In the unlikely event that Hawthorn lose to Freo, we are still a silly chance . Keep playing to win boys!

With this year particularly, any team on their game can beat anyone.

The game's not QUITE over yeat, lads! Keep fighting.

Why rest players with only 2 weeks to go.

The list is paid by the club to play Football, not sit in the Grandstand in a suit.

It's time to win a game interstate, and then Smash North in front of our Home supporters-Anything less is unsatisfactory.

The Season runs 22 weeks-we all know that. Why Rest players before they go on Holiday?

We are still a long shot to make the 8. Keep winning Demons.

WYL...summed up perfectly

couldnt agree with you more and disagree with this thread less.

gotta play em. its been our goal all year! give them experiemce, especially travelling!

i know what your getting at, but resting the 'babies' is a no go for me. Let em play.

+1

If they're fit. They play.

If they're not, or they have nagging injuries then don't play them.

Replace injured players with the likes of Maric, Morton, Bate, Cheney.

I believe i read somewhere that Bailey said that none of Blease, Tapscott or Fitzpatrick would play in the one's this year.

I love the eternal optimism of the finals hopefuls, but the realist inside me says it won't happen.

As long as we have everyone on the list fit and ready to go for the start of pre-season, i don't care what they do now.

There is no hope for finals' action this year, so let's ice the assets: to finish early -

Scully

Trengove

McKenzie

Jurrah (injured anyway?)

Frawley (injured?)

Bennell (tired)

Watts (looks pummelled)

Bail

Bring in the big bodies for the next two weeks and let's all upgrade our membership fo 2011 to make sure we secure a GF ticket.

I'd do the opposite- the more they play together- the BETTER

There is no hope for finals' action this year, so let's ice the assets: to finish early -

Scully

Trengove

McKenzie

Jurrah (injured anyway?)

Frawley (injured?)

Bennell (tired)

Watts (looks pummelled)

Bail

At the start of the year, nobody thought Melbourne were a chance to play finals. By your logic, none of the players you mentioned should have gotten a single game this season.

This is a developemental year, and finals are irrelevant. We want to get as many games as possible into these players, as quickly as possible. As long as their performance warrants it and as long as it doesn't present a risk to their long-term well-being, they'll be played until the end of the season.

At the start of the year, nobody thought Melbourne were a chance to play finals. By your logic, none of the players you mentioned should have gotten a single game this season.

This is a developemental year, and finals are irrelevant. We want to get as many games as possible into these players, as quickly as possible. As long as their performance warrants it and as long as it doesn't present a risk to their long-term well-being, they'll be played until the end of the season.

I hear what you're saying, but goals change as unexpected results occur.

We can all see we have some amazing players on the list, ready to match in with the big guns and ready to blossom.

Why risk some horrible injury when as part of list management (rather than chat about delistings) we ice our assets?

Bring in big, big bodies against Port and allow the others to have an early break and hit the protein bars and weights early.

It's been a good discussion.

There is no hope for finals' action this year, so let's ice the assets: to finish early -

Scully

Trengove

McKenzie

Jurrah (injured anyway?)

Frawley (injured?)

Bennell (tired)

Watts (looks pummelled)

Bail

Bring in the big bodies for the next two weeks and let's all upgrade our membership fo 2011 to make sure we secure a GF ticket.

Dont agree at all

I like the "play the best 22 every week formula" and try to finish off the season with 2 wins against formidable opposition

Dont agree at all

I like the "play the best 22 every week formula" and try to finish off the season with 2 wins against formidable opposition

Fair enough - but I still see merit in my idea. We've seen enough to know we have something special.

Why take the risk?

I'd do the opposite- the more they play together- the BETTER

Maybe - but you can see the players have already bonded and connected.

What better way to continue this 'connectedness' than to give them all the last 2 weeks off and they gather together early to pull some weights?

Maybe - but you can see the players have already bonded and connected.

What better way to continue this 'connectedness' than to give them all the last 2 weeks off and they gather together early to pull some weights?

*face palm*

Maybe - but you can see the players have already bonded and connected.

What better way to continue this 'connectedness' than to give them all the last 2 weeks off and they gather together early to pull some weights?

So glad you are not the coach!! With you Mad Monday has already begun...

