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Here's my 2 cents for what its worth, to quote Nietzche. "All things are subject to interpretation, whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth." In 1916 before the first battle of the Somme the British subjected the German lines to the greatest ever bombardment in history (to that point). A bombardment so great that it could be heard across the channel - sort of like the Essendon media bombardment but on a bigger scale. The British full of confidence that the overwhelming weight of force had settled the battle for them, then got out of their trenches and casually strolled towards the German line only to be mown down. They lost 20,000 men in the first hour alone and 60,000 men in 24 hours. They had engaged in an escalating commitment to a failing course of action, very much like Essendon, but the AFL aren't sitting behind their Maxim guns waiting to mow them down, ASADA/WADA are. I think the only thing more likely (and more stupid) for the AFL on Tuesday than to deliver a 6 month ban is to deliver a not guilty verdict. I expect that Gill et al have one eye on the clause in their contracts that kicks in their performance bonus and they're wondering how the hell they can get it if one of their biggest drawing teams suddenly starts drawing MFC like crowds. I also suspect that there's a certain amount of hubris and ego involved in both Essendon and AFL camps and they're choosing to ignore the messages that ASADA and WADA are making about appealing. Though I think given the situation that ASADA may look for a way to sidestep the issue and let its bigger brother bare the brunt in this regards. All of this clouds the issue that the AFL like most professional sports is only interested in growing profits. They've instituted a three strikes regime to ensure the best players continue to get on the park. The Issue around drugs in football is both the prolific (at least larger than the common perception) recreational and performance enhancing use (see Dale Lewis) and how the risk can be mitigated. I find claims by all and sundry that they were unaware of the issues at West Coast with Ben Cousins a reflection on their culpability. (I wish I had of known, prove that I didn't). Now they are no longer heroes because we can't use them to sell the game (i.e. merchandise, memberships, sponsorships etc), but we're comfortable to wash our hands of the issue and claim its a bigger society wide problem (yes it is, but that doesn't absolve you from your responsibilities). Issues like Karmichael Hunt and the Gold Coast Titans I'm sure lurk in the back of most football club CEOs minds and you better have a strategy because football is entertainment, and entertainment is about perception (your selling a fantasy - people don't want reality). Ruin the illusion and people switch off. I might be a damn cynic (and I think most idealists are) but I do believe in humanity... and Karma. We may never learn the truth of the Essendon saga, but we might find out who has the most power Essendon/AFL or ASADA/WADA?

Some more from last Friday => http://six6six.smugmug.com/Training-Friday-27-take-2/n-Gbhn2G/i-4zfzZBF/A Last pre season session for me for the year. I'll be back next pre season but for now go Dees. Full Gallery, Enjoy ==> http://six6six.smugmug.com/Training-2732015/n-WhKXRf/i-zFBXcb6/A Salem's Run ==> http://six6six.smugmug.com/Salems-run/n-ZrNKWc/i-vbMf8LL/A

I am surprised that he didn't put Hird as #1 ...

I disagree, I suspect he'll either be the player he was or won't be a player. It either heals or doesn't, i can't see why there would be a physical restriction.

Was nice to see they included the reminder that it was us who wrote the rules. So, the MFC aren't just another footy club. We ARE footy, and footy is us!

It was not windless, there was a moderate SSW wind blowing all day; those ensconced in the comfort of the grandstand would not be aware of this. I spent the entire day on the outer wing near Goodwin and McCartney, Saty came by on his scooter every now and then. Brayshaw will be a beauty. I wouldn't rush him but it is up to the match committee. Saty has described the bit where McCartney coached him over the fence - Brayshaw had just done very well against the odds and got the ball out of play, directly in front of the two coaches. He was just having what most would consider a well deserved breather when McCartney yelled at him to get to go again and get to his assigned spot for the throw in that was about to take place. Casey held sway for most of the first three quarters, mainly due to poor kicking for goal by Willy. Having said that, Casey's kicking for goal was nothing special, either. In the last quarter, Willy got right on top. This coincided with the majority of the Melbourne players showing that they were seriously short of a gallop. The move of Fitzy into the ruck to the detriment of the defence did not help. Of the Melbourne contingent, most showed that they lacked match practice. Kent was particularly rusty, he was responsible for a couple of missed goals that he would normally slot. vandenBerg looked ok, JKH also. Michie does a lot but does not seem to overly influence the game. This was the first time I had seen Max King in the flesh. He is an interesting player.

