Pirlo

Weak players unwilling to nail down a position. Make no mistake, Paul Roos is a legend of the game (on field and in the coaches box) knows exactly what he is doing. Accountability is good, but he will sort it out if people get out of his way.

Surprised we're playing Fitzy again, but I suppose the Pies do play two ruckmen. McDonald > Cloke Dunn > White Fitzy > Grundy/Witts I remember Garland did a great job on Cloke in 2013 (?), gives us good flexibility because he, Dunn and McDonald can all get good numbers playing loose. Not expecting much, just hoping for a good match.

Especially considering his father walked away from him, his siblings and his mum when he was a toddler.

I'd be absolutely horrified if my child said that at the football, let alone at 13. I remember driving down towards Optus Oval when I was eight with my dad and brother. Vin Waite had just died, they were talking about it on the radio, and I made an untoward comment with regards to Jarrad who was playing that day. I don't recall what I said, but I do recall the look on my dads face and the tone of his voice when he told me off. Its called good parenting, because you bloody well know never to say anything like that again.

"The stolen generation myth" - its unbelievable, hey? So what he's saying is that (very simplistically): Europeans invade Australia Europeans start by stealing ('trading for') lands and driving Indigenous people away Europeans move Indigenous people into 'settlements' where alcohol and other drugs are introduced Europeans decide to sleep with Indigenous woman so as to eliminate the Aboriginal people slowly and totally. This behaviour continues until the early 1970s. The Australian government stops the practice, but the Indigenous people are given little land back and are incorporated into the system when its too late. The drugs and drink are here, and many children have no grounding because of the trauma they suffered and their parents suffered. Their identity is lost, and they have children who turn out the same way. The fact that we have stopped systematically breeding them out, have said 'sorry' and give them funds means they should accept it and move on. No, [censored]. The Aboriginal people will suffer for generations because of the cultural damage inflicted by the settlers up until less than 50 years ago, and now we the new generation and our government do little but throw some coin their way and let them sort it out. We accept them in society, but when one of them stands up and speaks out, we get uncomfortable and lash out at them because we just don't want to hear it. The mistreatment of the Indigenous people may be something that caucasians would like to push out of their minds, but it does little good to the children still being born to fractured families. Remember Liam Jurrah? Goes home to a family divided at the seams and is told to sort it out and that he is letting them down by not being there. He finds the drink, or it finds him, and look at the bloke now. I don't agree with some of what Goodesy does on the field, but he is a bona fide legend of the game who I hope that one day will be revered for his affirmative action. Oh, and just on that 13 year old girl who has somehow become a 'victim'. Never mind the fact that she knew exactly what she was saying, how was he to know who she was? He was jogging down the boundary during Indigenous round and heard someone call him an ape, at which point he turned around and pointed at the person in question. Once it was established that it was a minor, was he meant to say "nothing to see here". She called him the next day, he told her how it made him feel upset and then he forgave her. If many people could have it their way - he would be commending her for calling him as some grand act and that he had no right to not smile and forget about it. A five year old calling him an ape might do it because of his skin colour but not know why it is offensive, a 13 year old is more than aware. The problems within the Indigenous communities is something that we need to fix, beyond throwing money and our cultural values at them as though it will help.

Out: This weeks scapegoats In: Next weeks scapegoats I have been staying off the forums, because I was away this weekend and wanted to enjoy myself despite only catching the second half of the game. It is really [censored] me how much people lose their minds over losses. We're a mentally scarred team that isn't quite good enough to compete against better sides. Yes, its frustrating. But its reality, and no amount of screaming and yelling is going to change the fact that we have to stay the course and stop dropping our collective bundles every time we lose. I know the circumstances were bad, and that its a repeat of rd 2, but this is how it is and we have to accept that. Everyone lost it before the Dogs game, then you were on board again, and now you have jumped off.

It depends on whether you watched him with the attitude of "come on Jimmy, show us what you can do" or "bloody Wines/Stringer and we end up with this spud - do something!" I watched it with the former, and I thought it was wonderful to see the boys get around a 21 (!!) year old who has had a tough time of things. He wouldn't be the first player to need time before producing, and I sense that once he gets the confidence he needs - he'll keep it.

Are you all feeling better?

Shame Ayce Cordy is absolutely bloody useless all over the ground. If Beveridge was truly innovative, he'd have given that role to Fletcher Roberts and played someone who can take a grab up forward.

Do us a favour and explain this statement. Roos missed the finals in 2009 - that's once - and they bounced back strongly in 2010. What do you think will improve us? A younger coach? An older coach? A coach with less hair? Will that make Hogan want to stay. Or maybe, just maybe, a guy who played 365 games and has coached a premiership + a losing GF knows more than whingers like you. And no, I don't care how many years you have watched us be [censored]. We've all watched those years.

Yes, and I will never understand why this is a bigger priority than adding to the scoreboard and getting hands on the leather.

Dawes' marking gets worse and worse, because he's allowed to get away with it by the coaching staff who see him as essential best 22. Put Dawes and Watts in the forward 50 for 22 games - and I guarantee you Watts will kick more goals, take more marks and get more disposals. Dawes must be really good at the intangibles, whatever those are, to keep getting picked.

Morton had a good first 20 games, it was what happened in the next 50 that killed him. Generally these things work in reverse of that.

Salem looks like a killer kid, Kent and Viney both started the season very well before going down. Garland has bounced back, Jetta was continuing his resurgence. On a macabre side, we're figuring out where players like Watts, Toumpas etc. stand. This was never going to be a great season, I don't know where people got their sense of entitlement from.

