Jaded No More

Whether it be 3 umpires, 9 or 17, they'll still make mistakes. The missed super-goal was clear evidence that a cricket-style third umpire would be far more useful than 9 umpires. At least the hands in the back rule wasn't over-umpired, which was great, but it kills me when an umpire on the other side of the ground runs in to give a call. Stay on your side and focus on what you can see, FFS! <_< :angry:

The most exciting part of the evening was hearing the final siren and not having any injured players on the ground. It was obvious that we were not playing to win. The emphasis was on the 'run and carry', and Neale obviously wanted the players to implement a game-plan that involved a lot of handballs. What we've learnt from this experiment is that we are no good at the 'run and carry', at least not yet. We handballed for the sake of handballing, often straight into trouble. It cost us dearly, but better now than Round 1. We have 4 weeks to either vastly improve this game-plan, or drop it completely. Other things that we could learn from tonight: - PJ is no ruckman. He was very poor in the centre bounces. Jamar was good in the contests, but disappeared completely when the ruck-contest was not on. For such big guys, these two do a mean disappearance act. I wish they played Neaves. He is raw, but IMO he is the best ruck prospect we've got. - Jones is going to be McLean's best friend this year. He was doing beautifully in the first half in the clearances. Very impressed with his work, but he faded out in the second. Looks noticeably slimmer too. - CJ finally showed what a class act he is. His disposal is first rate, and he looked far more interested than in previous matches. The forward line/ wing suit him far more than the backline. - Bell was very good, and people who criticise him are just doing so because it's fashionable. He made one stupid mistake when he tried to take on 3 Hawks players, but he was excellent otherwise, and went mostly for the first option, so he's obviously learning. The rest of the backline was average. Rivers looked disinterested, especially late in the game, while I thought Warnock fought admirably but was outclassed by a very good Franklin. Carroll was Carroll. - Bizzell, Godfrey and Ward are still lacking. Ward is only getting a game because he can run fast. His infatuation with bombing the ball in whichever direction is a disaster. Godfrey still can't tag or kick. Bizzell did nothing to suggest that he deserves a spot in the backline. Of the veterans fighting for a spot, only Brown impressed me. He worked hard and his disposal was relatively good. - Speaking of disposal, Brad Green's footskills are back! Pity Bruce still enjoys kicking ugly floaters. For such a talented players, his kicking is pathetic. - Thought Bate and Dunn did very little, and Miller was not even noticable. I'm a fan, everyone knows that, but he needs to do a lot more that he did tonight. - Frawley looked ok. Stuffed up early but went again, which is good to see. Buckley has a bit of 'Davey' about the way he moves, so I'm keen to see him play in the real stuff. - One final word, a Melbourne forward line without Davey is an over-crowded mess, while a midfield minus McLean is sadly lacking. Lets hope we can keep these two boys nice and healthy (White, TJ, Whelan and Pickett would also really help our cause). I love that football is back. Pity that we have to wait a month before we see the real Melbourne play.

I still can't find the final 24 for this afternoon. Surely the AFL site, if it wasn't such a mess, could lend itself to sorting out the final team.

Thankfully 'The OC' finale provided a good distraction. Whenever I switched over, I was greeted by shocking graphics, amaturish commentry and god-awful football. I know I should be ashamed of myself for choosing an average teen-drama over footy, but it was an easy choice last night (Collingwood didn't help the cause either).

Really happy about that. Dutchy has no match-up tomorrow, and with the current humidity, going in with 3 ruckmen is a good move. Anybody know the final 24?

Could not disagree more. Firstly, CJ is an absolute certainty to play. Secondly, Hawthorn's team is as young and inexperienced as ours. If we lose by 7 goals I'll be very disappointed, especially at the Dome when flooding and 'negative' football is so easy to impliment. Not saying we'll win, but you're way off.

Just 2 ruckman? Surprising. My guess to miss out: Ward Warnock Holland/Ferguson

Dear god no! That photo is a bigger crime than his latest betting scandal.

Oh, well who is arguing that? We'll go into the game with 3 ruckmans, we'd be crazy not to given the extended bench and the heat. If White is out (as he should be), the other 3 are in, otherwise Neaves will miss out. So really, we agree completely... bugger, I was looking forward to my slab! Edit: Shouldn't have said anything before I read This thread. Seems we are only going in with 2 ruckmen, and neither are Jeff White. Dammit!

