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It sickens me that Chris Connolly has effectively been hounded out of football, for telling a recruiting meeting that they would all be sacked if the MFC didn't get the PP. Whether it was a joke or not, that comment and that comment alone, got CC supended for a year without pay. That has then led to his virtual expulsion from the AFL. Who did he inject? Whose life did he put at risk? Didn't he cop it on the chin immediately? How many Court challenges did he launch? How many following seasons of AFL football did he stuff up? Yes it sickens me, that CC is lost to football and the Bombers golden boy swans around blaming the whole world, for a system he was ultimately responsible for, yet at the same time taking no personal responsibility and getting paid like a king, while he does so. SICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

Thanks for the report TDI. It is ridiculous however the way each and every thread is derailed into personal attacks and vendettas against other posters. For the vast majority, the training reports are fantastic no matter who they are from and all different views and opinions are great. Just because someone doesn't agree with you however or you dislike the way someone describes something doesn't mean you need to start attacking them again and again thread after thread. It is tedious. TDI- great work in general, can you refrain from the constant lemon suckers etc jibes as they just inflame things with some posters unnecessarily. Others- can you stop constantly slaying TDI for sharing his opinion on what he views and the answers he provides to questions asked directly of him by other posters. If you don't agree with his opinion then simply move on or go watch yourself. Mods- perhaps time to crack the whip on the constant derailing of threads (I do appreciate that you guys have lots to do already but it is getting ridiculous).

With all due respect Saty - and in deference to your regular attendance at training and knowledge of what goes on at the club - i do not not need to take your word about how much Dunn, or any other player for that matter, has or has not changed on match day. I - and 99% of the other dees tragics on DL -can determine that all by my lonesome. He has most definitely changed on match day. He is still aggressive but it is a much more controlled aggression and rarely has the regular brain snaps and the stupid niggling palaver that used to punctuate his game. Five years ago dees fans and the general footy fans would have laughed if we put him in the LG, let alone made him VC. No one will be laughing today.

I'm neither here nor there on "leadership groups". But I really like a single Captain and a single Vice-Captain. Adds gravitas to each role.

He must be standing on his soapbox then.

Roosy's comments: "Roos said the elevation of Dunn to vice-captaincy was “a terrific effort”. “Probably externally he’s seen as one of those players who’s played in a number of roles and has been around the club for a long period of time, but externally people wouldn’t realise how much he’s valued within the Melbourne footy club,” he said. Well done, Dunny. Overall, I think they've nailed it.

Not many watching....obviously unannounced on club website. 4 groups for a long period this morning. Macartney - taking extensive handball drills; some of which I haven't seen before and may have brought with him from Geelong/Ess/Bulldogs. Zig-zag chain where 20-30 balls fed quickly. Relies on quick clean hands and accurate lay-off. One error just means the drill almost falls apart. Matthews taking mids for body contact possession and footwork. Offensive kicking group. 5-on-2 get ball and split offensively drill. No Greg Stafford today. Is he still ruck-coach?

How good does the guernsey look

http://titusoreily.com/inside-melbournes-first-leadership-group-meeting/ Worth a read..

He has changed. His on field behaviour has become better and it has coincided with his impressive form over the last two years. The correlation is up to the individual to decide but he is more worried about 'beating' his opponent by getting the footy and he is the better player for it.

Congrats to Lynden Dunn. Much deserved and really a remarkable turnaround over the past 2 years. A good selection overall. Moderate size and Jones solo is the right call.

A group of men there.

I hope that the likes of Bail, McKenzie and Terlich have improved out of sight. I consider these players real tryers with some weaknesses in their disposal (and in McKenzie's case - getting involved). I want these players to improve so much that it gives the selectors headaches and it gives what I consider the naturally talented footballers the impetus to make the most of their natural abilities week in and week out. There was a reason that Bail played most games last season - he regularly did the job that Roos asked of him and there wasn't a footballer doing a better job at Casey, knocking the door down to take his spot. We laud Cross and we rightly should - not overly quick, not overly good overhead and adequate by foot and hand. He plays smart and he plays to 100% of his ability most weeks. He screams out " if you want my place in team, play better than me". For us to rise to the top we do need better players than Bail. McKenzie and Terlich. For us to rise to the top we need Bail, McKenzie and Terlich playing well to force the better players to actually play better and take their spots. ( then we need the likes of Bail. McKenzie and Terlich to believe that if they play at the top of their game they can get a gig - think Cameron Ling at Geelong)

