nutbean

So conflicted over Morton. Like MFC a big gap between his best and worst efforts

With Goddard it was drive to "maligned" and then drive 30 kilometres past until you reach "soft, underperforming, underdelivering pea heart". Three years ago ( maybe four) he was an absolute whipping boy at StKilda and a complete waste of a high pick - to the extent that there were strong rumours ( yeah i know ! rumours !) of him being traded out.

We, on the site , watch from afar. We have little to no insight into the inner machinations of Baileys coaching. We see the end result - we see the 100 minutes a week. The people making the decisions - or having input - see the end result but also see training - see the coach working with players - see how they respond - have detailed feedback from the coach behind closed doors that ( i would hope) is not sugar coated as it must be for the media. BTR - I am with you - I just dont know - but I agree that people better credentialled than us on this site and the media will make a decision that I will live with - and i am positive they are better informed than we are.

working backwards from injury is so bad and just the wrong system. Spear tackle - outlaw. Sling tackle - part of the game What would have happened if Jordies flying tackle did both of Martins knees ? how would that be assessed ? negligent ?

So new and yet so wise

Since this whole issue is full of rumour and innuendo without substance I will add to it. It has been circulating that Martin will be on 700-800K per year at Richmond ! Wow if it is true

Needs to get involved more. If you are stopper/tagger and do your job properly then you can afford to have Bennell's numbers. If you are in the team to be a run and carry line breaker you have got to get the ball more. It means you are not working hard enough to be the link in the chain.

The umpires have been horrific the whole year. My pet hate is guessing and they seem to do this with alarming frequency - especially with the diving on the ball and not getting it out. The amount of times the umpires are on the wrong side of the bodies to make this decision is appalling. If you dont know umpire - DONT GUESS

So Tom Scully is the reason why we are playing like we are ? Pleassse ! It makes for good soap opera in the media and hysteria on supporter sites but do you think that the team plays like it does because of the Scully situation ? Railroading ? not !

The interpretation needs to be reviewed and quick. I understand coming down hard on a spear tackle - lifting the player up and driving his head into the turf. However - we have come down hard on bump at head high level - the rationale is that you have the choice of tackling or bumping - therefore if you bump the head you are in trouble. I can semi live with that. But we now we are saying we should tackle not bump but only a tackle a certain way - something that is done in a split second. The worst aspect of how tackles are being adjudicated is that we are now working backwards from how badly injured someone is - how about when you attempt a smother across someones knees and cause injury ? What about the duty of care to Brown of Richmond as Waite laid his boot fair in the back going for a hanger - didnt have to do that - when you start judging aspects of the game illegal because of injury caused even the action of the player is not illegal then we are forgetting that footy is a contact sport.

it was the complete lack of effort that made my stomach clench

we were putrid

Super talented but you cant expect high level output with no preseasons, no continuity and the family problems that has fallen on him. I too hope he takes the balance of the year off and hopefully gets over his troubles and wants to come back fit and firing.

dinner down degreaves street and to the game ...ho !

On the board or a consultant I believe

Was at the weary dunlop lunch last week - new coach - damien hill - was an assistant i think - beale and oconnor both signed and coming ( a one year deal for each) - somerville and another forward whose name escapes me has retired

pssst - McQueen has stepped down as rebels coach

Dont know what he came off but is reportedly on a five year deal at GC.

Why ? I am not naive to take it word for word that there have been no approaches from GWS. I am choosing to believe that the only discussion with GWS so far is that there will be no discussions until seasons end. So when Velocity and Scully say there have been no discussions or offers I for one believe what they say. Certainly when it comes to offers - there have been so many different "offers" bandied about that I truly dont believe an offer has been made.

I turned on my nightlight and all I was afraid of went away - its just all the nightmares you are having by things that go bump in the night - lots of baddd people making up rumours and stories - we all may wake up tomorrow ( at the end of the season) and your fears are realised but it might also be a bright sunny day. Im going to sleep well tonight ( given that we will pummel the doggies) and leave what will be to what will be

I'm indifferent to the expansion. I'm hostile at the execution

need a daily fix - cheap as all get up

This +1 The model is so flawed - over 80% of their list will be locked into to fixed draftee contracts - 2012 -2014. Big trouble once these drafted players finish year two and their salaries go to open market forces.

two things that amuse - signing any player for 6 years - absolute insanity. Sheedy said two weeks ago that they havent signed any player yet because who would want to risk signing a player that could injured before the seasons out - yet they are going to offer a 6 year deal. - DB stating the offer as $7M over 6 years - this really makes me believe that no offer has been put to him at all. This must be the 10th different deal that "reliable sources know has been put to Tom Scully". Go back through the papers - 3 years, 4 years, 5 years and now six and dollars ranging from $700K to $1.4M. Yes - a firm offer indeed. I've gone from ulcers to giggling

I have no idea whether he will stay or go - but I am taking everything said by the people actually involved in the process at face value. What I 100% agree with you about is I am baffled by GWS being prepared to throw large sums of money at such young players. From a structural player payments point of view going forward - (in 2 years all their draftees have to be paid at negotiated market value) its completely destablizing. Whilst I am not suggesting that the older the player the more they should get paid - but players of quality get paid more coming into their prime not well before they have reached it. I suspect this approach of wanting to overpay 20 and 21 years will blow up in their faces ( and also cause a lot of grief for clubs trying to retain these kids)