For one thing, these kids are a highly professional and competitive group- i doubt if any of them will be putting there hands up to finish two weeks early regardless of how tired they're feeling, if anyone deserves a rest, it's Jamar and i don't think he'd wanna stop now either.Another thing is Junior's 250th game this week followed by his possible farewell game against North- not to mention the fact that they are still mathematically alive in the finals race!! I think anyones who's still physically able to play will be making sure they do everything they can to be a part of the 22 these last two weeks. I've supported Melbourne for 33 years( No mean feat considering i grew up in the Pilbara region of WA- you wouldn't believe the shyte i've copped on the dees befalf over the years!!)and this young group of players that's been assembled has given me more hope in 18 months than any other Melbourne team has ever given and it's not just because of their natural ability- it's that there's no quit in them- through all the many mistakes Jack Watts has made in his dozen or so senior games- and lets face it- he's made a lot so far, but he has never dropped his head and said "please Mr Bailey, put me back in the reserves so that i can dominate in an easier competition" has hasn't sulked, hasn't gone back into his shell and hasn't run away- none of these kids have- they get back up, dust themselves off and throw themselves into the next contest- these kids are made of the right stuff!! Watching the likes of Watts, MacKenzie,Scully and Trengove these past 18 months remainds me of the Dallas Cowboys Football club in 1990- the year they Drafted Troy Aikman,Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin and threw them to the wolves playing them in the 3 most important offensive positions from day one, where they were hammered, both on the field and in the media- the team finished with a 1-15 win/loss record and Aikman as quarterback, was sacked by opposition defenses a record amount of times but these guys and their coaching staff stood firm, they fought and persisted and fast forward to 1996 and they're celebrating their third Superbowl title in the space of four years. I think our kids our made of the same stuff that the Dallas Cowboys were made of- all that's missing at the moment is physical strength and big game experience (hopefully the Cowboys drug, gun and hooker culture will be missing too!!!)- the strength will be attained when they hit the gym these next few summers and make no mistake about it, these final two(and still possibly more)games are huge for the Melbourne Football Club- even though both games will be lucky to attract a combined crowd of 45000, i find it hard to believe that any of these kids will want to voluntarily miss playing in their captains 250th, his possible final match and maybe even a final or two!! A lot of the losses we've had this year- if they'd occured in the previous two seasons would have been cosiderably greater- possibly in the triple didget figures. It's no accident that our biggest losing margin this year is only 56 points- hardly a blowout- the team really seems to have embraced a never say die culture this year- something that's gonna hold them in very good stead in future seasons when they're perennial finalists and that is why- to cut a long story short-

our kids won't be put on ice two week early- a thoroughly ridiculous suggestion in fact. Phew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Longest paragraph ever....

Like the similarity though.

I think his "Enter" key is broken...

I think his "Enter" key is broken...

Betterthanthespacebarbeingbroken!!!

I've supported Melbourne for 33 years

Edited August 18, 201015 yr by jumbo returns

Maybe - but you can see the players have already bonded and connected.

What better way to continue this 'connectedness' than to give them all the last 2 weeks off and they gather together early to pull some weights?

However- there is a word called EXPERIENCE.

However- there is a word called EXPERIENCE.

In the BIGGER PICTURE scheme of things, 2 weeks is neither here nor there.

As long as they're fit - and fit doesn't mean you're 100% as I don't think most AFL players ever are - then they play.

Plenty of time to 'ice' players from around two weeks onwards.

Obviously guys who we might reasonably expect to develop more serious injuries shouldn't play, but that should have been the case for anyone throughout the entire season IMHO.

The only reason to 'ice' any players if is they have an injury that requires surgery and the recovery timeframe means that to be right for the start of pre-season they need to have surgery NOW. Otherwise if they're fit, they play.

What a waste of time today was - Watts got pummelled, Trengove looked stuffed, Bennell was unsighted and even Frawley looked buggered.

Experience? What a joke.

What a waste of time today was - Watts got pummelled, Trengove looked stuffed, Bennell was unsighted and even Frawley looked buggered.

Experience? What a joke.

Season runs for 22 weeks. Everyone knows that who plays. Like it or lump it mate.

Season runs for 22 weeks. Everyone knows that who plays. Like it or lump it mate.

I'm not your mate and I choose not to like it.

Today was a waste of time for the future of our team when there were two strong bodies kicking 10 between them in the 2nds.

I'm not talking about dropping these blokes, I'm talking about list management and the season doesn't have to run for 22 weeks for some players.