Melksam straight into the side last week is something I'd be revisiting. Good player but my recollection is he takes a few games to build up form (particularly these last few years); unfortunately we can't do that in firsts anymore. Lack of defensive pressure and inability to rotate through midfield means it's him OR Fritsch. Picket should replace him. Viney could move to forwards with Langford replacing him. Then he and picket can rotate through midfield (unfortunately we are still one midfield rotation short - which allows Sparrow to stay).

Then we need true marking targets (tall, medium or small) - which presently is JVR and Frisch; possibly Picket. This lack of marking threat allows the opposition to confidentiality leave there player to double team us in the air. I'd actually give consideration to Gawn and McDonald playing forward (even swapping in the ruck).

On 29/03/2025 at 16:39, titan_uranus said:

Pickett straight back. Turner gets rewarded. Windsor only if he’s 100% fit - don’t rush him back, as tempting as it would be. Lever will come back.

Lindsay out injured. One of Petty and TMac has to be dropped for Lever (I can’t stand TMac’s clangers but Petty isn’t in form either). I’d drop Fritsch to wake him up but I’m not expecting that to ever happen.

Pickett helps heaps but ultimately if we continue to be massacred at stoppage, we will continue to lose by 60+ points.

I actually thought TMac was pretty good on the weekend, apart from a couple of bad kicks. Petty was soundly beaten though. Im wondering if Nibbler has been telling him about the Barossa or Rundle Mall or any of the other SA highlights....

Fritsch really was terrible on the weekend. Particularly around the contest. He's a straight swap for Disco.

22 minutes ago, Ungarieboy said:

Melksam straight into the side last week is something I'd be revisiting. Good player but my recollection is he takes a few games to build up form (particularly these last few years); unfortunately we can't do that in firsts anymore. Lack of defensive pressure and inability to rotate through midfield means it's him OR Fritsch. Picket should replace him. Viney could move to forwards with Langford replacing him. Then he and picket can rotate through midfield (unfortunately we are still one midfield rotation short - which allows Sparrow to stay).

Then we need true marking targets (tall, medium or small) - which presently is JVR and Frisch; possibly Picket. This lack of marking threat allows the opposition to confidentiality leave there player to double team us in the air. I'd actually give consideration to Gawn and McDonald playing forward (even swapping in the ruck).

Melksham is probably one of the best kicks in the team and a natural forward. I'd leave him in, he may not get many touches but he does create opportunities.

Viney was absolutely woeful up forward on the weekend. I understand him not taking marks up there and they shouldn't kick it to him, but he shouldn't be there if that is the case. Similar goes for Trac, if we aren't winning it out of the middle, he shouldn't be up forward.

It's a real indictment on the rest of the forwards that Trac needs to be in there at all. Having Disco back will help.

9 hours ago, Adam The God said:

Here we go. This is what I'd like to see this week. I know, a lot of changes, so unlikely.

In. Sestan, Lever, Windsor, Spargo, Turner and Kozzy

Out. Hendo, TMac, AJ, Lindsay, Sparrow and Billings

Sestan May Petty

Bowey Lever Windsor

Sharp Oliver Langdon

Chandler JVR Spargo

Trac Fritta Turner

Max Langford Kozzy

Salem Viney Rivers Howes

Sub. Melksham

Has Sestan done anything to warrant selection? I think the rest select themselves if fit. I’d keep Henderson in as we desperately need small forwards

Cats fans on Bigfooty really aren't confident...

6 minutes ago, praha said:

Cats fans on Bigfooty really aren't confident...

They’re beatable this week.

Maybe not by us, but they’re beatable.

Playing in fits and starts, off a six day break after a game in Brisbane humidity, with a question mark over Tom Stewart.

I’d have a moderate degree of confidence if I hadn’t watched our last two games.

59 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

Has Sestan done anything to warrant selection? I think the rest select themselves if fit. I’d keep Henderson in as we desperately need small forwards

He was the carry over emergency, so.the FD think so.

2 hours ago, praha said:

Cats fans on Bigfooty really aren't confident...

It’s April fools

They’re having a laff

It’s truly astonishing to me the turnaround in supporter sentiment about the club

21,22,23 against the cats you’d be confident anywhere

Now plenty are under Aunty Donna’s Doona invoking 186 x 11. That’s like Team Americas 9/11 x 11.

Histrionics ? Maybe. Understandable . You betcha

I feel like I’m back in pre Roos times

In - Lever, Pickett, Windsor, Turner

Out - XL, Henderson, AJ, Howes

Unfortunately JVR to second ruck. AJ not up to it IMO.

Fritsch, JVR, Billings and even Viney should be on notice,

The latter having a sneaky terrible start to the season with his ball use and the fact that he's had just 3 clearances in 2 games. For reference in round 23 last year he had 9 clearances in the one game (V GC)

Edited April 1Apr 1 by Bring-Back-Powell

4 minutes ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

In - Lever, Pickett, Windsor, Turner

Out - XL, Henderson, AJ, Howes

Unfortunately JVR to second ruck. AJ not up to it IMO.

