Melbourne vs North Melbourne Teams

[LeBron James 41]

After comparing our team to North's, there is really no reason why we cant win.

[Jaded No More 59,538]

I/C From: J.Bennell, K.Cheney, N.Jones, N.Jetta, S.Martin, L.Dunn, J.Meesen

Jones, unless he is under an injury cloud, is a definite in.

Leaving 3 extra spots.

No

Meesen- obvious reasons

Dunn- Bartram can play on Diver Harvey both when he's in the midfield and down back

Yes

Martin- can take any of McIntosh, Hale or Petrie and deserves his spot

Jetta- why the hell not, his body is more developed than Bennell's as well

Cheney- deserves a spot on his pre-season form, more developed than Bennell at this stage

So that means the interchange should read: Jones, Martin, Jetta, Cheney, rounding up what is a very nice team indeed.

Oh and please let us not cry over the exclusion of Sylvia. He was ordinary in all but one of the pre-season matches, plus he broke team rules. Deserves to earn his spot like everyone else.

P.S.- RIVERS!!!!

[Big Kev 340]

Have you watched the preseason matches ? Save for one half against Sydney Sylvia has been terrible. A very overrated talent is young Col. Zero footy smarts. Very happy to have Petterd take his place. He's earnt it.

And Buckley is named, Traj.

I agree about Sylvia and Cheney

[titan_uranus 22,912]

Jones and Dunn pick themselves. The Coach has already said Meesen, Spencer and Johnson will never play together, so that rules Meesen out. Which leaves 2 of Bennell, Cheney, Jetta and Martin.

I'd go Bennell and Jetta, with Martin only missing out as there's already enough tall defenders, and Cheney loses out to

Bennell for pace.

Without making a comment about the double meaning there, how does Dunn pick himself? Could hardly get a game last year, did nothing over the pre season to impress, and we've named Bartram. Dunn won't play.

Jones, unless he is under an injury cloud, is a definite in.

Leaving 3 extra spots.

No

Meesen- obvious reasons

Dunn- Bartram can play on Diver Harvey both when he's in the midfield and down back

Yes

Martin- can take any of McIntosh, Hale or Petrie and deserves his spot

Jetta- why the hell not, his body is more developed than Bennell's as well

Cheney- deserves a spot on his pre-season form, more developed than Bennell at this stage

So that means the interchange should read: Jones, Martin, Jetta, Cheney, rounding up what is a very nice team indeed.

Oh and please let us not cry over the exclusion of Sylvia. He was ordinary in all but one of the pre-season matches, plus he broke team rules. Deserves to earn his spot like everyone else.

P.S.- RIVERS!!!!

Agree with your selections on the bench. I just can't believe Meesen was even named. Martin might be in danger, but I'd have him in front of Meesen, Dunn and Bennell.

Agree too about Sylvia. Probably just makes the best 22, but I have no qualms with him being omitted to make him work harder.

We can definitely win this match.

[sylvinator 96]

North Melbourne

HF: Ed Lower, Drew Petrie, Lindsay Thomas

F: Matt Campbell, David Hale, Brent Harvey

None of North Melbourne's Midfield or bench are capable of playing forward so these 6 are the only forward threats)

in that list- 2 big men, 4 smalls.

Hale- Warnock

Petrie- Frawley

Rivers playing as floating general, cutting across packs, spoiling and taking marks--- essentially the hodge role

Garland- to play on a small forward, probably Thomas

Bartram- Campbell

Cheney- Ed Lower

Green and B.Harvey probably won't play that much as true defender or forward respectively.

Conclusion----- we can't play 5 tall defenders. Simply too many. We only need 4 max, with Garland basically being used as a small forward.

Sorry Martin, you would be playing in almost every other afl side this weekend, its just we have awesome tall backman atm

[Geddy Lee 582]

Sorry Martin, you would be playing in almost every other afl side this weekend, its just we have awesome tall backman atm

Bwahaha, we are having an optimistic start to 2009!!!

It's quite amusing that we've gone from a team in 04 with an awesome forward line and no backline to the other way around.

[45HG 1,539]

Sylvia, at present not best 22. No surprise.

I'd like to see Bennel in action, also I'd like to see Cheney get a game. Down to Martin or Jetta for the last spot I hope.

[dee-luded 2,958]

Slyvia has promised and promised and promised...

But has rarely delivered!

Good on the coaching department for making the call.

I hope slyvia learns from this that he can't take is spot for granted

The Sylv'' is slipping in ranking. I am a fan of his POTENTIAL,,, BUT I am starting to feel a little dissappointed & with patience thinning, he's running out of, "get out of jail free cards".

He better get his finger out of wherever he's had it & have a serious change of attitude, as he IS BEING PASSED by Jetts, Strauss's, Grimey's, Cheyenn's, Bails, Bennells, & soon Watts 'is name?

[Salems Lot 2,394]

Looks like a battle of the backlines to me

[Sir Why You Little 35,143]

Ni Sylvia = epic fail from the selection committee.

Can't agree Y.M. I think its Good Col is not a walk up start for our team. Make him work for it & then we may witness his so called Talents. I want a Hungry Number 12.

[Hannabal 4]

Can't agree Y.M. I think its Good Col is not a walk up start for our team. Make him work for it & then we may witness his so called Talents. I want a Hungry Number 12.

He's annoyed because it's not a good start for his rediculous prediction for the Bluey

[bjgc 0]

No Sylvia.

No Newton.

Good we may have some forwards that actually chase. Sylvia won't be at the club next year he is an overrated dud.

