I watched the last round of 2018 V GWS. (In an attempt to lift my spirits!)How we have missed AVD this whole season. What an essential player he was. I do hope that if he can get himself fully fit he will not be delisted. Give him one more chance MFC. Watching borderline players now I realised that some could still play footy. Kennedy Harris was lively and more than a useful player. Oscar played well as he did in the finals, Neal Bullen too played well. What has happened this season?  Jetta has been not the Neville we know, Hibberd looked so much fitter and faster than he is this season and Brayshaw was outstanding. Max, of course is the true champion he is. At one stage he chased a GWS player with pace for a good fifty metres even though the result was in our hands. Comments ?

 

2 minutes ago, Bobby McKenzie said:

I watched the last round of 2018 V GWS. (In an attempt to lift my spirits!)How we have missed AVD this whole season. What an essential player he was. I do hope that if he can get himself fully fit he will not be delisted. Give him one more chance MFC. Watching borderline players now I realised that some could still play footy. Kennedy Harris was lively and more than a useful player. Oscar played well as he did in the finals, Neal Bullen too played well. What has happened this season?  Jetta has been not the Neville we know, Hibberd looked so much fitter and faster than he is this season and Brayshaw was outstanding. Max, of course is the true champion he is. At one stage he chased a GWS player with pace for a good fifty metres even though the result was in our hands. Comments ?

 

Love AvB's tenacity. Recent reports he's been running now for 6 weeks and the plan is to have him ready for preseason, which is pleasing. He's got 2 more years on his contract so unless there's sone kind of break clause due to reinjury i imagine he'll be on our list next year.

In the Pre season game vs Collingwood he was without doubt the loudest player and one doing all the talking, Plenty went wrong in 2019 for the club but a healthy AVB could have changed a few results.

35 games in 5 years.. 7 games in the last three years

I hope the medical staff are doing a very thorough assessment and not just "hoping for the best."

He'll be 28 at the start of next season.

Rose coloured glasses spring to mind.

when he plays, he's one of our most important players because he connects the midfield with the forwards

i desperately want to see him fit throughout a whole season

A key factor in us making finals and getting to a prelim last year.  No coincidence that our season took off when he returned about Rnd 15.

Hard as a cats head, big bodied, hits hard and has football smarts / poise to go with it.  Clever decision maker who seems to get when to play fast or otherwise.  Decent overhead and knows where the sticks are.

As a HHF roaming through the middle and occasionaly drifting deep forward, a coaches dream with a hard edge and work rate.  You want a bit of extra pressure on the opp up forward or through the middle...he's your man.

Pitty about the bloody injuries.

Sorely missed this season.

Without a shadow of a doubt missed his grunt around stoppages and inside F50.

Hope Burgess can piece him all together again. Important player when fit. Fingers crossed for the human wrecking bull.

Edited August 7, 20196 yr by Win4theAges

35 minutes ago, david_neitz_is_my_dad said:

In the Pre season game vs Collingwood he was without doubt the loudest player and one doing all the talking, Plenty went wrong in 2019 for the club but a healthy AVB could have changed a few results.

More than just being loud, he was having a huge impact wining and clearing the ball.

With his strong physical presence he bullies and crashes his way through packs that others would get caught up in.  The counter effect this has on our opposition shouldn't be underestimated.

Was so looking forward to AvB being fit and cracking in from the get go this year, buy like everything elese, that seemed to go to complete [censored] before the season even started.

That he is back training again is positive, but given his injury history, I think the MFC needs to plan for a season without him next year and if he comes through, then that's a bonus.  For me that means either Trac steps it up another notch and plays the AvB role (I think Trac is actually close to it already) and/or we recruit another strong bull at a gate type midfielder that can have an immediate impact with their bash and crash.

Would love to be proven wrong but it would be a miracle if he plays more than 15 games next year. 

44 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

35 games in 5 years.. 7 games in the last three years

I hope the medical staff are doing a very thorough assessment and not just "hoping for the best."

He'll be 28 at the start of next season.

Rose coloured glasses spring to mind.

A modern day Tingay, Jimbo, albeit one that arrived at the club much older. We are a much better team with him playing but that's the problem: he doesn't play enough. Different player to Tingay obviously but similar in that he is a required player that just can't get on the park. Hopefully we can get a solid 2-3 years out of him where he is consistently in the 22.

59 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

35 games in 5 years.. 7 games in the last three years

I hope the medical staff are doing a very thorough assessment and not just "hoping for the best."

He'll be 28 at the start of next season.

Rose coloured glasses spring to mind.

