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I think it's good to question but I also think you need to look what is happening and measure your view of people around performance. I questioned Neeld early as I didn't like a number of things he did before he coached a game. Contrast his comments on Davey and Watts in one of his first pressers with Hinkley who told Kane Cornes that he was there to extend his career. I liked Schwab early, he knew what a footy club looked like and I believe he was experienced and knowledgeable. He was also passionate about the club and presented a very good face. It was only after time that it became clear he wasn't up to the task. I like what I'm seeing from Jackson. He's restructured the club personnel cutting $1.8 million from administrative salaries. He's negotiated a non repayable $1.4 million from the AFL to help replace people who weren't up to the task. He's secured a major sponsor who is a class above the likes of energy watch, he's maintained or increased footy department expenditure and secured the best available coach in the business. He's restored confidence to those that work at the club and he has earned their confidence and secured their loyalty. I understand those that have seen too many false dawns only to be bitterly disappointed. But the false dawns don't impact on Jackson, he will sink or swim based on his performance not our past failures. For those few who question Jackson I ask "what has he done to earn that doubt"? I can't see anything. And in the same way that I can't see anything wrong with what Jackson's doing I can't see anything wrong with what Roos is doing. Be watchful by all means but don't question these blokes based on the past performance of others.

The world anti doping code was instituted to stamp out the drug cheats in sport. Often they go to great lengths to avoid detection and will do their utmost to prevent authorities from exposing them and imposing sanctions. I wish people would stop blaming the system in cases where you have a football club that by its own admission has no idea what drugs its employees/agents administered to its players and its employees/agents refuse point blank to reveal what happened. Certainly, there may well be deficiencies and/or inefficiency in the way ASADA operates due to poor overall management or insufficient funding but if people have concerns at the slow process then blame the Essendon Football Club and Dank. Had the Bombers maintained proper control over their own records in the first place then the players would have known their fate long ago. As to the question of whether the investigation might be "nobbled" by government embedding a judge to come up with a predetermined outcome to help the AFL or Essendon, I would hope that's not the case. We're talking about an eminent jurist with a first class reputation dealing with a situation that is coming under scrutiny from powerful international sporting bodies. A whitewash here would create a horrible precedent for world sport and a scandal for this country's sporting reputation which would, in the end, cost us very dearly.

I'm sure many people reading this will be delighted to see you trivialise such an insidious disease that afflicts so many.

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Like all Melbourne Supporters I am sick of losing on mass All I want for now is to see a competitive team that I can once more be proud of . Once we have that pride back we can look forward to finals . We as supporters have had to supposedly grin and bear it . We have seen some very ordinary decisions made both with Coaches and Recruitment in the past . All I want to see is some real success I hope Paul Roos can deliver it . If he can so much the better But for now I'm on Roos side . People lighten up , give him a chance after all he cant be any worse than those before him. Can he ??? Plus I also like the Fact that Roos Validates everything I have said about Jack Watts to family and Friends . I have always and will always be appalled about the way the MFC handled Jacks Debut and the way none of his teammates at the time stood up for him. When he got clobbered Any other club bar Melbourne and it would have been a Melee at the bear minimum !! I never want to see that happen again at our club . Hopefully Roos manages to install some pride back into our players about themselves as well as the guernsey they wear ! All I can say is Go Dees and all the best to all involved for the season!

The way I read it, and bear in mind I usually take things on face value, Clark is progressing very well. He had a minor hiccup before Christmas, which he's recovered from, but due to his body not having had the same workload or rigours of footy for 18 months they're managing him very carefully, as they'd rather get 16 quality games than rush him back for round 1 and risk a soft tissue injury. It seems to make sense. So rather than things looking gloomy, I'm optimistic he isn't far away and when he comes in early in the season he'll have a greater chance of not re-injuring himself. I also expect it will take 3-4 weeks for him to find his feet. Others seem to think he'll hardly play again. I suspect they're the types that usually expect things to go wrong. And you'll hear sympathetic ears say, "who can blame them when it comes to Melbourne and the last 7 years ?". My view is that it has nothing to do with it. You either take things on face value from the new regime, or you don't.

