Jaded No More

I keep going back to James Frawley. When he first started he was hopeless, woeful, pathetic, slow, terrible on the lead, terrible on the attack, he looks like a down right [censored]. It took Frawley 4 pre-seasons to make the AA team. Now I'm not saying Watts will be in the same position in 2 years, but in most cases it takes KPP 4 solid pre-seasons to start showing their worth. Jack Reiwoldt is another one. We cannot expect him to play like a champion when he hasn't got the body or the experience to do so. He does a lot of small things extraordinarily well, things that you can't teach and won't find in most KPF. He is superb below his knees, he is quick and agile and smart, and is generally a very good kick. But what people want to see from him is what he can't do yet, he can't burst packs and he can't out-muscle his opponent. But those things will come with experience and with kilos gained. Plus to say he doesn't seem like he wants to be out there is garbage. Garland looks asleep to me half the time, but we know his intensity is manifested in his actions not in his face. Watts is clearly very competitive and very keen to do well, if he wasn't he'd run around lazily and do nothing, he'd be Sylvia circa 2006.

Martin is the perfect 2nd ruck prototype in this sub-rule world we live in. He is flexible enough to play down back or up forward, he is agile enough to give you a contest in the middle (he actually outran some opponents today, and he's 2m tall!) and his ruck work is getting better. He had some fantastic tapouts in the last quarter today that actually results in us getting the ball up forward for a goal. Nice to see him repay the faith. I've always been a fan. Plus the better he plays the less likely we are to see Juice.

Don't mess with Superman. The man can fly FFS!

To be honest, Jared Rivers' kicking into the man on the mark was 10 times worse than any kicking mistake Grimes made today, because Rivers has played 100 games and he still hasn't learnt to use the ball properly, and he got done by every opponent he had today. There are very few <30 game players who are better than Grimes.

Frawley Twitted to say he should be right next week. Therefore. In: FRAWLEY I was disappointed in Maric. His pre-season earns him more than one senior game, but he did a couple of pretty soft things today which are inexcusable. Either way he should be the sub next week and Ricky should start. He was on fire when he came on in the last. McDonald does so many ordinary things that sort of cancel out some of the good things he does, so perhaps he makes way for Frawley. Either way, BRING BACK CHIP!

Pathetic from an otherwise really good crowd today. Bronx cheer a guy who has played 27 games and is constantly under pressure and constantly puts his body on the line for the team. What heroes!

TOP 8 TEAM BABY!!! B)

Oh FFS, are we going to abuse him after every game? It's going to be a loooooong season. He did some good things. He NEVER got outmarked, not even when he had 2 players on him, and if he kicked 2 goals instead of 2 behinds everyone would be praising his performance. I know it's hard to find players to pick on these days, what with Bruce, Miller and PJ gone, but seriously, we can't be picking apart inexperienced kids.

6- Moloney (won drew us the match) 5- Bennell (all class) 4- Jamar 3- Martin 2- Garland 1- Tapscott

To be honest, it was a good ending. We lost the game with wayward kicking, but overall you have to be proud of such a young team missing some key players for managing to claw their way back into the match. We have come a long way from the 100 point thrashing we suffered last year in Round 1. I was surprised with the midfield, and the fact that we broke even. I thought Martin was very very good, especially in the ruck, and without Sylvia, Davey or Moloney staring for 4 quarters (each were good in periods of the game), we still managed to get the 2 points. Jurrah had a quiet game by his standards and we definitely could have done with Frawley (Rivers got done in the first half by a freakin second gamer! ), and Ricky for a whole game. Jamar, Green, Trengove and Jurrah on goal kicking duties this week.

He is a gun, he is a star when you consider how little footy he's played, but just like every young player, he has deficiencies that must be worked on. He'll admit it I'm sure. Agreed with the above suggestion that he would be better in the midfield, and long term I still think that's where he'll end up.

So in love with this kid. What a man-child! Great kicking, great hardness, great awareness, good marking. Excellent debut!

I LOVE him, but I have to agree. However, I have to also say that there were at least 4 situations today where NOBODY presented for him. In that situation he kicks to a contest and turns it over. So sometimes it's a matter of him kicking poorly but sometimes it's a case of teammates not presenting, and he doesn't have the skills to pick a player in a pack like Davey.

I'll take Jurrah 4 goals, Grimes BOG, Dees by 15. Pumped. GO DEES!!!!!

Dunny on Goodes more like it. Good match up. Footy is back!!! I think it finally sunk in, and thank god for that. Definitely helping me get through the remainder of the working week. Go Dees!!!!

Just a reminder that this time last year we were looking at Jurrah, Sylvia and Morton on relatively long term injuries. In 2 weeks time only Scully and McKenzie will be missing from our best lineup (pending no further injuries!), and in reality, both of them can be replaced in the short term. All this does is delay their development by a few weeks. Hardly a big deal. As others have said,this gives guys like Tapscott, Gysberts and Jetta a chance that they may have otherwise missed out on. I know Scully and McKenzie can play, so it's as good a time as any to see what the above 3 can do.

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I seriously doubt we are talking about the same magnitude of injury here, afterall he completed a whole pre season, I can barely climb a set of stairs I suppose what I was trying to get across is that sometimes these injuries just keep on kicking your arse, especially if the problem is tendon-related (the fracture is healed by now obviously). He could have inflammation of the tendon or "the fat pad" (no idea what the real medical term is), but there are lots of treatment options for someone in Scully's position that us mere mortals don't get as much exposure to (or can't afford). If the club already ruled him out for four weeks, then my guess is that he will be getting injected with an anti inflammatory drug or with blood or plasma cells, as those treatments require 2 weeks of non-activity afterwards. In any case, better safe than chronic tendinitis. Seriously!!!

While I agree with your second point as knee injuries can be chronic and could bring down Scully's value, I doubt the knee issue is a result of going too hard on the track. I'm no doctor but I've been in rehab with the same injury that Tom suffered pre-draft (I think my patella fracture was more severe than his), since Jan 2010. Unfortunately with that type of injury you sometimes have good days when you feel you can go harder, but ultimately your body won't physically allow you to push yourself if the knee is injured. Even if you want to push through the pain, you physically don't have strength or control in the knee to do it. I hope Tom hasn't gone and developed tendinitis like I have, because that is apparently a 2 year injury, but I've been told it's rare to develop one because of the other. In summary knees suck and I hope poor Tom can get himself right ASAP but sadly it's not the type of injury you can rush or magically cure.

4 weeks for a patella injury is nothing. Try 15 months!!!! Ugh. Poor Tom, I feel for him. Knees are motherf'ing bastards!

He is like a stalker ex boyfriend who won't leave you alone And just like said ex you're only gonna go back to them when desperate, drunk, and when all other semi viable options have left the country.

This pre-season is dead to me! Bring on Round 1 B)

Try "Ball bounced.... Hawthorn win it again". We cannot get a sniff in the middle with a near full line up. Terrible.

Agreed. Double the amount of scoring shots by the Hawks. Not good at all.

I think everyone is pretty relaxed, but a 6 goal turnaround in under a quarter is a concern no matter how serious a game is.