http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2017-12-07/balic-finding-his-feet

Fluff piece.

The club is handling him well though. Didn't give up much to get him and he's been given a one year contract to show he can get himself right and start developing. He'll need to prove himself to earn another contract. He's quite a talented player when fit and if he can stay fit physically and mentally he can break into our best 22 IMO. Would be a good half forward flank/midfield rotation. Hope he makes it as he's a good size and has some decent skills.

14 minutes ago, Lord Travis said:

Fluff piece.

The club is handling him well though. Didn't give up much to get him and he's been given a one year contract to show he can get himself right and start developing. He'll need to prove himself to earn another contract. He's quite a talented player when fit and if he can stay fit physically and mentally he can break into our best 22 IMO. Would be a good half forward flank/midfield rotation. Hope he makes it as he's a good size and has some decent skills.

No doubt he'll have to earn his spot by playing at Casey. He'll be a handy addition if he can cut it. Getting him cheaply will be the icing if it works out. 

6 hours ago, Lord Travis said:

Fluff piece.

The club is handling him well though. Didn't give up much to get him and he's been given a one year contract to show he can get himself right and start developing. He'll need to prove himself to earn another contract. He's quite a talented player when fit and if he can stay fit physically and mentally he can break into our best 22 IMO. Would be a good half forward flank/midfield rotation. Hope he makes it as he's a good size and has some decent skills.

Not sure what else they could have put in that article.

I worry about the mindset of any player who is that much of a mummies boy that he can't bring himself to be away from her, but if he gets fit and establishes himself in the senior team, it will be yet another great pickup by our recruiting team.

The article says he will play half forward. I'm more confident by the day that Petracca will be seen much more through the midfield this coming season. That excites me even more.

 

2 hours ago, faultydet said:

The article says he will play half forward. I'm more confident by the day that Petracca will be seen much more through the midfield this coming season. That excites me even more.

 

I heard from a very reliable source that both Christians (P & S) were told at their end of season reviews to prepare for next season as midfielders. 

Based on the training reports this appears to have been confirmed.

1 hour ago, hells bells said:

I heard from a very reliable source that both Christians (P & S) were told at their end of season reviews to prepare for next season as midfielders. 

Based on the training reports this appears to have been confirmed.

Will be interesting to see how much our midfield is transformed by having the kicking skills of that pair following the ball around.

Oliver, Viney, Brayshaw, Jones, Petracca, Salem

A good mix of brute force and Silk

4 hours ago, faultydet said:

Not sure what else they could have put in that article.

I worry about the mindset of any player who is that much of a mummies boy that he can't bring himself to be away from her, but if he gets fit and establishes himself in the senior team, it will be yet another great pickup by our recruiting team.

The article says he will play half forward. I'm more confident by the day that Petracca will be seen much more through the midfield this coming season. That excites me even more.

 

Why? What's that got to do with how he plays football? If you were saying that about a player who is homesick, I'd understand it, but now that he's home and that potentially depressive scenario has been removed, why is it now a concern?

1 hour ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

Why? What's that got to do with how he plays football? If you were saying that about a player who is homesick, I'd understand it, but now that he's home and that potentially depressive scenario has been removed, why is it now a concern?

But he WAS homesick. So you agree with me then hey?

I think not being able to perform at your best without having mum nearby is mentally weak. (If that's what his problem was)

People have been banging on about how important the mental side of the game is for years. Mental strength is needed in difficult situations. I'm hoping for the best, but not expecting much from him.

Now that Watts is gone i fully expect our midfield to be more attacking. There is no reason why Salem and Tracc cannot kick goals regularly

Salem has to do something this coming year. I am suprised he wasn’t trade bait a couple of months ago

53 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Now that Watts is gone i fully expect our midfield to be more attacking. There is no reason why Salem and Tracc cannot kick goals regularly

Salem has to do something this coming year. I am suprised he wasn’t trade bait a couple of months ago

Can you expand on this? Why does Watts' departure lead, in your view, to an expectation that the midfield will be more attacking? I don't understand where you're coming from. 

Less targets at Half Forward out wide. 

That’s whhere Jack was so often positioned. He aint there now

16 hours ago, Lord Travis said:

Fluff piece.

The club is handling him well though. Didn't give up much to get him and he's been given a one year contract to show he can get himself right and start developing. He'll need to prove himself to earn another contract. He's quite a talented player when fit and if he can stay fit physically and mentally he can break into our best 22 IMO. Would be a good half forward flank/midfield rotation. Hope he makes it as he's a good size and has some decent skills.

There may well be something that Harley has that we need except it is being kept low key until his conditioning is improved after an interrupted career, so far. We surely would be unlikely to so willingly pay another salary, these days, if there were doubts. If we did and he doesn't pull the skin off the custard for us, then no future contract - and I would give a pay rise with the difference to Clarrie for being so inspirational. Fairy Nuff?