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned here but one of the things that astounded me in Jackson's address was the fact that he has been able to cut $1.8 million from administrative salaries. I did get that right didn't I? To think we can operate effectively without these cost, attract major sponsors, deal with more members and still manage to cut that number of staff is very frustrating. I'm not a FH but I have been a player sponsor for a number of years, certainly since Schwab and Stynes/McLardy took over and I've been happy to contribute because I thought I was helping the club be competitive. It would appear all I've done is support a top heavy administration and have unnecessary senior staff running round whilst the club has failed on the field and struggled financially. We really were taken for fools and it's hard to feel any affection for those that squandered our money. Thank heavens for Jackson.

Some like to understand what went wrong, vent their spleen and be forewarned for the future (me). Some like to say, oh well, it's just a game, not sheep stations, move on (you, Stu, and possibly Dumbo ?). Why don't you just accept that plenty don't take your apathetic approach ? And if it offends then don't participate or read the thread. You could be doing positive stuff instead.

You stole my thought. Which other Melbourne Coach would have got those 4 pages in the sports section of our 2 biggest papers, with his sponsors logos there and gaining massive publicity for the club. Roos makes us relevant in the AFL because he is so repected. We were irrelevant for the last few years.

Maybe I was reading a different article, but what I got from it that as a player he understands all too well how painful it is to play for a club you love that is run by people you don't believe in, and that as a premiership coach it's important to give players defined roles with clear objectives, and that to keep in mind that these young men need to know that everything that is being asked of them is only being asked because it will make them better footballers. I also got the feeling that they'll play for him because he won't throw them under a bus when things get tough.

yes of course Satyr. Nothing was wrong at all. For someone who spends a lot of time at the club you must have your eyes and ears closed most of the time. The mind boggles....

Decent set of training exercises until the game started. 3 quarters. White had the stronger midfield and by having Grimes and Frawley probably the stronger backline. First quarter saw the ball sit in white's forward half as Dunn, McDonald, Strauss and a few others tried to methodically work the ball out. They moved the ball with some control but a bad Blease turnover and a few others undid a lot of the bad work. Toumpas got the first goal on Strauss due to a turnover from someone else but then Toumpas got his other goals on various opponents and without discrediting him too much he was a bit right place right time I sensed. The focus seemed a lot on moving the ball from the back half without rushing and whilst the kicking wasn't too bad it didn't seem to break open. But then that's often how games go. Being forced in to a long kick to a contest down the line isn't neccesarily a bad thing and has to happen especially on smaller grounds. Their wasn't quite the level of physicality that made it a real match. It was quite odd to watch actually. The ruck contests involved the ruckmen bodying up not taking runs and jumps. The play was often reset from tackles to a free kick not a ball up. Q1. Standouts Jamar - won the ruck contests against Gawn and got involved around the ground Salem - was involved in the first 3 scores. Beautiful kick and knows how to get space on his left. Picks the ball up off the deck well. Wouldn't surprise me at all if he plays some super VFL footy from day one Strauss - an ambitious handball to start and later an ambitious long kick but some of his handballs around the edges of packs set up team mates, was used as a sweeper Matt Jones - lots of run and found space for the blue midfield Michie - Clearance work, inside work and outside work Toumpas - on the end for a couple of goals Q2. Standouts N. Jones - got involved in a lot of play Frawley - was opposed to young Westrupp who after getting a bath down back was made to play full forward, but Chip had run and presence Vince - started finding the ball and using his long kick Q3. Standouts Jay KH - started in the second quarter and kept bobbing up. A great run from half back where he just held the ball until the option came Spencer - a big strong mark and accurate kick to a lead and getting involved in play Tyson - started to win some clearances and show his poise in congestion and get a few outside touches. The overall slow kicking from half back wasn't amazing but it wasn't too bad either. Most things were just standard I'd say given the type of simulation it was. The biggest improvement is the handballing around contested packs is now much sharper and did actually lead to guys getting free in space. It was the one thing that stood out to me that really looked like a huge improvement.

