Leaderboard

I was at the game, but had absolutely no chance to keep everyone updated sorry. Also not sure what has been written in this thread already - had a quick browse but skipped a few pages. FWIW, my observations are/were; * I can't believe we were late, which pushed back the start of the match by 20 mins. In hindsight, it was obvious our bus driver had the same drive as our players seemed to. * Matt Jones is a lock for Round 1. Thought he played really well for a first year player. * First time I've seen Jesse Hogan in person - now I can understand the hype. He's huge, and absolutely owned Warnock (I appreciate that's not something to hang your hat on, even for an 18 year old who can't play this year). Many times he did everything right in a marking contest, except hold the bloody thing! He will be very good. * It was good to watch Watts the man, not Watts the boy. He was a standout in a very understrengthed and undersized backline. * I watched Sylvia fairly closely, but it seemed to be the only time he got going was in the last quarter. I read an earlier post from Bailin Out (I think) that siad Sylvia was hungry, I only saw that for the last 25 minutes of the game (when the result was known). * Jack Grimes, FMD, I'm just not sure if his skills will allow him to become that A-grader that he should be. * Jordie Mckenzie's biggest problem is that he stands flat-footed too much. When he gets a handball, he is stationary, and needs to rely on a burst of speed to get in the clear. Unfortunately, he doesn't have that burst, and is often caught, hence his disposal is iffy. * I can't for the life of me work out why Toumpas wasn't in our best. He ran and ran and ran, it felt like he was everywhere. At one stage he ran with Ablett, and will now have more of an insight on how wide that gap is between playing seniors and being a star. * Ablett is a freak (sorry for not offering anything new there). * Strauss is a concern, I personally don't think he is AFL standard at this stage. I don't want to hear the "coming back from injury" or "it was only a practice match", I was there, I watched him, and I just don't know if he has got what it takes to be in our senior team. Put it this way, if there was 1 spot left and it was between M Jones and Strauss, I'd be picking Jones. * At some stage, I'm sure Sellar and Pedo will be fighting for the same spot. Based on Saturday, Sellar is a given. He presented up forward, he ran hard, he created contests, and was more than competitive in the ruck, even against Zac Smith. I felt that when Sellar rucked, he offered more than just a contest. Which leads me to... * Mark Jamar. Tried hard all day, I noticed he was in the best (wouldn't have been difficult), but where Russian is let down is in his tap work. He is sufficient around the ground, not ideal, but will do, but it's his tap work that probably costs us the most. He generally wins more contests than he loses, but he taps it to no-one. The chemistry between he and our other mids is non-existant. weither they (the mids) need to change their set up, or Jamar needs to change the areas he taps to. I think it has to be the former, but at this stage I think they are so focused on defending the bloke they are on, rather than being creative and playing off their man. All in all, it was a very boring game of footy. Conditions were hot, but were close to perfect. To see 20 goals kicked for the game was poor for both teams. Our forward line and backline were far from what I hope to see in Round 1, which probably means that the Suns should've beaten us by more, given they were closer to full strength than we were. I have no doubt we went in to the game with a practice match mentality (like our bus driver), and I can't say I blame them. Our next game is in just under 2 weeks, and I've got no doubt that it's the game we have been set for, not some "nothing" game on a warm Saturday morning/afternoon.

lol You always put a "no need for reply" at the end as if what you have said is all there is. Why did you start a Dreamteam league and ask Landers to join it? Couldn't find anyone other than your brother to get back to you? I know you don't think much of this place, and my 'fascination' of your post of late is a morbid intrigue of the disturbed: just go back to Bigfooty if you can't stand this place. Or better yet, follow another club that isn't so sick with softness, passionlessness, and stupidity. Plenty of people here are passionate, smart (on football and a great number of subjects), and we are not so soft as to become a bitter shell of a person that finds nothing better to do than sh!t on the only community he feels at home in (you're not at home? Then why do you keep coming back?) If you keep trolling this place, because that is effectively what you are doing with your mountainous array of cheap shots - then you should be banned. Or kicked out of the pub. Next round is on me, fellas (and ladies) because I may be (very) arrogant, but I am not so arrogant as to delude myself that I am not one of you.

On topic, it's great to hear that Mitch is playing this weekend. His Lisfranc can be a career killer, so he's now in the clear. For those of you worried about repeat injury, Lisfranc dislocations don't recur with any greater incidence in previous sufferers. I expect to see him round 1. Good work to Mark Blackney his surgeon, and the rehab team.....particularly the physios. I might be biased, haha.

