We've seen the (short-to-medium) term future, and it ain't pretty...

[10Totti10]

I think it will take 2 years at most until we are a top 8 team again. Next year players like Bird, Jack, Barlow, etc will being playing their 3rd year of senior footy, while Veszpa, Meredith, etc will be playing their 2nd. Unlike other teams who have had to rebuild, we have put plenty of years into our youngsters and a couple more and they will be very good players. If u generate good midfield it will fastrack forwards such as White and Johnstons development. If Pyke can learn to tap to advantage and improve his skills, him and currie will make an awesome ruck duo and we will have one of the best rucks in the comp. I am worried about our defence which is why I stress that we make a move for a player such as Maguire from the Saints.

[SwansFan1972]

Definitely a disappointing game for us, and we come out the other side feeling a bit gloomy about the future. On the upside, it is a feeling we haven't had for a few years now, imagine being a Dockers or Tigers fan! And we probably aren't as badly off as it appears at the moment.

And interestingly, all those Dons fans leaving the ground pleased with themselves (a cadre of ferals took up residence behind bay 17 and were trying to give pies fans a run in the "most obnoxious" stakes), a win like yesterday's papers over their cracks.

While many are raving about their speedy midfield/good kids etc, they are vulnerable to a fall similar to ours - all that midfield talent is delivering to a pair of forwards who are going to exit very close together, and sooner rather than later. When that happens, they could find themselves very quickly in a similar situation to the Swans.

When it's a little hard to find a silver lining on your own cloud, I'm happy to look for a bit of tarnish on someone else's!

And hey, thank heavens we aren't Freo. Where do they go after a result such as last nights'? 130-13 (that's the final game score Crows v Freo, for those who haven't seen/heard). They had a point to half time. 1.6 thereafter. Eeeuw - what a train wreck!

[Number 43]

Jack, Bird, Meredith, Vezpremi, Johnstone, White, Moore, Hannaberry, Currie, Gilchrist (saw him last week ...very good) all good prospects for the future. We will also have plenty of salary cap room and draft picks this time around. Let's not get too pessimistic about the future.

[Robbo]

Come trade/draft time this year I think a quality young key backman needs to be the priority.

[johnno]

The biggest difference I see with the team, now compared to 2-5 years ago is how easily opposition teams are moving the ball from one end of the ground to the other against us with very little pressure and the exact opposite for us. This was definately not the case a few years ago.

[Dalai Lama]

Not Pretty

In many ways Fraser Gehrig was not pretty - but he went on to be a Coleman medalist?

[floppinab]

The biggest difference I see with the team, now compared to 2-5 years ago is how easily opposition teams are moving the ball from one end of the ground to the other against us with very little pressure and the exact opposite for us. This was definately not the case a few years ago.

+1. It seemed the majority of their goals came front very quick footpassing wide on the wings into a subsequently very open forward line. They made us look very slow in putting pressure on the ball carrier. For mine that was the greatest concern, our old firm unable to keep up with that speed and the new firm without the smarts to shut it down.

Still scratching my head with White's non-inclusion. Is the coach trying to send him a message re. his party boy ways???

[Melbournehammer]

I agree. We look really really slow on the ball and in the half forward line. All of our pace is a long way from the action - mattner, shaw, crouch even are so far from where the ball comes from

and this is also the reason we are still the only side that cannot clear the defensive 50 - and its not because of shaw but because we are so slow that we simply are unable to run into space.

[Bas]

I did say that I was only going on the photos I saw on Facebook and the emotion in those was very raw. That was the vibe I got and I cannot control intuition.

So stick your go at me where the sun doesn't shine.

I apologise as I was not having a go at you. I should have been more careful in my response but comparing Hall leaving to the death of a child did strike a raw nerve with me. I'm sure that was not your intention either.

Did you mean Hobart?