rjay

I think you are on the mark here. Frawley is still doing the defensive stuff well but when he gets the ball he seems to be over thinking it and thinking is not his strong suit. We are not getting any drive from him, I hope this turns around.

I think it's time for Petterd to come in for a few games, not this constant up and down. Let's see him settle and string a few games together, same with Morton. We need to work out the keepers. Grimes will be back for one of the Macs and Couch deseves a game but with our one dimensional midfield he doesn't bring a point of difference. We really need a Nicholson, Bennel or Blease to step up to add some leg speed but they just haven't. Maybe look at moving Garland forward or even in to the mids, Watts is probably our best user of the ball so maybe he could develop as a running half back a bit like Murphy. No matter what, it looks like a long year ahead.

It's called experience.

Me too

That just about says it all for me.

Interesting to hear Mark Robinson talk about a dinner with Cam and our prez a few years ago where Cam detailed how he thought football and as an extension the type of player required to play that game was going, we selected that type of player and here we sit. Was he reflecting or directing the football department?

Another comment he made during that interview rings true for us and it was about Freo getting a win against the Cats helped with player buy in to the new approach he brings. The loses we are having must make it harder to get buy in from our players, it's human nature and will make Neelds task all the harder. Let's hope a win this week get's things moving in the right direction.

Looking forward to seeing him play at Casey, has a ready made body for AFL and hopefully he can step up by the end of the season.

I thought I saw the same thing. Tom didn't have a great day, unfair to put that one on Riv.

Yep, that's part of it along with technique.

and a 2 club premiership CEO.

No, it's nothing to do with size or strength. It's about wanting to lay the tackle (desire) and the technique to do it and maybe as others have pointed out not knowing where they should be positioned, over thinking the game.

In a seperate incident I would have been more concerned about Jackson dropping his full weight on Jack's head.

The first principle of good tackling is desire, you really want to tackle and have pride in your tackling, no one should ever get past you or slip your tackle. A rugby mindset where tackling is a critical part of their game, no matter what the size differential you are expected to stick the tackle. Too much emphasis is placed in AFL on pinning the arms and this is what makes it easy for an opponant to slip down in the tackle to draw a free kick and if they don't more often than not they lift the arms to get a handpass.away anyway, particularly with the present rule interpretation that allows players too much time to be spun around and then get the handpass off. The best tackler technique wise that I have seen in the AFL of late is Nik Nat. He comes in low and hard and knocks his opponants body out with a shoulder to the middle. If you do this enough a couple of things will happen, your opponant will want to protect his rib and stomach area and not raise his arms, if he does raise them he will get the wind knocked out of him. If he is trying to dispose of the ball you will knock him off his line and draw a turn over so there is no need to worry about him lifting his arms. Desire and good well thought out technique are the keys.

I'm 100% with you there. Need to do a Carlton getting Swan from Collingwood.

The only constant is the administration, so it needs to be looked at very seriously. Questions about season 2011 were shut down at the AGM and in hindsight that was a mistake, by not addressing these issues, what ever they were we are in danger of repeating them.

I think he had a very good idea and said as much after the first game press conference.

Whether you agree with Mick or not something is not right at the club and hasn't been for some time. By the look of things (the results) we have a lot more to be sorted out yet. Let's get on with it asap, I just hope the results don't devalue Neeld's power to bring about the necessary changes, at least to the football side of things.

The approach Neeld took in his first after match was a breath of fresh air to the supporters and some journos. He got hung out to dry on that one so I guess I would be happy to see him do the old Alan Jeans, one week at a time and give em absolutely nothing from now on.

That's what I'm getting at, probably not expressed well. It really gets to me that the type of player we need, Blease is just sitting on his arse at Casey and wasting his talent. Nicholson needs to make the most of what he has and get back on the program.

We are so slow, it's ok to get grunt and bigger bodies around the ball but... We really need Blease to pull his finger out or put him on the trade table and we could do with Nicholsons leg speed. I hope these guys can show something at Casey.

It's interesting that Toumpas has jumped up in the rankings, he played a serious part in the senior SANFL premiership last season as a 17yo. Mathew Haynes is another one we should be interested in, good kick, very quick.

Interesting to hear the commentary about players missing at the mo, Didak, Tarrant and Johnson, but all of these have their best football behind them. With Swan talking retirement and Cloke thinking about GWS maybe all is not well at Eddie land, well at least we can think it for this week. It's a long season and it looks a bit more open, at least for the moment.

At least it might take the heat off us for a bit, but a win tomorrow would be a better way. Go dees....

Money or chase a premiership, GWS or Carlton. Otherwise he will stay a Saint.