Leaderboard

They picked the right day to train at Casey. We had big storms yesterday in Melbourne but the squad was blessed with perfect conditions this morning - 20 degrees, blue skies and no breeze. The good news - all 8 of our new leadership team were in the main training group. Clark and Bartram were in the rehab group last week, but they stayed for the first half of today's session, together with Davey. This gang of 3 then finished early and walked a couple of precautionary laps. Once again the rehab group included Tapscott, Sylvia and McKenzie, plus Spencer Jurrah, Evans and Williams, with new boys Taggart and Tynan getting a break from the main group. The encouraging news is that the coaches who were overseeing the rehab session told Misson they were pleased with their progress, and that some of the rehab group are not far from getting back into the main group. My concern is that Jurrah, Tapscott, Sylvia and McKenzie should all be pushing for selection in the seniors, but they have all missed a lot of pre-season work. The earlier reports indicate they have spent very little time training with the main group. At least they have eight weeks till the first match. Green was absent, and Jetta trained with the main group but wore the green OH&S vest (do not tackle). The advantage of Casey is the main group can train on one oval while the rehab group can train on the oval next door. This allows the senior group use all of the main oval during the match practice. They started with the kicking drill where the ball is kicked to allow the target to run to space, then the target passes it to a direct lead from another target. At least I hope that was the plan - a few kicks went wide of the intended targets but i'll assume that was the aim of the session. . They then split into 2 groups of 2 teams and went through a handball drill for about 20 minutes. The team with the ball had to handball quickly under pressure and either kick a goal or hit one of the two portable targets. They could run and carry the ball, but they could also get tackled. No sign of tennis balls, unlike last year. Then we had at least three match practice sessions of about 10 minutes each, interrupted by a review of each session by the coaching staff. Clark was matched against Frawley in the first session and what a difference it makes to finally have a target on the forward line. In one play, Martin got the loose ball on the forward flank, then broke clear and passed to Clark who marked and goaled from the opposite pocket. They struggled to score goals in the final match practice sessions, and I didn't get a sense of a 'wow!' factor from the group. They definitely look fitter and will apply more contested pressure this year, but they still dropped marks and missed targets. To safeguard against these errors, the ball was moved around both flanks from defence, rather than up the corridor. If the contest started on the wing, the ball was passed to someone like Bate or Moloney who could kick it long to the forward line. They finished off the session with the players breaking into 5-6 smaller groups for specialised training such as goal shooting or kicking for goal. The highlight? - Jurrah. He walks back from rehab. He's still got the cast on his wrist. He picks up a ball on the boundary line of the main oval - 30 metres out from goal. He takes a couple of steps then bends the ball right-to-left and curls it through the goal. On his left foot!!! He's bent a reverse punt on his non-preferred foot. No wonder he was posing for photos and signing copies of his new book.

I thought in a very poor midfield, Morton was very capable in his first year or two. Aside from the Collingwood debut game, i think the club have been very careful with Watts in their use of him. He was always going to take time. And I dont think he has been incapable but has warmed to the role being expected of him. I think his development is as expected.

I have a belief that both players were hurt by the "get games into young players" mantra and everything will turn out. Both Morton and Watts needed so much more than that. I have been expressing this view all along. Its one thing to give a young player a few tastes of senior footy early on, it is another to consistently play them week after week when they are incapable being able to match it with the big boys. It sends a very confusing message to both individual player and the team.

I always took it as no commercials during regular play time ie siren to siren each qtr I can't understand why anyone would be worried about between qtr ads

I am not sure that is the case. Given how bad our midfield has been in his first two years, his ability as an 18/19 year old to find so much of the football in heavy traffic without support was meritorious. There were every kicks being had by the MFC midfield and few of them were cheap. There are a number of reasons why Morton has not fulfilled expectations. At 196 cm his development is in the same boat as other players of that size regardless of the positions he has played. And I am sure the timing and impact of injuries could have had an impact. There is no doubt that Morton needs to make an impact this year particularly under a new Coach but those closest to the Club will know his true disposition.