Of all the players, I am more pleased for Cross, he was dumped by a club he loved, he could have thrown in the towel but took a one year contract and has not put a foot wrong, You can sense the respect he has got from the players, he is always last off the track to accommodate another player wanting to practice something or have a goal kicking competition, I put some of Jordie McKenzie's improvement down to Crossy who has done heaps of extra work with him, The only problem I have with him, I have to be careful what I ask him, he is bluntly honest in his answers, but always answers

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2015-02-03/right-mix-in-leadership-group-roos Experienced group to lead the way. Jones as captain and not a co captain a good move.

"Let's work as a Team and do it my way...."

His leg speed is really good, his running style is horrible, bit it is effective, he is also better in the air than given credit for, now he is fully fit he is showing that Most are faster, even Nev Jetta who told me he tries to keep body contact, coz he hasn't got the speed to catch, agrees he is faster than ever, one drill today had the backline coming out of the fifty at speed with handballs and kicks, must have repeated the drill at least 20 times, saw only two fail due to a poor kick or handball

I agree I am a big boy, will try and curb the sarcasm, know it irritates some that can actually recognise it, I think they just want to be miserable, which is rather sad, me I am optimistic, I may have my optimism in pieces by Rd 4, but hey that's why you support footy and your team Think Roos' plan with Salem, is to give him responsibility, Salem is so naturally gifted think he tends to coast some times As for Viney, he is just one midfielder competing for a spot, I think the only one guaranteed a spot in the midfield is Nathan Jones, but even he will have to be fit and in form come Rd 1

Well that's plainly stupid.

I like your display name.

The Higher he climbs the harder the fall Go to the High Court Hird You have my permission. Between you and Abbott i am eating a lot of popcorn and choc tops Such great entertainment!!

Saty, I sure hope you have a very thick skin because, I for one, want you to keep up the great work of your regular reports. Being stuck here on the Gold Coast (yet, poor me! LOL), I really appreciate the time and effort you put into the reports for us pathetic, unappreciative sods! Constructive debate on this site is great. But, I cannot abide the constant sniping by some.

Sorry , had something to do first before I could put this up. Good session again today, lots of ball movement drills. Casualty ward first, no Trengove, Neal-Bullen or King. Watts and White did a short handballing session and then into swimming Howe did a few laps of slow pace running with Andrew Nicol Vince and Hunt were in rehab, doing laps and a bit of ball work Brendan McCartney appeared for the first time, did a lot of talk, during the drills Standouts in the match sim, sorry to say for the lemon suckers, Matt Jones and Jordie McKenzie, but for the optimists, Petracca did the best session I have seen from him, put Ben Newton on his arse during one match sim, playing him as a forward mostly, except when they had a full field drill with what seemed to be designated link man who had to be involved in the play, Petracca, Brayshaw, Billy Stretch (who was another to shine) and Jeff Garlett (another standout with his reading of the game and quick hands) were these designated link men. Others to shine, Dean Kent, a four bounce run down a wing and a post high goal,, Salem off half back and taking kick ins, Jack Grimes and Jimmy Toumpas, both off half back. Roos again was stressing the simple option, Viney was guilty once of going sideways, was told in no uncertain terms later on. Another drill, Fitzy got the ball unmarked on the far wing, Roos shouted Dawes so loud everybody heard it, Fitzy did the right thing and kicked straightway down Dawes' throat, Dawes had got himself free over the back. Pics will be on Twitter soon, Demonpk, any questions, feel free.

The sh it we coped in the media compared to these buggers is just so vastly different and really does bug me. Maybe one of the reasons I am hoping they getting Fing hammered to the wall.

Thanks Tony..

thanks

I'm glad Cross has been recognized for what he is - one who leads by example.

Finally lost it huh?

No, he or the players lawyers, who were present at the interviews, should have simply advised the players to say no comment, or I object to the jurisdiction of the AFL/ASADA to conduct these interviews. THEY WAIVED THEIR RIGHT TO OBJECT TO THE INTERVIEW PROCESS AND APPEAR BEFORE THE FEDERAL COURT AND 4 FEDERAL COURT JUDGES HAVE TOLD THEM EXACTLY THAT.

