We WILL beat Bulldogs next week

[Guest Schtacker]

Ok delist Davey now. Did you see the Essendon game? Do you know what destroyed the Roos, the pace of their Aboriginal players. Yes, lets dump our good one.

I don't care if he is the love child of Jonothan Brown and Chris Judd if his heart is not in it he needs to go to Sandy for the rest of the bloody year if needed

[Guest Schtacker]

I'm quick too.

Doesn't mean I can play football

Exactly - take a look at S.Buckley for a prime example of that also

[beelzebub 23,191]

Davey didnt have a good day...cant remember the last time anyone caught him to tackle !!. I think he was just a bit dumbfounded on the day. He can stay.

[Eastie Boyz 0]

Exactly - take a look at S.Buckley for a prime example of that also

Actually speaking of Buckley, mate I played with played against him and school footy and didn't think much of him. Says a bit when he was playing with Heath Hocking, Leigh Adams and Daniel Hayes as well as another kid who would've been picked up if not for a serious neck injury.

I think the days of picking athletes over footballers will end very shortly as the athletes get shown up something shocking nowadays.

Much easier to make an athlete of a footballer than it is to make a footballer of an athlete (Mark Bolton anyone?)

[Guest Schtacker]

Actually speaking of Buckley, mate I played with played against him and school footy and didn't think much of him. Says a bit when he was playing with Heath Hocking, Leigh Adams and Daniel Hayes as well as another kid who would've been picked up if not for a serious neck injury.

I think the days of picking athletes over footballers will end very shortly as the athletes get shown up something shocking nowadays.

Much easier to make an athlete of a footballer than it is to make a footballer of an athlete (Mark Bolton anyone?)

Too right, C.Judd and L.Franklin are true athletes but they also know what shape a football is, and that it is made of leather is unlike some

Unfortunately being tough counts for bugger all now also, just gives away free kicks and gets you suspended

[Eastie Boyz 0]

I tend to disagree, look at Geelong, they're all hard at it - just don't go overboard with it.

Actually, 2 best teams in the league (Hawthorn and Geelong) would be the 2 "toughest" in the league as well

[Demons 32 235]

Good move, drop Davey, our only really quick, defensive forward and freakish goalkicker after one average game.

If he was still played in the forward line then yes, I would leave him, unfortunately Melbourne have tried to make him something he isn't for 2 years.

If he gets named FP and plays there, then I want him in the team every week.

If he is a midfielder, Sandy is the best he gets.

One bump or tackle and down he goes.

[Deetastic 0]

Some of you guys have lost your minds.

1. Yze played no where near as badly as most of you guys have suggested. Sure it was not a great game from him, but keep in mind that he played everywhere from the back pocket to the forward pocket during the game (yes, I stayed and watch that disaster to the end unlike many on this site). It is hard to get into the game when you are being asked to do a different job every 15 minutes. He spent best of the third quarter in the forward pocket in which time the ball did not come his direction. Yze has missed nearly all of season 07, has performed well in the pre-season, has been a champion of the club for the best of a decade and deserves the chance to prove himself once more.

2. I understand the theory of playing kids only. Many of you preach to drop every player older than about 24 and play the developing players only. Those of you who are suggesting this, its time you stopped, thought about what you are saying, and perhaps thought about downgrading yourselves to readers only on this site as you are offering nothing.

I am in agreement with developing young players, however, it is not in the young players best development interest if they were to play and lose by 15+ goals every week, this is what would happen if we played youth only. Their development would be stumped, bad habits would develop, the young players confidence destroyed and worst of all a culture of losing would develop. Their talent would be eventually lost. Further experienced and veteran players play a vital role of mentoring, leading and coaching the inexperienced players on the team both on and off the ground. Playing youth blindly is not the answer. Senior players should only lose their spot on the team when they are clearly not in the best 20 of 22.

Further it is important for the virtue of the once great MFC, to be competitive, and not to lose by 15+ goals week in, week out which is what a youth only policy would create. Sponsorship and Corporate Sales and Memberships have a high correlation to the number of games won. Simply we can't afford to lose every game at every level of the club.

Now come on guys think your thoughts though properly, we are all angry, we are all hurting, knee jerk reactions are not the way forward. There is a place for experienced players in poor football teams; there is no place for stupidity.

