Rucci

[Crow-mosone]

So Macca23, I gather from your comments Thurstans wouldn't get a regular game for the Crows as a key forward or in your ruck.

and why do you think he would?

As a power supporter I'd have thought at least you'd watched him a few times

 

[marvin]

marvin, he was a regular player in a premiership team last year and by the way, there's some AA bloke playing at CHF for Port. Surely you can't be serious about comparing the Crow's tall timber department with Port's.

There are a number of reasons why Port is down this year and the main one is our very innefective midfield - nothing to do with the abundance of quality talls at our club.

With respect, the fact that he was a regular player in a premiership team last year is irrelevant. As this board probably gets told every week, Clay Sampson, James Thiessen and Andrew Eccles were regular players in a premiership team, and that doesn't qualify them for anyone's hall of fame.

Tredrea's CHF, but there's 5 other forwards named every week. Haven't seen a lot of Thurstan's this year, but if he can't get a gig in a side that's scored less than our maligned forward line, it's hard to make an argument that he's better than Welsh or Perrie. And if he's so versatile, surely he'd get a game ahead of Bishop (who seems to be really struggling) or on the bench?

I see him as Port's Scott Stevens. A useful depth player.

 

[macca23]

With respect, the fact that he was a regular player in a premiership team last year is irrelevant. As this board probably gets told every week, Clay Sampson, James Thiessen and Andrew Eccles were regular players in a premiership team, and that doesn't qualify them for anyone's hall of fame.

Tredrea's CHF, but there's 5 other forwards named every week. Haven't seen a lot of Thurstan's this year, but if he can't get a gig in a side that's scored less than our maligned forward line, it's hard to make an argument that he's better than Welsh or Perrie. And if he's so versatile, surely he'd get a game ahead of Bishop (who seems to be really struggling) or on the bench?

I see him as Port's Scott Stevens. A useful depth player.

I nearly posted that originally!!

The only difference is that he's less mobile than Scott Stevens.

Thurstans = genuine hack.

 

[relapse]

Some of the Port Power supporters really are deluded. If you even think for a second that Thurstans is even half the player that Welsh is then you have no idea. How long has the guy been on your list for ?? 7 or 8 seasons ?? If he still cant hold a regular spot in a struggling team this season doesnt that tell you something. What has the 7 year investment returned for your side ??? A few decent games when Port were dominating thats about all, hardly worth it in my opinion.

As for the "he played well in the premiership year" line. This is the trap that Rucci has also fallen into, Rucci really believes that Thurstans is a gun forward, he does not understand that it is much easier to play well in a great side than it is to play well in a side where you are relied on far more. All of his articles last year about the depth at port etc had more to do with Port playing so well more than the actual players he was trying to claim gave Port the best depth. This year we are seeing the guys like Thurstans and Cochoran who have to take the next step and contribute more as the side isnt going so well have both failed. Port have struggled to a degree up forward and Thurstans if he was any good should be holding down that full forward spot if he was a half decent player.

I am prepared to agree to a point that Thurstans is about the equal of Perrie. What Thurstans has in skill and natural ability and age, Perrie makes up for with his determination and heart. I think the reason for Perrie's success this year is similar to Thurstans last year and under similar circumstances we have seem Perrie fail just as Thurstans has. We only have him in our squad because we dont have a better option. That is far different to Port's retention of Thurstans, I honestly believe it has more to do with he being one of the coaches favourites than his talent.

On the Rucci standpoint, I love how he makes it sound like Port trading Thurstans will be a major trade. His trade value would be a third round pick at best and Port should be happy to get that for him. Rucci needs to stop over inflating the value of his players.

 

[Tas]

I laughed when Rucci asked Laidley a question after our game at TD and he said you better not mis-quote me again.

 

[relapse]

He wasnt misquoted though, I listed to the particular press conference a few times now. He said about how with their intent and hardness on the ball they couldnt get any better, but that wasnt what the issue was. The issue was the next line, so with Adelaide being at the their best and us being well off the boil I can see a huge upside with us. No misquoting there, the only real misquoting is the damage control afterwards about it. I heard heaps of people in victoria took it exactly the same way as the adelaide media did it seems as though it is mainly North melbourne people that has a different outlook on what was supposedly said.

