Maldonboy38

Since Schwarz got rid of the gambling, he is emerging and growing in every part of his life. He is no longer the gambling, relationship-destroying, I-don't-give-a-stuff nob he was growing up. There is a depth to him, and even in his media role he is maturing. Head of the football dept might be a stretch but he knows and understands footy, and has a "no prisoners" mentality. Just get him to the club in some official role where his knowledge and passion for footy and the MFC can influence the current players.

Please, please, please give him 5-8 games in a row and let him run. Look at Tapscott now he has a few games in a row. We need outside runners - those who can break the lines and we only have him and Evans. Bail too but he s also an in-and-under player. Blease is a gun and should be let loose, not held back at Casey.

A lot of us have mixed feelings about the Beamer situation, but surely people have got to stop bagging him abut being lazy etc... His stoppage work, defensive work and tackling against he Bombers today was sensational. He still kicks long without thinking but I miss his grunt and effort. Him moving on is a big loss for us. As was the Jnr MacDonald moving on. The more I think about all this the more depressed I get.

It's a really hard question to answer - what is the best way to support the club right now? Attending the games is excruciating. I have been to two so far and we got flogged by Bombers and Eagles.I have watched two games on TV and it is gut wrenching to watch. My wife and kids leave the room as I twist and contort on the couch watching lame tackling, country football level skills, and no passion from coach or players. I went along to that training session on Gosch's paddock. I have scarves and newsletters and annual reports. My kids have got guernseys, badges of favourite players, posters on the walls. I can't do any more than this. When Neeld was appointed I said we had to give him until round 11 in the 2013season. Well, I have concluded 4 weeks early. He is as bad a coach as Skilton and Ditterich were in the 70's. He is as bad as Tony Shaw was at Collingwood and Tim Watson was at St. Kilda. He is not a senior coach. I will support this club until I die but I cannot support the coach anymore.

I can tell you they both hit the pack hard - brutal a times. Because of the wind there were a lot of packs and it wasn't easy to see through the tangle of bodies. But Couch did have a good game all around the ground. I didn't include either of them in the report because they are rookies and I didn't want people saying they should be picked for next week.

Go for Nate Fyffe - absolute gun. His awareness makes his skill look even better. And he mark.

I went along to the game tonight but missed the first 10 minutes. Casey is normally windy but tonight is was ridiculous. At one point I had to move because my eyes were watering into the wind! I was really impressed with the coach - I think it is Rohan Welsh. Clear instructions that were concise and to the point. It was a tough night for good footy. 4-5 goal wind for most of the night. Dunn was outstanding. He played loose across half back, which I know is the easiest position in footy, but his reading of the play followed by his kicking was superb. If Watts does not play well, Dunn comes straight back in. Strauss. Played a very good game. Had a little bit of run-and-carry through the middle and delivered well most times. He appeared quicker than I remembered him. Taggert. I really like this kid. Strong over the ball, showed some gut running and kicked well. Was very smart at times using the ball into the wind. Kicked three (I think) Fitzpatrick.Great game. Proved a handful for Williamstown every time he was near the ball. Ran all night, flew for every mark and his pace was amazing. Seemed to have iron hands a bit - the ball bounced off them when he had a clear chance at marking. An impressive game considering the wind made it a shocking night for tall players. Hogan. Didn't see him get it too much. Toumpas. He got to a lot of contests but didn't seem to impact many of them. However, in the last quarter he was superb. His kicking to position against the wind was really good and he got in an under in defence when needed. Dawes. Not a great game. When he kicked for goal I am sure he did not kick through the ball well, and it seemed he was holding back on a full effort. I doubt he will play for the Dees against Carlton. His positioning and defensive efforts were good at times. Davis. He gets to a lot of contests and plays hard when he needs to. Kent. I was not sure of his number until the game was almost over so I am unsure how he went. Dunn, Strauss and Fitzpatrick played worthily enough to be considered for game against Carlton. Taggert maybe.

