Changes against Hawthorn

[hardtack 10,127]

Tweeted by MFC from Neeld's press conf: "Jack Fitzpatrick will play this week and will play forward."

[Chook 14,502]

Finally! About GD time!

[RalphiusMaximus 5,993]

Weather report for Sunday is for a few isolated showers. Could be a little slippery.

[Bring Back Barassi 532]

Strauss for Jetta

Pederson for Sellar

Rodan for Bail

Garbage in, Garbage out

[PaulRB 5,958]

Garbage in, Garbage out

But if we had a really really good coach, like Roosy, then the garbage on our list would be miraculously transformed and the sky would turn blue and September would beckon us like a lust filled Scandinavian princess.

Ahhh the good old days, I miss them dearly.

[Weedster 174]

Out: Seller Nicholson Mckenzie Terlich*

In: Kent Blease Strauss Davis

I dont want to see anymore washed up has beens at our football club. Why give Pederson, Rodan, Gillies games? They couldnt even get a game at their old clubs and they stink here!

Play youth, its the only way forward.

Agree with the sentiment, though I would argue Sellar gives us something down back. As for Pederson, Rodan & Gillies, you appear to have articulated the issue.

[dees189227 10,786]

Does that mean Maxy is dropped if Fitzy is coming in?

[RalphiusMaximus 5,993]

Does that mean Maxy is dropped if Fitzy is coming in?

Would it be a bad thing? Max has had a few good games, but he is struggling. For all his size, he isn't really up to being pushed around like a lot of the rucks are starting to do to him now. He still needs to get his core strength up to be able to hold his own against that. He's getting well beaten in the ruck and isn't really giving us that much forward.

I don't know that Fitz will do any better as a second ruck, but he should give us a better option as a forward. At the very least he has pace to burn on the lead.

[PJ_12345 1,098]

I'd prefer Fitzy to Gawn this game.

I'd personally like to have Dawes, Howe and Fitzpatrick (FF) up forward and then select Byrnes, Watts and Davey and drop them into the midfield.

Leaving 3 up forward and 13 in the midfield (with options to rotate talls with smalls + Watts can be put as extra in defence).

Sydney do a similar thing, but also with their defence (ie 3 down back, 3 forward, and 16 in the midfield). There is no point in having a traditional set up if the ball isn't going forward, so might aswell use them to stem the bleading from the midfield.

[RalphiusMaximus 5,993]

Is it better to name Watts at HF with a license to run up the wing, or on the wing with a license to go wherever he needs to? Richo almost won a brownlow in the roving Wing role. Watts has the pace and the size to play the same way, although he isn't the contested ball winner Richo was.

[Biffen 12,330]

Would it be a bad thing? Max has had a few good games, but he is struggling. For all his size, he isn't really up to being pushed around like a lot of the rucks are starting to do to him now. He still needs to get his core strength up to be able to hold his own against that. He's getting well beaten in the ruck and isn't really giving us that much forward.

I don't know that Fitz will do any better as a second ruck, but he should give us a better option as a forward. At the very least he has pace to burn on the lead.

Drop Jamar ,

Let him learn to get a kick again .

Max should've rucked last week .

Bring in Fitz , Tom Mac .

We need Viney,Grimes,Clark,Toumpas , Strauss and Jetta back in this team badly .

Neil Craig should have to explain why we took Sellars.

Byrnes out ,Nicholson out .

McKenzie out.

Poor disposal/no disposal= out.

Football skills=in.

Rocket Science=not

[RalphiusMaximus 5,993]

We took Sellar to be a hole-filler. He is an acceptable fill-in for a tall defender or tall forward when we don't have one available through injury. He's a big athletic unit who can hold his own in a physical contest and even pinch-hit in the ruck. All in all I think we've gotten reasonable value out of him given we took him in the 50's. He's never going to be great, but he's a handy enough utility to cover a number of positions as the need arises.

[DeeSpencer 23,134]

Drop Jamar ,

Let him learn to get a kick again .

Max should've rucked last week .

Bring in Fitz , Tom Mac .

We need Viney,Grimes,Clark,Toumpas , Strauss and Jetta back in this team badly .

Neil Craig should have to explain why we took Sellars.

Byrnes out ,Nicholson out .

McKenzie out.

Poor disposal/no disposal= out.

Football skills=in.

Rocket Science=not

Max could've rucked last week but he's not physically or football ready to ruck for large periods of games unless he has to. Too much is made of Jamar's lack of possessions because the media talk it up. No one in our team gets possessions. Jamar has to get down and get his hand on the ball and/or tackles at the clearance and use his weight but he doesn't have to necessarily get possessions. We saw how things went from bad to worse with Spencer. We don't have the luxury to drop him.

Yes we need Viney, Grimes, Clark and Toumpas but we don't have them. We've had Jetta play the last two weeks and do SFA but that's been up forward.

I'm sure the club would love to be good enough not to play Byrnes but he's on par with Tapscott and still better than Blease, Bail and Jetta as a small forward.

How do you know Sellar was recruited by Craig. As far as I know Craig provided a description of Sellar to our recruiting staff and they made the call that for a mature age back up defender he's about the best available. I actually believe that as well. Not that I think he's good but he's been all we would expect. I'm much more worried about Gillies and Pedersen who have been miles off what was advertised than Sellar.

You seemed to have missed that the number 1 reason we get smashed so badly is lack of effort. Lack of skill is number 2 but surely you have to fix number 1 first and that is the reason for McKenzie and Nicholson. Get the injured blokes back and they go out but for now I'd take effort as a priority.

