My opinion is that:

If Jack Trengove makes the next step (Saturday was a good start) and shows exactly how much better the Scully he really is. If Jack Grimes hits the level of superstar, which in my opinion he is one level below and Jack Watts shows what he is made of.. Melbourne will be a half decent team.

Obviously it is completely impossible to make finals, but if Melbourne's young stars stood up, Melbourne would win a fair few extra games and be middle order.

The difference between what happened in the second half of Saturday and the first half replicating is a few boys standing up.

I agree that it would not take an awful lot to change this clubs fortunes/direction - mainly just a trigger (a couple wins in a row or some key players standing up). However I think the three players you chose are the wrong ones. Last season everyone was saying Trengove is useless (to slow, bad kick etc.) - he had one half decent game last weekend. I don't think Grimes is anywhere near a superstar and never will - I think Grimes is giving everything he has got and we will only see steady improvement. As for Jack Watts I doubt he will show drastic improvement this year (unless he finds a jar of courage/aggression down at Safeway).

I think key people that CAN and should stand up are our more senior players such as Sylvia, Frawley, Davey, Dunn, Garland and Jamar - these are players that have the skill but aren't using it. They need to stand up and lead the younger players (like Nathan Jones). It's not the young stars that need to stand up it's the talented senior players that need to lead the way and with it the younger group will follow. You can't expect our youth to become stars if our senior players don't even care/try.

Edited April 17, 201312 yr by Young Dee

I'd really like to see trengove play a brad green role, leading from deep, pushing up if needed but believe he can have an impact forward. He isn't fit enough for midfield yet, so play Sylvia in the middle, and jack and davey as small forwards

I'd really like to see trengove play a brad green role, leading from deep, pushing up if needed but believe he can have an impact forward. He isn't fit enough for midfield yet, so play Sylvia in the middle, and jack and davey as small forwards

He only missed something like 6 weeks (until he was back into full training) - it was a long preseason and he says he is nearly 100%. I think he was playing that forward kind of role but with stints in the midfield his endurance will grow quicker - I think. We need all the midfield talent we can get, hope he is back soon.

Edited April 17, 201312 yr by Young Dee

Name who has stood up so far? That list is much easier to compile. Maybe only Nate Jones, as yet. All the rest need to get off their rrrr's. However, your point is taken, GIG.

Neil Craig when coaching Adelaide in his second last year, completely changed his gameplan from stale defensive to accountable attacking and turned the fortunes of the crows around. At the time they were languishing at the bottom, then with the changed mindset, I thunk they made the finals.

We have only played 3 games with an easy draw. We can still make finals, but we need a new mindset. Maybe give the reins to Craig and see if he can get us into finals. On paper, I still think we have a finals team.

Clarke- possible Coleman medalist

Howe- could be anything

Jones- rock solid

Grimes- rock solid

Frawley- ex aa

Jamar- ex aa

Davey- ex Bluey

Dawes- premiership chf

T.Mac- rising star

Blease- could be anything

Watts- architect

Trengove- we know he can play

Sylvia- can be unstoppable

Viney is viney

Dunn & garland - experienced key backman

Mckenzie- great tagger

There is enough talent there. They are fit. We can still make finals. If neeld can't do it, replace him with Craig, but hurry.

I would replace neeld with Craig, even if we beat gws. Try to march into 8th position.

I agree that it would not take an awful lot to change this clubs fortunes/direction - mainly just a trigger (a couple wins in a row or some key players standing up). However I think the three players you chose are the wrong ones. Last season everyone was saying Trengove is useless (to slow, bad kick etc.) - he had one half decent game last weekend. I don't think Grimes is anywhere near a superstar and never will - I think Grimes is giving everything he has got and we will only see steady improvement. As for Jack Watts I doubt he will show drastic improvement this year (unless he finds a jar of courage/aggression down at Safeway).

I think key people that CAN and should stand up are our more senior players such as Sylvia, Frawley, Davey, Dunn, Garland and Jamar - these are players that have the skill but aren't using it. They need to stand up and lead the younger players (like Nathan Jones). It's not the young stars that need to stand up it's the talented senior players that need to lead the way and with it the younger group will follow. You can't expect our youth to become stars if our senior players don't even care/try.

Grimes will be a star, he's our best at the moment, as for the 6 senior players you named, Davey's in his last year and a lot older, Sylvia will NEVER be consistant, Dunn and Jamar are both ordinary players, Frawley and Garland could improve though.

Grimes will be a star, he's our best at the moment, as for the 6 senior players you named, Davey's in his last year and a lot older, Sylvia will NEVER be consistant, Dunn and Jamar are both ordinary players, Frawley and Garland could improve though.

You have picked the main guys, Dawes and Clarke give a huge target forward

Grimes solid consistant very good, Davey explosive at times but probably last year, Sylvia, what a disappointment, brilliant and dishwater same game. We should have kept brock and given them colin. What are the lotto numbers next saturday ?

