Melbourne midfield confidence grows

We will see a vastly improved midfield this year if all four of our midfield recruits, plus Rodan, are able to make an impact at senior level straight away.

How easily we forget at times that Chunk is but 24.

The big difference to our midfield this year is they are fit, besides Trengove they have all been able to put in good work prior to Christmas, they are healthy. You went to training last year besides Jones, most hadnt even joined the main group prior to Christmas, Sylvia, Grimes, Mckenzie, Tapscott are having good preseasons, you add in Viney and Toumpas, we will be a much better midfield this year

Neeld has recognised the importance of a good solid midfield and has complimented it with some strong bodies from what we already had

Bailey also made this observation

Extremely important part of the ground to be good at contested footy

I expect this will make or break any ladder position improvement

I am quietly confident but would be surprised we were good enough to make finals in 2013

Toumpas (first year recruit), Viney (first year recruit), M.Jones (Unheard of Mature age, first year recruit) and Kent (first year recruit) added to our fitter, yet still young and no runs on the board midfield. Forgive me, but on paper that lineup does little to scare the battle hardened and star filled line ups of the Collingwoods, Hawthorns and the like.

I am excited with the inclusions of Toumpas and Viney but they are a long way off meaningful contribution to a already young and struggling midfield. The other midfield recruits will show their worth when the action begins.

Toumpas (first year recruit), Viney (first year recruit), M.Jones (Unheard of Mature age, first year recruit) and Kent (first year recruit) added to our fitter, yet still young and no runs on the board midfield. Forgive me, but on paper that lineup does little to scare the battle hardened and star filled line ups of the Collingwoods, Hawthorns and the like.

I am excited with the inclusions of Toumpas and Viney but they are a long way off meaningful contribution to a already young and struggling midfield. The other midfield recruits will show their worth when the action begins.

If Toumpas and Viney become what we expect, which is no guarantee given recent history, then the list and midfield isn't a mile off, even if the output next year doesn't reflect that.

In reality most top teams only have two or three "gun" mids. Those gun mids make life far easier for their other mids, which elevates their status in the football industry. Hawthorn have Mitchell and Sewell, Adelaide Thompson and Dangerfield, Collingwood Swan, Pendlebury and Beams, West Coast Priddis and Kerr, Essendon won 8 of their first 9 games on the back of Watson and Stanton.

If we can unearth a couple of AA quality mids the difference in the whole sides output will be massive. We need to relegate Jones to third, or fourth best mid and not best mid. Once we do that we'll play finals regularly.

Toumpas and Viney won't star next year, but they will make a real impact. And by their third years I'll be surprised if they're not feared throughout the competition. And one player that seemingly comes out of the blue, like a Lewis Jetta at Sydney, can also make a major difference. In my view, Sydney don't win the flag without Jetta. Who knows what Dom Barry may become for us, but pace, endurance, evasiveness and great kicking skills are terrific weapons to possess.

Toumpas (first year recruit), Viney (first year recruit),

please...just overlook the reality that Viney ISNT a 1st year recruit, hes been in our system a year. And Jimmy boy is hardly your average draftee having already played SANFL.

They are far from 'way off" just about every scribe has them INKED in for round one.

I think youre a lone voice mate.

"And one player that seemingly comes out of the blue, like a Lewis Jetta at Sydney, can also make a major difference. In my view, Sydney don't win the flag without Jetta"......wow.....I thought Jack, Kennedy, Richards, Hannebery, Goodes......yes Jetta is a very good player, but I think they would get by without him, but not some of who I mentioned

I'll believe it, when I see it.....

Our midfield has been a joke for a long while..... A couple of first year players aren't going to change that in one pre-season..... No matter how great their going to be....

But we wouldn't be MFC supporters, if we didn't pile the pressure on our first years....... Out of desperation.....

"And one player that seemingly comes out of the blue, like a Lewis Jetta at Sydney, can also make a major difference. In my view, Sydney don't win the flag without Jetta"......wow.....I thought Jack, Kennedy, Richards, Hannebery, Goodes......yes Jetta is a very good player, but I think they would get by without him, but not some of who I mentioned

You think they would have got to a GF without the outside run of Jetta and his goal kicking ability from 60 metres ? He kicked 45 goals for the year and provided a dynamic they haven't had.

