ok so im not making excuses. we were terrible, but i think this is worth noting. last year we had a horrible run with injuries, and while we acknowledge that we have had a few this year, and that we have been terrible it wasn't until tonight that i realised just how bad the list was. it certainly hasn't been reported on the official lists in this way.

key backs:

rivers (possibly our most important defender)

garland (arguably our best this year)

mids:

mclean (our best)

davey (our only real pace, and a player who can break games)

moloney (showed he had a key spot in our midfield earlier this year)

key forwards:

neitz (retired, but due to injury)

robertson (leading our goal kicking up until 2-3 rounds ago even though he played only about the first 7 games)

miller (leading our goal kicking)

there are a couple of other names on the list this week such as bell and jamar. and other players have spent most of the year on the list such as grimes, petterd, wheelan and newton. it could be argued that jamar should be considered in the top list, as one of our most important players, especially after watching jeff white imitate his former self tonight (jeff your great, but the game has passed you by).

the point is that 8, maybe 9, of arguably our 10 most important players were missing tonight. and it is likely that at least 7 of those players will form the nucleus of our team going forward. and the players aren't flankers and pockets, but KPP's, and key mids.

take geelongs best 8 out, and put ours in, and im not saying we'd beat them, but i think we'd give them a far better shake.

  deanox said:

ok so im not making excuses. we were terrible, but i think this is worth noting. last year we had a horrible run with injuries, and while we acknowledge that we have had a few this year, and that we have been terrible it wasn't until tonight that i realised just how bad the list was. it certainly hasn't been reported on the official lists in this way.

key backs:

rivers (possibly our most important defender)

garland (arguably our best this year)

mids:

mclean (our best)

davey (our only real pace, and a player who can break games)

moloney (showed he had a key spot in our midfield earlier this year)

key forwards:

neitz (retired, but due to injury)

robertson (leading our goal kicking up until 2-3 rounds ago even though he played only about the first 7 games)

miller (leading our goal kicking)

there are a couple of other names on the list this week such as bell and jamar. and other players have spent most of the year on the list such as grimes, petterd, wheelan and newton. it could be argued that jamar should be considered in the top list, as one of our most important players, especially after watching jeff white imitate his former self tonight (jeff your great, but the game has passed you by).

the point is that 8, maybe 9, of arguably our 10 most important players were missing tonight. and it is likely that at least 7 of those players will form the nucleus of our team going forward. and the players aren't flankers and pockets, but KPP's, and key mids.

take geelongs best 8 out, and put ours in, and im not saying we'd beat them, but i think we'd give them a far better shake.

Not only are those players amongst our better ones, they are actually some of our better leaders. Rivers is the General of the backline (when he plays), Mclean is one of our leaders in the midfield, Neitz, Robbo and Miller are possibly the 3 most vocal players in the group. 3 more weeks then we can all relax for a bit.....

Almost half our best 22 unavailable for selection, coupled with a youth focus that meant depth players were moved on last year, and others are overlooked for selection this year, mean last nights game isn't surprising.

I do think that if Geelong were missing as many players as valuable to them as those we're missing, it would have been much closer.

get rid of BB!! since the bloke has been on bored we have had shocking two years of injurys i have ever seen from the melbourne football club! we have never had a big list of injurys in the past until that bloke came on! he did the exact same thing at hawthorn, and they got rid of him and now have a healthy list.

surely they have noticed the problem. garland, bell, miller, davey, petterd, moloney and sylvia have all had hamstrings groin problems this year.

  dazzledavey36 said:

get rid of BB!! since the bloke has been on bored we have had shocking two years of injurys i have ever seen from the melbourne football club! we have never had a big list of injurys in the past until that bloke came on! he did the exact same thing at hawthorn, and they got rid of him and now have a healthy list.

surely they have noticed the problem. garland, bell, miller, davey, petterd, moloney and sylvia have all had hamstrings groin problems this year.

Do a search on Bohdan on this site and get some facts before you condemn.

  Rogue said:

Almost half our best 22 unavailable for selection, coupled with a youth focus that meant depth players were moved on last year, and others are overlooked for selection this year, mean last nights game isn't surprising.

I do think that if Geelong were missing as many players as valuable to them as those we're missing, it would have been much closer.

Salient point Rogue.

I thought the team we went into Friday's game with was as fragile as the cobbled together side in the first NAB cap match against the Cats in March 2008.

  Rhino Richards said:

Do a search on Bohdan on this site and get some facts before you condemn.

I have mentioned before on this site that Hawthorn got rid of BB because of the state of their soft tissue injury list. Players at Hawthorn voiced their concern. Perhaps Melbourne should review BB, it may be a worthy exercise.

  Rhino Richards said:

Salient point Rogue.

I thought the team we went into Friday's game with was as fragile as the cobbled together side in the first NAB cap match against the Cats in March 2008.

I attended the NAB opener and Friday night. I remember Robbo and Meesen playing that NAB opener in March. Yes it was as fragile. On the flipside the Cats played a similar list that day to Friday nights game. On both occassions the Cats were simply awesome.

  High Tower said:

I have mentioned before on this site that Hawthorn got rid of BB because of the state of their soft tissue injury list. Players at Hawthorn voiced their concern. Perhaps Melbourne should review BB, it may be a worthy exercise.

MFC should and will review all aspects of the football department as they did last year. If BB is found to have either failed or his approach does not suit the Club's direction then they should get rid of him.

