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I'm waiting for the reality bus to arrive..It's scheduled for around 9:00pm tonight, however I am desperately hoping it gets cancelled.

Another day 200 meters from home at one of the coldest places on earth and here's my breakdown. McKenzie: Thought he was pretty decent today. Again, a few typical McKenzie disposals that hurt us, but he competed really well and was hard at it. Kicked a nice goal in the 2nd term and was involved in a few chains of posessions that resulted in goals for us. Newton: Suprised he wasn't named in the best, as I thought this was the best game I've seen him play. Didn't get huge numbers, but he used it well and kicked two really class goals. Looked a notch above, but he needs to show the form of todat at AFL level next time he gets his chance. Played midfield/half forward. Michie: Opposite to Newton in a way. Not saying he didn't play well, but I was suprised he was named in the best as he didn't seem to stand out today as much as I've seen him do so on other days. I normally see him as a link player, creating run and carry through the midfield, but he seemed to have more of an inside role this week, which is probably why he didn't stand out to me. But for the people that matter, he obviously played his role. O. McDonald: Best game I've seen from the kid so far. Took some nice marks, spoilt especially well and used it equally as well coming out of the back half. Kept his feet in the one on one contests also which is important. He seemed to have a height/weight advantage on his opponent, but you can only beat the player your put up against. A very encouraging display today. Hunt: First time I've really had an opportunity to watch him play closely and for most of the first half he seemed invisible. Then the stroke before half time he took a mark running back with the flight of the ball and converted and important kick after the siren and his confidence seemed to sky rocket from there. Showed some of his pace and tackling ability after half time and got on a chain of handballs t kick his second and followed it up with a nice contested grab for his 3rd shortly after, Could have kicked 4 but for missing a soda on the final siren. But given his injuries, he showed today he's worth a 1 year extension at seasons end in my book, Jamar: Very good game in the ruck. Slaughtered Simpson not only in the hit outs but also around the ground. Have no doubt that another team will pick him up at seasons end for ruck depth. Sydney, GWS & Collingwood would all be in the mix for mine. White: Musn't have played as I never sighted him. Harmes: This kid will go close to winning Casey's B&F in my opinion. Contested ball winner who spreads and is very strong in the air also. Did his best Jeremy Howe impression in the final term, but just couldn't hold on. Best on ground for mine and I hope he's promoted off the rookie list at years end. Because if he isn't, I have no doubt another team will grab him and we could end up with egg on our face as a result. Terlich: At times he was very good, at other times he was worse then hopeless. That is the problem that is Sean Terlich. He showed really nice run and kicking into spce at times and his defensive running was pretty good. On multiple occasions though he kicked it either out on the full or directly to Geelong. It's hard to push your case for promotion to the seniors with those sorts of performances. King: Similar to Hunt, very quiet early, but worked his way into the game well to finish with a reasonable performance despite zero goals. Probably should have kicked at least 2, in the end kicked 0.4 with one into the man on the mark. His ruck work was impressive during the periods he competed in there, so he's certainly got tools to work with. He still needs to improve his body work. Very dangerous when he gets a chance to run and jump at it. In a body on body contest though, he's far less threatening. Fitzpatrick: Great game down back. He just reads it so well down there which is amazing for a guy who's looked totally lost at times in his first 5 years forward. Took plenty of marks, made plenty of spoils, and he ran off his opponent with ease. If we don't keep him at seasons end, he's at least showing enough to make sure we should get something at least reasonable in a trade exchange.

My usual hope against the Eagles is that Jack Watts kicks the after-the-siren-winning-goal after taking mark of the year on top of Nic Nat's head. But football does seem trivial given the events of the last couple of days. Deep down we all know that football doesn't matter and as Titus O'Reilly wrote yesterday; arguing over if a grown man properly disposed of a ball or held it long enough to qualify for a mark seems petty. But that is what football is about I suppose. For two hours we can forget about all those things that happen in the world; wars and cancers, mortgages and your kid getting crappy grades. We can dream about our team and winning games and perhaps even finals. So go you good thing number 4, take it up to them and if you can kick that goal the world will be a better place

Seriously? 15 possessions, 7 marks and 3 shots at goal isn't a stinker at the best of times, let alone when you're 20 y/o playing in your 10th game.

