Leaderboard

I managed to sneak down there for a quick look. Not a bad morning to be training, overcast, light breeze, both stands packed (with seats), could do with a few more to view training, as the players would feel inspired with the extra support. It was touch and go, if the spectators out numbered the coaching staff. I considered stripping down for a bit of a hitout with the boys, but felt a slight twinge in the hammy while bending over to untie the shoelaces.So thought better of it. I will try to put another view out there, rather than repeat what was already been posted The previous posts on training are right on the mark. (Do we miss FNQ? his missus must have got him back in line,nowhere to be seen). A good 1st up post by TM, I too thought the skill level was down on the last trip out to Casey. I was asking myself, was I now marking them too hard? The reality was, they were fumbling, missing targets under or no pressure when doing simulated game drills. Not every player, but I was disappointed to see some old habits still lurking with some players. Overall it was a good hit out with lots of running. One drill I hadn't seen before, apart from passing to a leading player, they had a drill where they deliberately 'shanked?" a kick ,when I 1st seen a ball that had been kicked forward, it was wobbling along the grass, I quickly looked back to see what dork kicked that!. Then I realised, they were practising handling a bouncing ball and picking it up and the run. I got there as they were running 10 x 200? mtr spints (in pairs) after they got to the end, they would all walk back to the start, and off they went again. (TMac and Nicho and Howie stood out) there were a lot more not that far off their pace. Except one. Anyone care to guess? Jimmy "totone" Toumpas looks fit,nice built, but he was blowing hard, from running laps, he looked like his race had been run. Nicho wasn't well, after the repeat sprints, he looked cooked, and ready to keel over, he was having his pulse monitored and looked about to pass out. He looked like he wanted to continue with the rest of the drills, but he didnt. He might have a virus, as I heard him say he had headaches etc. I liked the look of Jack Hannath, I hope he gets a spot. Sylvia trains like plays (at least he was involved), seems to do no more than he needs to.I was watching him closely, I wasn't all that impressed with some of his efforts. He should be setting an example. Mitch Clark, was running laps, and heard him say later,he was happy with his progress. Howe and Chunk love getting stuck into each other with barbs to each other. Howe taking set shots on goal?? I hope he plays midfield,and let others take set shots. He is great on the run, but misses a lot from a set shot. (I was trying to spot what he does different on the run to having a set shot on goal,I couldn't spot any major) Must be a head thing with him. Nobody seemed to be too worried about it. I thought one of forward coaches might have had him practising one on one. Everything else has been posted already, so I won't repeat that. Overall a good training session,they look fitter, lots of chat to encourage each other. I am not sure where Flash is at, He kept trying, but, something is not right when him. If he was injured he would have been in the rehab group,but he wasn't. Fitzy was being played at FF in one of the drills, so from that I would suspect, he might get a gig up there. Neeld was right onto him when he took a pass from Viney,and took a chest mark, Neeld yelled out to him, then indicted hands out in front of his face. He then went back and had a shot from 45mtrs on a 45% angle hit the top of the goalpost. (nearside) So perhaps if Clark needs a fill in, Fitzy might be our man. I hope that covers it for those that couldn't make it.

Got down there for about 90 mins this morning. Hopefully if I forget anyone others that were there may post. Without going any further the highlight by far was seeing Mitch doing some 1/2 pace run throughs for about 30 mins and then kick to kick with Dawes for about 20 mins. Was using both feet with his kicking. Even better was when he was finished he stayed out on the track to watch the guys do a full length training drill. Itching to join in he was. The only player i couldn't see out there was Grimes but everyone else was out doing something. Evans, Dawes and Hogan did laps as did Dunn. Sylvia and Trengove with Gillies and two others did about 80% of the work I saw. The new draftees were doing 3/4 pace run throughs on the far side of the ground before they joined in some of the ball work drills. They along with Tynan and Barry then went to athletics track for fitness training. Plenty of those 150 - 200 m sprints with the majority of the group doing those. Standouts Mc Donald, Nicholson, Howe, Jones, Watts, Blease (relative to where he has been) Magner. Couple of full length kicking drills with fast ball movement with hands to carry the ball some beautiful foot skills on display from Jimmy Toumpas and Dom Barry doing this drill that got Neeld excited. Toumpas looks like an absolute jet. Everything he did looked athletic, smooth and with control. His kicking was superb. Then some full length drills where basically it was "chaos calls" by the coaches and working really hard on transition from defence to attack or vice versa. Guys i noticed included Howe, Jones, Taggert, Blease and Jetta. Viney was involved in everything to today but was really blowing hard afetr the 200m sprints. looked quite distressed however motored on for the rest of the 90 minutes I saw. Jack Hannath trained the whole session. Any questions happy to try and answer They were still hard at when I left.

