No new draftees against Hawks.

[bush demon 2,038]

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/fit-...4632893770.html

NOt sure how to do this...

[BAMF 4,299]

But you're excited and that's all that matters. Knock yourself out.

So your not joking. You really couldn't care less about our first official hit out of the year. I cant wait to see the boys play.

Im pretty shocked that someone who comes on here and posts as often as you do isn't inching at the thought of seeing the boys play.

[Hannabal 4]

So your not joking. You really couldn't care less about our first official hit out of the year. I cant wait to see the boys play.

Im pretty shocked that someone who comes on here and posts as often as you do isn't inching at the thought of seeing the boys play.

I'd eke out a few "inches" seeing Watts, Strauss, Bennell, Jetta, Bail, Maric, Jurrah and Blease play. Whilst I understand the need for a morale boosting win in our current circumstances, and all that goes with it, I've never been overly excited about a NAB match. Wonaeamirri, Morton, and a couple of others hold interest, but more than anything I'll be hoping for a showing that doesn't resemble the insipid displays of last year.

I went to Casey last weekend to see our recruits in action. That intraclub match was of far more interest to me than this Saturday.

Each to their own.

[montasaurus 0]

So your not joking. You really couldn't care less about our first official hit out of the year. I cant wait to see the boys play.

Maybe time is better spent sipping on chardonnay on a summers night and then missing the middle season while being at bulla?

Im pretty shocked that someone who comes on here and posts as often as you do isn't inching at the thought of seeing the boys play.

I'm sure this feeling is the minority of melb supporters. While we would all love to see our new kids this weekend, every dees supporter or member would have to see the logic in fielding the strongest possible side. To say your not interested or find this boring I think your watching the wrong sport.

[DEE32 94]

One of the major downsides of the last few years and one large reason we are at the bottom of the ladder is due to lack of confidence. We have possible forgotten how to win, so any win is going to go toward a culture of winning, NAB cup or not.

[BLWNBA 928]

Hounestly there is a lot to gain out of this years NAB cup then many on here believe. The Melbournefc could not only benefit from the exposure, but the team itself could take a lot out of this weeks match. A win would not only assist in raising belief and moral around the club, but would also be greatly beneficial to the development of the side. This weeks match could almost be seen as a barometer for the coming Premiership season. No I'm not saying that by winning this week we shall win the Preimership, but a lot rides on this match, and a lot more than what some posters are suggesting.

[Deestroy All 14,262]

Yeah players shouldn have to earn a spot, they should just be played just to satisfy the curiosity of supporters.

Do you want to create a team who have to earn every opportunity, prove to the teammates and coach that they are worthy of wearing the jumper and cherish every minute of game time they get?

Thats what I want.

Michael Newton is in the squad, you wanna tell me how he earnt his spot? That one touch in the praccy must've been a spectacular one.

[Guest petjud]

Michael Newton is in the squad, you wanna tell me how he earnt his spot? That one touch in the praccy must've been a spectacular one.

I am actually going over to Launceston with my partner to watch the game, I am actually looking forward to seeing the change of attitude. I do believe DB will use this as a barometer to see who actually out of the 'senior' players really wants to play this year, and who wants their weekends at suburban grounds in Melbourne at the VFL. The squad will be trimmed by three anyway in Tassie, so Newton may not get on the field, i have watched him train and he looks a million dollars then he gets in a game and looks a $1.50 in loose change, I am sure it is just as frustrating for the coaching staff as well. If he gets a run, or anybody for that matter and they don't put in, I can't see them being in the squad for Rd 1.

I would have loved to see the new draftees as well, but can see DB's logic, the number of young kids who have had a stellar first year, but took such a physical hammering the next couple of years have been a write off, you only have to look at Cotchin and Warnock from last season, may not see them again until round 5 or 6, I don't mind waiting to see Watts when he iis at least 5 or 6 kg heavier and a bit broader round the chest.

[rusty_kingswood 0]

Confused....is the game Saturday or Sunday bloody Sunday?

[Toot182 7]

Pretty spewing about this. I was looking forward to seeing Jetta, Bennell, Bail and Strauss.

I don't think anyone's put this in yet:

http://melbournefc.com.au/news/newsarticle...px?newsid=72330

Look's like Bail is going to play...! I'm also on the wagon of seeing some new blood (incl. Cheney, Maric and Spencer), but fearful of it being too early due to the clubs recent run of luck. I'll be following on fox sports with keen KEEN eyes hoping we smash the hawks (becuase i have alot of mates who go for them - at least it'll be half a one up since they won the flag last year... despite how many they're missing)

Come on Dees!

