Really??? A bloke on our rookie list who's shown nothing but glimpses at VFL between chronic injuries is suddenly the closest bloke to selection with all our young kids pushing for another go??

Besides Gysberts and Cheney, which 'young kids' are busting the door down for a crack? You make it sound like there's 10 of them. And which of those are going to play in the forward line?

As far as I see it, if we're not going to promote and play Hughes in this scenario, then there was no point retaining him on rookie list this year. I can't think of a more golden opportunity to let him show what he is capable of at the top level. It sounds as if his form in the VFL has been reasonable, so it's not as if he doesn't deserve the chance at all.

Really??? A bloke on our rookie list who's shown nothing but glimpses at VFL between chronic injuries is suddenly the closest bloke to selection with all our young kids pushing for another go?? We're 3-3 with a chance to make a statement against a Top 4 side on Friday Night Footy. Now is not the time for experimentation. Hughes' chance will come eventually if he keeps working. Others have earned it for right now, that surely includes Casey BOG Brad Miller.

Making a statement by bringing Miller in??? Ya gotta be kidding. Brad seems to be a top bloke, but I kinda hope he has played his last game for the MFC. Happy to see Hughes have a crack now, otherwise when will he ever get an opportunity more suitable than now? If he doesnt get a run soon the last 4 years will have been a complete waste of his and the clubs time. If Miller gets 3 BOGs in a row maybe he should have another run, but there are far too many kids like Gys, Cheney, Jetta, Blease Strauss etc that should get a game before him.

Really??? A bloke on our rookie list who's shown nothing but glimpses at VFL between chronic injuries is suddenly the closest bloke to selection with all our young kids pushing for another go?? We're 3-3 with a chance to make a statement against a Top 4 side on Friday Night Footy. Now is not the time for experimentation. Hughes' chance will come eventually if he keeps working. Others have earned it for right now, that surely includes Casey BOG Brad Miller.

That may or maynot be true Inny, but the fact remains that we've lost a med/small who takes overhead marks which makes him a dangerous deep forward matchup. Miller is deserving but he plays as a small key forward leadup type role, which is currently being taken by one Matthew Bate. So, who then if like for like, to keep the current mobile small forward structure intact, would fit the same role that Ricky boy Petterd plays?

Is Jetta fit..?

Besides Gysberts and Cheney, which 'young kids' are busting the door down for a crack? You make it sound like there's 10 of them. And which of those are going to play in the forward line?

Good point. Maric would seem the logically one but his form sounds to be very disappointing. Hughes got nice leap, very nice hands, good speed and x factor so i wouldn't mind seeing him but he's a 'Miller like' kick for goal and has a fragile sticker on his body.

Whoa! Hang on ID...

Really??? A bloke on our rookie list who's shown nothing but glimpses at VFL between chronic injuries is suddenly the closest bloke to selection with all our young kids pushing for another go??

Yeah, but not many forwards are pushing.

We're 3-3 with a chance to make a statement against a Top 4 side on Friday Night Footy. Now is not the time for experimentation.

We're looking at being 4-3... not 12-10 with the hope of playing finals. Don't be fooled. As good as this has been it's still an experimentation year. If the Roos game taught us anything it's that MFC will not play in a flag this year. Which means this is EXACTLY the time for experimentation.

Hughes' chance will come eventually if he keeps working.

What makes you say that? He has 16 rounds... and even then he has to hope there's enough time left in the year to do a Nathan Carroll. The odds are stacked against him. When these forwards start returning and getting their bodies right, he'll have ZERO chance to break into the side. It's now or just about never for Hughes.

Others have earned it for right now, that surely includes Casey BOG Brad Miller.

????????

Who said he was BOG? I heard he was just average. 3 goals does not a BOG performance make. Though you're probably right, I'd say he's Hughes' biggest threat. Had Miller hung on to play round 2, we might have won against the Pies with a big body in attack and no Presti. And then how we played for rounds 3-5 Miller would be everyone's new lovechild.

