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another tragic out at Casey for a little bit this morning, spoke to Petracca for about 5 minutes, straight from the horses mouth, he is a week ahead of schedule will start running next week has no pain, when he first did it, he didnt think much of it, iced his foot then went for a run the next day and felt fine, it wasnt until he kicked a footy that it hurt. Anyway doesnt expect to play NAB challenge but will play a praccy match and is on track for round 1, in his words, "he will be playing somewhere" whether that is Melbourne or Casey is not up to him but you would think if he is good to go it would be on the MCG. I must say he is a very positive individual! said the boys are really improving and putting on size. the focus this preseason has been on attack he tells us, expect to see a different team this year, must say got a little bit excited!!!!! Go Dees

I have no idea why but I'm at Casey Fields with a few other spectators watching Melbourne training in drizzling rain. The boys seem to be in good spirits and the voices are loud. I can see Dawsey and Spencil running laps and there's a small rehab group including Jack Trengove (at least someone who resembles him wearing #9) and, all the way from the Republic of Congo, the one and only Heritier Lumumba who is just walking around at the moment but previously was doing some running. There's a fairly large group doing normal training - Christian Salem looks fantastic. I'm predicting a big season for him based on 10 minutes of watching him running around in the wet.

I popped down, they were doing full match simulation the whole time I was there. White, Salem, Jetta, Garland where the best users out of half back line. I like Grimes, so watched closely, 1 from 4 of his clearances hit a target with one out of bounds and one out on the full, and one a turn over. Pedo looked good at chf, Hulk great as usual. Dom Tyson looked real good, racked up touches and used it well. At one stage Viney took on the man on the mark, got done holding the ball, was shattered, his opponent went to play on straight away and JV rag dolled him holding the ball back. Jones looked classy, Gawny looked very good. Stretch seemed to run to some bad places and was being ignored. Oliver was great in the wet, wins one v ones, and is so clever with his use in close. Any other questions might spark some other info as I was working at the same time.

I took one for the team this morning. Went out to Casey to have a look at the boys. 14 Celsius so no heat stroke for me or anyone else. I couldn't identify all the players but will give you what I can. Trengrove was involved in a drill with two trainers where he kicked out from goals to them, ran out, gathered the ball wheeled around and had a ping for goal. Looked good doing that. Later he was running the boundary with a bit of pace and being encouraged as he passed Nathan Jones. Moving well and body,legs etc all looked solid. He's not so far off I think. Petracca walked passed clicking his fingers and tapping his chest. Moving ok but taking it easy. Not involved in the main business. Garlett looked slick in the sprints and composed and classy in match simulation. Hogan has a very intimidating look to him but retains that laconic air. Bigger, strong hands and despite the wet conditions competed well. Tyson was solid in the conditions. He was moving freely. Presented well and used his possessions to good effect. He impressed me. Oliver- had a good look at him. He was easy to spot. Keen as mustard, his kicks and hand passes about 90% effective. Made good choices and made it as easy for his team mates as they could want. I get the feeling he could be huge value in the main season. In comparison to Neal Bullen and even Stretch he needs to build up but when that happens, he'll be an awesome prospect. jack viney Everything you expect him to be. Super competitive moving well hates to be beaten. Very prominent in all passages of play in which he was involved. Expect a big year from Jack. Maximus was massive this morning. He launched himself vertical at one point to punch the ball out of play to stop Gus marking. For good measure he gave Gus a hip and shoulder as he walked past him back to the centre of the ground. Nice bit of agro from Max . Not Usain Bolt but he was a huge presence and I sense that him being around will be super important for all the mids this year. Took some big grabs and not bad by foot in the conditions. Ask me about others. I might be able to answer.

Yep, he's definitely good for wet conditions. On the little I've seen of him so far, he's a real competitive beast. Talking of of competitive beasts, Jesse Hogan is looking strong as a mallee bull.

KEEP TRAINING IN THE WET. Carey in his last book mentioned how it was a cornerstone of his development. When ever it rained growing up his older brother would take him out on the oval and they would spend up to 8 hours training in the wet. till it was too dark. if you could master that, handling a dry ball was so much easier. and I remember watching him in the wet he would dominate, and still not drop the ball when most would. Let it rain !!

I was very much impressed by Jack Trengove who was training on the far side of the ground. The way he was going it looked like he isn't too far off joining the main group. Of course, I don't know how he feels and I don't know what the medics are saying but I didn't see him skip a beat. He was working with a couple of assistants in red tops and I thought one of them might have been Daniel Cross but I'm not 100% about that.

Garlett looked fine - he and Brayshaw changed jumper numbers but they didn't fool me. I could easily work out who they were.

He can have all the indefinite leave he wants for all i care. As long as he doesn't come back before round 1.

The complacency the AFL has exhibited is just staggering, and appear to continue to think they have so much power all they need to do is to manipulate and spin any situation they come across for their own ends. As the biggest and most powerful sporting code in the country, they have become equivalent to many fat and lazy, and immensely powerful multi national corporations - they come to suffer from hubris. There can be no greater demonstration of this than the Essendon saga and this is at a time when their main rivals for the leisure dollar are getting stronger not weaker. It think I am right in saying that of the largest top 50 corporations in the world 30 years ago, less than 50% of them have that status now. Through their arrogance and complacency, and aversion to change, they eventually wither and die: or worse, become irrelevant. For those of us who love Australian football, this also helps explain why a number of us have spent so much time and effort on here advocating that justice be done in this saga, and why local institutions had to act appropriately. This is more than can be said for the AFL. Thank goodness for the integrity of the men and women of ASADA, WADA and CAS who inspite of immense political and media pressure stood firm and eventually delivered a just outcome.