i reckon he'll stay

I thought the issue of our midfield being poor was not an excuse to play Morton. It was more an assessment of how Morton performed creditably within a bog awful midfield. I dont think as a "skinny kid" Morton was flogged. The argument can be put that Morton could have coasted more in the lower pressure of the VFL. And I dont think playing him in the AFL denied him from getting stronger. Both could be achieved. Watts progress in his early years was slow. Firstly, Watts did VCE in his first year and had no pre season and limited training regime. Aside from the Collingwood error, he was given a very gradual monitored development path. And I dont think there is a proper way to "ease" into AFL football. The reality is there is nothing easy about. And as for the current regime, all we know is they have picked a 20 yo and 22yo co captains (with less than 40 games of AFL) with a young leadership. You are not going to try and tell me they are being eased into their positions at all.

It's interesting, I saw Jurrah watching on today (after the rehab group came back) and he was talking to Leigh Brown, pointing and asking questions and he watches so intently, I am sure he knows what is going on, he has a very good football brain.

?? Do you not understand that it is nothing but hindsight..?

I think the opposite. It's a bit chicken/egg. In the absence of leadership from those who are supposed to be leading some feel it is thier responsibility to take the mantle. Hopefully in time Brent will not feel that there is a need to fill that hole. At the same time he is a mouthy street fighter and I think there is a place for them at footy clubs, I wouldn't want to see him supress himself too much.

I would not be too concerned about Jurrah not participating in training. If anyone will get their touch quickly it is him. -Granted he cannot participate in the match simulations but his injury has allowed him to run lap upon lap and work on his aerobic capacity which is of most importance.

I was a training, I am not too big on training reports as we have seen too much gets read into them but just a few notes. - Cook is still skinny but really puts a lot of effort in, good hands and his goal kicking was good. I think we forget how promising he looked in the NAB Cup last year. - In the match simulation drill there was a lot of long kicking into the forward line which had forwards in it, after a series of (five to be exact) contested handpasses. Will this be a tactic used in games? Who knows but it was good to see. - Massive Petterd fan, but his kicking action is holding him back. - Sellar is big unit and tries very hard, he reminds me a bit of Kepler Bradley which isn't the best, but he is ready to go round one if needed. - A lot of dropped marks and missed kicks, which is a little frustrating even in non-costested situations. - Strauss was pushing himself very hard, kicking was excellent. I am hoping he proves me wrong. - Morton was hiding his huge new biceps under a t-shirt so I can't comment on those. He did make a couple of good spoils though in the drills which was good to see. - Bennell was a highlight, fast and skillful. Again, don't read too much into my comments, just some casual observations from the day. And yes, High Tower the "vibe" was good.