I don't understand why anyone is surprised that Hird and his legal team are saying they won't rule out a High Court challenge. It seems to me common practice for the avenue of appeal in any legal action to be kept open for as long as possible. Doesn't mean that an appeal will eventually be forthcoming, though. Any comment about the possibility of an appeal should be given the same credence as a club President stating that a coach has the full support of the Board. Or a politician saying, well, anything, really.

Saty, I love your use of the expression "he is what it says on the tin..." Mind you, I hope we've stopped buying our product from the Reject Shop.

Was lucky enough to go to the AFL National Coaching Conference on the weekend and thought I would share where AFL people think coaching is at and where it is going. Keynote Speakers: Alistair Clarkson, Brendan Bolton, Leigh Russell (http://www.leighrussell.com.au/), Shane Pill (West Adelaide) and Matt Jones (Dandenong Stingrays) There were a couple more that I didn't attend for the sake of relevance and time management but the clift notes to what they said: Clarkson - 'Fun and Games' Apparently, the higher you go in the elite pyramid of footy, the less enjoyment the players seem to have playing the game. At the Hawks, they have a focus on playing games at training that look at game sense and spatial awareness and less on the usual drills that we have all grown up with in our footy lives. The games would include anything from a handball game to some soccer to some head tennis with the soccer ball to anything they can think of. He cited James Frawley as one player that was surprised to see how many 'games' they were playing at training... Bolton - 'Creating a Learning Environment' 'Challenge the comfortable, and comfort the challenged' was the message from Bolton about how he works with the players at the Hawks. In relation to the games they play at training - he reiterated that that is how one learns quicker - not by being told what to know, but to work it out themselves. The players would then take those basic lessons into games of where to run, when to block, when to help, when to corral and not tackle etc. He noted that both Clarkson and himself have a background in teaching and it shows through in how they approach teaching the players as a participant in the knowledge gathering rather than a recipient. Russell - 'Emotional Intelligence' This is something that we will know a great deal about and something that I have seen the importance of since Roos has taken over. We have all seen the failure of coaches that do not have a balanced approach to those under their charge with their emotions and empathy. She said that EI stems out of self-awareness and that those that can control their emotions and display a level of empathy and build relationships can then begin to coach - before that happens, you have nothing. Pill and Jones - 'Practical Coaching of Game Sense drills' We were treated to a training session from the Dandenong Stingrays on Etihad on Saturday (some big boys, I think TGR was there as he mentioned he saw Jake Lovett, I saw some very solid units...). The kids did their warm up and got their skills sorted and then we saw Jones take them through a handball game that is fairly simple, then incorporated some kicking and then moved into a 'zone ball' game that looked a little like an NFL-AFL-Free Jazz hybrid. Now I have done these games before with my boys, but the difference here was that these 'drills' were the focus of the sessions that they do. There is no 'coned' drill where blokes trudge from cone to cone and stand behind a line - its all free style games with a few well define rules. Another thing is that some of these games can be AFL styled but with 12v12, or 6v6, or 3v5. etc. Another thing to note was the way the coach talked to the players - never told them what he thought they were doing wrong - he asked them what they were doing right and what they could do better and he asked specific individuals rather than the same bloke every time. I also had a chance to hear Nathan Basset (Ball movement and transition), Darren Crocker (Stoppage work), Stan Alves (effective training sessions), and Peter Schwab (building a game plan). I will add a bit more on these later but I can expand on anything that anyone has particular interest in.

I'm delighted that the leadership group contains only those who were standouts and no one was included who was a "maybe" deserved to be included. Like positions in the team, the leadership group should pick itself and places need to be earned. The LG should not be about potential and future leaders - their time will come.

Well it is a fact!

I'm glad that Grimes is still in the leadership group. I really think he is a strong leader, but I understand why he stood down as Co-Captain as well.

Did the players have numbered singlets at training? I went last week and complained to Josh Mahoney that it was really difficult to recognize the players given the number of new blokes and the changes to their appearance. Then I noted that someone said they had numbers on Friday - well done Josh. Hope the trend continues. I don't know about others but I have terrible trouble recognizing some of the players during preseason.

