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So which 1 will we win? Against a top 2 team, who need to win to secure a home final? Or against a team who needs to win to make finals, at their home ground, where we haven't won in years? Good luck with that!

We are zero chance to win the next 2 games. Not just because it would not be beneficial for us in the long term, but also because we suck.

Check his stats for this year and his contested marks and marks inside 50 are at least double the next Pie player... And that's him having a bad year in a premiership contending team. An some here say "pass! he's not good enough for the MFC". Wow. No really WOW!

I'm going to the club's Foundation Hero's function tonight and this talk of Aussie has jolted my memory of last year's event when I was delighted to be the happy highest bidder for Aussie's autographed number 33 jumper. I think it was the following weekend that Aussie made his return after a long period out whilst grieving for his late father Matthew and mentor Maurice Rioli. History says that Aussie damaged an ankle playing for Casey that weekend and was delisted at the end of the year. I sponsor Max Gawn and the day after I sent off the sponsorship payment Maxie did his ACL. Tonight, I'm not buying a thing but next year I'm going to call GWS and offer to sponsor Tom Scully.

what are peoples thought on jimmy sellar this year? i thought he has had a pretty good year filling in ruck and playing up forward and also in the backline. i hope they give him 2 years because he is still only 23 and you can see he is starting to get confidence in him to relise he can play AFL, something he didn't have at adelaide. i still think his best position is in the backline. just on a side note i caught up with a very close friend of mine from adelaide from sanfl days and we watched the game against gws and he knows sellar really well. james battled depression in his days at the crows and it didn't help that he didn't get much of a support from his father who apperently gave him a spray for not pcking volleyball ( captained australia under 19s) wanted to quit and do his apprenticeship. reckons the best thing he ever did was come to the dees and get out of adelaide. told me for the first time since his jnr days james is enjoing his footy and wants to really make the most of his chances. loves the club and the players and even though he has been at the club for a year he is forever greatful for the second chance loves the club more then he ever did at adelaide during those years at the club.

In breaking news, a retrospective penalty has been applied to Matthew Lloyd reducing his goal kicking tally by 322.

Good news... http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/7415/newsid/145282/default.aspx

I'm with you RF, Spence has got some makings worth some patience. And from memory he's 203 or 204 cms tall... good reach for defence or marking or grabbing some little squirt by the collar as he tries to put one past. Lets not be too hasty with Spence, at least Until we've seen him at top confidence & getting regular games. He's a keeper for mine. 2 Yr contract.

I'm not easily impressed by footballers, but there's just something about this bloke. He's a heart and soul type - do anything for his team mates, particularly the dirty work that the layman doesn't notice or understand. Now that will only get an individual so far and a club can only have a small amount of that type. But I think he's a beauty. He's like a pure bred dog thats been unloved and untrained. Give him a new owner who puts the time in and watch him flourish. I'll be gutted for the kid if he gets the flick, and filthy on the club. Surely there's enough lazy, unaccountable deadwood in front of him. Surely.

Oh dear

Had no idea why we drafted him and his early games did little to inspire. But he looks at home down back and I like how he is a good kick and cool head with ball in hand. You could not say that about Warnock or any of our current defenders. Anyway I doubt the children will be rushing to get the #30 on their back, but good sides have room for a J. Sellar. For a pick in the 50s I reckon we have done well.

She is one hell of a woman. Jimmy met his match when he married her. Just saw her on A Current Affair. She is intelligent, articulate, self effacing, brutally honest and attractive to boot. She is naturally doing it tough as are the children and I personally wish them all the best from all of us. She shared her husband's last months with the MFC and deserves our thanks for that.

He'll be gutted, gonna have to return the bunk bed to ikea now.

Sellar has heaps of upside and the struggle at, then being dropped by AFC, means he has the critical ingredient, Hunger. A couple of Neeld's pickups from last year have that ingredient i.e. Magner, and Couch. He drops some marks he should hold, yet rarely gets beaten. Is versatile with a big body, able to play ruck which means Clake should rarely have to pitch hit in the ruck. Another preseason, confidence and a bigger engine and we may have a regular 22 player. I am a fan.

There are people posting about 'Moneyball' above who have little or limited understanding of what it entails. As a system it doesn't preclude clubs from trying to sign star players. Here are some references ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moneyball http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7328539/the-economics-moneyball http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabermetrics

After looking at his head, he hasn't ducked enough.