This had the potential to be horrible but I thought it was really well done and not pretentious at all.

Good to see we are finally trying to link the city to our brand. Makes me proud to support the city I came from. Now let's start winning some games!!

Maybe all the false dawns have affected me, but I always feel vaguely sick when people use words like "lighting up the G" when forecasting the performance of an 18 year old. Balance of probability says it wouldn't have happened like that. Usually when 18 year olds shine, it's when they've come in to a strong side under little pressure.

being silly now with that logical clarity. As to others thoughts of captaincy. ..ffs how much pressure do you want to give him ? Hes a long path back. Itll take many months to regain 'normal' fitness. .. and then theres conditioning/loading to afl level...let alone match fitness. Be very surprised if he did anything really this year. Possibly a test at magoos level to see what transpired. Id be happy for the lad if he can just walk..run..and jump and lead an unrestricted life.

I hope things will start to swing back our way before long. There are a lot of people trying very hard to put some respect and greatness back into our footy club. I like this ad - I don't usually like them, as they're often full of puff, but this one hits the right note between humility and ambition.

To be played on China Southern Airlines flights to Melbourne? That is where i would target this I like it. We must represent our City.

The team I want to see round 1: FB: Jetta Dunn Grimes HB: McDonald Frost Lumumba C: vandenBerg Cross Salem HF: Watts Pedersen Viney FF: Garlett Hogan JKH Foll: Jamar Jones Tyson Int: Vince Brayshaw Newton Sub: Howe Emergency: Kent Gawn Garland

We were told when the Melbourne team was selected for the last NAB Challenge match that we had a "settled side" but the reality now is substantially different. This is attributable to the poor form of a number of what I would call "fringe" players in the Essendon game, the fact that we have to leave Chris Dawes out of the line up due to suspension, the form of Brayshaw and the potential return from injury of Howe, Vince, JKH and Dean Kent who all missed that game. Also, do you include Cam Pedersen to cover for Dawes and possibly pinch hit in the ruck? Do we play both Jamar and Gawn in the same team? Perhaps you play Max as a forward? By any measure, I wouldn't say we have a settled side and IMO the selectors will have a big job ahead of them when they sit down to pick the team for round 1.

Judges don't always get things right or perfect in the eyes of those who observe the cases that come before them. That's why we have appeal processes built into our legal systems. It was mentioned above that Judge Jones was on the Tribunal that allowed Barry Hall to play in the 2005 grand final. Wasn't "Moose" Henwood one of those sitting on the Tribunal that handed Jack Viney a two match ban (subsequently overturned on appeal) for that bump last year? On what I've read about this saga and the fact that the ASADA case involved three days of opening submissions alone, I would think there is a circumstantial case for sanctions against the players on the basis of reasonable satisfaction. That's how I think it will go on Tuesday but if it doesn't, I have no doubt that WADA will take it to Switzerland and it might well add in a charge involving the use of AOD9604 in addition to TB4. The integrity of the WADA Code is based on preserving the S0 category which many drug cheats would otherwise use to circumvent the Code. The powers at WADA will therefore not be pleased with a not guilty verdict or a wet tram ticket penalty even if the Tribunal, as expected, comes down hard on Dank. This whole saga has dragged on for so long because Essendon is unable to provide a shred of detail about what was ingested into the players' bodies in 2011/2 - the Tribunal should not allow this fact to get the players who signed waiver forms off the hook.

