rjay

Everyone thinks they handle succession pretty well it's only when the champions are gone that you realise you haven't. I'm a big fan of how the Cats have done it over the last number of years but I think they will get found out this year. Injury is part and parcel, you just don't replace champions that easily. Chapman could well be seen as their McDonald, these mistakes are made by young coaches.

That is so funny but true.

Easy goes on that one 'steve'. Argue your point, this has nothing to do with it. edit: Steve Jordan just turned 57, looks like all over 40's can't be that bad.

But up the ground he hasn't really shown an ability to break the lines with his speed. Now this may be related to fitness and repeated efforts, if he can use this pace around the ground then with his ball use he will be a weapon. I think he can do it but at the moment it is still "IF".

Hopefully Michie spent a fair bit of time with Kirk at Freo last year, that would have to help his development. You're right about Lyon though, he's hardly been seen as a development coach. Freo got him on board to win a flag with a list they think is close to complete.

I think some of our recruiting under Neeld was based on getting a spread in age topping up the mid to late 20's and I think it was a big mistake. The mistake to me was that it seemed like age first, ability second or not at all. I like how we approached it this year in picking up a bunch of good kids and balancing the list with some quality early 20's (Tyson, Michie) to right the past mistakes and real quality at the older end in Vince and Cross. A feel for the player and the game will always be a recruiters best asset.

Think they might drop back a bit this year 'Jack'. It will be interesting to see what the Chapman effect is, as we well know (McDonald) you have to be very careful how you deal with heart and soul players and Scott might have made a classic error.

Moon, yep and he would be wearing the boot if he had foot problems. He isn't. Mitch was up and running prior to Christmas so he has been doing more that gentle running. Hammy problems brought on by compensation in running technique because of the past injury are not unusual so he is now being managed a bit more carefully.

Did Sammy keep his feet? I reckon he has a habit of going to ground too easily particularly in congested situations. Of course this robs him of his weapon, leg speed (doesn't crawl particularly fast). I'm sure the coaching team will be on to this.

I think you are right 'Macca', the kid has got a bit of talent and uses the ball well.

Watch the kid train, find out a bit of background and check out his limited game time to date. What I see is way ahead of the players you mentioned. I'm going early on this one and I don't generally do it and yes I understand the MFC supporter bias but this kid has got it.

Tyson will be an absolute gun so we will be one up before we even talk about the others. Salem is a bonus and by the look of it a good one.

They should have resigned then. The only sensible thing to do in this case, you can't have your reputation put at risk for a number of bad decisions you don't agree with. Seems obvious that this wasn't the case.

It is a concern. Clark was a major injury which hopefully they finally get right, the danger being he could be compensating and putting stress on other parts of his body. Dawes is a continuation of problems like he had at Collingwood and he seems to be chasing his tail. Whilst a concern lets hope they get on the park for the best part of the season, we could do with a break.

Like the look of him. He looks a step up in class, skill and agility to Magner & Couch, injury free and he's a good get.

They would be derelict in their duty if they didn't read a supporter site to gauge the feelings of members. It's good to know they are taking some notice. As for the standard of posts, it depends on who is doing the reading. I'm not a big fan of bagging players but each to their own. Of course the players will hear criticism over the fence, it's just part of the game. If they're smart they won't (and I doubt they do) bother with sites like this. It would only do your head in. I work in a biz where this type of criticism, rumour and innuendo is part it unfortunately. You really just take no notice and go about doing what you do.

No it would be incompetence, association would be if I blamed anyone that hung around with board members. These guys weren't associated they were and still are board members.

Pretty sure they do, it's just not advertised. Small groups of players are out doing some skill based stuff on other days.

Based on incompetence.

He also has this...it's the tackling and hard running that he needs to get but so do our entire list so he's not on his own there. We do not have one gut runner nor do we have one elite tackler based on the last few years.

Awareness has not been Jacks problem, he has that.

It is good 'old dee' and hopefully a sign of things to come. For a change there is a good feel about the club.

I think we will have a pretty good idea. It won't be the results but will be how we go about it in the NAB that will point to the season proper.

Midfield without Kerr, and Cox on the way out, other mids a bit slow...I've seen their defence crumble under pressure a few times over the last few years, Glass in his last year? One power forward in Kennedy, who's the other? Not Darling, he's a 3rd tall and WC people I know wanted him dropped last year. At this time of the year it's way to hard to gauge any club including ours but over the last few years we've had the surprise rise and fall of WC & Adelaide and rise and maybe fall of Port. This time last year WC were considered favourites for the flag with many so called experts, Collingwood the same a couple of years back. All is not as it seems.

West Coast had a bad year last year, will they jump back up or is it a sign of things to come. Cox & Glass getting towards the end no Kerr (and he is a big loss). Maybe Daniher had taken his mojo to WC, one good year, one bad. If so they are due a good year although he is not there this year, what happened when he left us? one terrible year.