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Have just come home from a wake. A family member who passed away was a Melbourne supporter - even though he never got to many games as he was a chef and ran a restaurant for a long time. (James McDonald was a regular). His family all support the Dees as well so over a vodka and a toast we sang "It's a grand old flag". I am sure he was upstairs smiling and singing along.

From The Age '...Tom Lynch expected to miss six matches after having his jaw broken in an accidental and sickening collision during the first quarter, and fears that defender Matthew Jaensch has broken ribs!' I guess this means our 'Bruise-Free' playing days are over!

If the reserves coach doesnt support the game plan he should be sacked immediatley

Austin Woneamirri facebook status: "Cut my veins open and it will bleed red and blue!" Miss you aussie

What an absolutely outstanding win! I still cannot believe it, not just winning away from home but in Adelaide where we have hardly looked like winning in 13 years, with the umpires doing everything they could to get the home team over the line and 45,000 fans roaring their side home. To stand up to all of that and hang on for the win must do wonders for the belief of the group. Obviously the first half was tremendous, but the key to the win in the second half (when Adelaide were the superior side) was not letting them kick multiple goals in quick succession. So many times in the past you'd see Melbourne concede 5 or 6 goals in 10 minutes and we would be blown away in that short period. Yes the crows dominated the second half but we kept fighting and scrapping and made it hard for them and while they ate away at the lead they could only do so slowly. I said it after the GC game but the thing I admired about the swans under Roos was the way they'd not concede too many goals and just hang in there while the other team had momentum. It's early days but we are showing some preliminary signs of that. I was convinced they were going to steal it late but we just held on with so much spirit and effort. Even with 20 seconds left I thought they would get a free kick and nick it but Bernie won the clearance and that was it. Still cannot believe it, the Demons have beaten the Crows in SA, all I can say is wow! Fantastic effort

Jesus comes from a basketball background, he'll never have the hardness to be a top line AFL player.

Cross is one player that gives me a smirk of smug satisfaction. I know the Bulldogs took the view that he was down their list of this type of player, but it's not hard to see why their supporters were shattered. The guy is just manic, don't think I've ever seen a player lunge desperately for the ball so often as he does. He's not a polished finisher, but I doubt anyone expected he would be and that's not what he's there for. Vince got his revenge this week, time for Cross to show them they were wrong too.

I'll post my thoughts then read the thread. Viney. Over the last few years I've grown to hate player comparisons, and this one will be as ridiculous as most of them, but geez Jack Viney reminds me of Ablett Jr sometimes. His strength and evasiveness and bursts from congestion are so Ablett-like, similar body shape. If Ablett had Viney's hard as [censored] aggression he'd be nearly as good, lolz. Tyson, if he could only kick like Pendlebury... Love this trade though. Salem is a [censored] gem. JKH. Thought he might be about due for a rest. Nah I'll just go to Adelaide where we haven't won since they erected their first church and run the show. Such a classy, mature performance. Hope everyone is happy that the players got around him after that goal, crisis over. Dawesy! The beast. Filling Clark's spiritual leader shoes. What a friggin presence. The bumps and pressure were as crucial as the goals. He, Cross, Jones are football heads that can actually lead and help develop the young talent we may have. Skills can be hit and miss, but effort and desire are up to the player, and there are no better examples to follow than these fellows. I'm slowly starting to believe in a future. Cross made a couple of costly turn overs, but christ is hard. Some of his attack on the ball was frightening. Love him. Thought Howe and Watts bounced back well after embarrassing us all last week. Howe especially, some crucial saving marks and efforts on and off the ball. Starting to think Roos might know more about footy than I do. Jamar. I believe Roos may have told him that he has a foot, in fact 2 feet, and he can use one of these feet to strike the ball, thrusting it many metres in a desired direction. Jamar applied this practice quite a few times. This was refreshing. In all seriousness though, Jamar has returned very well and we've looked way better in the ruck since. And finally my boy Jetta. I know he will probably never reach lofty heights, but he's a competitor and works hard, deserves some success at least, and he gave Eduardo a bath and won't be out of the team any time soon. Excellent game. Go you [censored] Demons!

