jimcor

You're probably right but even with the limited view that you get via the TV, you can still see Maxwell directing traffic and telling people what to do even though he is only on screen a minority of the time 'cos he's playing back. Jamar is in view a lot but I can't recall seeing much in the way of directions to his team mates when he's not directly involved. It's those sorts of things which will make him a better leader, I think. But then again, it's only my opinion!

If this is a response to my post, it's wrong. No suggestion of dumping, just a comment that,as a member of the leadership group, Jamar needs to display his leadership by more than just performing well in the ruck - that's his normal job. If the younger, less-experienced leaders are struggling, Jamar needs to be more assertive and demanding. Funnily enough, during the pre-season, Trengove was the most vocal player at the training sessions I got to so it's certainly not an issue of shyness or lack of confidence.

I didn't catch the interview but that's great to hear (as is the comment about wanting to stay with the Dees). I am sure that if he demanded greater efforts from those around home, they would listen. I'm not at all surprised that he's a straight-shooter but leadership is also about being able to extract maximum effort and effect from those around you. I don't think we've seen that as yet.

Interesting discussion and I very much agree with your comment re Jamar's lack of leadership on the field. It strikes me (as it does others) that we lack vocal on-field leadership. There seem to those who currently lead by example and vocally (only Bartram really), those that lead by example (Jones, Jamar and Clark) and those who for one reason or another seem to be struggling to do either. As the oldest, most-experienced and most highly-regarded, I think that Jamar should be the one steppimg up and driving the effort on- field while Grimes and Trengove are struggling. I don't think I've seen it so far this season.

Spot on Binman. I didn't get to training this week (hopefully next) but it was certainly obvious to me last week that the session was as tough and animated as the pre-season sessions. No wonder we have a lot of tired-looking players on game day. The coaches must be investing for next year (or hopefully later this season!) given that they are training like it's a 15 month pre-season. Anyway, it's great to see that there's actually some strategic thinking going on.

Has there been an explanation as to why Jetta's ankle injury is indefinite? It might have been posted previously but, if so, I've missed it. I don't understand why the recovery period hasn't been stated. It must be very severe.

I can hardly wait........and I guess there'll be a few players who would also be just hanging out for it. Can you imagine the pleasure that Mitch and Jimmy M will get from their first win?

Last year, in spite of some competitive results, I couldn't see how we were ever going to be good enough to compete for a premiership. This year, it feels different. I can see that there's a plan and that all of the players are trying to play to it. I have seen some genuine improvement in a number of players however some are still struggling. I see that our skills with the ball are improving. We have recruited an effective spearhead and a good inside mid in Jimmy We have a professional and competitive coaching team + Dave Misson. As as PRB said, LJ is back and seems to have improved his defensive work rate. Def not all bad.......just (???) need to get some results on the board.

I think that's right,FD. The challenge for coaches is to get the best possible result out of a player, any player. It's not about being one thing or another (tough, honest, open?), it's about the ability to extract that extra special something that needs to emerge to convert an ordinary player into a good one, and a good player into an exceptional one. For me, that's what the best coaches do. At the moment, Neeld hasn't been able to do that 100% with Jack Watts and a few others but that doesn't mean he won't be able to do it. The fact that he is tough, honest, open, determined makes it much more likely that he will succeed but, if it was that easy, we'd all be AFL coaches. Time is what it will take. FWIW, I'd leave Jack Watts in the twos for the time being.

I thought Rhys-Jones was very biased against Jack Watts and thought his commentary reflected this bias. Strangely, he started back-pedalling as the game progressed and seemed to accept that JW was,in fact, having a pretty good game. Towards the end, he reverted to a bit of Jack-pummeling. DR-J was a thug as a player and he's not lost that talent in the commentary box. A blind-sider. Balls, on the other hand I think you,re right in that he does always seem to be an 'ambler' but, personally I don't think it's because he's not interested, I think that unlike some other players, he hasn't realized that if you look fierce, people (like us) will think you are fierce. I don't care whether he looks fierce or not as long as he keeps developing. Have a look at how often he gets caught with the ball - almost never. That's not a typical 'ambler'.

I was away do didn't get to the game and have just watched the recording. First reaction was that the skills and endeavour were still improving. A few costly howlers but a number of them were simply poor decision making or poor skills - both treatable and not punishable by death. The performance of those who came up from the twos struggled with the ehigher tempo and pressure levels. I agree with those saying that it's too much of a knee-jerk reaction if they were immediately dropped. They need time to settle. I. Wouldn't be surprised if Watts & Jurrah were given given another run with Casey but, as has been remarked elsewhere, they are definitely too good for the VFL. If Neeld decides they are right to come back then It will be interesting to see if he (Neeld) holds his nerve about giving promoted players the opportunity to settle in. I suspect not and can see Petterd & Fitzpatrick being dropped. Also thought Dunne put in a pretty complete performance for Casey but needs to show that he can do so over a number of weeks.

Did anyone notice how exhausted Jack Watts looked at different stages of this game. Either he is still not fit enough or he was doing a hell of a lot of running not shown on the broadcast. I suspect the latter. Did any of those at the game notice if this was the case?

I think not. If anything positive came out of 2011 (apart from Bailey's departure), it was the realization that Bailey's building (or re-building) strategy was not working. Talented recruits without effective leadership is the answer to the question of 'How can we waste another five years? McDonald has shown that he should have been retained for at least another season, maybe two. Having said that, the benefit of history is that you have the opportunity to learn from it. Let's not waste that opportunity.

