deeko

It's unbelievable how much the squad has changed from not so long ago. In the photo we have Warnock & Bartrum..... gone In the article it mentions Junior, Moloney, Green, Sylvia, Scully, Bailey, Petterd & Bate with only Colin remaining. I have a 2005 Melbourne team photo in my house which although is 8 years old (still not an eternity) and all we have left from that I think is Flash and the Rush. Surely no other team has turned that many over.

Agreed. Chuck him on a wing (ala Richo) and let him run riot

I do admire Jake's effort but unless he is really knocking down the door then I don't understand why people would want him in the team ahead of Jamar. He ain't, and I don't think he has the ability ever to do so. I still like him there as depth if Jamar / Gawn are injured but on skill alone should not get a game in any AFL team. I agree fully with your comments on the squad Royal has to work with. It's green and a little underdone. Surely however something can be done to stop the bleeding once it starts. As I said in my first post, the Eagles coaching looked at Jamars strong impact in the centre (contrary to what I think a lot of people here want to believe), made a simple half time adjustment to the midfield setup and BOOM 90 odd point win. Not sure what could have been done, but then again, I am not a coach. Playing footy now, if a team kicks two in a row against us we immediately go man on man and play tight in the square. Maybe a suggestion? Maybe a stupid one I don't know. I think Beamer is hugely missed in there. Although yes, he was a one tricky pony, it's a trick we miss most at the moment. I'm hugely excited about the prospect of big Maximus in the centre for us, he has barely played and is already a cult figure and I believe has the potential (that dirty word!!) to become something truly special. I can't however seeing us all of a sudden dominate from the stoppages from him in. The biggest problem is the lack of mids, mids and more mids. Someone also dropped in this thread how Rush was dropped from the leadership group and if that has effected his attitude. I am most interested as to why this happened. I would have thought being such a prescence (literally size wise) and a man who has been around the club so long who speaks quite coherently would be a shoe-in for a role.

Sitting next to me at work at the moment is the fellow who looks after the stats on the weagles games (in Vic) in which of course I had to pick his brain on a couple issues . Interesting enough Jamar was leading the effective hit outs against Cox and half time according to them. This is not a supercoach/footywire of wherever you people get your stats from, this is the Eagles statistics man himself. They adjusted the eagles midfield following his effectiveness to curb his influence which was discussed at half time when they decided to pay more respect to the Melb midfielders, especially Jones. This simple adjustment saw them obliterate us in the second half from a simple midfield structure. In my opinion, not as much as Jamars fault as it is the midfield coach who clearly needed to do something to change it up. Jamar has never been a big ball getter but he still wins his share of the hit outs. It's where his mids around him setup which is clearly our issue. Not Mark. Possession wise, don't compare Jamar against Cox, its ridiculous as Coxy is a once in generation player. As for whats coming through, I also can't wait to get Gawn in there as he could become better than Mark but please stop talking abour Spencer over Jamar. I think some of you need to actually go to some Casey games and watch Jake play. He is awful in the ruck, really has no idea. He may be better at showing some enthusiasm around the ground but lets not let the one extra tackle or block a game he will rack up get in the way that he really is only there as a depth man till Gawn is up and about.

Hahaha! Thanks Benson, got a great laugh here;)

I don't recall him ever snagging three, but I remember the game we pumped Freo and he was great. In fact I think he finished the year off well and then that was it. Don't quote me for accuracy but I think thats how it went.

I'm massively concerned. Our engine room is still third world other than the injection of some babies and has beens. I'm expecting Nate Jones to be Nate Jones and have another strong year but other than that here is hoping. From the kids (Viney, Toumpas etc) I just want 15 - 20 games of good solid footy with maybe the odd touch of brilliance to keep our mouths watering for years to come. Let's not place ridiculous expectations on these kids like we have in the past. Looking over our list we may look stronger up forward and down back but it's always won in the engine room. And for those who think we will beat the franchise teams, don't be so confident. They will improve at a faster rate than us I believe (although I honestly believe we will still take them this year). Comparing midfields of the teams we will challenge this year: Gold Coast - Ablett, Swallow, Prestia & Bennel. Add in the baby O'Meara and I would have that midfield any day of the week over ours. GWS - Greene, Ward, Scully, Treloar, Coniglio and add in Whitfield and O'Rourke as first year players that match our Toumpas & Viney. I think we will compete well here. Dogs - Boyd, Griffen, Cooney and Cross is getting older but still would eat our pups alive. Throw in there father sons and the two first rounders and they have us. As for Port we mach up well although Wines will have a more instant impact then our babies. Saw him a couple weeks ago and he has gone from a big boy to looking like he is carved from stone (I believe Viney & Toumpas will be better long term). I don't know if I am a realist or just pessimistic but I can't see us getting 8 wins this year. This maybe a self preservation mechanism, expect the worst but hope for the best.