Dunn ordinary but does try and does what the coach asks, Frawley not as good as he was , no idea why ? Garland is not a backman and if he does not move forward and improve is a liability, trade bait.

Jamar gets plenty of hitouts that go no where , well not to us. How many centre bounces does he win and we lose, most of them. Liability Capital L. Give Max a go. If you don't break even in the centre you are starting the game behind, only my thoughts

Go Dees !!!

I agree that it would not take an awful lot to change this clubs fortunes/direction - mainly just a trigger (a couple wins in a row or some key players standing up). However I think the three players you chose are the wrong ones. Last season everyone was saying Trengove is useless (to slow, bad kick etc.) - he had one half decent game last weekend. I don't think Grimes is anywhere near a superstar and never will - I think Grimes is giving everything he has got and we will only see steady improvement. As for Jack Watts I doubt he will show drastic improvement this year (unless he finds a jar of courage/aggression down at Safeway).

I think key people that CAN and should stand up are our more senior players such as Sylvia, Frawley, Davey, Dunn, Garland and Jamar - these are players that have the skill but aren't using it. They need to stand up and lead the younger players (like Nathan Jones). It's not the young stars that need to stand up it's the talented senior players that need to lead the way and with it the younger group will follow. You can't expect our youth to become stars if our senior players don't even care/try.

ok, well firstly, last year Trengove had to change his game. Jack had to develop a defensive element in his game and he did that. Jack is a star of the future in my opinion and is a highlight to watch. Although overall last year wasnt great, i believe he developed an essential element in his game.

I have accepted Sylvia will never be what we want him to be, hell only show glimpses.

Neil Craig when coaching Adelaide in his second last year, completely changed his gameplan from stale defensive to accountable attacking and turned the fortunes of the crows around. At the time they were languishing at the bottom, then with the changed mindset, I thunk they made the finals.

We have only played 3 games with an easy draw. We can still make finals, but we need a new mindset. Maybe give the reins to Craig and see if he can get us into finals. On paper, I still think we have a finals team.

Clarke- possible Coleman medalist

Howe- could be anything

Jones- rock solid

Grimes- rock solid

Frawley- ex aa

Jamar- ex aa

Davey- ex Bluey

Dawes- premiership chf

T.Mac- rising star

Blease- could be anything

Watts- architect

Trengove- we know he can play

Sylvia- can be unstoppable

Viney is viney

Dunn & garland - experienced key backman

Mckenzie- great tagger

There is enough talent there. They are fit. We can still make finals. If neeld can't do it, replace him with Craig, but hurry.

I would replace neeld with Craig, even if we beat gws. Try to march into 8th position.

This is true, but i dont think Dunn is going to be a good Melbourne player.

Sylvia can be unstoppable but as i said, we need to stop dreaming.

Blease has only showed glimpses and i am not convinced. I think that someone that can have a huge impact and you havent put him down is Matt Jones, the guy is holding his own and in some cases has been just as good as Viney.

Name who has stood up so far? That list is much easier to compile. Maybe only Nate Jones, as yet. All the rest need to get off their rrrr's. However, your point is taken, GIG.

I think Howe has held his own and been good. Clark just getting better.

Viney and Matt Jones have been terrific to watch so far

I gotta say, I think Dean Terlich will play 200 games for the MFC and be a really great player for us. He's one, along with Jones and Viney. Who have really excited me.

I gotta say, I think Dean Terlich will play 200 games for the MFC and be a really great player for us. He's one, along with Jones and Viney. Who have really excited me.

I agree and honestly say that i forgot about him.

His kick is a highlight, he takes the game on and i think we have a serious future player in our team.

We can still make finals. Try to march into 8th position.

I LOL'd.

2 nice set shot goals from Trengove on the weekend pleased me.

Would love for him to become a 2 goal 25 possession a week player.

Jack Grimes one below a superstar? Wow.

Love his endeavour but he's another ordinary kick with no pace. B grade midfielder at best.

Jack Grimes one below a superstar? Wow.

Love his endeavour but he's another ordinary kick with no pace. B grade midfielder at best.

Played HBF against WCE. While he's been tried a few times on ball, I think he's better for the team playing in the backline. Reads the play well, doesn't lack courage, good mark, but still has problems with his disposal.

I think that both Grimes and Trengove encapsulate this football team atm: they're great blokes with outstanding endeavour, but they're not Brownlow winners, or potential superstars.

They're the kind of guys every Premiership team has, though.

Best to have a champion team, then a team of champions.

Grimes does occasionally pull out a howler of a kick, but that's almost the least of our worries.

