rjay

Now the tennis is finally over and we are starting to move into football mode I'm sure the good news will start to be released shortly. Got to get the most mileage from these announcements.

I'm thinking it will be more a blanket clause in all AFL contracts and I'm sure they will itemise the dangerous activities. ...by the way the danger in riding a motorcycle is not necessarily the rider...it's the clowns on the road in general. Personally I won't even ride a push bike on the road anymore.

I don't think we were complacent in 2014...just not very good. Neither were the Saints but they did have Nick Reiwoldt. He & Etihad were the difference. If we lose to Port complacency will have nothing to do with it....

One thing I can guarantee 'Macca' is that KB is absolutely going to lose it over this rule change. He was a big fan of the previous rule and I think it was under his reign that it was brought in... It's one thing I agree with him on.

They pretty much cleaned this one up 'Macca' only to open the can of worms again. One for the defenders. What position did Hocking play?

Another unforeseen impact may be clubs will put more emphasis on goal kicking practice at training. Kicking a behind gives an even bigger advantage to the opposition than previously...it's going to be a lot easier to go end to end with the whole ground spread out in front of you and not very easy to defend. Accuracy will be king...

I'm surprised we don't have them. It's about time we did. The players are well paid, that money comes at a cost. You don't get nothing for nothing.... If I was on 500k plus I don't think I would see too much problem in not riding a motorcycle, skiing or other activities. In all honesty I would be looking to protect my income.

Agree that Robbie Gray is their best mid, probably their best player to my mind. ...but they tend to play him more as a forward with the occasional run in the midfield. Maybe Wines is his match up but I suspect we might just let them worry about us as we have the better, more damaging midfield group.

I think he could also be coverage for Nev in the BP...stong kid, quick, good in the air. I noticed in some of his highlights he was either playing back or had dropped back (more likely) and didn't look out of place.

Sorry 'Macca'...shouldn't really have posted. Saw racing, saw red... We all have our irrational sides. I know for a lot of people it's innocent fun, for many others it's the opposite. I have a very personal reason for hating it with a passion. This has been triggered again recently.... It's not the gambling side per se although that is at issue for many (I would think poker machines fall more on the evil side). I've removed my post...a bit mean spirited by me.

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I think we will find KK & Fritsch taking up the wing positions with Salem and even Hibberd rotating with them. Billie would be next in line. I would rather they get as much development time in preseason than wasting it on an outside chance like Smith.

I don't think he uses the ball well enough 'Fat'... We now have a mix of players who can play this position & are good users/decision makers. I would rather them play into form/team in preseason. I think we are past trialling players in positions as far as best 22 go. Casey will be used to further develop depth.

No Bradtke or Chandler? Looks pretty solid though...

Joel and Frosty have similar attributes...great athletically but little to no footy IQ. I think Preuss is a good chance for round 1 given that Port go with the 2 ruck option. It will also be a matter of seeing if the new rule changes make any difference to whether you get a real advantage running 2 rucks. I'm a bit dubious like yourself but will wait and see.

Hopefully he's racking up 30+ possessions at Casey and pushing for selection. This is what ANB did consistently to make his case.

At least he's starting with 2 good shoulders this season. I thought his ball handling wasn't as good last season & some tackles slipped...that's coming from an extremely high base by the way. Not surprising with what he carried. I wonder when the injuries kicked in?

Well , we've sorted Tommy Mac's toe so I guess we have to find something to slash our wrists over...

One of the great guitar players (and one of my favourites), Reggie Young passed away a couple of days back. Think 'In the Ghetto', 'Suspicious Minds', 'Son of a Preacher Man' & 'Drift Away' to name just a few..that's Reggie. RIP Reggie... This is a nice tribute to Reggie from some pretty special players... Plus some nice Reggie Riffs from the man himself...

Tend to agree 'Mach'... If Lewis plays more than 10 this year then he's either having a remarkable season or we're struggling. More likely the later at this stage of his career. I expect he will either be injured or play a lot of footy at Casey in 2019.

I've often thought his progress would mirror Kennedy of WCE fame...similar type of player, Kennedy came to Carlton as a stick figure but look at him now, he was a slow burn. Weed came to us as a stick figure, has built up, attacks the ball hard like Kennedy and shares a willingness to put pressure on opponents and lay hard tackles. I think he will break out this year, the only reservation I have is him putting too much pressure on himself.

Sometimes (more often than not) to quote Frank Zappa, as a player "you are what you is and that's all it is"... How many people thought Robbie just needed a bit more muscle on his sleight frame? No matter how much he tried it was never going to happen Trac has a big frame, he's a big guy, always has been & he uses it to his advantage. He's not over weight or muscle bound like Conlin & Templeton back in the day... There's a bit of Dipper about him, could you imagine a scrawny, skinny looking Dipper?

More likely to be used as a KPD where the Pies are a bit light on...

Malthouse can be an astute judge at times, and at others he just goes for the headline. This was the later, going for the headline, appearing relevant, making the big statement. An astute judge would have talked about the age and experience of the team and how good teams learn to be more consistent when they get more games under their belts.

I would take McCrae...I reckon he's exactly what we need but with a bit of luck KJ could be the answer this year.