No offense and you seem a very level headed supporter. It was one of those comments made that afterwards you feel that you wish you could take back. I have heard it a few times and he wasnt misquoted, he was ********ed off and make a sooky "we played bad and you played your best and only just won" style of comment that he realised after was a extremely poor thing to do and went into damage control about it afterwards. I am sure yourself as a North supporter can see a small degree of smugness and cockiness in him thats just the way he is as a person. He still has done a good job with North and keeping them exceptionally competitve during the rebuilding stage you have been going through since the departure of Pagan.

Its done and dusted now.

 

[AdelUniCrowFan]

IMO Port should keep Thurstans & play him at CHB to allow C Cornes to play a utility role. White should be playing up forward with Tredrea. That means they should look at trading 1 of their ruckman to get a midfielder.

The Crows have no need for Thurstans. He would struggle to make our current line-up - no room in front of our current forwards of Welshy & Co.

They may as well try, its not like CCornes actually mans up and when he is made accountable he is beaten.

 

[just maybe]

Some of the Port Power supporters really are deluded. If you even think for a second that Thurstans is even half the player that Welsh is then you have no idea. How long has the guy been on your list for ?? 7 or 8 seasons ?? If he still cant hold a regular spot in a struggling team this season doesnt that tell you something. What has the 7 year investment returned for your side ??? A few decent games when Port were dominating thats about all, hardly worth it in my opinion.

As for the "he played well in the premiership year" line. This is the trap that Rucci has also fallen into, Rucci really believes that Thurstans is a gun forward, he does not understand that it is much easier to play well in a great side than it is to play well in a side where you are relied on far more. All of his articles last year about the depth at port etc had more to do with Port playing so well more than the actual players he was trying to claim gave Port the best depth. This year we are seeing the guys like Thurstans and Cochoran who have to take the next step and contribute more as the side isnt going so well have both failed. Port have struggled to a degree up forward and Thurstans if he was any good should be holding down that full forward spot if he was a half decent player.

I am prepared to agree to a point that Thurstans is about the equal of Perrie. What Thurstans has in skill and natural ability and age, Perrie makes up for with his determination and heart. I think the reason for Perrie's success this year is similar to Thurstans last year and under similar circumstances we have seem Perrie fail just as Thurstans has. We only have him in our squad because we dont have a better option. That is far different to Port's retention of Thurstans, I honestly believe it has more to do with he being one of the coaches favourites than his talent.

On the Rucci standpoint, I love how he makes it sound like Port trading Thurstans will be a major trade. His trade value would be a third round pick at best and Port should be happy to get that for him. Rucci needs to stop over inflating the value of his players.

Perrie is better than Thurstans, undoubtedly.

He has performed far better than Thurstans' best season (2004) in 2003, 2005 and the latter part of 2004.

Thurstans: 45 games, 8.7 possessions, 3.97 marks, .77 goals per game

Perrie: 87 games, 10.64 possessions, 4.56 marks, 1.04 goals per game

And most of them were in a worse side than Port with little forward support.

Thurstans <<<< Perrie

 

[JohnK]

He wasnt misquoted though, I have listened to the particular press conference a few times now. He said about how with their intent and hardness on the ball they couldnt get any better, but that wasnt what the issue was. The issue was the next line, so with Adelaide being at the their best and us being well off the boil I can see a huge upside with us. No misquoting there, the only real misquoting is the damage control afterwards about it. I heard heaps of people in victoria took it exactly the same way as the adelaide media did it seems as though it is mainly North melbourne people that has a different outlook on what was supposedly said...I have heard it a few times and he wasnt misquoted, he was ********ed off and make a sooky "we played bad and you played your best and only just won" style of comment that he realised after was a extremely poor thing to do and went into damage control about it afterwards. I am sure yourself as a North supporter can see a small degree of smugness and cockiness in him thats just the way he is as a person. He still has done a good job with North and keeping them exceptionally competitve during the rebuilding stage you have been going through since the departure of Pagan.

Its done and dusted now.

Yes, I think you are right, Relapse. Laidley wasn't misquoted and it is done and dusted... although I wouldn't say that Laidley was smug or cocky. My impression of him was that he is still young as a coach, a little too innocent in his media manners, a little naive about the purpose of those press conferences. He thought they were just people in the room asking him questions and that it wasn't a particularly real or serious situation. That it wasn't important that he chose his words... that he could just say, more or less, what he felt like saying.

