4 hours ago, jako13 said:

i'll go on record here as i like Bugg. have known him for a few years - really nice guy. 

His suspension for a brain fart is over. he was hung dried and quartered, time to move on people

he is Melbourne football club player. is he a deadset gun... no. does he come in as an automatic, no. Were we playing better as a team with him playing well.. yes. Probably needs match fitness at Casey this week. would i be upset if the match committee thought we need his niggle and bring him in straight away, no.

all this crap about earning back trust is just noise and nonsense.

he will play if and when his fitness and form versus the other blokes in his role(s) warrants - amd that is the be all and end all

Totally agree. I really look forward to seeing him back in the red and the blue as soon as his form warrants selection (which I expect will be almost immediately).

 

8 hours ago, pineapple dee said:

Wasn't it a straight left ?

Yep, they'd see that coming. 

17 hours ago, DeezNuts said:

That element of 'playing on the edge' and the subsequent 5x suspensions this year has been a double-edged sword. In one instance, we've suffered with the absences of some of our better players. But on the other hand, we've instantly lost the old tag of being a soft team. Given that we do have depth with our list, I'm comfortable for the occasional Weekend at Bernies as long as he roughs up a Danger or Sloane as he has in recent times. Same goes for Bugg, and he just might give Trac the rest that he needs. Hope Bugg gets the nod.

I would just like to add to these comments by saying that i would think the "old tag" would love to have the "lid put on" it properly as well as being "dead, buried and cremated" when we step out for the next two weeks and hopefully whatever follows.

There is still a fair amount of burying to be done, and if there's one thing i do know about it's burying.....

7 hours ago, deebug said:

That's why i hate the media they just make things up as they go; some one on fox said Bugg would never play another game for the Melbourne football club ever again. How can people make such s*$^ up all the time, is so wrong.

Some "supporters" on this site said it.....

7 hours ago, jnrmac said:

There was an article in the HSun saying Bugg should have been suspended longer because he has a history of being a defendant  at the tribunal. In other words players have hit him therefore he must have been doing something wrong to deserve the hit. Beggars belief.

He's probably the only one with enough guts to go in there (joke area) and try and get them off!!!!

On Tuesday, August 15, 2017 at 6:50 PM, brendan said:

Reported on 7 news he won't be considered for selection for remainder of the year needs to earn back trust 

Definitely not the impression I get from Jones's comments:

http://m.melbournefc.com.au/news/2017-08-16/depth-has-grown-at-the-club-jones

 

Meanwhile, Jones said utility Tom Bugg hadn’t put a foot wrong during his time on the sidelines, following a six-match suspension.

“It was a difficult period for him earlier, but I could not question his commitment to the team or his own preparation in performance,” he said.

“He was well aware of having to earn some respect and some trust and he has not put a foot wrong in six weeks that he’s been out.

“He’s really led the way with the way he’s performed on the training track and he’s got really involved in each player and some of our younger players – and taking on some new leadership roles and opportunities.

“I’m excited for him and the chance to get back out there and perform. I think that’s all he’s going to be looking forward to and preparing himself for. From there, he’ll let his actions do the talking on the field and hopefully find himself back in contention.”

We will need him to take Scully and Kelly out when we play the Giants in the GF.

Funny, but I never considered Bugg a walk up start in the first place.

He's not best 22 and has always been a depth player to my thinking.

What's changed?

38 minutes ago, rjay said:

Funny, but I never considered Bugg a walk up start in the first place.

He's not best 22 and has always been a depth player to my thinking.

What's changed?

Up until the point he was suspended, he was best 22.  It was no coincidence that he has been part of some of our best wins this season.  He was kicking goals and putting on some terrific pressure inside our forward 50.

The problem for him now is that Melksham has taken that role and he is playing it very well.  It makes it hard for him to find his way back into the senior side, but that's also a good thing and a great reflection on depth.

20 minutes ago, Wiseblood said:

Up until the point he was suspended, he was best 22.  It was no coincidence that he has been part of some of our best wins this season.  He was kicking goals and putting on some terrific pressure inside our forward 50.

The problem for him now is that Melksham has taken that role and he is playing it very well.  It makes it hard for him to find his way back into the senior side, but that's also a good thing and a great reflection on depth.

He wasn't kicking goals but broadly I agree. Our record with him was good and our forward half pressure dropped off in the few weeks after he was dropped. We needed him against North. May not have made the difference but we needed some buggy niggling in the forward half. 

39 minutes ago, Wiseblood said:

Up until the point he was suspended, he was best 22.  It was no coincidence that he has been part of some of our best wins this season.  He was kicking goals and putting on some terrific pressure inside our forward 50.

The problem for him now is that Melksham has taken that role and he is playing it very well.  It makes it hard for him to find his way back into the senior side, but that's also a good thing and a great reflection on depth.

 

16 minutes ago, praha said:

He wasn't kicking goals but broadly I agree. Our record with him was good and our forward half pressure dropped off in the few weeks after he was dropped. We needed him against North. May not have made the difference but we needed some buggy niggling in the forward half. 

Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

42 minutes ago, praha said:

He wasn't kicking goals but broadly I agree. Our record with him was good and our forward half pressure dropped off in the few weeks after he was dropped. We needed him against North. May not have made the difference but we needed some buggy niggling in the forward half. 

Probably should have said that he was getting lots of opportunities to score.  He needed to turn more of those into goals, but he showed that he could contribute well for us.