This is my best 22, not taking into account matchups. Although this is a round one thread, I thought it was best to post here rather than start a new one. It may change after seeing the preseason games. FB: Bartram – Martin – Bennell HB: Garland – Frawley – Green C: Morton – Moloney – Bate HF: Howe – Watts – Davey FF: Jurrah – Clark – Petterd F: Jamar – Trengove – Jones Int: Grimes – McKenzie – Sylvia – Bail Emg: Gysberts (for Sylvia in first game) Where I think I differ from most is the backup ruck option, I would not specifically select one. I think teams loose run and with Clarke, Jurrah, Howe, Petterd and Watts in the forward line there is no room to carry another tall. With Jamar being such a fit player he only requires a few minutes per quarter rest. I would use a mix of Watts and Clark to back him up, and if possible against the opposition second string ruck which is normally less physical (for example not against Sandliands, but when he goes for a rest send Jamar off and Watts can ruck against whoever they send in). Watts would cause a huge mismatch with his speed and agility, as well as his big leap. If it was shared amongst a few players it would not be much of a burden, and also create matchup headaches for the opposition. If Jamar is injured this would need a major rethink. I also see a position for Morton and Bate, would move green to the backline and Rivers would be back at Casey. I am also going mainly on what players have done, not what I think they will do (Blease, Strauss) Bartram - is one of the first selected each week, rarely gets beaten and always gives his all. Disposal is not fantastic (I believe that it is not as bad as many on here make out), and will look much better without other players with poor skills around him (Rivers, MacDonald, Warnock) Martin - could be the tall backman that the team has been looking for. Has proved in the past that he can play very well in the backline, and physically can match up with any tall forward in the league. Is tall, strong, fast and has a real crack. I don’t think he is a natural forward, and I don’t think he is needed in the ruck. I’m assuming Sellar will not be better in this position than Martin. I can’t think of a player that after being delisted has walked into another teams starting 18, so I don’t think it will happen here. Bennell - can provide some class in disposal in the back line and run the ball out. Needs to ensure that he stops a player, but can also make the opposition forward pocket accountable. Garland - could dominate as the third tall. He often performs well against the best forward, on the third best he would be a real attacking option, and has great foot skills. Frawley - will be the best CHB in the AFL. Can stop a player and create play. Will be a faster version of Glen Jackovich. I think he can be a bit wasted at fullback. I would also love to see him thrown into the middle for short bursts to break open a game. Green – can play back or forward. I like him at half back. He can be used as a third man up, setting up play, attacking backman or shutting down an opposition player. His reputation has diminished in the past 12 months, but with the number of players pushing for a forward position, I think this is much better for team balance. Morton – I’m still a fan. I think that he can be a very good wingman. I think he was drafted as a wingman and the previous coach tried to turn him into a KPP. Can provide very good delivery into the forward line, and a target for the kickout. Let him run up and down the wing providing a link, take a mark up forward and help out down back. Bate – see Morton Molony – In and under centre man, has proven to be the best at getting the ball in the team. Howe – I have been impressed with his work rate, and would like to see him roam from the goal posts to halfback flank. He may also be the best option to shutdown an opposition attacking backman Watts – Will be in the top 5 players in the league shortly. I think that he can also be used on the ball (Ruck). I see the forward line a very fluid, with Watts roaming from the goal square to half back. With his speed he is very hard to match up on. Davey – Providing he is fit, he is the best kick in the team and would like to see him delivering it into the foward line, with stints on the ball and deep forward. Needs to ensure body and attitude are right. Jurrah – Is as good on the ground as in the air. Many on here are looking for a small forward, but Jurrah can do exactly what s small man can, plus take a big mark. Needs to improve consistency and intensity. Clark – Full forward, with stints in the ruck Petterd – Very good body on body, hard worker and can rotate with others to the flank or on the ball. Jamar – First selected. Super fit and can play most of the game. Does not need much backup. Small stints from Watts and Clark would do. Trengove – Should be Melbourne’s number one midfielder in the near future Jones – Love his attitude and is getting better every year. Never stops working. Grimes – Tossed up between a back flank and on the ball. I think Melbourne’s Midfield is currently the weakness, so he plays there. Kicking looked average last year, hopefully it is OK. McKenzie – Workhorse, every team needs one. Needs to kick more, but one of my favourites. Sylvia – Should be the best player in the team, needs more consistency. Adds class to the midfield, and can go forward and kick goals. Bail – Get a big wrap on this site, I don’t think that he has earned it yet. Showed in the Collingwood game two years ago that he has the potential to be a very good player. Provides run, and will not take a short step. Next best Gysberts – Was a close call, but I think he needs to develop more physically. Will be best 18 very soon Blease, Strauss, Nicholson – Need to see more before they go in the side. With a good NAB cup all three could replace a backman or wingman.

Go ahead, good for light entertainment. Do you think he will appreciate it?

Yes, yes, ra, ra, ra. I am talking about a specific role usually played by the captain. Why? Because it is dilution of their authority if they are not doing it. Of course, Brent will continue to lead on the field, as if that was my argument... I am saying that the last person to gather the soldiers together and give them direction should be the people the club has decided are the best people to gather the soldiers together and give them direction.

I want Beamer to be his natural self. If he goes too far its the leadership groups role to pull him into line. I want 46 leaders on the list.

I think that Matt Burgan deserves a lot of the credit. He preparred a heap of stories to drip to the media over the summer break when the papers are looking to fill space. Made the media's job very easy when they had their own journo's on leave. I think he has been a fantastic pick up by the club.

