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BUMP!!!! Hey beautiful people it's back. Round 1 I am asking all of you to relax. Why? Surely not. Yes you can. Relax we've got this. Melbourne Vs The mighty Port Adelaide. Port Adelaide! Fair dinkum I will eat a hat if we lose but we won't which is why I and you can relax. We have had a second proper pre season. Not one of Bailey's "Just run around the oval a couple of times if your up to it" Pre seasons. We have had Neeld,Mission and Craig's version which is " RUN YA BLOODY MAGGOT UNTIL YOU PUKE THEN EAT THE PUKE THEN SPEW IT UP ON THAT SCULLY PHOTO THEN RUN SOME MORE!" The dead wood was cut away thanks to Neeld's trusty axe. So it's us against them. What have they got? They have Boak. Yep he is good no doubt. That's enough in depth analysis of them. We got ourselves a 18 year old son of a titan who would run through a tank and throw it through the AFL HQ before you could blink. We got ourselves some premiership players and a break dancer who will all play and dance around Port with ease. Toumpass will be horrified at how easy we make it for him and how bad a team Port are. No TV presenter can save them from the spanking they are going to receive. They better bring that stupid tarp so they can shield their supporters (do they have any?) eyes from the ass whooping. If this sounds like pure garbage with no substance then I give you my evidence. Remember playing junior footy and most teams had that kid who was chubby and couldn't get a kick and would be plonked in the back pocket all day? Sometimes our boy Sellar reminded me of that kid. He improved down back last year but up forward he was a horror at times. Well he kicked 5 on their best defender in the pre season. 5 goals to Sellar! Ha! They have no chance. Yes Mitch is half fit but he is a cybernetic organism with living tissue over a metal endoskeleton. They will be terminated. GO DEE'S and Relax We've Got This!

You don't know his ceiling. You can say you do, but you really don't. I thought I knew Jones' ceiling and he punched right through it.

misogynist?

Putting the Jack Watt's comparison to the side for a minute. It really is a joke that NN was all Australian Ruckman last year. Out of 22 games only got 15+ possession 6 times with only once getting to 20. Averaged only 3 marks a game and was ranked 17th for Ave Hitouts!! There is no doubt he goes missing for large portions of games and the media is completely seduced by the highlights.

Sorry I haven't posted sooner, but after Saturday, I was flat out with work. Some observations. i ventured out to Casey on Saturday, which is the first time for me for over 2 years. Initial impressions were that, the facilities at Casey have come along in leaps and bounds and there was a reasonable crowd there given it was ostensibly a VFL practice match. From what I saw, Craig, Neeld, Misson and Viney snr were in attendance, with Grimes, Spencer and Tappy also there. Maybe a few others upstairs, but I could not see clearly. McLardy, Howcroft and Schwabby also there. As others on here have said, Mitch, Jack T and Blease were well short of a gallop. Blease was good in patches, but needs to build his engine. Jack T did a couple of nice things early, but barely got a touch after that. Out of that trio and while clearly he lacks a considerable amount of match conditioning, Mitch impressed me the most. His timing was out, but he had a red hot go and was prepared to put his body on the line. There was a collective gasp when Mitch flew for one in the forward line and fell backwards. Not sure how a line coach can do it, but someone should look at his technique, as it is fraught with danger. Maybe Howe should have a word and work with him on the jumping bags. I have to make special mention on Jack V. I am rapt with his attitude. In and under, hard at it and as others have mentioned, unlike his old man, he can kick the footy and find targets. He came in for particular attention from several Port players and gave as good as he got and some. As for the others, Jordie Mc is all heart, he never gives up, always looking to lay a tackle and never stops talking to his team mates. But he has to be like that as he lacks the skills to be a true A-Grader. I suspect with more class around him, he will continue to shine. I was rapt with Taggert. He has certainly bulked up and has a red hot go. Again, I reckon with his attitude and with the right players around him, he can progress to a useful utility. My major disappointment was Fitzpatrick. He appears so laconic to the point of being disinterested. Although he copped a whack in the eye - and I later heard the physio say he had concussion, he now has a size about him he should use, but it is he who gets monstored by the opposition. Lastly, it was interesting to note that Misson was directing most of the rotations. From that perspective and for those who are thinking of getting the razor blades out due to the result, it was clear from behind the coaches box, that this game was nothing more than a vehicle for getting some yards into the legs of the MFC players considered to be underdone. There was never any concern shown about the scoreboard. Add to that, Port are a very well drilled unit with older bodies in the main. The core of Casey's VFL list, if what we saw on Saturday is to be any indication, lacks height and body size and appears to be particularly young. The other thing to consider, which may rate a thread on its own, is that while Port is not an AFL seconds side, they stand alone and therefore do as they please in terms of recruiting and team structures. While in reverse, clearly they show the benefit of a long tradition of achievement, standing and playing, without restrictions. I reckon, in the not too distant future, all AFL clubs based in Melbourne will have to bite the bullet and consider reverting back to having "reserve" sides.

