Jaded No More

Still the greatest game ever (no bumps needed)....

My sentiments exactly. And 2 weeks for Chip isn't too bad either. Green being on the verge of fitness is also great news.

33,500* *weather developments pending

Fair enough. I thought Bruce had a fair game. Ran hard as always and took some really good marks. His endurance is pretty remarkable for a guy in his 30's. Obviously our idea of what was outstanding about Grimes' game on Sunday differs. I thought it was outstanding that he looked so calm and blended in so seamlessly in just his second game. That he made a couple of big errors by foot was hardly a concern, particularly as most of our players have become experts at stuffing up momentum with horrible turnovers (tanking? ) I think that Maric's game on Sunday was a great example of how a bit of time (or even just a single game) is all a player needs to get a bit of a feel for the game (100% efficiency from Addam), and we can't judge a second gamer on his errors. I doubt he'd make the same ones in 2 or 3 games. Bennell too looked a little lost in his first couple of games, but the glimpses of talent were there. I thought Grimes showed plenty of glimpses too.

Stood up against a formidable opponent. PJ has had a stinker of a season thus far, but when throw with his biggest career challenge, he stood up to the best of his ability. We got comprehensively beaten in the ruck (as per usual), but around the ground I though PJ had Cox's measure. I'm now a lot more confident that PJ can ruck on his own until Jamar is fit.

As did I. I've been commenting on his poor output all season actually. The difference between you and me is that I don't just accept poor performances from players that have proven themselves in the past, I try to question why it is that they are playing the way they are. McLean to me looks injured (and his anger two weeks ago as he came to the bench, would suggest to me that he's frustrated at himself), but that does not prevent him from working hard on and off the ball. Sylvia may have had a good second half, but his glimpses don't excite me, and if by your assessment he spent half the game being disinterested, than that to me is a much bigger football crime than missing targets or being slow. Sylvia is probably more talented than McLean in terms of pure skills, but one gets the best out of himself, and one doesn't. That's why I will stick up for one and not the other. When Sylvia strings together good performances consistently, I promise you that I will be the first to praise him. As for the Robbo vs. Newton comparison, I'm not even gonna go there. It's sheer insanity. You can find the biggest knocker of Robbo, and he'll still tell you that what Robbo brings to the team, Newton never has. I was excited at Newton's prospects, and have commended him for addressing his issue with defensive pressure, but the main difference between Robbo and Newton, is that Robbo takes the best defender, beats them one on one, gives us a real target to kick to because of his ability to take contested marks, doesn't fluff easy shots at goal, and has the mental toughness to bounce back when things are not going his way (he missed two gettable shots in his first game back, but still nailed the others... had Newton missed two easy shots at the start of the game, I doubt he would have bounced back). Newton will get another chance at AFL level, and I hope he can deliver, but from what I've seen, he's a lost cause. I don't seem to be alone in my views either, but apparently when I express an opinion it's biased, when others do, it's insightful and correct Every single view expressed on Demonland carries bias. I don't try to force my opinion on anyone, but I don't try to conceal it either.

<_< :angry: There is not a chance in hell that Maric is getting dropped.

So true. It's ironic when you want to go to the footy, and your other half wants to go out partying with his friends... or you want to watch replays on Foxtel and he wants to watch some renovation show <_< The smart ones learn very quickly that football comes first, and they come a distant second, and learn to adapt. The dumb ones get given their marching orders (The Port supporter was bad, but the rivalries I had going with the Essendon supporter took the cake. We actually banned ourselves from going to watch each others' teams play in the end).

I think Sylvia has the skills but not the ability to get involved in games for four quarters, you call him disinterested. Maybe that should give you a clue as to why I will always rate McLean more highly, because McLean may struggle to impact a game, but he will never appear disinterested. Players who work hard on and off the ball will always have my respect, and that is exactly why I call Bruce on his poor disposal, but I never question his work rate (I actually admire it). We agree on Bate, and yet it's OK for you to mention that he's poor below his knees, but if I say it, I'm biased? As for Newton, if you think that Robbo hasn't shown more than Newton in his two games this season, than I'm going to have to highlight to you just how bias you are towards Newton. If Newton is still playing at 30 (doubtful), and manages to come back from a torn achilles, and then proceeds to kick 3 goals (bringing up his tally to 400, plus 2 B&Fs) upon his return, and then takes some very good contested grabs and kicks 2 more the following week, then maybe we can start comparing and contrasting the two (and yes, Robbo can be pretty lazy when it comes to applying defensive pressure... just mentioning that, you know, in case you think I'm wearing my rose-tinted glasses again).

I thought both Dunn and Petterd spent time on Le Cras, who got a couple of easy goals when left unattended. I only remember Grimes giving up 1 goal from a direct one-on-one battle with him?? Although it was hard to tell, because the defence became a bit of a mess once Frawley and Rivers finished up.

