McQueen

Thanks for your mindless contribution.

If I was to have a go at dreaming up what happened at the Club (like many others have attempted) it would be as follows: Garry facilitated a great deal of the change purley through asking some really good but invasive questions. He was exposed to a lot more of the conjecture about the club in media circles whereas the people within the club were trying to avoid addressing it in anyway. These questions were the catalyst for the hard decisions to be made by many people. Who knows but I bet most of the people that were shown the door probably asked where it was after things started getting uncomfortable. I also suggest that it was Garry who brought back the meaning of passion and defined it at the MFC that attracted Neeld, Craig, Misson and Co. At the time, I also was pretty disappointed by Garry giving the 186 debacle more fuel on his radio show - thinking that Jim's health would be put under more pressure by such comments. However, looking back at it all now, I doubt all of this would have happened had it not played out the way it did. Dealing in hypotheticals I know, but the rapid turn-around in positions, staffing, structures etc may not have happened if Garry hadn't have shot his mouth off to begin with. Maybe it was Jimmy who give it to him that got him at the club? All I care about now is the current status, of which appears to be a massive improvement. But, talk is cheap and 4 points are not.

Thanks for the report JJH. Can you give any detail on the rucking at the stoppages... Did the talls rotate responsibilities?

Why not give them praise for potential? We all hope they will be great servants of the club, just like we hope the rest of the players will be. To say they are 'not quite there yet' does not relate to where they are in their careers.

If you look closely at the photo in the Age article, you will notice Clark seems to have a full blown bloody mural etched on to his right side. Sleeve tatts.... They are so yesterday.

Magner looks in great shape. Seriously think this bloke will see a fair bit of seniors this year. Having a player with his strength (reported to be a freak in the gym) in the midfield will be invaluable to the young blokes around him.

Obviously not.

Thanks for the overview, t_u. Will keep an eye out for it on the SEN website. It's pleasing to see that age is not seen as an input into the selection criteria in choosing a Captain. This is an important aspect of having the team accept whoever the new Skipper will be. As for Jack Watts, I think Neeld will be pleasantly surprised this season.

Can anyone share details on what the criteria is for the RDB leadership award that Grimes won last season? Is it voted on by team-mates, FD, etc..?

Well, the tide has finally turned.

Without knowing what Neeld's game-plan is, I can only imagine by how he has stated on numerous occasions that behaviour and actions will dictate the players chances of selections (this is not anything new), but I have the feeling that the internal competitiveness has been substantially ramped up and this will see a whole new level of desperation out on the paddock. A brutal and skillful game where our boys leave nothing out there week in, week out.

Flimsy argument. Grimes had a lot more time in the gym last year while JT was out going for the hard-ball.

I agree. I'm more interested in how their other superstar signings went in the time trial.... Like what about Brogan and Cornes?

We all know you are a Grimes fan but these remarks are quite ridiculous. Maybe you could do us all a favour explain the gap between these two statements. Kids still play in U18 competition.

Okay, I'm going to say it. Bruise free. (not)

Out of all the candidates, I believe JT has the best chance of adapting to the responsibility of being a great leader and club Captain. Yes he's young, but that just goes to prove how impressive the man is to be viewed in this light. I'm sick and tired of having people refer to him as a kid too. Choo-choo!

I was connected to Foxtel in November last year. The deal was the basic package (get started I think it was called) plus the full sports package for $50 a month.This is just the poverty pack with the normal Foxtel box and SD picture, no IQHD etc as I considered those the "nice-to-have's" and the unnecessary cost given that with a bit of extra effort you can record the game with a normal HDD recorder. $600 to access every game live is great value. $1800 minimum for the 3 return flights I will still take to come over and watch the boys play is the kicker..

C'mon everyone... His name is Mitch Clark.

Absolutely correct. If I haven't got my jumper on I'll have my footy nicks on. Loud and proud.

I'm happy to pay the extra for the time being. My missus has told me my Birthday gifts are accounted for the next ten years (hopefully inflation will help me out a little and cut in half). $50 for all games and a 24 hr footy channel means a lot and is reasonable value in my opinion. Being in WA, I have to watch Friday night footy from 8.30pm (the game is already finished), listen to and read news reports that are heavily biased towards Freo and WCE and be subjected to local radio stations cutting from the MFC Vs ? game at 3 qtr time to go live to Subi. I've put up with this for 5 years since returning to Aus and it has worn very thin. I can't wait to watch the boys play live, record the game without ad breaks, and access the latest AFL news 24 hrs a day (web aside). The Missus however, doesn't share my enthusiasm.

Number 4 is a certainty. Mainly because being in the west and playing footy with a heap of WCE supporters who give me heaps on the Nic Nat vs Jack Watts comparison. I wear my Melbourne gear to every training session. Go Dee's! Ed: I even throw in some blind-turns in the middle of lane work when no-one's around me. That really gets 'em going.

Jack Watts will be the surprise package of 2012. I'm very hopeful that with the new culture Neeld and Co are fostering at MFC the likes of JW and the other young blokes with heaps of potential, will finally start coming of age. Also, I have a strange feeling that Magner will get a fair bit of game time this year. He will be the wrecking ball at clearances we so badly need.

I think it's fantastic that the players are really enjoying training. The run to exhaustion/fail that you spoke of is pre-christmas break training. I thought it was well documented although I've never been to a session. We have some of the best in the business holding the reins now. Your questions are quite rare.

The players have outwardly expressed their excitement and approval of the new program and coaching group - Jack Watts included. AD has been quiet but I hardly think he will sulk about getting named by the coach. If anyone has the right to name players in a public forum, the coach is it, whether he's had 1 month or 5 years in the job. They're all men playing a tough sport.

Correct. Almost all of Brads injuries throughout his career at the Dee's are a direct result of him putting his body on-the-line. I don't believe anyone who has followed Brads time at MFC can say that selfless acts of courage are not part of his game. Interesting about his appointment in the international rules team given that the likes of James Kelly were other obvious choices. What the selection criteria for that was, who knows? From a supporters perspective, we watched Brad fail quite miserably in the media and struggled on the field last year. 2011 was a just an outright dog of a year for any player let alone Brad to lead the Demons week in, week out so I defintitely think we need to cut him some slack. I honestly think that if he were given another go he would flourish under the new coaching regime but I also believe there are other candidates with more potential and the abovementioned traits waiting for the opportunity.