I'm not saying he's their best player, or most important player, but I don't believe they play in a GF without his contributions throughout the year. I also don't believe they win, or play in a GF without Kennedy. So, of course it takes a number of ingredients to win a flag. Jetta was most definitely a very important one.

I'm happy to be at odds with you.

"And one player that seemingly comes out of the blue, like a Lewis Jetta at Sydney, can also make a major difference. In my view, Sydney don't win the flag without Jetta"......wow.....I thought Jack, Kennedy, Richards, Hannebery, Goodes......yes Jetta is a very good player, but I think they would get by without him, but not some of who I mentioned

They wouldn't have won the Preliminary Final without him...

I agree that Jetta was a difference maker in the GF.

If you don't, I suggest you watch the 2012 GF again.

His breakaway pace created room where there was none, many times.

I disagree, it is the engine room that gives players like Jetta the chance to shine.......he utilised his main asset, speed, once he was freed up on the outside.......he also bought in to the work ethic that Jack and Hannebery have.....that's how he found himself free so often....this was noted during last pre season, the season before he went missing too much.......I am hoping that we can create the space for Blease, Byrnes, Toumpas and eventually Barry to operate in....listening in at training Blease especially is getting hammered to work and work and create the space

As I said, go and watch the 2012 GF again.

Jack, Kennedy, Hanneberry, O'Keefe, McVeigh et al were al fighting to win the hard ball.

Jetta was the only player in that game on either side that was able to consistently break away and find/create space in such a tight contest.

I disagree, it is the engine room that gives players like Jetta the chance to shine.......he utilised his main asset, speed, once he was freed up on the outside.......he also bought in to the work ethic that Jack and Hannebery have.....that's how he found himself free so often....this was noted during last pre season, the season before he went missing too much.......I am hoping that we can create the space for Blease, Byrnes, Toumpas and eventually Barry to operate in....listening in at training Blease especially is getting hammered to work and work and create the space

With what do you disagree ?

Any fool knows that midfield dominance comes from inside work at the stoppages and clearances, but how many players can run the lines and capitalise on such work like Jetta ? How many kicked 45 goals for the year with many coming from outside 50 ?

Jetta's outside run and goal kicking ability was crucial in Sydney's season.

Team balance.

If Toumpas and Viney become what we expect, which is no guarantee given recent history, then the list and midfield isn't a mile off, even if the output next year doesn't reflect that.

In reality most top teams only have two or three "gun" mids. Those gun mids make life far easier for their other mids, which elevates their status in the football industry. Hawthorn have Mitchell and Sewell, Adelaide Thompson and Dangerfield, Collingwood Swan, Pendlebury and Beams, West Coast Priddis and Kerr, Essendon won 8 of their first 9 games on the back of Watson and Stanton.

If we can unearth a couple of AA quality mids the difference in the whole sides output will be massive. We need to relegate Jones to third, or fourth best mid and not best mid. Once we do that we'll play finals regularly.

Toumpas and Viney won't star next year, but they will make a real impact. And by their third years I'll be surprised if they're not feared throughout the competition. And one player that seemingly comes out of the blue, like a Lewis Jetta at Sydney, can also make a major difference. In my view, Sydney don't win the flag without Jetta. Who knows what Dom Barry may become for us, but pace, endurance, evasiveness and great kicking skills are terrific weapons to possess.

That statement there sums it up I think, dont get me wrong I love Jones but he hasnt got the class. If Treners, Viney and Toumpas can make Jones our forth best mid we are heading in the right direction.

That statement there sums it up I think, dont get me wrong I love Jones but he hasnt got the class. If Treners, Viney and Toumpas can make Jones our forth best mid we are heading in the right direction.

Jones may not have the class but last season he showed he is heading towards the work ethic of Hanneberry, Jack & O'Keefe.

In regards to Jetta he always had pace it is the work ethic which lifted him to the next level, something I hope to see in Blease he has the tools now needs the engine.

Sydney could be frightening with outside run options in both Jetta and a fit Rowan

And one player that seemingly comes out of the blue, like a Lewis Jetta at Sydney, can also make a major difference. In my view, Sydney don't win the flag without Jetta. Who knows what Dom Barry may become for us, but pace, endurance, evasiveness and great kicking skills are terrific weapons to possess.

I dont want you to see red, but Pick 14 isnt exactly coming out of the blue, especially given his red hot form in the WAFL, where he was good enough to be selected to represent the WAFL in the stage game against the SANFL (in which he starred and kicked 3, including the winner)

Gee BH, you don't like anybody disagreeing with you do you?