I just want to share my experience with Phil to you all. Growing up like many young men, it was always my dream to play afl. So when I got invited to Glenelg u/17 as a 15 year old, I was absolutely stoked. My first season was spread between living in south east south australia and heading to adelaide. My second season was interrupted by issues at home and Glenelg didn't really see a future for me however port adelaide did. As I was now nearly 17 I was in the u/19 squad and the then port adelaide afl midfield coach was in charge of our first session. I remember thinking that I didn't belong at this level but after our initial training and subsequent meeting, Phil told me I had all the attributes to be a solid league footballer. As the season wore on Phil could see issues at home or outside of football were taking their toll and consequently harming my output. The term father figure gets thrown around far too often these days, but that was exactly what Phil was. Half way through year 12 when it became too much and I dropped out on top of a knee injury, Phil drove with me back to the south east to my family home to sit down with my parents to see what we could do to turn my life around. Without going into too much detail, Phil would continue to have a mentoring role with me for a full season after, often calling me after a game to touch base, or see if I'd survived the weekend binge. Words can't describe the pain I feel today. I haven't spoken to Phil for close to 5 years except for a text to congratulate him on taking over the adelaide , but I'll never forget his influence on me as a teenager going through some turbulent times. The world has lost a great, caring and genuine man today and IL never be able to thank him enough for his time in my life. I know that I'm just one of many young players that he had this effect on and I can only imagine the pain that others, be it afl or never-weres like me are also going through. RIP Phil. THE world has lost a great person today.

If nothing else, this week has reminded me that life's too short to waste getting upset about footy. Can't be bothered kicking the cat tonight, going to go tell my family I love them instead as the boys pay their respects. Night all.

I ate one of those egg and bacon rolls at Casey once. Once. Gave me the nastiest case of the shits I've ever experienced. I had to pull into a shopping centre and make an emergency dash for a loo on the way home. There are few more nightmarish situations than rushing through an unfamiliar shopping centre with your buttocks clenched desperately in an attempt to keep anything from escaping while trying to make sense of the signage that says that there is a loo somewhere down there, apparently in the middle of a flower stall. I count myself fortunate that I did manage to find it, and more so that apparently nobody else had managed to decipher the signs as the stall was empty when I go there. The less said about what followed the better.

Hunt and Harmes showing something is probably the best outcome from this match

It's almost taken Walsh's death for many to realise just how bad ice is. I've been to plenty of homicides and serious assaults, a large number attributed to ice. There's no reasoning, no talking someone down who's on ice. People who suggest we have dedicated rooms like we do for people who inject Heroin are kidding themselves and have no real idea of how people react to ice. Those of us who see the affects almost daily have been seeing these sorts of things for years. Tougher penalties for possessing ice would be a start. $100 fine from the courts for possessing is simply not good enough.

We are nowhere near good enough But a man lost his life this week, so I'm keeping our "back to ordinary programming" in perspective

what we need is the afl to have a common sense approach to fixturing and program the darwin game THEN the bye, not vice-versa.

Chook you know it's not his fault. He's just not getting the development and opportunities he deserves. Just ask him.....

We own Geelong . Ha

Match will be won or lost on the scoreboard.

For someone supposedly chasing big money, he isn't doing much chasing

No brayshaw, no dees.

I like the look of Stretch. He's not the biggest or most skilled of players but his poise and decision making are top notch.

Walsh was a high profile figure - hence the media coverage. If he'd been say an Adelaide bricklayer and the same thing had happened, then we wouldn't have heard about it in Victoria. If any good is to come out of this, I hope it highlights the serious issue of family breakdown (for all sorts of reasons) that is happening in our society. Perhaps it will lead to some investigation of the ills that are festering in our midst and, maybe, some answers. I hope so. I don't have any.

Petracca is a kid, how would he change Bennell?

OX gave him a mighty serve at half time and I loved it.

Side note: Seeing Watts and Naitanui's hands meet for that mark was a very touching moment

Make no mistake, WC are a very good team. The number of times they streamed out of the centre to hit a fwd target was incredible. Melb. need another Jeff Garlett and a bit more class in the midfield. They also need McDonald to rediscover some form, Dunn to do more and get rid of M Jones and Bail.

The loss of Lumumba before the game and then Brayshaw in the opening minutes was telling. We lost two players who can move the ball through the lines quickly ... and by having one to use our sub early, we were always going to be behind in our energy levels at the end.

Skills, turnovers. Got a bit to go, but the kids are holding up OK. Alongside us, Eagles look incredibly well-drilled (has been pointed out already). Last quarter blow-out not ideal, but we're just a bit under-manned. Losing Bradshaw didn't help.

McDonald had the chance to spoil Kennedy and connect and put him out of the game. He did neither. I thought it was a pathetic, soft effort. Lynch agreed.