i could drop punt her head clean off her shoulders....... Don't like Caroline either

==> http://six6six.smugmug.com/Other/VFL-Hitout/28448863_cqHNk7

No need to apologise. That's not only what we do but we also get paid handsomely for doing it.

Fact is... his selection as AA was a crock.... there is no way his season was better than Sam Jacobs from Adelaide. The selection committee copped crap over that and rightly so. Pretty certain none of the stats backed up that decision,

I agree with your sentiment about drafting interstate players (ie, one can't be spooked about the potential 'go home' factor). That said, Gubby Allen said at a function I attended about a year ago that most clubs would've picked Jack Watts at number one. His testing was fantastic and he was seen to be a bloody good prospect at the time. Some seem quite conveniently to forget this now. To date, perhaps he hasn't quite displayed his potential - certainly not consistently anyway. Whereas NicNat has been bloody good during the same period of time - NicNat was way ahead of Watts physically when drafted though, and has been playing in a much better team and has been second string to arguably the best ruckman in the comp - material points of difference IMO. I reckon this year we'll start to see why Watts was so highly rated at the time. It's also worth noting that we recruited him to be a 10 plus year player for us.

We've made some terrible recruiting blunders over the years. To my mind though, recruiting Jack Watts at number one in his draft is not one of them.

A player who is developed at one club and returns to his home to be a star at another club is not a plus for the first club. Does anyone think that having NN at the club over the last few years would have made much of a difference? Sounds like NN would have been back in WA by now whereas we still have JW. Therefore unless JW was a complete dud (which he clearly is not) choosing JW was a win. Why argue about it.

No contest. You'd cross the sahara to have a whack at this...