Casey seemed flat-footed in the last quarter and reactionary, while Williamstown started to take the game on. In the first 3/4's I thought Casey looked the slightly superior team, but the Seagull's delivered the ball into their forward 50 far better and had more scoring shots even when behind. Kent got a lot of the footy, but made a couple of blues. He dropped a sitter under no pressure, which directly lead to a goal to the opposition less than 60 seconds before half-time. But overall played well, including the wing for the entire third quarter. JKH was good. Played wing for most of the match and kicked a couple, including a nice banana on the run close to goal. Riley is unfashionable, but has a crack and was OK. He's easy to miss. I thought Vince showed enough in his first hit out. He was probably better than I expected, although he faded in and out. Was good in bursts with some classy kicking. Fitzpatrick competed hard, but his timing and marking was off. He was serviceable. Van Demon is huge for a midfielder. He played as a high half-forward and got a fair bit of it. He looks a little heavy and will be much better after another preseason. I'd love to see him get games this year, as his size is such a weapon, but he's a work in progress. Mitchie was arguably the best Demon today. Busy all afternoon and completed a great chase and pull down tackle in the third. King is a long way off. Very good kick for such a tall. I've already read some of the commentary on Brayshaw, but it's a bit over the top. I thought he had a solid game without dominating. I'd put it down as a typical Brayshaw game. His second goal was a ripper in congestion with a tonne of heat on him and I also liked when he had a stint in the forward pocket in the third. He competed really hard in the air twice and one of those split packs led to a JKH goal. He also spent a bit of time down back late in the third and looked comfortable. He's just a pro that does everything well, although he does miss the odd handball target under pressure. In one passage of play when he was forward he ran with the flight of the ball and crashed hard into the oncoming marking player. Both went down and got up gingerly. He was fine and has plenty of courage. He's a very good overhead mark for a midfielder. I thought Mitchie, Kent, Brayshaw and JKH were the best of the top up players.

Bradshaw misses from a set shot but has been everywhere and is making a strong case for next week. All melbourne listed players have been serviceable. Kent, Vanders and Brayshaw the standouts in my humble opinion

And right on the eve of 360's new season. All an obvious marketing strategy to create controversy IMHO.

It's funny though - you will always have people unhappy with a list like this, but Robbo's screams of trying too hard to be controversial so he can generate discussion. It's almost a crime not to have Ablett as the #1 player in the competition, and that's only the beginning with this list.

Yeah, well, I'm tipping him to be struck down my a mystery ear lobe injury and be forced in to retirement this week. Any takers for something in between?

THYMOSIN BETA 4 IN COMPETITION Route of administration:Status: all routes Banned in sport OUT OF COMPETITION Route of administration:Status:all routes Banned in sport

I thought it was good but a bit disappointed that Viney and co were wearing street gear rather than the Blazers. In seriousness this sort of branding coupled with winning will help us attract a chunk of the 30,000+ people moving to Melbourne every year.

Like rpfc, I normally cringe watching a footy club ad, but this is well done. Doesn't sugar coat where we're at, or sell false hope. It also doesn't include the rookies, which is good. Probably the best MFC ad I've seen.

Yeah just like the saints last year

It's a strong ad. Its not targeted at us. It's targetted at the families who are moving to Melbourne and haven't got an afl background. If you love Melbourne you'll love the demons sort of thing. Hand of Howcroft?

If they're ex-judges aren't their careers already over 'bing'. I don't trust words like independent, transparent or integrity where the AFL are concerned.

I don't think we've won a game in my time on DL when some muppet has posted this. Thanks for the jinx.

