Lucifers Hero

We are similar to GWS when they started - bunch of young talent who need guidance. Cross, Vince, Dawes, Lumumba have made some mentoring contributions but their leadership impact has been limited. So it set me thinking about who could we get to give us this much needed on-field leadership... Stay with me now...Luke Hodge may not get a contract at the Hawks next year. By all accounts he wants to play on. I would be rapt to have him as our co-captain, with Jones, for a year or two - even if he can't play every game. I believe Viney and Watts have the most football nouse in our team and they are showing they can stand up at critical times in games. So imagine how their nouse can be fine tuned by watching Hodge first hand and being taught by him! A Crem dela crem tutor!

Shaw learnt from one of the best on-field Generals of recent times: Nick Maxwell. One reason GWS is in the top 4 is because from day 1 they imported on-field Leadership: premiership players and ex captains, as playing coaches: Luke Power, Jr Mac, Cornes etc, and more recently: Griffen, Mumford, Johnson, Shaw. Nick Maxwell heads their leadership programs group. These guys have taught Callan Ward and Phil Davis who are now terrific on-field leaders in their own right. Collectively all the on-field leaders are excellent mentors to their emerging leaders: Coniglio, Smith, Shiel and Buntine. We have terrific potential leaders but who do they have to learn from? No offence to anyone but they don't have on-field leaders to learn because they didn't have on-field leaders to learn from etc. And the conundrum continues... Until we get leaders from successful clubs with premiership experience we won't get to the top 4. That is why I'm not at all enthused about the names being tossed around as incoming trades. They might get us into the 8 but then what...?

The backpedaling begins: http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/brett-deledio-says-richmond-teammate-alex-rance-deserves-longer-offseason-break/news-story/8685cc3e6a4bbfaedb482dcf367716d4 "ALEX Rance’s extra-long off-season break last summer will be a one-off... The Tigers have denied Rance’s extended annual leave request last year was a source of friction among the players this season" Deledio "...was adamant Rance deserved the extra off-season privilege due to his excellent on-field form in recent seasons". This is the most bizarre comment to come from a club. Since when is one player singled out and rewarded for individual excellent on-field form. Reiwoldt who has far more individual honours would have every right to sing: What about me! Rance won't leave but he may have to learn that 'Team' does not include an 'i'!!

Very timely! The hue and cry is that it is all WADA's fault!! No not from EFC or its sycophants and not from the AFL nor AFLPA. Its is from the mouth of none other than the IOC President: " Thomas Bach snapped at suggestions the committee's response to the crisis had been a huge failure, claiming it was "very obvious" where responsibility lay as a result of the "timing" of the WADA-commissioned report, which found Russia guilty of state-sponsored doping and a cover-up on a staggering scale". http://www.theage.com.au/sport/olympics/rio-2016/russian-doping-scandal-threatens-to-turn-rio-olympics-launch-to-chaos-20160731-gqhzbw.html Oh! Bach said "...the IOC's decision not to ban the whole Russian team hasn't damaged the credibility of the Games and he denies his longstanding close personal ties with Russian officials influenced the outcome." And we were worried that the AFL Tribunal was biased towards the players - small fry stuff in comparison to the IOC! Absolutely shameful for him to deflect the IOC's incompetence and gutlessness onto WADA and he has totally trashed its credibility. Shoot the Messenger! Works every time. Bach has rung the death knell on clean sport, forever more.

Good call Picket and timely. From Watts' press conf today: "I've been working really hard on contest. The coaches are right into me. Leadership aspect important for me to improve". I recall this being discussed earlier in the season. From memory, feedback to Jack was something like - he is a great fella and terrific to have around the club but teammates wanted him to be more serious and earn their respect. Remember when a few years ago in an in interview he said something like: we don't have a Hodge or a Selwood type leader. He failed to see that he could contribute as a leader preferring to wait for someone else to do it. He sees it now! Not only has his on-field game improved he has become a really big asset to our club. With confidence and belief in himself and his game we are seeing him become a MVP. Its a delight to watch him grow into the champion a few of us on DL always thought he would be.

