Like many others have said, 2016 is a big year for the MFC. Trading away our future first round was a statement despite next years crop is touted as a 'super draft'. We have a lot at stake here.

The club has bet the farm on 2016.

Biggest year in living memory.

Hogan will be fielding serious offers at the end of 2016. There must have been considerable improvement if we are any hope of keeping him.

We need improvement so as to attract a free agent and make prestia determined to come to mfc.

Every game is going to feel like a final for me. Going to be a long year!!

....world peace.

And all football fan forums picking up their game. If we were a football club we would all be candidates for delisting.

Jake Melksham has come across on good money, he'd want to show a bit more than he has done at the bombers.

I don't reckon he has the agro to be a lock down player, and (as evidenced by Crowley) the era of the pure tagger is seemingly over.

Ben Jacobs performance in the finals for North would suggest otherwise

I love the fact that our taggers are Vince and Viney. They provide great offensive drive in the role and both do a good job at stopping their men. While Grimes may do a better defensive job, I think we will lose out a net impact basis. Indeed, I think Vince would probably be tagged himself if he didn’t play on the oppositions best midfielder.

Ben Jacobs performance in the finals for North would suggest otherwise

I guess we'll see with no sub and limited rotations next year how many pure taggers still get games. Vince, Jones & Viney all showed us this year what a "tagger" is expected to do now.

Ben Jacobs performance in the finals for North would suggest otherwise

I guess we'll see with no sub and limited rotations next year how many pure taggers still get games. Vince, Jones & Viney all showed us this year what a "tagger" is expected to do now.

I guess even Jacobs did too 'stuie'.

If you're suggesting by pure tagger someone who doesn't get his own ball but is there as a stopper then you're probably right.

...but I think that went out a while back, Crowley was probably a bit of a dinosaur and even he managed to pick up a bit of ball along the way.

Funny Deluded you can find an oversized P, but can't find the shift button to use a capital letter to start a sentence?

I don't care about grammar so much, doesn't interest me at all.

just that the message is clear. & or the wholistic message, which doesn't cut it amongst just grammatical words.

Paul Roos.. I know he has gutted the list and given the club a face!

But you know what makes a good culture?

WINNING!!

We won 7 games.. Could of been 10 (saints bombers Carlton losses)

Throw them in plus 4 more on general improvement.. That's 14 & finals!!

%&^^**,,,, winning becomes the habit, after growing good traits & then a strong culture; then winning starts to head toward becoming habituall.

I guess even Jacobs did too 'stuie'.

If you're suggesting by pure tagger someone who doesn't get his own ball but is there as a stopper then you're probably right.

...but I think that went out a while back, Crowley was probably a bit of a dinosaur and even he managed to pick up a bit of ball along the way.

Yeah that's the mould I'm talking about. That "pure" tagger. It's been on the way out for a while, you're right, but the interchange changes were the death knell surely.

Yeah that's the mould I'm talking about. That "pure" tagger. It's been on the way out for a while, you're right, but the interchange changes were the death knell surely.

You would think so 'stuie'. I don't think you can afford to have any player running around now and not really contributing in a more positive manner.

This is why a ruckman who is carrying his weight as a midfielder is becoming more important. Lucky for us Gawn does do a bit around the ground but it probably helped push Jamar into retirement.

winning back,,, lost Hearts & Minds.

Pastels and faded denim.

Every year is big once you are past 50....

I guess even Jacobs did too 'stuie'.

If you're suggesting by pure tagger someone who doesn't get his own ball but is there as a stopper then you're probably right.

...but I think that went out a while back, Crowley was probably a bit of a dinosaur and even he managed to pick up a bit of ball along the way.

Yeah that's the mould I'm talking about. That "pure" tagger. It's been on the way out for a while, you're right, but the interchange changes were the death knell surely.

IMO the tagger will be even more effective with the sub rule going and the decrease in rotations, players able to run all day will be more in vogue as the explosiveness moves from the game. The likes of the Sean Denham Tony Libratore taggers will come back.

What I do think will come back into the game is pure footballers who think quickly, the likes of Pendlebury and Sam Mitchell will thrive in this situation

IMO the tagger will be even more effective with the sub rule going and the decrease in rotations, players able to run all day will be more in vogue as the explosiveness moves from the game. The likes of the Sean Denham Tony Libratore taggers will come back.

What I do think will come back into the game is pure footballers who think quickly, the likes of Pendlebury and Sam Mitchell will thrive in this situation

I don't think they've ever gone away 'Pennant' but I get your point, they will be even more valuable with the sub rule gone.