Back home after. Casey. I went to the game to immunise myself against being disappointed for the season ahead. The game did not let me down and I now know what to expect for the season. Unfortunately I expect more of the same as last year as even against a stand alone team the AFL listed players missed marks and handballs. Below is my report for what it is worth: Q1. The Scorpions were the better team by hand and foot but could not put the difference on the scoreboard ( sounds familiar doesn't it). All the MFC plays played well that quarter with Brayshaw the standout. Q2. Pretty even contest. I thought Vince and JKH shone through. Vandenberg was tenacious and showed something. Q3. Williamstown clearly got on top and if not for inaccurate kicking would have been significantly in front. Brayshaw again the standout Demon. Q4. All Williamstown after the first 5 mins, Enough said. Williamstown deserved the victory and I would be really disappointed if I was Casey. The coach held them on the ground after the game and I suspect told them that performance was not good enough. With respect to the players: Brayshaw. Very happy with his game. Was not expecting too much before the game and he showed fierceness and is ready. Towards the end of the game he tired and made traditional Melbourne mistakes such as missing handball targets. He reminded me of Nathan Jones when he first came to the club and without putting too much pressure on the kid, we know what we get from Jones. King. Too skinny and raw. I think he needs time in the Development comp. kicked a nice goal in the last quarter but does nothing around the ground. Michie: serviceable but not brilliant. Goes in hard but lacks speed. Was vocal which was good to hear and disposals were not bad. Just drops out of the game too much for me. Kent: offensively good but defensively rubbish. Made silly mistakes and I would keep him at Casey for at least another week. Is competing with JKH for a spot I think and on today's performance JKH is ahead. JKH: quite good today. His attack on football was good and on the man. Like others he drifts in and out of game too much. Vince: disinterested in 1st quarters but lifted. Worked hard and put run in the legs. Did not have a huge influence on the game but provided he pulls up ok, is likely to play next week. He tried to lift the team in the last quarter but as I said did not exert influence on the ball. Riley: goes in hard. Disposal lets him down. Of all the listed players he seemed to be off the ground the most or perhaps I just missed him. Vandenberg: does not shirk any contest and liked his performance today without getting too excited. I think he demonstrates a toughness not many at Melbourne have and I hope he is upgraded soon. Upon reflection he won't play next week as I think Brayshaw deserves the spot ahead of him. If Howe is the sub no Vandenberg. If no Howe he will be the sub Fitzpatrick: perhaps I am blinded by my like of him but he showed something in defence. When he moved to forward line the defence struggled. He just needs to hold important marks. His defensive punches were good. I am scared he will be run off too often though so that is a big question for me. Needs half a season in Casey in a defensive position if that is the plan for him. I hope I did not miss anyone. Enjoyed my trip to Casey and hearing coaches and having a kick on the oval. My son was annoyed I spent much of my time on the phone rather than talking to him so I will leave the reports and scores to. KC in future. Cheers. Ps. Special mention to Tim Smith at Casey. I like how he plays and showed more than some of the MFC players.

Brayshaw certainly looks a class above VFL level, super clean with the footy and looked calm and composed with ball in hand and good around stoppages won't be long until he's in the melbourne team, may need to build his tank up a bit but that's pretty common for a 1st year player I would have thought

Brayshaw scores a goal and seals his position for Round 1

I've heard enough. IN: Brayshaw #letgusplay

Brayshaw with a good goal. Going in hard, grabbing the ball and snapping

"Blue chip" midfield? I think some of the Gold Coast Bigfooty members have been in touch with their old mate Karmichael.

Sounds like a good idea. And at this time, late March, how should we do that? (Rhetorical question - of course I expect you to have NFI.)

The Suns have a new coach with a new game-plan and many players coming off an interrupted preseason. I certainly don't fear them, especially at the MCG and will be disappointed if we lose this game. The Suns will evolve throughout the year into a solid team, but they'll be underdone in round 1.

I think the interesting thing is that someone who is not one of the 34 is asking for documents that go to the heart of the case. If they are produced, then there will be no more places to hide. If they are not, Essendon will have to work very hard to show they took due care. Either way, this process is independent of ASADA and can't be ignored by Essendon.