Thanks KC. I'm away for a couple of days so, thanks to you, I can record the game.

Indeed and it seemed more about not preventing younger players from getting games. With the benefit of hindsight, it was significantly wrong. What we now seem to have realized is that we lacked both proven leadership and proven hardness over the ball (Jimmy Mc provided both). If we'd had ample stocks of those, one person wouldn't have made such a difference. We didn't, it did! Regardless, it would be a much better result if Moloney lifts his performance and imparts some of his passion to the younger players.

It's not right to write Moloney off as yet. As I mentioned above, it's only recently that we delisted James McDonald and we are still paying a price. IIRC, the argument was that we had to Mel space for young ones. We then discovered that we had created a leadership vacuum that not only nature abhorred, the fans weren't that impressed either. Again, as I said, I don't think that, if he left it would be so difficult to replace him but frankly, we don't want to lose anyone who can still make a strong contribution. I think that someone like Moloney obviously needs a bit more assistance in adapting his game than the younger ones. Given his contribution over the last three years, there is a bit of a debt. If we don't show loyalty to players, it's unlikely we'll get much in return.

Probably a fair comment but it's very difficult when you've been a stand out and then have rapidly become something less. It's not Moloney's fault that he was a big fish in a very small pond of talent - at least while the smaller fish were developing their their talent. Managing player expectations is a key component of a footy club and this, like Junior's 'retirement', needs to be managed with sensitivity. Club culture is partly a reflection of the way we deal with the development of young players and the changing roles of senior players. Poorly handled, they can become poisonous. I'm sure he can continue to make a contribution but he needs to be convinced that it's a worthwhile one.

Thanks Binman, my hope as well. We've also gone from three full sessions (9.45 to midday) a week to one open session. I think this reinforces the suggestion that match play is so much more more heavy-going (and valuable) than a training session. It may be that they're having a lot of closed sessions but I think it's more likely they're needing to recover. Another great plus is that we've not really had much in the way of 'big' injuries to our core 22 and I wonder if that's a reflection of Misson's impact. I just touched wood in case I've tempted fate.

Jamar is (to me) the more interesting and valuable of the two. I think Moloney is in danger of becoming a fringe 'best 22' player given that he's had some difficulty demonstrating that he's able to do what's required under the new game plan. He would have been hugely hurt by the demotion from the LG (and I suspect his Warrnambool trips with the new recruits were knocked on the head by the new regime) and may not have been able to see that it was in the Club's best interests. If he chooses to leave, we have a number of similar (and maybe better) players on the books. Jamar, on the other hand, would be a big loss if he goes particularly if he develops his non-ruck play. His domination in the ruck shows that he has a lot to share with the likes of Gawn, Fitzie and Spencer and they will probably be much better ruckmen if they can follow his example. It will be up to Mark Neeld to convince him either that he owes the MFC for their perserverance or that we're going to be 'contenders' sooner rather than later - and our admin to find him some more money!

Both, I think, but the greater emphasis was on repetitions of 200 & 300 sprints. There were also repetitions of 60-100 meter sprints. I think the first priority was to build endurance so that we could last the full four quarters. With the endurance built, faster players (Watts, Blease,Davey, Jurrah et al (highlight use of Latin abbreviation) can then better play their part. As I said in the training OP, for the first time there was an emphasis on spreading which inevitably requires a full-speed sprint to either get into position or to close down the opposition's spread. Maybe this indicates that the coaches are happy about the endurance-building progress??

Interesting. I didn't hear Mick speak but those are my thought's exactly. I'm still surprised that JW & JM were dropped last week but it's obviously a judgement call and the coaches are in the best position to judge.

I think you're right. I suspect that it's not yet a matter of life and death for him as yet so we'll probably need to wait for him to get a bit more desperate. Hopefully Neeld & Leigh Brown (and Mick) can communicate that to him. Magner is almost the opposite. He realised that there probably wouldn't be any more chances after this one so career-wise, it is a matter of life and death to him. Good on him.

Yes, I think so. Thinking more about JW after seeing him train again, he just seems to really like playing. If he lacks anything, maybe it's intensity and that might not be a bad thing. He may actually realize that enjoyment is an important part of why he picked footy over basketball. It may be that the fact that he's intellectually well-balanced might slow his development down but, what the hell, why not? Players that are more 'driven' might develop more quickly but will they reach he same heights? Anyway, the longer he's enjoying it, the longer we'll hold onto him.

Went down to GP at around 10am & stayed for around 90 mins. A couple of observations: 1/- Didn't see Jack Grimes. 2/- Clint Bartram was in a small rehab group with Strauss & Tynan. Bartie was sporting a very fetching white stocking on his left leg. He departed early. 3/- Rivers was doing laps. Seemed to have some strapping on one of his legs. I forget which one. 4/- Apart from the normal drills involving breaking out of the back line and moving the ball quickly downfield for a shot on goal, saw for the first time, a drill where two teams of players (maybe 18 in total) would mill around in the centre until someone blew a whistle and they would spread at breakneck speed and present. The opposition 9 would try and shut the attackers down. Never seen this before (with Dees) on the training track. 5/- There seems to be a genuine sense of pleasure at having LJ back training with the main group. Lots of little taps, bulks & shoves throughout the session. Jimmy Magner in particular was pretty demonstrative. Can't think of anything else that stood out other than the continuous practicing of passing skills - obviously considered an area for some attention. Nearly forgot Jordie McKenzie spent some time with Mitch Clark practicing his kicking. Mitch was practicing his goal-kicking from all sorts of angles & distances

And a free hat!