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I have previously claimed that Vince is twice the value of Sylvia. I was mistaken and apologise for this false claim. He is in fact three times the value of Sylvia.

I'm not sure if I'm on my own here or one of the silent majority but I get a little sick of all the negativity in a lot of posts, especially match days ones. Don't get me wrong, I understand your right to whinge & after the last 7 seasons why wouldn't you. But as someone who craves the positives I don't often get more than a page through threads before running into some sort of negativity. So this thread is dedicated to the positives. If people take it up then it would great if the admin could stop it from being hijacked. My list from last night: Constant leads from Hogan went unrewarded but lead to the space being created for Toumpas' goal on half time. All players did the right thing. Good players & good teams create goals that way. Dunn's field kicking was a treat. Stats might make a liar out of me but don't remember him missing a target, especially on a switch. Players made mistakes but didn't go into their shells. The next possession they were in the play to make up for it. Jack Grimes courage. Your turn.

Spencer lead that charge. Did so against Dusty the previous week too. Doesn't mind having a go the big pencil.

Was with you Adam til you said we need to weed out Dunn. Seriously need to get over the hatred of this bloke. He was one of the standouts, following up on his performance against Richmond. Needs to do it in the real stuff but the signs are, get used to Dunn playing every week.

I am loving Jake Spencer's aggro. The way he came in after the Toumpas whack is great to see, after pushing the pathetic Dustin Martin away against the Tiges. After a very long period of softish big men following the Neitz era, we have protection for younger, slimmer players. Even Blease went in after the Toumpas whack, knowing big Jake was there. We have a functional midfield (that needs to watch its kicking at half-back). I can now watch a game thinking we can win.

Vince, Cross, Tyson and Michie have exponentially improved our midfield, which last year was basically Jones. Frawley, Garland and McDonald can be settled talls in the backline. The smaller backmen worry me somewhat though, especially their disposal. Let's just hope we can include another quality tall or two in the forward line.

I'll watch it again, but I roughly recall us gifting them 4 goals through kicking it backwards only for it to result in a Geelong mark and goal. Geelong were more poised and had some classier ball movement, but you can already see what we're try to do and I have confidence it will come together. But it is great to have players and a game plan where we get our hands on the footy. It's one of the most underrated aspects of the game. Control the ball and tempo. We controlled the tempo against Richmond, but we couldn't against Geelong. That will come. Geelong averaged the 4th most possessions in the league last year and we comprehensively won more of the ball. There's a lot to look forward to.

The bloke I want to really persevere with is Fitzpatrick. Every now and then (not enough) he gives the impression he could blow a game open.

Lets not bag the Saints until after we play them.

I love that he gets the kick out and goes for an option about 70 metres from the goal line and regularly finds and hits one. This is clearly an instruction as was Jessee Hogan running a solid 80 metres to get on the end of it on at least 6 occasions. That strategy and execution with specific regard to how we do kick-outs is a total breath of freash air compared to the absolute ineptitude we have witnessed in this aspect for as long as I can remember (seriously all the way back to pre-daniher)

I think another positive is that with a midfield (Cross, Jones, Michie, Vince, Tyson etc) .... means that Salem, Toumpas and Viney don't have to be the 'Messiahs' and can develop as young players in the team without the pressure of having to save the team!

Off topic but does anyone else think Sam Blease looks like Mitchell from Modern Family?

Who'd have thought we'd have three of the top five against Geelong?

Dunn's best feature is his ability to get the ball quicker than any other from point A to point B (60m downfield). His boot is underrated and close to the best in the team. Only a foot soldier but every team needs them and he's clearly best 22.

Geelong were bigger and executed better, there was a time in the game when I thought we had reverted to 2013 but to our credit we turned it around, Vince, Cross, Tyson, Jones, if they are our top disposal getters on a regular basis we will win a few games this year, didn't like Byrnes game at all, thought some of our execution was poor, Watts gets pushed off the ball to easily but picked up his game in the last quarter, agree that tom Mac's kicking is a concern, Dunn impressed, liked to play on from kickouts, don't like Hogan's kicking action for goal and toumpas has a stutter too, anyway good signs

The biggest win from last night was the fact we twice even three times were down by 30-odd points and fought back to be in a position to take over the game. Old Melbourne would've lost by 90 points because 3 goals in a row, and you could literally see heads bow over. Geelong have a team that trust each other, and even their young guys have 3 years playing with one and other. When the whips cracked they knew what to do, and we didn't, but we've played 2 games as a team! I finished and I was disappointed because we lost, but immediately after I realised when in the last 7 years would I be upset we lost to Geelong by 13 points. More to the fact, with a chance to win it plenty of times. I'm stoked with how last night went. Doing my best to keep my expectations reasonable, I don't want to be heartbroken if we lose winnable games, but the future looks so bright.

