Wells 11

Sorry to not be as happy as most seem about this. The biggest story in this that I see is that its in the papers. Either its a big leak or its false. The impact on the player group of a quarter of the list being unwanted will be huge. Everyone who's saying how good this is ought to think about how they would feel working in an organisation where this was happening in the public eye. We're humiliating the players AGAIN and that cant be good for anything other than taking the heat of Neelds coaching. It disturbs me its in the public arena... Theres a month to go of this season the last time I looked. The players had no football department to speak for years because we were broke. Thats at least PART of the reason so many have not come on. You disgrace the playing group en masse like this at a cost...I hope we're not digging ourselves a grave.

I think this is his fifth week missing now for what started as a one week injury. Does anyone know anything about his injury? Please dont tell me its his foot, his back, a broken leg or its career threatening. The silence around it all is stating to concern me.

I cant help thinking this way also re legal teams. If we are left with even a small penalty but a big "slur" we should sue the AFL for discrimination. Given that so many clubs have done the same thing. If we were the only ones to take the rap it will affect the brand for the next decade maybe more. It will affect us in terms of retaining and getting players, sponsorship, supporter numbers etc etc. If we go down....we need to take as many others with us as we can. We cant have this whole tanking thing ( read poor rules re extra draft picks) stuck to US alone. If we do its going to hurt big time.

This ^

Amazing really. He loves the club enough to work "pro bono" for 7 years then, in our year from hell, he tries to kill us WTF! Clearly he liked the power of his position much more than he ever loved the club. As an ex president his line " if you think this is the kind of club you want to support" made me feel sick! Clearly an axe to grind. We would have been considered light weights and "nice guys" had we won 5 games that year...lacking the ruthless edge of a Carlton or a Collingwood. Besides which we werent trying to lose......we were coached (with the medium long term in mind) .... to try to win the firkn FLAG like many before us. A place we havent been for a long time.

The great man has passed, now they want our IRRELEVANT club to die, is this what it's come too……….well F..KOFF vultures, DEMONS DONT DIE. It really IS an us against them culture out there isnt it. Everyone wants to kick us..as a club and as supporters. It could be more great motivation for the players to hang tight and shove it up everyone. If the Dees, as the oldest club in the AFL, are irrelevant then so is the game itself.

I genuinely believe we have an agreement with Collingwoods assistant recruiting manager. He will be in position BEFORE the draft. The recruiting is done by a full team headed up by Viney. He's not on his own. Aside from which I think his contribution, after all his junior involvement would be beneficial. Storm in a teacup

Yep, grt post. I reckon Brock has made himself look like a fool. Firstly because he took the bait. But Secondly he's saying that he left us because we were tanking...and then went to CARLTON. yeah right....high principles Brock . That should win some respect back for you lol. Carlton weren't the first to tank either......but they were the first to do it so blatantly.

Is that heresay or inside info?

Its the season to kick the Dees.....why not Sheedy. If ANYONE should be [censored] off its Williams at GWS. Something like 15 mins after his interview with the bombers they announced Hird as coach. Will we hear about that...nope. Because its his old club and his right hand man. Sheedy is a [censored] who cant accept his relevance as a coach is now over and wants to blame us for revealing that to him 4 years ago. Richmond said no to him as well if I remember. No mention of that either right? He's at GWS as a marketing tool now and making a fool of himself. He WAS a great coach and an outstanding player and he will be remembered as such... but he isn't an AFL coach anymore. Everyone has a time frame and his was... and is, up.

Missing my point a little re MN and NC. Without knowing much about it, its not the synergy between them that Im wondering about. From what Ive heard and read NC seems like a brilliant influence over all that come into contact with him and Im sure MN feels the same. So its not that I think we're using him "badly" . Only that Ive also read between the lines in some of his interviews and heard him missing the involvement on match days. Perhaps its to be expected from an ex coach, except when I saw Thompson on Friday night it made me wonder if we couldn't give Neil more of a role on game day and get him involved. Bay Riffen...you're also right. lol. Thompsons wind up at quarter time didnt exactly spur them into action did it.

We've got him another year and I say we need to give it to him. As frustrating as he's been can anyone imagine how it would feel if we let him go to see him flourish somewhere else! Wrist slashing stuff. The game changed around him and his game style ( yes, the same one he impressed us with in the first 2 years) and he got caught out. He's getting better and can still make it in the new game imo. But if he cant we better be 1000% sure on it or we'll be wearing egg on face for a long time.

Actually it was exactly that article that made me think this.

