The men’s clash will start at 1.10pm.

Melbourne team: round nine

B: Billy Stretch, Tom McDonald, Tomas Bugg

HB: Josh Wagner, Colin Garland, Bernie Vince

C: Clayton Oliver, Dom Tyson, Viv Michie

HF: Jack Watts, Cameron Pedersen, Jeff Garlett

F: Christian Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Ben Kennedy

Foll: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney

I/C (from): Dean Kent, Ben Newton, Oscar McDonald, Jayden Hunt, Alex Neal-Bullen, Jack Grimes, James Harmes

In: Grimes, Newton, Kent, Neal-Bullen, O.McDonald

Out: Neville Jetta (suspension), Christian Salem

4 minutes ago, binman said:

I wasn't far away (i missed Salem going out):

“With Alex Neal-Bullen’s [recent] performance [in the VFL], he’ll come in the side. He’s been terrific in the seconds and played some terrific footy, which is good,” Roos told Melbourne TV.

“Kenty, we think will get through training for us tomorrow (Friday) and he’s important player for us.

“[We’ll] probably [bring in] Oscar McDonald as a defender, [who] will be coming in for Nev Jetta.

Roos must have bought into the DL groupthink

Hardly. Michie is still in the team.

12 minutes ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

O-Mac in Garland out?

Garland named in starting 18 not interchange from. Unlikely he would go.

 

1 hour ago, big_red_fire_engine said:

Garland named in starting 18 not interchange from. Unlikely he would go.

 

No worries, I must have posted that just before the teams came out. 

3 hours ago, rjay said:

I'm not sure Kent should be a walk up start even if he's right to go.

His form line has been very up and down this year and he's not yet a proven player.

To me he doesn't deserve to be an automatic inclusion.

You have never been sold on Kent but some of his games have been superb for a small forward/HFF role. 

In the games where he was given enough opportunity by the midfield - he got the footy and did a quite a bit with it.

2016 has seen Garlett, Kennedy, and Kent play some excellent footy in our forward half.

48 minutes ago, rpfc said:

You have never been sold on Kent but some of his games have been superb for a small forward/HFF role. 

In the games where he was given enough opportunity by the midfield - he got the footy and did a quite a bit with it.

2016 has seen Garlett, Kennedy, and Kent play some excellent footy in our forward half.

'rp', I can see the potential in Kent but I believe he has a long way to go to realise it.

Yes, the small forward role can be difficult and at times it's still like the old days of starvation corner as the HFF used to be called.

...but he can be a very lazy footballer & in our loses he has been poor. He's almost like our barometer, in the St Kilda game I was worried when in the first Q Kent was not chasing and didn't look switched on. Turned out I had good reason to worry.

Kent needs to really watch someone like "Poppy" at the Hawks and model himself on that kind of work rate then he will get somewhere, at the moment I think he is coasting.

1 hour ago, rpfc said:

You have never been sold on Kent but some of his games have been superb for a small forward/HFF role. 

In the games where he was given enough opportunity by the midfield - he got the footy and did a quite a bit with it.

2016 has seen Garlett, Kennedy, and Kent play some excellent footy in our forward half.

Can set up and/or kick 1-2 goals in the space of 5 minutes. Someone like that is always valuable 

Just now, The Song Formerly Known As said:

Can set up and/or kick 1-2 goals in the space of 5 minutes. Someone like that is always valuable 

Misses too many easy goals for someone who is a good kick...

10 minutes ago, rjay said:

Misses too many easy goals for someone who is a good kick...

I agree with this. Permanent small forwards have a really tough gig i reckon, primarily because in addition to putting intense forward pressure on they have to take their chances. Kent does the the former well bit struggles a bit withe the latter.

But not because he is a poor kick - as you say is actually a terrific kick, but sometimes when going for goals on the run he seems to rush it a little and doesn't quite balance up like, say a garlett.

But i'm confident he will get better at this aspect and he has huge upside. I love his aggression and pressure and also how clever he is. Being a leftie also helps. he is in my best dozen players and as such really important for us.

13 minutes ago, rjay said:

Misses too many easy goals for someone who is a good kick...

Still, rather have him in than not 

On 5/16/2016 at 8:48 PM, dazzledavey36 said:

Newton with 32 disposals and 18 tackles surely has to come under serious consideration?

Seems to be in consideration, but for mine should be doing it for a solid month before getting a look. ANB has had to do that.

On 5/17/2016 at 0:53 PM, stuie said:

0 tackles. 2 contested possessions.

Yeah I guess you could call that "not getting much".....

Reckon they'll give Michie one more week. I think too many on the list have superseded Viv in the last year. He's a neat player, but he doesn't impact the contest enough. He's worked hard to get back in, so I'm glad they're giving him some continuity in the firsts to show his wears. He'll want to get more involved this week.

really looking forward to seeing ANB, he's been pretty stiff not to get a run sooner! he'll be desperate to lock down a spot in the 22 with his mate Billy.

