1 minute ago, McQueen said:

Performance issue.

Apparently couldn't finish a pack of Winnie Reds and a block of VB cans all in one night.

I see your point Steve. That is soft.

10 hours ago, Deemented Are Go! said:

When was that game?

2013. Reading the team-sheet again was the first time I'd felt something like pity for Mark Neeld.

24 minutes ago, McQueen said:

Performance issue.

Apparently couldn't finish a pack of Winnie Reds and a block of VB cans all in one night.

If that is the case then he is not worthy of wearing the red & blue..... Deesgraceful I tell ye!! ? ?

24 minutes ago, Skuit said:

2013. Reading the team-sheet again was the first time I'd felt something like pity for Mark Neeld.

A lot of it was his doing.

Traded out a bunch of players for nothing.

25 minutes ago, Skuit said:

2013. Reading the team-sheet again was the first time I'd felt something like pity for Mark Neeld.

Uurrrgghhh.

I had actually erased that from my memory. 

I scrub and scrub, but the dirt won't come off...

1 minute ago, Deemented Are Go! said:

Uurrrgghhh.

I had actually erased that from my memory. 

I scrub and scrub, but the dirt won't come off...

It's a bit like my tinea Deemented. 

2 minutes ago, Is Dom Is Good said:

A lot of it was his doing.

Traded out a bunch of players for nothing.

Martin, Morton and Gysberts traded out.  Green (retired), Jurrah, Moloney, Bate, Bennell and Cook delisted.  Gee, the side starts looking stronger already.

Like Deeko and most of us, the two obvious ins are Hoges and Hibberd (not sure why one or two think he needs another week - he played the full game, he's in unless he pulled up sore. If Jones was coming back off injury would you expect him to play two games in the VFL to prove his fitness?)

The one obvious out is Weid, although the coach may actually try and talk him up again at selection table. But even Goody will be shut down quickly this time and he can't try and make out that there aren't any options this week as Hoges is back.

The big question is who the other out is and it would be a huge lack of faith statement to drop Melky, especially for his mate - so that won't happen. Given that Salem will now move up to a wing or half forward and Melky possibly to a wing as well, it's possible that Billy or Bugg may cop a surprise bullet. If that's the case the last man-in, first man out says Bugg, but I just reckon he's a good needler that suits Richmond, so Stretch may have to miss a game and watch on from the coach's box before returning for the game v Essendon. He's too good to be left out for a long and probably just needs a reminder of his running patterns, which were brilliant all pre-season and have been a bit off the past two weeks - he collided with our players about four times against Freo.

The other tricky one is Hannan, who hasn't hit the heights of Rd 1, although quite often he does the team thing on the lead and protects his teammate. He may need to go back to VFL with his AFL experience and find a more ruthless goalsneak edge. 

The other selection question is whether we can again go with just five talls (six being the norm nowadays as it gives you cover if one gets hurt). We only need two down back this week as the Tigers are going small up forward these days and Hibberd and Vince are big enough to handle Dusty when he rests at full-forward.

There's a theory that we won't play Pedo as the sixth tall if it's wet. But personally I'd play Pedo as the sxith tall anyway because he attacks the ball so well, even if he's not quick enough for a long term option. In the wet, Wattsy ain't necessarily going to be a great rucking backup option anyway as he prefers dry conditions to leap and break free and fully utilise his smarts. You also need to go back up the line more often in the wet, so you need a marking outlet with strength and Pedo can be that guy.H e may not take the mark, but he will contest. He's also useful as a step ladder for Watts, Harmesy and Trac. So I'm going with six talls - that was how we started the season and won our first two games after all. 

I'm also hoping that Nat Jones starts in defence with a planned move to bring him into the middle when we need a spark late - opposite to last week. The reason is that now we ain't as likely to get the hitouts, it means we need bigger bodies in the middle so Oliver, Tyson, Viney (he's big in muscular sense) with the cameos from Petracca and Harmes is a better option now, especially with no VDB to scare 'em.

