Norm Smith's Curse

Your suggesting that people should not be in any way angry with Liam because they arent seeing the big picture and just worrying about how it will effect the club. That is missing the point.

This is my last post on this topic but here goes: 1. I very much doubt Liam would have been at the club next year irrespective of whether he chose to walk out or not. If you think otherwise I would respectfully suggest that you havent been watching the club develop in the last year under Neeld. 2. Jurrah walking out is probably a win;win situation - if we had dropped him at the end of the season we may have been put in an awkward no win situation via the media for not supporting him. 3. Whether we like it or not, Liam had some pretty massive off-field issues that have negatively effected his ability to perform this year. The club has done the right thing by Liam and done everythign we can to support him in his personal issues. We could have walked away given that he has been charged with indictable offenses. 4. Being angry at Liam does not make anyone a racist. Suggesting people are being outrageous for being angry with Liam is just juvenile. Few of us understand the personal circumstances of Liam and his community.

missing the point

Incorrect. He said loudly that he didnt want 'to go back to that club.' (meaning MFC). I was there mate.

If you think Jurrah was one of the most gifted players you've seen play for Melbourne you must not have been supporting the club long. He had some natural talents but I doubt he would have been at the club next year whether he walked out or not. No one is doubting that he had external and cultural pressures on him. I understand them quite well as I have family that work in a community close to his. But this doesnt make him an innocent victim of the circumstances and to suggest otherwise isnt being racist - which I think is what your suggesting. Ill remind you again that under the Daniher years our club was lauded as an example of how to manage the cultural, logistical sensitivities of our indigenous players who were living so far from home.

yeah they smell blood alright.

Every word of that article gives me hope and confidence in what they are trying to achieve down there. Results will follow!

Im not sure I believe that. I think it might be partly because they think they arent going to be retained or perhaps testing the currency for negotiations

heard this from a bloke who has contacts in the club as well. BIG changes was what he told me and what you have describe constitutes BIG changes. WAFL is a high standard actually - ive seen some games there and seen some talent. Higher than the battler level at least.

See your not even getting the point. I doubt what he was talking about has anything to do with the charges - what he is talking about no doubt is Wonnamerri saying he hated melbourne and didnt want to play at the club. Or talking about Aaron Davey allegedly telling Misfid that Neeld was a racist and then recanting. Or perhaps Liam - who through stress or distraction - responded to the problem he got himself into (and I understand the cultural issues up there better than most because I know someone who lives up in a community in medicine) by half-arsed efforst at training and asking not to play when coaches believed he was up to it. This is from a club that was lauded under the Daniher years for managing the cultural sensitivities of indigenous players so well.

Ill bet you my car that he wont ever be a 'force' and he will never play for Adelaide. I mean clubs cant enough of players with impending charges that will constitute jail time if found guilty and who respond to getting themselves in trouble and club support by putting in half-arsed efforts and requests not to play when coachs believe they are fit enough... Liam would have been delisted at seasons end. perhaps traded but I doubt that Neeld would have kept him around and Malthouse probably made the right call at the Magpies. As for getting Malthouse - some people just have NO idea about what is going on... Neeld is basically Malthouse by proxy. Malthouse sold Neeld to the club. Malthouse has constantly backed (and probably had input in) every decision Neeld has made thus far. Malthouse has even been mentoring jack Watts. malthouse would never walk into a job of a guy he likes and rates as highly as Neeld. Further, after hearing Neeld's insights into the running of the club and its culture and FB department he would have no interest. he even said that Neeld came into a 'club where it was all about everything BUT football, let me tell you' - in his own words.

???

Are you sure about that?

As for heros - young Jack Viney is made of sterner stuff...

Are you for real? Liam was a likely trade or delist at the end of this season. Liam had talent no doubt but since the 'incident' he hasnt exactly set the training track on fire from what we hear and had minimal impact even at VFL level. Liam's style is all talent with no accountability - prettymuch the opposite of the Neeld direction. Jurrah was talented and had an x factor but he was hardly an a-grader or a genius. And I doubt given what has happened this year and how much impact his personal circumstance had on his playing and application this year that Port or Adelaide will go near him sadly.

How is lying a 'definition'? Lying in this situation is stupid given that if he tries to go to Adelaide or Port Adelaide in 2013 he will need our agreement for a trade. Although you wont see Liam play AFL again.

The choice of words is very interesting. There is more to the story I think.

So he says to the club that he cant commit to AFL at any level until his court case is finalised. Yesterday it has been confirmed that his manager approached Port Adelaide. His mentor said on SEN tonight that he would be willing to continue his AFL career at an Adelaide-based club.

The word is that davey's foot is bung. Another year to go but dont expect much.

We might get something for Jurrah if somehow Port decide to pick him up which I very much doubt. But I doubt it would be Boak unless we added some significant sweatners. Adelaide will not take the chance I can tell you. Ive heard Strauss wants out but I doubt Rivers is going anywhere - just boosting currency for his end of year negotiations.

Point is I wonder whether there were under the Bailey years. There is a difference between cultural sensitivities and excusing

I think your murking the facts. Certainly unded the Daniher years our club was used as an example of how to manage the cultural aspects of having indigenous players come down to Melbourne in the cold and play in the AFL. So we have good history on this point. That being said Daniher didnt let dead weights stay at the club unless they were trav Jonstone or Brad Miller LOL. So I doubt at that time players who didnt really want to be at the club would have stayed. How many chances and how much special treatment do you give anyone who doesnt seem interested in changing the way they train or play? Im inclined to think that since Dean Bailey our relationships with indigenous players have been a failure. But not because Neeld has suddenly lifted the expectations on these players, but because perhaps these players were mollycoddled to the nth degree. You have Wonnamerri up at Darwin airport telling a group of strangers in 2005-06 that he didnt want to play for MFC. You have Aaron Davey allegedly telling Misfid that Neeld is a racist and then denying it. You have Liam getting in trouble and then either through distraction or stress or for whatever reason putting in a half-arsed effort at training all year and then asking three times not to play (despite the coaches believing he was ready). Im inclined to think that rather than Neeld being at fault, perhaps things under the Bailey years have created this situation. if your getting a pretty cruisy deal and then things suddenly change some may not take kindly.

Bring in some WAFL players. Ive seen a few games over there and the standard was surprising.

I think Josh Tynan will prove a valuable pickup. And Jai Sheahen looked great at Casey one day. But that is all I can say about the later. I suspect that Couch and Magner are both battlers

I hear we been spending time looking at mature recruits waiting for a our younger generation to suddenly fire.