I love it when someone says they won't be back and then they come back to edit their own post.

^^^This guy really needs to get over his dislike for all of us. I always like to think of Land as a Demons themed pub. A group of people having a chat on different things with varying people. This guy just constantly talks about how "everyone here is so stupid, especially you - the person I am talking to." Wouldn't you just leave the effing bar?!

Dear Mitch, You have only be with us for a very short time and in that time you have earned our respect with the way you play the game. You are skillful and have no fear. I only write this because you are the most valuable player for Melbourne. I just ask you to get through the game and try not to attempt to kill yourself in a marking contest. Too many times last year I thought you were dead. Love always Cowboy From Hell.

I read some posts from a selected few who are beating the drums about our coach already. That is your opinion so I must respect it but I do not agree at all. This is a worst case scenario thread where IF we do show no improvement at all I would like the drum beaters to give me a logical replacement and what type of gameplan compared to Neeld's you would like to see. Don't just say let's fire him. Show me a replacement and be proactive in a post. I have never thought about not renewing a membership but if Neeld was to be let go I would strongly consider not signing myself and my kids next year. Jesse Hogan may have something to say about it though. I could not see the point of hiring a coach and giving him the green light to cull a list and start from scratch but then fire the coach. This would leave us in a worse position then we were in after Bailey.

If Mitch plays Round 1, Port are in for a hiding. He makes EVERY player walk 10 feet taller.

I actually feel sorry for someone who can't or refuses to enjoy the sense of community you can get from a place like Deeland. i mean I'm a pretty jaded person myself, but that's just sad.

How can you not have something in common with the people in this place. There is a wide spectrum of posters ranging from slagging off every player to forgiving all of them and convincing themselves that Simon Godfrey kicked the ball like Gary Ablett but in the main we all share the same highs and lows...shared the same euphoria of winning and same "sads" at a loss. There are few on here who have described that indescribable feeling of the walk out of the Whitten oval in 1987 after the realisation we had made the finals. How can you not share something with someone who has the same euphoria from something as simple as walking back to a freakin car !!!!

Getting back on topic, just listened to Neeld's summary of the Gold Coast game (some doomsdayers here should do the same) and I would think next weeks game at Casey will be a good one for all those passionate supporters to get down to. Looks like Dawes, Clarke, Trengove, Blease, Viney etc will all be playing. Obviously interest will be centred on Mitch and also how he and Dawes gel together.

Been in our top 3 this preseason , and ready for a breakout year, definitely a keeper.

Just as John Northey inherited the Barassi legacy, Neeld inherited the Bailey legacy and to a lesser extent, that of Daniher, both of which were more or less shambolic in terms of the direction in which most of the stronger clubs were travelling. He's been left with the task of turning things around which he could only do with a vastly different list and because of its relative youth and lack of maturity, change won't be effected overnight. The naysayers don't understand this and demand to see immediate change and a finite number of wins. They see modest expectations as an advance sign of failure. They simply don't understand.

So in essence, the rest of us are basically the same as you, the only difference being that we are a little less arrogant and self-centred?

god the thread titles around this place give me a fright sometimes, i thought the 'Mitch Clark Back' title was perhaps about Mitch having issues with his back. *see's own shadow and runs and hides from it*

I believe that a lot of supporters overrate our list and football department and it shows. Some believe that we should make the eight and some think we should win eight to ten games for Neeld and co to keep their jobs. So lets have a look at where we were, a club that was in basic term broke an underfunded football club, poor culture over many years, no structures within the club of what is needed to be a successful club, a board that leaked like a sieve and if reports are true the players had a lot to say to what went on. So Neeld is appointed and he fully changes the way the football department is set up, not only is there assistant coaches we now have line coaches to help with the players development, we also got in Dave Misson and he is one of the best in the business and then Neil Craig who also knows how a successful football department runs. So Misson’s first pre-season and the man is staggered at the fitness of the players with all his data from the swans and the saints he rated us at about sixty percent compared to those two teams, then again he was still flogging them during the season. Then we come to this year and I believe he has ramped it up another twenty percent so that leaves us another twenty percent left for next year, you cannot get to an elite level like all the top sides in a short time, Misson is building the body to match the fitness base then we will be able to compete with the top sides. So now we come to Neeld’s second season and he has cleaned out the playing list and brought in some expiernced players as well as some youth and yet people still complained and only wanted youth, I believe they do not understand what Neeld’s so called money ball is all about, first and foremost bring in expiernced players bides him time to develop the younger players by taking the pressure of them so instead of getting the best player on them (instead of two players on Clarke they now have to look after Dawes, Pederson, Byrnes or even Howe) they might get the second and third player so that in effect helps them with confidence and that will help fast track their development. Neeld knows that he has only a couple of years at most with Rodan, Byrnes etc so this is where top clubs have it over us, when they have a player out with injuries someone from the second tier stands up and that is where we need to get. So lets remember before we put time limits on Neeld and co just remember get the foundation right before the building can be built, what I hope to see (wins would be nice) but the group continue to bridge the gap between us and the top sides so we can have continued success. P.S If you don’t think Neeld, Misson and Craig don’t know what is needed to get to the top then your dreaming!!