Maybe that's cockiness. Maybe it's a stubborness. Or maybe it was just a low level of understanding of the role of the media. Maybe he simply didn't understand that those innocent questions were setting up the backbone of the media's print agenda for that particular week. That part of the modern coach's task these days is to chose his words very carefully each time he attends a post match press conference. That the coach's workload on match day doesn't end with the post match address to the players. That when he walks into that press conference he is still working.

I know for a fact that Laidley rang up a senior Adelaide journalist a day or two before the Round 17 game, genuinely perplexed that his comments in April about Adelaide playing to their best in Round 6 had been construed by the club and the Adelaide media as slur. The journalist was surprised, too, but impressed by Laidley taking the time and making the effort to find out how he had got himself into that situation.
Laidley is a learning coach, I think we can say. Not just about the media, but about everything.

 

[CaptainDangerfield]

Some of the Port Power supporters really are deluded. If you even think for a second that Thurstans is even half the player that Welsh is then you have no idea. How long has the guy been on your list for ?? 7 or 8 seasons ?? If he still cant hold a regular spot in a struggling team this season doesnt that tell you something. What has the 7 year investment returned for your side ??? A few decent games when Port were dominating thats about all, hardly worth it in my opinion.

As for the "he played well in the premiership year" line. This is the trap that Rucci has also fallen into, Rucci really believes that Thurstans is a gun forward, he does not understand that it is much easier to play well in a great side than it is to play well in a side where you are relied on far more. All of his articles last year about the depth at port etc had more to do with Port playing so well more than the actual players he was trying to claim gave Port the best depth. This year we are seeing the guys like Thurstans and Cochoran who have to take the next step and contribute more as the side isnt going so well have both failed. Port have struggled to a degree up forward and Thurstans if he was any good should be holding down that full forward spot if he was a half decent player.

I am prepared to agree to a point that Thurstans is about the equal of Perrie. What Thurstans has in skill and natural ability and age, Perrie makes up for with his determination and heart. I think the reason for Perrie's success this year is similar to Thurstans last year and under similar circumstances we have seem Perrie fail just as Thurstans has. We only have him in our squad because we dont have a better option. That is far different to Port's retention of Thurstans, I honestly believe it has more to do with he being one of the coaches favourites than his talent.

On the Rucci standpoint, I love how he makes it sound like Port trading Thurstans will be a major trade. His trade value would be a third round pick at best and Port should be happy to get that for him. Rucci needs to stop over inflating the value of his players.

Just another example of supporters, the club and Rucci overrating their list. Where's this world renowned depth we hear so much about? I reckon they would get a pick between 25-50 for Thurstans. At what number did they pick him, anyone know?

 

[CaptainDangerfield]

I laughed when Rucci asked Laidley a question after our game at TD and he said you better not mis-quote me again.

It makes me question how frustrating it must have been for Gary Ayres having to deal with this amateur hack every second week. Laidley has only had to deal with him a couple of times but yet he has quickly realised how damaging Ruccis half truths can be.

 

[marvin]

Just another example of supporters, the club and Rucci overrating their list. Where's this world renowned depth we hear so much about? I reckon they would get a pick between 25-50 for Thurstans. At what number did they pick him, anyone know?

Pick 39, 1998.

 

[Mego Red]

I reckon they would get a pick between 25-50 for Thurstans.

Oh, please. 40 to 65. And even then, you'd rather keep the pick. Better the devil you DON'T know.

 

[CaptainDangerfield]

Pick 39, 1998.

Cheers Marv..

 

[Tas]

It makes me question how frustrating it must have been for Gary Ayres having to deal with this amateur hack every second week. Laidley has only had to deal with him a couple of times but yet he has quickly realised how damaging Ruccis half truths can be.

Yeah, it would be a problem to have that snake in the grass sniping around your club 24/7.

I think the best bet is to just ignore the tool, I think he writes a lot of crap to get attention. He figures nobody takes him seriously as a reporter but if he writes utter garbage he gets the attention he so desperately seeks.

 

[RogerRabbit69]

I know for a fact that Laidley rang up a senior Adelaide journalist a day or two before the Round 17 game, genuinely perplexed that his comments in April about Adelaide playing to their best in Round 6 had been construed by the club and the Adelaide media as slur. The journalist was surprised, too, but impressed by Laidley taking the time and making the effort to find out how he had got himself into that situation.
Laidley is a learning coach, I think we can say. Not just about the media, but about everything.

John, there aren't too many senior journalists that Dean Laidley would have bothered to ring. Do we assume it's Andrew Capel - because there's no way he would have contacted Rucci?