You dont have to be a rocket scientist to work out that Judd - Murph Gibbs Scotland and Simpson play better when Hadley - Maclean and Kruezer are in the side - Kruezer would tap the ball follow up provide a block or a tackle- Maclean and Hadley would dish it out or tackle - all I heard from supporters were they were to slow for the modern game and Ratts has got sucked into that as well-
It is the same down back Jamo Russell and Walker were on fire when White was playing as he provided the extra chop out and did the team thing Thornton and Armfield play for them selves thus putting more pressure on the other three

And when you go forward Ohalpin was kicking goals when Hendo - Waite and Kruezer drifted forward as soon as Kruez went down Waite got suspended and we went the two big man forward structure it was bye bye charlie

some of these things seem so basic - but Hadley seems to be the scape goat everytime something goes wrong - - When Kruez went down they brought in Hammer because they thought he could provide and option forward - They would have been better with Warnock because his follow up work in the ruck is better than Hammers although Hammer may be his hand to the ball more


If we can take anything out of the season Ratts at least has got gmes into Lucas - Robbo- Armfield Jamo - Joseph- Hendo - Gibbs - Murph - Jacobs - Yarren Garlett and Russell and they can only be better off for it

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

Give the top fives team a free pick of one player from another club and I reckon Judd would be one of the first taken to help them win a flag.

Not sure why people are saying we are missing McLean. We might be missing the player we hoped McLean would be but he has played as many games in the Ants as the Blues on the rare occasions when he hasn't been injured. Our trading has been ordinary. If those figures on Warnock are right then he has earned about $100 k a senior game. We gave up much too much for him when you consider what the Swans gave away for Mumford and the fact that we had his position covered. Who signs a fourth string ruckman to a 4 year $1.4m deal? The Blues apparently. Our drafting has been reasonable but nothing more given the picks we have had. Not a lot of class beyond first round. An okay article. Good point by Mrs Caz - these guys are SIMPLE sportswriters - got to be the easiest job in the world writing about footy in Melbourne.

I have no issue with our recruiting department being placed under scrutiny by the media, but this is just a hatchet job. Every questionable acquisition has been labelled 'bad' and none of the 'good ' ones even mentioned.

I'm a bit concerned about #11 and #7, but it's a bit soon to give up on them now. And who says Cloke was 'bomb'. We needed a crash and bash ruck to take the heat off Jacobs, Hampson and, especially Kruezer for a couple of years. We got him for next to nothing and he did a job. We've moved on and so has he.

How many best 22 players have we got off the rookie list? Jamison, Joseph, Jacobs, Gartlett ... That's pretty good going. Eddie we got in the, I think it's called, pre-season draft after everyone else had overlooked him. Simpson and Armfield I think were picks in the 40's. Henderson and Lucas for Fev? I'm happy with that one now, let alone in 3-4 years when those kids have developed and Fev's gone.

And so on.

Criticism's fair enough, but it should be balanced.