Midfield of the whites, we're excellent, but even more impressive defending. The blues were simply unable to break through their press. Cross was perfect in his application of filling the hole, whilst Vince and Jones are so footy smart. Somewhat exciting when you think you're adding a fit Trengove (who during skills for me did look quicker today, not so much sprinting, but first 5 steps quicker), a developing Toumpas, a bull in Viney and whoever else raises their hand. Saw a few people comment on Matt Jones today saying what a good game he had for the Blues. I saw him very actively involved, and for him and Michie I felt like they would have looked alot better on the other team, with players moving for them, but I didn't see in MJ what others did. He is a fantastic accumulator, he gets to the right spots but his disposal by foot is so clumsy. They're not disastrous clangers, but its always a kick 1 meter behind or in front and a handball that bounces before it gets to them. Love his endeavour, but I'm not sure he's best 22. Blease was another who I have no opinion on up until today. He's always frustrated with his selfish one way football and poor tank, but today he was decent. He seemed to run hard, he gave many options and at times he was working hard to defend. It was encouraging. However, in the first period he made a classic Blease error where he ran hard to get a mark, had no options, rushed and kicked the ball straight out on the full from a completely uncontested situation. It was there when I realised he will surprise me if he is a mainstay in our team. Not sure if many paid attention given the game that was going on, but Viney was flat out embarrassing Riley in the running around the oval. He literally has only one attitude to football, and it's just to destroy whoever he's competing with. He was enjoying Riley's struggles. On that note, don't be expecting Riley for a while. His leg must be quite sore because his running fitness was not up to standard for a midfielder in today's limited rotations football. He's got 8 weeks to work on it never the less. Hogan worked hard today and was looking incredibly frustrated by the delivery or lack there of. When Strauss hit him with one of the lead outside 50, he almost let out an enormous ****! in relief. Salem I had no expectations for before, and he blew me away. His composure was fantastic given so little training, and his left foot is gorgeous. For the person above who asked about Dom Barry, he was disappointing in the game, but his skills in the training before hand were great. I was quite impressed. Evans also trained very well, and they seem to have him in the midfield group not half forward last year, but was also a little bit off in the match simulation. I personally prefer Strauss to Clisby and Terlich, someone earlier wrote that he butchered one which he did, but his footwork around the ground is unrivalled at our club. I say with absolute certainty he is the best kick at our club, both in execution and in technique. Flawless. In other battles today JKH is clearly our best FP. Shannon Byrnes offered absolutely nothing today and I was very disappointed. 43.. Who I believe is Harmes but could be Hunt was decent in defence. King looks raw but is sadly probably our most 'skilled' big man. Great kick on him. I'd say Jamar is our first ruck, with Spencer his back up at this point. Gawn blew up 2nd quarter. Anyone has any particular players they'd like to know about, happy to answer!

I take it then that you have full control of yourself.

General admission = $18.00 (adult) or Reserved seating = $28.00 (adult) plus a handling fee of up to $9.50 per order and a payment processing fee of up to 2.3% may apply. If it's a meaningless competition with no prize for the winner, why are they slugging the punters who want to go to the games with their families?

If it's compounded, it can be legally prescribed. But that doesn't change its approval/authorisation status. As such, it remains prohibited under WADA section S0: "AOD9604 has not been granted approval by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration or any other government health authority in the world to be marketed as a pharmaceutical product."

On the Plan B thing. I have often lamented (at least in RL, maybe not on DL) the fact that we don't have a Plan B. But when saying this, I do not expect a change in game lan, or game style. I expect that the key back who is getting slaughtered could be swapped for an alternative player, OR another defender could be instructed to make an effort to drop in front of them. I expect that when an opposition midfielder has run around unmarked for 2 quarters getting 25 touches to half time, we could try moving a tagger onto him, or even try to get another midfielder to man him at stoppages, instead of letting him roam free. I expect that when an opposition back flanker is getting leather poisoning running the ball out of defence while his opponent, and our forward hasn't touched the ball but is chasing him around we might shift that forward to full forward to try and drag him away from the play. I expect that when we are constantly bombing into an unmanned forward line and turning it over that we make a conscious decision to hold it up for 5 seconds on the wing to allow players to get back. None of these are significant changes in game plans. But is frustrating when we see the same things happen over and over and over within the same game, without any positional or tactical moves to try and neutralise areas the opposition are winning.

I hope you are being sarcastic.

They play different roles, and have different capabilities. As you continue to tell us - Clark is struggling, so Fitzpatrick is his direct replacement. Dawes is a big body that will be given a bullocking job that Fitz can't do and Hogan shouldn't do.