Firstly let me say Im a huge fan of Craig and what he brings to the club. We're lucky we have him. He's an experienced elder that helps other people lead well and is a respected voice at the club. But, when I watched the Essendon v Hawthorn game on Friday Night I watched bomber Thompson out there getting stuck into the players at quarter time. Clearly he's an impassioned and active coaching voice and has a role that involves him fully. When I listen to Craig talk I hear him missing being a senior coach and it almost feels like he's semi retired... he's also said that that his role is quite limited on match days. Maybe there isn't the same ease or synergy between Neeld and Craig as ex teammates Hird and Thompson. To be expected. But in order to hang on to someone like Craig and get the best out of him I think we need to engage his passion not just his heart and brain. Plus somehow I don't think he'd be the one behind the planned preseason trip at the end of this year to Darwin over the altitude trip. Hope he's not getting marginalised?

I think this is what is really scaring me. Its not the " rebuild of the failed rebuild" or the prospect of waiting another few years. Its wondering if we're even headed in the right direction. I DO like the way we can muscle it up with teams now. I dont like the way we cant use the ball quickly, dont seem to have a ball use plan and only get running free on a turn over. Its exactly the opposite of what I used to like and dislike under Bailey. Football is changing fast and ongoingly now. We got caught out recruiting players like Morton and Fitzpatrick and perhaps Blease ( jurys out) when it seemed like it was all about Geelong and the focus on speed. Scully is also in that model I think ( and we're lucky we got out of that) My concern is come this SUPER critical draft if we go recruiting for the magpie model of 2010 we're in for a world of pain. Hawthorn has changed the game again in 2012.

C'mon...lets not get TOO dejected. Frawley, T Mcdonald, Grimes ,Trengove, Sylvia, Jones. Add in...Flower, Wells, Lyon ,Nietz, Alves, Hardiman....maybe Barry Bourke on a Half back flank and we've almost got a decent team.

I know this is a bit off topic but supposing he does get off this...does anyone know anything about his wrist and ankle injuries? I thought he reinjured his wrist in the same game he did his ankle. Aside from court cases wrist injuries alone can kill a career.

I say go for it. He'd be more than just a full forward. He'd relay that we mean business as a club, he'd be both an awesome marketing tool ( more members) and a big physical precense on the field we currently miss. He'd also bring a success laden attitude to the players around him. Given he wont cost draft picks its perfect. But , aside from Neeld, why would he choose us? Think Darwin instead of USA preseason, think jones and Mckenzie rather than pendlebury and Beams kicking to you, think our grand final being a home and away game against his old club. IF we could do it it would be huge but its a massive if....... It pisses me off but If I was a blues fan Id be feeling pretty confident....

Hawkins is a father /son pick. He wont be traded. I'd rather Boak than Hawkins anyway to be honest. when is this season EVER going to end.

I agree. This seems like a really dumb track to be walking. I wonder what the players think about the Darwin idea?...and a pre season trip there. It reminds me of St Kildas great idea in moving its home base to Rosebud. It looks good on paper, when you study the numbers etc....but that move will come and bite them on the arse soon. Players dont like travelling there. I said it before but I get this sinking feeling that the football aspect of this club is being compromised AGAIN. But its all worth is because 173 extra members signed up with us.

Its Darwin...not the interstate thing. Id be more than OK it if we were playing home games in Tassie. But the climate in Darwin drains the players and affects them the following week. Seems like a dangerous direction to go for mine.

Something about our deepening relationship with darwin pisses me off. The tiges cant run away from the place fast enough...and the reason they are doing that is that they recognise you cant be a serious contender and play home games in Darwin. What if we're up there in the 8 in the next couple of years and we're doing this. Going further into Darwin smacks of believing we're not going to be anywhere near. Not only that We're not training at altitude pre season now we're going to Darwin. We've JUST SEEN, in Baileys time, the troubles that come with ignoring football club spending to promote the bottom line. It doesn't work. Its not just the size of the club either. How can North afford the best preseason high altitude facilities in Utah while we're going Darwin. Its a short term dumb decision. If you were a player wondering whether to go to the Dees you'd have to look at that and think.." a bunch of losers" I hope this doesnt turn out to be Schwab overriding the footy dept. Ive had enough of ignoring the needs of the football department...we just cant afford to get left behind again.

Yep...you're right. My bad. I think at this time of year, with the season(s) we've had, its hard not to start being more excited about the trade season than the playing one. Want to "win" something!

If you look at WB draw... and their form, I really doubt they'll win another game. We on the other hand play Port, GC x2 and GWS. Also....and I hate to bring the T word here. But having lost Ward to GWS dont you reckon the doggies would just love to bite back at the system and get a decent return on that compo pick. We wont be tanking thats for sure...but dont count out the doggies trying to maximise the draft pick.

Everyone keeps presuming we have pick 4 in this thread. Looking at the draw I think if we beat Port on Sat eve we'll finish above both Port and WB. Which means we would have picks 6 and 7 and have to use one of them on Viney. Port will most likely have pick 3 or pick 5 if they finish beneath the WB. Im not sure how much that changes things but it may well be WB that ends up in he stronger position of the vic teams