Well, how about we stop trying to define each other's characteristics and stick to the argument? I think it is important when you are a journalist to get our facts right. Especially the substantive ones that change the context of your story. If you don't think that the article I linked contains obvious contradictions in the first few lines then I think you are willfully trying to ignore facts to suit your argument. That's ironic, because that is what Wilson does... What does it matter anyway? Journalism is a wasteland now so why expect any better? If people have issues with Wilson or Stevens or Barrett - just let them. We are howling at the moon anyway, nothing will change.

My brief report is up on the articles board but I so like the idea of this thread that I'll repeat it here:- SOMETHING GOOD THIS WAY COMES by Whispering Jack Two weeks after the euphoria of the win over Richmond at Etihad Stadium, Melbourne catapulted back to earth and landed in the country's red centre. It wasn't a crash landing and there was a lot to like about the Demons who lost their second NAB Challenge match to a more skillful and composed Cats outfit at Traeger Park, Alice Springs by a mere 13 points. I have this feeling that the final margin might be a little flattering in view of the fact that the Demons achieved the result with the benefit of substantially less scoring shots, half the number of forward entries inside fifty metres and with the benefit of three nine-point supergoals which won't be available in the regular season but there were lots of positives among all of this including the comeback in the second quarter after a slow start and keeping Geelong goalless in the last. While we should never be happy with a defeat, the way the team performed produced an interesting conundrum for the club's coaching panel which opens the door for a positive future. Melbourne exceeded 400 disposals for the second time in a row but had far less inside 50's (31 to 62). which means that if Paul Roos can work out how his team can translate 444 touches into a lot more than 31 inside 50's there will be plenty to look forward to as the season unfolds. We are in the very early days of the Roos era and one would expect that he's been working on the answer for some time because it's not exactly a new phenomenon at the club. Part of the answer is to do away with a few of the less skilled players and therefore reduce the abysmal disposal and bad decision-making that results in bad turnovers and another part is to inject a few key talls - Frawley and Garland into the defence and Dawes and Clark into the forward line. The Roos style will get better and with the right personnel, I expect it will give his charges a good chance against all but the top sides this season. Certainly, the addition of Vince, Tyson, Cross and Michie to the midfield and the promise of young Hogan were all major plusses and I couldn't help but wonder what might have been had Kennedy-Harris been given another run instead of sending him off to the backblocks of Gippsland. We could be onto some good things in the near future and perhaps looking at up to 10 wins. Melbourne 0.3.0.18 2.5.0.48 2.7.1.61 3.9.3.84 Geelong 0.6.5.41 0.8.6.54 0.14.9.93 0.14.13.97 Supergoals Melbourne N Jones Michie Vince Geelong Nil Goals Melbourne Howe 2 Bail Cross Hogan N Jones Michie Toumpas Trengove Geelong Brown 3 Bartel Duncan Taylor 2 Caddy Hawkins Horlin-Smith Varcoe, Walker Best Melbourne Vince Tyson Cross N Jones Michie Dunn Geelong Duncan Caddy Johnson Bartel Horlin-Smith Rivers Injuries Melbourne Toumpas (head) Geelong Selwood (hamstring) Reports Melbourne Nil Geelong Billie Smedts for striking Jimmy Toumpas in the third quarter Umpires Fleer Wenn Deboy Attendance 5,378 at TIO Traeger Park in Alice Springs