So the U.S has friendly fire incidents because it gives drugs to its pilots? Wow, just........wow. Evidence please, or you will need to excuse me for thinking you are a fool.

Upsets can always happen of course but if we do win our first game, it might mean a number of players have stepped it up. What I was looking for in the pre-season was for those who should be stepping it up to do so - that didn't really happen. I'm specifically talking about those players who have been in the system for 4+ years. It seems they might have max'd out and if that's true, that doesn't bode well for our chances. However, if Dunn, Jetta, Howe, T-Mac, Jamar, Watts, Dawes & Garland can mostly improve to substantial levels along with Grimes, Kent, JKH, Viney, Toumpas, Michie, Gawn & Pedersen mostly improving to better than reasonable levels, we may end up with 8-10 wins. We could assume that Lumumba, Garlett, Salem, Hogan & Frost will all add a lot to our chances but on an overall basis, there's a lot of if's and but's. I'm cautiously hopeful for a 6-8 win season but that evaluation may change if we win our first game .

Every couple of years I have a thread that looks at the number of players that are in the prime of their careers as a possible portent of how the team will go that year. From 2013: http://demonland.com/forums/index.php?/topic/32853-optimist-prime/?hl=prime 22+ years of age with about 70 games of experience is the approximate measure with exceptions of course. In 2013, we had Rodan, Jones, and Sylvia as the only midfielders in the prime of their careers. We have had a regrettable period since 2007, not least because of how few midfielders we have had in the prime of their careers... In 2015, we have N Jones, Lumumba, McKenzie, Cross, Vince, Trengove, M Jones, and Bail as players that will run through the midfield that are also in, or extending, their prime years. The numbers are healthier, but 3 of the 8 are peripheral players, another is injured for the season, and another is close to retirement... But it is how they compare to other clubs - even middling ones - that I believe will determine how we go this season. Note: We can absolutely include Tyson but he has only played 35 games, and his equivalent at other teams are not expected to deliver so early.

My thoughts: Bernie had a great first half and did what he wanted but he ran out of legs. Also had a hard tag in the 2nd half. Short of a gallop and I'd be surprised if he played round 1. Kent did enough. Didn't have a lot of the footy but looked dangerous when he did and had 4-5 shots on goal. JKH had a better second half but would be behind Kent in my eyes. vandenBerg did some nice things but came in and out of the play. Looks underdone and would be surprised to see him line up next week. Michie was solid if not spectacular. Good at the contest but needs to find more easier ball. Riley impacts the play when involved through physicality and ferocious tackling. He just doesn't find enough. Fitzy was solid down back but his overhead marking continues to let him down, Several times he contested balls in the air and let it get over the back for Williamstown crumbers. Angus had 26 possessions and 2 goals. Class. His ability to spread from a contest at speed surprised me. He used it well apart from a few errant handballs. Gus was fairly vocal at the breaks too, a real leader in the making. Max King good below his knees for a big guy but a million miles off.

anyone else get this awful feeling that the players will be found not guilty and we have wasted over 2 years on nothing in the end. Then we will have hird the turd standing there grinning with little beside him and saying Ive told you all along they are innocent and we did nothing wrong.

contract year

I blame Jack Watts.

I think if Trenners can get two games in with casey at the end of the year if would be a great achievement.

I haven't seen the desire to get the ball at all costs, but it was only pre season. There may have been a pre-conceived plan to keep the list healthy. As of round 1 I better see harder contests at the ball. If not we won't win. If we do then 8-9 wins should be expected.

Just saw the photo of jobe and co with their sashes made up of poppies for anzac day. Nearly threw up

C'mon mate don't act surprise that he hasn't tweeted you back..

Reading this thread, my one thought is that nobody has a clue.

Absolutely zero expectations. If he can come back and even play ever again it's a win.

Would prefer Petracca got his knee right, then spent the rest of the time building his (lack of) tank, which is his biggest weakness right now.