We need his... 

???

Good luck with conditioning we want  see him this coming season playing in the red and blue.

14 hours ago, faultydet said:

worry about the mindset of any player who is that much of a mummies boy that he can't bring himself to be away from her

Just not true (read his interview, many of his issues flowed on from being long-term injured), but even if it is, so what? It takes a lot more mental courage to be honest with yourself about what your emotional needs are than it does to just plow on regardless, toughing it out because "that's what real men do".

This is the kind of BS that leads to the suicide rate amongst men being X3 that of women.

35 minutes ago, bing181 said:

Just not true (read his interview, many of his issues flowed on from being long-term injured), but even if it is, so what? It takes a lot more mental courage to be honest with yourself about what your emotional needs are than it does to just plow on regardless, toughing it out because "that's what real men do".

This is the kind of BS that leads to the suicide rate amongst men being X3 that of women.

Agree totally with the It takes a lot more mental courage to be honest with yourself about what your emotional needs are than it does to just plow on regardless. Men deal horribly with mental illness. Always have, and its in part because of the tough guy attitude.

 

Players get injured all the time, and many for long terms.

Some cope, some dont.

I prefer the ones who cope, and I see nothing wrong with that.

Jesse Hogan is mentally tough. Incredibly so.

13 hours ago, hells bells said:

I heard from a very reliable source that both Christians (P & S) were told at their end of season reviews to prepare for next season as midfielders. 

Based on the training reports this appears to have been confirmed.

Now that is something to really get excited about.   

7 hours ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Now that Watts is gone i fully expect our midfield to be more attacking. There is no reason why Salem and Tracc cannot kick goals regularly

Salem has to do something this coming year. I am suprised he wasn’t trade bait a couple of months ago

SWYL - do you know for a fact that he wasn't?  Our club now plays their cards close to the chest, unless it suits them to do otherwise eg with the Watts trade offer.

9 minutes ago, monoccular said:

Now that is something to really get excited about.   

SWYL - do you know for a fact that he wasn't?  Our club now plays their cards close to the chest, unless it suits them to do otherwise eg with the Watts trade offer.

No idea mate. Certainly didn’t hear anything. 

Trade baits are usually fairly public

48 minutes ago, faultydet said:

Jesse Hogan is mentally tough. Incredibly so.

"Jesse will have some time away from the club, while his mother has also flown over from Perth to be with him."

27 minutes ago, bing181 said:

"Jesse will have some time away from the club, while his mother has also flown over from Perth to be with him."

While recovering from testicular cancer, after losing his father?

You lefties have no compass of any kind.

Real issues. One was life and death for Jesse,the other resulted in death for his father.

As soon as someone posts something that you cant get your head around, your eyes close, your ears shut, and your lose all touch with reality. Your moral crusade is wasted on me mate, because I can see straight through it.

Please leave your political infighting to the general board. No place for it here.

24 minutes ago, Demonland said:

Please leave your political infighting to the general board. No place for it here.

Calling out a player who may have (legitimate) mental health issues as "weak" and a "mummies (sic) boy" has nothing to do with politics.

Hopefully Harley is getting better support and understanding from the club than he's getting from some here.

55 minutes ago, faultydet said:

While recovering from testicular cancer, after losing his father?

You lefties have no compass of any kind.

Real issues. One was life and death for Jesse,the other resulted in death for his father.

As soon as someone posts something that you cant get your head around, your eyes close, your ears shut, and your lose all touch with reality. Your moral crusade is wasted on me mate, because I can see straight through it.

We all hear something....I hear ( from a Port player) that Balic  lived with Harley bennell l in Perth... say no more....don’t hold out a lot of hope.....but only hearsay so will cross fingers that it works out for the Dees ...i’m sure the club are across all these facts as well...but 

32 minutes ago, Demonland said:

Please leave your political infighting to the general board. No place for it here.

Good call - Pretty bizarre that it turned political in the first place though...

On Balic, his issues were clearly deeper and more serious than ‘home-sickness’, and I think that is alluded to in the article.  Hopefully his support network can help him through it.

2 minutes ago, bing181 said:

Calling out a player who may have (legitimate) mental health issues as "weak" and a "mummies (sic) boy" has nothing to do with politics.

Hopefully Harley is getting better support and understanding from the club than he's getting from some here.

I worry about the mindset of any player who is that much of a mummies boy that he can't bring himself to be away from her, but if he gets fit and establishes himself in the senior team, it will be yet another great pickup by our recruiting team.

 

 Everyone is entitled to an opinion, even those opinions that you dont like.

I too hope Harley is fine. He is a Demon now after all.

Thats all I care about.

Rage away.