Sorry Mark, so you know this how?.....at the selection table/match committee.....that is normal

Someone from MFC told me in the rooms on Sunday. My names not Mark.

The day the pencil got rubbed out he played really well looked like he was about to breakthrough as well.

Gawn, Fitz, Spencer adds up to not looking good for the Russian who is still a better tap but doesn't do much else these days.

Someone from MFC told me in the rooms on Sunday. My names not Mark.

Mark/Big Russian, it is not what I have heard/been told, so unless you can be more specific, I will continue to push the line that it is again an unsubstantiated rumour

Mark/Big Russian, it is not what I have heard/been told, so unless you can be more specific, I will continue to push the line that it is again an unsubstantiated rumour

well, maybe - but so's your comment

Just a point, if Fitzpatrick was coached by Neeld at Western Jets, coupled with his Chronic Fatigue, don't you think we would have asked Neeld for an opinion on Fitzy, still picking him is again I suppose an indictment on our appalling recruitment

well, maybe - but so's your comment

I have actually spoke to Jack quite often, and the coaches, Jack kept getting up to speed, then either illness or injury knocked him around, they knew the talent was there, he just needed a clear run, we he has now had for last 8 or 9 weeks

Just another point on how closely I have been following Jack, on the morning of a rather infamous game against Geelong a couple of years ago, the Casey Development Team was playing at Vic Park, I live quite near as Jack was on his way back from another setback, I got along and watched He should dominate at that level, which he did, he played forward and ruck, I think he kicked about 6 that day, as well as rucking.......I walked away hoping some time he could get a clear run at things

So your feet are still sticking out of the inept one's backside, saty. Not revisionism.

Just more justification for getting rid of the worst afl coach in 40 years.

Whats not well documented about Fitzy is that prior to his TAC year he was considered a possible top 10 pick. It was in his final year at High school that he was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and subsequently his draft ranking dropped accordingly. Given that we accept that big men take longer to develop, imagine having to cope with CFS at the same time. Since Jack has been at MFC he has had to endure a raft of injuries and of course the discovery of Diabetes earlier this year an illness that requires intense management and life style changes. It seemed like every time the kid had some clean air something would pop up out of nowhere and put him back to square one, and yet he kept going. Well done Jack. Over the past 4 years you have shown outstanding intestinal fortitude. Well done to the club as well for sticking by you. This is one instance where we can rightfully say we developed a player properly.

Just a point, if Fitzpatrick was coached by Neeld at Western Jets, coupled with his Chronic Fatigue, don't you think we would have asked Neeld for an opinion on Fitzy, still picking him is again I suppose an indictment on our appalling recruitment

He was picekd before Neeld came to the club?!

Neeld would hardly have seen Fitz at the Western Jets. He was their senior TAC coach for '05, '06 and '07 before moving to Collingwood. Fitz would have been barely 16 the last time he coached them. Sounds like crap to me.

Or Frawley for that matter. I'm definitely happy to say I always back Chip to become a good backman!

On Fitzy, he is an odd one. In every sense of the word! I really enjoy watching him play because every time he did something good it really looks like he shouldn't! The question I have is where does he fit in long term? With Dawes, Clark (fitness permitting), and Hogan as big power forwards who can rick in the forward 50 and Watts and Howe rotating as medium forwards/HFF/hole-pluggers where does that leave Fitzy? Both he and big Max need to add some body strength on because they seem to be out muscled in the rucking. Are they ready to be a ruck combo and what do we do with them when the players earlier are in?

Anyway I'm really happy to see him playing well, he's had some tough breaks so nothing has come easy for him.

This is exactly the conundrum with Jack.

I've always had faith Fitzy will make it but said the Satyriconhome that I was of the belief that he would have a good AFL career, unfortunately not at Melbourne. I now hold out the hope that the last bit will turn out to be wro... wro... that it may not be correct.

The day the pencil got rubbed out he played really well looked like he was about to breakthrough as well.

Gawn, Fitz, Spencer adds up to not looking good for the Russian who is still a better tap but doesn't do much else these days.

But how many of his wonderful taps have translated into clearances, MFC clearances that is?? I haven't seen very many for years.

Does anyone know where the picture of fitzy as superman is?

http://i1351.photobucket.com/albums/p785/thisdangerous/Melbourne%20Demons%20Pics/SupermanFitzpatricksmaller_zps99c7594c.jpg

It's where I keep any Melbourne Demons based pics I photoshop (crudely).

Another observation I'd offer is that I knew our list couldn't be as universally bad as it seemed. Sellar and Gillies getting games while Fitz lingered at vfl level while kicking 2-4 goals most games does seem a little odd in hindsight.

Like it or lump it pretty much everything I've heard about the mfc under the Neeld era from Ralph has been identical to what I have heard from sources from the club so if he says Fitz was not rated by Neeld and given he was rarely selected I am inclined to believe his account.

Jon Ralph knew a few things that only inside people would have told him.

I'm loving Fitzy's work. Always had faith. How many player have his height and speed? Very hard match up i would have thought and a he improves opposition teams will need to put one of their biggest and best defenders on him. Throw Hogan, Dawes, Clarke and Watts in the mix and you have a potent forward line (albeit one that is perhaps too tall).

