Thehardtackler

I suffer clinical depression and find it hard to motivate myself to go to work as a teacher. It must be significantly harder to do that when you also have to perform at an elite level as an AFL player. I wish Mitch all the best and am sure that he will be happier in photography. I think that those of you who think he will play AFL again are kidding yourselves!

I think about 26 players on our list are salvageable, that would include upgrading Harmes to the main list. There will probably be a few retirements at the end of the year and about 8-10 players culled. This all means that Roos will earn his money during the free trade and draft period. Mitch Clark is probably gone! Byrnes will retire. Players like Bail, Terlich, Tapscott etc. will be traded, delisted or sent tithe reserves if they are still contracted.Frawley will gito the Hawks. There may be a couple who request a trade back to heir home states.

No it is a lot more about attitude than simply personnel. Some of our players need to grow a backbone. Send them to train with the Storm for a couple of weeks and they might learn some of the basics of AFL e.g. Tackling, chasing down, running straight, evading and being aggressive.

I thought that it said Medication List.

It was at least refreshing to see Dunn genuinely upset at his post match chat with Burgs. I think that we need more of that kind of feeling to motivate some of the long time passengers to shape up or ship out. Players need to be setting realistic personal targets for their own performance not just to be working solely to Roos game plan.

Lazy! Lazy! Lazy! There were too many passengers in the Melbourne team last night. Some if the players simply looked unfit and there are some players who just don't understand what the word 'aggression' means. It is time to shape up or ship out for some of our list. I don't care if players like Frawley go because a young player with some passion and belief would offer us more. Pedersen was woeful for most of the game. Daniel Cross was too quiet and needs to get into the game.Bernie Vince should be extracting the ball in the centre to help Jones rather than being thrown forward. Watts and Matt Jones were two of the best. Jack Viney's example was a big loss tonight and we will be better for him in the team. Gawn has to play forward and dare I say it but we need Jamar back. We will probably be murdered by West Coast next week, especially if our coaches allow injured players like McDonald remain on the ground during matches. If you clapped the team up the tunnel at the end last night then go and find another club to support because your affirmation of that performance is part of the reason our culture of failure persists.

Of course he makes our best 22. Remember that in the modern game you have to rotate your players from week to week. He also breaks lines with his pace, much like Blease does. Lewis Jetta is the kind of player that you hope Evans could become.

Knew his son Darcy quite well when I worked at Essendon Grammar. Dean worked hard to improve the culture of the Melbourne Football Club but was let down by a number of people in the club. If he had stayed we would have risen up the ladder eventually. He was a very kind and well respected man who had the players on side. I really hope that his family are getting the love and support they need to work through his tragic passing.

It may only be the NAB Challenge but our midfield finally functioned properly. It will be so good to hear about Richmond memberships being microwaved as the Tigers fans overreact in despair.

Dunn in the forward 50 goal square, those were the days!

A few observations from training: Trengove definitely looks fit again and was moving well, Mitch Clark still has problems with his left leg and is not putting weight on it when walking, Dawes was in a foul mood for some reason and refused to acknowledge the supporters, Jay Kennedy Harris is electric and classy, Viv Michie is fit and ready to go and appears to relish a bit of competition, Bernie Vince was keeping Watts honest in the running, Sam Blease is a marvellous bloke and will prove his doubters wrong (he actually remembered every detail of the conversation we had with him before Christmas and came over to shake our hands and thank us for turning up to training), Roos definitely wasn't at training, Aidan Riley will be a good addition for us when fully fit, Christian Salem is extremely enthusiastic and will be great when he gets a game. I think that Jimmy Toumpas looks ready to blossom and appears to have settled in well to training this year, Garland and McDonald look very fit, Watts is starting to show some leadership at training actually talking through part of a drill to the whole squad, James Harmes looks sharp and is my tip for an upgrade to the main list in 2015.

