39 minutes ago, Cyclops said:

If we are looking for new nicknames then maybe Riley Onely could be "Roy" "Onely the lonely" Orbison.

His nickname is ‘Ron’.

20 minutes ago, Greg Schneider said:

Isn’t Matthews only just starting running before Christmas? There’s no way he’ll be in full training

Apologies, you are correct. Running well before Christmas - not full training. So he's definitely further back, by some margin.

21 hours ago, Tolstoys Nudge said:

I agree with you. It is a bit like the Riley Onley situation. It is hard to fathom how a quick, athletic 6’5” mid who was rated in the top 30 at the beginning of the year slid to us in the rookie draft. Every club (including us) overlooked him on average 3 times.

Interesting oversights, in hindsight, every year.

Perhaps the most classic thatI immediately recall were James Hird picked I think in the 80s or 90s range, and Chris Grant pick >100 as I recall.

Every club's fanbase could well complain about those obvious oversights - every club passed on them both many times. Were all the recruiters those years inept???

1 hour ago, BigBadBustling said:

So he's definitely further back, by some margin.

And will be hard to make that up. He may get in required levels of fitness, and even play some games - but difficult to see him making it through the whole season.

Still, will be interesting watching his development.

On 01/12/2025 at 16:24, Demonland said:

I'll also add that in these "Match SIM" drills it is usually just two key forwards/backs in the forward 50 and maybe a smaller forward or mids running in with the ball. It isn't the traditional match setup with 6 forwards and 6 backs set up like in a game.

I concur. Too early to say where players will play, apart from the obvious - MIhocek and JVR forward - TMac and Petty back. I suspect King is observing the general chaos footy at early training and actual positioning will come later. He is being true to his word - "show me what you have", "play what's in front of you" - "get after it". For example, he has said we should get expect some of our half-backs raging forward and kicking goals, whilst some of our forwards push back to cover for them, "because of the chaos". Will be an interesting season - I guess we'll get the first look in the intra-clubs and practice matches early next year as to what this game style looks like. One things for sure - it will not be formulaic.

15 hours ago, Fritta and Turner said:

Um, how is Fritta going?

Without being rude I would label Fritta a "caoster" at training - doesn't excel and doesn't hurt anyone. Turns up. Still in your best 23....

Unless King wants to make a statement.....?

13 hours ago, Demonology said:

How did maysie go? Keen to see if he’s got some movement back

He's present. Struggling with the running. Twas always thus.....fascinating to see if he plays Round 1. Jed not present on Monday.....

7 hours ago, Harvey Wallbanger said:

He's present. Struggling with the running. Twas always thus.....fascinating to see if he plays Round 1. Jed not present on Monday.....

Interesting.

On 01/12/2025 at 08:47, thirty-one said:

Woot, not going to lie, reading training reports is keeping me going through what is a horrendously difficult move. We've been settled in the US for some time - been here 14 years this round - and wow, accumulated stuff and made friends and now we are ripping ourselves up and relocating back to Melbourne (area). Gave away the cat today, totally gutted over that. Selling my car on Wednesday, flying out on Friday. Saying goodbye is amazingly hard, even when we have good reasons for the move.

Training reports remind me of things to look forward to. Can't wait to rock up to Gosch's, see folks and all the team, including the new boys.

Good luck 31, my folks and sisters are in Vancouver, WA, can you bring them back too please?

A huge thing, sending best vibes

15 hours ago, Willmoy1947 said:

Fancy MFC being lucky enough to have two Picketts playing for them.

Who would have ......picketed it?

4 minutes ago, Somereset said:

Good luck 31, my folks and sisters are in Vancouver, WA, can you bring them back too please?

A huge thing, sending best vibes

Alas, if the poor guy can't bring his cat back he'd really be pushing it to bring strangers back. It's fantastic that these days immigrating doesn't mean losing all connection to one's past. But it still would have its down side. So many people would find it devastating to have to give up a cat. My heart goes out to 31.

9 hours ago, monoccular said:

Interesting oversights, in hindsight, every year.

Perhaps the most classic thatI immediately recall were James Hird picked I think in the 80s or 90s range, and Chris Grant pick >100 as I recall.

Every club's fanbase could well complain about those obvious oversights - every club passed on them both many times. Were all the recruiters those years inept???

This is one of the amazing things in life. Kindergarten teachers could probably make many good guesses about which kids will be successful, which will grow up to be adventurous or intellectual and maybe even which kids will or won't be lookers. But there'd be factors they don't know about. It could even be that a few years later a stepfather changes a child's life either way.