Like so many games involving the Dees over the past 3-5 years, it all comes down to the midfield. Our % of converting forward 50 entries into scores is actually OK. The main issue is the amount of times we can enter into the 50m arc. The Lions midfield looks to lack as much polish as ours does, so for mine, I reckon it has to do with 2 things: skill efficiency coming through half-forward defensive spread from our midfield We showed against GWS we can do both these things - but that was under very little pressure from some very tired young footballers. Can we do these two things under pressure from the Lions midfield? At the very least I reckon we can match them in defensive spread, but our kicking into forward 50 over 4 quarters remains suspect. Also, Gawn and Pedersen are pivotal. With Bail, Evans, Byrnes,and possibly Rodan, Davey and Blease if we can get front and centre enough we should be OK.

There is no way that being the CEO position at the Dees is considered "the poisoned chalice". Our onfield performance has been atrocious, but our off-field achievements over the past 3 years are substantial. Once we start winning, all the positives of membership base, Casey link, Darwin link, no debt, new sponsors etc... will click into place. Interim CEO Jackson does not have to reinvent the wheel or look too closely at personnel. His main job is to help detach us from the Red and Blueprint that was all words and no substance, and help us find a new CEO. It also looks likely that some major Board changes will occur during his 6 months and Jackson will be the main hinge around which all these changes move.

The club needs to continually 'evolve' and look at ways of improving at all levels. That goes without saying. But our greatest need is for the team - the actual footballers - to WIN. New sponsors - check. Move to new training facility including Gosch's paddock - check. Debt demolition - check. 30,000+ members in a period of pathetic football - check Press into Casey and Darwin - check. Search for new CEO with outstanding interim CEO - check. Men and women of Demonland, we simply need to start winning, and stop listening to all the spin from journos about being "irrrelevant, embarrassing, etc..." Winning, and winning alone, will grab this club by the scruff of the neck.

Many commentators say the only player to improve under Neeld's coaching is Howe. Utter nonsense. Tapscott is also loving the Neeld regime, and is quickly emerging as a starting 22 player. He can mark and kick and has a serious aggressive streak. His skills are questionable at times, but if can get 10 games in a row without injury we will then see him step into form, fitness and self-belief. And keep him at half-forward. One of his attributes is forward pressure keeping the ball inside 50.

Don't fall for the oldest journalism trick in the book. Journos ask questions, and people answer with as little information as they can. The journos then interpret what they didn't say as confirmation of hiding something. This is the default position of journalists when they haven't got a story, or anything reportable. It is also hack journalism, and if any of you ever listen to Laurie Oakes he hates this trend in modern journalism. It is unprofessional and diminishes the value of journalism across the broader community. Because Neeld and Craig didn't say anything doesn't mean that they did anything. They will have been instructed - from the MFC and probably also the AFL - not to say anything that can be reported as undisclosed fact. I am also a bit concerned about what knowledge the MFC had of Dank, but I am not going to believe the emotional, opinion based journalism of Caroline Wilson. I watch Footy Classified most weeks but 50% of it is cringeworthy grandstanding. Last night Caroline Wilson was an embarrassment to that show and on two occasions Lyon cut her short and went on. Her vitriol about James Brayshaw and the way she put a rumour on the table without any corroboration showed she has no professional integrity.

OUT: Jetta - suspended Clark - injured Viney - needs a break. IN: Strauss. Kent McKenzie We do not need another tall with Pedersen (unfortunately) Jamar and Gawn, so Spencer/Fitzy will not play Dawes remains one more week away I reckon Terlich won't miss. Hard as nails, has a red hot go and the coach loves this kind of player. Once he gets his kicking efficiency under control he will be fine. Watts is a mystery to me. What to do with him and where does he play? His form does not warrant selection but after a win there will be as few changes as necessary, so he stays.

I see a genuine improvement in terms of consistency from Sylvia, Howe and Trengove. They are in the game for longer and longer each week. If - and when - we can get them in a game for a full 4 quarters our fortunes will change big time. As for Jones, he does not have the skill of Flower, but when we look back over this period of being pathetic just like in the 70's, we will give Jones enormous credit for a being the one consistent player who gave his all every week, and excelled at times under a lot of pressure.