Maybe we can afford to by a more secure vault now?? One that does not leak!

I was at Casey from 9.15 to midday and they were still at it as I left. Just doing their final kick to kicks, I guess. Everyone was there and participated in something except Grimes. He was just walking around the ground when I got there but had a heavy bandage on his left leg (I think left). He wan't there long and spent the rest of the time in the gym. Also noticed Dunn in the rehab or others group but by the end was also heavily bandaged on one leg. So much happens at these sessions it's hard to keep track of everything. Trengove doesn't look right. The other week he looked like he had just got out of a sick bed. He was very quiet again today. and he looked very slow when he had to chase. Jordie Mc looked sharp and a lot quicker than I had seen him before. Tappy disappeared after the sprints and I don't recall seeing him anytime later. Evans continues to just run but a smooth runner he is. Ditto for Toumpas. Jetta was good in the drills Big Maxy Gawn did quite a bit of running and is looking good. Taggert fumbled a lot I was keen on seeing Gillies and Pedersen to get some idea whether they are first 22 or not but I couldn't see alot of them in the drills. Hannath looks good. Good ball handling skills and kicked some good goals in the drills. I like him. This session was not as good as the last Casey session, not as crisp but then the drills were different.

Woken up by a leaf blower this morning... Is there a more useless and annoying human invention? It is a windy day....

As a student, I do struggle to justify spending X amount of money on a membership; especially when I work most weekends. Generally it comes down to: petrol, food, gas and electricity or a Melbourne membership... Needless to say, every winter I end up living off baked beans and mi goreng but I'll be damned if I'm not going to be a part of that 40k+ when we crack it!

My observations of Sylvia over the 3 Casey sessions I have seen, is that he is on a modified training program. Mainly running and handball skills. He does look very fit already. Chocko Royal was gathering a group together for some close in work and Sylvia was standing nearby. Chocko asked him whether he is "in on this one" and he replied no. He did a lot of running with Grimes and others last week on the other oval. To me, he seems to be allowed to do some extra work if he wants once he has done his allocated workload. I think they are just making sure he gets through the pre-season uninjured. I guess we'll see over the next few weeks. One thing is for sure, the conditioning guys are all over the players making sure they do exactly what has been allocated to them. Players were even asking if it was OK to have a few shots on goal. The answer came back "I'd rather you didn't". They even chip the players if they decide to climb over the fence onto the ground rather than walk throught the gate!

I popped down for a while, few things I noticed.... As stated, clarky was running well, and still looks a massive unit. Gillies looks a lot thinner already. Could be a steal. Nicho and tmac push each other real hard in the running. Nicho was sick and coughing his guts up but pushed through. Barry was lucky it wasn't windy, would of blown away. But his skills where very sharp. Got told of for pulling up short in a 200. Great to see nothing gets missed with so many coaches on the ground. Raising the bar. Despite all our recruits,I am most excited about Howe this year. Was burning jones in the running, is a standout in most drills, such a smooth mover. I really believe he could be anything. When viney and tappy where running together, viney surprisingly still looked rather solid. Both large units. Bit of grunt. Every run of the 200, the boys where giving there times to be recorded, impressive and shows how structured and detailed our pre seasons have become. Dawesy was taking it very easy. I would like a massive pre season from him after disappointing year last year. Watts was in the fourth pair of running with mckenzie. Worked hard and as others have said, is a great trainer. Never misses a target in the drills. I assumed the tall kid in the hat doing handball drills was the kid who didn't get drafted. If so he is a rather large unit, with very very clean hands in marking and handball drills. But then during the 200s he began barking orders at players such as chip which made me think it might not have been him, unless he is one very confident kid. Whoever it was they looked real good. Was disappointed to see Sylvia train the way he did. Takes it half assed and never looks serious. Rodans skills and delivery to forwards again was sublime. Big fan. Pedo started as a defender on the leading forwards in one drill.

Whilst it's correct to say that a profit figure in one particular year can easily be manipulated by accounting trickery, I think it's also folly to come to any conclusions about the club's financial security based on this set of results alone. Although I'm not an accountant, I would have thought that this could better be assessed by looking at its balance sheet which I understand will be released shortly. From what I recall of the recent figures, we've gone from somewhere in the region of $5m in the red to an amount in excess of that in the black in a very short space of time which I consider to be a monumental feat given the club's insipid on field performances during the same period. Granted we have to continue to work hard as a club to increase revenue streams and that won't be easy in the current climate. However, with improved performances on the field, the potential is there for improvement in our bottom line. I have no issue with the club resorting to supporters and AFL handouts which in effect seek to restore an even playing field for clubs disadvantaged by a fixture skewed in favour of the already richer clubs. I look forward to the day when we are one of them as well and that we're regulars in finals and premiership contention. In any event, kudos go to the current Board and those who worked with the club previously to improve our financial situation.