I'm not sure why there's such doom and gloom when one considers we were the spooner last year outside of the two fledgling clubs. Have some perspective. There's no point talking about what we thought was going to happen as we prognosticated back in 2010, it's the here and now that is the benchmark as we look to the future. In a couple of years time our spine will read: Frawley, McDonald, Viney, Clark and Hogan. Other clubs will be hard-pressed to better it. Imagine if you're a midfielder, or flanker and had a rampaging Hogan, Clark, Dawes and Howe wanting you to get the ball into the forward-line quickly ? Conversely, imagine not having them there. Do you think you'd be mucking around, going sideways trying to find a clean avenue, so that you could hit up someone just inside 50 ? And then the dreaded turnover happens and the defenders are caught out of position. That's how we've played because we haven't had the confidence, or urgency to get it in there quickly since Neitz left. The difference in mind-set and urgency is stark and it does effect how you play. The confidence that lifts a team by knowing there's big strong targets is immense. Trengove is also really important. Many supporters hardly factor him after his disappointing 2012, but he's a key for me. If he can progress to be the player we all envisaged then an emerging midfield of Trengove, Viney, Toumpas, Jones, and Blease together with Kent, Barry, Matt Jones and another top 10 midfielder from this year's draft means there's cause for optimism. Especially if we can lure a Rischitelli type, as mentioned by 55 and another poster. As a Melbourne supporter I acknowledge that what I'm espousing is just more "next year" stuff. I get that. But I also get that that's our reality. The Swans built a premiership list within the space of 7 years without access to great draft picks. I maintain that we have a core 12-14 players that are very capable of developing into premiership players. I'll manage my expectations for 2013, but I'm very bullish about the next 5 years.

i wouldnt be offering Jack ANYTHING untill he starts to play some really good footy. other posters above me are offering him a 5 year contract based on 'a good preason'. That is pure insanity. Im not fussed if we wait till the end of the year. if he does have an amazing year then we are in a great position salary cap wise to give him a really good offer.

keep the beard i reckon its why he came good

He relishes in taking a contrary stance, that's for sure, and has milked every last dying drop out of "Watts is a soft spud, you just can't see it because we view footy very differently". Half of Ben's posts make for interesting reading, the other half you have to wonder if he'd prefer signing up to BenHurLand with only 1 forum member. The guy is either a troll or a monumental [censored], but it provides for some light entertainment either way.

I wouldn't go as far as 360, Django. Not even 180 at this stage. But I did like what I saw on the weekend. Jack's challenge is to cement himself as a top six player for the MFC by the end of the year. I'm backin him in to do it.

Trust me YDE when it comes you will say it was worth the wait. And I am not talking flags as I have no idea how that feels but I remember the feeling after we beat the Dogs at the Western Oval in 1987 to make finals for the first time in my life. Whilst we bowed out at teh Prelim stage still loved that September and recall my father and most others adopted the Dees as their second side during the finals.

Grunt or no grunt he is a valuable player. Every good side has at least one effective highly talented player that may be considered softish. If the criteria demands that every player bored in at a 100% then we would have less than half a side. If we were a better team his physicality would not be an issue.

Does this mean you don't believe in Neeld anymore? Oh well, you can take your hood ornament to the slopes if all else fails. "Raise the bar" is surely a chairlift phrase?No?

Most star players don't leave solely for cash. Success or a shot at it will come into equation. If we were to win 10-12 games this year & the kids loooked good we'd have a case to make to DT.

