Jaded No More

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.

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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!

Rubbish. Bell had a very good end to 2006, when he was finally injury free. You can't give Bizzell credit for his work 3 season ago, but not to Bell for his recent development (especially the way he played in the finals). Ward is just as unaccountable as Bizzell, and he is a lot faster. Wheatley is more accountable, probably on par for speed. CJ is quicker and also gives us options, because he can just as easily play on the wing or up forward. He also happens to have 10 years of football ahead of him. Bizzell is finishing up, this is his last hoorah. I rather not spent time watching him trying to catch up to speed in 2007, when we could be developing a 10 year player instead. And no matter which way you look at it, he hasn't paid off that 3 year contract.

Of course, but as I said this is most likely going to be Bizzell's last year. He still plays loose, I doubt he can run any faster now, and while his disposal is good, he is no Travis. In short, I'd like to see the next generation of 'run and carry' players take the field, especially early on. I know that we're banking on going for the big one this year, but that doesn't mean we should be slowing down with our development. The odds say that we are far less likely to win than lose, and it would be a real shame if we stuck with Bizzell hoping to see if he'll give us more. If by some miracle he's become as accountable as Bell, or as keen to tackle as Bartram is, than great, play him. But I have my doubt. This applies equally to Ward and Brown. Oh and Freak, on what planet is Bizzell on par with Whelan?

One would hope not. I would be very surprised if this was not his last season.

Thanks for the detailed report. Nicely done. May I ask who were Warnock's opponents? I had high hopes for him, but it seems that from all reports on Frawley, competition for backline spots is becoming more and more intense. Great luxury to have though. Good defences win finals!

It's more a testiment to how clumsy and hopelessly uncoordinated I can be. I can't even blame excessive drinking for all those injuries either. DD, I hope Robbo can adapt his game to become more than just a goal-kicker, but I'm not convinced. He's 28, and it's very hard to teach an old dog new tricks. He, along with Neita, are our main targets, and that shouldn't change. But as you said, he needs to keep his feet and play it smart when he doesn't have the ball. He is a very tough opponent (he might even beat Clement this year, now that he can't push his opponents in the back :angry: ) because he is small, yet so good in the air. But really, for his size, he should be more mobile and better able to handle a ball off the ground. I hope he can do a bit more of that this year, because until Neita retires, he won't be our first-choice goal-kicker, and he won't have the luxury to sitting in the square flying for marks.

I haven't had a chance to look at Petterd so I can't comment. If he's as talented as you say he is, than I guess it's possible. I just feel that the draftees from 04/05 deserve to debut first, given the amount of hard work they've already put it. Newton will really need to show us something this year. Two years after being drafted, he can't rely on being 'that freakishly talented kid' anymore. I hope that now that Smith is gone, he'll at least be able to cement a spot at Sandy seniors.

As someone who has broken her toes a lot (and I mean a lot! ), I can tell you that you can't fix it with plaster. He would have gone to see a doctor who would have told him to 'deal with it'. There is nothing you can do for a broken toe, sometimes it doesn't even look like it's broken, but it hurts like hell. Good news is, it's a pretty quick-healing injury if you don't push yourself.

Excuse me, but my avatar was selected purely for its 'intimidation' factor. BTW, I'm a huge Robbo fan (that's an underestatment!), but I too recognise the fact that he'll need to have a serious form turnaround to stay safe in our 22. 2006 was the first season he's ever been hampered by injuries, and it showed. Hopefully now that he's fit again he can return to his former self, with an added dimension to his game. I think Old is focusing on having the sort of small running forwards that Sydney have, like O'Keefe. He wants our non-KPPs to be as useful without the footy, as they are with it. I'm very critical of Yze's lazy attitude, but Robbo didn't do a lot of chasing either last year. Of course the difference between those two is that one will bleed to see us win, the other won't risk getting injured. Oh, and Robbo has performed in most finals too (including that god-awful day in 2000).

Haven't got time to list everyone, however as far as debuting during an AFL game (most will get a gig in the NAB cup) in 2007, the top 3 are: 1. Buckley- huge improvement from him over the pre-season, and it is a lot easier to slot into an established line-up if you're a winger/flanker, than if you are a KPP. He has speed, good skills and now strength. Basically, he is a low-risk debut. 2. Frawley- as soon as he got drafted we were told he's able to play as a flanker or winger while he develops. Besides, there are a few open spots in the backline, so if he performs well during the NAB cup, anything can happen. 3. Newton- he'd be at number 1 if he wasn't a forward, trying to get a spot in an already crowded forward-line. Someone will need to get injured, or be seriously out of form for Newton to get a gig. No doubt that will happen at least once or twice throughout 2007.

Somehow every thread about Miller turns into Miller-bashing, and then evolves into Yze-bashing. How confusing It's pre-season, so lets give all players the benefit of the doubt. Anyone can transform their attitude, or step up. Hopefully both Miller (skill wise, not attitude) and Yze can show us they are capable.

Thank you for the report. Any idea why Bate or TJ weren't playing?

Brock had a near full pre-season last year. He was struck by injuries throughout the season. Besides, we already know that Brock is a freak. Nobody would dare compare Miller to him.

As long as they turn out better than the Clokes

That is probably the second best article of this pre-season behind McLean's love declaration for the club. Glad that he finally made the change from party boy to professional athlete. He certainly has the skill to make it worth while. And my god he's massive!

Great shape.... if he was a woman about to give birth! Davey on the other hand looked magnificant. His upper arms, or 'guns' if you like, really stood out. When you compare him to the scrawny kid who burst onto the scene two years ago, it's like they are two different people.

I agree it's a disgrace, but then I saw Davey limping off the ground and I cursed the concept to hell. I can't say I blame Hawthorn or Sydney. And I still think it's not right that Davey, who just last week injured an ankle in training, was given the green light to play. At least Byron, who looks like he is expecting twins anyday now, got some much needed exercise. Having said that, if the game was a real contest, it would have been worth the heart-attack Davey gave me. It was an extremely poor spectacle though.