But some of the spurious claims and innuendo against him on this website have been factless, uninformed or ignorant and resemble a hick town witch hunt. I have yet to read an informed knoweledgeable assessment of his performance on this site. I doubt I will. It will all be done behind closed doors as it should.

  High Tower said:

I attended the NAB opener and Friday night. I remember Robbo and Meesen playing that NAB opener in March. Yes it was as fragile. On the flipside the Cats played a similar list that day to Friday nights game. On both occassions the Cats were simply awesome.

It makes it strange why you were pumping the side's chances against Geelong on Friday. We were on a hiding to nothing on the night and were never going to get near them.

  Rhino Richards said:

It makes it strange why you were pumping the side's chances against Geelong on Friday. We were on a hiding to nothing on the night and were never going to get near them.

Easy to say in hindsight now the game is over and done RR. Maybe I was riding the wave of excitement from last weeks Mfc function. Like I have stated on another thread after the game, once I saw the two sides take the field - I was given a reality check before the bounce. I was astonished at the comparison in size of the players between both camps. The boys and footy department have alot of work to do RR, and we have a long wait.

i realise that i failed to mention wheatly in my initial post, who is definitly in our 22 atm, and has had a pretty good season overall.

he might not be a major part of the future, but he has been a consistant performer.

i hanvt seen this acknowledged anywhere in the media though.

fwiw it is interesting that we have effectively dumped all the nqr depth players, and are generally refusing to play the other older players on the list, and are thus forced to play young green kids, yet we are still seeing some good competitive football, and seeing some good patches, even if we're not winning anything.

  High Tower said:

I have mentioned before on this site that Hawthorn got rid of BB because of the state of their soft tissue injury list. Players at Hawthorn voiced their concern. Perhaps Melbourne should review BB, it may be a worthy exercise.

I attended the NAB opener and Friday night. I remember Robbo and Meesen playing that NAB opener in March. Yes it was as fragile. On the flipside the Cats played a similar list that day to Friday nights game. On both occassions the Cats were simply awesome.

Yes, I was at the NAB Cup game down at SS too. It was almost boring it was that bad.

  High Tower said:

Easy to say in hindsight now the game is over and done RR.

I dont think so HT. Hardly hindsight. More like you missed the bleeding obvious.

  Rhino Richards said:

Given what MFC have shown to date and the way Geelong have dismantled the best put before them, if Geelong actually go at 80% they will burn MFC.

  High Tower said:

Don't underestimate our boys on a big stage on Friday. If they can keep with them for a half like they did at Skilled, and then put some scoreboard pressure on them somehow? whilst it might appear on paper impossible....you never know...

  Rhino Richards said:

Dont overestimate it either. MFC have proven little this year. On form there is daylight between the sides. How the match will be decided is not really in MFC's hands. MFC could win if Geelong rolled over for 4 quarters, the planets line up.........

  deanox said:

i realise that i failed to mention wheatley in my initial post, who is definitely in our 22 atm, and has had a pretty good season overall.

he might not be a major part of the future, but he has been a consistant performer.

i hanvt seen this acknowledged anywhere in the media though.

Very consistent performer who racks up his possessions and is very competitive. Perhaps he doesn't get the acknowledgements or kudos in the media, because he's not damaging to opposition sides. If he were highlighted or seen as a player to watch or stop by opposition sides he might get acknowledged a bit more.

He is one player that hasn't been talked about that much in 'trading', yet. So he's more than likely seen as being a valuable contributor to the side over the next few years.

  Quote

I dont think so HT. Hardly hindsight. More like you missed the bleeding obvious.

More like I refused to accept the bleeding obvious RR!

I wonder how many of the current injured players would still be playing if we were challanging for a final top 4 spot.

  Jarka said:

I wonder how many of the current injured players would still be playing if we were challanging for a final top 4 spot.

This is all too hypothetical. They've had operations and are in rehabilitation aren't they? Robbo definitely can't. Neitz has retired. Miller is due back. McLean wouldn't be able to play, surely....Rivers wouldn't of been available I wouldn't of thought and Moloney I don't know. <_<

  High Tower said:

This is all too hypothetical. They've had operations and are in rehabilitation aren't they? Robbo definitely can't. Neitz has retired. Miller is due back. McLean wouldn't be able to play, surely....Rivers wouldn't of been available I wouldn't of thought and Moloney I don't know. <_<

HT,

I suspect you're right, but you can only wonder if a number of those players would have gone under the knife so soon, if we had been a chance to play finals. Certainly it is hypothetical, but it is also a pointless exercise to compare this year's injury list with last year. Circumstances, player form and the list overall, is markedly different.

  deanox said:

i realise that i failed to mention wheatly in my initial post, who is definitly in our 22 atm, and has had a pretty good season overall.

he might not be a major part of the future, but he has been a consistant performer.

i hanvt seen this acknowledged anywhere in the media though.

fwiw it is interesting that we have effectively dumped all the nqr depth players, and are generally refusing to play the other older players on the list, and are thus forced to play young green kids, yet we are still seeing some good competitive football, and seeing some good patches, even if we're not winning anything.

Not to mention Jamar in lieu of White

  More Juice Please said:

Not to mention Jamar in lieu of White

i thought i did in my first post? i didnt list him in the initial bit, mostly because for the best part of the year he wouldnt have been considered a selection, let alone amongst our first picked players, but that has obviously changed the last few weeks.