I think the biggest concern for us is the growing list of players who seem to have gone backwards or stalled over the last couple of years. If these guys dont show any improvement i'm not sure how we can start getting successful;

Jamar - Enough has been said

Frawley - Enough has been said

Garland - Seems to have changed his defensive style in one on one contests? Was trying to wrestle with Kennedy and Darling, when a couple of years ago he would have spoiled with his go-go-gadget arms!

Tapscott - some promising signs on the weekend, but still dropped a few very markable balls in key passages - needs to coment himself at this level

Trengove - Perhaps he isnt the midfielder we thought, says he is almost 100% fit, yet still looks down on pace, perhaps his role is more of a HFF?

Nicholson - Seems to have flatlined in his form at AFL level

Blease - Shows glimpses but needs to impact entire games of footy

Watts - Enough has been said

Dunn - Enough has been said

Strauss - hasnt shown much at all at AFL level

In a good team guys like Sylvia, Blease & Watts could be 'icing on the top' type players at their current stage of development . Unfortunatley at melbourne we're still trying to bake the cake....

Trengove is the big one, i am pretty happy with what he does with the ball and how hard he works but too often he has 15-20 touches, we kinda need him winning 25 + consistantly and he is a goal kicking marking midfielder with good pace.

Tapscott is another who could be anything or nothing depending on how he is managed in my opinion.

Grimes does occasionally pull out a howler of a kick, but that's almost the least of our worries.

I think the biggest concern for us is the growing list of players who seem to have gone backwards or stalled over the last couple of years. If these guys dont show any improvement i'm not sure how we can start getting successful;

Jamar - Enough has been said

Frawley - Enough has been said

Garland - Seems to have changed his defensive style in one on one contests? Was trying to wrestle with Kennedy and Darling, when a couple of years ago he would have spoiled with his go-go-gadget arms!

Tapscott - some promising signs on the weekend, but still dropped a few very markable balls in key passages - needs to coment himself at this level

Trengove - Perhaps he isnt the midfielder we thought, says he is almost 100% fit, yet still looks down on pace, perhaps his role is more of a HFF?

Nicholson - Seems to have flatlined in his form at AFL level

Blease - Shows glimpses but needs to impact entire games of footy

Watts - Enough has been said

Dunn - Enough has been said

Strauss - hasnt shown much at all at AFL level

In a good team guys like Sylvia, Blease & Watts could be 'icing on the top' type players at their current stage of development . Unfortunatley at melbourne we're still trying to bake the cake....

Sylvia and Watts, and soon Blease, are downhill skiers. Put them in a crap side and they'll crash and burn along with their teammates. Put them in a finals side and they're Brownlow-vote getters.

We haven't seen the best of Watts because he's been in consistently crap sides. He needs a good team around him.

Not sure they're ideal people to have around a club that is struggling for leadership, because they've both failed to lead.

2 nice set shot goals from Trengove on the weekend pleased me.

Would love for him to become a 2 goal 25 possession a week player.

How is that going to happen when Neeld has turned him into a tagger ?

How is that going to happen when Neeld has turned him into a tagger ?

he hasnt....

he hasnt....

You didn't see a no. 2 draft pick chasing around a no. 18 draft pick on Saturday ?

Unusual.

You didn't see a no. 2 draft pick chasing around a no. 18 draft pick on Saturday ?

Unusual.

I think thats part of the whole accountability idea in AFL

Neil Craig when coaching Adelaide in his second last year, completely changed his gameplan from stale defensive to accountable attacking and turned the fortunes of the crows around. At the time they were languishing at the bottom, then with the changed mindset, I thunk they made the finals.

We have only played 3 games with an easy draw. We can still make finals, but we need a new mindset. Maybe give the reins to Craig and see if he can get us into finals. On paper, I still think we have a finals team.

Clarke- possible Coleman medalist

Howe- could be anything

Jones- rock solid

Grimes- rock solid

Frawley- ex aa

Jamar- ex aa

Davey- ex Bluey

Dawes- premiership chf

T.Mac- rising star

Blease- could be anything

Watts- architect

Trengove- we know he can play

Sylvia- can be unstoppable

Viney is viney

Dunn & garland - experienced key backman

Mckenzie- great tagger

There is enough talent there. They are fit. We can still make finals. If neeld can't do it, replace him with Craig, but hurry.

I would replace neeld with Craig, even if we beat gws. Try to march into 8th position.

I do admire your optimism, and I usually have held on to the dreams of a big positive turnaround, but honestly this year so far has been THE most depressing one I have endured in half a century.

Sure hope you turn out to be right and I would be very happy to dine on humble pie from Saturday until October.

GO DEES -- to all you players selected any one week, it is in YOUR hands, not the coach's, nor the President or CEO's (whether you like these guys or not should NOT effect the performances of professionals: are YOU true professionals?), it is YOU and only you who can turn it all around.

Edited April 18, 201312 yr by monoccular