Let me get this straight. You want to pay back Brock McLean for saying we intentionally lost games, and your plan for doing this is to intentionally lose a game? That'll show 'em!

To put things into perspective, below is a comment on Melbourne’s draftees made by an opposition club recruiter after draft day each year. Going by this some good picks, some bad at the time, some wrong opinions at the time some correct. Some too early to tell. Pick 36. I was actually a fan of Taggert. I thought he would make a great rookie. Good size, good speed and a great kick. He just never worked hard enough. Some nice cameos at times throughout the year but I always wanted him to do more and he rarely did. 1/4 here and 1/4 there. I think Curran or Lockyer was a better pick for you guys. Pick 52. Big, big fan of Josh. I had him at 29. Kind of kid you would go to war with. Gives his all every minute of every game. Good pick at 52. Pick 54. Sellars Hasn't fired a shot since being drafted. Great kid but no intensity and needs a heart transplant. Not sure he has the attitude and/or desire to succeed in the AFL. Might be a late bloomer but couldn't get a kick in stampede in the SANFL in 2011. At the end of the 2010 season after Jai had played as a bottom age (17yr old) at the Falcons I would have signed him on the spot. He had a great year and I thought he might get picked up by the Gold Coast Suns. He got an invite to the 2010 Draft Camp but struggled to impress. This year he had more down than good. I had really high hopes he would dominate but instead he beat up on the weak teams and got pantsed by the better ones. His biggest problem was his complete lack of intensity. He marks well, kicks nicely off either foot and moves like an onballer but he often looks afraid of his shadow. At times I wanted to go out to the huddle and slap him around the face and tell him to grow some balls. He frustrated the hell out of me. As the season went on he seemed to get softer and softer. I saw 1 game where he kicked 5 goals and dominated a very weak Bendigo but the next week he had about 3 touches playing at CHF vs a top 4 team. So I guess that is why he fell so far. Unless he finds some anger he will get smashed in the VFL. 12. Cook - Ripper kid. Very polite and well spoken. Has a nice country feel to his manner. Ex AIS lad so he can play. Hampered with injuries most of last year and for some of this so since his AIS days he has been playing catchup. Lovely mark and nice kick. He has suffered from some migraines this year and it is thought that is because he gets very nervous before a game. The longer the season went the more I tended to drop off him simply because he was having any impact in games I thought he should have been dominating. He not ovferly intense and not overly aggressive. Bit like Jack Watts in that way. Can play and if he reaches his potential was worth 12 but I have a few question marks on his mental toughness. Howe - Never seen play. Davis - I like Troy. Thought he would have made a good late pick or rookie. Deceptively quick for his size. Great intensity and makes his opponent earn every possession. Kicks the ball well. Always runs hard and straight. Will need time but should be good. McDonald - I am so-so on Tom. Thought more of a rookie. Bit unco and ungainly at times and needs some think music when making decisions. Not overly footy smart and can often get were the ball isn't. Flashes in and out of games. I would have thought Litherland, Alex Johnson, Ledger, McInnes and Delaney were better options, who all came after him. Trengove and Scully are wonderful players. Easily the standouts from all concerned. My personal opinon is that Lucas is far more accomplished player than Gysberts and your guys should have taken him. He is quicker, more agile and has a far greater running capacity. Both are about the same height. Gysberts probably stronger overhead but Lucas is no slouch as a marking player. Gysberts is neat and tidy and I had him rated at 22 but he struggles defensively. Lucas is a gut runner with some zip whereas Gysberts tends to be 1 paced. Teams seem to let him get on his own abit and he can sneak forward to kick a goal. He is good in close tending to feed the ball out of congestion by hand. I just worry about his running ability to work back and forth at speed. Tapscott at 18 was a good get. I had him at 17. Brilliant kick. Strong hands. Needs to up his workrate to get his hands on it more often but if he gets it anywhere around 50 he is a good chance of kicking a goal. Like most kids needs to work on his defensive game. Strong body. Good pick at 18. Big Max was the pick of the ruckman so another good get. 208cm (?) is one big lad and he might still be growing. Up until he did his knee he was showing plenty. Very raw but he is competitive and plays with good vigor. Should be good in about 3 or 4 years. Fitzpatrick???????? Not a fan. He has very good speed and agility for his size but his foot skills are shocking and he is lazy. His marking is hit and miss. He is getting over Chronic Fatigue as a 15yr old but he has been playing on that for the past 3 years. I haven't spoke to him but my bosses went to Sth Africa with him as part of the AIS U18 tour a few years back and they said he was the biggest whinger and complainer they had every heard. They also said he is one of the most arrogant kids they have ever met. They wouldn't have drafted him with 100 picks. I think at pick #50 James Craig from SA or Josh Donaldson from WA would have been a better option Watts did very, very well at DC. Don't get me wrong he has some talent but he also currently plays alot like the basketballer he is. He's not a big fan of the physical contact he gets and will get at AFL. He will need 3 good pre-seasons before you start to see the best of him. He needs to quickly develop some real aggression in him to worry the better defenders. At the moment he is easily worried off the ball but obviously some size and strength will help that but he has to get angry on the bad men of the AFL will destroy him. Blease - 17 yr old. Very quick, lovely mover, likes to run and carry. Decent kick and gets some good distance. Can get down on himself if beaten. Needs alot of size and strength. He should light up the 'G' flying down the wing ala Robbie Flower. We had him at 15. Strauss- I love this kid. One of the best kicks in the TAC. Deceptively quick. Moves within himself but hard to tackle. Great balance and footy smarts. Should be a talented onballer or HBF who sets up play. Alot like Heath Scotland. We had him at 24. Bennell and Bail I have never seen play and I know nothing about them. Jetta is a small forward/goal sneak. Interested pick really. He's okay but not super quick for his height. I'm not sure he has enough speed and tricks for h is size. Might struggle at 1st. He was outside our 60 and not really under consideration. I was a fan of Frawley but not at 15. I had him at 34 and my boss at 24. I rated him but his kicking worried us both. He is okay when he has time to steady but in the AFL we were worried he wouldn't have that time. He can play short or tall with his pace. I would have taken Sellar and Mitch Brown before him as a tall. He has more pace but I think the other two would give more versatility. Pettard at 30. I'm not a fan of Pettard and had him at 44. My boss liked him and had him at 22. So going by his judgment and you have done well to get him at 30 I think he is slow and lacks penetration with his kicking. Our main concern was he fumbles alot under pressure. He has a few tickets on himself which should get knocked out fairly quickly. Garland at 46 was a good get. I was hoping he would make it through to us. I had him at 30 and the boss at 37. He a nice mover, lovely kick and footy smart. Once he puts on some size he will be exciting to watch. My only worry would be his commitment. He's a very introverted kid who had to be talked into playing for Tassie in the Under 18 Champs. Once he played he made plenty sit up and take notice. Weetra at 62 I know nothing about him. I have never seen him play but the SA recruiter was gob smacked when his name was called. He didn't rate him at all.