15 hours ago, dazzledavey36 said:

The men’s clash will start at 1.10pm.

Melbourne team: round nine

B: Billy Stretch, Tom McDonald, Tomas Bugg

HB: Josh Wagner, Colin Garland, Bernie Vince

C: Clayton Oliver, Dom Tyson, Viv Michie

HF: Jack Watts, Cameron Pedersen, Jeff Garlett

F: Christian Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Ben Kennedy

Foll: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney

I/C (from): Dean Kent, Ben Newton, Oscar McDonald, Jayden Hunt, Alex Neal-Bullen, Jack Grimes, James Harmes

In: Grimes, Newton, Kent, Neal-Bullen, O.McDonald

Out: Neville Jetta (suspension), Christian Salem

Got it wrong with White Dazzle, but ya know a source is just that. And that source is usually spot on. Oh well might be one week ahead maybee?!

From that list I would think into the final 22 will be Kent, Newton, O Mac and NB

I thought Michie was solid last week, he looked to play his role but maybe I missed something that others didn't see?

21 minutes ago, Clint Bizkit said:

I thought Michie was solid last week, he looked to play his role but maybe I missed something that others didn't see?

Quote of the day CB and it is only 10.43am.

 

I agree with Clint. Michie took 5 intercept marks and played his role in the zone defence perfectly. For some perspective, the next best was 2... this is pretty impressive.

He didn't lay many tackles but his role was to hang a kick behind the play so he was never going to be involved in many tackles/hard balls etc.

Michie had 1 poor kick that I can recall but was pretty faultless besides this.

30 minutes ago, robbo24 said:

I agree with Clint. Michie took 5 intercept marks and played his role in the zone defence perfectly. For some perspective, the next best was 2... this is pretty impressive.

He didn't lay many tackles but his role was to hang a kick behind the play so he was never going to be involved in many tackles/hard balls etc.

Michie had 1 poor kick that I can recall but was pretty faultless besides this.

Far out. Our standards are higher now aren't they? He contributed very little, our defence was a mess, we lost, Michie had 0 tackles and 2 contested possessions.

 

1 minute ago, stuie said:

Far out. Our standards are higher now aren't they? He contributed very little, our defence was a mess, we lost, Michie had 0 tackles and 2 contested possessions.

 

He was ok.

I think the days of accepting ok are over.

Salem has been ok this year too.

2 minutes ago, nutbean said:

He was ok.

I think the days of accepting ok are over.

Salem has been ok this year too.

Yet Michie is lining up for his 3rd "ok" game in a row....

 

4 minutes ago, stuie said:

Far out. Our standards are higher now aren't they? He contributed very little, our defence was a mess, we lost, Michie had 0 tackles and 2 contested possessions.

 

You can go off stats or you can go by what his perceived role is. Watching the game it was obvious that Hunt and Wagner were running forward offensively at stoppages and Michie was filling a hole in general play. He wasn't playing as an inside midfielder who will rack up high tackle counts. He got a game this week which says to me that he did what he was asked to by the coaches

10 minutes ago, stuie said:

Yet Michie is lining up for his 3rd "ok" game in a row....

 

You are not the only one mystified stuie

4 minutes ago, stuie said:

Far out. Our standards are higher now aren't they? He contributed very little, our defence was a mess, we lost, Michie had 0 tackles and 2 contested possessions.

 

 

2 minutes ago, nutbean said:

He was ok.

I think the days of accepting ok are over.

Salem has been ok this year too.

I am thinking Viv was given specific instructions and he carried them out against the Dogs. He went from being named on the extended bench against the Suns to being named in the starting 18 (does not mean he will start) and ahead of the more fancied (on Demonland) Salem in a team coming off a loss. Obviously the coaches felt he did well. He provides (in basketball terms) the outlet. Yes he did not get many contested possessions but in my humble opinion one of our faults is that we have too many players at the contest and not enough options for outlets if we win possession.  This leads to turnovers. If you watch the Dogs they had one hard at it player in the contests and 2 or 3 on the outside waiting for the throw.  

Viv's delivery by foot and hand is excellent and he has been applauded by Plapp in public for his link up work between the back and forwards. Maybe we experts on Demonland not being fully aware of what players are asked to do and can only judge them solely on personal expectations. Viv does not kick goals but many of his possessions result in scoring opportunities. I would love to see a player evaluation of the 1sts the same way Casey players are assessed. 

I'm really not as worried by what stats Michie, Wagner and Hunt have, as by the number of goals and uncontested possessions their direct opponents have. Yes, we are playing a zone defence (rather poorly at times), but it was staggering how often Bulldogs players were 30 metres clear inside 50 last week.

Michie is the same unaccountable player he has always been (don't get me wrong Hunt, Wagner, Salem and Lumumba are every bit as bad) and he doesn't do enough offensively to justify a spot on this team. I would much rather see Grimes or Terlich get the opportunities that Michie keeps getting.

Pederson is a late out.

Dunn now in the squad.