[Toot182 7]

Confused....is the game Saturday or Sunday bloody Sunday?

LIVE 4.00pm - 6.30pm on Fox Sports One on SATURDAY

[rpfc 28,262]

I couldn't give a sh!t about winning this game.

But if the coaching staff want to win this practice match, that is their prerogative.

Personally, I never thought we'd see the stick figures of Watts, Blease, Strauss, Bennell and Jetta this early.

And don't give this rubbish about 'playing the losers that have done nothing for 2 years.'

Why keep them on the list, if you think that? Think before you type.

[Guest Rojik of the Arctic]

I am actually going over to Launceston with my partner to watch the game.

You're a better man that I am Petjud-din. I wish I had the time, $$$'s and missus' permission to go watch the game.

[Guest Rojik of the Arctic]

I suppose I can understand the first year players having to wait another week, or two, but it's a bit ho hum for me. I think that we've got a good chance of winning, but I'm not sure I'll bother watching. No Maric, Jetta, Bail, Bennell, Watts, Blease, Strauss...

Just a boring group of battlers that might eek out a win. Big deal.

You're kidding us right? You have 1600+ posts on a demons fan sight but come the first (almost) serious game of 2009 you call it ho-hum and may or may not watch? C'mon willya, win, lose or draw how can't you be interested? If I could turn up to watch us the week after Fitzroy towled us up all those years ago you can at least spend a couple of hours watching a NAB game. Why bother posting here if you don't care about the club?

[Vipercrunch 2,823]

I am very keen to see if some of the players who, this time last year, I personally thought would never make it continue their improvement (Buckley, Warnock and Garland to name some of them).

I am also very keen to see if DB can get the same sort of imrpovemnt out of players like Sylvia, Dunn, Bate and Newton. They are our short term future and will be the most significant factor for our sucess (or lack of), over the next two season.

I am also keen to see last years batch of recruits (Grimes, Cheney etc) in action.

The time will come later to see the latest batch of recruits, but there really is no need to rush them. The little we saw of them last week was enough to hope for good things from them, but I agree that a conservative approach over the next four weeks is a good strategy. I think many of them will take part this pre-season, but this week it is time for the players with several AFL preseasons under their belt to mark their mark.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

You're kidding us right? You have 1600+ posts on a demons fan sight but come the first (almost) serious game of 2009 you call it ho-hum and may or may not watch? C'mon willya, win, lose or draw how can't you be interested? If I could turn up to watch us the week after Fitzroy towled us up all those years ago you can at least spend a couple of hours watching a NAB game. Why bother posting here if you don't care about the club?

H is right beyond the money and the hoopla in absence of the real thing, the NAB competition is a contrived rule testing warm up to the real thing that many sides do not take seriously. I can understand why clubs that are more financially viable than us are ho hum about the whole event.

The excitement for MFC's future is in its 23 and under group particularly the recruits in the past 2 to 3 years. With the older players I know what I get from them and as shown over the past couple of years its not enough and in some cases not good enough if we want to return to being a force. We need those younger players to rise to a standard well above where many of our experienced players. So I can understand H's lack of excitement in the team.

So saying that, I would be happy for a win for morale for the side , to kick the season off to a good start and get the $220K of funds. I dont believe NAB success will have any material impact on getting a sponsor. However, its not the be all and end all. And if we lose the coaching department will have alot of issues that they can work on for the rest of the pre season in practice matches played under proper H&A rules.

[BAMF 4,299]

Yeah i agree with you Rhino, The Nab cup match isnt that exciting. Its warm up matches. Thats it. I admit that if we were in the final I would consider it more than a practice match, but lets be honest. We have a slim chance of making it that far.

I just find it interesting that Hannibal is not even bothering to watch the match.

Don't get me wrong, Im not questioning his support for the club. Anyone who is here as frequently as you and I clearly have a love for the club.

[Key Deefender 143]

Normally I'm in the "the NAB Cup doesn't matter" camp because of the hybrid rules that can hamper true match simulation in these pre season games. Bailing out early allows for testing under the "real rules." However the rule trialling in the NAB Cup has it place though because there is no other genuine forum to do this under public scrutiny.

This year for us though, we need to make every post a winner. While even winning the NAB Cup doesn't guarantee proper season success (Carlton won it and finished last a couple of years ago), the early season buzz is what lowly clubs need - and we are definitely as low as lowly can get at present.

You can't tell me that if we knock off Hawthorn by 10 goals or even 10 points tomorrow, these boards won't be jumping, tempered though they will be by the wise old sages who will rightly point out it is still February and the Nothing Cup and the Hawks had a third of their flag team in the stands.