I want to win as we can see playing for daraft picks is not the best way to build a good side look at north they have a better list and sydney both teams did not bottom out building a winning culture, u can play for draft picks and never became a good team

Excellent news. Looking forward to him cracking in and having a crack.

Very true old dee...... Lucky for us the finals are upon us and this one might slip under the radar?? I hope that is what the AFL are thinking hahaha But in all seriousness if they sanction us - surely they have to look at Carlton, Hawks, Pies, Dogs, Saints and anyone else who has received a priority pick? This is Watergate esc.... surely no one single entity is to blame and the AFL CEO will have to fall on his sword??

I agree entirely. What evidence is there that this bloke is a team man? Can you seriously see him playing under Brown? Does he look like the sort of bloke to share the limelight with Clark? He is a disruptive influence centred on his own interest. AND he is an overrated footballer.

They didn't watch the 2011 GF??

Great post. But these days I think that the two favourite words for an MFC supporter would be "What now?"

He is worth whatever the clubs believes it can afford to pay him. Yes, he would be ineffective in a poor side, which is precisely why we are saying that we should also be targeting a couple of good mids to compliment him... even if we don't fill all of our positional requirements this year, I would still prefer we get Cloke now while he is available because once he is gone he is gone for good and we will still be relatively impotent up forward regardless of the number of class mids we recruit.

Interesting that in a year when everyone is saying Cloke is having a poor year he has still kicked 45 goals. 45 goals into our team this year would see a lot better performance level. The dees have kicked a total of 208 for the entire team

According to the Herald Sun, no.

Dean Bailey v Neil Craig. Take 2.