I am allowed to have my own opinion, same as you, if you don't agree fine....I don't agree with yours but you are allowed it

Jetta has speed and is a good kick, his work ethic has improved out of sight, he now gets himself free to utilise the speed and the kicking ability

Ben McGlynn was kicking goals as well, until he got injured, this helped Jetta as well as he was another dangerous player for opposition to worry about.

For me if I was picking a team and I had Swans players to pick from it would be Goodes, Jack, Kennedy and then the rest

Our mids would need to improve at least 50 per cent on last years abortion given we have some skill/aggression coming in .

If we dont win our share of clearances by half way mark I want a Royal exit.

I get the impression with Chocco that he is a dud.

Hopefully it's just me and he has some bold innovations I'm not aware of .

MFC smacked Sydney by 70+ at the MCG 2 seasons prior to them winning the GF there. What changed that allowed Sydney to win on a ground that has been their hoodoo in recent years?

I think most of us acknowledge the importance of the midfield to a team's finals (and ultimately, premiership) aspirations as well as the fact that, in Melbourne's case, we've been well below par in that department for at least a decade.

Our recruiting over the past couple of seasons has certainly been focussed on improving the quality and depth of our midfield players and, like BH, I'm hopeful that the infusion of a mixture of youth and experience into the midfield will help us improve dramatically in 2013. It's worth remembering that Jimmy T was the only top 10 draft pick who had experience last year playing against men (and he was an important member of a SANFL premiership team the year before). Likewise, Jack Viney. Accordingly, they should adapt to the complexity of the systems of play far more rapidly than many of their early choice counterparts from other clubs.

But our recruiters in their wisdom have also concentrated on improving the potency of our attack which should be much stronger all round than it has been since the days when Neita and Robbo prowled the forward line with a young Aaron Davey at their feet. It's amazing in those circumstances, how your midfield grows in confidence and stature when they know that their forward movements are going to be honoured by players downfield who know what they're doing rather than inconsistent half-hearted performers who constantly get out-bodied or simply aren't in the right places so the ball gets shunted right back at or over the heads of the midfielders.

It works both ways and likewise, an improved defensive unit should help our midfield as well. Suffice to say, I'm liking what the football department has been doing with our defence and I can see a few of our young emerging players finally coming good and giving us a defensive unit on par with many of the teams that currently scoff at the very mention of the word "Melbourne". You can rave about your midfields but I've always believed that defences win premierships and its no coincidence that the best defence in the competition won the flag in 2012 (Sydney - 1629 points against v Hawthorn - 1733 against). Jetta may well have been the icing on the cake but underneath they had the likes of Grundy, LRT, Richards, Shaw, Smith, Mattner and Johnson. I reckon we have the players who could match them among our list of defenders*.

But the area where our midfield has the greatest capacity to improve is in the fact that the team now gathered together appears on the same page and willing to accept the tactics and strategies laid out by the football department. That's the area where I expect our midfield (and the team as a whole) to advance the most in 2013. It was obvious early last season that we had players not apparently willing to buy into what was laid out for them by the coach. Too many trying to play their own individual game. The midfield unit is supposed to be a team within a team - that's what I expect from them this year and if they play that way then the gulf between us and the top sides in this area will narrow considerably.

* I like coming out with big statements early in the season.

I dont want you to see red, but Pick 14 isnt exactly coming out of the blue, especially given his red hot form in the WAFL, where he was good enough to be selected to represent the WAFL in the stage game against the SANFL (in which he starred and kicked 3, including the winner)

I know where he was drafted, but his impact last year was sensational and unexpected, ergo, out of the blue. He changed the whole dynamics of the Swans.

If he was on the open market this year he would have commanded a top 5 pick. Eighty metre players that kick goals like Jetta are worth their weight in gold.

Gee BH, you don't like anybody disagreeing with you do you?

I am allowed to have my own opinion

Of course Goodes, and Kennedy are more important and a few others just as important. As I've already stated, it takes a lot to formulate the ingredients to win a flag in an 18 team competition; and a lot to beat the overwhelming favourites, who were Hawthorn. And in my view, Jetta's impact on the Swans flag this year was palpable and I don't see them making the GF without him.

As I stated earlier, "I'm happy to be at odds with you", which clearly implies I don't mind you disagreeing.