Why would you even suggest that AJ goes to Davey when Carrazzo has towelled him up everytime we have played them

Davey plays the set up role off half back it is the perfect role for Carrotts or even Hoops if fit

Aj can beat up on Scully or Trengove

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If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

Ok im happy that he is young, and i agree he may need time. But why do we have to play him in the seniors?? We arent good enough yet to carry blokes... i dont agree with the comment ' he can mark '

I can run and mark and kick goals... but not against AFL footballers obviously. Im not saying he wont come good, im just saying right now he isnt up to it... put him back on the magoos till he gets his confidence up and starts holding a few.

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Matty Kruzer you star!

Good call... Carrots is a good match up
AJ to bash the young guys, i like it

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Matty Kruzer you star!

I'll offer you $5.50.

Id love to see Grigg in our Midfeild
He'll be a star
We need Brock! We have enough skilled players
we need some muscle
he does alot of stuff off the ball
protects our other players
ill take Ratten - an AFL coachs - word for it that he is a must
Hendo will be a good players
but maybe should get some game time and confidence in the 2's
like Carrots on Davey and AJ on Scully

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CAR17ON

I only saw bits and pieces of the Weagles game, but most times I watched, Hendo seemed to be doing something useful.

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"I had to eat"

All fair points Juddment. Just wondering though, the work we need Brock to do, couldn't this have been done by Hadley, Carrazzo, Grigg or even Bentick? I mean poor old Benchy must be looking at Mclean and thinking WTF? I could have done that!!

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You want the flame? Give us the marbles!!

I agree Bondi. Hadley was much more creative with his possessions and much cleaner imho. His link work thru the middle in chains of handballs was precise and direct (forward). He was involved in some exciting passages of play. Cannot see what McLean offers that Hadley does not. I think Hadley is just better.

I notice a few people have Yazz in the side this week, is he over the quad back spasms??

What's with the criticism on Hendo, he played well.

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Circumstance has no value. It is how one relates to a situation that has value. All true meaning resides in the personal relationship to a phenomenon, what it means to you.

Yep hanging for the Yatrix to come back.

Thought Hendo started really well and then did not much. Same with big Setant.

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You want the flame? Give us the marbles!!

With Hammo showing good form in the 2s Warnock seems now to be our 4th choice ruckman. After that selection there is a lot riding on the Brock McLean selection. You wouldn't want to give away #11, #24 and #50 over a couple of years to bolster the Ants. McLean will have to be ordinary often to get dropped. They really want him to do well, rushing him back each time he's injured and even playing HAdley and McLean together as insurance for each other. I thought he was okay on the weekend, but he needs to be much more than just okay. I'd like to see Grigg play the hard midfielder role. Brock needs a run of games to see where he is at. If he doesn't offer us more than Hadley or Bentick then I would expect the committee to be asking hard questions of the MC. Swapping draft picks for established players and getting it wrong can cost premierships (If you get it right it can win premierships too).

There can be no excuse if McLean doesn't add significantly to our side. We have had 96 senior games to assess him and Reilly and Ratts have observed him at close quarters. He needs to consistently show what they saw in him.

PS Can't believe anyone would knock Walks on his comeback game. Thought he was great. Occasional kicking errors but looks in great touch. Add Bower and Army and we have a seriously mobile defence.

The Dees will be a tough test and we will need to be a lot more switched on than Sunday. Apart from the first 15 minutes the Eagles macthed us goal for goal.

Yeah I thought that he was rather good.

He was strong in the one-on-ones and moved, presented and defended well. His goal on the angle from outside 50 was fantastic to see. Every time I see him play I'm mindful that he is only very young in AFL terms. His upside is enormous and he has a fantastic temperament and attitude for the contest.

The only thing that I think is a slight negative to his game is his unusual ball drop when he kicks the ball. He rotates the ball forward as he drops it onto his boot - which a lot of players do - but it seems to rob Lachie of a split-second of time and is an inflexible action that is required every time he kicks the ball. You can't knock players different techniques if they're effective - Kennedy's runup and Brian Lake's unusual ball drop come to mind - but in this instance I wonder if it makes Lachie a 'slower' player when he is delivering the ball.

At the same time I'm unsure if this really is a legitimate negative or whether it's just me noting an unusual part of his game.

I rate McLean and this supposed fault of his to lock the ball up.

Fact is, we're renowned for having a midfield that don't run both ways, and as such are susceptible to goals on the rebound. Why wouldn't we want a bloke who can keep it tight?