Fair go. Let's not consign this noble profession to the scrapheap as we seem to be doing to vehicle manufacturers and airline personnel in this country. There is going to be plenty of work for the legal profession once the tortoise-like ASADA investigation process reaches the end game position. Essendon will undoubtedly mount a legal challenge if it loses players and it will inevitably suffer defeat if judges properly do their jobs and declare they lack jurisdiction because the AFL and it's players have willingly and voluntarily accepted the primacy of the WADA Code but that isn't the end of it by a long shot.The players and their managers will rush to the courts to claim loss and damages including loss of future income from their (possibly former) employers, the snakes who instigated and executed the programme, the doctors and those charged with their well being whilst employed by the club. They're already doing that in NSW. Then there's the issue of the potential future harm to their health from taking these drugs and soon the WorkCover people will come sniffing around. More prosecutions, lots more ambulance chasing and litigation against the club and the possibly the AFL and perish the thought, the insolvency lawyers might come into the picture. I don't imagine that the organisations that pay in the billions for media rights to an 18 team competition involving nine games most weekends would be happy if one of the teams is half made up of scrubbers from the Essendon District Football League so the lawyers will be perusing through these contracts and looking for ways to eke out some compensation for their clients. I'm already frothing at the mouth over the prospect of being able to send young Fauntleroy Rumpole through his senior school years at the Grammar courtesy of Mr. Dank as a result of this nefarious "supplements" programme. With a little bit of luck he might share a classroom with one of the Hird offspring and the two of them could dream of their futures as stockbrokers or esteemed members of the bar.

my observations - toumpas has shown vast improvement, love - vince easily surpasses sylvia - watts on the wing is perfect, he is the best outside player we have, #1 - tyson is quickly becoming my fave player - no garland & frawley, two massive outs.... derrrr - hoges - the wind seemed fairly brutal - howe has gone next level - quite a few outside 22 players on the field tonight, so what! bring on rnd 1

Remarkable how the Fox commentators never quite got which was the scoring end! It was "all Cats in first quarter", "Demons somehow claw back in second", Cats showing their class in third, "Demons struggle to get within 13 points in fourth". We out possessed them throughout. Turnover Kings were M Jones and Toumpas. Did the umpires ever pay holding it against Cats? Blease was effective. Liked Michie. Hogan had presence. Watts was good on all but two occasions. Spencer is our number 1. Vince, Cross and Tyson made a big difference. Clisby should be in best 22. Barry not ready yet. Grimes & Trengove can do more. Tierlich was often very good.

And also; for the sorry folk like me who had to suffer the game on the SEN broadcast: my sincere commiserations. No idea who those yobbos were that were commentating, but that was genuinely the worst commentary I have ever heard. The sooner the broadcasters of this game work out that professional commentators are the go and not ex-footballers, the better.

Four observations: Most of our consistent turnovers came from players outside of our best 22. Hogan will play round 1 despite Demonland hysteria a week ago. Spencer will start in the ruck round 1. People round here need to get used to it. No obvious injuries.

I'm bagging R2G! If we don't beat that rabble I'm gonna break stuff.

Love this! Roos: "Stop being a tool!" Dunn: "Oh ... OK"

I get sick every time a player is criticised for a practise game in FEBRUARY Fair dinkem These games are to sort out a few things ....go though the list and give players a chance.....Some will excel some will have bad games, but they get the chance to play together with a new game plan. saying a player will never play for the red and blue again is just pathetic and unrealistic Can't wait for when some of our Feb champs have an off day......Posters will be calling for blood and their instant sacking or be called a spud(hate that word) and we should never have drafted/traded him when we should have got.....(insert name here)

It was watts first game of the year. Give him a break u said yourself he improved as the game went on. I am very sick of the constant criticism of Watts. This is his first REAL coach.

Amen to that but you also have to feel for all of the clean sportsmen and women of the world who work their butts off to achieve at the highest levels of their sport. I'm always mindful of the likes of Raelene Boyle who could easily have been a multiple Olympic Gold Medallist if there was a body that oversaw anti doping practices in her time. I also feel sorry for the rank and file Bomber fans for who football means the world and who might wake up one morning to the realisation that the team they follow is about to be decimated and their heroes banished from the game for two years, some of them never to play again. The culprits here are the people who allowed it to happen who have already been punished for their role in the governance of their club, but also the AFL Commission and CEO who all saw this coming and didn't do enough to prevent it. They should all be falling on their swords because they have created a blight on the game.

Dom Tyson just reminds me a lot of Pendlebury. Silky, calm and casual with all the time in the world. We got a bloody beauty.

I loved how Big Jakey Spencer was in there too, Stevie J was smiling but i reckon it was pretty hollow, would have needed new undies pretty quick.

