Jaded No More

We need to wait and see what happens to Miller when Jared 'I'm the only decent defender you have' Rivers finally makes a return to senior footy. Miller might then be used as a third tall, which I think he is capable of doing. Dunn, Bate, even Sylvia are all better CHF candidates because as well as presenting they can also kick long and with purpose. Not to mention they have superior marking abilities, and can push into the midfield if needed. If Miller doesn't make it as a third defensive tall, he won't have a place in our team IMO. He needs to stick it out, and no doubt when our midfield actually bothers to put pressure on the ball carrier, and Rivers makes his triumphant return, things will look a whole lot easier for everyone in the back half.

We also need a tagger/ defensive midfielder in there. We have McLean, Jones and Moloney, who are all, by nature, attacking players who focus on chasing after the pill. The presence of say a Bartram could make a huge difference. Not only can he block and shepherd our own midfielders, he can also nullify the influence of the opposition's most important midfielder. Alternatively, it might be time to get Junior to start tagging and negating again. Just as a side note, I thought our work at the bounce was actually not as pathetic as it has been over the last 12 months. To draw even in the clearances was a good start. Pity that we can't get the ball out of the pack though. This is where pace comes into the equation. Sadly we don't have anyone quick enough to burst through. Moloney, McLean and Jones try, but they are not quick nor strong enough to get away from 2-3 players at a time... if only Buckley could actually kick!

I found it quite sad to hear last night that so many past greats of the club have been burnt and don't want to return. We need to present a united front, and if Gary can help reunite the various factions within the club that would be fantastic. On an unrelated note, Hutchy is a pathetic sensationalist that needs a good kick to the head.

For the love of all that is red and blue, why don't you make the situation a bit more dramatic The only way this loss would change anything is if more supporters followed your lead and went on a massive wrist-slashing rampage. It was a bad loss, but it was one game. The whole 'woe is me' attitude is not going to make anything better.

Rutten benefits from having defensive ability. Having never seen Meesen play before, I'm not sure if the same could be said about him. Full back is not some position you fill with whatever big player you can find. You need to train to be a defender, and as far as I know Meesen has been training with the ruckmen not the backline.

Ugh, Melbourne 'supporters' make me sick! Support the club or just go away. Honestly, nobody forces you to barrack for Melbourne, so don't let the door hit you on the way out. :angry: :angry: :angry:

Was very disappointed that Frawley didn't make the team. I'd rather him than Yze, given he can play down back and can also fill a hole on the wing/ half-back flank. Definitely needs game time to show us what he can do.

I agree. Our defence held on for dear life. They were always next to their opponent, and they tried to zone off and help each other, but when the ball is coming in at the speed of light and with such precision, there is nothing a defender can do. Also, Franklin is not exactly Kent Kingsley II. On a bad day he'll turn you inside out, on a good day he'll make you look like a D-grade amature defender. Carroll's disposal, when he actually had the ball, was not too bad. At least he kicked with some purpose.

Lack of fitness due to recent injury. Bailey refused to play anyone who wasn't 100% fit, which is why injuries and lack of fitness is NOT an excuse when it comes to the performance yesterday. Some players are getting away with too much because "oh no, they were struggling with injury". Complete crap. The only player who can get away with that excuse is Petterd, who will probably need a few weeks to catch up to the speed of the game, following his lung injury.

Having pace allows you to pressure your opponent, man-up better, move the ball with more purpose, not get caught flat-footed. Of course getting clean first possessions is very important, but it does not eliminate the need for pace. That we have two quick players in our team, one who cannot dispose, the other who is hot and cold every week, is a real worry.

He remained calm but to me it seems that he's ready to quite seriously hurt a lot of players. He was fairly short-tempered with the media, and I think the fools who play for this club have no idea what's coming their way tomorrow (mentioned Tuesday's training). It's all fun and games until the bald man brings his shotgun to training

I'm pretty sure we broke even in the clearances yesterday.

Did we make a mistake with Davey, beefing him up over summer so he can play in the midfield, thereby reducing his speed? I'm worried that we're too focused on getting him into the centre of the ground, even at the expense of his greatest asset, his speed. He looked almost overweight yesterday, and yet when he was chasing down a player he could barely lay a tackle. Was probably our biggest non-performer yesterday. If ever he is struggling, the simplest thing we can do is chuck him at the feet of the FF. That is his natural position and he will always make something happen down there. I'm not convinced that he'll ever quite make it as a midfielder, and I would hate for him to end up like Brad Green (could have been a great forward, but is now just an average midfielder). Our lack of speed all around the ground is depressing. We look like a team assembled in a senior centre.

Brad Miller is never going to be a champion player. The reality is that for the moment, he is covering a hole down back because Rivers is injured. I'm a bit confused as to why people are picking on him for yesterday's results. He was one of 6 helpless defenders who received zero help from the midfield and had to deal with great delivery after great delivery. None of our backman disgraced themselves as far as I could see. At least Miller was kicking the ball every time he had possession. We have far far bigger problems than Brad Miller.

