WELCOME TO THE MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - STEVEN MAY

[hemingway 7,615]

8 minutes ago, old dee said:

I love tough guys Ernest. We have had so few over the years. We were cream puffs for a long time  AVB at one end and May at the other. No bruise free football for these guys.

I remember how good I felt when I saw Big Carl run out in Demon Colours for the first time.

We finally had a guy to scare the pants off the opposition.

Ray Biffen did also but he created mayhem in the goal square whereas Big Carl was like a marauding Hannibal coming down from the Alps.

We are developing a take no prisoners team.

[Young Blood 2,575]

Having Hibberd, Jetta and May is going to be something special. There's compeditive backlines and then there's just mean, physical players who use their bodies incredibly well to beat their opposition. We now have 3x the latter.

Give these guys a look at finals where one on ones are crucial and it just gives you chills.

[beelzebub 23,313]

There's an aspect to this which I'm not sure if already mentioned. Leadership. We just poached a Captain. Someone with real leadership ability.

We bemoan the lack of leadership at times...well.. here's some.

[Deemania since 56 6,607]

36 minutes ago, old dee said:

I love tough guys Ernest. We have had so few over the years. We were cream puffs for a long time  AVB at one end and May at the other. No bruise free football for these guys.

...and Viney through the middle....

[Deemania since 56 6,607]

31 minutes ago, hemingway said:

I remember how good I felt when I saw Big Carl run out in Demon Colours for the first time.

We finally had a guy to scare the pants off the opposition.

Ray Biffen did also but he created mayhem in the goal square whereas Big Carl was like a marauding Hannibal coming down from the Alps.

We are developing a take no prisoners team.

Sure loved that way big Carl took anyone on, making them tremor in fear, losing possession, getting somewhat out of the way or running away from their coaches' instructions for that game. There was no bluff. If you were caught, you were done and never came back.

Biffen did this too, and I place him higher than just a mayhem agent. He settled things.

As for Rod Grinter - he was as good as anyone at setting and settling a score of benchmarks on aggressive and effective play. It was a shame that he was penalised so heavily although in interviews, he admitted he deserved it from time to time. (I also thought that Grinter was the best foot-passer across any distance that we ever had - such a beautiful, powerful and quickly directed kick to a teammate. Stunning!)

Edited October 18, 2018 by Deemania since 56

[CBDees 3,167]

27 minutes ago, hemingway said:

I remember how good I felt when I saw Big Carl run out in Demon Colours for the first time.

We finally had a guy to scare the pants off the opposition.

Ray Biffen did also but he created mayhem in the goal square whereas Big Carl was like a marauding Hannibal coming down from the Alps.

We are developing a take no prisoners team.

I went to school with Carl Dietrich! I decided it safer to gravitate to the basketball court at lunch and recess rather than risk my life taking on Carl and his cronies playing kick-to-kick! 

[Forest Demon 4,681]

Lever and May into our backline from the team that played finals, yes please.

[MurDoc516 1,505]

I won't be mad if when we face the eagles he lines up Kennedy.

[Dee1987 277]

Like the rest of us here’s to hoping that May, can help curb big forwards like Hawkins, Brown, Kennedy/ Darling kicking big bags against us 

[IvanBartul13 2,564]

10 minutes ago, MurDoc516 said:

I won't be mad if when we face the eagles he lines up Kennedy.

Not sure if been mentioned but he has a BOG Three Brownlow vote game on Kennedy.

[Gator 17,276]

2 hours ago, david_neitz_is_my_dad said:

 

 

 

 

Only one Carlton player remonstrated.  And it was a half-hearted token effort.

[Deemania since 56 6,607]

41 minutes ago, deefella said:

Like the rest of us here’s to hoping that May, can help curb big forwards like Hawkins, Brown, Kennedy/ Darling kicking big bags against us 

That would be very handy, as well; and yet,  the expertly allocated moment of 'biff' has a lingering effect on that player for the whole game. Not that I am encouraging violence, it's just that hard players may well see moments of terribly unfortunate physical distress in opponents and can share another moment or two of wise counsel and interpretative understanding soon after.  

[John Demonic 5,747]

3 hours ago, dl4e said:

If only we could recreate Brent Crosswell and get him to play along side May.

Marcus Seecamp would be a decent sidekick

[D4Life 2,439]

9 hours ago, ManDee said:

The thing with May is that I think he will make all the other defenders walk taller, be more confident and less likely to be intimidated. Reminds me of a Big Byron. He and Jetta will be rocks.

Eagles rag dolled us in Prelim, adding May & Preuss will definitely help!

[Demon Disciple 12,064]

30 minutes ago, John Demonic said:

Marcus Seecamp would be a decent sidekick

Anthony Ingerson. May covers the FB position, we now need a great CHB which Ingo delivers in spades.

[ding 5,126]

Just read his interview on the club website and im more pumped than ever to get him in. He has already spoken to Lever and it sounds like he cant wait to get stuck in again.

On a side note, this is the quote that most stood out.........

“I’ve never even played in a Friday night game, let alone a final, so I’m just looking forward to being part of it.”

How The actual [censored] is that possible for a player who has been on the field 120 or so times.

I, and others, will miss Hogan, but i have a feeling this bloke will bring something that helps us all cope with the loss.

[faultydet 7,594]

5 minutes ago, ding said:

Just read his interview on the club website and im more pumped than ever to get him in. He has already spoken to Lever and it sounds like he cant wait to get stuck in again.