Whether this encourages would-be sponsorship suitors to sit up and take note is anyone's guess. It can't hurt. Whether it encourages fence sitting would-be members to sign up, who knows? It can't hurt. Whether it begins to give us some small regained crediblity in the football world, I can't say. But again - it can't hurt. Similar follow up performances in the following weeks would hurt even less.

For us as a club, any small step forward is just that - a small step forward, not a half step back or a shuffle sideways. We need to demonstrate that the light at the end of the tunnel is not the light from an on-coming train.

The best way to do that is by improved on-field performance in whatever competition we are told to play.

And at some point, the rest - in random order - will follow.

[old55 23,394]

Good post KD - let me turn it round the other way - getting hammered by a half-strength under-cooked Hawthorn line-up will hurt and just serve to further cement our perceived basket-case status. We need a credible performance.

[Jarka 767]

I suppose I can understand the first year players having to wait another week, or two, but it's a bit ho hum for me. I think that we've got a good chance of winning, but I'm not sure I'll bother watching. No Maric, Jetta, Bail, Bennell, Watts, Blease, Strauss...

Just a boring group of battlers that might eke out a win. Big deal.

Do you honestly think that guys like Morton, Petterd, Grimes, Maric, McLean, Spencer and Garland are boring?

If the answer is positive then I suggest you ban yourself from anything relating to football & the MFC for at least three years until Watt's and co mature.

Edit - I forgot Wona, that's 8 kids to be genuinely excited about

[Key Deefender 143]

Good post KD - let me turn it round the other way - getting hammered by a half-strength under-cooked Hawthorn line-up will hurt and just serve to further cement our perceived basket-case status. We need a credible performance.

Couldn't agree more Old - which is why I'm a bit nervous about the game. That said, a bad loss tomorrow doesn't necessarily make for a bad season. We all know that things can change quickly, and clubs use these games to trial players/positions, set plays, injury/match conditioning management etc so a true evaluation is sometimes difficult - win or lose.

But - we do need a good first up performance, however that unfolds - just something to build on.

[jacey 333]

Do you honestly think that guys like Morton, Petterd, Grimes, Maric, McLean, Spencer and Garland are boring?

If the answer is positive then I suggest you ban yourself from anything relating to football & the MFC for at least three years until Watt's and co mature.

I think the thirst for young players has gotten out of control in the AFL. If you've been in the system longer then 4 months, you're old news.

We've turned over a lot of players and brought in youngsters and we need to expose them. But we can't expose all them at the same time.

We are that young we could nearly field a full under 21's team.

I actually don't care for the NAB cup and want to see kids but the 2, 3rd year players are still kids.

Bail, Jetta, Bennell Strauss Jwatts, Jurrah will get their turn.

[Pello 1]

It may just be NAB cup and for many clubs they just use it to blood players and try out the new recruits.

But for us we are in different territory. After 2 horrid years, a depleted bank account, no major sponsor and pretty much the laughing stock of the AFL we need to be competitive every time we hit the park no matter what park it is and who our opponents are.

How will we all feel if Hawthorn pump us by 100+ points on Saturday with at least 9 of their premiership players missing and having started pre-season training so much later than us. I don't know about you guys but I wil be devastated. I don't expect to win but if we are not at least competitive under these circumstances then hang onto your seat because its going to be a tough ride this year.

Make no mistake we are on a hiding to nothing on Saturday. If we win the media will say Hawthorn were undermanned and under prepared so no big deal and they would be correct. If we lose they will say result as expected. But it will be the manner in which we play that will be important. If we get pumped big time then it is going to be tough to be a Melbourne supporter (as if it isn't tough already!)

So the team we put out on the park on Saturday need to be competitive and give us hope. It is not a "nothing game" as some have suggested - well not for us anyway.

[MeLbOuRnE 0]

Bail has been named in the offical sqaud, With meesen, valenti and Zomer being named as emergencies.

So i don't know what bailey was on about.....

[Hannabal 4]

Do you honestly think that guys like Morton, Petterd, Grimes, Maric, McLean, Spencer and Garland are boring?

If the answer is positive then I suggest you ban yourself from anything relating to football & the MFC for at least three years until Watt's and co mature.

Edit - I forgot Wona, that's 8 kids to be genuinely excited about

No and I've made that clear. Read more.

That said, this club needs exciting players more than ever to drag people through the gate. In reality, we presently have not one exciting elite talent. Our best footballer is Brock McLean, who I love, but in the words of Jack Dyer 'is a good ordinary footballer'.