Jaded No More

Possibly his own teammates, given the delivery he'll get each week. Taking Barry Hall, who has clearly lost the plot, is on the wrong side of 30, and seems more interested in belting people than doing the team thing these days, is one of the most ridiculous notions I've read on here... which says a lot, because I've read a lot of crap from Yze_Magic

Given that West Coast won a game they should have lost last week, we now have a bit more breathing room, and a win would not be the disaster that I thought it would be. So yeah, I think a win this week will be great for some of our kids who look to me like they are getting a bit sick of being on the loser list every week. Having said that, I will feel a lot better walking away if we lose in a close one, because that will remove any risk of us not getting picks 1 & 2 at the end of the season, and I will be able to enjoy possible wins against Port and Freo.

Nobody really stood up, I agree. It's a shame that Maric injured his shoulder early, because his class and decision making is clearly a standout at that level. I also hope that Strauss will be given a go at some stage this season, even if only to give him a taste. However I am not convinced that the way the game is played at VFL, particularly when it is play-on when kicking backwards in your defensive 50, that Strauss will ever have truly ample opportunities to have a big game with lots of possessions that will push his case for senior selection. On that basis, Bailey and Co. will need to give him a go based on the limited, but good glimpses that he has shown thus far. Loved his goal yesterday. His speed in that passage of play really surprised me!

I actually think Dunn would get something in a trade. He can play as a forward or in the middle, and he is big and strong with a pretty good kick. He isn't what we need, but a club like Sydney might take him and turn him into something of quality. They love doing that sort of thing. At his age, with his height and skills, he could get us a late second or early third round pick (in what is a shallow draft). Don't think we can get anything more than a 4th or 5th rounder for Bell or PJ, but the idea of trading them is more based on trying to offload players who might be contracted or a combination of player + pick in order to maybe move a few spots up in the draft, and avoid having to draft 7 or 8 players who will end up clogging our list just as much. So for example, Bell + fourth round pick for a third round pick. We get rid of a list clogger, we move a few spots up in the draft, and we don't end up having too many open spots on the list that this year's draft simply cannot accommodate. We need to at least explore that option before we delist them. As for Petterd, I wouldn't delist him just yet, and hopefully the Gold Coast will show some interest (long shot, but you never know). Otherwise, he has another year to show us that he is worth persisting with in the long term. If he can't learn to hit targets by foot, there is little chance of that happening.

Bartram- try to trade, or keep as depth Martin- without a doubt a keeper Bell- try to trade, or keep as depth (either him or Bartram stay, not both) Bate- keep P.Johnson- trade/delist Jamar- keep (best tap ruckman we have) Miller- keep Petterd- Gold Coast 2011 Dunn- try to trade, or keep as depth (I think Dunn presents good trade value) Newton- delist Wheatley- retire/delist Buckley- delist Valenti- ?? Zomer- delist Hughes- keep him on the rookie list for another year Meesen- he is contracted for another year, so he stays to try and prove himself. Our ruck situation is pathetic!

Are you just pretending to play dumb, or are you bored? You can't be serious with that comment. Did I say he shouldn't be a talking point now? No, I merely suggested that for a kid who has played less than 10 games, playing in a backline constantly under siege, his disposal and more importantly decision making (can't teach that skill!), has been very good. If Davey, a senior player, can make 3 critical errors a game (he gets more of the ball, but he is also a lot more experienced than Grimes, so it evens out), and we can still say that his disposal and decision making is elite, than Grimes certainly deserves praise for his own ability to use the ball. No doubt that fatigue, perceived pressure, and fear of making a mistake is a major influence on his kicking right now. In 2011, if he is still making critical errors on a regular basis, we can start to really criticise him for that. P.S. - Disposal efficiency last night shows that Grimes was more efficient than Davey (81% vs. 74%). While those stats are not the be all and end all, they do show that disposal is not really a key worry for Grimes right now.

How many of his kicks were bad mistakes? He made 2 or 3 critical errors the last few weeks from memory. That is hardly devastating. Davey made about 3 terrible errors by foot last night alone. We expect players to be perfect from the word go, which is unrealistic. Morton turned it over a fair bit last year, but is getting a lot better now. It is players who can't improve on those issues that become an issue. So let's discuss this in 2011.

Yes, we discard his poor disposal by saying "he made same bad errors" FFS, he's a child playing in a backline that is getting pumped with top-class supply week after week. That he makes mistakes by foot is disappointing, but not critical at this stage of his career, because you can tell that he is a very intelligent player and is usually a good user of the ball (as I said, he makes mistakes when under pressure, but so do all young kids). If in three years time he is still making those mistakes, I'll start worrying about it. Right now, I am just impressed at how well he reads the ball, his courage, his marking ability and his intelligence. Few players in our team can boast that same list of talents. That I choose to highlight his pluses, despite being aware of some of his downfalls right now, is a balanced and FAIR view of a player still learning.