[Deespicable 2,548]

No.1 reason we get smashed each week is lack of a modern game plan. However if it rains our game plan of kicking it back up the line to a contest may hold up better - just like it did in the wet against Essendon last year.

Almost everybody seems to agree that the four possible outs this week are: Gawn, Bail, Nicho and Jetta with injury to determine if Terlich misses as well.

That leaves Fitzy, Strauss, Rodan and either Tom Mc or Pedersen as likely inclusions.

After two great games in VFL, surely Pedersen deserves his chance to line up on Gunston or Roughead - rather than being used as a pinch-hut ruck/forward where he has been abysmal.

While Sellar, Pedersen, Garland and Frawley is a big defence, the Hawks do have Roughy, Gunston, Buddy and if he returns from injury - Hale.

If we go four big defenders then Dunn probably should be made sub this week.

[CHAMP 347]

"Too much is made of Jamar's lack of possessions because the media talk it up."

No, Jamar's contribution around the ground has always been chronically-poor. His 1-kick game last week is well-worthy of criticism as is Gawn's 5-handball effort.

Those numbers for rucks are simply unacceptable the way today's game is played. Hannath had 12 and Clarke had 15. The differences cannot be explained simply by Freo's general dominance. Yeah, I know he kicked five against Carlton one day. He'll be able to tell his grandkids about that.

[Biffen 12,330]

Max could've rucked last week but he's not physically or football ready to ruck for large periods of games unless he has to. Too much is made of Jamar's lack of possessions because the media talk it up. No one in our team gets possessions. Jamar has to get down and get his hand on the ball and/or tackles at the clearance and use his weight but he doesn't have to necessarily get possessions. We saw how things went from bad to worse with Spencer. We don't have the luxury to drop him.

Yes we need Viney, Grimes, Clark and Toumpas but we don't have them. We've had Jetta play the last two weeks and do SFA but that's been up forward.

I'm sure the club would love to be good enough not to play Byrnes but he's on par with Tapscott and still better than Blease, Bail and Jetta as a small forward.

How do you know Sellar was recruited by Craig. As far as I know Craig provided a description of Sellar to our recruiting staff and they made the call that for a mature age back up defender he's about the best available. I actually believe that as well. Not that I think he's good but he's been all we would expect. I'm much more worried about Gillies and Pedersen who have been miles off what was advertised than Sellar.

You seemed to have missed that the number 1 reason we get smashed so badly is lack of effort. Lack of skill is number 2 but surely you have to fix number 1 first and that is the reason for McKenzie and Nicholson. Get the injured blokes back and they go out but for now I'd take effort as a priority.

Byrnes ,Gillies ,Jamar etc are older and not in form.

Sellars is useless in the air or with the ball ,hopeless on the ground .

I forgot Blease who should be in every week.

Why bother with guys who can't kick ,and have proven it .

It's demoralising for the whole club .

It's called football for a very good reason .

No more Neeld hacks .

pick players on skill ,make them tackle as well and we have half a shot .

These Journeymen are all ,sadly ,worse than our home grown battlers .

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

In

• Dean Kent,
  
• Jack Fitzpatrick,
  
• James Strauss,
  
• Joel Macdonald,
  
• Cameron Pedersen,
  
• Jake Spencer,
  
• David Rodan
  

Out

• Max Gawn (Omitted) ,
  
• Neville Jetta (Omitted) ,
  
• James Magner (Omitted) ,
  
• Shannon Byrnes (Wrist)
  

Magner out?

[Young Dee 1,303]

Melbourne v Hawthorn
MCG, Sunday June 2, 3.20pm AEST

MELBOURNE
In: D.Rodan, J.Macdonald, J.Strauss, J.Spencer, J.Fitzpatrick, C.Pedersen, D.Kent
Out: S.Byrnes (wrist), J.Magner, N.Jetta, M.Gawn

HAWTHORN
In: M.Osborne, D.Hale, G.Birchall, S.Savage
Out: J.Gunston (calf)

[The Song Formerly Known As 6,479]

why the heck is magner out?!!!!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!!!!!

[Demon Jack 6,280]

In

• Dean Kent,
• Jack Fitzpatrick,
• James Strauss,
• Joel Macdonald,
• Cameron Pedersen,
• Jake Spencer,
• David Rodan

Out

• Max Gawn (Omitted) ,
• Neville Jetta (Omitted) ,
• James Magner (Omitted) ,
• Shannon Byrnes (Wrist)

Magner out?

I'm just as confused hearing that Bail is still in.

[Guest]

So, uh. Rohan Bail > James Magner? Hmmmmmm

[RalphiusMaximus 5,993]

It's a bit of a puzzle that one. Maybe he ran over the CEOs cat?

[Bitter but optimistic 21,278]

Fitzy has been slagged mercilessly on this site for the last 2 or 3 years. Now he's the saviour. We are a mess. I just cannot get enthused.

[RalphiusMaximus 5,993]

Fitzy has been slagged mercilessly on this site for the last 2 or 3 years. Now he's the saviour. We are a mess. I just cannot get enthused.

Not by me.

[jumbo returns 6,488]

Byrnes ,Gillies ,Jamar etc are older and not in form.

Sellars is useless in the air or with the ball ,hopeless on the ground .

I forgot Blease who should be in every week.

Why bother with guys who can't kick ,and have proven it .

It's demoralising for the whole club .

It's called football for a very good reason .

No more Neeld hacks .

pick players on skill ,make them tackle as well and we have half a shot .

These Journeymen are all ,sadly ,worse than our home grown battlers .

Hey Biffen,

Are you driving when you post?

All those spaces are messing with my ocd, man.