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General question: for the people who post "Out: Dawes", are you saying what you'd do, or what you think our coaches are going to do? Because I'm quite confident that there's absolutely no way on Earth Roos and co are going to drop Dawes. It's just wishful thinking.

Whilst not like for like, I think that if Jack can get fit, he could assume a similar role or at least occupy the place that Cross has currently in the team, Cross will probably have a season or two more in him you would expect. Not every player has to be fleet of foot. It's the speed and confidence that the team plays with which is more important. So sure we need some line breakers and players with speed, but equally we need smart players with clean skills under pressure. I don't have any concern that Jack can contribute this to the team if fit. I think another important thing to note is that Jack will have the best part of two years away from playing, and a lot has changed since being injured. He left a team where we heaped on a huge amount of expectation on our young 'superstars' and many cracked or didn't perform. The way the team is playing now, and the structures in place are a considerably different environment to the one he left. Jack *should* enjoy playing in a team where he isn't considered the Messiah, and that the clear message from the coaches is just to play your role in the team to the best of your ability, we have a team focused approach and we are seeing some high quality/high potential across the ground... If we have turned the corner (big if I know) after the Geelong game, Trengove can come into a team where we have Hogan Garlett, Watts and Howe up front, Brayshaw, Jones, Vince, Viney, Gawn in the middle and McDonald, Dunn, Salem and Lumumba down back, this is a vastly more balanced team than the one he played in, and the expectations from the club, fans, the media will be vastly different! Would be a fantastic feel good story to get him back fit and healthy, and I'd love to see him and Petracca getting a game (and a win of course!) early in 2016.

Wife had our baby, another boy and another demon member. Smoked my Montecristo with a bottle of Ron Zacapa and both are HIGHLY recommended. I've always spent my hard earned on expensive whiskey but the top shelf rum is really stating its case, will have to explore a few more

thank god James Frawley buggered off to another club Angus is already twice the player and has superstar potential

How about in his third game vs Adelaide.... bit of a scuffle going on with N.Jones right in the middle of it. Gus pushes his way to the middle of the pack, pulls Jones out and gets in his ear to settle down! Loved it.

Gus does make every single touch count, but his presence on the field is much, much more than that. It's his pressure acts like chasing and tackling, his desperation, gut running and fearlessness and his never-say die attitude and will to get to the next contest, that make him such a standout. His leadership is also starting to show through. I clearly remember early in the season, Jonesy pointing out where he should stand at stoppages. Now it's Gus directing traffic as often as not. He is an absolute gem, and is learning so quickly.

Garlett for pick 4 million gives it a run for its money.

The other thing I've heard and i reckon saty could confirm this is crossy absolutely loves teaching our young blokes. Brayshaw and co are in good hands

I don't agree with this, he was able to bring in Hogan and Kent and they were pretty astute decisions and was also directly responsible for bringing in Jason Taylor who has been head of recruiting for our past two drafts, which have been great results. Neeld knew what he wanted to achieve and knew our list needed a total overhaul, he just lacked the people skills and genuinely did not have the personel to succeed. That said, I am not here to defend Neeld as I think he definitely had to go and he definitely made a lot of mistkaes, but he has done some things that we will be very happy with for the next 10-13 years.

No he didn't. That is completely untrue. He was a good all around player, but the one knock on him was that he lacked a bit of toe.

?!

Cheezus I cannot believe this! We won probably the most important game for many a year and people want to start getting CUTE! Minimal changes In: HOGAN ( IF FIT) Out: probably BAIL or JONES ( Stiff) The suggestion to drop DAWES is absurd! The man adds structure to the side and provides leadership! Toumpas, being subbed is of no consequence to me !He STAYS! Riley, STAYS, because of GRUNT factor! I DO LIKE A BIT OF grrrrruuuunt! Keep changes to a Minimum JKH and others et at to earn a game with good form at CASEY!

Ummm nuttin to do with picks, but I hope the Dees dont expect to many from my home town of Myrtleford. Melbourne players were in town today ( capt jones ,brayshaw,to name a few ) out of roughly 200 kids only one came out when jones called for demon kids to come forward, the one boy was my great grand child and he got a photo with jones ,hey one excited young lad and loves his footy. We are watching ch7 local to see him with jones.

Yes Bernie is a few things in one. Not only is he the experience to replace what we lost, he is icing on the cake. Along with his own enjoyment ( he actually epitomises footy enjoyment ) he seems to have rejuvenated himself. Take that left foot goal. It was like a hole in one. The smile said it all and that's infectious

I still have the only pair I was born with.

I love the way Gus takes the game on, he has a rare awareness for a first year player, very natural. He has a spark that can change the flow of a game and rev the rest of the boys up. Exciting times indeed.

I have to keep reminding myself to stop waiting for it all to go tits up. He actually seems to be improving each week, too.

I've been a massive critic of Matt Jones, but the fact that him and ANB kicked 5 between them opposed to Enright and Taylor was a huge reason why we won. He keeps his place as a lockdown forward. As for Dawes, he probably had his best game for the year against the Cats, but the reason why we won was because we dominated the hitouts and the clearances. We need 2 legitimate ruckmen against Nic Nat. Cast your mind back to the GWS game. Jamar was able to compete for half a game, but Mumford was able to get on top, and we got slaughtered. So regardless of how many selfless acts Dawes does, if we get beaten badly in the ruck, we have no chance against West Coast.

