Jaded No More

I shudder to think of the implications for the GFC when Barry inevitably loses his [censored] and punches someone in the head again. The Bulldogs may take the risk for the year, to try and win it, but Geelong really don't need him even if their forwardline is a little suspect.

Well getting MOTY kept Newton on an AFL list for 3 years

Where's Watts??

Good luck Jim. Great to hear that he is in good spirits. That is a hugely important aspect in any recovery process.

I admit that I'm a bit insane when it comes to our apparel/merchandise, because that's what I study/do for a living. Also because merchandise is a major revenue source for many AFL clubs, and while I don't know the specifics, I am pretty certain that we don't make a killing in this department. There is a lot of potential to expand on the merchandise we currently have. I'd also love to know whether Reebok is responsible for the bulk of the design, or whether we have a designer working at the club or whether we employ freelancers. I keep telling myself that I'll get onto the club and try and offer my help, but I haven't got the time and I'm pretty sure my employer would be pretty [censored] if I did that. One day...

That sounds like a good idea, but it's too costly since it would change regularly and you would be making smaller, more specified production runs, which would be both a logistical and financial nightmare. Besides, since I assume we don't have a large number of gold members, you'd be hard pressed to find overseas factories that will be willing to manufacture such a small quantity (minimum order is probably around 10,000 units since the product itself is highly specified anyway) without charging you ridiculous amounts of money for it. We need to remember that since the club makes no money on these scarves, they have to keep the costs down to a minimum. From that perspective, design 2 would be the cheapest to knit because of its repeat bulk pattern, whereas design 3 would be the most expensive. I still like 3 though :D Again, the scarf would be the cheapest thing to get made. Beanies need to be knitted on a circular tube, and caps require a minimum of 3 pattern pieces as well as additional details such as those plastic tabs at the back. That all adds significant costs. Just be happy that we get something for free given our financial position. Sorry to sound like a cheapskate, but I know how much other clubs spend on crap membership merchandise each year, and I'd hate to think we spend as much.

3 is the most innovative and a bit different, so I went for that. But god our merchandising efforts kill me. Who is designing this stuff??? Wish I had time to do some freelance work for them.

You didn't look that hard, did you? <_< Link: http://bigpondvideo.com/melbournetv/190771

I read that High Tower... doesn't mean I'm happy about it BRING BACK WATTS! :D

You can't make too many changes to a winning side. You have to reward the players for a victory. Therefore only the one forced change with Sylvia out and, please please please Watts in. Nobody currently playing for Casey is inspiring and while Watts is still on holidays, it is important that we play him. Especially against lesser opposition.

I'm amazed that nothing has been said about Michael Jackson, so let me just say this. While he was embroiled in controversy in the later parts of his life, MJ was one of, if not the greatest musical talent this world has ever seen. I was lucky enough to see him live in concert during the 90's, and grew up listening to him. His was the first CD I ever bought. I hope that, particularly those who grew up post his big success in the 80's and 90's, remember him for the amazing entertainer that he was, and not for the mistakes that he may have made as a very fragile and damaged human being. He was truly a living legend.

Grimes_Magic? By the way HighTower, welcome to 2 weeks ago... http://forums.demonland.com/index.php?show...mp;#entry242417

I love Robbo and have followed his career for 10 years. I think he has been (and still is) a wonderful part of our club and a joy to watch. For this reason, I want him to retire at year's end, on his terms and while he is still performing well. I would hate for him to spend his last year in and out of the team. He is so much better than being labelled a 'list clogger'. Let him play out the year, give him the farewell match he deserves, and he can retire on a high. He deserves nothing less!

Yep I reckon if he keeps up his form he is a chance to steal it. He is finally getting noticed by the media and pulls out big numbers each week. A definite chance. Well done Grimey you superstar! :D

Couldn't agree more. I would be furious and disgusted if we didn't put our balls on the line as a club, and did everything in our power to make sure we get picks 1 & 2. If we "list manage" and still win, so be it, but manipulation off the field should take place as early as this week. Note that on the field I expect our players to play in their designated positions and put in their best performance each and every week, but I hope that the coaches manipulate team selection and matchday tactics to reduce our likelihood of winning (i.e.- put Davey on the bench during crucial moments in the game, try new roles, don't tag opposition players etc...). To miss out on the two best kids in the country, particularly in light of what will happen to the draft in the coming years, for the sake of an extra one or two largely meaningless wins, is a costly and weak attitude to have. Winning culture is a load of crap IMO. Look at where St Kilda are at now that their early picks are at their peak. Hasn't really hurt their winning ability either. When you are a good enough side, you win games. When you are a club in our position, crying out for talent, you take full advantage of a system which, while flawed, is set out to help struggling clubs. It is there for a reason and we should get maximum use of it before it is too late. We missed out on pick 2 last year because of an extra meaningless victory in 2007 (does anyone even remember us winning in 2007? does anyone care?). If we miss out again, myself, and many others, will be seriously filthy with the club. Nobody will be worried about how many games we lost this year, when Scully wins the Brownlow (if he wins it with West Coast on the other hand, people will need to be killed)

I agree with that. Sylvia was on edge all day long. He was bouncing around with so much emotion that he had no idea how to use. In the end, his aggression was ill-directed, and he would be the last player that will want to get suspended right now given all the hard work that he has put into his turnaround. It is a disappointing result, but one which I think will help him in the long term, just as suspension helped Miller channel his aggression in the right manner. Additionally, it will show us whether he really had turned himself around. He has three weeks now of no footy. Will he go out and do silly things? Will he bounce straight back when he returns? This will really test his mental fortitude and if he has really changed, he'll cope well, learn from his mistake and move on.