That depends on your interpretation of how the game is being played. My worry with Neeld was always that he wanted to bring 2010 Collingwood's game plan into 2012 and beyond when it was losing relevance to the precision and brute force of Hawthorn and Sydney. In my eyes, our game plan under Roos relies on the basics of footy rather than anything specific. If Goodwin is a decent coach with a vision, he will have a very adaptable list.

The hysteria over Roos is both expected and depressing. It's as if the 'criticise Roos' lid if off, and people are taking full advantage. I wasn't intending on doing this, but lets quickly go through the list here and maybe it'll explain why we had a few terrible weeks against the three Premiership favourites. #1 - Young star, just needs to stay fit. #2 - A Grade player in terrible form. #3 - Seriously promising youngster. #4 - Big fan, but he needs to be traded to get a role player in. #5 - See #4. #6 - Neeld paid for him, and calling him average is an insult to average players. #7 - Another good young player who enjoyed a good start to the year before a broken leg. We missed his tagging jobs, with Vince doing them atm. #8 - Took a punt for free, and it's not working out. When you remember that he cost a pick in the 30s, you realise it isn't so bad. #9 - Rooted foot, lets see if he gets back. #10 - Young gun, tackling machine, a bit green. #11 - They're trying to give him a future, but is he trying? #12 - Excellent young player in the worst form of his career. Genuinely important to the sides dynamic and will hopefully be up and about soon. #13 - Spud, delist. Bizarre to play him as sub vs Freo. #14 - Despite 2014 form, nothing more than an ordinary full back who leaks a few goals a game. Good leader though. #15 - Could be a good young player, brought in for lack of depth. #16 - Will be a 10 year player, we miss his intensity and it's an indictment on his team mates that they don't play the right way. #17 - Who knows? Will hopefully develop into a good FB but shouldn't have been playing the fwd/ruck role ahead of Pedersen. #18 - Stalwart who is finding form again in our losing period. Great acquisition. #19 - Took a punt, and who knows if it's working out. Cost us nothing, and is a better shot at making it than MJones, Bail etc. #20 - Roos needs to establish a position for him, though he's playing well right now. #21 - Solid roleplayer, should expect an extension but hopefully nothing more than depth after this year. #22 - See Newton. #23 - Shouldn't be tagging and we'll see why when we get his forward run back with the return of Viney. Great acquisition. #24 - Second year blues. #25 - Excellence personified. Would be interested in trying him at CHF. #26 - Should be a very good player if all goes to plan with his recovery. #27 - See Newton and Michie, though he may be one too many to carry in place of a proven option. #28 - Young developing KPD, who knows? #29 - Prime delist candidate, not sure why we wanted an unproven kid on the main list. A strike against Roos/Taylor when more experienced options were available, and better rookies were picked. #30 - First year draftee - who knows? #31 - Regressed significantly and will probably be traded. #36 - The goalsneak we needed. Here's hoping he stays out of trouble. #37 - Not as convinced as some others. Can take a good mark and get decent possession numbers, but does he really add enough to be a member of the best 22? Reminds me of 2013 Matt Jones. #38 - See Watts, Toumpas. One foot out the door IMO, but Roos should recognise that he is a better forward and thus questioning his adaptability as coach is fair here. #39 - Career revived under Roos. Excellent player. #40 - Not his fault he's old, he should be playing against the better sides at least. #42 - Delist this spud. If there's one good thing to come from the last three weeks is that we know he's not up to it. #44 - List clogger. #45 - List clogger on a longer contract. #46 - List clogger. #48 - Always mystified me why he doesn't get a gig at full forward, and it continues to do so as he lines up at CHB at Casey. More productive than Dawes and can actually ruck. The depth is pathetic, and even the bottom parts of our 22 being injured has us playing with Neeld-era spuds and means we've had to shoe horn players into unfamiliar and individually effective but team unproductive roles.

I think you'll find that was Tyson and Jamar, not Newton and Hogan.

Jordie McKenzie. Against Fremantle. Good Lord, what a backwards step.

I love moves like this. If he can become a decent FB/ruck option we have a long-term depth or better player in the wings.

TV off, kettle on, chocolates out. Got it on the radio and doing some work now, but I just can't look at him. He's eveyr bit as good as he was at Melbourne.

Clark can't mark and Frawley (though I don't mind him) can't spoil. Will be found out this season. Neither side looks very good today, mistakes leading to goals. Promising for the rest of us.

I really can't stand his [censored] head.

GWS will play three tall forwards, I think we can get Dawes at CHF and put Frost back as CHB. Toumpas dropped. Would like to see Vince have another week in the twos before we judge him as fit.

Didn't vandenBerg pick up a knock last week. Thought I read that he was in doubt. Anyway: Massive game this saturday. Gold Coast will likely be a big player this season, but there simply won't be any room for excuses if we get trounced. Usually I'm absolutely buzzing for game day by now, let alone for round one, but after our abysmal performance last week at Docklands I still feel fairly down. I feel like this team owes us unbridled effort every time they pull on the guernsey after the last eight seasons, but I've seen none since the first half vs the Bulldogs. If we turn up at the G on Saturday and are outclassed by a good side: Fine. Conditional upon the fact that what is now a Dees side full of mature bodies throw their weight around and keep the ball moving forward. If we have the ball being kicked over our defenders heads (ala. James Frawley) 20 times and fail to do much our end of the field: I won't accept stuff like 'we missed Dawesy' or 'Gold Coast are a good side' or even 'we didn't turn up'. I couldn't tell you when I was last this blase about round one starting up, and I do wonder whether the flame might blow out if we get done.

Having watched him closely on Friday night - I'm just hoping he gets a few touches and bags one. Don't expect too much just yet, and I'm not tempering my expectations to be cool. Mitch Brown towelled him up, and his hands look shocking when he did get in front.