Team v North

[dcstkfc]

Very conservative. Not surprised. Not devastated either.

We'll be waiting to see T. Walsh until next year it seems.

[stinger]

I reckon Walsh could have been more effective than either of the two ins. I agree with Big Carl. Gutless selections.

well......not an adventurous one....

[True Blue Sainter]

Very conservative. Not surprised. Not devastated either.

We'll be waiting to see T. Walsh until next year it seems.

He won't be here next year I reckon.

[dcstkfc]

Very conservative. Not surprised. Not devastated either.

We'll be waiting to see T. Walsh until next year it seems.

He won't be here next year I reckon.

Well in that case not much good blooding games into him now then.

[stinger]

blake has a corkie....maybe ross is just playing his cards close to his chest,,,,,,

[plugger66]

Very conservative. Not surprised. Not devastated either.

We'll be waiting to see T. Walsh until next year it seems.

He won't be here next year I reckon.

Well in that case not much good blooding games into him now then.

But apparently he wont leave if he gets one game.

[dcstkfc]

Very conservative. Not surprised. Not devastated either.

We'll be waiting to see T. Walsh until next year it seems.

He won't be here next year I reckon.

Well in that case not much good blooding games into him now then.

But apparently he wont leave if he gets one game.

Ahh yes, the old ransom. Club should 100% cave in. Who wants to play finals this year anyway?

[Maklom]

Saw him play in the nab cup this year (2 games?). Looked alright then but geez it must be torture for him to get a taste and then have to slog it out in the magoos for [b]another[/b] year!
Methinks that Ross doesn't have any adventure at all at the moment and the excuse that finals are around the corner is a very weak one at best. Something funny going on with the selectors at the moment...

[Jacks Back]

Tommy kicks 6, wins Sandy the game against the scum buckets last week and he still doesn't come in? WTF? What did Gamble do last week to be an emergency?

Surely you don't need Dawson and Blake. Blake has to come out and Tommy slots in forward as the 3rd option and 2nd option when Kosi goes in the ruck and can even go down back if needed. How many backs are in the side anyway FFS? I'm sure Dawson and Blake don't need to be in the same side and while Zac is not my fav player in particular, he should of come in at the expense of Blake.

This extreme short shortsightedness is astounding!

[Wrote for Luck]

pretty confident he'll play this weekend. and you know who I'm talking about.
on another note I personally think Smith is a little stiff

[Thinline]

Maybe he's signed with GWS? Anyone considered that?

But geez...untried L Plater to debut in our biggest game all year?

Not sure I'd be game to make that selection either.

[Waltzing St Kilda]

Saw him play in the nab cup this year (2 games?). Looked alright then but geez it must be torture for him to get a taste and then have to slog it out in the magoos for another year!
Methinks that Ross doesn't have any adventure at all at the moment and the excuse that finals are around the corner is a very weak one at best. Something funny going on with the selectors at the moment...

Agreed. Unless RL is aiming to win the GF what's the point of playing finals unless it's blooding promising players for 2012?

Even RL fans (and I'm one) have to question him as a manager of egos. There's an army of foreign legionaires who have no reason to complain ... but the bruised egos of Hudghton and Ball probably ended up costing us a flag in 2010. (After Rd 14 2009, Ball was told he wa going to be dropped for seven games. That's right -- seven. It ended up as only 2-3, but it must have been a bitter blow to such a proud guy -- and that's admitting that his form at the time wasn't great.)

With Walsh we've got another proud guy who's come to the other side of the world, played well in the reserves, and still can't score a game while fellow Irishmen get regular places in other sides. Back home Gaelic Football fans are getting very vocal in pleading with him to come back. Maybe he won't, maybe he will. And maybe he'll just go to another club -- perish the thought, Collingwood.

And meanwhile we'll still be watching Polo and Gamble.

[True Blue Sainter]

Maybe he's signed with GWS? Anyone considered that?

But geez...untried L Plater to debut in our biggest game all year?

Not sure I'd be game to make that selection either.

Other coaches aren't afraid to blood players in big games. Malthouse has debuted quite a few youngsters on ANZAC Day, for example. Tommy has played in the big games in Ireland, so not sure why it would be a problem.

[plugger66]

Saw him play in the nab cup this year (2 games?). Looked alright then but geez it must be torture for him to get a taste and then have to slog it out in the magoos for another year!
Methinks that Ross doesn't have any adventure at all at the moment and the excuse that finals are around the corner is a very weak one at best. Something funny going on with the selectors at the moment...

Agreed. Unless RL is aiming to win the GF what's the point of playing finals unless it's blooding promising players for 2012?

Even RL fans (and I'm one) have to question him as a manager of egos. There's an army of foreign legionaires who have no reason to complain ... but the bruised egos of Hudghton and Ball probably ended up costing us a flag in 2010. (After Rd 14 2009, Ball was told he wa going to be dropped for seven games. That's right -- seven. It ended up as only 2-3, but it must have been a bitter blow to such a proud guy -- and that's admitting that his form at the time wasn't great.)

With Walsh we've got another proud guy who's come to the other side of the world, played well in the reserves, and still can't score a game while fellow Irishmen get regular places in other sides. Back home Gaelic Football fans are getting very vocal in pleading with him to come back. Maybe he won't, maybe he will. And maybe he'll just go to another club -- perish the thought, Collingwood.

And meanwhile we'll still be watching Polo and Gamble.

Pretty sure Bally wasnt told he would be dropped for 7 games. Matter of fact I am certain that isnt true.

And if Walsh is going because he cant get a game then I say see you later. Why would one game make him stay? He has played about 35 seconds game. Never played before that. He is a big guy and they take longer to come on. RL obviously doesnt think he is ready and I am guessing but I think he would be telling him where he is at.

[Armoooo]

Don't waste your time arguing with plugger, I don't even think he cares about the topic he just likes being a contrarian.

[Waltzing St Kilda]

[
Pretty sure Bally wasnt told he would be dropped for 7 games. Matter of fact I am certain that isnt true.

And if Walsh is going because he cant get a game then I say see you later. Why would one game make him stay? He has played about 35 seconds game. Never played before that. He is a big guy and they take longer to come on. RL obviously doesnt think he is ready and I am guessing but I think he would be telling him where he is at.

My sources on the Ball dropping (no pun intended) are impeccable. He was told he'd be dropped for 7 games to work on inadequate aspects of his game.

[plugger66]

Don't waste your time arguing with plugger, I don't even think he cares about the topic he just likes being a contrarian.

What a lot of rubbish. People are saying Walsh should be in the side and RL has no guts. These same people have probably hardly seen the guy play and they also somehow think picking this guy will show some guts and help us. Unless RL likes losing I am guessing he is picking the side he thinks has the best chance of winning. I actually thought Walsh would play during the week but then RL basically said he wouldnt. If someone came on here and said he or she had seen Walsh nearly every week then maybe they would be worth listening but no one has given us any facts apart from one 6 goal game. He may have got 6 handballs over the top or taken 6 contested grabs but no one has told us because it seems no one saw the game. But I am betting a few assistant coaches and the senior coach has even if it was on TV.

[plugger66]

[
Pretty sure Bally wasnt told he would be dropped for 7 games. Matter of fact I am certain that isnt true.

And if Walsh is going because he cant get a game then I say see you later. Why would one game make him stay? He has played about 35 seconds game. Never played before that. He is a big guy and they take longer to come on. RL obviously doesnt think he is ready and I am guessing but I think he would be telling him where he is at.

My sources on the Ball dropping (no pun intended) are impeccable. He was told he'd be dropped for 7 games to work on inadequate aspects of his game.

So is my source so someone was told lies. If my source was lying to me I would be surprised. I even PMed a poster on here explaining why he was dropped and what he had to work on.

[Con Gorozidis]

Very conservative. Not surprised. Not devastated either.

We'll be waiting to see T. Walsh until next year it seems.

He won't be here next year I reckon.

Well in that case not much good blooding games into him now then.

But apparently he wont leave if he gets one game.

Where is he going?
I think one game would have a real psychological boost for him. I imagine he has plenty of doubts about making it.

[satchmo]

I agree with plugger.

Why can't people here believe that the people who deal with this every day of the week might actually know where Walsh is at?

[Con Gorozidis]

[
Pretty sure Bally wasnt told he would be dropped for 7 games. Matter of fact I am certain that isnt true.

And if Walsh is going because he cant get a game then I say see you later. Why would one game make him stay? He has played about 35 seconds game. Never played before that. He is a big guy and they take longer to come on. RL obviously doesnt think he is ready and I am guessing but I think he would be telling him where he is at.

My sources on the Ball dropping (no pun intended) are impeccable. He was told he'd be dropped for 7 games to work on inadequate aspects of his game.

So is my source so someone was told lies. If my source was lying to me I would be surprised. I even PMed a poster on here explaining why he was dropped and what he had to work on.

RL thought Robert Eddy was "ready" for around 30 games.

So what if Walsh isnt "ready" - how many AFL players have played games before they were ready? Thousands! Its called blooding them.
Look at Siposs - he is clearly not ready (just going by his physique alone) but we blooded him anyway.
Obvisouly the coach knows a million times more about footy than me (or 99.99999% of the population - but he is still ultra-conservative.

[meher baba]

Don't waste your time arguing with plugger, I don't even think he cares about the topic he just likes being a contrarian.

Well I, for one, think plugger's right. The selectors and Lyon have picked the team they think has the best chance of beating North Melbourne and criticising them for doing that is nonsensical.

If we win on Saturday and are thereby certain of our finals place, then perhaps Walsh can be given a go against the Blues in place of a regular player (even perhaps Riewoldt).

I haven't seen Walsh playing for the Zebras, so I wouldn't pretend to be able to say how he's going. When he played in the NAB Cup, he looked like a reasonably competent defender but hardly a superstar. I don't recall him taking any spectacular marks or bursting out of defence to kick a spectacular goal on the run like Majak Daw or anything like that. But then I did get up to buy a drink at the bar a couple of times so I might have missed that bit.

As far as I can tell, the reasons people on here get so hot and bothered about him are 1) he's Irish (which makes him a bit exotic), 2) he's tall (not that that matters as much in modern AFL as it once did) and 3) because Ricky Nixon and Drain pumped up his tyres big time when he was recruited (Drain: "as good as a first round pick").

Anyway, I'm more interested in whether we can beat the Roos than in what happens to Walsh. If he leaves us for another club or to go home, then so be it.

[saintspremiers]

Poor decision. What does Walsh have to do to get a game? Kick 10? 12? Get in the best in the VFL for 50 games straight?

Would have given a hell of a lot more than Blake or Gilbert.

Maybe be in Sandy's best for more than ONE week.

[MC Gusto]

It was always agreed upfront with Walsh that he would spend 2 years in the magoos and if he performed move to the seniors
Patience is a virtue! He be a regular next year post clean out

[Mr Magic]

[
Pretty sure Bally wasnt told he would be dropped for 7 games. Matter of fact I am certain that isnt true.

And if Walsh is going because he cant get a game then I say see you later. Why would one game make him stay? He has played about 35 seconds game. Never played before that. He is a big guy and they take longer to come on. RL obviously doesnt think he is ready and I am guessing but I think he would be telling him where he is at.

My sources on the Ball dropping (no pun intended) are impeccable. He was told he'd be dropped for 7 games to work on inadequate aspects of his game.

Totally at odds with what I heard.
I heard he was dropped to improve his fitness base which was dropping alarmingly because of the need to manage his op meaning he couldn't do any fitness training eraly in the week. Apparently his 'measured fitness base' was dropping weekly due to this inability to train.
His dropping fitness base meant that he couldn't play as many minutes as the gameplan needed adn that he found it more difficult to 'run and spread' or even impact contests.
If you note that when he was dropped it was when there was no game in the magoos, so he didn't have to worry about recovering from a match (even a less intensive VFl game). I believe the original plan was to give him an increased training load over the 2 week period to try and get his fitness base back up.
What happened subsequent to that I have no idea.

My source is not 'impeccable' but I have no reason to doubt what he/she told me.

And quite frankly, the notion that Ball was told he would be dropped for '7 games' seems nonsensical to me.
I would much more believe he was told he would be dropped 'until he achieved' what they wanted him to work on achieving.

Why '7 games'?
Why not 4,5,6,8,9?
Maybe ask your source why that particular number of '7'?


As to your post re Max - well Max sure learned his lesson.
I think he was part of the discussion that decided Reid and Brown would play in the replay instead of Presti.

So it would seem a case of, it's the right call for everybody except me' if what you're saying is accurate and that he joined the Filth because he was overlooked in 2009.