Jaded No More

He was one of 4 Vice Captains, as not one of the 4 leaders under Neitz were given official titles of "Vice" or "Deputy Vice", but that's all irrelevant details really. As I said at the time, he has the potential to be a future captain. All eventual captains start out as deputies in the leadership group, and Miller was no different. The only thing that is holding him back from being a great leader, is finding consistency on the field, and while Bruce is undoubtedly a much better footballer, he too is prone to long acts of disappearance and IMO he is not a born leader (of course this is purely an outsiders observation, and I could be wrong). Glad you have time to search through the archives for things I said two year ago.

This is quite old (I think it was recorded in 2003), however Kerr's behaviour lately doesn't suggest to me that a whole lot has changed. From a criminal side of things, transporting the drugs interstate would be a serious offence I would imagine, and ABC news suggested that there was evidence of this happening in the phone conversations. BTW, was I the only one who heard him say to the dealer, "we're playing Melbourne at home... should beat them". Mind you, this was 2003 and we were absolutely rubbish that year . The [censored] is seriously going to hit the fan in regards to this drug issue. Now that the cat is out of the bag so to speak, revelations of drug use will come thick and fast. I'm still not convinced that it will stop the Eagles from being successful though... unless of course they decide Kerr needs a holiday too.

He probably won't. Sunday will be the first day of pre-season for him. He has a lot of work to do until his fitness is up to scratch. Besides, we need to see how he pulls up. I agree though, it is better than expected news that he's playing.

Just on ABC 7pm news.... The police have recorded conversations between drug dealers as part of an undercover investigation. One of the conversations recorded was between two drug dealers discussing Cousins and Kerr, another conversation was between Kerr and his drug dealer. Kerr was telling the drug dealer how the drugs he took made him feel very strange and forget where he was. I think they said it was a horse sedative that he bought. Funnily enough, the dealer asked Kerr about the following week's game, and Kerr said "we're playing Melbourne at home, we should beat them"... didn't stop him from tearing us a new one unfortunately! <_< The plot thickens now, and it will be interesting to see what West Coast does with this new information.

For those who missed it.... - Excited pre- season is over, and is looking forward to next Friday. - Not many injuries from pre-season, which is very good. - Very happy to play on Friday night first up. Acknowledged the fact that we have a good draw, especially having 4 home games in the first 4 rounds. - Need the 26 year olds (TJ, Bruce, Green) to step up and play well - Dunn may be back a bit quicker than first thought. Was running today already. - Frawley will miss first 3-4 games, which Neale is very disappointed about. Sounded like he was keen to play him sooner rather than later. - River is a bit sore, and they are waiting to see how he pulls up next week. 60-40 he’ll play Round 1. - To be up in the top 4, or top 2, you need to have strong finances. Neale encouraged everyone to sign up, and get us that extra help in finishing top 4. Financially we are doing well. - Improvement will come not from Neitz, White or Pickett necessarily, but from TJ, Bruce and Green in particular. Also McLean, Sylvia (hasn’t played anywhere near his best), Bate, Dunn, Jamar, Bartram, Bell and CJ (has had a tremendous pre-season and is about to blossom according to Neale). - Wants Yze to just play solid footy at 30 years of age. Didn’t sound confident about it though - Said Robbo will naturally improve now that he is fit again - Hoping Beamer and Biz will come back after injuries last year, and help the side. - Hoping to get to a good start this year, and obviously stop the late-season slump. The aim is to have everyone available at the end of the year - Ox said all the players are thrilled with Bodan and the new fitness training. - Neale acknowledged that we can’t have 3 or 4 of our best players out come August/ September - Haven’t been able to win on the long grounds and we are actively working to improve on that. - Membership around 25,000- 26,000 (I think that’s what they are hoping to get, not what we are currently at). He promoted heavily the $40 MCC membership option. Callers Questions & Answers: Q: Will PJ be given a shot in 2007? A: He had a good pre-season, but is our third ruckman at the moment as he is still learning the craft. Could play KP, maybe even take over from Neita in the future. Can’t play three ruckman though, although very important to have a back-up just in case the situation like last year arises. Q: Will Whitey play more up forward (this was asked by Ox) A: Probably, especially to give Jamar more of a go in the ruck. White won’t have as much ground time this year, which will keep him going late into the year Q: Should I put Miller in my dream team? (yes, this was asked by a 10 year old) A: We really want to play him forward as he presents very well, but he still needs to be able to play both ends of the ground (Neale didn't know much about this dream team deal). I may have missed a few things, as I was listening, typing and doing homework all at the same time He sounded absolutely pumped for Friday night though, and very focused! GO DEES!

You don't know what was happening behind closed doors. A club can only do so much. It took a while, but they finally realised that there are some things they can't deal with, and drug addiction is one of those things. They are not equipped to help a player kick a drug habit. I don't blame them for keeping all this stuff quiet. Would you want our club to air all its dirty laundry in public? I'm not saying West Coast are innocent in all this, far from it. They should have done more to get to the bottom of these rumours, but at the same time, you can see why they chose to stick their head in the sand and let their players win a premiership. I bet if they were in Carlton's position on the field, things would have boiled over much quicker. Success can cover up a lot of ugliness.