 

25 minutes ago, rjay said:

 

Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

I was impressed with his efforts well before he got suspended, as were many others.

ANB and Milkshake playing his role just as well.

The fact that he did absolutely nothing against Sydney after his tough act still annoys me. He literally went to water.

I'd be happy to leave him at Casey for the rest of the year and he can try and add some other elements to his game over the off-season. Ballantyne is similarly a pest but can back his talk up with ability. 

Edited August 16, 20178 yr by stevethemanjordan

25 minutes ago, stevethemanjordan said:

ANB and Milkshake playing his role just as well.

The fact that he did absolutely nothing against Sydney after his tough act still annoys me. He literally went to water.

I'd be happy to leave him at Casey for the rest of the year and he can try and add some other elements to his game over the off-season. Ballantyne is similarly a pest but can back his talk up with ability. 

You picked the wrong comparison there. Different roles, different positions.

Bugg has outperformed Ballantyne in virtually all categories this year.

A part of me definitely wants him to feature again this year. I'm sure he's in the mix but it says more about our competition for spots right now.

I'm a Bugg fan but wowee his stock has risen in his time away judging by some of these posts.

Play him at Casey. He'll be champing at the bit and I wouldn't be surprised to see him play a blinder ala his game where he had 30 odd possessions and kicked 3 or 4 goals. Coaches will then have a decision to make.

His niggle is an asset but temperament def has a cloud over it. He went missing for the remainder of that game against Sydney and we can't afford that. 

 

Edited August 17, 20178 yr by P-man

If the role between Melksham and Bugg is to be the linkman who can kick  goals and hit targets more conssitently then Melksham is the man for the role. Bugg is not so reliable in that respect but he probably puts more acid on opposition defenders.( a very important quality ). Melksham should hold his spot based on his output last Sunday.

18 minutes ago, P-man said:

I'm a Bugg fan but wowee his stock has risen in his time away judging by some of these posts.

Play him at Casey. He'll be champing at the bit and I wouldn't be surprised to see him play a blinder ala his game where he had 30 odd possessions and kicked 3 or 4 goals. Coaches will then have a decision to make.

His niggle is an asset but temperament def has a cloud over it. He went missing for the remainder of that game against Sydney and we can't afford that. 

 

You could also argue that his stock has dropped in the eyes of some since his suspension, and I understand that.  It's no coincidence though that when we were playing our best footy he was a part of our side.  There are a few (not saying it's you) that have been quick to forget that.

Having said all of that, I agree that he'll more than likely come back through Casey this weekend.

20 minutes ago, pineapple dee said:

If the role between Melksham and Bugg is to be the linkman who can kick  goals and hit targets more conssitently then Melksham is the man for the role. Bugg is not so reliable in that respect but he probably puts more acid on opposition defenders.( a very important quality ). Melksham should hold his spot based on his output last Sunday.

This looks about right but are Bugg and Melksham really competing for the same spots? Prior to his suspension I think Bugg and Melksham had played in pretty much every game together.

Melksham looks to have changed his role and is playing well but has he taken over Bugg's role? And if so is there another role for Bugg?

In rounds 12, 13, 14 - 3 wins for Melb

Bugg 36 disp 12 tackles 5 goals

Melksham 33 disp 9 tackles 3 goals

Since the Swans game Melksham has definitely improved IMO.

Total apples and oranges question, but taking all backstories into account who deserves to be in the side more right now Bugg or Watts?

49 minutes ago, jnrmac said:

You picked the wrong comparison there. Different roles, different positions.

Bugg has outperformed Ballantyne in virtually all categories this year.

I said that he's similarly a pest. But Ballantyne backs it up with his individual performance in most games both won and lost. This year has been injury riddled.

My wish is for Tom Bugg to offer the team more than just an ability to get under the skin of the oppo when we're on top. He the walking definition of the term 'down hill skier'.

When the going gets tough, his ability to pester becomes obsolete and I've never seen him get the team going on the back of individual efforts when we're not on top in games. 

And as I said, the Sydney game said it all really. He may as well not have played.

Edited August 17, 20178 yr by stevethemanjordan

5 minutes ago, layzie said:

Total apples and oranges question, but taking all backstories into account who deserves to be in the side more right now Bugg or Watts?

What's Buggs form like in the VFL?

Oh, right...

1 minute ago, stevethemanjordan said:

I said that he's similarly a pest. But he backs it up with his individual performance. This year has been injury riddled.

My wish is for Tom Bugg to offer the team more than just an ability to get under the skin of the oppo when we're on top. He the walking definition of the term 'down hill skier'.

When the going gets tough, his ability to pester becomes obsolete and I've never seen him get the team going on the back of individual efforts.

And as I said, the Sydney game said it all really. He may as well not have played.

I think you are being harsh.

He has kicked 7.12 for the year. Had he kicked 12.7 we would be singing his praises a lot more. His kicking has definitely let him down but he was getting the ball, playing his role and keeping other players relatively quiet.

1 minute ago, jnrmac said:

I think you are being harsh.

Maybe. But it's my view.

Honestly, the role player can be important but there a plenty who can do it and it's mainly left to individuals who are limited in their ability. 

Would rather a high pressure, quick and skilled half-forward ahead of Bugg or ANB. Hopefully we get another during the off-season.

The more attribute diversity a player has, the better the team will be.