Another #%#*^ profit!!! I blame all of this on Schwab. Never used to happen in the good old days.

As the biggest witch hunt in AFL history drags on ( how many months has it been now?). Surely they either have enough evidence to charge us and if not they should stop the investigation. They've reinterviewed people, done forensic examinations, if they haven't got sufficient evidence now they never will have!

Ha, trust us to waste 8 long years putting up with his crap, only for him to finally play to his potential and [censored] off for cash. That would be ironic. And sad. And totally not unexpected.

The curious shape of equations in Caro's even curiouser moral universe begins to emerge. They broke the rules without cheating. We cheated without breaking the rules. The latter is, obviously, by far the greater sin. I'm just not quite sure I could explain why. Or what rules are, for that matter.

I hereby name thy period from 2009 to 2011 the Fevola effect.

Great job! I really appreciate all the hard work that you and the other admins put into this site. Now we've just gotta get Jack Viney and Mitch Clark onto the banner!

Naturally. I have also imposed an Amish style "shunning".

I disagree with this - I hope he plays midfield too (and he will) but I think nailing those set shots is essential to taking the next step as a player for Howe. He's a midfielder who can go forward and be a marking threat, so he needs to be able to turn that in to damage on the scoreboard. Some of those misses last year were easy and were real momentum killers; it's definitely a part of his game that needs improving and when it does he'll be a real danger to opposition sides. Thanks (to you and others) for the great reports; they mean a lot to many of us.

Once the toumpass family signs up 40,000 members is a easy target.

I've done some tinkering to the homepage. Let us know what you think.

Here is something for all Melbourne supporters to start the holiday season. Bring on Queens birthday.

If (when?) we get off that Caroline Wilson article where she says we 'will be punished heavily' will become the most viewed in internet history if I've got anything to do with it.

Yeah-I'm just happy we got all our draft picks ,paid off Cams House ,got a great new desk and cashed in twice on Scully . Caro would be frothing and smearing her lipstick all over her face with a crumpled photo of Schwab in her hands r ight at this moment .

I believe after being delisted he was heard to say "I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore".

Smoke and Mirrors are cool . Love em both . Especially the mirrors. 700k is a pi55 in the ocean from our coterie . If times get tough we will dig deeper till we get a flag . Thats what functional clubs do. We probably have the same financial resources amongst our supporter base as Collingwood does in its . Most of ours has been obtained by white collar crimes which just goes to prove the motto "Blue -Collar crime doesn't pay".

I've often said that myself. They were invented for the idiotic to distort the unemployment figures.Clearly. I've seen council dudes blowing leaves down a drain that the next day overflows and has to be pumped ,only for the same thing to happen again a week later . Get a f#cking rake you blowjobs .

Stay tuned ......

That's exactly right - they wanted to reserve space to try to retain Davis but that all went pear-shaped. This is now conveniently forgotten by all concerned.

Interesting to see Anthony Tipungwuti in there. Could be a way for the club to have a look at him without being obvious about it.

So what were Melbourne supposedly doing tanking Caro? We didn't break any rules but she has us hung drawn and quartered. New Carowhine headline: "Oh they weren't breaking any rules but they were cheating"

Hiya, Appreciative of the hard work of everyone involved with keeping this site going. One thing I am not particularly fond of (I am a little picky though) is the mini icons next to all the articles and recent posts on the left. Primarily because everything now is expanded out/extended. Making the whole front page of demonland very long...as if it has been double-spaced.

A BIG THANKS TO YOU ALL FOR THE EFFORTS THROUGHOUT THE YEARS!! It is a time-consuming and sometimes thankless task but it is very much appreciated. Changes all look good BTW. Cheers

I don't know why we look at the FH money and say "we can't rely on FH money". I will never see it as a "given" and am extremely grateful to the wealthier benefactors who tip large sums in regularly and do not downplay this generosity - but we are not the only club that do this and get this kind of support. Collingwood and Carlton are extremely well fed by FH type donations. We should be the kind of club where its supporters are happy ( well..maybe willing is a better word) to contribute and strive to make the club stronger.