On a side note, this is the quote that most stood out.........

“I’ve never even played in a Friday night game, let alone a final, so I’m just looking forward to being part of it.”

How The actual [censored] is that possible for a player who has been on the field 120 or so times.

I, and others, will miss Hogan, but i have a feeling this bloke will bring something that helps us all cope with the loss.

Seeing Curnow smashed by a Melb player as he was in the above video will ease much of the pain for the Hogan tragics.

[jnrmac 20,053]

On 10/17/2018 at 10:08 PM, Demon Disciple said:

Any potential nicknames for May?

'The Wall' perhaps?

Pong....for the youngies its an arcade game from 1972 where an automated ping pong bats just keeps hitting the ball back into play....

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 10,799]

11 hours ago, D4Life said:

Eagles rag dolled us in Prelim, adding May & Preuss will definitely help!

Yeah, maybe.

I recon the eagles were just far fresher and more switched on at the start of the game than what we were thay day in the prelim.  We had essentially played 4 to 6 weeks of finals, where as they had somewhat costed to the end of the season and played 2 games in a month.  It was more our shocking turn overs, though appreciate that is related to physical pressure.

If you go back to Rd 22, we hit them physically as hard and with a similar sort of intensity that they did to us in the prelim.  My recollection is that had we kicked straight in Rd 22, we probably would have ended up smashing them on the scoreboard by as much as they did to us in the prelim.

Key thing for us is that I felt our younger guys started hitting physical maturity as team last year and pushed us over that critical mass in that respects.  Guys like Brayshaw, Harmes, etc had the grunt run, rough and tumble in the guts all day.  Viney was already a beast.  AVB had a big physical presence when he came back.  I'm really hoping that as guys like Oliver, Weid, Oscar and the rest already mentioned get that one more preseason into them that it will allow us to absolutely bully, monster and intimidate the opposition like those great Lyons sides of the early 2000s.  Then we just need the runners like Hunt and Freitch to find some form, run and dash on the outside.

Yes May and perhaps Preuss wI'll somewhat complement that, but I think it will be our physicality all over the ground that will damage sides more so.  I also like the idea that Preuss might give us an option much closer in height to plan on the American Cox.  If Cox continues to improve, watch out, he could become even more of a wepon and having tall options to nullify him could become pretty important.

[beelzebub 23,313]

[chook fowler 19,444]

13 hours ago, Demon Disciple said:

Anthony Ingerson. May covers the FB position, we now need a great CHB which Ingo delivers in spades.

Agree re Ingerson, a very underrated fullback. But my favourite would be the late, great Sean White.

[binman 42,629]

I like the fact he is a left foot kick. Means with Salem and Hibbo we have 3 lefties down back, which as well as creating a nice balance helps us exit the ball. 

He's also a reliable kick, which is important everywhere, but most of all down back.

I think, if there are no fitness issues our starting back six next season will be omac, jets, may, lever, hibbo and Salem. Lever is probably the least of reliable kick of that group. But not too bad. The others are all excellent kicks.

Which means we will have a back six who rarely turns the ball over when exiting defence. So important. 

Helps also to set up attacks as well. I suspect they will take a leaf out of the hawks and eagles play book and do a lot of practice switching the ball. 

Edited October 18, 2018 by binman

[Ron Burgundy 8,584]

17 hours ago, beelzebub said:

There's an aspect to this which I'm not sure if already mentioned. Leadership. We just poached a Captain. Someone with real leadership ability.

We bemoan the lack of leadership at times...well.. here's some.

Surely, he has to be in the leadership group.

 

 

[Pennant St Dee 13,105]

18 hours ago, old dee said:

I love tough guys Ernest. We have had so few over the years. We were cream puffs for a long time  AVB at one end and May at the other. No bruise free football for these guys.

I think you can add Viney, Melk and Hibberd to the list OD. Certainly not the side we were pre Roos

[stevethemanjordan 6,952]

Our backline has gone from a shambles three to four years ago to now being a strength. We've added Hibberd, Lewis, Lever and now May. It's unbelievable. 

Not in my time once as a supporter have felt confident in our back six as an entire unit. And now I will be.

To my ears, it sounds as if many posters who have questioned the May trade haven't actually watched him play, or nearly enough of him. Let me elaborate.

In May, we're getting pretty much exactly what Frost offered us in terms of speed and offensive play from our back-half. However, unlike Frost, May is an exceptional one-on-one defender and intercept player, he has elite foot-skills for a key defender, he is super smart and composed with ball in hand and he plays with a similar intensity to Viney both at the ball and man.

He is similar to Rance in that he has the closing speed and awareness to leave his opponent and halve contests that otherwise would be pencilled in as a win for opposition sides. That trait is extremely special.

He is a leader and former captain. His aggression and presence are going to change the entire look and feel of our defence. During the year, I am certain that opposition key forwards would have been strolling into our backline, seeing Oscar and Frost as our key defenders and thinking they'd have a day-out. Franklin, Riewoldt, Kennedy, Hawkins. All of them would have licked their lips. May's addition in that sense is enormous. Opposition sides know that May is aggressive and plays to hurt, and that advantage is significant. Opposition forwards second guessing at contests is exactly what you want as a defender. I can't remember ever having that in our backline save maybe for Jetta on smaller forwards, but never key forwards. They've always had something laugh at.

Posters really do underestimate what he's going to provide and the onflow effect he'll have.

His arrival is as big as any imo.

Edited October 18, 2018 by stevethemanjordan