If we could get a round two pick Dr. I would take it in a heart beat. Nice guys don't win flags They sing in Choirs

True, but I think we all know he's a good kick and can take a mark. And he's certainly polite. I was near the I/C bench down at Frankston a few weeks back and he's the only player I heard thank a trainer when handed a water bottle. But two years on the concerns we've had about intensity, aggression, pace and lack of involvement have never been more vivid. Big key forwards need mongrel and an appetite for the contest and it's very hard to instill that in a player that doesn't naturally have it. He and Watts would spend an hour trying to get out of a lift ... you, no you, ...

it would be such an 'us' thing to do though, play like shizen for 19 out of 20 games and then rip out some surprise form right at the death, in order to screw ourselves over

Look into my eyes... "There is no tanking in the AFL."

Forget about it, must be done for the year. What can we possibly gain by playing him for one more game? Important player who must be put on ice for 2013.

We've already seen that Valenti is yet another NQR list-clogger. Can't believe how short the memories of some here are.

Don't want sound like a wet blanket, but why even bother starting these sort of threads?

Good. I hate players who act for frees. It's cheating. I hate it even more when it's a Melbourne player. Ugly behavior and Dunn needs to cut it out.

It seems that his team mates appreciate Spence. http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/7415/newsid/143652/default.aspx According to Jones, Spencer's role was critical. "He's 200cm and 100kg; he really throws his weight around," Jones said. "He has not played many games. [He's] pretty inexperienced, but the effort and competitiveness he puts in at the centre bounces is what we're after." It set a standard for pressure that his teammates followed.

Persoonally I would like to see anyone to replace Brian Royal. Can we fit Cameron Ling in or maybe even James MacDonald (maybe too soon for him)

well said lads. sam stynes is our hero and god i miss jimmy

Yes yes and yes. Showed plenty in the last few weeks. Would be grabbed by 17 other teams if we delisted.

Of course you would. Mongrel solves everything. If delinquent was the wrong word, I think it was clear what I was referring to: the drinking, the thuggishness, and the being expelled from school. I was worried I was making all this up from a dream or something, but it's all here: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/jacks-not-every-clubs-darling-20101116-17vwe.html That kind of attitude was questioned by drafters. That's all I was saying. And my argument is not 'everyone else passed on him so our recruiters can't be held to account'. My argument is that it's rich to call our recruiters out for the Darling non-pick when it's not like he was taken straight away because he was so sought after and clearly a top player, he went a whole round later, whereby other clubs also chose not to take him. If he was as good and as clearly-cut a top player as some people say he was, then he wouldn't have slipped that far. KPFs don't grow on trees. You actually touch on an interesting topic in there - the age at which we draft our players. It's just assumed that we take 18 year olds and that's that, but as you note, other sports like NFL take their players a bit more mature. We've already seen over the last few years clubs getting all left-field and taking mature-aged recruits. Gives a bit of merit to the argument for raising the minimum age. It's never going to be done, of course, but it's interesting to think about nonetheless.

Absolutely. Love to all the Stynes clan.

It's an empty feeling losing someone that you love whole heartedly. You don't get over it, you just get more used to it. We love you Sam, and all the positive energy we can muster is heading your way.

Goddard has lost his edge at 28. Gets lots of the ball but has less impact than he used to. Picking up possessions on his terms and playing easy football. Idont want him but he would fit into the senior player culture at MFC very well though.

I've got tickets to this game, and although im not expecting a win, the last thing i want to see is us show up with no effort at all!

lol... like we have a choice whether we lose or not...

We have almost gotten through one of the worst seasons on record, and as Melbourne supporters we've seen our fair share of ordinary years. The amount of shyte that has been shoveled on the club, even before round 1, has been incredible. So to say it's been a tough initiation for Neeld, Trengove and Grimes as a first year coach/captain is an understatement. As the saying goes, 'tough times never last, but tough people do.' I have full confidence in the trio to help lead this club in the right direction. As for my point of optimism: season 2012 is almost over and hopefully it's built and not broken the character of the club.

i like the sound of Emmanual Irra. 2nd or 3rd rounder maybe Kevin Sheehan says: “Small midfielder who is extremely quick and skilful on both sides. Born in Uganda and has already played senior football at South Adelaide. Played for the World Team in the 2010 NAB AFL Under-16 Championships before playing for SA in the 2011 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships and the 2012 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships. Has a huge appetite for the game and a big upside in terms of future development. From AIS-AFL Academy’s 15th intake. ”