Trenners will most likely have to wait, although I'm sure we'd all love to see him get a game. O-Mac and Angus sound like they need to show their desperation to get back - they'll get back soon, just not this week. Ideally O-Mac should play forward in VFL, while Angus in my view should be playing as an attacking intercept defender - versatility has been lost in recent years with zones all the rage, but I just sense we are close to sides playing funny buggers again and swapping guys down and back regularly.

B: Hunt Frost Hibberd

HB: Vince T-Mac Jones

C: Melky Oliver Salem

HF: Harmes Hogan Kent

F: Garlett Watts Petracca

Ru: Spencer Tyson Viney

Int: ANB,  Bugg, Jetta, Pedo

Emerg: Stretch (23rd), Hannan, Trengove

 

47 minutes ago, Petraccattack said:

They haven't beaten us since 2013, in one of Neelds last games as coach. They beat us twice in 2012 in Neelds first year, and beat us in Round 22 of 2011 when we had Todd Viney as interim coach after the sacking of Bailey. We beat them the previous three times over 2009-2010 when we showed promise under Bailey.

Translation - Richmond are a joke can only beat us when we are a total rabble.  

Yeah but Neeld "Never saw anything coming" other than his " Strange Fanatastic Dream" ! apologies to great rock band "Ariel" for literary licence!

Goody said on the weekend that since a Hogan came back from the West he had done everything right.  Assume he has been training really well, showing the right attitude, etc, so should walk straight back in.  Can't see him being left out.

34 minutes ago, Skuit said:

2013. Reading the team-sheet again was the first time I'd felt something like pity for Mark Neeld.

Kidding? Right ??Pity?? You must be joking!???

Just now, buck_nekkid said:

Goody said on the weekend that since a Hogan came back from the West he had done everything right.  Assume he has been training really well, showing the right attitude, etc, so should walk straight back in.  Can't see him being left out.

 

About as much chance of Hogan not being picked vs Richmond as there was for Watts not being picked in Round 1.

12 minutes ago, picket fence said:

Yeah but Neeld "Never saw anything coming" other than his " Strange Fanatastic Dream" ! apologies to great rock band "Ariel" for literary licence!

 

PF, you must be as old as me!!!

7 hours ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

Jones supports both Hogan and Pedersen being in the team - twitter feed:   https://twitter.com/melbournefc?ref_src=twsrc^tfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.melbournefc.com.au%2F

Jones: "Next week's game is an opportunity to put our brand on display against a red-hot Richmond".  Huh!!

The club's song book: 'our brand being on display' and our 'system' and 'not relying on specific personnel' is now full of platitudes and is becoming tiresome.  I would like to hear our coach and leaders talk about intent, bringing the right attitude and giving a 4 qtrs effort.  Win or lose but please commit to those 3 things. 

Right now Richmond are playing 'our brand' a lot better than we are.  Jones' interview does not fill me with a lot of confidence for this week. 

Neither Jones nor Goodwin are very articulate in front of the media.  Jones is just regurgitating exactly what the coach says.  The "journey" thing is just them trying to tell you that we're a work in progress.  It might be tedious to listen to, but it's pretty hard to disagree with the point.  I wouldn't take the absence of those key words to mean an absence of commitment, it's not the point they're choosing to labour in front of the mics.

I'm a big supporter of our coach and our skipper, but I think you could just as easily skip the pressers and you wouldn't be any less informed.  They give donuts.

16 minutes ago, bingers said:

 

PF, you must be as old as me!!!

Bingers! Thanks for this!! Unfortunately most of the members depicted have gone to the great "Gig in the sky" Except Mike Rudd who is still kicking around!

Cheers 

PF

1 hour ago, dave said:

Well if we don't pick Hogan for Monday night it won't be worth going. What's Jones talking about? Hogan must be in team

He never said they won't pick him. Listen to the whole media conference 

20 minutes ago, Nasher said:

Neither Jones nor Goodwin are very articulate in front of the media.  Jones is just regurgitating exactly what the coach says.  The "journey" thing is just them trying to tell you that we're a work in progress.  It might be tedious to listen to, but it's pretty hard to disagree with the point.  I wouldn't take the absence of those key words to mean an absence of commitment, it's not the point they're choosing to labour in front of the mics.