So we should keep them in the side and reward their attitude and ineptitude? Dropping the younger players is only going to slow our development further. Besides, if you make a scapegoat out of Weetra, Garland, Petterd, etc... you are never going to teach the players anything, you will only disappoint and alienate the young players who, may not be perfect, but who try as hard as they can.

If you jump off this early, you need to take a long hard look at yourself. Bring on the Dogs!

It's a tactic, for you see, he is so slow he needs to be half a second behind to make it to the contest on time <_< Seriously though, that's a coaching issue which can be fixed. I'm not advocating that Jamar should become our ruck saviour, but if you're going to play a second ruckman, you have to actually play them as a second ruckman. That was probably one of my biggest issues with Daniher. 10 years, 1 ruckman.

Actually, when it comes to rucking, I think Jamar is better than PJ. Jamar is stronger and gets his hands on the ball more. Around the ground PJ is better, but that's not hard given Jamar is practically a statue. He's there for decorative purposes only. That Meesen couldn't get a game ahead of our current plethora of brilliance is a real worry. P.S.- nobody is carrying an injury in Round 1. For god's sake, Bailey said nobody will play unless they are 100%. Injuries are not an excuse this early in the year. If we have players who are under-done and they are playing, than Dunn, Rivers, Bartram and Whelan should sue!

I just want to understand what the contingency plan here is. We have had ONE ruckman for as long as I can remember. White is done for, this year, next, it doesn't matter. What matters is that we don't have a second ruckman, because nobody has been given an opportunity to really learn the position. White is still rucking far too much, and doing far too little around the ground. Jamar, Meesen and PJ might be crap, but they are the ones waiting in the wings. So if they are crap, lets find out and get rid of them now.

Two examples: First example was in the second quarter I think. The ball just dribbled out of our forward line, and was there to be won. Bruce ran and stopped. He had the opportunity to throw himself in and get the ball, but he didn't. Another example, and I swear I nearly jumped the fence after that one, was when running out of the backline, Bruce decided to handball to McLean, who was surrounded by 3 Hawks, because he wanted to avoid physical contact. Never in my life have I been so ashamed of a Melbourne player. Sold his own team-mate into trouble, instead of taking a few extra steps and kicking the ball. Not every player needs to throw themselves at the contest with no regard for their own well being (i.e.- Jones), but every player has to go when required, especially a senior LEADER. I can forgive the terrible kicking, poor decision making and lack of leadership shown, but not the lack of effort and care. If he isn't fit, he shouldn't play. Bailey said only players who are 100% fit will play, so no excuses. Bruce had a few very good seasons, but has gone downhill since. Much like Yze, we cannot carry players based on what they have done in the past. Perhaps a permanent forward position is the solution, who knows. It's sad that someone with his ability is struggling to impact matches. I have no doubt that we've seen the best that Bruce has to offer. Maybe it's our fault for expecting too much of him.

I wouldn't blame him if he threw in the towel and told them all to stick it. The poor guy has been playing his heart out for years, carrying a pathetic team on his shoulders, being the only leader on and off the field. In this, his twilight years, it would be nice if the players he carried for years payed him some respect and actually played like they care. It is terrible that someone so talented, so honest, so passionate is going to leave this club without a flag, and through no fault of his own. That he was the first, and probably only player to run down a Hawks defender during the entire game, is a complete disgrace. He shouldn't be chasing the opponents of his 20 year old teammates ffs!

Welcome back Dunn, Rivers and Bartram. Can't wait for Rivers to bring some much needed calmness back into the train-wreck that is our backline at the moment. Did Frawley play?

Indeed. Cale showed composer in many contests, and it's a good start. I can't imagine how bad it must have been for him and Weetra, playing their first match, and having to deal with such crap all around them. Unfair assessment of Bell and Petterd. Bell shut down his opponent, and was then forced to play on Franklin, who he did reasonably well against (given the quality of delivery and lack of Melbourne pressure). His tackling is superb, and so is his ball use, but when you are left all on your own to stand against Franklin, you can't be rebounding the ball and creating play. As for Petterd, we should be thankful that he's alive, let alone playing with such courage.

Rubbish excuse. Being underdone is not a free pass to duck your head and avoid physical contact. We've been waiting for him to get better for 8 seasons. It's not happening. Time to let go. Bailey needs to make a statement by dropping a host of senior players, but at the same time there is a danger of over reacting. The worst thing we can do is dwell on this loss. We have to move on and focus on next week. However, on today's performance White, Yze, Bruce, Davey and Green all deserve to be dropped.

How can you justify dropping Weetra, Garland and Petterd, and keeping serial underperformers like Bruce and Wheatley in the team? How are we ever going to develop and move forward if we don't give these kids a chance to learn? Besides, Garland and Petterd were far from our worst players. I agree with the ins, but replace Holland with Frawley, and also Bate if fit has to play.