Don't reckon anyone's blaming Daniher. Instead, we were in a mess when he left and the bad administration, bad list management and poor coaching that followed has seen us remain in the same mess and not move forward for far too long.

Fair-weather supporters? You make it sound like we were a top side who had a couple of years of poor form; I think a lot that jumped ship did so after a lifetime of failure by the club.

We rank right up there with the worst performing clubs over the last 50 years old; the last six have just been a snapshot. I'm hoping that the players we have recruited, the players we will get back from injury, the players that are coming in to their second years and the players that were almost destroyed by the club will help to lift us to mid table. I think that Roos is managing expectations at this point; we have read what he said and should understand that until we play a game even he won't know just how deep the scars are. I love the guy he calls a spade a spade and if someone gets their ego dented they need to look at themselves and ask why and if the criticism was unfair, or not.

I'm not sure that's right, I think the comment of the "mental scaring" of the players relates to the impact of (particularly) two years of Neeld and the previous FD. And it's a vicious criticism, one I've never heard before. And whilst we focus on Neeld I don't think the other coaches were much good. I can understand people not being happy with this type of approach but like Hannibal it's just straight talk. Just as you can take that as a criticism you can take his comments about the general player fitness as a positive of Neeld. Jackson has done the same in his AGM speech and has slammed Schwab, McLardy and the previous Board without really mentioning them. But it's the reality and I don't understand peoples concern. I didn't notice too many criticising Neeld when he did the same about Bailey or Stynes about Gardner. What is clear is that when Roos and Jackson came in we were in a terrible condition that is being quickly rectified.

The only comparison he made between Watts and Goodes is his running capacity. Didn't say he was Adam Goodes, plays football like Adam Goodes or will be a brownlow medallist like Adam Goodes. All he said was that Goodes and Watts had similar tanks, which would allow Watts to have the ability to run both ways. Nothing wrong, or hypocritical, with that.

I agree with your rationale with regards to King and Harmes but Georgiou is not the youngster you imply. He's 23 and only a year younger than Jetta.

Lots would depend on Salem's natural build, plus how much he had been looking after his nutrition prior to coming to MFC more so than if he was doing gym work. Putting on 5kg is not too hard if there's lots of improvement available because he was coming from a long way back, and if he was just eating mum's cooking. Agree that a modern footballer doesn't really need the beach muscles (e.g. Sylvia, Tapscott, Magner) and gaining lots of size in the upper body is less important than leg and core strength. You never get to bench press or bicep curl an opponent away from the ball. And if you're fit enough to get there before the opponent for the duration of the game, maybe you don't need much of anything. There was another comment about clothing making players look different. Definitely agree, most players look huge to me in football gear, but in civvies look very slim. I worked at Carlton briefly almost 20 years ago (eek). I remember standing next to Koutoufides in his non footy gear.and being amazed at how slim, almost skinny he looked. He looked nothing like that in his footy jumper. Also there is a massive difference between 85kg in a footballer's physical condition and 85kg in a "normal" man's physical condition. Footballer will take up less physical space, muscle is much denser than fat, even though the scale is identical. Footballer probably sitting around 10% body fat, and the "normal" male 20%+(+++)!

Found some ball, Made a key effort to spoil that then resulted in a chain of handballs (led by Salem) that resulted in a shot on goal. He wasn't bad. Foot skills still an issue but otherwise ok. I'd say he's ahead of Tapscott, maybe Byrnes as well. About level with Evans and Blease. And if Roos decides to be very cautious with Kennedy-Harris and Salem then I'd have him some chance for round 1. What it pays to remember is Bail is a top 5 endurance athlete at the club. Therefore he is much more naturally suited playing high half forward and rotating in to the midfield. He is also an above average over head mark for a small guy. The 2 knocks are he doesn't find enough ball (which wasn't a problem initially but became one under Neeld) and can he use it. He was a positive in finding the ball today.

Then you have to stop and question why.

The important thing is the way in which a coach reacts to those things and how quickly he does it. I have confidence in Roos because of his knowledge and the depth of his experience. My problem with Mark Neeld was that he was so inflexible about his structure and methodology that he reacted to opposition strengths far too slowly and ineffectively (if at all), leading to long runs of goals that blew the team off the park. Contrast that with Mick Malthouse over at Carlton who actually did engage a Plan B from time to time in order to stave off big defeats but at the expense of the structure he was trying to set up. It actually worked on occasion (they came back from a long way in the opening round last year to almost beat Richmond) but I'm not sure that this is going to help him develop a consistent approach in the long run.

