rjay

Well, what is Pike doing. Needs to inject something into the game. Lever forward, Otten back...

Crows gone unless Tex steps up. They've been poor up forward. Expect it of Jenkins, I don't really rate him...watch him win them the game now that I've said that. ...but seriously he plays like a rover in a big mans body. Looking for the crumbs.

Snap...

Don't get reported Lever...more important things ahead next year.

Or option 3: He could do a Brad Sewell, stay and prove the club wrong as a 3 time premiership player...

Who is this Midnight Oil cover band???

I'm wondering if the girls & gambling are just the tip of the iceberg... Unfortunately past history seems to tell us that footy clubs couldn't care less if that's all their player is up to. The Doggies reaction to the wife indicates this is still the case. So what gives?

If you like fantasy 'Unleash'...I would prefer at least some amount of truth.

...and he rates well.

Not sure how many watch the "Front Bar" but I caught the segment with 'Dill' (or Gilligan as a mate of mine likes to call him) last night. It was great TV. Sam Pang in particular hit him up with some absolute classics that should make our so called serious journalists feel ashamed of themselves. Very insightful & very funny at the same time, Sam put 'Dill' on the back foot and the look in his face was priceless. It brought to mind the saying "many a true thing is said in jest" Be careful Sam, remember what happened to Grant Thomas...

I don't think so...

The question I have with the pick upgrade is why would the Pies help us get Lever when they're in the market for him?

Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story...

Still another how many months to the start of next season for us and it can't come quick enough. I think some of the stuff posted this off season is more ridiculous than anything I've seen, we made more sense when we had a common enemy...CS, Neeld, Pendergast etc. Where we finished this season is not because Jones was captain or Misson in charge of fitness. It's not leadership, or in the head. Previous drafting has been a problem but that's been done to death, we know that and it's in the process of being rectified. That's why we've had to recruit form outside, not ideal but thats the best we can do. This group will grow together and so will the leadership and experience. We're not trading big Max, Hogan is not on the trade table... We got close but weren't good enough this year, pretty simple really. Disappointing, yes but that's how it is. Some of our future gun players, the ones that win games were either not on the ground (Hogan) or still a bit up and down and learning the caper (Petracca).. Our defence needed bolstering (Lever)... We really missed Jones for those weeks he was out despite what those who seem to want to create another reality think and of course Viney was missed. Like it or not we are a young team, I know we hate to hear it but that's what we are. Our 'A' graders and elite talents are not there yet, they will be. When they reach that level and we start losing games we should win then I will agree we have leadership issues and head problems but we're not there yet. Fire away...I know this is not a popular view. It's easier to throw rocks than accept the reality.

A unilateral decision by Goodwin is hardly what I would call voted in.

I thought Oliver should've and he wasn't even in the top 3...

Well, it's Grand Final week... With all the trade talk and discussion of where we go next year I nearly typed 2018 in the heading, lets hope it's us. From an early in the week standpoint I thought it would be interesting to get peoples views on who they think will be premiers and if that changes as the week moves on. My thought this morning has been that it will be a blowout with the Crows having to much firepower all over the ground. Now this is coming from someone who hasn't rated the Tiges all season and at the start of the year I had them bottom 6 (maybe even bottom 4). So I have a bias against the Tiges... The Crows finished on top as clearly the best team in the competition and they've done nothing in the finals to date that takes away from that view. If they take the emotion out early then I can see the Tiges folding and they won't have 90k supporters on side to will them over the line. ...and just a quick one on that other sport. The Storm deserve it so much and isn't it great that Gus Gould has to sulk all week with no Sydney teams in it. Go Storm...stick it up the NRL

Looks like we've taken the basketball path. Smith & Maynard look good prospects and there are only so many spots available on the list.

This is the big mystery 'Ralph' and his win/loss record at AFL level is a decent 53%...

I was most happy to see Delidio not make a GF. I can't stand the Tiges but what I can't stand more is players walking into a premiership team without putting time into it. It's kind of justice that in the last 2 years both Griffen and now Lids have moved on to greener pastures and found the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence. Am I mean spirited for thinking this way?

It's going to be interesting to watch the Adelaide taller defence against the Tiger small forwards. Pressure from up the ground will play it's part but Lever will play a big role. If he gets enough of the ball in the air then the smalls will struggle to have an effect on the game. Townsend or Caddy seem the only options to go to Lever but don't have the height to really take him out of the game and Richmonds kicking game is not good enough to circumvent him. If the Tiges smalls can get on top then it's their's for the taking. As always it will all become obvious at around 5pm on Saturday afternoon.

Trouble for them is Adelaide will give it back in spades. In their 2 finals to date physical pressure has been a one way street. Geelong didn't give a whimper and GWS lack hardness bar Ward, a lot of nice footballers but...

Heard that they are looking for another key forward, Hawkins needs some help. Doug Wade is rumoured to be on the radar...could get him cheap.

Stanley had the job last night.

Another thing to be noted with Lever is that opposition teams have been running a defensive forward against him to try and take him out of the game, keep him away from the footy. It's happened in both finals, so it looks like the coaches rate him.