Hughes has played himself into selection. With the injuries and lack of depth we have inside our forward 50, you would have to look at Hughes as an option.

He is ahead of Newton, and I think the club is at the crossroads with playing you Millers and PJ's.

If the dees want to see what they have in Hughes, they need to play him on the greatest stage.

He deserves a crack. If he performs he can carve out a long awaited career at the top. If not, at least he was given one more chance to prove himself.

I have to say, if we don't play Hughes this week, the question must really be asked what the point is of having him on our list.

He's been a rookie for 4 years or so, he's 23 years old, and has a mature body. He is not a developing player.

His form is good at VFL level for a long time now.

He is a mobile forward--- with Pettard and Jurrah injured, and Wanna and Watts out injured... surely this is the very purpose he was kept on the list!

If he's not picked this week, then i question why we didn't delist him and take the opportunity to pick up an extra rookie, like Silvani or any developing youngster

Is Jetta fit..?

Appears to be (not on the injury list).

Nor sure if he's playing for Casey - check the match reports.

Appears to be (not on the injury list).

Nor sure if he's playing for Casey - check the match reports.

Jetta is fit, just not performing at Casey.

????????

Who said he was BOG? I heard he was just average. 3 goals does not a BOG performance make. Though you're probably right, I'd say he's Hughes' biggest threat. Had Miller hung on to play round 2, we might have won against the Pies with a big body in attack and no Presti. And then how we played for rounds 3-5 Miller would be everyone's new lovechild.

Casey coach Brad Gotch.

Brad kicked 3.2 in the second half after spending the first half nullifying the opposition's key forward, premiership player Nathan Ablett.

To me, when a forward goes does injured, that writes his ticket for a recall.

I understand the points being made that this is time for experimentation. Of course we're not flag contenders, but mathematically, we most certainly are finals contenders right now. Somehow getting a win against WB would strengthen that position considerably.

I don't buy the like-for-like argument. That's not how you select a football team.

A player being on the list is not a compelling enough argument for giving them a game in Round 7 when the team is 3-3. That argument gains more weight in Round 16 when the team is 5-10.

Others have earned it for right now, that surely includes Casey BOG Brad Miller.

Brad Miller doesn't have what it takes to perform in the big leagues. I thought this was common knowledge. He has fortuitously retained his spot on an AFL senior list through circumstance (injuries & retirements) and definitely not form! The only way Brad will get back in the forward line is if we lose Bate with no one else coming in.

Miller on Lake? Sounds like a bit of a laugh. Might aswell bring in my cat- as both of them will end up with doughnuts. Mr Sparkles may provide more of a presence though...

If Hughes is raring to go what the hell is stoping us? It would just not make any sense at all to not give him a go- it would go against our decision to retain him. I thought this was the new bold Melbourne. Please don't go back to Miller... what, is he all of a sudden going to "turn it on" against a potential top 4 team? No.

With the midfield going as well as it is, there may be a case that Miller would do us no harm.

Play him across attacking 50 and tell him to lead down the ground. Then tell the midfield to kick over him to someone who can do something useful.

Is Jetta fit..?

I don't know if it was a dream, or perhaps a premonition but Jetta will end up becoming one of our most influencial players. Strength that comes from a solid, compact frame, toughness aggression and speed, and that little bit of "X Factor". A mix of Farmer/Pickett would be nice. Or Betts/Pickett if we're not going to be greedy..

With the midfield going as well as it is, there may be a case that Miller would do us no harm.

Play him across attacking 50 and tell him to lead down the ground. Then tell the midfield to kick over him to someone who can do something useful.

Miller does the lead up and mark stuff pretty well outside 50m but after that he is stuck - he cant kick a +40 m goal and he doesnt move the ball on quick enough so that our forwards arent covered. I prefer playing someone with a future even if they are nervous first timers - at least you invest in the future.