Positives for me. Dom [censored] Tyson. I think I'm already wrong and Watts will make it on a wing. I think he'll slaughter shyte teams in time and space. The inclusion of 3 bonafide, ball winning mids makes the transition for Watts that much easier. Watts, Toump and Salem could be devistating in the future. Dunn. I'm not surprised. Look what Roos did with the likes of Grundy and LRT. Dunn has more natural talent than them, early signs are Roos is going to love him. Hogan. The direction of the game plan. Stuck to it, if we minimise mistakes/weed out the changer kings we are going to be in with a chance in most games. Edit: Oh and get Georgiou on the list.

JKH

I too am a Dunn convert. He'll play his best footy under Roos and become an important ingredient down back.

probably hawthorn

Dom Tyson, wow. This kid will be our elite mid and what a fantastic trade that will end up being for us.

Alexis Georgiou 100% disposal efficiency. Awkward but effective

Dom Tyson I love you

A few observations: A solid effort tonight and just to put things in perspective we had a rookie listed teenager rucking toward the end of the night! Dom Barry just had no idea where to be tonight. I was at the game and watched him closely and he just floated into spaces where no-one wanted or dared kick it. Give him time to learn the structures and he'll be a better player. He also looked very nervous in front of an expectant home crowd. I also watched Jimmy Toumpas very closely and while he made mistakes and lacked intensity on occasion this bloke knows where to be to receive the ball. A natural footballer who will take time. The Matt Jones turnover really put us out of the game. Cross was pure class tonight. I must admit to wanting to shove his two classy performances right up Damien Barrett. Wasn't sure about Vince, but gee whizz he is responsible for a good portion of the group confidence going on at the club. Love Hogans argy bargy, he intimidated a few this evening. It amazing how our new midfield has highlighted the deficiencies of a few of the players on our list. They who shall not be named will not have a place on our list at the end of their current contacts. There were some passionate Dees supporters there tonight, we hope a few more of you make the trip during the season proper.

Terlich is easily in our best 22 for me, but M.Jones is borderline at best.

As is quite usual when trying to instill a new game plan, players completely over correct. Once they switch when right, not at all costs. Kick to the line when under pressure, rather than trying to hit up a kick thats not there we will be fine. Poor contested work in the first and poor skill errors mostly by players who wont be there round 1 were the only worries. Great we had no injuries, got a good amount of game time into Hogan and Watts and have already seen enough of Tyson, Michie and Cross to be confident they will pay their way. Overall a satisfying hit out.

I reckon a lot of people don't give two flying [censored] and think anyone who still cares about what number draft pick etc. is a muppet The question to ask is will Jack Watts make an above average tall wingman with nice speed, good run and clean skills. On tonights evidence the answer is over time he probably will. If he steps up his attack at the contest and tackling he'll be even better again.

The remarkable thing is that we exceeded 400 disposals for the second time in a row but had far less inside 50's (31 to 62). If Paul Roos can work out how we can translate 444 touches into a lot more than 31 inside 50's, we might have something going for us. Part of the answer is to do away with a few of the less skilled players and therefore reduce the abysmal disposal and bad decision-making that results in bad turnovers and another part is to inject a few key talls - Frawley and Garland into the defence and Dawes and Clark into the forward line. The Roos style will get better and with the right personnel would give us a good chance against all but the top sides this season. We could be looking at up to 10 wins.

Vince, Tyson, Cross, N. Jones our top 4 posession winners (34, 32, 29, 27 respectively). Thank heavens: 1 AFL class mid has become 4.

No, what is persective?

Can get ball + can't keep it > Can't get the ball + can't keep it Roosie will apply the finishing touches. #inrooswetrust

Significant improvement in our mid field is what gives me hope for a better season. Not ecstatic about our performance tonight but quietly satisfied.

With 14 mins to go, Cross 30, Tyson 27, Cross 26.. shows why we got them, and they are at least finding the pill. Our balluse will improve, Looking foward to round 1

i love Bernie Vince.

Bernie Vince 21 touches to half time. I remember days where we'd have nobody have 21 touches for the whole game. What an absolute bargain we got there. 17 touches to Dom Tyson as well.

Toump has not been bad if you take out 2 bad pieces of play. Lay off the 19 year old.