Fritsch, JVR, Billings and even Viney should be on notice, the latter having a sneaky terrible start to the season.

This is kind I reckon.

5 minutes ago, Adam The God said:

This is kind I reckon.

Haha yep nothing sneaky about it. He has been pathetic

The only thing I want to see this game is a massive reduction in the fumbling and horrible skills that have made watching our team so painful the last two weeks. Get between the ears fixed, get the confidence back, excecute our skills at an AFL level and lets see what we can actually do rather than another train wreck.

1 hour ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

In - Lever, Pickett, Windsor, Turner

Out - XL, Henderson, AJ, Howes

Unfortunately JVR to second ruck. AJ not up to it IMO.

Fritsch, JVR, Billings and even Viney should be on notice,

The latter having a sneaky terrible start to the season with his ball use and the fact that he's had just 3 clearances in 2 games. For reference in round 23 last year he had 9 clearances in the one game (V GC)

As has already been said, there’s nothing sneaky about Viney’s poor start. He is arguably the headline of why we are so bad right now.

As for your changes, I just can’t get around dropping Henderson when he’s cracking in as much as possible and can actually kick. I’d be dropping Billings instead.

37 minutes ago, titan_uranus said:

As for your changes, I just can’t get around dropping Henderson when he’s cracking in as much as possible and can actually kick. I’d be dropping Billings instead.

Perfectly acceptable suggestion.

I thought with Kozzie in a small forward goes out, but yeah you could easily drop Billings.

melbournefc.com.au

Injury Report | Windsor set for return

Check out Melbourne’s latest injury news ahead of Round 4

Somehow Lever - ankle - test are not three words I find filling me with excitement. Poor lad has had a bad trot with his ankles .

Hope he gets up and plays a blinder. Need him to.

22 hours ago, bing181 said:

Feel a bit speechless in response to a comment like this. What next, no exercise bikes because they're footballers not cyclists?

It was a recovery session and you have no idea what else they're doing in the 30 - 40 hours they spend at the club each week. But apart from anything else, the players seem to enjoy it. Lord forbid they should feel positive about coming into the club.

"No time trials, I'm a footballer not a marathon runner"

"No recovery sessions at Elwood Beach, I'm a footballer not an Iron Man"

"No heart rate monitors at training, I'm a footballer not a science experiment"

1 minute ago, layzie said:

"No time trials, I'm a footballer not a marathon runner"

"No recovery sessions at Elwood Beach, I'm a footballer not an Iron Man"

"No heart rate monitors at training, I'm a footballer not a science experiment"

We all become dinosaurs sometime and I guess I’m one. Carlton 79-81-82 team recovered Sunday morning with a training run and then what was called a pleasant Sunday morning. BBQ and Beer. They were as fit as today’s players with 100x 100 metre sprint sessions. Speaking to the players they all maintained got young blokes could recover in a heartbeat. Not so easy for the veterans.

I think it must be so hard for todays players and teams when they are losing and out of form to not be able to get together, have a few drinks and just forget about footy for a while and enjoy each others company

We’ll get beaten, smashed by 90-100 points, and if that happens Goodwin has to go, when we got smashed down there the last time the coach was sacked, must happen again Friday night at 11pm. SACK GOODWIN

Edited April 1Apr 1 by Dave1711

We are certainly bringing in a lot of class this week by the sounds of it. There are zero excuses.

Another [censored] weak performance and Goodwin must go.

IN: Lever, Turner, Windsor, Pickett, Jeffo (!)
OUT: McDonald, AJ, Lindsay, Howes, Hendo

FB: Rivers May Petty
HB: Salem Lever Windsor
C: Langdon Langford Billings
HF: Pickett Turner Petracca
FF: Chandler JVR Fritsch
R: Gawn Oliver Viney
I/C: Bowey Sharp Jefferson Sparrow
SUB: Melksham

1 hour ago, 48 Year Now said:

We all become dinosaurs sometime and I guess I’m one. Carlton 79-81-82 team recovered Sunday morning with a training run and then what was called a pleasant Sunday morning. BBQ and Beer. They were as fit as today’s players with 100x 100 metre sprint sessions. Speaking to the players they all maintained got young blokes could recover in a heartbeat. Not so easy for the veterans.

I think it must be so hard for todays players and teams when they are losing and out of form to not be able to get together, have a few drinks and just forget about footy for a while and enjoy each others company

Didn't Harry Madden once say that he didn't really do any fitness work and that rucking all day was more than enough to keep him in shape? Something like that.

Doesn’t sound like Lever’s a certainty at all according to the injury report.

Why does Sparrow keep his spot?

6 minutes ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

Doesn’t sound like Lever’s a certainty at all according to the injury report.

Exactly how I read that too . Hopefully.... but we've had this situation countless times.

I'd really rather wait another week if be the case. The end of year is possibly more important than this game. Just my thinking