Hahaha ah RPFC, thanks as always for your brilliant posts. I'm quite confident of jagging Daisy here. This is based on.... well.... absolutely nothing really. I believe Neeld had a close relationship both coaching wise and personal with the all the Collingwood boys which may be more appealing than playing under Bucks who simply lives and breathes footy. Would be a fantastic get, fits the age bracket perfectly too. Get around him

I really love your optimism here Roger and would love for you to be correct. Unfortunately in my eyes your 2/3 of a premiership team is 2/3 filled with nothing more than unknowns and potential players. Not saying I don't like it (mine would be similar if putting it down) I just think we will know a lot more come round 24. It's going to be a very interesting season

Great comments about Bailey's recruiting model compared to Neeld's. Did I read somewhere (possibly not, im a little mental) that the Collingwood vs Brisbane game on the weekend that only had 4 bounces around the ground? Maybe with the game changing like this and the new interchange caps Bailey was just 3 or 4 years ahead of the rest in recruiting "athletes" more than the nuggety "football" type that Neeld prefers.

I thought he showed some good signs as a back pocket where a couple times he courageously jumped back into a pack flying for a grab. This is what I loved about him, not those bumps that anyone can do when the opposition player has already disposed of it. Anyone can do that and it's an act of thuggery not courage. Not sure what was going through Tappy's head when he did that. Other than that his aggression at the pill and when he tackles his great. I thought his best spot was in the back pocket using his leg as an advantage. He could have been our Guerra or Shannon Hurn like player but now that Dunn and Watts are back there we probably need a more agile player for the small forwards. I think this thread should be re-opened round 24 when we all have more of an idea

This. Also, I like the rule because without it we would not have got Jesse at all

Do we know what the teams will be for the game? I thought last year they were announced a couple days prior to the game but not 100% sure. Honestly I am not to worried how they structure the game (4 quarters or 8 aahh... eighths??) just excited to see some of the new boys out and about. Will be sure to bring a printout from the webpage with all the players names & numbers as just looking at the training photos it's easy to be confused. I'm making a fair journey for the trip (from Echuca that morning, told work it's a 'client meeting'). Can anyone give me a rough estimate how long it will take say from the Bolte Bridge to Casey Fields? Cheers

What about Davey's hit on the chest while kicking off balance! Dee-licios!

Thanks again six6six, love your work you little superstar you!

I'd take a scrappy win to be honest. Obviously keen on regaining credibility but I don't want us getting ahead of ourselves. If big Mitch was playing I can see a decent score being kicked especially without Chaplin there anymore. Dawes will now receive the best defender and rarely dominates games (still love him as a recruit) and Pederson is a bit of an unknown. Also an unknown will be about 95% of our team. I had to look at the MFC website matching player numbers with six6six's photos - which are amazing by the way and thank you so much. The team is really just getting to know each other. Who knows how they will go? We can only hope they click straight away. I agree its a must win however, Ill be devastated if we lose as I was Rd 1 this year.

Its a bit harsh on the comment that he had nothing to do with his talent and he has done nothing with it. I can think of a lot of talented people who have done less. You made a comment BH the other day around JW picking and choosing the contests he was involved in. Watching some replays of the late in the year games and I do agree. He does some courageous things intercepting the pill but I don't think he has an ounce of the courage of what Rivers was doing on a consistent basis. I was talking about this 'picking and choosing contests' with a friend tonight who completed a preseason with the bombers in the late 90's (never played a game). He was telling me even in training there early you went in and hard, practice drills hard. Practice matches hard and if there was at any time you didn't the likes of Wallis, Hardwick and Wellman would absolutely rip shreds off you, new recruits or not. In his opinion this is what made Lucas and Lloyd. Something our boy Jack never got the experience of. Might have been hard on some but at least you knew the standards early. I think this is something which Bails failed considerably at. He is a clearly a people person and respected but he became more a gentle father like figure to our recruits when we needed someone with a clearer tougher edge which I hope now we have. Apologies to all further derailing a training thread.