For mine, McLean's contribution to the side shouldn't be measured by what he himself does on the field, but rather if the likes of Gibbs, Murphy and Judd are now able to give an extra 10% as a result of McLean keeping it tight, and the above 3 aren't exposed as much as they can be for being relatively shit defensively.

Every game McLean has played this year, those 3 have put in good to great games. That's where the significance lies.

I also thought Henderson had a pretty good game. What was it, the 1st quater, when Henderson was runing for a ball near the boundary, gave the Eagles player a small push with the hip, gained control of the ball, cut inside and shot out a pass into Setanta inside 50 (think it was Setanta's first goal, maybe second). My brother and I looked at each other with smiles on our faces .........


I love the kid and think we need to persist with him, much like we did with Russel. 15 games this year is a must for his development IMO.

We seemed fine agains the Saints and Port without him.

I know the argument about guys not going the 'other way', but he is just slow, and out of sync with the rest of the team. Maybe it will come in time, but I think the game has past guys like McLean by.

To be as slow as he is, you need to make up with it in other ways, like great disposal or reading of the play. McLean is tough and willing, but has sub-par skills. Hopefully he will come good, but I have my doubts.

+1

Fair enough.
I think that was sometning the match committee, Ratts etc would have said in the first couple of rounds or prior.

But, what if Ratts and O'Reilly are trying to play him (or other Demons selections they've made) in an attempt to play them in form, perhaps to save face?

I think we have enough depth to cover for Brock and Johnson, so it doesn't worry me if they play or not. As long as they are selected because their form warrantas it, or there's nothing left in the cupboard due to injuries and suspensions.

What worries me is that it seems to me the MC are playing Brock ahead of Hadley because he cost them pick 11. That's my opinion.
It seems to me that the same goes with Johnson. Johnson was selected to Carlton because he's was classified by them as an elite kick. I saw some of his elite kicking in the 2009 NAB and again in round 1 2009 with a pass to Stevens, but since then no one in the world would class him or his kicking as elite, or fast, or a great defender, or a great forward, or a great wingman. IMO he's way back in the queue.

Based on form and ability (whilst playing in the Dark Navy Blue jumper) there's lots of players I would have ahead of Brock for the tough guy role right now (even if we hadn't given away pick 11): Hadley, Carrots, Joseph, Robinson, Grigg, Scotland....doesn't look that much better than Bentick to me.

It's all easy to criticise retrospectively, that's why the pick 11 issue doesn't bother me; it's done.

I don't think Brock is that good any more, and imo he is given a go for the wrong reasons, when it should be form. His case is different to Russell's. Brock has played his odd 100 games already and oozes confdidence. That's very different to Russell's case.

I can't recall Ratts, O'Reilly or any of the MC having said anything like " [Brock] is a must " since the beginning of the season. I might be wrong, but it's a comment I would have picked up and evaluated if I heard or read it and would have made my opinion of such a comment.

Believe me, there would have been bigger question marks on why the MC picked him and said such a thing when his form didn't warrant anything of the sought.

Hey, I don't dismiss the fact that there's a few Brock fans, and like the hard bullocking work he does. That's cool. The big question I have is whether he adds value to our 22 or if he stifles and slows us down. I think the latter, at this stage. He may improve...but I'd prefer if he did his improving in the Ants whilst we have imo better alternatives on our list.

I'd play Brock this week against The Dees if he is fit. But this would come at the cost of dropping Brown or Hadley to allow for Yarran, and that imo is grossly unfair, especially when form suggests Hadley is ahead.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

I'd like to see Beyonce wearing nothing but a sailor's hat and a cheeky smile, but its not going to happen either.

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T E A M

Melbourne are paying $3.50 for the win.

I'm gonna back them. I think they are far better than what they are making out to be. Was smart to rest Scully & trengove from the Geelong mauling on saturday. They will be fresh from the resting.

Melbourne are no longer the pushovers everybody assumed they would be. In fact, they could even be a chance for the finals at this stage??????


Hopefully we gain back Houlihan, Bower and Yarran from injury.


INS:-
Waite, Houlihan (if Fit), Bower (if fit), Yarran (if fit)

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I understand your point, but I think their treatment of Warnock shows they are prepared to select players on form. Sure, Warnock isn't from the Demons, but it's a similar situation where they made a big play for him and gave up plenty for him and his form didn't justify his presence in the side any longer. Look, I'm not rapt about the way Brock has gone so far, but I think he's still a bit impeded by injury. I thought he was ok yesterday, good against the Tigers and really good against the Lions. The thing about the Tigers and Lions games is that his body seemed right and he was moving freely.