Cale is a bit like Jordan Gysberts, they both have bags of talent but lack the dedication to actually stay at the top. I think that neither player worked hard enough on their frame in the gym. They both want to play football but do not want do to do the training.

It has already been stated by Roos that Grimes will play with the backs this year.

It is almost impossible to assess Jimmy Toumpas on last season given that he had a double hip operation before the beginning of his first season. He looked pretty good to me the other day and I think that he will be one of many that shine this year. I would look for Blease, Evans, Hogan, Viney, Kent, Michie, Riley, Tyson and Dunn to be players that rip it up this year. I think from what I have seen so far that Harmes, Salem, JKH and Barry may be players that do really well in 2015. However, who knows it is all really just conjecture. We will find out more during the Intra Club Matches in the New Year.

Spoke to Sam Blease today amongst others. What an impressive young man he is. He was very impressed with the way that Roos has helped rebuild their shattered confidence. He said that they were all gutted after the Essendon match last year and it sounds like it took the stuffing out of them for the remainder of the year. Shannon Byrnes asked me if I would like to join him for a repeat 300m sprint. I declined but he seemed a great bloke. Was impressed with Michael Evans change in build, he has apparently added another kilo or two. Bernie Vince is so enthusiastic and Dom Tyson is such a humble individual. Hogan looks like he bites the heads off bats whenever you see him, quite a scary looking individual for a young footballer. I will be back to see them train on 6 January. My friend saw the drills earlier and reckons that they all mostly looked enthusiastic and sharp. Merry Christmas to all Demonlanders, I am sure that we will do better in 2014!

You notice that the picture of the puddle is roughly the same as the shape of A map of Australia!

Not actually true. Ray Carroll used to get kids from the Murray on scouting missions and pay their school fees out of his own pocket just so they could be in his football team. That is one of the reasons why Assumption had such a strong team. They also still take a number of boarders from that area still who can play football.

It is much better a player like Harmes who really wants to play for us than a kid who is always looking to swap across to the team that he supported at school.

Could Blake Acres fit into our plans somewhere? His versatility would appeal to our footy department. Would he have been top 10 if he had played more footy this season and he had not been injured? Worth a thought!

Pigdog is very highly rated by Crows fans. I look forward to Riley, McKenzie, Tyson, Viney, Jones, Trengove, Cross, Vince and Michie crashing and harassing opposition players next year, especially around the clearances.

I think that Roos would be prepared to give Tuck a second chance in the AFL if he is good enough. Tuck would run through walls for a team prepared to take a chance on him.

In the practise game against the Roos earlier this year I was really impressed with the way in which Hogan would use physicality to get hold of the ball and use it. Watching Michie's interview on the club website I think that he may have a similar personality and attitude to Hogan and Viney. Let's hope these players are truly competitive beasts.

Don't know about him going as a rookie but we might consider drafting Joel Tippett with pick 40. He is a capable looking key defender.

Roos has already said Watts and Trengove will play in the midfield. The Midfielders will be Tyson, Trengove, Watts, Vince, Cross, Michie, M Jones, N Jones, Viney, Evans, Toumpas and Barry later in the season. I think Roos will rotate the squad in the midfield so that some players get a rest when we go interstate. If we draft Freeman he might not play until quite late into 2014. Forwards will be Clark, Hogan, Dawes, Howe, Byrnes, Kent, Tapscott, Gawn, Jetta (who may be chosen as a small defender) and maybe Pedersen. Blease may not get many games under Roos unless he improves his work ethic. Backs are fairly obvious: Garland, Frawley, Terlich, McDonald, Strauss, Grimes and Dunn (who could play forward). I don't think that Nicholson will get selected much. Clisby will play a fair bit. Cannot see us blooding any other new talent in the first year unless we take a mature player like Cain in the draft. Spencer and Jamar will be rotated and could even be rested at certain times in the season.

Drafting Daniel Cross really meant the end for Magner. Cross brings hardness and skill to our lineup whereas Magner really was all about brute force.