Time to Delist, can't keep hoping he will come good! Big cleanout coming im anticipating! Stretch, ANB, AVB KK

Oscar, Keilty, Tim Smith, maybe one or two others. Id keep Jeffy for one more year!

2 minutes ago, picket fence said:

Time to Delist, can't keep hoping he will come good! Big cleanout coming im anticipating! Stretch, ANB, AVB KK

Oscar, Keilty, Tim Smith, maybe one or two others. Id keep Jeffy for one more year!

Given AvB is a contracted player my understanding is that we would actually need to trade him rather than simply be able to delist.

4 minutes ago, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

Given AvB is a contracted player my understanding is that we would actually need to trade him rather than simply be able to delist.

I have this gut feeling that AvB may decide to retire.

30 minutes ago, picket fence said:

Time to Delist, can't keep hoping he will come good! Big cleanout coming im anticipating! Stretch, ANB, AVB KK

Oscar, Keilty, Tim Smith, maybe one or two others. Id keep Jeffy for one more year!

Time for you to understand how footy lists work picket. Delisting a player with 2 years remaining on their contract would waste a lot of our cap space. Will not happen. He'd need to be traded, and who's take a racehorse with 3 legs?

Edited August 7, 20196 yr by Moonshadow

Vandenberg, J.Smith, Kolodjashnij - we can afford to keep one of those injury plagued players on our list as a project player. The rest can go.

If Vandenberg is not kicking the ball by Christmas, hopefully he does the right thing by the club and retires. We've certainly looked after him well enough over the journey.

1 minute ago, Moonshadow said:

He'd need to be traded, and who's take a racehorse with 3 legs?

We clearly would given that we gave him a 3 year contract on the basis of 7 games in 2 years.

4 minutes ago, Moonshadow said:

Time for you to understand how footy lists work picket. Delisting a player with 2 treats remaining on their contract would waste a lot of our cap space. Will not happen. He'd need to be traded, and who's take a racehorse with 3 legs?

Someone who’s got a racehorse with 1 leg and wants to make a whole one? 

45 minutes ago, Nelo said:

Would love to be proven wrong but it would be a miracle if he plays more than 15 games next year. 

I’ll go one better. It’ll be a miracle if he ever plays an AFL game again. His body isn’t up to it. He’s played 7 out of the past 82 games and is nowhere near coming back. 

I rate what he can bring to the team, but if you can’t get on the park then you’re of no use. The club made an error offering a fresh 3 year contract to an injury riddled older player.

He’ll likely retire over the next 12 months.

12 minutes ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

Someone who’s got a racehorse with 1 leg and wants to make a whole one? 

Like the logic Ethan. A bit like the $6 Mill Man. We can rebuild him!

He was huge in the closing rounds of 2018 and the finals.  Tough, aggressive and literally hurt the opposition.  We have missed him this year.

In fact, AVB and Hannan were playing different, but equally important roles in our forward half last year.  When those two were fit, we played our best football.

 

100% keep and cross our collective fingers that his ankle can hold. 

1 hour ago, Lord Travis said:

 He’s played 7 out of the past 82 games and is nowhere near coming back. 

 

Incorrect.

He has played 35 out of 110 and more importantly, 7 of the last 66. I included the last 3 rounds this year.

He’s been a big loss. I’ve only seen him play live once and all I can remember of that game is AVB hits on the opposition. His aggression, tackling and pressure is exactly what we’re missing. Unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll see him play again. 

There is no news on his injury since March.

What is going on does anyone know?

1 minute ago, old dee said:

There is no news on his injury since March.

What is going on does anyone know?

Nothing. He’s not in full training and is still recovering from another surgery. He went back to NSW for a bit too. I doubt he’ll ever pull on red and blue again.

I like what he brings to the team, but if you can’t get on the park then you’re a waste of a list spot.

5 minutes ago, old dee said:

There is no news on his injury since March.

What is going on does anyone know?

How hard would it be for the club to upload a 10 sec clip of him running in a straight line in rehab? Would lift the spirits of supporters.

Assuming he's running, that is.... ?

Edited August 7, 20196 yr by Moonshadow

Reflecting on AVB as an "important player" and on how much of a better place we'd be in this season with him is probably the most damning assessment of our year to date. He's 28 and has played less games than the average 21 year old on our list. Add the fact he is horribly injury prone - in what way does this fit the profile of an important player? The bloke can't stay on the park to save himself, he's as unreliable as anyone on our list. 

I like him as a player, and he's in my best 22 right now if he were fit - but christ how the mighty have fallen if this is the bloke we reckon could've been the difference in any substantial way this year ...