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"If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself" - Henry Ford

My gut feeling is that I don't want Cousins, Kerr, Norman, Angwin and Didak at our club. I will tolerate Brogan....just

I also have the same gut feeling for Ackland.

Imo, in this our development year, it breaks my heart to see Jacobs and Aisake playing in the Ants' reserves, and Hampson needing to to play a full game. It breaks my heart to see Hampson, Jacobs and Aisake mainly on the bench when Ackland is taking a spot...same with Cloke, but Cloke's of good character and may just sneak anothe year's contract for 2009.

I know we're talking about forward, but just having Ackland in the seniors or the Ants is having a severe knock on effect with players we are trying to develop at they club, and with minimal opporunity to show their stuff, may be cut from the list this year.

Ackland just takes too much space.

I wish he'd shown this sort of endeavour when we needed him most, not when we have all decided on his future a long long time ago, and it wasn't to return the seniors; that'd be an embarrasment.

But the MC can do as it pleases, as long as they give Aisake the opportunity (and decency) to show he could do better than what Ackland ever showed this club.

Bring Aisake into the seniors!

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Bringing Ackland in?

Are we tanking again?

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And so while others miserably pledge themselves to the pursuit of ambition and brief power, I will be stretched out in the shade, singing.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

ELEVEN!

Take that, Obligatory Ten!

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And so while others miserably pledge themselves to the pursuit of ambition and brief power, I will be stretched out in the shade, singing.

If bringing Ackland into the seniors suppose to be funny, then Bringing Aisake into the seniors must be hilarious.

I agree - as if you going to bring in a bloke that struggles for selection in the Ants and spent a lot of the year in Ants ressies .

4 years on the list - shown nothing - not even close to selection

and people critcise Russell selection then in the same breath say this bloke should be given a run - His brother even struggles

He's only ever played in the AFL as a ruckman, so he's yet to be tried as a set forward. OK, he maybe a spud as a ruckman, but his form as a forward should be assessed on its own merits. Have Jake or Harts ever kicked more than 4 at VFL level? Ever?

He's kicked a few other bags lately, too.

Also interesting that he had 3 Dees listed players have a crack at him v Sandy and none could hold him, two being Carroll and Frawley. If they had been "no-namers", I would have been as cynical as anyone.

I reckon he also deserves a crack, what have we got to lose, FFS? When's the last time Fish kicked multiple goals or even looked like it? Playing an average team with an average backine helps, too.

I can only see Aussie making way for him, which still leaves Jamo, T-Bird and Waite as our tall backs. Grigga handy, too.

If he fails as a forward, sure, his cards will be marked "delisted", but let's not die wondering.

Play him this week.

If Ackland comes back in, that's irrefutable proof that Ratts and the MC read TC.

They're hoping to see Deano follow through with his pact/threat.

As am I.

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And so while others miserably pledge themselves to the pursuit of ambition and brief power, I will be stretched out in the shade, singing.

if your going to bring a player who has already proven he cant' play, then you need to do one logical thing:


Play him at FF, and leave him there all day to see if he can re-produce his unusual good Form in the 2's.


There is no point in Recalling him if he is going to start on the bench or play in the Ruck

We have to win this week to keep any chance of the finals alive and we need to kick a big score. Ackland has been kicking goals in the Bullants as a permanent forward regularly so he gets a shot. Edwards and Hartlett have been tried and not shown anything and there are not many other possible forwards on our list. He may be a better forward than ruck and should provide a tall marking option inside the forward 50. May be a straight swap for Eddie?

seriously, to say bringing in Aisake is hilarious compared to 'funny' bringing Ackland back in...c'mon! give him a go who knows what will happen! We all know what will happen if Ackland comes in...sweet nothing. I don't know Ackland, and I generally don't like criticising people i don't know, but he hangs his head and does nothing. Play Aisake just to see how he goes. I don't see how anyone can bag a player who has never played at AFL level anyway? Running around in a paddock is a bit different than playing in a proper venue in front of screaming Blues fans...it would sorta lift your game, I'd imagine?? Aisake might show something, which Cain has not done when given plenty of opportunity.

nup.

If he's in.......... i'm out!