I find it interesting that those who argue against Neeld like to point to the fact that in each of Bailey's last two seasons, we won 8½ games and that Neeld is somehow a failure because we won half that number in his first season. Their logic is that if he can't get us up to the level of around 8 - 10 wins this year then he should be sacked. That's a load of bull. By the end of Bailey's term, we were clearly on the decline with a team that had a poor culture and was incapable of handling the press employed by the better teams in the competition. Neeld has started again from scratch and has cleaned house. This is his second year as coach. Bailey coached the team to four wins in his second year. I'll back Neeld to beat that figure this year. In any event, it's folly to simply go on the number of wins. I think by the end of year we'll be able to see tangible evidence that Neeld's plans are making inroads. It will be in the style of play, the confidence levels, team skills and many of other indicators rather than just the results of matches.

I just saw a tweet reposted by Matt Jones that stated Mitch Clark will play next week in the VFL. Anyone else hearing this? very excited. Dare I say it they may play Dawes as well just so they can have a small amount of game time together,

A lot has been said and written about Neeld's revolutionary list overhaul in the off-season. Can Clark and Dawes gel effectively? Will Rodan and Byrnes be worth the punt? Can Viney and Toumpas have an immediate impact? But for me the greater question will be how the blokes who've already been there for four or more years will go ... the 50 - 150 game players who until now, if we're being honest, have not exactly set the world on fire. We've seen cameos here and there, a couple have even cracked it for a one-off All-Australian nod, but none of the following players could confidently stand up as of today and declare themselves to be a top-line AFL player. From my vantage point, it's time for the following guys to quit flying under the radar, to end this habit of "just getting by" each week. It's time to Raise The Bar .... Jack Watts You were adjudged the best young talent in Australia five years ago. Time to show us why we shouldn't be weeping every time Nic-Nat lights up Subiaco. It's time to Raise The Bar .... Jack Trengove They said you were the second coming of Nathan Buckley out of South Australia. You have been appointed Captain of the oldest and greatest football club in the known universe. Start playing like it. It's time to Raise The Bar .... Colin Garland The difference between your best and your worst is far too great. Give us supporters a reason to stop thinking that this is because you lazily switch off, opting to coast laconically through games. Also, you are a backman. Start getting on the angry pills and make forwards hate playing on you. I don't get the feeling that has ever been the case. It's time to Raise The Bar .... Colin Sylvia A Demonlander I can't remember said it perfectly of Col last season when he posted ... "Sylvia merely likes the idea of being a footballer". The Tarzan physique, the half-million paycheque, the birds hanging off your arm at the Middle Park. It's all for nothing Colin unless you consistently put it together on the field ... especially in big games. It's time to Raise The Bar .... Jordie McKenzie Okay, you're a footballer with limitations. But that doesn't mean you have to limit the impact you can have on games. If it's your bag to be a run-with player, be the best God-damned run-with player in the competition. Have the elite opposition ball players consistently cited for for striking you out of pure frustration and annoyance. It's time to Raise The Bar .... Luke Tapscott We love your brute physicality. Adore it. But what else have you got mate? With an injury-free run now's the time to show your coaches, MFC supporters and the footy public what all that 'next Paul Chapman' hype was about three years ago. Because if toughness is all there is ... that 'aint enough. It's time to Raise The Bar .... Mark Jamar Injury and form have seen a significant drop off from your sterling efforts of 2010. In 2013 - as the main man in the middle - the acid is well and truly back on you to recapture that form. A few more telling grabs around the ground each game wouldn't hurt, either. Quality ruckmen must help control the air. It's time to Raise The Bar .... Lynden Dunn You have been much maligned over the years. Most of it justified. I dare say there was a time last season when you were penciled into the "gone" column of the coach's list clean-out ledger. But to your credit, you worked your way back from the abyss during the second half of the year. As one of the most experienced, harder-bodied players in the team, the onus is now on you to show us all that that form was not just a blip on the radar. Impose yourself on contests Lynden and demand to be selected each week. You have it within you. It's time to Raise The Bar .... James Frawley Like the Russian, 2010 seems a lifetime ago. Whereas once you asserted yourself with Scarlett-like authority across the last line, of late you look indecisive and out-of-step. Get your mojo back ... now. Raise The Bar!

Alpacacino?

I believe in Dale... Kerrigan.

Some footy fans just aren't into it as much as most demonlanders are. I travel a bit with work and meet many types of supporters. I've meet the ones who know nothing but still support the club to the ones who know what side of the bed Nathan Jones sleeps on. Each to their own. As long as the casual fan can become a casual member I don't give a toss what their knowledge or attitude is towards the MFC.

