TGR

Most of this aint rocket science; but your right, most of our coaches since Barassi would not have dreamed of some of these moves.

We had to win this. No Robinson, Judd, Waite (Thanks Mick), Garlett (Thanks Mick), Tom Bell (Thanks Mick). Probably the 5 guys I'd pick to have out of the team if we played them. Mel/Mel double half/full time was paying 12/1 before Robinson's withdraw. Good win and deserved. I thought Richmond (NAB) and St.Kilda were great games from us, but this Carlton side was at its weakest ebb. Gibbs and Murphy were so overrated it aint funny. Penny is dropping though.

Cross - knows which option

I'd like to see you ask the first question Smith

I was worried about the guys they dropped. Gutsy call by Mick. Surely we are a fair dinkum show.

What is the difference between sympathy and empathy?

Let me preface this by the fact that most of us have no empathy with bonefide mental illness. I don't know enough from the outside to praise him or otherwise. In this era of psychobabble, and over-positivity and everyone's-a-winner-under-10, do we have to redefine what "mental toughness" is? We hear it lauded on guys like Steve Waugh, Joel Selwood etc... Is 'mental toughness' now a slight on the mentally ill? As I said before, my view is that Clark will play for Fremantle in latter 2015.

On the topic of look-alikes, whenever Jon Ralph is talking seriously with those eyebrows and beady eyes, I think of Agro the puppet.

Do we play for the Ron Barassi Cup here, with the Vin Catoggio medal?

Or some guys are just lucky to get AAs! Minson, Gaspar, JWhite, Frawley. Frawley has rarely had composure coming out of the backline. He cannot consistently hit easy targets. If he can get 800k, good luck to him; but as Lloyd said, he is worth only 4-500k tops. He is an average footballer, with the capacity to play on talls. He aint slow. Add it all up and he is worth a little more than the average AFL wage. In other words, Lloyd is spot on about him.

If the AFL are really fair-dinkum about this condition, they should orchestrate mechanisms that allow a workcover-type compensation to the "injured"; extended long-term injury list; and allow the club to temporarily boost its rookie list by canvassing lower leagues midseason. I am cynical, but I can see him playing for Freo in 2015. An unbelievable talent who could take contested marks with the poorest/slowest delivery in the AFL in the Neeld era. If a fit Clarke rucked for us in 2014, we would be 2 wins: 1 loss. Unlike Leigh Matthews argument with H over Watts, Leigh Matthews was wrong when he said that Clark was overrated and overpaid when we got him. If Frawley asks for 800k, Clark's worth 1.4m!

Costa and co. set him up well. Think you will find he came across cheap industrial land around Geelong's outskirts for 3-400,000 and sold it off for multi millions. I think angrydee is on the money.

Essendon have basically been the best team for the last 3 years in the first third of the season. Imagine if bomber coached them then! I did like his idea about 12-on-12 games in the preseason though. Makes them hold; makes them spread; makes them run harder for longer.

Did GWS and GC have the luxury of allowing all those teenagers to develop? This game is so complex, sometimes you just can't look at a successful club and say "do that like them".

When Clark quits, the club should make a special plea to the AFL for an extra 2 rookie spots right now. Surely there is a decent ruckman around the country not on an AFL list. The AFL rejected the priority pick at the end of last year because they were worried about the deflating-Neeld-effect followed by the springboard-Roos-effect. If we get less than 4 wins this year, gee wiz, they should throw pick 1, 2, 20, 21 our way.

Lucky guess

Hope he comes back better. Surely his body must be OK. The guy has a great pair of hands; and as if he aint quick, he needs to use them.

Ins look good. At least Kent can crash through or crash. Viney will give everything; and Blease will break a line. Barry did some good inside work against Richmond. Not many skilful first year players (Rioli, Davey, JKH) can handle the heat inside. I reckon he will surprise here. Howe should be 3rd man up in ruck contests if they start to smash us in clearances. Byrnes' finish just means it is difficult to drop him. Agree with Minchie & Toumpas getting the chop. Bail lucky not to be on the bench of possible outs.

Sometimes stats don't mean jack. The first game GWS played was rain-soaked and you might remember lightening forced them off the ground. You aint going to take too many marks inside 50 in that environment. Also, if you have talls or bonefide forwards inside 50, it allows the release kick or bomb entry when the mids are under pressure. It also allows you to go in there without the fear of an opposition mark and easy rebound. Patton, Cameron, Giles etc. weren't going to be out-marked with a high entry, even on a wet day. The same can't be said with our makeshift forward line. The lack of forward line is an issue my friend. On paper, the worst in a while. The lack of bonefide ruckman as well against the league's best also results in centre clearance against issues. Sometimes you have to look deeper than stats.

What, he didn't talk sense when he stuck his head out after 3 games and said Neeld should be sacked. As for free agency, didn't the poorer clubs vote for it as well? If they did, they deserve what they asked for.