If this was sports most punchable heads I would add Sebastien Vettel

Sorry for not positing this after round 1 last week but busy week in work & at home. As promised last year to some on Demonland I will provide some updates into kids in WA who have caught my eye as a regular WAFL attendee. Round 1: Attended the Perth derby great win by the Cardies against the enemy. Missed the first quarter of the Colts game but saw enough to confirm Blake ACRES will be drafted.Medium defender who played underage last season in the Colts and was a good player who is almost a lock in for WA U/18'S. Hard at it and finds his own footy and used the ball well. For East Perth colts a midfielder Tom SHANNAHAN really stood out got plenty of the ball and used it well, good size mid who did not panic in traffic and was good with his hands. For the seniors game two standouts for West Perth Matthew JOHNSON & Nick RODDA playing as tall forwards. JOHNSON presented well all day and looks really fit, can't say I noticed him a lot last year but big surprise was RODDA playing as a forward, I thought he would have been drafted or at least rookied last year as he had a really solid year as a defender. Presented well as a target and provided very good pressure as a defensive forward causing a lot of turnovers. Mark Hutchins didn't play but Shane Nelson was a ball magnet, may be a bit small for AFL but runs all day and will be a smoky if he can maintain his fitness through the season, disposal is good but room for improvement. For the Royals Cale Morton just went through the motions, disapointing for someone who's career you would think is on the line, intensity just not there and whilst he has put some size on he struggled to run out the game. Round 2: Friday night game Subiaco v West Perth win number 2 for the Cardies, Shane Nelson stood up again and the midfield with the inclusion of Hutchins was to strong, far to much run and spread for Subi. Rodda & Johnson whilst not being outstanding were impressive in the sense they continued with their intensity and providing defensive pressure to keep the ball locked in. One thing I will give Johnson despite having an off night continued to provide options with leads and also provides a contest. Saturday East Perth v Peel Tom Shanahan was down on last weeks game but when he got his hands on the pill used it well. Seemed to lack run this week although it was hot on Saturday. I heard a fair bit about centre half forward for Peel Rhys WILKEY and whilst his team was down he provided a contest and backed up with second efforts when the ball came into their forward line which wasn't often. Bradley Walsh came on for them after half time and found a fair bit of the footy but played a lone hand in Peels midfield. Absolute stand out in this game was Alex Ridley in East Perth midfield,looked to have more run then all the other players and absolutely killed it through the middle. the kid found space and provided options with his run and backed up with second efforts to win plenty of his own ball. Did not see him butcher the ball and disposal was excellent, he weighted two passes perfectly over the full backs head to leading forwards chest, which resulted in two goals. Seniors game was a good contest with seasoned players stepping up to get East Perth over the line against a spirited Peel outfit. Royals captain Brendan Lee BOG with plenty of the ball and after a sloppy first quarter they controlled the midfield with no standouts but honest effort from Clutterbuck, Paul Johnson and Craig Wulf. Josh Smith provided plenty of headaches for the peel defence. Cale Morton drifted in and out of the game laid some decent tackles in the forward line but needs to do more to break into Meth Coast side. Have to say no one from this game who is young enough or eligible to be drafted did anything to impress me, Dockers Crozier was the most impressive of the youngsters. Will update next week if anything catches my eye

Venom at Gollum's pyjama party

You're telling me... 2013 is going to be all over the place. It's going to be a Led Zep song. Long, crazy, but hopefully good once you get past the crap.

"While the other teams were training at altitude, we were driving cars..."

The opel peformance center looks a little like Calder park

Don't tell me that 5000--10000. ....members would just sign up because of one player.....Please.....

They have done well because they have a strategy in place for multiple games in one area of the country. Ideally, we should play 3 or 4 games in Casey at a 25k seater stadium with public transport popping up out of nowehere overnight. But we have got to work with what we have and we have been creative and worked hard to get a deal worth $500k for one game with a further $300k in sponsorship. That is $800k out of thin air. Another game up there and we can market memberships, and open up another market for sponsorhip. Other Melbourne clubs have a suburb to work with, we have a stadium. We need Casey and we need the NT. Ironically, it is deals like this that will keep this the MELBOURNE Football Club.

Be careful what you wish for TBT.

I give you..

Yep definite finalist, Ucanchoose.

He just does not answer the questions properly or clearly and then waffles more until they give up.

So he's a good bloke again? I'll need him to adopt a few kittens before I believe it.

Instead of apportioning blame isn't it time that there was some apportionment of credit in favour of Melbourne for standing by Liam when things got tough instead of running away like Port Adelaide did? I haven't read anything in the media about the club sending its welfare officer to be there in Alice Springs. Why is that? Because Wilson and Robinson are spiteful people who don't have it in them to write a feel good story about Melbourne?

how could anyone be bothered arguing this topic.. it is basically the exact same argument that started 4.5 years ago and we are no closer to resolving it - you know why? Because you are all just talking nonsense trying to predict a future that cannot be predicted. For one thing, WTF cares about a)what number he went in the draft b)how good some other bloke from that draft is or c) whether he playes as a key forward or not. None of these things matter in the slightest. We have a kid who is still very young, has shown a ton in terms of his athleticism, brains and skill, and is certain to make a meaningful contribution to the club for the next 8 or 9 years. Just let him play and enjoy it please FFS. There are 10-12 others on the list with an exciting future too, fortunately for them they didn't have the bad luck of going at number 1.