The other school of thought would be to try and sign him up ASAP before he plays well enough to demand more dollars. As long as he signs a MFC contract I'm happy.

My info is that he was first off the ground for North when it started p1ssing down rain.

He will sign up for sure. I think both us and Watts would agree we haven't seen the best of him yet. He is showing a lot of promise though and I would assume half way through the year it will all be done.

PS I love Mitch Clark. I have oodles of man-passion for Mitch Clark. I will weep upon his return.

You are really serious aern't you. You really do consider yourself part of a higher race than the the mere human being. Reality Check Benny...Your poop smells just as pungent as the the next person. I agree with some of your views on football & the MFC & that is great, but your political stance and disdain for other opinions on this sight is actually humorous. When did the Liberal Party ever have a relevent opinion outside Toorak...?? I think MFC supporters are tough as nails in the main considering the tripe the club has served up over 49 odd years. So i think your put down of MFC supporters is just wrong. But i am sure you will continue your path of arrogance along the lines of your hero Andrew Bolt whose column today made me laugh out loud. Rupert Murdoch's empire is under threat of "Free Speech" Fox News is an embarrassment in terms of fact. Always has been. But i am sure you will disagree.

I just find your right wing views funny, if not a little disturbing. To say you don't have an agenda is a bit rich. Your agenda is clear. Make yourself seem smart by taking potshots at teenagers on this site. Now go back to counting your money and investing in coal.

I would be looking to sign him right now to 3 years. Certainly before the season fully gets under way as I really think he's in for a big one.

We need to sign a star midfielder as a matter of urgency, Thomas fits the bill, so we need to bring out the war chest..

I'm sorry, but this argument is ridiculous. The idea that the only people who can offer criticism are those with superior skills in the area of critique is utterly flawed. If it were true, Pavarotti could never have a singing teacher, Einstein couldn't have a maths lecturer and Gary Ablett could never have a coach. The argument is especially flawed when directed at someone who's just made a rather salient point. The fact is, our captain kicked the ball put on the full in every second game last year!

Okay, arguments have been taken into account and I have lowered my the bar on the hood ornament. I couldn't see Mt Hotham in the distance with her sitting there.

Goddard can captain coach himself.

ON form it sounds like Terlich and M Jones are looking good for Rd1. I'm guessing one of Viney or Toumpas will get a gig also - plus Dawes, Byrnes and Road. Six/Seven newbies including 3 on debut is a lot - having read somewhere Neeld didn't want too many on debut vs Power. I know Pederson was told he had a clear role - and the coaches believed it (so did most of us) when we traded for him. What's happened since is he has shown poor-ish form overall and Sellar has somewhat "comes of age" as a forward/ruck - perhaps by mistake having been played there vs power in Renmark as there simply was no one else. Goes to show that practice games can be important it generating self belief - which I suspect Sellar and Watts now have more of.....when we really needed 15-20 players "walking a little taller". Will be very interesting at selection.

Can I ask why he is a liability, having played the grand total of 2 games? He was the leading goalkicker at Casey last season Are you another one of those posters that just picks a player and away you go venting your spleen He is a fwd/ruckman by the way, not just ruck, obviously you can't have watched him too many times to not know that Boosdog must be right

Hogan and Clark together in 12 months - more anticipated than my dodgy Robbie Flower Collectors Edition Port I purchased two decades ago. Vowed I wouldn't open it until we won a flag. It's looking very dusty.

The timing would be right. We've built up to a stage of going after a star or two, and I'd expect our shopping list at the end of the year to be: mids, mids, mids, and if any cash leftover, mids.

Yes we can afford him. We can afford anyone if we want. We are lucky in a way because if we want a player all we need to do is drop some dead wood out of the cap to fit Thomas in. We don't have all australian players all over the ground who demand a high salary. Do what we need to do to get the quality in.

This is why our club will never be successful......... 1/ Without commenting on specifics for the game plan - go outside the club ask anyone within footy - Defence wins premierships 2/ If that has any resemblence of truth - we cleraly didn't turn over enough players 3/ I know we've been crap for ages and I would love to win some games - but this site has very un-realistic expectations. And I agree with CFH. If Neeld gets sacked this year I will never support this club ever again

As long as Neeld can grow his coaching this year he will be fine. Way to early to even think of change.

Thanks for the offer but I gave up smoking a few years ago.