I'm a big supporter of our coach and our skipper, but I think you could just as easily skip the pressers and you wouldn't be any less informed.  They give donuts.

All clubs do this 

1 hour ago, Deemented Are Go! said:

Uurrrgghhh.

I had actually erased that from my memory. 

I scrub and scrub, but the dirt won't come off...

The thing is, I can't remember a single thing from that particular game. Usually I have a vague outline at least, but I must have finally achieved some form of suppression. That, or I'd taken to serious game-day self-medication by then.

1 hour ago, picket fence said:

Yeah but Neeld "Never saw anything coming" other than his " Strange Fanatastic Dream" ! apologies to great rock band "Ariel" for literary licence!

He often saw the reality bus coming ...

N.Jones statement on J.Hogan was just a waste of time, everyone knows he is playing next week.I would rather the coach make comments on the team's performance,Goodwin needs to put a skyrocket some of our players,perhaps we have flat-lined. Actually I thought the draft didn't help us a great deal considering what Essendon F.C achieved. Picking up Melsham we paid overs.Hibbard might be o.k,we will wait ans see. Hannan possibily a champion VFL player. Based on Casey's loss there isn't much you can promote.  Hogan,Pedo and or T.Smith out Weed (since Hogan's in the weed may stay.

1 hour ago, ENYAW said:

N.Jones statement on J.Hogan was just a waste of time, everyone knows he is playing next week.I would rather the coach make comments on the team's performance,Goodwin needs to put a skyrocket some of our players,perhaps we have flat-lined. Actually I thought the draft didn't help us a great deal considering what Essendon F.C achieved. Picking up Melsham we paid overs.Hibbard might be o.k,we will wait ans see. Hannan possibily a champion VFL player. Based on Casey's loss there isn't much you can promote.  Hogan,Pedo and or T.Smith out Weed (since Hogan's in the weed may stay.

How I see it is Melksham and Hibberd need to make as much an impact immediately as an 800k a year defender that we could've got instead. And Salem & Tyson need to start making as much a combined impact as Josh Kelly would. They're my measuring sticks for this year and I think that's pretty fair.

1 hour ago, Petraccattack said:

 

About as much chance of Hogan not being picked vs Richmond as there was for Watts not being picked in Round 1.

Or that there was no longer a place for Jetta in the back six...

1 hour ago, bingers said:

 

PF, you must be as old as me!!!

 

46 minutes ago, picket fence said:

Bingers! Thanks for this!! Unfortunately most of the members depicted have gone to the great "Gig in the sky" Except Mike Rudd who is still kicking around!

Cheers 

PF

Funny thing about the pic with that song....it's not the lineup that recorded it.

Mike and Bill were there of course but the Strange Fantastic Dream album was recorded by the first version of Ariel...not this one.

...by the way Glynn (behind Mike on the right) is also still around.

Didn't obviously, though we absolutely should've beaten Geelong and Freo despite having several key 'outs'. It's a pity we lost those games obviously but we were up to our neck in both of them. So much so, we should really be 4-0.

It's therefore possible that you need to find some positives ENYAW - perhaps you're over-reacting a litte.

 

3 hours ago, Skuit said:

I'm sick of the damn platitudes! I want them to talk instead about being hungry, not drinking their own bath-water, respecting the jumper . . .

LH - you just asked for our fresh new platitudes to be dropped in favour of some of the oldest cliches in football. And then underlined them for emphasis, like they were written on a pre-match whiteboard.

It is clear that our players did drink their own bath water at half time Saturday. 

It reminded me of a game v Hawks a few years ago when we had a great second quarter, and they strutted off the ground at half time as if they had just won a flag, then just lay down and died in the third.

Leadership, both on and off the field, should have anticipated this and stopped it from happening.  A mature well lead team would