Now hear me out ... we play Freo (Fev always plays badly against them) and the Tigers in the next two weeks. Two games I believe we can win without Fev.

After Friday I think it is time to send the clearest message possible to the big gun ... sooky la la, head down, slagging off\ smashing into and potentially injuring team mates, not doing the 1%ers, not tackling, chasing etc etc is not only not good enough but enough is enough ... the last chance train has pulled up the the station and its not BS this time!

Everyone is entitled to a bad game, sh#t happens ... its his attitude that poisons the football club.

In the time that he is in the magoos (hopefully kicking a ton of goals and getting his radar back on line and his attitude permenantly fixed!) try a few combinations up forward ... see what we have and what we do not have (for the end of the year). Austin, T-bird, Edwards, Yarran, Robbo ... whoever. Don`t forget Setanta was having a really good game before FEV smashed into him TWICE!

If Fev comes back a new player (attitude wise) and keeps it for the rest of the year then great ... but it needs to be made clear to him ... we do not need him ... he needs the club!

If not and he is still the old FEV, then as much as I like the big lug (and I do), we need to get what we can for him (maybe the Doggies will bite after they fail due to a lack of a FF again this year).

All I see is the classic Saints\Lockett scenario when I look at FEV. I believe our genuine window is 2-3 years away and will last 3-5 years. If we start now and are serious about things we could have a really potent forward line by then with Krooze CHF (will have filled out by then), Betts, Yarran, Garlett, Robbo ... maybe Austin as well and a couple of others we have traded for.

The simple thing is we need to ween ourselves off FEV .... we started the year off so well ... our midfield kicking goals, spreading them all around ... now all of a sudden they have dried up ... why? Because we are just looking for FEV and his attitude is just all wrong at the moment. Without FEV in the game we will need to look at other options .. hopefully the mindset will change! Midfielders will start taking more chances to create goals etc etc ... because lets face it ... our 1 trick pony goal kicking tactic will let us down everytime when it matters.

I am well aware that FEV is not the only problem (would drop Stevens as a minimum too) BUT as a senior player and an icon to all the youth at the club his attitude is a cancer that is eating the life force away from the club.

In the end whats the use in having a 70 - 80 goal a year FF if winning a premiership with him and his baggage is not possible?

Like I said I love the big lug but football is about winning premierships.

Giving him 2 weeks in the magoos will send him the clearest message possible to him, will allow people to step up and be counted, allowing the club to see exactly what it needs in a FEVless side and may also change the mindset of the midfielders also on what to do with the ball heading into the forward zone.

Am I completely mad?

I hope not ... what do u all think?

We're not in the race to win the premiership this year, I'm prepared to swing the axe on a few players this week and make them earn there place in the team. Whether that means we lose a few games and miss the finals completely this year then so be it. If it improves our chance at winning a premiership in the future then it must be done.

The unfortunate thing about Fevola is that you get the feeling he was born to play in finals. He might not have showed it on occasions this season but he loves the big stage. He's 28 and running out of time.

I'm not suggesting we trade Fevola but this is the last untouched draft for a few years, we really need to go hard at getting another gun key forward.

leaving him at home this week wont make a difference as he rarely turns up to play in perth

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*(grow - fun - gah)

Yeah but whatabout your whataboutism.

I think this thread is a bit of an insult to Tony Lockett personally, that aside I agree 100%!!

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You want the flame? Give us the marbles!!

Sure drop the best full forward in the game. Even though he has kicked more goals in the comp this year with the exception of Brown. Over reaction by supporters as usual. What we really needed in that game was pace ... blind fredy could see that ... if you want to blame someone blame the MC or the drafters at Carlton.

I am sick of hearing this crap.

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I am as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more!!!

Firstly - I'll blame the MC if they select Fev this week.
Second - Don't click if you don't like reading this crap. It's not like it wasn't obvious from the title.

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I have no issues dropping him either, problem is do Ratts and Co have the balls to do it?

..well, get used to hearing this 'crap'.. ..i'm a Fevalenko fan, but even i was getting fed up with his attitude.. ..sure, i can see that there were other problems,, but lets not sweep his poor attitude under the carpet cos we have other issues we can point at instead.. ..for a senior player, not far off the vets list, to be the negative influence he can be at times, is not good enough.. ..he might have gotten away with it last year cos his form was red hot, but he's off the boil this year.. ..he's marking isn't as good, and neither is his goal kicking.. ..he's not our match winner this year like he was last year.. ..in fact, you could almost argue he's becoming the opposite for us this year..

..i'm not sure if dropping Fev will work on him, but it needs to be done to re-assure the rest of the team and to ensure morale isn't whittled down any.. ..otherwise we're just letting him act/do what he wants.. ..he doesn't even get dragged these days for being unprofessional..

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..if you can't be good, be good at it..

Pathetic

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I am as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more!!!

WTF are u talking about ... u missed the whole point entirely ... I said we can win the next two matches without him. His attitude in Friday's game was just pathetic for someone who is meant to be a leader of the club. A strong statement needs to be made. If he cannot pull his head out of his bung hole and realise that what he does creates a negative attitude, impacts the other players around him and that he is not the be and end all then quite frankly flower him!