I still stand by my comment that Miller has a lot of leadership potential. If you read back you'll see that I clearly stated that your captain does not have to be your best player. At the time when I wrote this, the club had the same views as me, because they appointed Miller a Vice Captain. If he continued on from 2005, instead of getting injured in 2006 and having a poor season, he would still be in the leadership group and people would be throwing his name up along with Bruce, Brock and Green. I cannot forsee injuries or form slumps. Are you saying that Brock may have a form slump and find himself in the same situation as Miller? I guess that could happen. Bruce could also injure his knee tomorrow and spend a year on the sidelines, or stuff up the shoulder again (heaven forbid). We can't predict what will happen in a month, a year, or 5 years from now. The point I was making is that you can't teach leadership. McLean is a born leader, so is Miller. Say what you want about his skills, or his footy brain, you can't deny his leadership qualities, in fact I'm pretty certain that it was the main reason we drafted him. BTW, I never advocated to appoint Miller captain straight away (notice the word 'future'). He still had a lot to prove, and still does. Brock on the other hand, has done more than Miller at this stage. CB, I stand corrected, he did play a big part in winning that final in 2000. But as you said, that was a long time ago. Would be great to see him do that again!

Bruce is not our best player (well you could argue that he is or he isn't), and besides, a captain doesn't necessarily have to be your best player. He has to be right up there, but there is more to being a captain than having skills. I'm going to wait and see whether Bruce can play consistently throughout the season, and more importantly win us a final. He is yet to do that, in fact, up until last year he was one of many senior players who went missing in September. I don't see the point in delaying the inevitable. Brock will be captain one day, having an in-the-meantime captain seems like a pointless exercise. Age has nothing to do with leadership, you either have it or you don't... Brock has plenty of it.

We teach these kids to become elite footballers, we're not a babysitting service! If he has to be told to come to training, he won't cut it at an AFL level.

You're right on all these issues, particularly the consistency one. In fact, McLean is the equal most productive player on the ground along with Judd. He averages 22.4 disposals a game, hardly inconsistent. I don't remember too many games where he played and had no impact. He also has the ability to come straight back from injury and dominate, that's rare. He is my next captain, and I'm hopeful that come the end of this season everyone will agree.

Well that explains his mysterious absence for Sandy games. Hope the kid gets his head right. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for him, it would be a shame if he blew it.

Rubbish. I hope you watched him being interviewed on The Footy Show. It was one of the more honest conversations you'll ever hope to hear from a coach. He was fantastic. He admitted that yes, rumours of players using drugs have been rife for many years, but that he could not suspend a player because Joe Public decided to ring the club and say that Player A looked out of it on Saturday night. He said that when he sat the players down and asked them if they used drugs, they said no. Given that the club is not informed about the results of drug tests (not until a third strike anyway), Worsfold had no proof and could therefore not suspend players who, despite being tools off the field, were turning up to training and performing on the field. He also said that the club has had solid evidence, and have been aware of Cousin's issues for 6 months, but it wasn't until the drug use started affecting his ability to train, that they were left with no choice. I can understand why they would want to keep all these issues quiet, and while they would give their players the benefit of the doubt. You can't throw players out of your club without solid proof that they are doing something wrong, not only is it illegal, it is also not going to help team morale. The bottom line is, Cousins has a serious drug problem and it is his issue and his fault. Nobody made him take up the habit. It would have been good if the club had dug a little further to try and substantiate the constant rumours, instead of having blind faith in their players and waiting for proof to smack them in the face. Of course, if the AFL changed the drug-testing rules to give clubs access to positive results first time around, this wouldn't have been an issue. I think it is the club's right to know when their player is tested positive. Waiting for third time lucky is just plain idiocy.

If the rumours are true, and Cousins really is addicted to a certain drug, than he'll be lucky to make it back onto a football field.... ever! I don't think a lot of people truly understand the severity of the situation. The guy appears to be a drug addict, it's not a problem you solve in a week or three. It is a serious, life-threatening issue, and if West Coast has any shred of decency, they won't worry about getting him back on the field ASAP, they'd worry about getting him clean and sorted, and that could take months or years. Everyone is watching them now, including the AFL. They'd have a lot of questions to answer if in three or so weeks Cousins makes a miraculous recovery from a problem he's had for a long time now.

You're reading way too much into that article... especially regarding the Beamer comment. 'He adds depth' = he makes our midfield looks better than if, say Godfrey, was playing instead

Nixon is going to the tribunal Hope he gets what he deserves! <_<

Ummm, welcome and thanks for joining this forum for Melbourne supporters...?