Unfortunately the loss of Brayshaw is going to cripple us, we are stuck with all our talls the rest of the game while they will sub in Selwood for one of their talls We can win but it will take something special

Well, he should be done for being on the ground when he wasn't selected.

But they hate the rest of us. 3 shocking frees to eagles 20 metres out and we can't buy one. Holding the ball rule is either an Eagles free or play on if we have them.

"worse than hopeless". OUCH!!!! Poor Sean Terlich.

I [censored] up the start time and I'm well into the red already. Not sure if i'll last. Early call but the signs are ominous.

I want a tough, uncompromising effort that the team showed against Geelong. We've been Wet Toast's [censored] for too long......

A guy that worked for me got into ice. Was a nice polite, studious type for 3 years. Didn't smoke or drink. Then slowly he started acting strange, all wired up and manic. Was getting co-workers offside with his paranoia and verbal aggression and had to go. Only found out he was on ice after he was charged with a serious crime that is in the courts now and also in the news. Ice is the most evil drug around. Has to be stamped out. If there is an ice link in Phil Walsh's murder, I would not be surprised.

Great gesture by both teams at the end of the game

Repeating the full OP with Whispering Jack's thoughts on a tragic day at the end ... HEARTLAND by Whispering Jack The Melbourne roller coaster moves to the Top End this week and I have a feeling this could reignite the debate that has been raging on and off among supporters for more than a decade about the financial necessity of selling home matches to venues outside of the home state. We are all painfully aware of the connection between financial stability and on field success, of how this combination can work to perpetuate the strength of a football club and conversely, of how failure in this area can bring long term grief such as that which the Melbourne Football Club has endured since it last featured in finals calculations. Lucrative sponsorships are hard to find and the funds coming in from the club's current partnership with the Northern Territory government no doubt help to balance the books but, as the club moves into the phase where it becomes competitive against the other clubs, the question needs to be asked. Should it be necessary for the club to sell off home ground advantage to play in far flung venues in front of small crowds far away from its supporter base? The Demons are in a vastly different position to the Hawks who have managed to turn Launceston's Aurora Stadium into a fortress at which they are rarely beaten. This has never been the case in relation to Melbourne's endeavours not only in Darwin Alice Springs and also before that, in Brisbane and Canberra. This week, the team comes up against the West Coast Eagles who admittedly have owned Melbourne, even at the MCG for much of living memory. Their rapid improvement in 2015 despite the loss of a couple of key defenders through injury, means they will relish the opportunity to take on a Victorian team on neutral soil at TIO Stadium in Darwin. Meanwhile, Demon fans who have been basking in the glory of that win at the Cattery almost a fortnight ago, as if a single good performance is a reflection of total resurrection (some are even calculating the mathematical possibility of how far into the top eight the team can finish), will miss the opportunity of cheering on their heroes in person after a big win. That happened last when Melbourne took on Port Adelaide in Alice Springs the week after their 39-point victory over the Bulldogs. It was seen as the perfect opportunity to win consecutive games for the first time in four years and the Dees were well on their way when they led by four goals halfway through the second quarter. Given Port's lapses against Carlton at the MCG and their poor recent form in Victoria, one wonders whether the result would have been the same had that game been played in Victoria rather than in the centre of the continent? Still, the game against West