There were blips of expectation when Neeld's demons beat the reigning premier in a NAB cup game. Similarly with the Richmond game 6 or so weeks ago. I think most of us were excited when Voss was predicting us as the next super-power. In the days when we were salivating at the prospect of a bulked-up mature Morton etc... Point is we were a 2-win 54% team in August 2013. Now we are a 2-loss 46% team 2 games later in Mar 2014. The latter sounds on par or equivalent, but I am happy about where we are considering injuries, in-game-injuries-versus-St.Kilda, our deplorable ruck situation, our contested ball, our tackling numbers etc; and the fact that Roos has been in the building for 5 minutes.

Disagree. I know we chipped it. I know we went sideways. But past thrashings would have seen contested possessions way down; tackles inferior (despite chasing butt all day); and inside 50s clearly smashed. The numbers aren't that bad; considering the centre clearance train-wreck in the first quarter and delivery to a decongested Eagles forward line. More disposals; tackles; contested ball (the latter 2 obviously more important) Inside 50's 39 to 53 in negative territory.

We truly live in the age of instant. Unlike past generations, we will purchase goods without saving first; expect a message to arrive within the minute; accelerate hard to the next traffic light; and ask a colleague 'how they are feeling' multiple times in a day. In this 24-hour media cycle and the era of instant, the media and supporters expect change and improvement now. When we don't get it, the world caves in. Clarkson arrived at Hawthorn at the end of 2004. He had the luxury of getting there after a rebuild had started. The 2001 draft (3 years prior) yielded leaders in Hodge, Mitchell (Brown). The 2004 superdraft yielded Franklin & Roughead & Lewis. Then look at how they topped up with the likes of Guerra, Hale, Dew, Lake. Certainly no Pedersen, Gillies, Byrnes, Rodan. Despite this, Clarkson's Hawks were lambasted by all for their chip, chip sidewards stuff in the early years. But what chipping does is keep the ball in our hands; off the opposition; and gives players numerous opportunities to make decisions and execute in a real game-time environment. By 2008, the flag was still considered lucky and premature. Geelong's rebuild started in 1999 when Thompson arrived. In 2006 they failed and the whole club went through a "crappy review". That early period (5-6 years) of decent drafting set them up for the 2007-2013 windfall. It took Thompson 6 years to reach that Swans/Davis preliminary final; and then the next year to have the whole set-up reviewed after a failed year. I also watched Collingwood v. Sydney in 1987 on Foxtel last night; a year after Leigh Matthews took over as coach. They were bloody ordinary, with several duds. Thank goodness the media/supporters didn't slit their wrists then because the next few years would be fruitful. It was a 91 point loss after nearly 1 year in the job! He took over in round 3 1986...coached that whole year. Then a whole pre-season with them in a time before players-association induced training maximums over summer. Then to host Sydney at Victoria Park and get thumped. When we lost by big margins previously, we were smashed at contested ball, tackles and basically had our full team on the park. The West Coast thrashing hurts, but the fact that we won the contested ball and tackles must surely point to progress in this short-term. Then you have Spencer at the centre-bounces in the first quarter, up against the most dominant ruck combination of all time. As Roos said, if you lose the centre clearances, it opens you up to a 5-on-5 or 6-on-6 in our defence, which is opposition forward utopia in modern footy. If Roos had his time again, I doubt that he would publicly condemn the skill-errors. I'm sure this wasn't one of the 20 things he wrote about in his Must-Remember-If-I-Coach Checklist when he retired from playing. I think you can have a go at effort and defensive pressure etc... but no player tries to fumble. The more the microscope falls on skill, the more it tends to unravel. Much has been said correctly about our lack of height up forward due to injuries. It lowers our eyes and encourages the opposition to close our space more and more. Much has been said correctly about our lack of ruck stocks due to injury. Against Nait/Cox expect to be smashed. Not enough has been said about our inability to break a line with speed; or take them on with strength. The inclusion of Blease and Garland will help slightly here. I'd rather a Melbourne player take them on, get tackled; get pinged; get judged holding the ball; allow the team 3-4 seconds to go into defensive mode..... than nervously try and avoid a tackle cough-it-up and turn it over in a heartbeat. We just have to be patient and take some pride in contested numbers and tackles. We also need a different response to media & supporter questioning if things don't turn-around soon. It is difficult when you are trying to please sponsors/supporters and their demand for short-term hope.

Daniel Cross. Never rated him hugely; but what he has done in the 2 games that I have seen have been top class. Runs hard defensively and offensively; puts his body in harder than most. My money is on him as early as round 2. Not bad for a reject from another bottom dweller. Or is that an idictment on where our list is at?

At least Roos aint stubborn like many of our past coaches. We might learn that Frawley is a better forward where he doesn't have to hesitate and turn it over time and time and time again. Howe in the backline where he aint under super scrutiny. Where he can freely peel-off and take hangers or spoil a contest.