Looking at the sides hard to see Martin getting a game I was hoping he would get a game ahead of Frawley but it didn't happen. Meeson won't play, Jetta and Jones must play, even though Frawley and Garland can play small I wouldn't be confident with them on Thomas and Campbell so they will need back up with Cheney leaving the last spot for either Bennell or Dunn. I think the selection will depend on how they use McDonald if they use him as a tagger he should go to Wells with Bartram picking up Harvey allowing Bennell to be another back up small back but if McDonald has a looser role then you would expect Dunn to play. I suppose it will depend on who the coaching staff think will hurt us the most Thomas and Campbell (Bennell) or Wells and Harvey (Dunn).

[QueenC 74]

He's annoyed because it's not a good start for his rediculous prediction for the Bluey

......Or the Brownlow !!!

[Jarka 767]

Look at our laughable forward line, and we leave Sylvia out LOL

Looks like the coaches have started the season in worse form than any of our players.

Absolutely, we could really use a goal kicking machine like Sylvia in our forward line, I mean a bloke who has an average of 0.7 goals a game over his career will definitely make all the difference.

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

I've got no problem with the team as named. Nice to see Spencer in the 18, which (assuming the rules haven't changed) means he will be playing regardless of who is in the emergencies. That in itself is something to celebrate. And with potentially 3 more debuts, this will be a match that will be well worth attending, whatever the result.

The Roos, as listed, are a 5 goal better side than us. It's match one, and their memberships are down, so they'll be going hell for leather.... But even so, we will surprise them in a few areas. There are a couple of players in there that will give Laidley a headache, namely Buckley and Garland.

I'm predicting a loss. If it's bad, no more than 40, and if it's good I'd say maybe a 1-2 goal loss... an honourable one.

PS The Sylvia omission is hardly a big deal. The guy isn't a star... so far he's shown he's just another player who has to do what it takes to earn a spot. Which he hasn't done. My greater concern is the crappy form of Newton, who has rightly not been named anywhere near the side. He might have straightened us up a bit if he was on his game.

[maximum bob 462]

Newton and young Col omitted.

Where's the surprise there?

All (supposed) promise and little delivered.

You sow, you reap. End of story.

[Neita3000 37]

Sylvia is easily in our best 22 however I don't think this is such a bad thing. Clearly Bailey is putting it to Sylvia, shape up or ship out. Hopefully this hard stance will kick him into gear and finally allow himself to fulfill the potential we all know he has.

[Redleg 38,192]

Sylvia is easily in our best 22

That's the point, he isn't. He should be, but he isn't. Maybe he should apply himself to get there.

I am more upset about Aussie, Grimes and even Maric not playing.

[drdrake 3,058]

The two Bunbury boys will play so my bench is Jones, Bennell, Jetta, Cheney.

Sylvia is in our best 22 he just is being taught another lesson and for people to suggest he isn't in our best 22 those people have no idea about football

[rpfc 27,657]

I think they will line up slightly differently, but that's a given.

B: Scott McMahon, Michael Firrito, Lachlan Hansen

F: Ricky Petterd, Matthew Bate, Paul Johnson

HB: Leigh Harding, Josh Gibson, Daniel Pratt

HF: Aaron Davey, Brad Miller, Cale Morton

C: Andrew Swallow, Adam Simpson, Liam Anthony

C: Brent Moloney, Cameron Bruce, Brad Green

HF: Ed Lower, Drew Petrie, Lindsay Thomas

HB: Jared Rivers, Matt Warnock, Colin Garland

F: Matt Campbell, David Hale, Brent Harvey

B: Kyle Cheney, Stefan Martin, Clint Batram

Foll: Hamish McIntosh, Daniel Wells, Brady Rawlings

Foll: Jake Spencer, James McDonald, Brock McLean

I/C (from): Sam Power, Jack Ziebell, Gavin Urquhart, Josh Smith

I/C (from): James Frawley, Nathan Jones, Simon Buckley, Neville Jetta.

E: Daniel Harris, Scott Thompson, Nathan Grima.

E: Jamie Bennell, John Meesen, Lynden Dunn.

Good luck to Junior and Batram, I reckon we can win this game.

[Neita3000 37]

That's the point, he isn't. He should be, but he isn't. Maybe he should apply himself to get there.

Yes he is. The point is he has the talent to become a much better player if he applies himself. We all know this, Dean Bailey know this, his team mates know this the only person who doesn't is Colin. He has more talent in his right hand than most people on our list.

[Dannyz 2,345]

I really hope we give it a crack.

Jriv, all the best.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

He has more talent in his right hand than most people on our list.

Another poster seduced by a number on a draft list.

[Eastie Boyz 0]

Yes he is. The point is he has the talent to become a much better player if he applies himself. We all know this, Dean Bailey know this, his team mates know this the only person who doesn't is Colin. He has more talent in his right hand than most people on our list.

tbh his biggest problem is he actually believes that

[Scoop Junior 3,093]

I think that a team containing McLean, McDonald, Moloney and Jones is too slow and one-dimensional. I wouldn't have more than three of these players in my side at the same time. All of them are good players but having them all in the one side is not good for team balance IMO. Add Green and Bruce as possible wingers and you're looking at a very one-paced midfield.

I also think that we lack adequate match-ups for Thomas and Campbell (and Harvey if he goes forward). Bartram is one, but I don't know if Cheney (if he plays) has the pace for one of these guys. Garland will probably be used on one of them, but it does open up the possibility of Bennell playing. I would have thought that Bennell wasn't yet ready physically but he may well be better suited to a particular match-up than other players.

I would definitely play Jetta in Aussie's absence.