Jaded No More

I really don't understand how anyone can criticize Watts' game today. He has done very well for a big guy playing in a completely foreign position in horrendous conditions. His class is evident, his handballing skills are unbelievable, he knows where to run and position himself even when playing in new roles. He is just a naturally smart player. Can't teach that. He may not lay bone-crunching tackles, but he hasn't done anything today that would make you think "he should have gone there but didn't". His snap around the body for goal is just another example of class rising to the top. Edit: Watts' ankle is fine. No need to panic!

I don't know what makes you say he is soft. He is playing on the wing, but he is clearly playing an outside role. He laid a couple of tackles, and hasn't been caught in a marking situation where he had to stand up and take a contested mark. He and Whelan are obviously a class above. Watts' one- handed pick- up of the ball and 180 degree turn in the first quarter was superb. It's that sort of stuff that makes you say "[censored] this kid is gonna be special". I'm also impressed that he has gone out of his way to help his teammates up off the bottom of packs to congratulate them for their hard work. Bartram has been good. These conditions really suit him. Same for Valenti. Miller is the best key forward on the ground, kicking 2.3, whereas Newton stuffed up to easy shots at goal in the first and hasn't been seen since. I really like Wall. Anyone know how old he is?

And it's fair to say that over the journey, White was much better than Ottens. His last couple of years were average, but he was one talented footballer and gave us a lot over the years. So from that point of view, we didn't miss out on anything. TJ was universally regarded as pick 1 in his draft year, and on skills alone, you can understand why. If you take his skills and transfer them to someone who applies themselves, you've got yourself a top 5 pick even in 2009. There is nothing sadder in football than wasted talent, and guys like TJ make me admire guys like Junior, Miller and Bartram even more, because they get as much out of themselves as someone who is three times more talented than they are. To think that Junior, who was pick 51 in the 1996 Rookie Draft has won more B&F's and has as many AA's next to his name as a number one pick, is just amazing.

Stores don't simply go "let's stock Essendon products, or let's stock Melbourne products". Stores, and particularly big chains like Kmart and the AFL Store have stock analysts and buyers who would look at sales history, as well as the team's current performance and exposure before deciding on stock quantities. Really smart stock analysts (no need to mention names ) will also take into account things like marquee players, key occasions for a club (e.g.- 150th birthday, premierships, AA selections from previous years, Brownlows), membership levels, as well as the geographic distribution and socio-economic profile of supporters We clearly do not have a huge supporter base and certain areas will sell less Melbourne merchandise. For example I find there is usually Melbourne gear available in Southland Shopping Centre, which does cater for the majority of Bayside suburbs where there is a larger cluster of Melbourne supporters. Go to Highpoint Shopping Centre and you'll struggle to find any Melbourne merchandise. Interstate merchandise, particularly Freo, West Coast and Port stock is generally merchandise that is left over from minimum stock requirements. In most cases, it will get consolidated interstate at some stage.

No idea, but there are a number of AFL players who seem to have big crosses tattooed on their arm. They all strike me as the super religious types too You might also be happy to know that a couple more Melbourne players have decided to follow Rivers' lead and get their own last names tattooed on their bodies. Jones has "Jones" tattooed on his lower-back (aka 'tramp stamp'), while Frawley has "Frawley" tattooed down his back. That is something which you no doubt regret, when you reach an age where your brain cells are fully developed

Agreed. He has been played in different roles this year, and is adapting as well as can be expected from a second year player who rivals Kate Moss for skin-folds. I know there have been some questions raised in regards to his urgency and hardness at the ball, but on Saturday he laid 4 tackles, which was the team average. Not all of them hurt the opposition, but I definitely thought the endeavor was there. He also runs incredibly hard. From memory he covered over 13km on Saturday. Incredible stuff for a kid still developing his engine. As long as he is able to get hands on the ball and use it well, and as long as he keeps running to the right spots, he should stay in the side. We have got to pump as much experience as possible into these kids and now is the time to do it.

Tommy Mac was a bottom age recruit, drafted at 17. He has had a lot of injury concerns but has shown a bit with Casey this year. I hope we persist, because as a developing key position player, he might take 2 more years to grow into his body and really influence games. He is said to have a really good ability to read the play, which automatically makes him a worthwhile longer term project. With CG and WS coming into the competition, the spread of talent across 18 teams means less top talent for each club and a reduced likelihood of getting lucky with later draft picks. We should therefore try and hold onto young, developing players that we see have a definite upside. At 19, McNamara could well develop into a much better player than pick 50 in this year's draft.

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.