Play him across attacking 50 and tell him to lead down the ground. Then tell the midfield to kick over him to someone who can do something useful.

So basically your "in" this week would be a traffic cone. Cool.

The harm in bringing in Miller is you will deprive another hopeful of a chance. By your own admision you say Miller is useless. Why bring him in then?

If Brad Miller is so 'useless' and Daniel Hughes is so full of ability and 'the future' then why is it Daniel Hughes didn't kick a matchwinning 3.2 in a half of football after beating the opposition's key forward in the first half??

The case for Hughes' inclusion boils down to - "He's new and shiny" - while Brad Miller's case is based upon actual form.

I appologise. I will try to refrain from irony and sarcasm on this board in future.

I think the case of Miller not being up to AFL standard outshines the case that Hughes isn't.

Miller's been there, not done that- whilst the shiny new toy hasn't even been taken out on the track yet. I would go experimentation risk and possible reward over known and not up to it any day!

BOG in VFL doesn't always = tear it up in the AFL the following week, or if ever. Although not all the players are of lower standard, the competition itself is. There will always be oppurtunities to be BOG in a VFL match if you have played as much AFL senior footy as Brad.

Millers only chance is if Bate slips before the weekend.

Edited May 5, 201015 yr by nostradeemus

Millers game was highly over rated on saturday. He stop NATHAN Ablett, who has barely played footy. Has little interest in the game. Then he went forward and played on a 17yo. THere 3rd key defender.

So why, against such appalling and young opposition didn't Danny Hughes, or anyone else in our forward line, take the game by the scruff and win it??

My opinion, because Brad Miller, right now, is better than those other players and is more deserving a spot in the senior side this week.

As an aside, you're being a shade arrogant dismissing the evaluation of the coach of the team in favour of your own rather thin analysis.

I didn't say he didn't have a good game i said a bit over rated.

Newton didn't because he is no good.

Hughes took ten marks as a lead up forward which i think he had a better game.

We were to tall down back last week with the late inclusion of Rivers, and the Doggies have a smaller forward line than the Roos...

Bring in another mid like Bail or the Giz, and Garland plays forward... I've never been a big advocate of it, but if we're going to play Frawley, Rivers, Warnock and Garland, one of them needs to go forward, and Garland is best suited...

We were to tall down back last week with the late inclusion of Rivers, and the Doggies have a smaller forward line than the Roos...

Bring in another mid like Bail or the Giz, and Garland plays forward... I've never been a big advocate of it, but if we're going to play Frawley, Rivers, Warnock and Garland, one of them needs to go forward, and Garland is best suited...

Murphy, Hanh & Hall can be covered by the tall timber in Warnock Frawley & Rivers or MacDonald.

Who will take the task on Akermanis & Giansiracusa, Bartram has been improving week to week and could take Aker out of the game, Giansiracusa, Cheney maybe? IMO Bennell keep doing what he is doing.

Would be nice to have Garland up forward & Dunn deeper in the forward line.

Hanh 188cm & 99kg

Giansiracusa 182cm & 83kg

Hall 194cm & 104kg

Akermanis 177cm & 85kg

Johnson 182cm & 87kg

Murphy 186cm & 82kg

Last weeks back line, very TALL back line, MacDonald or Bruce

MacDonald 188cm & 88kg

Warnock 192cm & 95kg

Frawley 193cm & 91kg

Rivers 192cm & 90kg

Garland 191cm &85kg

Bruce 190cm & 85kg

possibles down back

Cheney 184cm & 87kg

Bennell 179cm & 68kg

Bartram 181cm & 80kg

meh, I have no idea

What are we going to do?! Jamar/Martin rotating shift combo until fail then try Green? It's going to be hard to win this position this week- do we hope for a break even at the expense of sacrificing a good player, or do we kick it to the square in the hope of a big grab from a big guy, or a crumb or two if that fails.

I would hate to be a coach!