FarNorthernD

Yes the intensity of this match is about half of the Melbourne V Bulldogs last week. The bestest thing about it is watching Eddie Betts being Eddie Betts. Makes you smile just seeing what he can do.

I must admit I am surprised that Watts has been left out of this weeks side. I am of the understanding that clubs like to get 6-7 quarters into players before Rnd 1. If Watts is a required player and definitely in the best 22 as has been stated then his preparation may be compromised. If he has a shocker against the Saints it will be hard to know if it was because of his failings to meet KPI's (whatever they are) or due to lack of match practice.

And if Watts has a 20 disposal first up game against the Saints, regularly hitting forwards on the chest whilst slotting a couple of goals himself I look forward that poster declaring he was, perhaps, mistaken.

A hint of triumphalism in your post Pro after having to wear a Jack avatar for most of last year?

We have been a poxy club running around in a poxy clash guernsey Now we are a proper club and someone has decided we need a proper clash jumper to play in. Its part of the tide turning and washing away all the old crud. Perfect timing.

I really don't think the AFL community have quite realised how good Jordan Lewis is going to be for us. While the talking point of the day for the commentators was the recruitment of Cloke, the ex Hawthorn player picked up a team high 28 disposals for the Dees. Did he miss a target all day? He must have but all I remember is him hitting players by both hand and foot. And then, of course, there he was bobbing up in the final few minutes in defence exactly where he was needed. Big call but I reckon he could make us a better team by two or three wins this year. Recruit of the year.

I really enjoyed that win O'dea a favourite, seems to bleed red and blue

Bet we do

Michael Tuck

So this guy has taken all the emotion out of it and scientifically worked out that Collingwood are the most likely to go down and Melbourne the most probable to rise. It may not still be Valentines Day but I want to buy this guy some roses

That was the game where he bought his own ball and looked a cut above pretty much everyone else on the park. Would love to see Jack return to that sort of form.

As penance for this post you now owe us probable first game dates for Kent and Hibberd and some other decent observations on the next training thread. Perhaps a Macca quote too

That's because he was in the next sentence

Yes according to the Pie supporters there were a few reasons they lost Because of the Umpires Because they weren't fit enough Because their ruck woman is tall but not very good but the most reported failing was.... They believed that Buckley went into the box after half time. Strangely I think I respect Buckley more than the average Collingwood supporter does Wonderful to hear the girls sing the Grand Old Flag after the game. May we hear it many more times this season

Can't see it happening. Report on the AFL site says he will be on well north of a million a year. Can't see our current management selling the farm for one player. I'm guessing that was one of the reasons why it may have taken Hogan so long to sign as he could have got more money elsewhere and perhaps why the McDonald 53s only signed for two years. I could be way off the mark there but I'll almost guarantee we will avoid the bidding war and pick up a player who is 90% the player of Fyfe but at half the price

I did not know that was Iggy Pop's birth name. Apparently he is 70 this year too. I danced to his music when he was young. This news is not good for me.

Good on you and your family Drunkn I just looked up Aloysio - 177cm and 84kgs, left footer, pace and big x factor. Who wouldn't like!!

I haven't ventured onto this thread in a number of years, perhaps five hundred hundred pages ago, but I'm pretty sure the same conversation about bananas and smoothies was going on then too and between the same posters. With all that has happened in the world in that time it is almost reassuring to see some things don't change. Will check back after Flag 14.

You are right, it was a good deal for both clubs We got Tyson Salem Hunt They got Kelly Lobb