So we post a profit of $77,000 and Fan is wondering what the loss actually is ? A minor matter, but friends of the previous Board rarely fail to amuse. As WJ asserts, I believe the Bentleigh Club puts our assets at around $6mil. That doesn't compare too badly with the Dogs, who are $10mil in the red, and many other clubs with millions of dollars worth of debt that they're currently servicing. I agree that we don't want to have to rely on FH every year, but it's fantastic that there's a group of well-heeled supporters that appear to be in for the long haul. I'm certain of two things when it comes to the MFC. Firstly, if Gardner was still at the helm our debt would still be at least $5mil and probably worse, and secondly there'd be no FH at all, whose support has been invaluable. It's amusing how Gardner supporters like to poor cold water on this last achievement by constantly questioning its ongoing reliability. I understand their concerns, but I also understand their concerns. Too cryptic for some ? In words Fan will understand, "Keep up the good work".

Out of contract and unrestricted free agrent - if he's ever going to have a "breakout year" it's this year.

I went down to training yesterday and was really impressed with Viney. He just kept pushing himself. The way he was running around in with the number 7 on his back too he reminded me of a young Scott West. Toumpas and Barry have great skills and neeld kept praising their skills. It was nice to see a lot of the boys kicks hitting targets in the drills. Even spencer was drilling it into the forwards which made neeld quite happy. I was most impressed with Howe, Viney, Jones, Watts, Frawley, Nicholson and McDonald. I am undecided about how pederson will go for us but I think Gillies will be in our best 22 and a very handy pick up. I also agree that trengove seems a bit slow and I hope he can get some pace back by next year coz he struggled to chase taggert at one point and was burned off quite easily. Need was really happy with Rory's effort though. Davey kept coming last in the sprints but he did at least seem to keep pushing himself and not give up. Overall I was pretty happy with what I saw!

I'd hope Col was on a path to be cherry ripe for Rd 1, and any "slackness" is part of this program, rather than the result of any character flaws as some on hear like to assume. May be time for us to sit back and appreciate that Col, like most of our players, is doing his honest best to improve, and recognise a propensity to have a laugh does not equate to slacking off.

It's not surprising that many supporters have low expectations, as we're well and truly conditioned to think that way. But having genuine tall targets to kick to improves the midfield; Viney, Toumpas, Rodan, and M. Jones add grunt, pace and class to the midfield; an improved midfield helps defence; a fitter group of players keeps us in games for longer; and competition for spots is healthy for the team and the catalyst for improvement. Footy is a game if inches. If we improve in lots of small areas it can add up to big things.

I believe in Col..

Sorry WJ but the fact his agent says he is fine means zero IMO. What would we expect him to say that his client is a lost cause who should go into rehab! The difference in this story from CW is that the defence put up by the people at the Pies has been next to nil. I think the story was planted by the top people at Collingwood. If it was totally untrue Eddie and company would threatening to sue CW the Age and anyone who said two words about it. I smelly a large amount of truth in this story.

everytime i read one of your posts, in my head i finish it with "im ron burgundy, go [censored] yourself san diego"

I've supported the Dees for over 50 years. So for me, like many others on this forum, loyalty is a non negotiable and we automatically kick in our annual fees. My son, however, is of a more economic rationalist generation where performance or "return" is the only measuring stick. Loyalty falls far down the list. He will not pay this year because he thinks Melbourne's performance did not repay his investment. He will support football in general and go to what he considers matches that provide good value for money. He will follow football rather than Melbourne. I cannot understand this phenomena but I believe it is growing. And yes - I have, obviously, failed as a parent.

Please let the record show that a> it was WYL that asked for Fan's opinion and b> it was WYL that brought up Gardner, not Fan. Who has an axe to grind again?

Thanks for the report, TM. Like your Brett Ratten avatar, too!

While I haven't been to a training session as of yet, I can say that his VFL form late in the season after he was properly diagnosed with his condition was very good. He's getting better at holding his contested marks, so he's becoming stronger physically, but he's still got his pace also and can burn his opponents off. I think the inclusion of all these forwards will be good for him as it should make him work even harder to get a game. I can see him competing with Pedersen for the 2013 season for the 3rd tall forward/2nd ruck role. Once 2014 comes along it will become even harder for him, but with injuries/suspensions/rotations I could still see him playing a lot of football for us and I still have high hopes for him. I certainly see him being our first call up into the team if any of Clark, Dawes or Pedersen were to miss a match next season.

way too much red in that photo

File?

Terribly lazy. Plays on his own terms. Half-hearted defensive chases. Will the penny drop with a new coaching group and his football mortality staring him in the face ? If it does he'll really add to the midfield. I'd have him watch Ryan O'Keefe's Grand Final game 30 times before the start of next season and say this is how hard you have to work.

the levels of drug abuse in Amsterdam are lower than in Australia, even tho it is legal. Freedom is one hell of a drug!

Really? Personally I think this is the most outrageous comment on this thread so far. I would however love to be proven wrong.