And of course with other things, like matchmaking , on paper and actual real-life chemistry are two different things.

The early drafts probably had way less useful stats on draftees making the drafts more random. But even now all the variables for 18 and 19-year olds , who often are still really just kids , and then all the variables.... and permutations for many years after, including people in their workplace and team, those in their personal life, how they use their spare time and money, injuries and so forth are just so many it's almost a miracle we can predict anything.

There will always be X factors that will affect how accurate a draft pick will be. (And of course even if all the #1picks turn out to be correctly the best of their crop with maybe a dozen playing each year some will be more "#1 " than others.)

11 hours ago, BigBadBustling said:

Apologies, you are correct. Running well before Christmas - not full training. So he's definitely further back, by some margin.

I’m not sure when, but he has had surgery and wouldn’t that also make a difference to recovery time?

What time are they at Gosch’s today? Need some entertainment from the kids (curriculum day 🙄 )

On 01/12/2025 at 15:38, 640MD said:

I do not doubt your opinion and he does look good in the Dee’s colours.

But

For him to be our recruit of the year must mean that the team he came from have lost severely.

Was he played in the wrong position , had too much opposition for his place or was he injured badly, why did they let him go. We have recruited very poorly in the past few years IMO from other clubs. Culley same but looks good.

Hope your right though !!

CJ is on record saying he didn’t expect to leave Hawthorn but met with King and decided to come to us. Hawthorn didn’t get rid of him. We won him. Same story with Steele and St Kilda.

Our drafting from other clubs has been hopeless after we got Lever, May and Langdon.

I reckon we might be back on track.

23 minutes ago, The Jackson FIX said:

What time are they at Gosch’s today? Need some entertainment from the kids (curriculum day 🙄 )

Do you mean "for the kids" or "from the kids"?

If this proves to be in true in some future moves, that players choose to come rather than us selecting delisted players

Then yes it’s looking good again and can only improve our club and standing. .

30 minutes ago, The Jackson FIX said:

What time are they at Gosch’s today? Need some entertainment from the kids (curriculum day 🙄 )

Scheduled for 10am start

15 minutes ago, Wrecker46 said:

CJ is on record saying he didn’t expect to leave Hawthorn but met with King and decided to come to us. Hawthorn didn’t get rid of him. We won him. Same story with Steele and St Kilda.

Our drafting from other clubs has been hopeless after we got Lever, May and Langdon.

I reckon we might be back on track.

CJ was contracted for another two years at Hawthorn, clearly they were happy to let him go, if they wanted him they would have kept him, he was sub most of the year. Steele was clearly tapped on the shoulder, you don’t trade your captain for a future third round pick if you want to keep him, think you’re twisting these narratives a bit

21 minutes ago, Wrecker46 said:

CJ is on record saying he didn’t expect to leave Hawthorn but met with King and decided to come to us. Hawthorn didn’t get rid of him. We won him. Same story with Steele and St Kilda.

Our drafting from other clubs has been hopeless after we got Lever, May and Langdon.

I reckon we might be back on track.

Losing Knuckles initiated a crisis/brought about an opportunity. Apart from CJ's iffy disposal, I'm confident we'll come out in front....

1 hour ago, Go Ds said:

Alas, if the poor guy can't bring his cat back he'd really be pushing it to bring strangers back. It's fantastic that these days immigrating doesn't mean losing all connection to one's past. But it still would have its down side. So many people would find it devastating to have to give up a cat. My heart goes out to 31.

Yes indeed, I didn't mean to sound insensitive and know the feeling if leaving loved pets behind. More a comment on the state of the US tbh. Apologies 31

On 02/12/2025 at 07:07, Fritta and Turner said:

Um, how is Fritta going?

Who cares.

JK. I care. I guess I have to care. 🙃

2 hours ago, Go Ds said:

Who would have ......picketed it?

Well not many actually, only a handful of us wanted him at 8 (12), can’t wait until he lights up our fwd line.

Fritsch is a gun and King would know this. Let’s see how he goes with some quicker and more direct ball movement with space for him to work in before we’re worried about dropping him.

57 minutes ago, Somereset said:

Yes indeed, I didn't mean to sound insensitive and know the feeling if leaving loved pets behind. More a comment on the state of the US tbh. Apologies 31

Sorry, i really wasn't making out you were insensitive. Your comment really didn't come out that way.