White + PJ + Jamar + Neaves? It's not going to happen. I look forward to my slab... and please, none of this cordial stuff. I want beer thanks!

I rather be fit in September, not March or April again. A lot of these players would have played if Sunday was an important game. It isn't. Also, unless one of Neaves/Jamar/PJ play as a permanent forward on Sunday, there is no way we could play all 3. I hope to see them all in action during the pre-season though, esepcially Neaves.

That's a big statement to make, but you're not one to foolishly accuse players of things like that, so it's worrying. Such a waste for a footballer on an AFL list to not have the required drive or attitude, especially given his abundance of skills. Maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt, as he may be carrying an injury, or maybe Bell is just that brilliant after all . But I wasn't there, so from all reports I'm clutching at straws here.

You could add Bartram (ankle), Sylvia (OP), Wheatley (no idea) and maybe Neita (rested?) to that too. Looking forward to seeing a totally different team on Sunday. Very exciting!

That's fantastic news! Well done to everyone at the club, especially Gardner and Harris for all of their hard work. It's wonderful to hear such good news about our off-field situation.

Was there ever an indication by the club that the situation will be different in 2007? I thought they'll keep the same system, since it worked very well last year.

The only positives regarding the injuries to Brock, Davey and TJ, is that they'll keep those key players away from harms-way during the NAB Cup. I wasn't keen on seeing those players take the field, now they can't. As long as the injuries are minor, I think it might not be such a bad thing if they miss the pre-season competition. This applies to White too, serious facial injury or not. Thank you everyone for the reports. Really happy to hear good news about Belly!

This is Jennifer Adams (very old photo of her), she's a newsreader at Channel 7. Congratulations to Biz, and hopefully they have a long and happy marriage.

If there is a specific issue or problem, please PM or Email one of the moderators, as it's possible that not everyone is getting the same problem, so we know nothing about it. Alternatively, post a thread in the 'Help Forum'.

He put money on us winning, both times. He lost, both times. Get the hint Wardy... you're bad luck!

I don't think so. Players can be caught taking drugs, or have to appear in court for serious offences, and they don't get banned. The AFL would just prove to us what a hypocritical body it is, if it banned players for gambling (which is, after all, not an illegal activity in itself), and nothing else. I hope the club punishes Ward, and more importantly, makes him seek the help he needs to quit gambling all together. For a starter, he shouldn't play in the NAB Cup. This may not seem like a big punishment, but for a 30 year old guy who is not a regular in our 22, this is a big blow.

I disagree. Players like Byron, with all of his experience and his excellent record in big games, or Robbo, who is the heart and soul of the club, are necessary to our success. I'm all for youth, but a team made up of kids plus Neita and Junior, will not deliver every week. You want our older players to perform every week, but then inconsistency is the definition of youth. We need to get the blend right, and put simply, if you can find players who better serve our purpose than the three you mentioned, than that's great. But I think you will find it very hard to replace all three with youth, when already a big chunk of our core players are so young. We should expect our kids to keep getting better, and indeed for us to succeed they have to. But at the same time, we cannot rely on a group of five or six, 20-somethings, to deliver us a flag. If it was that easy, teams wouldn't have to spend years rebuilding.

There is no vice-captain, it's vice-captains. Brock, Bruce, Green and Junior are all leaders out on the field. If Neita is injured and unable to captain (and hopefully that doesn't happen in 2007), one of the 4 will be chosen by Neale and Co. to lead the side that week.

Paving the way nicely for Brock Clearly the right decision by all. Besides, I can't think of another player at our club who deserves a flag more than Neita.

You can't compare gambling to drug- taking. For one, drugs are illegal, no matter who you are. But regardless, the rule are there for a reason, and the AFL is absolutely right to forbid this sort of gambling. Ward was silly to get involved, and worse, put a dent in the club's reputation.

That's really disappointing, since this is his second 'scandal' involving gambling. I was hoping that we could get through this pre-season without any off-field problems. Hopefully they sort it out quickly, and more importantly, TJ has nothing to do with it!