Yes if the criterion were widened to include online football forum nuffies, it would be a no-contest.

(Gets popcorn and a big coke, sits in his favourite chair and waits for the shitfight................Kgo!!!!!) I really don't care, as long as Watts is a bloody good player for us and helps us win a flag, Nik nat can be a star, but the simply fact is he would have left us to go back home, he said it, His Mum said it and he admitted he does what she says. End argument, kthanx

this photo made me want to thump my iPad! It even surpasses that smug mongrel Juddas.

All worthy nominees, but this guy used to really irritate me beyond comprehension, Milne a worthy second, anyone that used to go after Robbie Flower I still have a serious hate for. The journo's CW, MR, & MS they are just parasites best burnt off with a hot needle, not worth a slap you just get bug goo on your good shirt.

I thought this from McLardy's speech was extremely interesting: “The AFL found out during the investigation that the Melbourne footy club can be a formidable force when challenged, and we will continue to fight for our due respect in this competition.

Hawthorn, and I bloody love watching Geelong beat them every single time since they lost that GF. I cheer on Geelong in those matches (even go sometimes) like it was Melbourne game

I don't hate Norf any more or less than the others but I cannot stand that snivelling little [censored] Harvey.

Carlton : is there a more corrupt organization within the Western World? For them to go free for the 2007 Kruezer Cup just galvinizes my absolute disdain & Anger. I refuse to eat in Carlton. The Filth : History dictates that i do. Most happy to comply. Essendrug :2000. Surviving Windy Hill. Essendrug have an arrogance all their own. Hate & Loath Adelaide : They represent South Australia. Enough said Meth Coast : Do what they want & get away with it. Benny's Doco is enough! Ninthmond : In the 70's they were Tattoos and no teeth, and they won every saturday night on the replay. Nightmares. The Shockers : theme Song. The worst durge. Port Adelaide : Who? Should never have been admitted to the AFL. Simply not big enough. Will always be on the Dole. Thanks Wayne Jackson. Whorethorn : self explanatory. No other side has beaten us up since 1971 like these hideous bastards The Swannettes : Dunkley & Barry Hall GF Appearances. Totally AFL contrived Footscray : 1954..how dare they. Could have been 7 in a row!! Nought Melbourne : there is room for only one Melbourne in Melbourne The Aints : My brother defected, i still ask him why. The Handbags : One Town One Stadium. Yes i am jealous Brisbane Bears : Feeding off the dead carcus of Fitzroy amid laughter. I remember the handover press conference GW$ : A Tax dodge GC $un$ : irrelevent & totally unnecessary I Hate all of the MFC opponents for the above reasons. Nothing will change.

Collingwood, because they were our arch enemies during our golden era. They 'stole' the '58 flag from us, thus interrupting a run of premierships that would have culminated in a 'never to be beaten' sequence of six on the trot. I loathe them and despise them, and my feelings have rubbed off on my eldest son. He has a Magpies sticker firmly glued on the inside bottom of his toilet bowl. Visiting the bathroom is extremely satisfying at his house! Edit: spelling.

My diagnosis: too long an off season which followed a season from hell. A tanking investigation that left demon fans a little fragile. My cure: bring on the footy. We win. We lose. We dissect the games. With the federal elections coming up we have enough politics

"I'm trading you to West Coast for pick 88 which we aren't going to use on anyone."

Agreed biggestred. I'm sure the AFL sells member info to Foxtel for nothing if they agree to keep paying a billion for the TV rights. Having said that I qualify as a tragic. I go to all Victorian games and record every game on foxtel. It's surprising how much worse we looked the second time round in 2012.

Sorry for mass-quoting, but these 5 posts miss the point. It's not whether or not what he's written is accurate, it's the fact that Lyon is a massive contributing factor to these problems. He was one of those responsible for implementing Bailey, is part of the crew that turfs him, then gets another crack when it comes to appointing the next coach - followed by articles like this. Gaz has a dream role: he gets to play the hero every time the club "needs" him, then he gets to piss on the solution when it doesn't work, as if it had nothing to do with him. I reckon it stinks.