Cracker leadership group. Who'd have thought 1-2 years ago that Dunn would be Vice Captain. Truely great effort.

I agree totally in relation to the environment that was about when the contract was signed, I disagree that HIrd had them over a barrell I just beleive he was able to convince them he could win his legal challenge and that he had done nothing wrong. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-28/suspended-hird-given-new-essendon-contract/4917038 IMO as I have stated previously EFC's contract whilst seeming to be favourable to Hird will have a get out clause for the Club. All employment contracts do. The environment now is a lot different then it was in Aug 2013 and his support is slowly dwindelling. I think the club will await the results of the Tribunal and if it goes against the players will use the clause to terminate his contract and save themselves some money. In relation to the AFL I am saying if the club was doing what you beleive they are doing, and I was running the AFL I would put the club under administration or the like, I didn't say the AFL could or that they would. My intention in this scenario would be to sack the Board, CEO and put administration in to restablish proper governance structures with a plan to to hand back to the EFC supporters once done. Again this is what I would do and others would differ. Unfortunately for EFC I reckon like us at Melbourne they need to get an external person to run the club someone who has the supprt of the AFL to clean house. If I was a EFC member (sorry I just threw up in my mouth a little then) I would be calling for this type of assistance.

"players have less rights than ordinary citizens" Seems includes right to have phamacological experiments without oversight of workplace regulators, right to have requests for legal actions to be discontinued ignored, rights to meet AFL stipulated arrangements to be challenged by the coach. .

Dunn with VC. Nice work by him. Great to see Jones as a stand alone Captain.

Compelled to answer questions under terms of contract. If they refuse as is their right, they have breached that contract and may be excluded from AFL player ranks, easy really. The players had a choice, tell their story and possibly be sanctioned or not tell their story and be removed from the AFL. I have no problem with that. As far as less rights than Australian citizens, pleeese! The police have less rights than the average citizen as do pilots and bus drivers. Special jobs have special requirements, footballers get paid very well and for that they cannot smoke grass at a party or have too much caffeine or withhold information from the AFL. They have a choice, and not one of them chose not to be an AFL footballer.

Something in the turn this thread has taken alongside your thumbnail suggested that maybe Vyvyan kicking his own head along the rail lines is an archetypal image of the current condition of the Melbourne supporter. (1:48 onwards)

Reasons for optimism 1. About 34 of the squad did the whole session again today 2. The ruck division is all fit 3. There is serious competition for spots 4. Watching and listening to Roos and the coaches coach, every single one is on the same page, which is headed KISS 5. The skills at training actually improving 6. Jeff Garlett, some of his work today had me drooling, complimented him on his quick hands, intercepting handballs or just getting a hand in the way, answer "that's part of my job' Somebody asked about Brayshaw,still working his way into AFL footy, still looks a player, Roos pulled him up for the wrong option, but it was more of chat rather than berate, Stretch surprised me today in the match sim, and as I said Petracca put in the best shift I have seen from him

That is Pathetic!!

It hasn't been easy being a Melbourne supporter for the last 8 years, but I am sooooooooo glad I'm not an Essendon supporter. They have only seen the tip of the 'pain iceberg'. Couldn't have happened to a nicer club!

The thing about training reports is that they are so clearly someone's opinion. If someone writes something about how your most hated player is training well I'd advise you to react the same way as when someone likes a film you don't. Just accept it or maybe politely disagree and offer your take. Simple as. Love the work TDI. In the offseason I just like to read anything about what's going on. Your reports (and those of others) are the best anything going on round here.

James Hird, winner of the Australian Legal Profession Association Client of the Year 2015, contemplating yet another exercise in futility ~ Hird needs $100,000 to launch High Court Appeal Go for it Jimmy. The legal profession loves you, even if nobody else does (other than Tanya and Bomber fans on Kool-Aid).

The game must go on. I have purchased my tickets and if they try to cancel the game, I'll take the AFL, Hird, Essendon, and Dank all the way to the High Court over this ... no, wait.

All these blokes can kick, up until recently their team mates gave them little to kick to as they did not work hard enough to make position, or create space. If this can be turned around those who have been pilloried for their poor disposal may well surprise. Much of our poor disposal is due to lack of viable options and team mates poor work rate than straight out sub standard skill. We also have more than our fair share of poor decision makers when under pressure.