One thing I regularly notice is our players in a pack try to take possession and kick or handball out nearly 100% of the time. Then they are tackled or they put another player under pressure. Viney, Tyson and Jones are the main culprits at always taking possession. Other very good teams tap or kick it off the ground and always towards the forward line - their structures around the pack are set up accordingly. We need to learn to do that and get the ball into space without taking possession. I know young players can't learn everything at once but I hope they start to learn this before 'taking possession' becomes so instinctive that it will be difficult to 'unteach'.

His 'defection' was discussed on KB's show a few weeks ago and KB conceded there was noise at Richmond re Rance wanting out. Also, It was mentioned that his teammates are upset because he negotiated extended holiday period and would have a later start to the preseason. Unhappy teammates is what happens when clubs give a player special treatment (eg GCS and Ablett, WB and Boyd). To me Rance is a 'prima donna'. We have one as our key forward we don't need one as our key back.

It may be seamless but can he actually coach? Of course, we won't know for another 6-12 months. He has the best base possible for a 1st year coach: stable supportive club, mountains of talent, a well balanced team, a lot of his 'own picks' on the coaching staff, a seamless handover and a team poised to make a tilt for the top 8. Sorry to sound like a 'doubting Thomas' but I will wait till he has runs on the board before I jump on his bandwagon. I hope for our sakes he shapes up.

I agree. Will be a close thing between Jack W, Max and Jack V. If Watts continues he will get it. What a great day that would be!

I do. He reads the play well, sets good standards and is good at bringing the backlline together. Having said that he is still wearing L-plates on the leadership side of things. With practice, guidance and time he will grow into the role of 'General' of the backline...if he stays. Btw, I think Jack is a good inclusion. He reads the play so well and often we see him trying to get teammates into the right positions/structures. Now that he has consistently played well and is standing up (as good leaders do) at critical times he is a good addition to the LG.

Picket, is this a disguised way of starting a new thread to 'criticise' Tom Mc who is currently in our Leadership team - you have left him out! If so it is very transparent! We know where you stand with the Macs and it is getting boring!

Some Round 19 results: GWS Giants 17.9 (111) d Richmond 3.5 (23) Port Adelaide 25.23 (173) d Brisbane Lions 11.13 (79) Sydney Swans 21.11 (137) d Fremantle 7.5 (47) Adelaide Crows 22.11.143 d Essendon 9.7.61 Not long ago that was us on the receiving end of a thrashing. I'll take a nail biting 2pt win every day of the week!!

Jesse was the only player to wear a black armband today. I suspect it wasn't for a family member otherwise teammates would have also worn one. But it was clearly someone close to Jesse. This may have weighed heavily on him today. Could also explain why he was so subdued for the team song.

I think this is different - they went with 3 talls to rough up Maxy not as genuine forwards so their talls were just goal posts up forward! Also that was a wet track - terrible day for talls anywhere on the ground. Today's track and weather are quite different. We underestimate Lynch, Day and 2meter Pete, at our peril! They are all in form genuine forwards - not faux ruckman.

If the ball gets out our mids are too slow to get back and help defend and our backline is too short to out mark their three 197+cm tall forwards. In recent times our midfield pressure has been good. It is our forwards that need to defend exceptionally well today - something they have been poor at all year. The ball needs to stay in our forward half. Not wanting to put pressure on but we really need a big game from Hogan today with goalkicking and doing his share of defending. Suns much more organised and switched on than last time - not at all confident.

If a club takes Grimes it is because he is an FA and they get him for free. I doubt they would trade for him.

I'm with you JC. We have Melksham, Hibberd at best is B grade and Hurley had one really good year - 2015 when he made AA but still only R/Up in their BnF (at the Age of 25!) in a year they were totally cr-p!. Its not as if they were playing in a successful team, at a club that has good culture/processes or did anything spectacular themselves. None of them are leaders nor in their leadership team at a time their club was bereft of such and completely rudderless. The first 2 happen to be Goodwin's mates (which in itself troubles me) and everyone is swooning over Hurley. I just don't get the love for them. Take our chips elsewhere I say!

