I constantly admit that I have been one of his biggest critics.................... and i'm the first one to congratulate him on hid recent form and fingers crossed (for bothe this club and himself) that he keeps it up. Well done to the kid.






But................ I think my (and many others) criticism towards JR has been justified and valid in the past. I have no problems in him proving me wrong, but even he would admit that at times, he probably should have been given his marching orders.



Keep it up JR.

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"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit"
- Aristotle

Kozi has zero football brain, even though he has all the other attributes.

Saints wouldn't let him go for a late pick, would demand (even now) at least a top 20 pick, which no one would give, so he wont go anywhere.

As for free agency Deledio is the man to go for there
He will probably be begging to get out of Richmond by the time free agency comes in. Our midfield should be even better by 2012/13 than now, adding him would be extra icing on the cake.

Happy to say that I was NOT wrong. Defending Jordan Russell was the reason I started posting on this forum 2 or 3 seasons ago (under diff user name back then). But ...

As someone who has always seen his merits, I now find myself thinking that opinion has swung too far the other way! I think people are getting carried away with their praise now. But after the hammering he copped for years, no-one deserves that more than Jordan Russell.

I'm guilty . Happy to admit it now . Good to see JR playing so well consistantly .

Don't think we can afford to carry too many for 4 or 5 years though .

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Get the facts first.
Then you can distort them at your leisure.

Same here.

Jordan did show in patches that he had the skills and ability to play at AFL level. Unfortunately, he was a kid low on confidence who let himself get too down when there were setbacks. The only issue for Jordan was always inside his head and about him believing in himself.

Took longer than I thought but he has overcome some of these hurdles. Still can make a mistake or two but the thing I like most is how tough and strong he is at the contest. He's as solid as a brick outhouse nowadays!

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C'mon Blueboys!

X3

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You want the flame? Give us the marbles!!

We didn't "carry" him we nurtured and developed him. There's a big difference. This process took about 1.5 years when you discount the time Pagan was at the club because Pagan did flower all for JR. Perhaps had Ratts been the coach when JR first came to the club then he may have been a player much much earlier in his career. It was, after all, a confidence thing with JR. The ability was always there.

Where's Jarusa and the Duke when you need them? They're probably busy scraping all that egg off their face before they tuck into a nice big slice of humble pie.

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You want the flame? Give us the marbles!!

I agree Ryan, but I would not have given him his marching orders until we exhausted all options. I wanted to see him develop where players usually develop - in the 2s. I have the same attitude to White and Henderson as I did with Bower. It doesn't mean I hate them all, I just didn't see the value in them learning the game while getting 'Dawsoned' on a weekly basis in front of big crowds.

Russell is playing much better footy and good on him. He still makes mistakes (as they all do) but now he's giving great value in run-downs, tackles and spoils. His bravery is a big asset to our defence now more than ever.

I'd like to see him develop some mongrel. He has the size and strength - just needs to get a bit of animal about him to make forwards scared.

I knew he'd come good .

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I for one was not a big detractor but vocally voiced the fact that he needed to be dropped last year, when lets face it he was playing cr@p footy due to his complete and utter lack of confidence!

His rise has coincided in him realising that he was a great player, with all the skills needed and that he did not belong in the magoos.

What makes me really pleased is that, like any player, he will now make a howler (rarely) but its water off a duck`s back .... before his dropping he would make the howler then fall into a heap and keep digging his own grave.

People never realise how much easier it is to be a failure than a success and that in the end confidence is just a 10 letter word!

Go JR ... my man love is growing weekly!

I don't get all the hype. Yes hes improved and played a great game Monday night, but so did the whole team. Only negative he had was one clanger on Monday night that nearly resulted in a goal. I don't care how many disposals he got as he got a lot of cheap disposals slowing down the play.

Not knocking him, but he is 25 this year, his performance is expected of someone in the system for 6 years. I expect Lucas, White, Mitch all to be at this level in next 1 - 2 years and l don't think they are far off this level and they have to be to take the blues to a premiership.

Keep it up JR.

I think I'm gonna start a 'I was right about Clinton Benjamen' thread

From the moment I predicted that we would draft him based on his draft camp stats, to the time I saw that 12 sec Youtube clip of his running action in the under 12s vs Glenelg, to when I discovered that he was actually a centimetre taller and 2.34 kg heavier than I had calculated from seeing his under 18s carnival footage, to when I realised he had worked on the biomechanics of kicking, to the last time I provided a statistical analysis of him versus Chris Egan, to last week, when he took that bruising knock (diagnosed by my goodself as pulmonary sclerosis from what I could ascertain from the less than perfect TV angles provided) , I Wild Blue Yonder, had no doubt he would make it.

I simply put all the relevant facts together and drew the only conclusion possible.

A few others of you lot should try it - it'd certainly reduce the number of more hysterical posts I have to read on here.

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

6/11/86

He'll play the entire 2011 season as a 24 year old

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"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

I was wrong but it was Pagan's fault

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Cheats never prosper (except in the AFL)

Gold Coast have gone off Gibbs and are now into Russell.

I've been a fan since day 1. Well almost since day 1. Think it was February 1987 when I first said this kid is gonna be a star!

The criticisms of JR were justifiable and warranted. You can't take 5 to 6 seasons to develop if you are a half back flanker. He was picked at 11 (first round). Compare Lucas performance at the same age for the same draft pick. The recruiting department's (and they have done a good job) saving grace on picking russel is I don't think there were many better after him.
One comment to all the I told you so posters regarding JR. None of your analysis factors in time. If you wait long enough everything will turn out positive and you'll prove the critics wrong. However, success has to be achieved within a reasonable timeframe. You could have predicted Swans wood win a premiership in 1940's and waited 60 years.
Anyway, well done JR.

$5m over 3 years?

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Exhausted all options? you wanted him delisted at the end of 2008

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Justifiable and warranted on what basis? On the basis that supporters want instant gratification. On the basis that every CFC player picked should be the next Judd? On the basis that he was crucified by Pagan?

What many couch potatoes and southern stand bench warmers also don't take into account is the application and mental toughness it takes to play good consistent football in the AFL.

Comparing Lucas and JR is just wrong in so many ways that I can't think where to start.

Regards Cazzesman

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Ricky Gervais - “Everyone has the right to hold whatever beliefs they want. And everyone else has the right to find those beliefs f***ing ridiculous.”