Ouch!

I have been thinking along similar lines, and wondered whether the priority pick would be best set up like the 17yr old mini draft. That format is more appealing. I think though that it should have some sort of condition placed on it that it must involve the trade of a currently listed player, rather than just kids. Because a club losing all but 3-5 games needs some established players to perhaps assist them just as much as another draft pick. I think that Viney, Crouch, O'meara and Hogan etc will really benefit from the year in the system. Its better for the club, the player drafted, the evenness of the competition, and doesn't compromise the draft quite so much (when you take a pick out next years system rather than this years system)

Great work on getting the numbers down there today Wizza (and all the others that got involved) Just watching the press conference now, Neeld sounded genuinely impressed/touched at the show of support, and said it was appreciated by all. For a club down on confidence, that show of support this morning was probably the best thing that they could have had happen !!

Sorry thats crap. Blease is one player that has improved under Neeld and Craig. As RPFC said Blease did his ankle and was underdone in terms of match practise. Coming on as the sub in the first game looked ok,.. but everyone at that point of the match is fatigued so the pressure is far less at that point of the match.

Personal views aside OD, and you can beg all you like. Fact is that the AFL cleared us, therefore we are not guilty. AFL might 'find' Essendon not guilty also... but the allegations and implications that they have dragged the AFL though is far worse than what we did.

Neither were we... OD, thats entirely the point! MFC was fined because of the actions of two of our employees. Hird aside. Dank was the former sports scientist AT the EFC. Then there are others such as the Weapon, Thompson, Corcoran and possibly Robson. If any are seen to have been aware of or condoned the practises of injecting 'Vitamins' into the essendon playing list ... that is significantly worse than CC and DB did in my eyes. The actions of Essendon employees warrants a larger fine than what was handed out the MFC, purely due to dragging the AFL into this ASADA investigation.

Melb got fined $500k for the actions of their employees for something where we were not proven guilty. Dank and some of the others (Weapon etc).... what sort of fine do you think this worthy of in the eyes of the AFL even if cleared by ASADA?

Top effort from you guys, and I really hope that get some good numbers there as a show of support to the team! ... gonna be a lot of good training reports coming back I hope!!!

It was a poor game by Grimes IMO. He was playing on Heppell to my understanding (at least in the first half) and was no where near the player.

Jamar was smashed from the center bounce. None of the mids had a chance, Jones had enough as people said... and whats more being smashed so easily in there meant that the defenders also had no chance given it went in so fast so often. It sounds like it's too soon for Gawn to be pushed back into the seniors, but its going to happen sooner rather than later... perhaps against GWS. Spencer competed last year I thought, his skills aren't super and he can't kick to save himself, but Jamar didn't even get a kick on Sat night. (Spent most of the time on his butt after being jumped into by Ryder it seemed) The rules have killed off Jamar being able to compete as an undersized (sub 200cm) ruckman that relies on strength rather than agility and his leap. At best he can hold his own from boundary throw ins.... The last thing we need is stuffing Clark (who is also coming in without any fitness base) because Jamar isn't up to it.

It's Jamars efforts in the middle that concern me the most... he has no friggin idea how to counter bellchambers at the bounce... I know our defense looks shaky, but FFS what can you expect with Jamar being so poor.

Richmond are doing their best to do a Richmond

I liked this for your dog's sake!!!

Neeldy?? Is that really you?

I want to see a win, and a player like Byrnes or Rodan have a really good game to shove it up kn0bs like Damien Barrett who slagged off the recruiting last year and saying these boys have no football left. I would also love to see Viney and Wines go at it from a football spectacle point of view!

There would be a fair chance of of these boys will be the sub though. Its a fair point tho.

ahhh yup, so announcing the team (where they play etc) is perhaps more the issue here. Sounds like the more warning we can give the Toumpas family that he is going to debut, the better the attendance figure on Sunday will be

Rightio, I personally think it is the right of the club and club coach to be able to announce new players, or players getting their first game.... it's an exciting time for that player, their family and the club. To have to release such information to the schedule of the media partners... that's bollocks.

I didn't think we were allowed to announce such things any more? doesn't everything have to go via Channel 7 news or something stupid now? I recall the coaches last year were all very careful not to mention things on penalty of a fine.

I think I have to agree here. I think Watts will improve, but it sounds like the penny has dropped for Blease, and he is one of few players on our list that I cannot easily put a ceiling on... Has pace, the ability to break lines, good skills and loves to get a goal. Endurance and a defensive mindset were the things that he was lacking, but these things can be improved in time. Ideally would love him to play wing rather than forward... ... of course Howe might improve and get a clean dozen or more Mark of the year nominations!

I think that the club would be thinking/hoping Gawn is the next number 1.... And Mitch playing the alternative Ruck... I don't reckon Mitch sees himself as the number 1 ruck. I can't see why Hogan, Dawes and Clark can't fit up forward... Nth, Richmond have 3 talls most weeks.. GWS (if Sheeds is serious) think that they could play Buddy in with Cameron and Patton.

I've seen Neeld be upbeat more than we saw with Bailey... He is also a lot more intense in the box than I saw with DB.

Exactly right... I saw on FC the other night footage of Sanderson from the crows at their season launch basically saying the boys are playing for a flag, and comparing this team to 97-98 etc... then came out in the first week against the bombers to deliver as they did.I know I'd take Neeld's approach to our season over that effort. OD: Only reason I think Neeld talks about quarters is because thats how he has to approach it. He knows that the consistency isn't there to talk about full games efforts yet. I have no doubt all the coaches talk about one quarter at a time internally, it's just publically that the coaches who have teams at the bottom end talk about quarters... about competitiveness, about being in the game longer etc. Thats why you hear the cliche 'the boys put in a four quarter effort' almost 4-5 times a week in post match interviews.

Really? I would argue the opposite, Hurley will struggle to contain his aggression, just like Joel Selwood only knows one one to play and he is going to be a risk of concussion constantly through his career. Same with Glen Archer, Byron Pickett, Josh Carr etc. If you have the angry in you, good luck getting it out. Name me a player than has 'mellowed'? I am not saying it is easy to become aggressive, but I think Watts will find the 'happy medium' faster than Hurley, who will spend a good amount of time with the tribunal before his career is ended.

Fact is... his selection as AA was a crock.... there is no way his season was better than Sam Jacobs from Adelaide. The selection committee copped crap over that and rightly so. Pretty certain none of the stats backed up that decision,

A little unfair given that in that time his club has barely managed to do the same.... 30 odd disposals against the swans last year was an impressive effort given how badly the rest of the team got smashed. Niknat has a bit more license to play the way he does in a team that can cover his mistakes due to how well drilled they are....I'd suggest Watts might be seen a little different light (and indeed would be playing differently) in a team such as Collingwood/Hawthorn, and NikNat in a team such as the Doggies or the Dees... The argument of who is better is irrelevant unless you can compare them in a fair way.