Coast on Saturday night presents the club and its players with a fascinating challenge and pushes the team into the limelight with a game against one of the premiership contenders. If it can prove that the performance against Geelong was indeed not an aberration and produces the goods again, then it might in the near future, win some of those appealing prime time Friday night fixtures which might help bring in the revenue and procure additional sponsorships that would make it unnecessary for the club to sell its soul and move games away from its supporters and it's heartland. THE GAME Melbourne v West Coast v Melbourne at TIO Stadium, Darwin Saturday 4 July, 2015 at 7.40pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 15 wins West Coast 31 wins At TIO Stadium Melbourne 0 wins West Coast 0 wins Past five meetings Melbourne 0 wins West Coast 5 wins The Coaches Roos 0 wins Simpson 2 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Sports Channel 3 at 7.30pm (live) RADIO - SEN, ABC, ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Melbourne to win - $4.30 West Coast to win - $1.23 THE LAST TIME THEY MET West Coast 18.11.119 defeated Melbourne 8.5.53 Round 22, 2014 at Patersons Stadium The Demons were never in the hunt after the Eagles booted 6 goals to 1 in the opening term. The teams went through the motions for another three quarters. Apart from some resistance from Bernie Vince and Dom Tyson, it was typical of a team for which the season's death knell had long ago sounded. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Colin Garland HB: Daniel Cross, Lynden Dunn, Jimmy Toumpas C: Rohan Bail, Jack Viney, Jack Watts HF: Jeff Garlett, Chris Dawes, Jeremy Howe F: Angus Brayshaw, Jesse Hogan, Jake Spencer FOLL: Max Gawn, Bernie Vince, Nathan Jones I/C: Matt Jones, Alex Neal-Bullen, Billy Stretch, Dom Tyson EMG: Jack Fitzpatrick, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Aidan Riley IN: Colin Garland, Jesse Hogan OUT: Heritier Lumumba (foot), Aidan Riley (omitted) WEST COAST EAGLES B: Shannon Hurn, Will Schofield, Brad Sheppard HB: Sam Butler, Jeremy McGovern, Sharrod Wellingham C: Elliot Yeo, Matt Priddis, Andrew Gaff HF: Chris Masten, Jack Darling, Jamie Cripps F: Mark Le Cras, Josh Kennedy, Josh Hill FOLL: Nick Naitanui, Scott Selwood, Luke Shuey I/C: Liam Duggan, Xavier Ellis, Dom Sheed, Callum Sinclair EMG: Mark Hutchings, Fraser McInnes, Matt Rosa IN: Sam Butler OUT: Matt Rosa (omitted) WISH I HAD A RIVER 3.7.15 "Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on. I wish I had a river so long, I would teach my feet to fly." ~ River by Joni Mitchell A couple of days ago I read that singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell was recovering from a brain aneurysm she suffered in March. I was relieved to read that Mitchell can now speak, is going through therapy to help regain the ability to walk again and is expected to make a full recovery. That night, the words and the tune from "River" came to haunt me. The song is about loss, about pain and regret. In this song it's about the loss of a friend, not from bereavement but from the breakdown of a love affair. Regret for things that that might not have been said or done between people in relationships. Regret because things can never be the same again. It's been a rough week for the world at large. People have died in many places as a result of violence on such a massive scale that the scandals we read of here about young footballers taking social drugs have been overshadowed by the troubles across the globe. News that a prominent player is suffering from a cancer skated across our television screens and numbed us, but only momentarily. We moved on. Then this morning, came the terrible news about the death of Phil Walsh of the Adelaide Crows. There is nothing to say that can bring him back. There may be regrets but for one family and all those he touched, nothing will be the same again. The pain will linger forever. Suddenly, it doesn't matter that there's a game in Darwin or anywhere else for that matter. I wish I had a river I could skate away on.

