rjay

Luke Darcy is a total dick. And Mathews is eating his own words...very, very slowly and only acknowleging Mitch's last 2 weeks.

The bench thing is all about the days when Walls played and they had a 19th and 20th man. In reality these days there is no interchange bench, apart for the sub it is a rotation bench. I initially thought it would have been better to start one of them , probably a bit of me still does (a bit of my older playing day thinking) but really it's hardly a show stopper.

It's really a personal taste thing. I just can't stand that stuff, I'm more the footy purest like "bollocks", so even going back to Rex I just couldn't stand it same with Taylor now and the MMM guys.

Good read, well done Matt and with such discretion...but wouldn't we all like to be a fly on the wall in those meetings and know who and what was being discussed.

Looking at it now maybe but I wouldn't rule out Trengove, Grimes, Gysberts, Taggert, Watts or even Morton just yet. I'm inclined to agree with you, particularly if the price is too high for a Dangerfield (who would be the only one I'm interested in) then lets develop our own. The structure at the club is much better placed for development now.

Well answered. As for Neil Craig, everytime I've been at training he has been working with the players talking with them, firing out handballs, rolling balls doing anything that needed to be done. Plus he has a big role in the development of the leadership group. How often has Walls been down to training this year, how would he know. This is just another example of a topic I started earlier in the week, the longer out of the game and less relevant that an ex player/coach becomes the more prone to making ridiculous comments (think Mathews comment on Clark and Hudson) they are.

I hope Sheahan and Taggert get a run, these guys are the future and with Cook I would like to see how they go.

...and he was a leader.

Cut the effectiveness of their kicking game by playing man on man and push their lefties on to their wrong side (lefties hate that), and try like hell not to get drawn into the contest unless it is your turn to go. If we let them run loose their kicking game will kill us, if we man up we can unbalance their game. So for me it's everyone on everyone.

Not for players I hope, one quality mid if we can if not then top up on picks in this draft.

If we could get that I would encourage him to go.

Let Moloney go...free up some cash and go for Dangerfield.

With you on this, Jones and Frawley are not senior players yet but they along with the skippers and a few others they have had to stand up and take the reigns before their time. I've had a go at our over 25's in the past but there are not many of them left now. Jimmy Mac was the only leader among them and the club was at fault for letting him go. I heard the Ross Lyon interview and the point he was making was about getting buy in from the players. If you are changing the way they play it really helps to get an early win to show the coach is not a total dick h. Neeld has taken on a very difficult assignment and without a win it must be that much harder particularly with some of our senior players and some of their proteges who have had things their own way for way too long.

We're only going to close the gap on that one from within, that's why we have a young leadership group. If we could get a Dangerfield great if not it will be Viney and draft picks with the current 23 - 24 yo providing the leadership. We have no choice and keeping failed leaders will not help.

Add Sheahan to that 2011 list of who knows, but could be a smokey.

Getting back to the game it was good to see that Sheahan and Taggert are coming along nicely. They are both really good ball users which we lack in senior ranks, lets keep an eye on them as the year rolls along.

He did show it and the interesting thing was that they went half way, not into the contest but towards it. That seems to show that they were uncertain of what they should have been doing, had no confidence and just stood there spectating.

He laid some great tackles against the Saints, and a few on the weekend. I would think there would be a few in line ahead of Cale who need to learn to tackle.

I would hope and think it is the job of the leaders and maybe there is too much pointing by players who need to get on with the job.

I think that with modern day football moving at such a rapid pace special comments guys on radio and TV should be moved on after they have been out of the game for more than 2 years. There are plenty of roles for the greats of the game in the media and on the rubber chicken circuit but special comments from ex player coaches like Leigh Mathews who was starting to loose his grip on the modern game when he was moved on from Brisbane are better in the hands of someone like Malthouse who is just out of the game and ex players like Ling who should be used in a more prominant role, not just as a boundry rider. Mathew Lloyd was a revelation as a special comments expert when he was first out of the game but he gets less relevant the more time moves on. When someone like Rocket Eade has been used for special comments it really brings a lot to the table. I remember back when Sheedy was coaching Essendon in a finals campaign he half jokingly complained to the ABC guys at the time to get Rocket off the air he is giving my secrets away. The greater the time out of the game (unless you are Acker) the more prone to the exagerated, over the top comment you are. Cases in point Mathews, Hudson is a better recruit than Clark, Walls, Hawthorn players gave the game away against Sydney along with many, many others, Dermott, love him, he is a ripper bloke Brereton, where do you start. I could mention some others who really didn't have much of a clue when they were in the game let alone comment on it now but that's another topic. These ex player coaches are great for the colour of the game and they have learned how to perform in the media, to me Watson brings good experience to the boundry rider position and has a feel for the game but if you want top class analysis it is someone more in touch with the game as it is played now that will bring it. Friday night football is the showcase game of the week and 7 should be using either Malthouse, Ling or both. Same thing on radio, Fox, all of them. Entertaining as some of the ex's are, many are past their use by date as far as special comments are concerned.

I fear this one also...but if we play a one on one game then the uncontested stuff doesn't become a problem. Our problem with this is that we continually get drawn to the ball like moths to a flame and leave opposition players running free. I think Neeld is aiming to have no inside or outside players, just players who can be inside or out depending on the circumstances, when it is their turn to go. Of course as with everything some will be more biased one way or another.

The trouble is that against good opposition Moloney doesn't win his own ball, his best football is played when Jamar feeds him and they don't allow it. If it doesn't come to him he doesn't go out of his way to get after it. He has continually burned team mates in better positions not a couple of inches away but in a much better position than him. It still sits in my mind how Mark McClure labelled Moloney and Silvia as dumb footballers a few seasons back and I think it's still the case. Maybe I have a blinkered view about Moloney like a lot have about Morton, but he drives me to distraction.

Out Moloney in Couch I can't see him at Melbourne next year, but maybe that is my prejudice. Either him or Silvia or both have to be moved on. I don't like the way he goes about it and again today if it wasn't served up to him he didn't go out of his way to get to the contest. When he does get the ball he burns his team mates consistantly. Out Sellar in Fitz, lets see what big Fitz can do. He will add a bit of much needed pace and could be a wildcard if given a bit of time in the ones. Out Tap in Bennell, we need the run and carry and maybe the penny has dropped for Bennell. Out Silvia in Petterd and leave him in for at least 4 games to see what he can do. Watts for Bate? or Watts instead of Couch for Moloney? maybe another run at Casey for Jack but we could do with his ability to hit a target.

He shouldn't play until he learns to get and give...

Moloney needs to get his own ball, lurking around for the easy one. He could learn something from Morton.