is that a word??) by Dunn Has a weird mop of a hair do

Freo by 11. Low scoring with Freo getting over the line when my man Ballantyne slots through the sealer in the last minute. I can see him running into an open goal and kicking a spiral at the Hawthorn members ala our great Jacko at the pies cheer squad back in the day. Hawthorns premiership was last week against the cats. They think its in the bag. And I normally despise overly defensive football but I thought that first half against Sydney last week was simply amazing by the purple. Unbelievable pressure! And I am a bit of a sicko and love watching Crowley play, unless its against the dees. Would love to see him mop the floor with Mitchell or Hodge.

Haha nice Django, had a laugh there! And yes, on my other post it was Hogan on my HFF under a lesser persons name to try keep expectations at a minimal.

#thelidisoff

Fell in love with him as a player when he did a role on Buddy a couple years ago, was great. Also on QB against Cloke this year was great. The efforts he showed and passion was inspiring, especially when he cracked them at a team mate then dumped Cloke on the ground in frustration. Was fantastic. Keep working hard Col, your a gem

I had it in for Pedro from the start when we seemingly recruited himself and Gillies for 'depth' players and we quite happily let our runner up in the B & F of the last two years in Riv go. Is the Scott Muller of the AFL adding little no matter where he plays. Still, it was a good highlights package which he can include that running goal he kicked against GWS this year, thought that was a great effort and he will have some good footage for his grand kids one day. Three years is an absolute disgrace.

I know he has been impacted by injuries but still has never done anything of merit in his few games he has played to show that he deserves a spot going forward. What was with our bloody obsession of recruiting flankers??? Another pick wasted.

Wondering how he will go on the d floor tonight with s crook leg. Still expecting greatness. Clearly why we got him

I think we should just get everyone, everyone I says Mwooooohahahaha Rd 1 next year: Shaw Frawley Terlich Garland Tommy Mc Grimes Toump Dusty Watts Chappy Dawes Jehovah himself Betts Clark Garlett Gawn Jones & Viney on the pill while Cross, Pick 2, Sylvia and Swallow Done disclaimer - have probably missed one of our better players but I only had about a minute between clients

Sam should just see the ball, get the ball and run off with the ball and kick the goal. And play a simple game. He is a simple one trick pony but his speed is a great trick. Showed some 'glimpses' at the end of 2012 but seemed to go a long way backwards last year. Has been a victim of over coaching in my opinion and looks very confused game day. Hopefully he can find a spot on a flank/wing and go back to playing a simple fun game

Plus not having to watch Dunn play is another bonus

Firstly, let me start with saying Shaw makes me sick. He's that player I love ripping on and I am not sure how I would handle seeing him in the beloved red and blue. But.... (oh god I am going to feel dirty from this) He really is the type we need. He is very good one on one but more importantly he gets the ball and uses it well. Really well. And we need so many more players like him to just simply win the bloody footy! He gets more touches than our mids which is why I wouldn't be completely against him. Sounds like he is having issues against figjam Buckley which makes sense (with him being a [censored] and all) which reminds me of Beamer and Neeld having a sook off last year. Maybe just a fresh start under Roos is just what Heater requires. Even the biggest attitudes in the game wouldn't challenge Roos' as the man just oozes class, knowledge and respect. Our backline Shaw Frawley Garland Terlich McDonald Grimes Gives a good balance of strong defensive and rebounding ability.

It's that attitude that shocks me. People salivate over Daniel Cross or picking up other fringe players who we have a slim to nothing possibility of turning into something, and yet here we have someone who has skill, power and is a threat to opposition teams we are simply 'not fussed' to let him go. As much as I feel let down by Col at times after he has teased a few times with some cracking games only to be filth the next, I still feel we have let him down just as much after employing such inspirational & successful coaches in Bailey and Neeld. If anything I don't blame him for wanting to leave but would love to see him have one year under Roos.