The thing about Grimes which I haven't seen mentioned here is that his kicking has improved enormously this year IMO and something he deserves credit for.

i've put $$$$$$ on the Dees, i don't often do that but when i do we always lose. ALWAYS. Sorry for ruining the game.

Rubbish

James Harmes has 17 disposal to half time.

kicked into the man on the mark?

60 point loss coming up, just got that feeling... Wait I have that every week... ha ha

I think many people have needed to assume something like ice was involved to at least try and fathom how something like that may have happened. I said to a friend, if it wasn't ice, it's even more unbelievable and impossible to even reconcile how the events transpired. Of course, it makes it no easier to accept. I do hope that the full story is shared (if the Walsh family are up to that) if there are drugs involved. We need to get things into the public domain so people can make informed decisions about what choices they make in regards to illicit drug taking. (I apologise if the above is perceived as specilating beyond the point of reasonableness, it's not my intention to offend, rather comment on my nervousness of the ice / drug culture sweeping this country).

Given that the head of the club's recruiting is a Taylor, I have no doubt Burton will be considered.

No comparison young fella. Flower by the length of the MCG. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B24lAhdbYds

The second group from the AFL Top 25 Draft Prospects highlights the influence of the academies for the developing northern states. The flaw is that for some years we've been waiting for an uncompromised draft following the concessions granted to the new franchises. The academies might have been justified for Gold Coast and GWS Giants which don't have the benefit of the father/son system but why Brisbane and Sydney? And if the purpose is to foster AFL in the non AFL regions, why give GWS yet another leg up with a virtual zone in the Riverina district which has provided many VFL/AFL stars in the past? In a year when the draft is supposedly shallow, there are four clubs enjoying an enormous advantage even with the operation of the bidding system and providing us with yet another compromised draft. Hipwood and Hopper are both academy members while Dunkley is a potential father/son. "BEN CROCKER​ Oakleigh Chargers Fwd/Def 185cm Resembles: Robert Murphy A medium forward/defender with good competiveness and leadership skills, Crocker is strong overhead and excels in contests. He played one TAC Cup match in 2013 and around his commitments for Carey Grammar, played a further 11 TAC Cup matches in 2014. From these appearances he averaged 13 disposals and four marks with his best performance coming against Geelong, racking up 18 disposals, 10 contested possessions and one goal. FREAKO: Under-exposed and has now finished school, so we're looking forward to a full-on 2015." "CHARLES CURNOW Geelong Falcons Forward 187cm Resembles: Justin Westhoff Curnow is a late developer with an athletics background and is the brother of Carlton midfielder Ed. He started the 2014 season at full back and was a more than competent performer, however with key position teammates Paddy McCartin and Hugh Goddard also juggling school and state commitments, Curnow was swung into the forward-line with occasional stints in the ruck. A good size and still growing, his 11 performances across the season were more then credible, averaging 11 disposals, six contested possessions, seven hitouts and four marks per game. FREAKO: He will have a busy 2015 and we'll enjoy monitoring his progress." "JOSH DUNKLEY Gippsland Power Mid/Def 187cm Resembles: Luke Parker Son of former Sydney Swans Premiership defender Andrew, Josh is a midfielder/defender who thrives on the physical and competitive aspect of the game. With an emphasis on tackling, he is also a strong overhead mark who can shut down an opponent. At the 2014 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships he played five matches to average 16 disposals, seven contested possessions, four marks and four tackles, while from his 13 TAC Cup matches, averaged an elite 22 disposals, 12 contested possessions, seven tackles and five clearances. FREAKO: Second in Gippsland's B&F. Tackling machine who can play at either end." "ERIC HIPWOOD Forward 197cm Caloundra Resembles: Justin Koschitzke Hipwood is a left-footed tall forward who played for Queensland in the 2013 NAB AFL Under-16 Championships. His 2014 was curtailed by a preseason injury that prevented him from training with the Queensland Under-18 squad as a bottom-ager. As a result he played again in the Under-16 Championships as an over-aged player averaging 16 disposals, eight contested possessions, three goals and four tackles. He led these Championships in contested marks and scoring shots. He completed the 2014 season with two matches at NEAFL level demonstrating his versatility by playing in defence. Against (he Sydney Swans he racked up 20 disposals, 16 uncontested possessions and five inside 50s. FREAKO: Coming off a long run-up. Has a nice blend of attack and defence, and the size and build to go with it." "JACOB HOPPER North Ballarat Rebels Midfielder 185cm Resembles: Jobe Watson A GWS Academy player, Hopper is a very talented midfielder who has good speed and endurance and is very clean with the ball, particularly at ground level. He can win Lhe ball on both the inside and outside and is also a good decision maker. In 2014 he had an injury interrupted season, however, still played two games at the 2014 NAB AFL Under-18 Championship for NSW/ACT, along with six TAC Cup matches where he averaged an elite 21 disposals, 13 contested possessions, five tackles and six clearances per game. FREAKO: A hard worker who we hope is over his injuries."

Everyone said the same thing before the Geelong game. Everyone.

I love the look of our spine with Fitzy, O. McDonald, Harmes and King. These four will ensure that we maintain some depth as we slowly climb the ladder.

On a slightly different note, just watched Nathan Buckley on TV being interviewed about the Phil Walsh situation and its affect on the AFL. His responses were measured, considered and appropriate. In truthfulness, I find him to be that way when interviewed each week on 360 with Roosy. I am really impressed with him as a person and coach. Not something I thought I would say given how I perceived him as a player.

To me it seems the AFL want to control everything and brought in a drug policy that they thought would allow them to keep a check on players and avoid anything messy getting out into the public view. The whole health issue thing is a furphy and for most players isn't an issue. My personal opinion is the AFL should not have introduced a drug policy and left it to the players. If players chose to indulge so be it, if they get caught out by the law so be it, if they become hooked so be it and if they cut it with performance enhancing drugs to mask then so be it then let them do their 4 year suspension from the game. Provide all the education and assistance as is currently done with alcohol and gambling but at the end of the day if the player still choses to go down the drug path and is caught out then it's his choice and his responsibility.

Don't forget that Robbo is available (for a fee) to write favourable articles though. Young man loses his way - expose him. Regimented drug injection regime - defend them. What's not to like?

You have only seen what you see on Camera. Shannon Byrnes on VFL radio a while ago mentioned that while Petracca is a good kid he at times can get a little distracted from what he is suppose to do in terms of rehab and general stuff in detail. He is a very bubbly kid but also still needs to mature a bit. Let these kids develop first and mature before we start pairing them off with coke heads.. jeez.. There are no better role models at our club then Daniel Cross, H Lumumba, and Nathan Jones.