Most peoples perception of Dawes is that he does not fit into the side, but this is wrong. He played a pivotal role in our win against Geelong and there is no reason he should be dropped for the next week and would be ridiculous to do it. My perception of Dawes is that he is a competitive beast, not that he is a beast, but rather thrives on competition. He will bring the ball down on most occassions, and he will fight for the ball while it is on the ground. He may not have kicked many goals but he was involved in several score involvements as well as a 3 or so direct assists. Whilst I am sure he would have liked to hit the score board a bit more he was a major cog in the forward line that functioned so well. His leading patterns and leadership are second to none in our forward half and the way our forward line was able to create space to isolate the one on ones was partially due to him. There were several times where he sacrificed his game to run to space and create space for team mates to move into, whilst drawing a defender.

Until we're down by 6 goals at half time against the Eagles and you blokes have the entire list culled again!

I agree. Roos has demonstrated that he picks Dawes every single time he is fit, as well he should. You don't just say OK Jesse nevermind the senior leader premiership CHF, he's going to Casey, it's all on you now. Not how footy clubs work.

Cross is the only player I've ever seen who uses the ball better when he is horizontal than when vertical. His ability to rocket out a handball while either prone on the ground, or diving through mid-air is expectional. His marking overhead is also extremely reliable. Has been in our top 10 this year IMO and is a dead certainty to go around again for at least another one. As he's never been a player who has relied on pace and has a history of first rate fitness, I see no reason he shouldn't be able to play well in to his 30s.

Personally I would be thrilled for Jack if he could come back better than ever to have a good career with us. After the events of last summer I would love to see Jack BOG, the next 3 times we play the Tigers, after he has recovered from his injury.

Can't believe people are actually suggesting that we could make the 8. Calm your farm people. It was an outstanding win, but consistency has long been our problem. When we string 2-3 wins together in a row, in a season, THEN perhaps consider finals. Until then, saviour it yes, but let's be realistic.

On SEN yesterday morning Tim Watson likened Gus to the liquid metal terminator (T1000? Terminator 2?) because he keeps coming at you relentlessly and getting smashed (like he was by Enright) wont stop or discourage him.. He'll just 'regenerate' and come again!

Yes but not to the point that everyone should crack it We have seen what they can do - if they can't do it every week yet let's just keep our cool shall we

Ahh yes ..... Famous last words. They flogged us in the 2000GF and knocked us out in 2004 elimination final. Make no mistake. They own us.

Yes he does, and Ive always thought he is a dead ringer for a young Brian Dixon, Melbournes premiership hero.

Am I alone in thinking Brayshaw looks like Ramsey Bolton from Game of Thrones?

Agree with this... If the team had been more diligent when it came to maintaining pressure in the first couple of quarters, we would have won by 6 rather than 4 goals (theoretically). We still have to learn not to bleed goals in the last minutes of ALL quarters... not just the final quarter.

For every good thing Neeld did he did twice as much damage. Roos has recruited genuine guns, Neeld "cleaned the list" and then replaced who he sacked with players even worse. He transformed our "culture" from bad to shocking and we became the last place on earrth any player would want to come. The only genuinely good thing he did was a complete accident. He made us so bad that Roos and Jackson were enlisted. Anyway I shouldn't keep going with Neeld bashing as we're on a new page now............ but I still feel angry when I think about him and those years.

Can't wait for the next lose, when all the treads are about how little depth we have and that half the list needs to be delisted.

Last nights AFL 350 with Roosy

I agree but: - Hogan and Garland are clear best 22. Hogan and Garland in - The ruck advantage we had against Geelong won't be the same against West Coast and Hogan adds another tall to the forward line. Spencer, Howe or Dawes out? - West Coast have 3 dangerous key forwards (Kennedy, Darling, Sinclair) who need manning, where Geelong was really just Hawkins as a threat. Fitzy in? - JKH is a half forward flanker. That's his position. Bail, Riley, ANB (despite his success in hitting the scoreboard) really don't fit that role. He's also had success in the sub role. JKH in? I see Garland for Bail, Hogan for Riley with either ANB, Stretch, Toumpas or possibly Howe as the sub as the most logical moves. But both JKH and Fitzy are worth the question and the role of Spencer is certainly worth considering as the forward line will be heavily cluttered with Hogan back. The top teams make lots of changes these days. I think Sydney and Hawthorn rarely go unchained. They bring injured players back. Pick the right players for the right conditions/match ups and they rotate fringe and young players to develop their games and the list. Fringe or young players coming in and doing their job but losing out to more experienced or a different role player shouldn't be seen as a bad thing, it should be part of being a maturing list and team and finding a consistent best 22.

Nah. I've already watched Melbourne beat Geelong 10 times this week. It's starting to get a little old.

I suppose Hogan will have to earn his way back via Casey.