The Curate's Egg: WYL: "I'm afraid you've got a bad egg, Mr Home" Satyricon: "Oh, no, my Lord, I assure you that parts of it are excellent!" "True Humility" apologies to George du Maurier, from an 1895 issue of Punch.

AOD9604 is banned in every form whether injected or applied as part of a compound cream. The fact that it is available commercially or by prescription does not help you if it's on the prohibited substance list unless a specific written exemption has been issued by the TGA. St. Kilda's Ahmed Saad has been banned for taking a commercially available supplement because one of its ingredients are banned if you have it in your system on match days.

dream on in your little bubble Satyr. "Nothing to see here...You can all go home" A few mistakes were made. The club nearly died more like it.

No 'Sat', that is just not true. CS left the club in a mess, the biggest mistake was bringing him back into the club for a 2nd go. If you don't think the club was a mess then why did the AFL have to step in to right the ship...and no matter which way they (AFL) put it PJ is here because the AFL wanted him here, Roos is here because PJ and the AFL wanted him here, Bartlett is here because PJ and the AFL wanted him here. I don't want to dig up the past but I will when someone tries to re write it and you have by saying the only mistake made was Neeld. Neeld was the wrong man for the job but anyone would have struggled with the way the club has been mismanaged from board level down.

I agree with most of what you say here but I just hope they haven't cut too hard, sometimes they have to cut good as well as bad to try to balance the books. Having said that, I certainly hope our income is more wisely spent in future. It's very frustrating to see us back in debt after all the money the club raised; you don't get to many dips in the well of good will.

You have to be joking pull your head in.

l have been called a few things mate, but a sycophant is not one of them. I'm not the one who wants to hear nothing lines about working on skills and sticking together. Roos has been very direct in saying that players will be given a specific role and their ability to play that role will determine them keeping their spot. He will make them accountable, I have no doubt about that. Just because I am liking the sounds coming out of the club at present does not make me a sycophant. It makes me have genuine faith in those leading us forward, which is a refreshing change. You've been critical of Jackson from the outset and now you're doing the same with Roos, and for the life of me I can't understand why. Finally we have two blokes with runs on the board who know what they're doing.

Well said. I'm in the 'sick of the spin' group and I found the article refreshing. There was no spin, no BS and no 'this player will be the great white hope' stuff. He was honest, candid and spot on with his comments. Bailey did some things wrong, no doubt about it, but clearly Neeld and his 'team' left us an absolute rabble that will take us some time to back up from. I don't argue that the players still hold some blame, but I feel as though many of those have moved on over the years like Moloney and Rivers. His comment that 10 players would have walked out on the club had they been out of contract was the one that hit home the most. It will take time to heal the scars and improve the confidence but, under Roos, I'm quietly confident that we are headed in the right direction.

Some people don't like plain speak. I do. Some people like diplomacy. There's a time and a place. Roos hasn't done many interviews, but when he does he's not in control of the questions. Even if he's occasionally repeating himself I appreciate his candour and perspective. He's managing expectations externally to protect his players. But he's also providing an environment for them to thrive. We've had spin for 7 years, but supporters are now complaining that he's repeating himself, or too forthright with the truth ? It's the classic reminder that you can't be all things to all people.

Interesting parallel between Frawley and Roos himself at Fitzroy that I hadn't thought of before this article. If nothing else it's comforting to know that Roos will understand the delicacy of the situation through his own bitter experience. Having worked at a struggling company before, I too can relate to the "we've heard all this before" in response to promises of a brighter future and the lure of working somewhere you know is solid.

This is actually a pic of roos from his first session at the dees when he saw us try and defend as a unit

Worth remembering that he kicked 9 goals in 3 games v's Bulldogs, Sydney and Brisbane during the Neil Craig honeymoon period.

It will be interesting. Like others, I don't know where he fits in. He has an unique skill set; 200+cm, quicker than most of our midfielders and, in form, can take a good grab. On the other hand whilst he jagged a few goals last year you wouldn't bet the farm on that kicking action and he will never be a tap ruckman. Jack's too good to be playing Casey but where does Roos play him?