[Eastie Boyz 0]

even with the older blokes you're still losing by 15+ goals so what difference does it make?

[beelzebub 23,191]

The problem with good ol' Ooze is his inherent inability to do anything that we might think of as "'normal" ..He always seems to go for the "cute' or exceptional choice.. anyone there on sunday saw this.. More than a few stuff ups simply because he's Ooze and Ooze does it for show !! It was definitely NOT the day to try any finessing... just a day to try and get a few basic things right..

This year is now going to be about next year..and the year after. We ARE now in REBUILD mode..or ought to be. Winning is irrelevant now..its about progressing. we need to get the fundamentals back into shape..and a balanced team on the field ...the wins will follow...not the other way around !!

[Guest unstable punt]

I feel as though we will be just as disappointing as this past week. I have no expectations. I'll be there, but the only people whose expectations matter are the players themselves.

in a nutshell :angry:

[The Emblem 1]

Now come on guys think your thoughts though properly, we are all angry, we are all hurting, knee jerk reactions are not the way forward. There is a place for experienced players in poor football teams; there is no place for stupidity.

Experienced MFC players that lead by example:

1/ James McDonald,

2/ David Neitz

3/ Matty Whelan

4/ Ben Holland - because he makes the most of every shred of ability he has got and brings other players into the game.

5/ Jared Rivers [borderline experienced but as you can see the cupboards getting bare already].

Thats pretty much an experienced player on every line, that's enough, especially as many of our other "experienced" players are setting bad examples.

Bring on the Martin's, McNamara's, Morton's, Maric's, Grimes [damn a surname not starting with M]

Blend them with Dunn, Bate, Bartram, Bell, Pettard, Jones, Moloney, Davey etc....thats a lot more palatable then watching an ageing underperforming troupe going through the motions whilst topping up their super funds

[Sir Why You Little 36,587]

Sorry to disappoint you, but we must clean out the dead wood and play the raw Kids. We are not going to win many this year i believe. The old guard are not up to it.

"Gotta go through Hell before you get to heaven"

[rpfc 28,045]

It was 1 awful game, but just 1 game.

FFS we had Morton, Weetra, Garland, Petterd, Buckley, Newton, Jones, Bell, Johnson, and Mclean (all 22 and under) and we want more kids!

Never mind the fact that Batram, Rivers, Sylvia and Bate (all 23 and under) are also in the best 22 and soon to come back.

By my reckoning these players are in our best 22 and they are all 23 or younger: Petterd, Newton, Buckley, Bate, Batram, Dunn, Jones, Johnson, McLean, Sylvia, Bell, and Rivers.

That is 12 with Moloney and Davey being only 24 and Bode, Meesen, and Morton on the periphery.

We are a very young team and we're going to get blown out of the water on some occasions, I refuse to believe we are this bad.

We will be competitive next week.

[45HG 1,539]

is youth overrated? i can name about two teams that don't see themselves as a 'young side' and it seems to be every team either wins in spite of having such a young team or wins because of the exhuberance of their youth. Fine, play the young guys, but put them into a team that shows faith in them, not playing them for the sake of it, and put them in a team where the men, MEN, they play alongside play with passion, aggression and love for the jumper so that they can show themselves in a strong and proud environment. Blooding kids for the sake of it achieves nothing for many players but stunt careers

[Yze_Magic 3]

We will win this week

The Doggies are rubbish

They can not beat os on the MCG. Dees easilyyyyyyyyy

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

We'll do better, but mostly because it's Bailey's first opportunity to light a fire under the squad. But I'm not picking us to win.

[Eastie Boyz 0]

Point to note on the game:

Hawks average age was just over 23 years (second youngest of the round behind Blues), Melbourne's was just under 25 which put it middle of the range, and was about the same as Geelong's

[Bring-Back-Powell 14,319]

Doggies haven't beaten us at the MCG since round 7 2001.

OK really clutching at straws

[Bring-Back-Powell 14,319]

We'll do better, but mostly because it's Bailey's first opportunity to light a fire under the squad. But I'm not picking us to win.

He already lit a fire after the Doggies game in Bendigo, and look what happened the next week. Pumped V North.