There is a reason why Roos and co. were keen to keep him around for another year. He has a great opportunity to win a place in this midfield - it is still quite shallow, it's getting deeper but who are we kidding? We still need more than Jones, Vince, Viney, Tyson, Brayshaw and vanders. And he also has experience on his side - which will be a point of difference for all the other talent we have that are just starting out. I was sure he would look to leave a club that tried to trade him last year but it is a measure of the bloke really that he wants to stick around and fight to play for the Demons.

bernie vince says "hii, i like kicking 50 metre goals on my non-preferred foot"

His rate of improvement is like nothing I have seen at this club. I said it in another thread but I'll say it again he has no weakness to his game. First few games I thought brilliant, he is a kid who is as tough as they come and brilliant defensively but could use some composure with the ball in hand, something that will come in the next year or 2. Then in the collingwood game he showed that he had that composure and balance with the ball and was instrumental in setting up our forward thrusts and assisting goals. Then in the last couple of games he had showed that he has breakaway pace and is a daring player. He just keeps showing more and more with every game he plays. The sort of player that is just so easy to coach. Selfless, tough, athletic, skilled, good in close and in space. Great defensively yet also a weapon with ball in hand. That play where he intercepted that Selwood kick was amazing. He could have gone back on the mark and looked for a target and played it safe but decided he had the pace to burn through the middle take a bounce and set up Spence for a goal. What sort of 10 gamer has the confidence let alone the ability to do that? I don't usually like making big sweeping statements but I will for Gus, he will be our best mid since Flower played for the Dees. Despite Jones' consistent performances the last few years, Gus has more weapons in his arsenal to dominate. Actually that's not even a big call, I think most see this in him now.

No Judd was a burst player who could explode away, whereas JT was strong and usually got his kick away. Judd would leave him for dead in acceleration. JT is a better mark than Judd though and that gives him another string to his bow.

If we drop Spencer whos back up ruck? Dawes? Bit of a dilemma. Spencer deserves to play, and Dawes isnt a back up ruck. Might see Dawesy out of the team vs WC.

Not true. 2 - MELBOURNE - Jack Trengove DOB: 02/09/91, Height: 185cm, Weight: 82kg Recruited from: Kybybolite/Sturt (SA) Draft range: 1-2 Meet Jack Trengove Although he will be taken at two, Trengove's exceptional performances in the SANFL senior finals showed he is equally deserving of the No.1 tag. In the preliminary final against Glenelg, he was best on ground with 29 disposals. Finals prevented Trengove from attending the NAB AFL Draft Camp, but he followed up at the South Australian state screening with an outstanding beep test: level 15.3. Likened to Collingwood great Nathan Buckley, Trengove has excellent speed, endurance and leadership. He can also play midfield, forward or back. He is no relation to Port Adelaide's Jackson Trengove. He tested 2.94 over 20 metres in pre-screening. While his speed is exaggerated in this bio it wasn't a "knock" on him at junior level.

You and I won't agree on this...he's at best a role player.

Hilarious! Yep, that's it. They signed him up, and straight before said "Now listen here! You better get that damn body of yours right, because otherwise you won't get another contract after this!" FFS some people dribble some absolute shite. Surely it goes without saying anyway, but to suggest it was explicitly put forward to Trengove that if he doesn't get back on the field, he won't be gifted more years... It's beyond laughable.

Trengove was the most impressive junior we have on our list, he was an absolute stand out, had all the qualities you look for in an elite AFL player. He was strong, explosive, classy, clean, well balanced, great decision maker, good leader. I've never really understood how he lost his pace. As a junior he had Chris Judd explosiveness, yet as a MFC AFL listed player, after a few years in the system - he was no quicker than Brock McLean.

Dont think dropping JKH for Stretch is needed. Im a JKH fan but Stretch had a better game vs the Cats on the weekend than any game JKH has had this season. Not to mention he kicked one of the sealing goals in the last and hit Howe on the chest for another.

This will sound odd, but for me only change. IN: Fitzpatrick OUT: Riley Fitz in to cover Sinclair in their forward 50. Riley to travel there with Kennedy-Harris as emergencies while Hogan and Garland can blow out some cobwebs at Casey. FB: Fitzpatrick, Dunn, Jetta HB: Cross, T. McDonald, Lumumba C: Watts, N. Jones, Tyson HF: M. Jones, Dawes, Bail FF: Howe, Spencer, Garlett FOLL: Gawn, Vince, Viney INT: Brayshaw, Neal-Bullen, Toumpas SUB: Stretch My thought process here is that we always struggle the week after Darwin, so with holding off on bringing Hogan, Garland and Kennedy-Harris back for a week, it means we should have three fresh players to bring in the following week. Also rewards the 22 who played against Geelong with minimal changes. As far as West Coast's dangerous forwards go: McDonald covers Kennedy Fitzpatrick to Sinclair Dunn to Darling Cross to LeCras & Jetta on Hill.

What a moment it would be when he runs out in The Red and Blue again. Sends chills down my spinee just thinking about it. Please universe, let Trenners get back to playing footy!

Don't understand why they never fixture this game before the bye so both teams have two weeks to recover from the hardest venue in football. We have to play the following Saturday.