Seriously, if he play's i ain't going. He's had more chances that anybody and he never gives a shit, i don't care what he does in the VFL, he's had more than enough opportunities and he has shown time and time again that he doesn't give a frig so stuff him.............

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

Why is Aisake hilarious, i bet if he got the call to play,we would be surprise how well he would do. It's like Judd said sometimes someone who isn't in the spotlight to other clubs who haven't seen him in the AFL can be the X factor and make it hard to judge playing against him.

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Bang Bang.

I don't get to much VFL, but there are enough mediocre defenders in the AFL to suggest there is a dearth of good ones in the VFL.

Ackland has been kicking goals because he is a big man in a 'bomb it long to the top of the square' league. He does not have the explosiveness on the lead to get a sniff against AFL defenders.

If you want that one-two punch in our forward line, unless you're prepared to go top-shelf ala J. Brown, then you'll just have to hope that Cloke comes good in that area and JR can get his radar right.... If they're not the option, then its the draft or the recycled u-23s market.

If we can find 16 goals a game, any game, with the blokes we have, then we can afford to look at dealing for a top shelf defender to add to Jammo, Austin, Bower and Thornton as defensive cornerstones.

80 - Fev
70 - Fish + JR
60 - Judd + Stevo + Simmo + Scotland
50 - Eddie + Murph
50 - Chief + Walker + Gibbs + Waite
45 - Krooz + Cloke + Hammer

Over the course of a year, if we can find that production from our better players, then we have no need for a player with Cain's level of abilities and growth capability.

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"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter" - Winston Churchill.

OK i expect to be shot down for this.. so lets begin....

The guy has shown something.. finally maybe

Im sick of reading that we need more forward options etc.......

NEW FLASH

Dont you think cain could have you know got his head together.... and thought well carlton needs another forward opotion.... i can try at least... after all it is the year of development. And they are trying to develop YOUNG ruckmen in the ants in hammer, sammy etc.

flower hell. He deserves one more chance at least.

And no i dont accept mediocracy but this guy is kicking more then a goal or two a game at the moment.. thats all and will drawn a big defender off FEV who will kick his 8 odd.

Saying that I WANT TO SEE if Asaike can have a go, stuff the attitude issues might show it on the field like Setanta and actually play ...

If Cain is no good then so be it ill agree with half the redneck attitudes about him and join the condemnation.. till then ....

anyway im done and going back to my rock.

Some of the sentiment here is shocking.

He hasn't been the best player for us but what would you say if he went out and kicked 5 for us at FF? You lot will probably be the first people praising the bloke.

I haven't been the biggest supporter of him but some of you are telling me that Hartlett and Edwards could do the job when they've failed to do it in the VFL?

Who else is going to play as a KP forward for us? Care to name any options?

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"A good composer does not initiate. He steals."

- Igor Stravinsky

Another "News Flash", what have we got to lose by playing this guy as a tall forward? Against a lower team we've recently had the wood on, at home, a key goalkicker likely to miss, indoors - if EVER he was going to get a crack, it would have to be THIS week.

Who's been going through CHF or been our no 2 tall forward this year - Fish? Harts? Carlos? Cloke? Some stunning success stories amongst this lot .
Fish a CHF, FFS! He doen't have to be Royce Hart to give us MORE than these guys.

The guy knows it's his last chance and don't fret that they would play him in the ruck, either. He'd be there as a specific marking target inside 50.

I desperately want Kreuzer to do this role in the future, but it won't happen anytime soon with our ruck stocks. I've given up on Waite playing CHF for 2008 as appears MC not going anywhere with this one (maybe when Bower is back to take his back spot they will finally give in).

If he gives us nothing this week, agree, that's it. He'll never have a better chance than this week, so he can't say he wasn't given every chance to save his career.

I'm glad some sensible people are thinking Ackland returning is not the end of the world. God knows we need a ruckman and forward. What really irritates me however is the call to promote Aisake instead of sugar. What has Aisake done, even remotely more, to justify promotion compared to Ackland?

The fact that he is Irish and playing VFL Reserves guarantees call up in some eyes Right out of Pagan school of thought that.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue