I think we probably got the mix wrong today. I think there were too many young kids. We had Foster and O'Brien, who didn't really look up to AFL level today. Good kids though, just I think today when tight pressure football was required, these lads went missing. Right at the end when the game was on the line broken tackles and not staying on their feet would have made a difference. I think we missed the Carr boys. Two blokes who I think would have made the difference.

I can't say I agree with that. Yes we had O'Brien, Foster, Ibbo, Palmer and Drum playing. But Melbourne had Frawley, Bartram, Garland, Warnock, Morton, Bate and Wonaeamirri all playing.

Our young guys are generally more talented than theirs, it's just that they played better today. And now at 1-6, finals are very unlikely. Lets back the kids, and more often than not they will play very well.

I'm with David - Bob and Foster didn't do a lot today. I think they were left on the field out of arrogance. I'd like to see the stats but I didn't think our old guys did a lot either. And Dodd and a few of the mid age guys... ditto. 211 was pretty much scragged out of the contest too.

Bob and Foster were the only youngsters who had pretty poor games. The others were amongst our better players. The youth was certainly not the reason we lost today. Getting the ball would have been a higher concern.

The new kids that can cut it are Palmer, Mayne and Ibbotson. The rest need more WAFL time.

We need to stick with proven players and back them even if they have a bad week. The fact Matt y Carr and Heath Black played in the WAFL this week is wrong.

We have changed too many players, too often. We need to pick 22 and stick with them. Yes, we have had injuries and suspensions, but we have also tried to blood too many inexperienced kids in games when we have experienced players, like Heath, Taz and Matty Carr, available & in the WAFL.

Here's my 25. All have proven themselves to the club at some point or another, and deserved to be backed.

Josh Carr.
Dean Solomon.
Matthew Carr.
Rhys Palmer.
Des Headland.
Antoni Grover.
Ryan Crowley.
David Mundy.
Luke McPharlin.
Chris Tarrant.
Heath Black.
Scott Thornton.
Chris Mayne.
Stephen Dodd.
Matthew Pavlich.
Aaron Sandilands.
Peter Bell.
Jeff Farmer.
Robert Warnock.
Garrick Ibbotson.
Michael Johnston.
Roger Hayden.
Hase... soon.
Macca because it's Macca.
Plus one more.

i dont think a player should be in the team because they have played well in the past. we should reward current form only. if they are playing horribly,send them straight back to the WAFL!

make them earn their spot in the team each week

Was there something wrong with Scott Thornton today? He was barely sighted, and I'm sure that I didn't see any of his usual spirited runs from defence?

I agree Loopa, we can't pick players just because they have played well in the past or they are a sentimental favourites. At this rate I just hope we don't end up on the bottom of the ladder. Where is their spirit?

Yeah but playing OBrien and Foster in the same week, knowing we have Ibbo, Drum and Palmer still establishing their place. If we had given up on the season then sure, but Brock and Foster hadn't exactly teared it up in the WAFL

One thing is for sure at least we know where some of these kids are. Thats a positive, but quickly our season has gone.

I disagree with David and Purple33. I want the best team picked each week based on form and ideal match-ups. I've heard Harves and read others on this board who say we need to settle the team. Is that realistic? There's always going to be injuries (Hayden, Grover, dare I say it maybe Pav one-day).

Does Harves say he wants a stable team because the coaching staff can't convey a solid and understandable game plan to a slightly different 22? I heard him comment that he "even had to make changes this week from last week". The team doesn't play well with only 4 changes? Is he saying one of those 4 were the match winners?

So many questions. So few people to strangle.

Brock and Foster obviously didnt have great games but they will be better for the run and there was no obvious relacements with des and roger and grover out who would normally take their spots. Matt Carr does not deserve a game for the rest of the year and guys like murphy, mundy, thornton who are extremely inconsistent and have been around for a while are just about on their last chance. Warnock could be an option but i felt the ruckwork wasnt bad and when he got his chance he really struggled. Anyway we are the most inconsistent team in any sport in any country. Not good enough and a full rebuild needs to be a priority. The eagles would beat us this rate and thats a serious problem.

Form is the most important area. We have always backed people in on reputation alone which is why we are so inconsistent. I feel for Pav and Bell who are our most consistent players and always give it everything.
I hope we stop drafting old blokes, Tarrant and Johnson went out of the game in the second half when they were needed.

at half time, 50 points up, eveyone was thinking this was the perfect game to blood a bunch of youngsters....

...except Melbourne.

Damn them and their inability to follow a game plan. They were supposed to be tanking.

They misinterpreted the game plan. Came at us like a bloody Sherman.

My glass-half-full is that we didn't hand it to them, "all credit to them", they played out of their skins to take it from us. With a decimated defence, we just couldn't quite hang on long enough.

It's a glitch. Our mix is good. It'll be back to normal again now. Freak game of the season over. Demons will continue to lose more than they win and Freo will lift. Probably a few games too late.

I'm sure CC had a good part of the 2nd half decimation (and kudos to him). He would have seen the backline situation of no Groves or Roger, McPharlap limping, Dodd with a dodgy knee and a couple of WAFL kids in BOB and Drum making up our backline. Thornton and MJ mk1 were the only fit and seasoned backmen and both have not set the world on fire so far in 2008. Josh was missing from the centre, Crowls was tagging, Palmer had only played 5 senior games, Ibbo's played about the same, Byron is unpredictable, Macca is old and Belly and Pav can only do so much on their own. We had played a running blinder of a first half and were as cocky as hell going into the main break. We were RIPE FOR THE PICKING and the Dees had their backs to the wall with nothing to lose. With hard running and self belief they pegged us back in the third, the Tiwi boy run rampant with no one to check him and when the Fanta Pant Dee stepped up, Robbo ran off Doody and we got rolled and fairly rogered. I've got this off my spleen and I'm over it now.

Yep I thought the same Bluepup. And a new coach who has a few things to teach his players. And I keep going back to a comment about Sheedy saying he had to break the team to rebuild it. It is the sort of thing I think they do in the army (not that I have been there) Its something I think about not thinking but doing what you are told.