One of the glaring differences between Neeld and Roos seems to be the decisions made at the selection table. Under Neeld, the starting 22 seemed at times seemed like a revolving door and for the most part, he was making the decisions that most of us would have agreed with. Neeld felt the pressure. Roos has held his nerve. If most of us had our way, then Watts would have been dropped last week. At various points, we probably would have cut Grimes, Pederson, Byrnes, Terlich, Bail, Howe, JKH as well. Jack copped it from all sections of the media, but Roos refused to single out and humiliate a player who's been maligned for his entire career. Of course, players should earn their place, but I wonder if we're witnessing some of the benefits of playing a more settled line-up - in the cohesion and camaraderie of the playing group and the confidence of these players individually?

I was there and heard every word. There was no 'potting' of the game plan per say. He simply instructed the guys to stop f*%#ing around with it at half back & going side to side - rather that he would back those players who took it on through the middle. In the first quarter, it did seem that backwards or sideways was the natural inclination (i.e coached into them). But every game sees changes of tactics for countless reasons...and for someone to say this was Welsh potting the Melbourne 'game plan', then that's just Absurdityville, population: one crazy Demonland poster.

Right you have taken one comment from a poster a month ago and formed your judgement. Its now gospel apparently. FMD no wonder the internet is shocking for rumours and innuendo. Why don't you form your own opinion from your own experience before pot shotting a guy like that. Pathetic.

Rohan Welsh is not the right man for the Casey Job. Apparently pot shots the MFC and our game plan during QTR breaks.

What a surprise a call for Byrnes to be dropped, does his job forward pressure acts as does Bail who many ask for to be dropped. Do what Roos asks and you stay Any changes depend upon injury and any match ups for next week I'll trust Roos & the FD

I am amazed by the continual hope for Blease to get a game over player x. I think that horse is close to bolted and would take a mammoth turn around in the boy that I dont think he has in him.

I don't think I've seen a bigger turnaround in a player at Melbourne in my time. His highlights when we recruited him looked good and some of us got excited but several soft, lazy and dumb moments on top of the fact that he didn't look fit made his recruitment look one of the worst in recent memory. Fast forward to 2014 and even in the first NAB Challenge match Dermott Brereton was calling out just how hard Pedersen was working. He now runs all day, puts his body on the line and is a player I actually now trust with ball in hand. Well done and keep it up, Cam.

Best game by Grimes that I have seen I really hope he is back

We watched the game at a pub in Richmond and it was great actually having other teams supporters cheering us on. Also a fairly decent rendition of the song rang loud and proud throughout the pub after the game :D

Genuinely one of our best wins since Daniher. I was on here until three quarter time, then had to drive across town, so listened to the final quarter in the car. I was screaming so loud I'm fairly sure drivers in the cars next to me heard. Then, when the siren went, I blasted the sound out the windows so anyone near me could hear it. To play as well as we did in the first half to set the lead up was fantastic, but equally great was the fact that we held on in the face of their onslaught and managed to kick away. I'm still finding it hard to believe we actually won in Adelaide.

It's such a change from years gone by. Listening to that last quarter where they continued to get inside 50, but they couldn't mark the ball or get meaningful shots on goal; that would have done us in the last 7 years, but the new Melbourne is able to weather a storm like that. In a lot of our games our opponents have been inaccurate which has led people to say 'well it was a close loss, but if they'd kicked straight'. In our last five games, GWS, Carlton, Gold Coast, Sydney, and now Adelaide have all kicked more behinds than goals. Once is just a coincidence, but five weeks in a row suggests to me that the inaccuracy is coming from rushed shots, perceived and real pressure, and being forced wider rather than having it easy down the corridor. It's this pressure and difficulty to score and play against that is making us a far stronger and better team.

Just got named in Loydy's All Australian team, doesn't mean much because he is a drongo but still recognition.

