MO FINE

Even if it were mid 30s in the rookie draft I would not consider it for more than a nanosecond.

One by one they've gone, Johnstone, Johnson and Johnson, But now that we have Jurrah and Jetta, Things will only get betta and betta.

Which player or player looked like becoming a star on arrival at the club but failed to live up to your expectation? Name and reasons why and also if you know where they are now. Special category for similar players at other clubs. I'll kick things off with Darren Cuthbertson. Started off kicking a swag of goals in his early days but other clubs soon worked him out (he was even given the famous jumper no 9) and he faded to oblivion.

Assume we get no compensation because we announced we're delisting him?

Over the past few years he has played mainly in defence or in the ruck and rarely if ever held a forward spot at Casey. A hard worker but hasn't shown the consistency at VFL of Silvagni or Wall for that matter.

No Davey and possibly no Moloney. The strain is on the Demon midfield and there's more pressure on those young players to produce. They need to neutralise the crowd and kick a score capable of winning the match. Against the Swans, Lions and Tigers they did just that and there's no reason why they can't do it again this week. Dees by 16 points.

At 12:42 seconds to go in the final quarter Aaron Davey sent a bullet like pass to Jack Watts that hit him on the chest but he fumbled it. His Brisbane opponent barreled into his back but no decision. Play in. I reckon a goal at that time would have snuffed out the Brisbane revival IMO.

Just wondering if Kyle Cheney made the trip as the emergency player. Maric had the role last week and you wouldn't think he'd have it two weeks in a row. Yo I wouldn't take Warnock as an emergency so my guess is Cheney.

I find it rather incredible that Stef Martin can't find his way into the senior team this week. Not even the 12:10 rule that applies when you play stand alone teams like Frankston can be used as an excuse for leaving him out. There are only 14 MFC listed players in the squad and four will play for the Dees against Essendon. One other might be an emergency for that game. That leaves plenty of room for Stef. So either his "injury" or "illness" has badly affected him or he's way out on the outer at Melbourne.

• Gold.

A distressing statistic.

We'll miss Valenti.

Whispering Jack's view on JW in "How the Demons Fared" was not dissimilar. Can't wait to see him line up with the Dees in the next week or two.

It was a good post at the time but three years down the track I wonder if it assists the cause of those who claim we're going to improve in the long terms going down the same old well worn path?

Can he play in the ruck?

Bradshaw is probably the wrong example because of his age but I think it's quite extraordinary given a rundown of who we've drafted in the past three or four years that we haven't managed to pick up by draft or trade one strong bodied KPF. Our forward line on Saturday was a total shambles and I'm still trying to work out how we finished with 8 goals and what makes it worse is we're going backwards!

Agreed, and moreover, if you train and play that way then you're bound to suffer more injuries with the greater possibilty of collisions.

With the great Lure Itches and Won Casey!

Assuming Garland and Rivers are both right they should come into the team in a fortnight so it's likely that at least one of the players we have inscribed in our minds as "defenders" is going to end up as "forwards". I agree with previous posters who think we need to use some imagination and experiment a little and not allow ourselves to become bogged down by pigeon holing players as one-dimensional robots who can only play one way.

I was thinking much the same thing myself but it should be remembered that the Bulldogs have been playing together much longer than most of our present group. However, it's very clear that the Doggies are very precise with their handball and know when to give it off by hand or whether to dispose by kicking. We just have to get much better at this.

Did anyone go?

You don't understand much about marketing do you?

They might have attracted the attention of the Australian Tax Office.

I hope young Tom Scully reads it as well. The part about Ron Barassi Snr playing in the 1940 premiership was of interest to me. Fast forward a decade and a half and all of a sudden his son's playing in a Melbourne premiership side. Both wore the number 31 that Tom's now inherited!

I think that pick 18 is going to be one of the most anticipated selections in the draft on Thurday evening unless someone picks Ball up with an earlier pick. Who are the candidates? Essendon are really crying out for a classy midfielder but would they pick him with # 10? I'm not so sure but by that time the classiest of the young midfielders will have already been taken so it might be a possibility. Melbourne at 11 should be aiming for a tall (see elsewhere for argument about that one). Carlton could surprise by taking him at 12 because they don't have a salary cap limit so they would surely fit him in. Let's not forget also the fact that if the Blues could screw Collingwood, they would do that any time of the day. Sydney or Port Adelaide at 14 and 16 can't be discounted, especially the Swans. Roos has been silent on the subject but Ball's old man was a Swan so why not bring him home. A real dark horse. Melbourne at 18, will we or won't we? Are we bluffing, making Ball sweat because he wouldn't talk to us or are we fair dinkum. Can't wait to find out.