Some really positive stuff in the above comments. Fired me right up. I'm going to kill an Alpaca immediately and put it on the spit tomorrow.

It wasn't just positivity Ron he was brimming with confidence, it seems as if he believes we are not that far away from finals. Couple of other things; Jeremy thinks there will be another bit of a clear out at the end of the year but it would appear not a major one and the only player they miss is Riv, the rest are not going to lessen the playing group. The players are not fazed by playing in Darwin but they would like a bigger than 6 day break in between games. Jeremy was gobsmacked when he saw some footage of past players when games were played in mud baths; like most his age he was only used to billiard like surfaces, I pointed out that before proper drainage it was like that most weeks in Melbourne. Got to say it was obvious who the leaders were they were the ones who fully engaged their sponsors, Jonesy never stopped talking to his and neither did Mitch and the rest of the group were equally involved. On that I reckon Jack Watts could talk to any one any time and if the person expired during the discussion he would just keep on talking and keep on smiling. Jack doesn't talk he holds court and the women in particular just love him; he never stops smiling. I was feeling a bit flat coming in to the year but after last night I think it will be better than i thought; I mentioned to Jeremy that i was hoping for about 10 wins and he gave me the distinct impression that the group expected about that as well. He also mentioned Etihad and pointed out that it is difficult playing there because we get hardly any of or supporters there and he said that makes a big difference. BTW the coach said he was very pleased the way the pre-season had gone and Jeremy said you don't knock yourself out in practice matches. Take from that what you want.

The commencent dinner's a great concept. You rub shoulders with the greats of the club and the game as well as with dedicated Demon fans and the players. Towards the end of the night I chatted briefly with Ron Barassi and showed him a picture of my grandson wearing 31 when he was a team mascot a couple of weeks ago at the Casey Fields NAB Cup game. It got a big smile out of him. I sat on Max Gawn's table and he's raring to go. He won't be playing for Casey this week but should start his comeback the following week in Casey's final practice game v Box Hill Hawks. He has a fantastic attitude and I reckon will go far, not just as a player but in all facets of the game. Not that it's exactly the pinnacle of the sport but if he can become a regular and start playing good footy on a weekly basis, I can see him as a regular panellist on the Footy Show and in the media. Of course, there's a lot of hard work to be done before he gets there. Speaking to the players there's a quiet air of confidence that we're going to be better than most of the critics are suggesting and I got the same feeling when Mark Neeld spoke later in the evening. On that score, I reckon the coach seems far more composed and comfortable in the role now than, at the start of last season when the team performed so limply and he was personally subjected to attacks in the media and to that fabricated racism slur. The evening was compered by Sandy Roberts who was in good form and showed that he was more than just a sports newsreader. Don McLardy was good, briefly opening with the tanking investigation, thanking those board members who worked on our defence and promising that the club was no longer going to be silent in the face of some of the unwarranted attacks on the club we see in the media. About time. The life member, hall of fame inductions and our fifth legend presentations were all well received and the blazers are growing on me. I don't think the players have a problem with them at all. As for what's happening in the immediate future, I think Mitch Clark, Chris Dawes and James Frawley are all good chances for Sunday week but Tom McDonald is in doubt. Jack Trengove and Sam Blease, because of the positions they play, might be a week or two behind that. It comes as no surprise for me to suggest a large number of new players will represent the club for the first time next week and in that respect, we will need to break new ground because history says those sorts of teams take a while to gel together and produce winning form. However, the consensus among the players seems to be that those who have departed were in the main, not the hardest of workers on the track, and things are very much different now. If that's true, the Neeld/Craig/Misson combo is starting to turn around our (for want of a better word) culture. And, because a discussion on the current team can't take place without mention of him, I just want to say that Jack Watts looks to have matured physically and will be a far more influential player than many people think.

I've got an original Idea! How about the Blues & Roos merge & hop about the Docklands... they could be the BlueRoos. all they need is a stripe or 2. & replace the whiteant on the jumper with a Roo image. Geographically close. They could take shares in one another...