My comment was clearly tongue in cheek! Of course it's not good that he got suspended, and he was playing with fire on Saturday with his aggression. But there is one good thing about this (losing games aside), and that is Sylvia now learns that aggression should be expressed at the ball, not the man. He has always been a hot head and this year it will cost him 3 games at the height of his form, and maybe even a B&F trophy.

Sylvia, finally doing his bit for the team! :D Our chances of winning the next three weeks have just reduced by 10%, plus it means we are forced to make at least one change this week, so Watts can play (hopefully). He's been in very good form this year, and this little bump in the road is just that, a bump. He'll be back in 3 weeks time and now has 3 weeks less in which to get injured.

Best trading move this club has made. Ever! TJ continues to under-perform and Grimes will be a star. In fact, for now we are the big big winners of that deal since Cameron Wood has done little to enthuse. I thank our lucky stars that injury pushed Grimes back in the draft order and he landed in our laps.

Will somebody please think of the children Scully! :angry:

I don't know whether or not he is having trouble with his ankle, I do know that he has had limited pre-season and that up until this year he has always been a very good user of the ball. Players don't lose those sorts of skills over the course of a summer. It is possible that some weeks he is less sore, and some weeks he really feels it. It is also possible that given how much pressure our midfield is under each week, that when not given time and space, he cannot get proper penetration in his kicking. Yes, because we know that over his career he has never stood up against any good side He was our second highest possession winner against Geelong this year, and third highest possession winner against the Saints. So yes, you are right, he only performs against weak sides. Silly me. He has also been a major contributor in every victory we have had over the last 3 seasons. There is a big difference between being a good ordinary footballer, and not being able to carry a midfield on your own. Name a single player who can successfully dominate each and every week in the midfield, when surrounded by rubbish? Of course he won't always be playing under a winning ruck, but when the outside midfield improves, and we start to apply the sort of pressure we applied on Satuday every week, he will have more space and more time. In a good side, he is a very good player who is invaluable to our ability to get first hands on the ball. In a poor side, he does what he can by winning clearances and being on the bottom of every pack, but his ability to play the outside game is deminished by a lack of quality around him. In an ideal world he will be a purely inside midfielder. Currently he is forced to play both, with little support. Wow, so now a top 5 finish is not good enough, given a limited pre-season and given Davey and Sylvia are having their best season ever? That's just ridiculous. He is 23 FFS, and is our main ball winner each week. Consistent high finishes in the B&F is a very good indication that you are a good player, even if you are playing in a crap team.

Let's not get carried away. Both Blease and Garland will start running soon and are on track for a full recovery. Maric and Strauss were pushed into surgery early to fix up the shoulder and get them right for next year. Maric played on with a sore shoulder, as did Strauss (he didn't even look injured, so maybe he did it at training?), so clearly the injury wasn't career threatening. Our [censored] luck with injuries continues, but let's not slit our wrists just yet. The only injury that could be career ending is Garland's, but we discovered it early and have taken every precaution, so he should be right to go next year. If ever there is a time to get injured, this year is it.

I don't really disagree with any of that, except I don't agree with the notion that he is selfish. I know he comes across that way on the field, and as though he is playing to boost his own highlight reel, but believe me when I say that he really loves this club and he hates losing. He has always played in a flamboyant sort of way, and many people forget that essentially he is a goal sneak, a forward pocket. He is not a KP forward. His bread and butter should be the miracle goals, not taking contested marks in the goal square or being used as a leading target. So in that respect, he has done extremely well. Still, you are right about his defensive pressure and Bailey has made him pay for it by dropping him. It is a big slap in the face to be dropped as a senior player when your team is going to win the spoon. Since returning he has been better (I wish some would recognise that!), but still has deficiencies he needs to work on in that regard. If he wants to keep playing beyond this year, he has to get better with his 2nd and 3rd efforts, it's simple. Because in all other areas, he is still a very good contributor. He has lost none of his leap and can still take contested marks and kick big goals, so from that prespective he is definitely good enough to play beyond this year. As for playing Miller or Martin at FF, it might work in the physical sense but neither Miller nor Martin will command the same respect that Robbo does at FF. By not being able to easily zone off him when the ball comes into our forwardline, it gives us a lot more one-on-one marking opportunities, which we lacked desperately at the start of the year when Robbo wasn't there. It's like saying drop Fevola, because he is a tool, and play Fisher at FF. Both can take a mark and kick goals, but the difference in their presence is massive. Even when Neita wasn't kicking goals, he was invaluable in helping us kick them through other avenues. Miller, love him as I do, has shown he is a much better player when playing wide and pushing up the ground. And Martin, in his third or fourth go as a forward is not good enough to command that respect yet. I'm worried that if he doesn't play, we'll revert back to bombing long to a two-on-one contest, which is a terrible habit to get into.

Yes, they have both had shoulder reconstructions this week and will be right to start pre-season after Christmas A real shame, but this is a good time to start sending players off to get fixed.

I understand your logic, but the problem is that without Robbo there, you are leaving Watts and Jurrah to play on guys like Darren Glass. Robbo provides a distraction for the other younger players in the team, and allows them to play with less pressure, as he is still our number one target. For example, there is no way I want Jurrah or Watts to play on Scarlett in a few weeks time. Robbo being there at least means an even contest.