As some like to refer to him here with the additional r : Jack Trengrove .... arnge (range) - Jack Trengrove ... rrove (rover) ........range rover Ugh .. and it's Monday. Bring on the APS.

What if you can't get that trade? I am all for spending the next trade week trying to offload these picks, but if we can't get a decent trade for them then we have to use them as they were intended.

"So much of the footy" as you say is simply not supported by the facts. Which is why it gets people so riled. Here they are for you: http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/pc-melbourne-demons--cale-morton There is no column for hard ball gets but there doesn't need to be. He plays a free player largely so gets 'cheap' possessions in the backline. I can't see the elite skills that posters talk of here. I agree with Dandeeman that his development has not been helped by getting games without merit. People will say the same of Jack Watts but I don't buy that - he has shown so much more commitment to a contest as well as elite skills. It's just my opinion and I'll watch and hope that I am wrong.

Can anyone who went to the AGM recall if this was discussed at all? I cannot fathom why we would not activate them both this year. 3 first rounders (JV+2) in a deep draft at this point in our rebuild is invaluable. Like many others, I feel that we are severely lacking in the midfield department, and recruiting a few young guns will make our premiership push all the better.

Don't stop it, were having Fun with this.

Such a brilliant day! Enjoy it all or if you are pressed for time, fast forward to 4 mins 40 secs.

THe WorkingS of the illumiNati By some at 'laNd .

I'm old enough to remember Northey as a player for the Tiges. He was a clever half-forward who managed to kick match winning goals against the Demons in the early sixties. He also had the ability to kick multiple goals, drifting into the action from the flank, not unlike our own Barry Vagg from the same era. The 87 finals campaign (after the 4 point defeat of the Bombers in the night premiershp) was as good as it has been in my lifetime going to the footy (although I did listen to the 64 Grand on the radio). I attended all those matches... the last round at the Western Oval was electric! We danced on the ground after finding out we'd made the finals... thousands of us! The wins against the Kangas and Swans were exilarating. We had the Hawks by the short an curlies and, but for an over officious field umpire, we would have marched triumphantly into the Grand. We did a year later, only to be squashed by the same foe. LET'S NOT FORGET THE FLOGGINGS WE OWE HAWTHORN IN THE YEARS TO COME!!! Northey does deserve life membership for lifting us out of the dung. We should never have let him go elsewhere.

It's all there in code. Jack TReNgOve .... TRNO ..... The Real Number One.

I was sitting directly behind the players at the AGM. During the speeches prior to Neeld's the players were fidgeting around, looking like they'd rather be sitting in larger chairs to fit their bulking up frames. Then Mark Neeld got up to speak. Every eye was directed at him. He had their attention from his first word to his last. That is what's important to me. I couldn't care less about how he 'presents'. If he's got the attention of the players, if they're hanging on his every word, absorbing and learning, he's got my vote. I'm not going to write off this season if we don't make the eight. I want to see improvement, week by week. If that happens I'll consider that Mark Neeld is doing his job as senior coach.

So I was having a beer late yesterday at the Royal Saxon in Richmond (not a bad pub) with my Brother when we decide to toast the new captains and leadership group. We also decided to write down our best 22, which we usually do on the back of a coaster about this time every year. Alas, they didn't have any coasters, but we were able to improvise. We started at the back pocket, but, for my Brother Bartram wasn't a consideration. I said, you better pen his name down because he'll be in the team. He was horrified because as some others here point out his kicking is most definitely a liability. But I persisted. I said to my Brother, how often do you see Bartam lose a contest ? He said, not often. I said, how often does he get beaten one-on-one ? He said, not often. I said, how often do you see him get goals kicked on him ? He said, not often. I said, what's his pace like when covering small forwards ? He said, pretty good. I said what sort of tackler is he ? He said, yeah good. But then he said, you can't have someone with his kicking skills coming out of the back-line. I said, I agree that it's an issue, but I believe that Neeld's game-plan will be far kinder to Bartam than Bailey's. Bailey relied on low percentage pinpoint passing that was hardly conducive to Bartam's game. Neeld's game-plan relies heavily on winning contested footy, dishing it off quickly to play makers, or scrapping a kick along the boundary line and starting again. Neeld's game-plan relies on protecting space and dictating where the game is going to played. Far more than ever Melb will be attempting to play the game on their terms. Neeld is far from stupid and he knows Bartam's deficiencies, but he also knows his strengths and the coach and player will work to utilise those strengths and minimise those weaknesses. I'll reserve judgment until the season proper, but I can see why Bartram could be a valuable and tough little bastard under Neeld's direction. Pound for pound Bartram is also one of the strongest at the club. Some, including Range Rover, think he'll be a club leader, but mainly down at Casey, I disagree.