A family friend of mine spoke to Paul Roos during the week and basically he said he was shocked how quickly we have improved defensively. Reckons if you take out the west coast game our defence is top 4 without garland or chip in it . Feels we may not be as far off as first thought

The thing that gets my goat is the way the umpires no longer seem to penalise incorrect disposal. The number of times a player is tackled, and the ball just spills loose, with no penalty applied, is ridiculous! What happened to the "must dispose of by handball or kick" rule...???

Agree, Viney is running at the ball, with eyes on a loose ball, braces for impact, impacts as opposition player being pushed forward, he keeps his eyes eyes on ball and emerges with it. Umpire calls play on, no-one on field sees Viney to have done anything wrong (i.e. no remonstrations), commentators say nothing was untoward... We're making a mountain out of molehill here.

It's the minimum standard. There are certain things in football that are outside of your control, but effort and courage aren't on that list. I enjoyed today but he has to back it up. Not just next week, but all year. I don't care if he has a bad day when the ball doesn't fall his way - that was my football career in a nutshell btw - but even on those days you can tackle, chase and shepherd - which was why I kept getting picked even though I had limitations. Talent is easy. That will get you onto a list. It's the little things and hard work that keeps you there. I'm a harsh critic of his. Not because I think he's a bad pick, but because I think he's a great pick that doesn't care if he gets the best out of himself, and as much as he frustrates me I look forward to the day when we only talk about how good he is rather than seeing play a good game and crossing our fingers and hoping he can do it again. But, hey, In Roos We Trust.

We also had another week of our opposition kicking more behinds than goals, something I think should be attributed to the pressure our defense and mids are applying rather than just being "lucky".

Can't feckin believe it, I went into the game thinking we wont get belted here if the boys bring the same intensity as last week, a win is only possible if we turn this into an arm wrestle. FMD what was that in the first half taken the game on and love that we are very quickly turning into a hard honest side. The fact we were challenged and held on speaks volumes to the change in mindset and the faith Roos is showing in the players. He doesn't just talk the talk putting the unchanged side out there today was a big endorsement into his belief in the players, very few passengers today if any, injured/hurting players continuing to fight on, that is what culture and belief brings. Hope all you deelanders enjoy a drink or three tonight because PSD will

The most important factor IMO was that we were able to put on scoreboard pressure early and denying the Crows the same. The players were then able to keep the Roos game plan in lockstep thereafter. The same happened against Carlton. We are getting better for sure but we still lack an offensive game that can win for us from coming from behind. We still need to find the right balance, but we are well and truly on the way up. This was an absolutely outstanding win in an away game with 44,000 hostile fans screaming for our blood.

John Worsfold couldn't help Morton and Brad Scott couldn't help Gysberts.

Sitting third in the Lou Richards medal right now if he got any votes yesterday he'd be winning Top 10 in Herald Sun player of the year More than likely got 8 or more brownlow votes so far Ranked 109 in the afl player ratings Something out of place there seriously underrated

If you don't see it, what can possibly be said? Jack Grimes has played more good games than bad and can win you a match with a punch of the footy. As your post suggests - you are taken by clangers and mistakes. Good players make them, because they get the footy, that is the risk you take when you go and get the footy. It's the safe players that get easy kicks and let others do the hard things that you don't want too many of. You say he screwed up a mark in the back line, I say he screwed up a great reading of the play.

I heard many addresses by Welsh at quarter time breaks last year. Not once did I hear him take a pot shot at the demons game plan. Maybe if DD had actually heard such a comment himself, but no, second hand information at best from an anonymous board and uses it to partake in some character assassination. Pathetic is being nice

Hurt it during the game you buffoon, how is that the fitness staff fault?

Many great performances but one that was less noticeable but really important in the win was Grimes. Barely put a foot wrong, no clangers this week, competed and competed, made a game saving spoil against Dangerfield and is rapidly becoming The General of the backline. Becoming the on-field captain to match his much lauded, off-field captaincy feats! Roos didn't single him out but Grimes and our backline really stood up yesterday!

