btdemon

I reckon I'll miss him........................................................................................................................about as much as Brent Grgic!

I disagree about Watts. He has been played all over the place to build his confidence and get his hands on the ball in traffic, rather than plug gaps. If he continues this rate of improvement his form will demand the key forward positions. Cook is probably the player being groomed for FF. Watts creativity, versatility and mobility would be wasted as a pure spearhead. He will provide opportunities for others as well as kick his own goals. I can't fault the way they have nurtured his development. They played him when many thought he probably didn't deserve a game (remember all those here who said he played like a girl), but gave him the chance to build his game. And aren't we glad they did.

Wise words

We have a number of outsiders. Bennell looks really sus in a game like this. The fact is, if we have a critical mass of strong, head over the ball players, we can carry the odd outsider for their speed and finishing skills. In a game like that at Etihad we can't afford more than one or two. As much as Jurrah is down on form and confidence, and had a shocker ( is that the first or second game where LJ hasn't scored a goal?), who here is suggesting that we shouldn't have played him? Should we drop LJ for the Darwin game? I don't think so. Supply into the F50 wasn't exactly plentiful. Morton we know about, but it seems the FD are wanting to play him into form because they see his upside. I am far from convinced. If Bennell's disposal was better he would deliver a higher dividend for his limited possessions. ATM he is not good value. Geelong persisted with guys like this (think Byrnes, Stokes) and kept playing them in the twos until they were of value. In a team with such a good work ethic like Geelong the engine room is so strong that these guys look ok. Stevie Johnson has days when he looks completely disinterested but can turn it on in a way that few others at Geelong can. I think Bennell and Morton should both back to Casey for a while but Jurrah has to play in Darwin. I'm not sure if Morton is ever going to realise his potential because as I have said many times on this forum, his kicking action is so flawed, and if his disposal is no good then what value does he provide. I think Bennell is worth hanging on to for the immediate future

After last night I have learnt that- I will try not to think about footy for two weeks (why the hell am I on this site then?) I will concentrate on Le Tour instead, but not invest too much emotion. Just enjoy the scenery and observe the interesting tactics, in a Zen sort of way. Try not to talk about footy (yeah, like that's going to happen). Not watch any other games, maybe not even watch "Before the Game", which I love. Meditate on things which might make a better world. Try to be nicer to my family (as long as they don't ask me dumb questions about the Dees) Vive le Tour! Oui!

I am so sick of the excessive emphasis on sport-related gambling in our society. It is bizarre that we have Ox talking about his problems on SEN punctuated by all of the gambling ads. It is obvious that alcohol, gambling and smoking generate obscene amounts of money. To see those pathetic "Nanny state" ads about cigarette packaging tells you how much money tobacco generates. If we rely on these things to generate taxes then we need to restructure the tax system. We'll end up like Greece. By the way, I used to smoke, I do drink, I by a Tattslotto ticket about once every ten years and when I don't then I wonder why I bothered and I bet on the cup about every five years. Again, when I don't win I think "that was dumb". I'm not a complete wowser, just a bit sanctimonious.

Why do we have to have this poll after every loss? Bailey's position will be reviewed at the end of season. The speculation on his future runs parallel to the "rollercoaster" (jeez, I'm getting sick of that term!). Do people actually do this poll after every loss? FFS!

Yep, I agree.

+100 I said the same in the "Harden Up" thread.

Definitely a bright light from last night. Kicked for goal well under pressure too (mostly). I really like this dude. He looks more balanced and works harder than Robbo too. I hope that he doesn't start to believe all he "speccy" talk and continues to work to being a complete player. And just on the "Howe many puns can we use?" thread, I mean, Howe long is a piece of string?

Chip has been fantastic for most of the last season and a half but last night his tactic of taking on his opponent one on one really came unstuck. Hall matched him for strength easily and made him look silly at times. He needs an alternative tactic for when he runs up against such a physically strong forward. I love to see him back himself and take guys on but when the guy is as strong as Hall Chip needs to learn another trick. He kept doing it even after Hall had him beaten.

I siad iwas not going to lose sleep over this one. In fact, I had a rotten, tense, broken sleep and fell really shyte about it.

I hate to say "I told you so" but....... this was not the game to try out another lightly built youngster who is not yet accustomed to the tempo of senior footy at AFL level. Especially when we are playing so many other lightly built and inexperienced players.

My apologies. I just get sick of the idea that we are soft and have no backbone. I do think we are slowly weeding out the downhill skiers but it will take time. McKenzie, Scully, Trenners etc. would not take this loss lightly. The thing that really struck me was the comment (I think by Tom Harley, but I can't be sure) that we are relying on individual brilliance rather than teamwork. This has been part of our team culture for to long. IMO it goes right back to people like Robbo and even The Ox before him. The idea that heroic efforts can save the day. They are fantastic but only work when they are on top of teamwork. Anyway, I am rambling through frustration and disappointment. I did really want to win this game tonight.

I actually think we looked knackered from early on. Three six day breaks will take its toll. I hate Darklands and we don't play it well but we had no zip from halfway through the first quarter. We also looked too young and too small. I've decided not to lose any sleep over this game. We were always going to have trouble here. Virtually no winner apart from Petterd. People need to remember that young teams get blown away. Those who say they are sick of excuses are freakin' stupid! Just remember these names. Nicholson Howe Blease Watts McKenzie Scully trengove Strauss Gysberts We are expecting some of these guys to be our core mids week after week. We definitely looked smaller in physical contests and when things don't go our way we are going to suffer this year. I don't expect to make the final eight.

It is interesting how we as Dees supporters applaud every little good thing that Jack does (me included). I think we have responded to him in a number of ways. Firstly, he was our first number one draft after hitting rock bottom and we wanted to see him as the Messiah. We were initially attracted to NikNat and when the club decided to go for Jack we were unsure. All of the comparisons with NikNat made us desperate for him to succeed. We didn't want to be the losers who picked the dud, like Richmond who picked Anthony Bannik or Richard Tambling. Secondly, we saw the pressure he was under the moment he ran on to the G for his first game. Apart from wanting him to be a gun player, we could also see the way he was treated by the media and many supporters (some of them Dees supporters who cast aspersions on the masculinity of his playing style), was unfair. I have also read comments from opposition supporters who say things like, "I don't know why but I just hate this guy". Maybe they see him as a blonde haired, silver-spoon boy. They will hate him more if he starts to be really effective. Thirdly, he does seem like a very nice young chap who likes to be liked and has that quality that endears him to mothers (gross generalisation here). That apparent vulnerability evokes that desire in us to see him succeed. We don't worry about Jack Trengove or Jordie McKenzie like we worry about Watts. In summary, I think we've invested a great deal of emotional energy in this boy, and its a bit like watching you're own child out there. When he does something good that many other players may do equally well, we clap and think "good boy Jack, that's the way". Despite all of this, I see an exceptional talent who will be a great player for the Dees.

The thing that has impressed me about Watts this year is that he is beginning to adapt to the tempo of the game at senior level. There is an urgency now when he gets the ball, both in the attack and the disposal. There is no doubt that he possesses great skill and a good footy brain, but he is now executing with speed and accuracy. You could see that when he played his first few games two years ago that he was operating at an under 18s tempo.

We can all see that Blease will be very good but I honestly don't think he's ready for the big time just yet. I'm worried about this selection.

Seems to have a big engine for a guy with only one pre-season.

Not while I'm watching, I hope.

Howe many puns can we make on this guy's name in the next few years?

It never gets boring. Every season presents with a 'delicious' new vernacular

Gawn's a funny dude when you hear him speak. Seems to be quite a character.

While it's important to keep abreast of the latest footy tactics, like 'spreading', 'pressing' etc., we must also keep up with current vernacular of the 'playing group' (we used to call them 'players'). I was watching some of the player interviews with Matt Burgan and have noticed this on telly as well. The latest 'um' words are 'definitely' and 'I s'pose'. Chip Frawley managed to squeeze 'I s'pose' into the most extraordinary spaces. Last year's big word was 'obviously'. My 11 yo daughter brought it to my attention. It's interesting that some players manage to put a 'definitely' in the same sentence as an 'I s'pose'. This is a contradictory expression of certainty and uncertainty. Trenners speaks very well and has intelligent things to say about footy but managed to use all three. He even dropped the old classic 'yeah, nah' - Beautiful! I'm glad to see that one hasn't disappeared. I don't know what's up Joel Macdonald's nose. He seems to think he's too good for these things. He speaks without footy cliches or puts them in "inverted commas". Obviously up himself.

I also love his ability to keep the ball in our 50 and 'alive'. He is very creative and dangerous in they way he does this. if he can't have a shot or kick to a teammate he is fantastic with his hands, following and trapping the ball and pushing it around with his hands. Watts is also great in this way. Petterd was also doing this last year before he was injured. He really was our most potent forward before LJ returned.