I don't get why people are so bewildered by Bartram's selection. Since when do you have to be the best and most skilled player to qualify as a quality leader? Bartram works his butt off and has done so since the moment he arrived at the club. He is about as talented as bloody Nick Maxwell, and if every one of our players worked as hard as him, we would never lose by 186 points.

My standing theory is that the better the midfield defence goes, the more value we get out of Rivers, given his ability to chop off attacks, but the cleaner the opposition attacks are, the less use he is. Kind of like Harry O'brien and Nick Maxwell at Collingfilth, they'd both be embarassing if it wasn't for the proverbial team defence that the Flies dedicate themselves so much to.

Paying out? Isn't that what GWS is doing? Boom. Seriously, Freak the kid should* be a gun, but don't tell us he was a gun for the Demons. We lionise Jim Stynes and people jump down throats, if you lionise Tom Scully they will draw and quarter you, or keel-haul you, or...um...waterboard you (to bring that up to modern torture methods). *Knees permitting.

I had my first pre-season soccer training session last night. At the soccer club I was widely ridiculed at the start of last year for saying I would rather lose Tom Scully to GW$ than Jack Watts. Since then my steadfast defense of Jack Watts as a future superstar has become something of a running joke at the club. The boys love nothing better than winding me up about Jack. Anyway, one of the boys at the club was involved in running the Cadbury super team promotion in blacktown last week, where 20 AFL stars ran a clinic for youngsters. Jack Watts was up there, as was Tom Scully. My mate is an avid North Melbourne fan and said he went there expecting Jack Watts to be a tool, but said Jack was an absolute ripping bloke and readily interacted with all the staff organizing the event. Tom on the other hand was aloof and barely spoke to any of the staff and came across as an arrogant nob, kept to himself and didnt really even interact much with the other players up there.

I often use this as a method of getting back to sleep in the middle of the night, name my best 22 in the old fashioned way, ie."from the backline", "League Teams" style. It's quite effective and I'm often asleep before I've sorted out the forwards or the interchange bench. Some players, like Frawley, Jamar, Clark etc., pick themselves in their positions. Others are more difficult. There are others who I think "how could I possibly leave him out?", like Jordie McKenzie, Petterd etc. Even Green! They're are too good to omit, but for example, how do I fit Jurrah, Watts, Howe, Clark, Petterd, Green, Martin and Davey all into the same forward six. Or How do I fit Trengove, Jones, Gysberts, Bail, Moloney, Mckenzie, Bate and Sylvia all into the midfield. Or how do fit Frawley, Garland, Rivers, Grimes, Tappy, Bail, Bartram, Bennell all in the back six. In my mind all of these players are certain starters, but so far that's already 23 players. I haven't been able to fit in the next tier, who I think will all play important roles when injuries occur. They are Blease, T McDonald, J MacDonald, Dunne, Jetta, Nicholson (I know he is still on the rookie list but I suspect he may climb into the group above), Sellar and Strauss. Then there is the development group, some of whom may demand a game, and some who are probably still a way off. Davis, Cook, Tynan and Taggart. Then we have the rookies and unknown quantities. Magner, Couch, Evans, Lawrence, Williams and Sheahan. The whole picture is very good and makes the "best 22" or "Round 1 22" really almost impossible to pick. One would think that training track and NAB Cup form will throw up a couple of surprises and that the pressure on the players to keep their spots will be better than ever. It's a very healthy situation, both for the Dees and for my sleep patterns.