Like I said I love the big lug I really do .... BUT if we are ever going to be a professional, tight unit of players that work for each other and would die for one another (A.K.A a premiership team!) then his flowering pathetic, selfish attitude has got to change.

I am not blaming him entirely for the loss and yes the MC has some explaining to do and some more actions to take come selection for next week ... But does that give him the right to throw his toys out of the pram and act like a prima donna (every other week)? What he did to Irish (twice!) has got to be some of the most down right flowered up footy I have ever seen. When he did that my first thought was ... what a .... (rhymes with hunt!)

Did the Saints get close to a premiership with Lockett? ... or did they play in a GF two years after they got rid of him?

Wasn't Lockett the best FF in the history of the game? Flowering 10 times the FF Fev is with only about half the baggage?

So say what you will but you my friend are wrong.

We need to get weened off Fev, start finding other avenues to goal, change his attitude or trade him.

My "solution" of dropping him for two weeks gives him the strongest warning u can without jepordising our season, gives him a chance to change his attitude and fix his radar and also allows us to experiment with other avenues to goal and not be the one trick pony team we have become!

So tell me I am wrong and over reacting again.

Fev is NOT the best full forward in the AFL

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#23: Lachlan Henderson

You'll slowly get the picture, Brazillian, that as far as some here are concerned, it's a miracle we ever won a flag without Fev, and that 1 side per year wins a flag every year without Fev.

And if we get rid of Fev, we'll be anchored to the bottom of the ladder for the rest of our living days.

It's quite simple really, Fev is the ONLY player in the AFL .

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And who will be kicking our goals for us.....Hartlett, Edwards, Fisher?......good luck with that forward line.

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"When you have the attitude of a champion, you see adversity as your
training partner."
- Conor Gillen

Any one of 22 Elwood. That's the point man, Fev is not the only bloke in our team. And if he is, we're screwed.

We play our best footy when we've got 10+ single or multiple goal kickers - not 1 goal kicker with 10 goals.

A couple for Betts, a couple from Fish, 1-2 from Juddy and the same from Murphy. A couple from Gibbs and 1 from Kreuz as well as a single each from Simmo and Hoops. A long bomb from Stevens and big grab and goal from the square by Hammer.

Pretty soon we'll have 16 goals.

Not that hard, really.

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Hands up who thinks Fev has the emotional maturity to cope with being dropped?

Here's what I think would happen:

We'd drop him. He'd crack the sads for the rest of the season. We'd get nothing out of him for the next 9 weeks. And he'd be worth far less in any trade discussions that may or may not eventuate at season's end.

Well, in that case let's make him captain. That should make the poor lil' petal happy and we'd get more goals out of him .

I know, how about we drop him this week and tell him that unless he pulls his finger out he'll be playing in the Ants for the rest of the season. Every time he abuses his team mates, he'll get dragged and dropped - no questions asked.

We can play him in the reserves for as long as we like - he's basically worth nothing anyway if he continues on like this.

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I'm more inclined to think that Fev needs to learn to be less selfish; more of a team player.

I think you can start doing this by moving him around a bit as soon as the signs of poor team play appear. Move him out to CHF for a 1/4, or move him into the centre for a few contests etc (I dont think the backline is the answer, thanks Denis). I recall Mathews moving Brown into the centre on a few occasions to get him into the game and add a bit of physicality.

The change up can freshen perspective and make him work harder for the ball, and perhaps appreciate what others are trying to do. More team, less Fev.

He's also got to be benched without fear nor favour. He seems to be able to get away with poor discipline with no reproach.

I'm not sure dropping him helps anyone; but changing it up a bit might have an impact.

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This might sound extreme in the context of alleged sexual assault, drunken violence and a drug trafficking charge...

I also think dropping Ratts would tell us about his abilities as a coach.

Does our gameplan revolve around Fev so much that if he doesn't play Ratts and Co have no plan B to kick a winning score? You could easily mount a case to say so considering Fev is never benched as others have suggested we do.

Would our gameplan then become ultra defensive, instead of defensive?

It took 2719 posts.... but you've nailed it.

That post is word perfect.

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No matter how long it takes Carlton to rebuild, they will still win a premiership before Essendon* and Collingwood.

I remember Nick Dal Santo being close to winning brownlows in the past......
I also remember the Saints taking a stand last year and saying if your form is not good enough you do not play in the 1's NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE.
Look where Nick Dalsanto is and where the Saints are.....and doesn't it always seem to happen.

But Fev might not be able to cope with being dropped. CRAPOLA. THE GUY IS NOT 5. He may act like it but give him a little bit of credit. If he cant handle it then football is not for him. We are not here to make guys happy we're here to win premierships.

The team is bigger than the individual. The sooner we learn that the better.
We cant go up until everyone and that means everyone with no exceptions is on the same page. If one person is not on that page the whole team falls apart.

The reason Hawthorn won a premiership last year was because they had a game plan and all 22 guys that played each week stuck to that plan to the absolute last tee. Thats what it takes. And thats what we lack.

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Loooook OUT!