Our worst is far worse that the Lions. This remains a worry in every game we play. Our steady, tight football (when we show it) is equal to theirs. Our best - shown today in the 4th quarter - is better than their best. We are a chance and I reckon it will be within 3 goals for them or us but I am not confident. Bring in Strauss and McKenzie for Viney (needs a break) and Jetta. Don't mess with a winning team, even though it means leaving Pedersen in.

Should be a cracker of a game and a huge crowd. The only bigger crowd this round will be for Dees v GWS - not!!! Forward lines - pretty much even Midfield - even, but Pies have much more big game maturity Back lines - this is where the Pies will win he game. Tiges are still a bit suspect down back. Pies by 15 points. However, I hope they lose. The only thing better than Hird's face when Bombers lose is Eddie's beetroot explosions when the Pies lose.

It seems to me that Neeld & Craig have emphasised the first half against WCE, and are playing a team that performed well in whatever the KPI's were for those 2 quarters. I am super-surprised to see Watts in there, Toumpas needs a break, Jamar is very lucky and Sellar just aint up to it but some consistency is good to see. Gawn is a big in for us. He has yet to show his wares and I reckon he will be a gun.

Is this the cigarettes man, the man who makes suits or the AFL man?

I like the "absolutely left-field" thinking involved here, the master, but it is probably too big a hurdle to make. Think of that rugby bloke from Canada who now plays with Sydney (is it Pike?). Can we wait 4-5 years for Tebow to learn? The answer is no. But I like your lateral thinking - Bertrand Russel and Edward de Bono would love your work.

He was really impressive in that interview, and he held his nerve for almost 10 minutes. Every time he was led to some negative point by another journo-[censored] he returned to talking about the first half. This bloke is a born leader and I can't wait to see his leadership attributes fully emerge. I also agree with point made about Neitz and Green - two players I loved. They were cringe-worthy in front of a camera. As for his form after half time, I had my eye on him a fair bit and his gut running, and defensive positioning was actually really good. On many occasions he had to leave his position to fill a hole left by another team mate who hadn't got into position early enough, or hadn't run at all. On 2 occasion N Jones was the culprit (probably due to a huge 2nd half tag). Watch this space: a great year from Trenners in 2013 coming up.

I hope he can continue. He has run and grunt and late in a game is still grunting and running. But like I said to the woman in the crowd in front of me yesterday - I think Ro is done. He has suffered 5 (I think) concussions now.

OUT: Toumpas. Needs find some footy and some form Pedersen. He is a huge bloke and yet never impacts an actual contest. Jamar. My goodness what has happened to his marking ability? One of Garland or Frawley. IN; McKenzie Gawn. Strauss. Kent I can't wait until Dawes is ready to go. Bail returned to the ground in the last quarter so is eligible to play. Are Thynan, Taggert or Davis ready to play? If Davis could kick he would be a definite starter.

Tommy McD has genuine talent, and plays with a bit of dash at times. But he is beaten very easily in the air and when he makes an error it is usually an absolute howler. It is either a shocking decision making error, or he kicks poorly.

Considering how poor we have been at getting the ball, at least Terlich went and got the bloody thing. I agree about Tom McDonald. He looks amazing at times but was flogged one-on-one today. His aerial defence needs work 6. N. Jones. 5. M Jones 4. C. Sylvia 3. L. Tapscott 2. D. Terlich 1. J. Trengove

Today showed we can do it. We can match other better teams in contested footy. So - Neeld can coach and we can play. For 2 quarters anyway. We also showed that we are mentally weak. When a team gets a run-on against us, we cannot stem the flow. WE continue to show that our structure/positioning through the middle of the ground is the worst in the AFL. Watson and Heppel last week. Kerr, Priddis, Gaff etc... this week were playing 3 verses 1 on multiple occasions. Pedersen, Sellar - what can I say? They remind of Richmond's back line about 5 years ago. Give Davis, Fitzy a go. Jamar. How far has this bloke fallen? N Jones, M Jones, Terlich (kicking excepted) were good toady Trengove, Sylvia, Tapscott, got in and had a go. Bail and Evans showed some grunt and run.