Start the Season Pleaaaaase !!!
It just seems to never end. The Pre Season this year seems to be dragging on and on and the comments from the clubs and players keep coming. Everyone is potentially going to make the 8, all the players are completing their best pre seasons ever, the first year draftees are settling in well and have overcome the intimidation factor of training with their childhood hero’s. I guess they have to get on the front foot to please their members and try and gain new ones but does anyone actually take what they say as gospel?
I mean I was reading the other day that one of my Most Irratating Players Warren Treadrea has been “Reborn”.
“I’ve been able to do the majority of the fitness base and I think I’ve missed one skills session. It’s just been a positive to be out there.”
Good on ya Treaders.
It all gets a bit much after a while they all seem to say the same sort of thing. New Melbourne Coach Dean Bailey is the latest coach to come out with some hard lined notions for the season ahead. “This year the real line in the sand is that we are going to play blokes who are really fit. It doesn’t matter what their names are, they have got to be really fit.”.
Coaches say this all the time and it never seems to eventuate. It will be interesting to see when the Demons are 0-4 after playing the Hawks, Western Bulldogs, Geelong and North in the opening 4 rounds and Neitz is carrying an injury or Robertson has got some niggles as to whether this line in the sand is still there? The Demons open their NAB Cup Campaign against last years Premiers Geelong who themselves will be missing a few key players so we will soon see how they are traveling.
At least Richmond Star Nathan Brown has hit the nail on the head when he said in an interview the other day “We felt that we’d spoken a fair bit over the last few years and failed to deliver and you just end up looking like idiots with egg on your face,” Bingo. Enough said. The Tigers have learnt their lesson after the expectation they put on themselves last year only to fall in a big heap.
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Testing Times for the Adelaide Crows Bigmen
Well it is official Rhett Biglands will miss the entire 2008 AFL Premiership Season with another knee reconstruction (his second). The Crows were heavily relying on Biglands as their number one ruckman for season 2008 and are now left with no experienced ruckman to play. As I have mentioned in a lot of the Club by Club 2008 Previews the Ruck department was one of the main areas that the likes of Geelong and Port Adelaide dominated in last year and the Crows, who I think may struggle regardless will be forced to go with the youngsters to go up against the likes of Ottens, Blake, White and Sandilands. Get your money on those guys for Brownlow votes against the Crows.
Coach Neil Craig is getting on the front foot as all coaches do in this type of situation saying:
“But we’re on the attack, so don’t send messages to me about us getting defensive in that area [ruck]. We understand they’re young and inexperienced, but they have some talent and they want to play.
“They have to start somewhere and it looks like it starts here.”
Ivan Maric and Jon Griffin look the most likely to fill the roles left by Biglands and also Ben Hudson (Western Bulldogs). They are both youngsters who had a small taste of it last year but are no where near the level they need to be at to fill those positions.
The Crows in my opinion will now NOT Make the 8 in 2008.
West Coast Eagles - Life after Judd and Cousins
The West Coast Eagles Football Club will undoubtedly want to erase the year 2007 from the books, not from a on field perspective but certainly from an off field one. We all know of the turmoil surrounding the Eagles in 07 so there is no need to go through it all again. I will though mention that the Eagles are doing their best to try and turn the culture around over there by instilling a new leadership group, but it doesn’t seem to be having much of an impact if you take into account the recent incident with their number one draft pick Chris Masten.
Let’s go thorough the arrivals and departures for the Eagles:
ADDITIONS:
Exchange period – received: Josh J. Kennedy (Carlton)
Rookie elevation: Chad Jones, Jamie McNamara
Scholarship elevation: Ryan Davis (rookie)
NAB AFL Draft: Brad Ebert (Port Adelaide Magpies), Chris Masten (East Fremantle), Tony Notte (Swan Districts), Scott Selwood (Bendigo Pioneers)
DELETIONS:
Retired: Rowan Jones, Josh Wooden
Exchange period – traded: Chris Judd (Carlton), Mitch Morton (Richmond)
Delisted: Daniel Chick, Ashley Sampi, Ben Sharp (rookie), Llane Spaanderman (rookie), Ashley Thornton (rookie), Beau Wilkes (rookie)
The West Coast Eagles had a very good year on field considering all the other dramas they had. Finishing 3rd and losing to Collingwood by 19 points in the Second Semi Final. A disappointing exit considering that game was at Subiaco. The have certainly got some quality
losses to cover and any team that loses player of the calibre of Jud and Cousins you would think would struggle. The big question is can the others step up to the plate and take the reigns? The likes of Kerr, Embley, Priddis, Fletcher and Stenglein are the players that will need to create havoc in the middle.
Best Ruckman in the AFL
With the best Ruckman in the business in Dean Cox and being the 3rd best team in terms of hit outs these players will no doubt get their hand on the pill first on a lot of occasions. Priddis has already shown he is a quality player that can find the ball with ease (leading disposal getter) I reckon he just needs to be more damaging when he gets it. Kerr is a GUN, his ability to stand his ground when being tackled and get the ball to a team mate is brilliant and he will have to be the take the Number 1 midfield role you would think. The Eagles have at least 10-11 players they could rotate through there, and when you look at the stats from 2007 there were 11 players that averaged more than 20 possessions a game! With Mark Seaby having a great pre season the midfield of the Eagles is looking dangerous even with out Cousins and Judd. Read more