Because the difference now is, that Cousins is not playing indefinitely (or even training, meaning he will lose a lot of his base fitness), and you would think that another strike to Kerr will see him out the door indefinitely as well. If their players don't pull their heads out their proverbial behinds, there is every chance that 3 or 4 more players will join Cousins in 'time out' by the end of the season. Plus, let us not forget that Chris Judd must not be all that impressed with the current situation at the club. Not only does he need to lead a pack of men whos heads are in the clouds (quite literally), he may also feel as though he is guilty by association. It is only a matter of time before some stupid journalist starts asking questions about Judd, especially since we have no other explanation for his freakish talents <_< :D

Edit: Got in first Demonstorm. West Coast could provide some really good material for the writers of 'The Bold & The Beautiful'. You have to feel sorry for Cousins as an individual, but the club really hasn't got a clue. To let so many players go off the rails in the way they have, and sit on your hands until the absolute last minute, is very poor management. It should never have come to this! You have to applaud John Warsfold though for getting that rabble of a side of win a flag, and you also have to wonder what West Coast could achieve had they not had to deal with so many off-field issues. Having said all that, I couldn't care less how these issues affect them in 2007. If they're a rabble, that's one less serious threat we need to worry about. Somehow though, I think that the remaining midfield of Judd, Cox, Kerr and Embley (assuming the last two don't go and kill themselves or someone else ), will still win a fair few games.

Gees, that is a massive blow. His stupidity may just cost West Coast another chance at a flag. Although, I very much doubt he'll play the whole year in the WAFL. When it comes down to it, West Coast's first priority is winning games, and Cousins is one of their best players. What a shame that his money, fame and good looks can't buy him some brain cells.

Don't you just love last-minute injuries! :( The biggest worry at the moment is obviously Rivers, and with Frawley injured too, the other obvious replacements don't exactly fill me with excitment. He's got 10 days to come good, so keep your fingers and toes crossed.

Finally some official confirmation about Lynden Dunn's injury. Dunn report on Footygoss Hope he makes a full and quick recovery. Poor kid!

Can't go past my boy Belly. He'll soon be known as Whelan II. One from left field could be Frawley. He could surprise a few this year assuming he gets an opportunity to play seniors. I hope Godfrey, Brown, Bizzell and Ward all drop out of our best 22, otherwise we're not progressing. Yze and Miller's positions for 2007 depend entirely on them. Miller I know will give it his all and hopefully his confidence grows now that he's injury free. As for Yze, if he fires up, he might just get this record.

True. Toughness is not being a dirty sniper like Carr, but sticking up for your teammates shows a certain level of togetherness and unity and strength. Put it this way, how long has it been since you've seen Yze or Robbo or Bruce or White run over to help a teammate fight a battle? For all of their skills and talent, a lot of our more senior players (with the absolute exception of Neitz) have always shyed away from the physical stuff, be it in play, or while a pack is forming. It sure as hell makes me smile when I see Carroll dumping Gehrig into the ground, then Brock proceeding to run through Kosi. I like that finally we have guys in our side who look like they could, and would, kill you if you got in their way. I'd hate to meet some of our current players in a carpark. Whereas a few years ago I could probably aim my stilettos* at some of our senior players and they'd run away scared. *Google it if you've got no idea what I'm on about

Too many things have happened in this thread since I last read it... I don't know where to start. Firstly, terrible news about Dunny if true. I hope the bastard who elbowed him in the head gets a nice long rest! On the plus side, great news about Sylvia, but I don't believe he'll be back next week. If the club is towing the company line, ie- 'a few weeks', than I stand by my comment that we won't hear from him before Round 8 at the earliest. Hope I'm wrong! On the Yze debate (just for a change ); essentially the problem is where to play Yze. He cannot and should not step foot in the backline because he is less accountable than Ward and Brown combined, and he won't go in hard to stop his opponent from getting a mark or goal. Up forward he is just lazy, or bored, whatever way you choose to look at it. He doesn't get involved in the play enough, and he doesn't even crumb goals unless the ball falls into his lap, because he is scared of getting crunched in the pack. So that leaves the wing, but then the competition for spots is so tough, that you couldn't see him getting a sustained run. His pace is ok, and his skills are unquestionable, but no matter where you are on the ground, you need to show physical and mental commitment at all times. It's great that he got 25 possessions in a sub-standard VFL match, and a practice one at that. If he wouldn't, you'd just about have to stick a fork in him and say he's done. But if you put that in context, Bartram got 17 in a half and he hasn't had a pre-season. The stat sheet reads 12 tackles, which is very positive, but it's still not enough to say he is now deserving of a spot in our 22. He has spent a lot of time doing very little, while earning big money. This is only the beginning of his reality check, and it should continue for a few more weeks to come if we want to see a real change in him. BrownlowBruce, nobody expects Yze to magically transform himself into a fearless, hard-working, tough footballer in the form of James McDonland or Brock McLean. But there is an acceptable level of commitment and hardness that every single AFL footballer needs to reach. Yze has been below par for a lot longer than we'd like to admit. Edit: What's the go with Byron?

And I don't think we'll see that change until he's playing for Sandy while our senior team is playing a proper home and away match. He isn't missing out on match-day payments just yet... I'd say that until he does, thing won't change. Would love to not see him play Round 1. Not only will it end the stupid record (which btw, is rightfully Stynes' and should remain so), it would serve as a serious warning to both Yze and other senior players who tend to go missing when the pressure is on.