nutbean

I go back further - Brian Wilson at StKilda kicking the winning goal against us

there is a long history of footballers departed from us that play one or two good games a season - against us !

My issue was not whether Rivers would go backwards or forwards in his output, He is getting to the end of his career so you are rght to assume that his most productive years are probably him. What I did take exception to is the four footballers you suggested that would easily replace him and go past him. The footballers have either played limited or no football or have never reached any level nearing Rivers. I was not unhappy with Rivers going as he gets a chance to play finals after serving us well. I would have liked to have kept him as we were lacking good footballers with experience but I don't think we feel his loss like we would a Jones or a Frawley.

Have to agree. Suggesting that a player like Georgiou can replace him - a man who hasn't played a single game of AFL football and is rookied! I think it is a disservice to a man who played many good games of football over a long period. Do I think he is a massive loss? Probably not but saying that he can be replaced by Struass, Terlich, Dunn, Pedo or Georgiou is highly unfair on Rivers output with the MFC and IMO poor judgement.

Fair degree of "crystal ball" there - you are assuming that Rivers is going to go backwards but also a number of footballers who havent shown much are all of a sudden going to improve and go past him.

And Martin has played more good games in his short career than Sylvia played during his whole career with us.

I don't have the time or energy to wish ill-will to players who leave our club. Rivers left our club for an opportunity to play finals in his remaining seasons and gave us good service for many years - good luck to him. Petterd was axed and to a certain extent was cruelled by injuries with us so if he succeeds at Richmond - good luck to him Sylvia was a perennial under performer and Moloney had a dummy spit in his last season under Neeld - to them I say - Meh

I am doing 3 weeks in France at the end of the year and spending Xmas in Paris so thanks for the excellent suggestions and I may pick your brains a little more closer to the time if thats ok.

Repressive Governments, poverty and hopelessness is fertile ground for breeding extremism

Nonsense - he is a 7 year player then lost to free agency ( sorry been on D/land too long)

I mean vision more around culture - Neeld definitely understood that we needed a complete shake up culturally - unfortunately from what he could control he didn't have the competency to create change. As you say Bailey may have had the vision but not the cohones to take on S&C.

I find the comparisons between Neeld and Bailey interesting. I don't think that a comparison is even possible. I think that what Neeld wanted to do and what he identified as being wrong was streets ahead of Bailey who seemed happy to let "Same ol same ol" keep rolling on. ( or Bailey was hamstrung by the administration). However Neeld was spectacularly unsuccessful in implementation and more importantly player buy in. Bailey I think had the players more onside but had very little vision. Needless to say neither of them will go down as our finest appointments.

58c a day ? 58c a day x 48 weeks = $139 a year for protective clothing that is worn the whole year. You wouldn't be able to buy decent commercial protective clothing for that let alone get it to last a year !! It is unreasonable ( unreasonably low).

Up until recently ( in most cases) the decimation of the TCF industries was mostly due to years of tariffs/quotas/subsidies protecting local manufacturers from imports and local management not restructuring, modernising and taking advantage of new technologies. Union and Labor demands had little to do with it. In recent time the unions have helped in the final push of nearly all manufacturing overseas, not by excessive wage demands but by bureaucratic demands. Any company buying garments locally ( for example Just Jeans) are responsible for wages and conditions of all businesses all the way down the supply chain whether the purchasing company is dealing directly with those businesses or not. That means a company like Just Jeans is responsible ( and must report) for the businesses providing spinning/knitting/weaving/dying of fabrics, accessories and CMT of garments. Unworkable.

There seems to be a fair amount of conjecture on payments and conditions. I agree with your second part about the dumping of imported produce being the major problem but would also not dismiss wages and union demands exacerbating the problem. I work in the TCF industry and it was always going to be difficult for local manufacturers to compete with cheap Asian imports but the TCF unions here have not helped the cause by making totally unrealistic demands.

Speaking for our children and the current Government so it seems - who would have thought ? http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/policy/recognition-of-aborigines-in-constitution-a-priority/story-fn9hm1pm-1226731852442#

I appreciate you thinking of me.

So why do you watch it then ?

You can disagree with the process that Neeld put in place but he shouldn't take ownership for something he clearly articulated that he didn't own. He said that the whole system was vote driven. I took Neeld at face value that it was equal voting amongst the players and all coaching staff that selected the captains. Just didn't agree with that process. I prefer the Roos approach as discussed above.

I thought you were going to ask " who's the bloke with Paul Roos"

Many a slow footballer has made up for a lack of leg speed by their quickness of mind and speed and precision of execution. I dont care if he gets faster but the quickness of mind and precision of execution has disappeared - thats what he needs to refind.

Jon Ralph. So unnecessary and so disrespectful. ( not too mention that the season hasnt started and who knows what will happen - StKilda could do a Port Adelaide). Maybe from now on we should refer to him by his full title - Likely never had an original thought in his life Journo, Jon Ralph.

I tend to agree and disagree in equal measure.

I should have used some less "controversial" examples. Lenny Hayes had three bad injuries in a row and lost the better part of two seasons and he came back strongly last season. MJT may be right and we wont see Clark playing in the future - we have two seasons of him being a part time player. But I just dont write players off until the player or the club do so.

You think maybe that you should stop posting in "Absolutes" ? When discussing Paul Roos coaching us last year you said ( and I quote) - Next, who ever thinks he will coach us is delusional . Injuries like coaching appointments aren't over until they are over. Clark has had a bad run with injuries but no worse than the Golden boy Hird had and he came back, no more than the Ox and he came back and lots of others.