Take your pick SWYL: personal/family reasons, mental health, glandular fever, other off-field issues, the relapsing physical injury that never seems to heal etc I hesitate to add concussion because that generally seems legit but one never knows. As I said I'm not sure we have a right to know about player's personal lives but as rjay pointed out it means all players that are out for an extended period for their injury/ailment are tainted with the '3 strikes' brush. As such the system isn't fair to players genuinely suffering. Its wrong for us to make this leap of 'logic' but its naive to think that there aren't AFL players 'stood down' for 3 strikes. In fact, it has become the new 'elephant in the room'!

On the subject on illicit drug use has anyone else noticed how many players in the AFL are out this year for extended periods for a range of non-injury ailments. I can think of 8-10 without even thinking too hard about it. Some of those would have been 'stood down' for 3 strikes. I'm not sure we have any right to know about individual player's personal lives. But I find it troubling that the AFL's appetite for secrecy and double standards is continuously increasing. So should the AFL find a player guilty of PED use it seems unlikely that they will apply the WADA standards of suspension. More players will be out with non-injury ailments. I believe, PED users should be exposed because it actually affects the integrity of the competition and it is cheating!

Apparently, the AFL along with others has reduced its 'user-pays' funding to ASADA (but increased its in-house integrity work). But as Chris Judd points out self-regulation is contentious. http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-2016-asada-funding-cuts-hurt-the-afls-battle-against-performanceenhancing-drugs-20160728-gqfhcf.html "Regardless of whether the AFL is driven to act for commercial realities, or because it is motivated by altruism, it makes sense for it, other sporting codes and the government to ensure ASADA is the best-funded, highest-quality outfit it can possibly be. In the long run, commercial support for sports depends on the belief that the athletes are clean. Morally, any parent introducing their child to a sport needs to believe in that ideal as well". This will only lead to more AFL secrecy on drug use: illicit or PED's.

Tom isn't an FA, Wise. Maybe, we aren't hearing much because he is staying?

The way Tom talks in these two stories sounds like he is staying. I also found it touching how he worries about his 'little' bro Oscar, when he gets injured. http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2016-07-28/mcdonald-proud-to-notch-up-100-games http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2016-07-28/big-mac-proud-to-watch-over-junior Have been doing a bit of checking and Tom has achieved far more at the age of 23 than either of his 'star' contemporaries (Rance and Hurley) did so early in their careers. Any comparisons should be based on when the latter were Tom's current age of 23. He may well will surpass them before long. Certainly will before he gets to their current age of 26! Tom is a must, must keep and hope he signs up soon.

Because in Feb this year Cripps signed an extension until 2019. So no headlines there. About the same time, Jesse announced he was deferring contract talks until the CBA and sees how MFC season pans out. So he attracts the full force of media interests and all sorts of rumours. Cripps and Hogan play different roles but are having totally parallel careers. Cripps saw fit to sign up with a bottom of the ladder side. Jesse has not, yet...

In a few games we have done exactly that! We 'crowd the contest' but op team keeps some players back, when they win the contest they spread and run like crazy to their forwards and (often an open) goal because our defenders had come up so far they can't get back fast enough. This was very vivid vs Ess, StK, Port and Sydney. This strategy is high risk if we don't win the ball and has cost us dozens of goals all year and a few games. It is also high risk when we do win it because often Viney and Tyson try to take on the tackler or kick it out. The ops know that so they let them 'win' it and gang tackle forcing the ball free or get a free kick. (Hawthorn are the absolute masters at this). Ops half forwards are ready and expect this so as soon as the tackle happens they start to spread forward before our defenders can catch up. Again it often ends up in an easy goal. In summary, I'm not a fan of 'crowding the contest' if the op don't or if Viney and Tyson can't get the ball out faster. We have a better chance of the 'crowding the contest' strategy working when Oliver plays as he has such quick hands, god bless him. Nonetheless,opponets have figured out our strategy and know how to neutralise it. Hope we have some other tricks up our sleeve!

That sounds very circular - what if you don't get many chances to kick a goal in a game - how is a player to become a 'good reliable kick' for goal? Goal kicking is about posture and technique which should be perfected on the training track so that on game day the only variable is ground conditions.