I think Tyson will thrive in this environment and really start to come into his own over the next couple of seasons...

%&^^**,,,, winning becomes the habit, after growing good traits & then a strong culture; then winning starts to head toward becoming habituall.

You are what your handle says pal..

I was going to say JKH, to see if he can consolidate a spot in our best 22. But I've changed my mind, and think 2016 is going to be a big year for...

Max Gawn.

Many would consider 2015 a break out year for Maxy, but I'm not sold yet. He showed he has the ability to play at the top level at various stages, but now I want to see him do it for 22+ games in a season. I want to be assured that he has the desire to not be out of place if mentioned in the same breath as Goldstein. I want him to prove that he has both feet heavily planted on the ground, and is willing to make any personal sacrifice to give himself the best opportunity to be one of the best rucks in the league.

2016 will show me if Max is content with being the number 1 ruck at Melbourne, or if he has the drive to be the best in the league.

It's over to you, Max.

Ben Kennedy is my smokey

Just reckon he has the right attitude. He is small but he is not scared to take on much bigger opponents

The perfect Paul Roos type of player. Unwanted who then works his butt off

Ben Kennedy is my smokey

Just reckon he has the right attitude. He is small but he is not scared to take on much bigger opponents

The perfect Paul Roos type of player. Unwanted who then works his butt off

kid attacks the ball like Jack Viney and Gus Brayshaw does, but has far more speed than either, could be a huge weapon.

He was hardly clinging to the captaincy. What a load of rot. He played 15 games in 2013, the only ones he missed were after breaking his collarbone against the Blues.

And the clubs players and coaches voted him as one of the co-captains again for the next season. Thats hardly 'clinging onto it' is it? I'd assume every game he was available for that year

he played in the seniors, hardly the type of choice you'd make just to ensure you kept getting a game!

But go on, keep revising history for your own arguments..

Roos took over before the 2014 season.

The club was a rabble.

He made 11 (?) list changes during post season.

Trenners stood down as co captain and Jones was voted in. Grimes was also re elected (11 new faces, but yes he's probably well liked around the club). Roos wanted some stability in an environment that had been anything but over the past 4-5 years.

Roos set about the pre season not only teaching a new game plan but empowering the players or as Neeld called it "accountability ".

Roos observed how Grimes went about his footy and captaincy and twelve months later made the call.

If Grimes played rounds 1-3 this season and wasn't dropped again later throughout the year I could believe the decision to step down was his own doing but he he didn't.

You can't have your captain playing reserves.

No ones doubting his application but the fact is he isn't up to it. Eight years in the system and still struggles with fundamental basics of the game.

He would of cleaned up financially from us so we'll call it even.

Thanks for your service Jack but it's time to go, and there's a few that won't be far behind him.

I have no problem with Watts.

Sure, he's not the world-beater we wanted when we drafted him, but I still think he's a valuable contributor.

I think there's a little too much focus on the aesthetic with Jack Watts. He doesn't throw his body around as much as others, but he finds a way to win his fair share of contests by being smart and nimble.

For all the talk about Hawthorn's small/medium forwards, I'd still take Watts over either Gunston or Breust, who perform well as cherry-pickers in a proven and effective system. Watts is more flexible and has shown something in a system that has proven to be ineffective.

58 minutes ago, WAClark said:

I have no problem with Watts.

Sure, he's not the world-beater we wanted when we drafted him, but I still think he's a valuable contributor.

I think there's a little too much focus on the aesthetic with Jack Watts. He doesn't throw his body around as much as others, but he finds a way to win his fair share of contests by being smart and nimble.

For all the talk about Hawthorn's small/medium forwards, I'd still take Watts over either Gunston or Breust, who perform well as cherry-pickers in a proven and effective system. Watts is more flexible and has shown something in a system that has proven to be ineffective.

Watts over Gunston or Bruest....

Can't be serious.

I think you mean 'can't be serious'.

 

Watts is nowhere near either Gunston nor Breust. Of course, Melbourne is nowhere near Hawthorn either in terms of on- and off-field class.

5 hours ago, WAClark said:

I have no problem with Watts.

Sure, he's not the world-beater we wanted when we drafted him, but I still think he's a valuable contributor.

I think there's a little too much focus on the aesthetic with Jack Watts. He doesn't throw his body around as much as others, but he finds a way to win his fair share of contests by being smart and nimble.

For all the talk about Hawthorn's small/medium forwards, I'd still take Watts over either Gunston or Breust, who perform well as cherry-pickers in a proven and effective system. Watts is more flexible and has shown something in a system that has proven to be ineffective.

I will never forget this poster.