Agreed. I know you're not a Dunn fan, but in the absence of our 3 best tall defenders, I'd like to see what he can do in defence. He was thrown in there yesterday and did a reasonable job, let's see if he can develop that. Wouldn't even mind giving Bate a game down back, given he played a defensive position as a junior. Cheney deserves a call up, and McNamara should debut (perfect timing).

Thought he was in the bottom 6 players for us. Finally got some glue on his hands in the second half, but he is so so bad below his knees it's painful to watch. I know we can't blame a player for a physical inability, but the game is way too quick for someone like Bate to spend 5 minutes fumbling the ball at ground level. Stef Martin and PJ can pick balls up cleanly off the deck. That Bate can't is a massive worry. He is pretty much a half-a-body player.

I never suggested Bruce had a poor game. But Grimes' disposal efficiency was also 82% yesterday, so why does one get judged for his mistakes (in what is his SECOND game), while the other doesn't? We want to see the club develop kids, but as with Maric last week, or Bennell a few weeks back, we'll have a crack when they stuff up. I thought Grimes was great in just his second game. Calm, collected and poised he stood tall in a very undermanned defence. To not praise him for his efforts, but instead pick on the two solitary mistakes he made by foot, just seems so unfair to me.

Agree with most of the above, but... I'm wondering what optimism you saw from Bate today, and how Bruce is a true leader despite turning the ball over constantly, but Grimes (in his second game) gets a bit of a serve for a couple of turnovers? Grimes looks like he's played 100 games already.

Bate??? what the hell? He'd be competing for WOG, not BOG!

He's more a medium sized defender, and I'd say he'd replace Frawley in taking the best mid-sized forward. Will be interesting to see if he gets a game, and if he does, how he'll play. Probably a perfect week for him to play, given the Dogs have a wide range of medium forwards.

McNamara!

I'm a bit worried that you misread my comments to the point of thinking I was actually defending him. I'm not. I think it's a well known fact that Sylvia struggles to get involved, but when he does get the ball, he can use it. If he didn't have the talent, do you think he'd still be on our list, given his history with off field issues and injuries? And BRFE might enjoy having a crack, but I doubt he disagrees too much with my views on Sylvia, Newton or Bate.

While he is a great defender, which young player would you drop to fit him into the backline (assuming he was fit)? It will only hurt us in the long run if we send Bennell back to the VFL when Whelan clearly hasn't got a lot of time left.

Your men crushes are cursed! If Grimesy gets injured again I'm hunting you down and killing you. :angry:

The game hasn't gotten twice as quick in one season Rhino! Plus McLean can still read the play better than most and find a lot of space, even though he is primarily an inside midfielder. He is getting better each game, but obviously the wide spaces of Subiaco just don't agree with him, because he looked spent after the game. By the way, talent (i.e.- ability to mark and kick) is not impacted by an ability to get involved. Some players are low possession getters by nature, but are highly skilled. Sylvia knows what to do with the ball once he gets it, or once it is kicked to him, the problem is, he doesn't know how to get it or demand it. In his junior years, he was the star and the game plan revolved around him. He didn't need to work hard to win the ball. AFL doesn't work like that, especially when you're trying to become a midfielder. Sylvia obviously hasn't been able to adjust to not being the centre of the universe, and that is a real shame.

His leg is likely to snap in half and fall off if he tries to kick the ball any harder. The ball weighs about the same as he does! Morton's disposal is risky, not poor. Like TJ (and Davey!) he tries a lot of low percentage kicks, and sometimes they work and sometimes they don't (sometimes they don't work because the player on the receiving end is horrible). I'm happy for him to keep taking risks, because as we get better, his risks will pay off big time, especially since he keeps on winning that ball. I like that he's creative enough to think through situations, instead of just bombing long or going for stupid little chip kicks that end up nowhere. Bailey too, is obviously happy to keep letting him play his natural game. If you start limiting his creativity, you'll ruin him. Most geniuses are flawed

We're taking a temporary break. We'll resume our services shortly... hopefully...

There is definitely something going on with McLean. He is either lacking fitness due to an incomplete pre-season, or is carrying an injury. It's not possible that at his age, he has gotten suddenly really slow and really poor at kicking the ball. I wish Sylvia would get more involved in the game, because he will do a couple of brilliant things and then disappear for minutes on end. It's a shame because the talent is not lacking, but he just gets lost out there.

Took a couple of great, brave marks in the backline too. While he looks like a terminally ill patient (he is all skin and bones, it's frightening), he sure as hell doesn't play like one. Keeps on improving and is a real chance to become elite in a couple of years. Ugh, no! Bowden is the most useless possession gatherer going around. Half of his possessions are the result of Richmond [censored] farting around with the ball in the back-half.