Thankyou to Goodvibes. Reports such as yours make for a wonderful read at this time of year. This report below is sourced from a poster known as Brady over at Demonology "So I headed to Maroochydore this morning expecting the boys to have a pretty solid session, and it definitely was.Over 3 hours out in the 30+ degree heat. I would have left just before midday and they still hadn't finished up. The sessions started with some standard kick to kick and lane work before they got into some 12 on 10 full field match stuff. There was a group of 10 on the sideline in a resting group. The two teams would go full tilt for 3-4 minutes before one would swap with the resting team. Two players wore orange bibs and would always be on the attacking side to create an outnumber 10 to 12. The countdown timer on the scoreboard was set to 25 minutes and they went at it until it was up. Over on the other field was the rehab group which today consisted of Tyson, Kennedy, Kent, Spencer, Jetta, Wagner, Hibberd and Brayshaw. Not sure why a few of them were in this group but maybe they were just being managed or have a little niggle or two. They were doing laps at a pretty good pace to start with before moving into some 100m runs / sprints They then a little later moved into boxing. Out on the main field the group went into 15 v 15 full match play. Goodwin would kick the ball to a player in the back pocket then it was on. They went at it until a goal or point was kicked. The ball moved at a very good pace. You can definitely identify the game plan now. This went on for another 25 / 30 minutes, before the team headed into the cool room for 15 minutes, I think this was a "half time". As Brendan McCartney walked into the rooms he said to all of us supporters watching "don't worry guys, we aren't done with them yet, they've got another 60 minutes of hard work to go, you'll see some tired boys out there soon" he wasn't lying. They came back out and the mids split and did some boundary throw in work while the forwards and backs did some contested work inside forward 50, with the forwards trying to stop the backs getting it out. Once this finished I decided to head off as it was stinking hot in the sun but I heard one of the coaches say they had around 25 minutes to go "the last quarter" A very big session! Some individual performances I noticed - Lewis - well as everyone already knows, this guy is all class. He will add a level head out there, calm under pressure and time after time hit the target to a leading Hogan or Weideman coming out of the forward 50. Looking like he has dropped a kg or two. He will add a huge amount to the team. Oliver - He was in everything. In the match simulation he would of been one of the leading possession winners out there. Used it well too. I think it could be a good year for him to come. Knows how to find the footy. Petracca - Beast! I am so excited to see this guy out there this year. He moves so well and was another who racked up the possessions today. Played across half forward and pushed up into the midfield. He could absolutely dominate a couple of games this season. I really believe that. Others who caught my eye were Bernie, Hogan, Weideman (who has definitely put on a few kgs) Gawn who just did his thing. JKH got a lot of the ball but would have turned it over or shanked the kick probably 50% of the time. He needs to fix this if he wants any chance of making the 22 this year. Anyway, overall, having come and watch the boys train at Maroochydore the last 3 years. I can honestly say this has been the best I have seen them train. That might be to do with the time of year it is as we are only weeks away from games but there was such a positive vibe around the group and they went at it full tilt. You can tell they are ready to get stuck into the 2017 season now. Cheers and Go Dees!"

I think most on here actually believe that Trengove is an asset to the Club. He has shown resilience and dedication and is obviously held in high regard by the players. I think what many here do wonder is if he can reach the potential he showed in the first couple of years which is a fair debate.

It is difficult to think of another player who has improved as much as Oscar did in the course of one season. He was no where near AFL standard in his first few games earlier last season; he looked slow, seemingly had little agility, presence, urgency or physicality. To then go on and win the rising star in round 21 and be seen as an important part of our backline says a lot about him and also the ability of the Club's management skills to back him and get the best out of him. I found it interesting that Oscar stayed in the team whilst Clayton Oliver was sent back to Casey during the year.

I must admit I was surprised by how good a year Parish had. Averaging 21 disposals across 20 games in your first season in a poor team is pretty bloody impressive. Oliver averaged a tick over 19 possessions over 13 games. Parish had the more consistent first season. I doubt you would find too many bombers supporters who would be willing to do that trade. Having said that I think most on here would agree that Clayton's ceiling is way higher than Darcy's. He has the ability to eventually control games and on occasions he can do the impossible (that hand off to Stretch against the Hawks). These days you would actually back our footy department in to get him to reach his potential Oliver is going to give us supporters a lot of joy over the next decade. There is no way I would do that trade

Would like to add Stretch to that list

Interestingly the AFL draft article below (Nov 13 2014) lists him at 197cm and 94kg. So in 2 and a bit years of development he has shrunk. Is it too late to blame Mark Neeld for this? http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-11-13/oscar-firms-for-second-round Unfortunately the listed figures for players should be used as a guide only. It would be easier for us supporters if they were correct but all AFL clubs seem to play this game. Gut feel watching him run around during matches is he would be near 198cm these days. He certainly has his brother well covered.