For me one of the most frustrating things about Neeld was that he gave mixed messages about performance in the twos. He made clear in his first year that that he would pick players on form. I acknowledge that playing at Casey for an extended period might have helped Fitzy but he has played great there all year and should have been rewarded earlier given Dawes and Clark were out.

I'm not so sure about this. Watts' first goal last week was proof of this. Fitzy, Watts and Clark are all mobile enough to get it done on the ground. We just need an extra speedy crumber or two. Deadly it would be. Deadly. But let's not get sidetracked. Midfield.

Whats not well documented about Fitzy is that prior to his TAC year he was considered a possible top 10 pick. It was in his final year at High school that he was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and subsequently his draft ranking dropped accordingly. Given that we accept that big men take longer to develop, imagine having to cope with CFS at the same time. Since Jack has been at MFC he has had to endure a raft of injuries and of course the discovery of Diabetes earlier this year an illness that requires intense management and life style changes. It seemed like every time the kid had some clean air something would pop up out of nowhere and put him back to square one, and yet he kept going. Well done Jack. Over the past 4 years you have shown outstanding intestinal fortitude. Well done to the club as well for sticking by you. This is one instance where we can rightfully say we developed a player properly.

He developed cfs as a 5 year old - so he says. But what would he know - he was only living ig

Watch his first quarter against the WB on the AFL site. (It will default to this week, so click 'previous round' twice when the page loads)

The day the pencil got rubbed out he played really well looked like he was about to breakthrough as well.

Gawn, Fitz, Spencer adds up to not looking good for the Russian who is still a better tap but doesn't do much else these days.

One kick in the first 6 rounds. I reckon I could do better than that.

I've read about this bloke for years on this site now.

Having seen only glimpses of his performances whilst at the club prior to this year (ie, the few AFL games he's played), I figured he was just a list clogger and wouldn't make it. It wasn't a strongly held view, but it was definitely the way it appeared to me.

So - hat's off to those of you who've watched him play at Casey AND who've consistently talked him up as having a lot to offer this club.

You were right. Really pleased that we've stuck by the bloke - he looks the goods.

And well done to Prendergast too - he's deservedly copped a fair bit on this site, but it's possible we got an absolute bargain here.

Someone from MFC told me in the rooms on Sunday. My names not Mark.

while I could see that Fitzy wasn't ready to take the step last year, & we all could see how close he was to ready this year... so is Mark Neeld not picking him last year wrong? ... or was mark neeld getting ready to blood him in the second half of this year???

the timing it seems to me is paramount when dealing with the career of a young player, & moreso a tall forward. so Neeld was being cautious for Fitzy's sake, & for the work ethic of the team?

but so many want to throw darts @ neeld even after he's left the building,,,, its laughable, & cheap.

I've read about this bloke for years on this site now.

Having seen only glimpses of his performances whilst at the club prior to this year (ie, the few AFL games he's played), I figured he was just a list clogger and wouldn't make it. It wasn't a strongly held view, but it was definitely the way it appeared to me.

So - hat's off to those of you who've watched him play at Casey AND who've consistently talked him up as having a lot to offer this club.

You were right. Really pleased that we've stuck by the bloke - he looks the goods.

And well done to Prendergast too - he's deservedly copped a fair bit on this site, but it's possible we got an absolute bargain here.

I've been a fan of fitzy's since the nab cup a year before his drafting. he played 2 season in U-18's alongside Tyrone Vickory... both of whom I thought were very good.

however in his 2nd season U-18's I went off him as i saw some lazy efforts & lacklustre stuff. so I didn't want him... at least not in the early Rnds.

when we got him around late 40's i said what, & celebrated getting him so late. he was too risky for early picks, but an excellent choice where we got him... he always displayed the talent passed tense...

BUT he hasn't made it Yet!!!

& we are all talking him Up again. lets hope we don't destroy his attitude in our raptures.

Seem to remember someone on these boards quoted Connolly as saying Fitzpatrick would be a gun one day. Coupla years ago.......... Seemed far fetched at the time.

Seem to remember someone on these boards quoted Connolly as saying Fitzpatrick would be a gun one day. Coupla years ago.......... Seemed far fetched at the time.

The norm is that big men generally develop at a slower rate than their smaller counterparts and in Jack's case, his development was slowed further by his well documented illnesses. I think he played his best games at Casey late on the season last year and got his well-deserved game in the final round against the Dockers when we had few big men standing. He then went off for surgery and missed Casey's finals.

If Mark Neeld thought he wasn't ready at the start of the season when the likes of Jamar, Clark, Gawn and Spencer were ahead of him, I don't think that was such a bad call but I guess there are conspiracies lurking around the corner everywhere when it comes to our former coach.

Incidentally, I once attended one of those pre match events hosted by Chris Connolly and he was certainly impressed by Fitzpatrick's athleticism and predicted a long future for him while suggesting it would take some time for him to mature. I don't believe he was joking at the time.

And well done to Prendergast too - he's deservedly copped a fair bit on this site, but it's possible we got an absolute bargain here.

There was quite a bit of information given out to fans at the time of that draft. They said they didn't expect Gawn to fall to the 30's so were thrilled to snap him up and then they didn't expect Fitz to still be there at 50. Both were regarded as bargain picks. I seem to recall that they had planned on grabbing Fitz at 34 if available but couldn't pass up Gawn. The fact that they got both was considered a massive bonus.