You've stolen some of my thoughts, bananas. Impossible to get overexcited about JKH. He has generational abilities, that just can't be taught. He has elite reading of the play, elite agility, and elite decision making. His disposal for a 7 game player is very good. I'm convinced he's going to be a superstar. And I mean A-grade elite. Viney's bash and crash is also enormously rare, and more importantly is a standard setter for the entire team. Also, and I can't believe I'm saying this.....Bail and Pederson may be AFL standard.

Does anyone have $5 and really bad hand writing to pretend to be a little girl and get this deal done?

Just finished watching the replay, some thoughts: Kennedy-Harris wins way more one-on-one contests than a 7-game, 68-kilo player should. So often he'd find a way to get hands on the ball and move it on with a clean disposal to a teammate's advantage. Impossible to overstate how impressed I was with him. Grimes and Howe worked beautifully zoning off their men and taking those intercept marks. TMac would've been loving it. When (if?) Frawley goes back he'll find playing in defence in a team that works hard for each other a very different (and hopefully much more enjoyable) prospect than it has been for the last few years. Dawes is basically co-captain in my mind right now. So important for us … and now he's fit, we're seeing more evidence of the premiership winning KPP he truly is. Viney and Tyson are fantastic in the middle of packs, Tyson flicks it out with his hands, Viney just bulldozes through. I know it's jumping the gun, but some of Viney's 'wade into a pack, pick up the ball, shove off an opponent, run away for a clean possession' moments remind me of early Judd. (Also like the way Bail, of all people, is finding a knack for scything through a pack like it's made of butter and running out clean on the other side. More please, Rohan!) Cross proves himself a brilliant pick-up each and every week. What a great example to have present for all the young blokes. From the looks of things he may have taken McKenzie's job? Shame for Jordie, but Cross will hurt teams a lot more by finding a bit of his own ball as well.

If Kent has a big game in the VFL then I would expect Byrnes' place is in doubt. I would not bother with Blease no matter how well he plays - I see Byrnes as a better player, and he wasn't bad enough to lose his place unless it is for a true upgrade (which I think Kent is). Don't agree with the idea of replacing Byrnes just for the sake of it. Riley and Toumpas will be contenders for the vacancy left by Viney if he's rubbed out. If Viney gets off, no change to our midfield. Hope these two lads really turn it on today, it'll keep the pressure on our mids to keep it up. I'm itching to hear about how Garland goes today. He clearly does not belong in the VFL, so I think if he gets through the game in one piece he'll be in too. If not for a Frawley injury, then for Georgiou - nothing against Georgiou; I just see him as the most expendable of all the players playing in a similar role to Garland.

Pedersen is genuinely in our best 22 now. He was fantastic yesterday. The best midget ruckman in the league. JKH - how good is he?!

I actually think Byrne is be a little maligned in this thread...he may not have won a lot of possessions, but in the last quarter when it counted, he held the ball in our attacking half. Not a brilliant game, but an important one all the same. Definitely not as bad as some make out.

He was practically stopped, just bracing. If you aren't allowed to brace yourself for an impact what should you do? Too late to duck (which Viney doesn't do anyway). And as pointed out, Viney is much shorter, and didn't jump up.....Lynch fell (possibly could be construed as pushed**) into him. Unavoidable contact. ** knowing the MRP's idiosyncrasies maybe Viney and Georgiou will both be cited - a new rule called conspiracy.

Jeezus the Wallet took a beating tonight....

Was told we were getting a classy forward, with question marks on size and pace. Was not expecting a gun midfielder who knows how to find the ball and make the right decision every time. So happy with this selection so far.

I'm speechless. this will give our boys so much confidence for the future that they can start believing in their ability to strangle the opposition and win ugly. Who cares how we win? I'll take anything. Soooo good.

Chris Dawes is a sexy sexy man.

I think someone posted it on here in hope only and it has become truth purple monkey dishwasher.

We're working on it.

Do we have to start the negatives? Every supporter knows where we are at, but we can celebrate a win, all I care about tonight was we didn't wilt, we got in front and stayed there, it's a great start...and the players know for it to happen again they just have to reproduce

I love Melbourne. I hate umpires. That is all.