In today's article a full page spread by Robinson in the hun about the palaver. Like Leach focusing on the length of time this is taking and the lack of answers (including a final swipe at the AFL - specifically the CEO and commission chairman - about the so called secret deal with Wylie). I just don't get how anyone, let alone a journalist would seriously have thought this would not take a really long time, given the complexity of the issue, the resources at ASADA's disposal and the precedent of any number of other investigations into performance enhancing drugs - both here and overseas. Where ASADA have been a bit stupid i reckon is not making this clear. By the by i can't believe the hun made Robbo head footy writer. Perhaps he's a good bloke but he is simpy a woeful writer and to think he is the heir to Sheehan is an insult to Mike

My polemic is directed to the supporters of our opponents. Adelaide - its nbot saying much that you consider yourselves socially superior to the Port Adelaide supporters - what a rubbish theme song - you aint the marines Brisbane - the Paddle pop lion is not a credible mascot and Brendon Fevola to lose Riscitelli Brennan et al - what were you thinking? Carlton - still a long way off winning a flag and the window is closing - a capricossa please Collingwood - how is that ambition to become the Australian Man U going hey? - some of the most able corporate bullsh#ite artists going around - name your next theme round Essendon - your coach is overusing hair care products Fremantle - that theme song (Volga boatman?) why for fu#k sake didnt you go with a rework of "What do you do with a drunken sailor" - it worked for the Peninsula Pirates (except they havent won a senior premiership either) - if they ever win one (Freo I mean) what a fun time it will be hearing that funeral dirge for 4 days! Geelong - tough to match up on - supporter base of Western District cockies and Lara, Dysdale trailer trash Gold Coast - come back in a few decades when you have some history until then you are a confection - try meter maids as cheerleaders I would pay to see that GWS - see Gold Coast - take off the mocassins Hawthorn - so youve had a bit of a lucky streak lately (80's, and 70's as well) it cant last....can it? North Melbourne - a lower membership tally than Melbourne - some achievement. Port Adelaide - you make Adelaide and Collingwood supporters look classy Richmond - dont kid yourself you have peaked - this is as good as it gets St Kilda - lets face it (allegedly) a culture of drugs, drunkeness and misogyny (allegedly) the move from Fitzroy St to Moorabbin was only a physical not a cultural move - when St Kilda supporters and players say they need to score we know what they are on about Sydney - the combination of Sydney corporate types and Lakeside battlers of old is hard to match up on - Im out - nothing to say here - we have one of your coaches - good luck when Buddy breaks down West Coast - what a silly jumper Western Bulldogs - I just dont care enough about you to feel sorry - based in the new heroin capital of Melbourne - cant be good

Matt Burgan's spellchecker is knackered?

Toady, I have no idea what to make of these pictures. In the first one that you posted, which I presumed was the "before" shot given he was wearing an old training top, Mitch has many tattoos on display, in particular one on his right quad, as well as his left forearm. In the "after" shot, they freakishly disappeared like Marty McFly did in those photos in Back to the Future. To top it off, it hasn't been confirmed or denied that Mitch has had his left leg amputated at the knee. I'm bloody confused.

My other concern, aside from clutter (and let's hope Michael Hoomanawanui never attempts to cross codes from the New England Patriots) is the impact on young supporters if a popular, high profile player changes clubs Let's say a kid has his jumper with Barassi proudly emblazoned above the number 31. Then Barassi moves to Carlton & what was a much loved jumper is now useless, if not hated. At least if it was only a number, the kid gets the opportunity to get some love for Ray Groom ! Can't do that with a name on the back. To modernise the example, how many Hawthorn #23 jumpers with Franklin on the back would now be despised ? Or West Coast kids with their Judd jumpers. How many parents hacked off that they have to shell out another hundred bucks ?

did webjet sign back on

Good interview. Great attitude to the game and to life. Looking forward to seeing Fitzy further Improve in 2014, especially the kicking action. Been a real bright spot during a flat 2013. But really, those saying he has good disposal by foot need to start opening their eyes a little wider. Plenty of room for improvement. I'm a big fan on his outlook on life and footy, and can't wait to see him play in 2014.