Agreed, his second half was actually pretty good. It's just so hard to accept him playing 'pretty good' footy however when we have had so many little tastes of what Col can provide. But stats wise from Rd 13 he averaged 21-22 touches and a sausage a game. After a broken back for the first half I would say his fitness would have just been kicking in here and maybe a bit of confidence. I don't think that was to bad for a team that was awful

Such a big point you make there when noting who we will be playing against. I imagine our backline will be completely different when playing someone like Carlton with there small forwards Betts, Garlett, Walker and probably Menzel this year roaming in comparison to the Eagles with Darling, Kennedy and a resting Nicnat/Cox. I think Gillies is really just backup for Frawley and won't see much action. He will be competing with Sellar for the third tall gig. For the exercise: Jetta Frawley Garland Watts McDonald Tapscott Nicholson and Jetta will compete for that BP spot and Col retains his spot as he is very flexible. I like Tappy and would rather him in the team then Dunn. Dunn has had his time IMO. If we needed another tall then Sellar comes in and Watts to the wing (ala Richo 2008)

A majority of those games however he was playing in a back pocket/flank as the designated kicker. I really liked him playing here and hope he makes a spot there his own. He has a lot more of a fair dinkum crack than what I have seen from Strauss. Tappy kicked a few goals in the U/18's comp if I recall correctly rotating on a HFF through the midfield. We will see a new man this year with his first preseason under his belt. My forward line for the sake of it as follows: FF: Dawes as he was recruited to be a full time forward. CHF: Clark to get him roaming and being more of a presence. FP: Pedro as he will be giving the Rush a chop out. Spencer is to clumsy to play a majority of his game time up forward. He will play first ruck (unlikely) or not at all. One of the other three spots has to go to Byrnes as why else would he have come to the Dees if he wasn't expecting a lot of game time. Can't see him playing mid or defending. The other two spots can be split by the rest listed in RPFC's post. I think Howe will still play a lot of his time there as will Sylvia. Not sold on Davey being back to his best but just hoping to see something.

Exactly. I would love to see him get a taste of senior footy this year but would be very happy for him to prove his worth in the Scorps best 22 first with a majority of his games there listed in the best. If people didn't know Bennel when watching him train with us over previous seasons they would have thought we have a star on our list with his speed and skill so I am not getting too carried away with Barry yet as we have all be burnt before. From reading the raps on him, he is a very outside player and that was playing against boys. So lets not get carried away. Here is hoping but

Just wanted to say thanks for the reports as always and a special thanks to six6six! Great work with the photos mate, love your work.

Not sure why people continue the basketball speak when talking about Jack. He played as much football as he did basketball growing up. Happy for Hawkins to show a bit last year after dealing with his share of haters. As long as Jack continues improving I'll be happy. Bit of a different in the two but so not much point in comparing. Hawkins as always been a physical player as a junior, crunching people in his way. Obviously everyone was his size when he made it with the big boys so it was always going to take time to build more strength and regain his confidence. Also, Tom also would have been walking a couple inches taller looking around and seeing Mooney, Chappy, Stevey J and Jpod around him knowing if he cops some stick he will be protected. Who did Jack have when he began? Have a look at the 2009 Demons list, he would have walked into a forward line containing the intimidating figures of Robertson, Bate, Green and Maric. Enough to keep any opposition backman sleepless the night before. Jack was taller and silky as a junior playing a variety of spots. He never imposed himself on games like a Carey or Brown however he dominated them with his speed and agility. Everyone had this dream we were getting a Carey or Brown player but he was never going to play like these two. The ridiculous expectations we put on him people believe he is soft. Continually jumping back with the flight intercepting marks in front of opposition players is not soft. He isn't physical or intimidating but he is not scared to have a go. Disappointing as a number 1 draft pick he maybe to some but he was clearly the best player at the time. We would have been crazy not to pick him. Come on Jack! Prove your doubters wrong!!

Lot's of it, I suppose OD it goes with being a dees supporter. We have been starved for too long for a real superstar like a Buddy or Ablett. Not going to drag up the past recruiting of players but I'd love for us to unearth a real superstar with an early draft pick. Not saying that Trenners or Watts won't get to a high level but doubt they will ever compete with a Buddy, Ablett, Judd (of a couple years ago) or Goodes.

I'd love to come back on here after round 24 and read, "Wow, how good was Trenners this year?? No wonder he was a number 2 pick" Also to see even more improvement in Jones, much love. And finally, for us to have a top draft pick who really performs for us..... please....pleeeease Jimmy T let it be you!!!