Yes he made some bad errors, but his last two weeks has been very good in terms of disposal. This kid, 7 games in, is under a phenomenal amount of pressure, often playing on the last line of defence, trying to move the ball forward. I don't care if he makes a few mistakes by foot, if the idea behind the execution is good, which it is (much like Morton). We need players who are not scared of taking the game on, and moving the ball forwards instead of sideways. Grimes fits the bill.

This is in no way an excuse for what went down tonight, and the pathetic display we put on for three quarters. However, if the club had a bit of a flu issue for the last two weeks (Jones, Warnock, Bate), it could explain why quite a few players were down on their normal output (disposal wise). Then again, we're so bad that I don't think even swine flu wants to go near us.

I rather him playing on a massive unit like Merrett, than on some fat dud like Cloke. Both are massive, but one is a good player and one is a hack. It is a myth that playing in the VFL equals playing against smaller bodies. What playing at a lower level does, is give players more time to work on their skills at a slower pace, or gain some confidence by getting a few touches against lesser opponents. Except we know Jack can play against lesser opponents, and we know his skills are up to it. So all we do by dropping him, is waste his precious energy and fitness playing against players who are not up to it, and won't test him out the way AFL will. He showed enough with Casey, coming off no pre-season, and playing out of position, for us to know that what he really lacks is strength and experience. So either we decide to sit him out for the rest of the year, locking him in a gym, feeding him KFC and letting him complete his schooling, or we play him for as long as his body will allow at a level where we want him to dominate for the next 10 years.

It could be argued that dropping him won't do his confidence any good. He needs time in the seniors to get more of a feel for the speed of the game, the way the ball moves, etc... What does he get by going back to Casey, when we know he can get 20 odd possessions on the wing at that level? If he's sore, or tired, rest him. Otherwise, he plays and he plays with the big boys. He is far too good for VFL, and there is no need to drop the kid for making mistakes in his third game (under the most unbelievable amount of pressure). Eventually, and I bet before the year is out (if he keeps playing), he will have one breakthrough moment, one game where he really stands up and he'll feel as though he belongs. We need to keep giving him the opportunity to have that game.

There are only three players I care to watch this year: Grimes, Watts and Jurrah. The club can do as they please with the rest, just as long as these three are playing. Morton will get nothing from playing with Casey. He needs, much like Watts, experience and muscle. Hopefully Jamar is fit and ready to play, because PJ vs. Cox/Naitanui is going to be joke of the century.

Naitanui a shoe-in to get the Rising Star nomination. 3 goals after not touching it for 3 quarters will be enough.

Anyone who feels like making that comparison after 3 games, is a short-sighted idiot. Why don't we compare them to Daniel Rich, who currently shits all over both of these guys in every aspect. FFS, did you see the space that Naitanui had to work with to get his last goal? Put that ball and that space with Jack Watts, and he'll kick you a goal too. Or put that ball in the goal square and he'll kick one through for you as well. No doubt, Naitanui is going to be one hell of a player, but he is older and stronger than Watts so any comparison is irrelevant.

An excellent night. We are now much closer to Scully and whoever else we feel like taking with pick 2. Watching Naitanui should be a reminder to everyone why winning more than 4 games and not finishing bottom, is a disaster of massive proportions... and that winning culture is a load of crap.

I will beat everyone and say "OMFG Watts is [censored], why didn't we take Naitanui, we made a mistake, oh no!!!!11" 19 points the difference now. Welcome Tom Scully to the MFC! :D

Leading Hawthorn with about 14 minutes left, and a tropical cyclone to boot. Come on West Coast!!!

His kicking is the one area of his game that lets him down. Lock him in a room over summer and make him do nothing but kick for weeks on end.

6- Grimes 5- Davey 4- Sylvia 3- Bruce 2- Frawley 1- Martin

That's his style. Reminds me of Garland in that sense. They both seem so calm. But he is filthy with himself and gets angry when he makes a mistake, don't worry about that.

You would hope so, but I doubt it. He averages more kicks and marks than just about any other Rising Star nominee thus far. That kid is something special! Edit: Before tonight's match: Av. Disposals Grimes: 19.3 Rich: 16.3 Zaharakis: 13.7 Hill: 14.5 Ziebell: 15.5 Av. Marks Grimes: 6.8 Rich: 2.9 Zaharakis: 4.7 Hill: 2.9 Ziebell: 4.2

Agreed. Not sure whether either deserve a game based on their form today, but we are so desperate for some good ball users, that these two will be a welcomed inclusion.

He will keep making mistakes and that's fine. When he gets the ball, he does things with it that most in the team can't. He'll be filthy with himself about that missed goal and dropped mark, and that's good. He needs to learn and he needs to develop ASAP, and the more he plays, the quicker that will happen. Same goes for Jurrah. By the way, he played on Merrett for a bit, and that guy looks like he could eat Watts for breakfast. At least 15kgs between them!

These last quarters are a joke. Seriously, we are kidding nobody. Brisbane shut up shop. Having said that, Watts' ball handling skills are superb!