I would have thought he'd be used to it...

Spot on. Why don't we all take a chill pill, get behind him and see how he goes. good luck Jack we are all hoping to see you back out there again soon.

Weideman got stuck in. He dropped a couple of marks but he wasn't Robinson Caruso there. Got brushed aside a couple of times but he was willing. Needs to put on some condition moved well and there's a lot to like about him. Hulett was one I couldn't identify but I heard his name often so he was in the thick of the action. Sorry, can't say more than that.

I often wonder about posters on this site Jessie Hogan doesn't smile.............It must mean he's going back to WA Jack Watts has a laugh at training.............Must have a crap attitude. I am working on a robot that sort of half smiles at training..........Means he is half happy to be out there but doesn't want to go anywhere. Should keep everyone happy.

McCarthy signed as extension. It is hardly a case of being drafted to GWS and having no choice. He had a choice prior to signing his contract extension.GWS are well within their rights to hold him to his contract finishes. If players don't like that, it is simple, don't sign contract extensions.

McCarthy is a spoilt sook. GWS were right not to trade him. You can't just pick and choose where you'll work when you're under contract. He knew what was on offer when he entered the draft. It might have been different if Freo offered anything half decent. They didn't enhance prospects of a trade.

Jeff came back a little bit underdone and it was similar to last year. He normally does a lot of boxing, but with a finger problem, he wasn’t able to do any boxing. So we’re just getting him back up running and he’s one that we all believe can go to another level again in 2016, as we all saw what an impact player he was in 2015.” – Paul Roos Thats a slight whack to me "Jeff came back a little bit underdone and it was similar to last year." just because you can't box does not mean you can't run, swim, ride etc. no professional player with a finger injury should come back unfit.

They're not "like slaves" because slaves don't have the choice of whether they will enter that life or not. AFL players know what the system is and how it works well before they voluntarily nominate to enter that lifestyle. You don't sign a contract and then complain about it not being fair, you just don't sign it in the first place.

The issue seems to be that people are arguing different things. One camp is saying that if he can get back to his early career form, he'll be best 22. This is a fact that I don't think anyone disputes. The other camp is saying that it's unlikely that he'll be able to recover sufficiently to reproduce this form. There is a good chance that this opinion will prove to be correct. The circular debate is coming from people responding to posts like this: With posts like this: This creates the argument that goes: "Trengove is best 22 if fit" "Trengove will never be fit" "But if he is fit he'll be best 22" "But he won't ever be fit" "But if he is fit he'll be best 22" "But he won't be" "But he might be" "It's unlikely" "Sure, it's no guarantee, but if he is fit he's best 22" "Trengove will never be fit" etc, etc, etc. I'm sure that everybody is hoping that the second group is wrong, including members of the second group. The best thing that we can do is support Trengove in his comeback bid as it would be huge for the MFC.

Please Saty, we love/hate having you back. This is one of the latter. A finger injury isn't a valid excuse to be underdone, but it is what it is and Jeff can build his fitness back and still play well.

Maybe Scully vomited on him.

Could be Oliver is dammed if he puts on weight and dammed if he doesn't.... Watts is a happy boy and why wouldn't he be, talented, good looking and playing for MFC...

Oh shitz yeah don't smile or laugh at work!

Further proof that Frost is a backman.

I don't think it just a Gen Z thing. What generation was Anthony Rocca?

For all those saying GWS should have traded him, think what you would say if that was Hogan wanting back to WA.

Don't like putting Toumpas in the same category as Cook, Gysberts, Blease etc, in that he really did put in the work and went where expected in the draft. Just seemed like a bit of bad luck with injuries and things just not "clicking" for him. Ripper bloke, and I wish him all the best with his career.

Not the first time, won't be the last. I never watch Chanel 7 anyway so I never see their crappy ads.

Everybody's talking 'bout D'landers, grand standers, web sites, bomb sights, naviculars, particulars, Nathan Jones, Dawes groans, Ollie Wines, JT shrines, back formations, Watts frustrations, congratulations. All I am saying ... is give peace a chance.

My take on Parish after watching one game was that he wasn't what he was being sold as. In that game he looked a little slow for a small mid, reflexes not great (bowled a couple of times by ground balls coming at him), an ok kick, didn't have a lot of impact on the game His highlight reel showed a kid who was very clever at moving the ball on in close, he looked good. He looked like a footballer... Turner says he's the greatest kid to pull on a boot, he says that every year... What to make of him, well I can't go on one game and he did get AA honours 2 years running which is a big achievement. The kid can play, he looks to be pretty competitive and doesn't mind mixing it up. Of course he will need to put on some weight which it looks like he is. To play his close game he will need to have the strength to get the ball and move it on. There is a lot of expectation on the kid and as I said earlier I'm glad it's them and Carlton now that need to wheel the kids out as the saviours of the club.

Im not looking for negatives, I'm seeing reality. A professional athlete should not let a little hurt finger mean he does not come back from break in peak fitness, laziness does. A best trainer when unhindered should also be the best trainer/rehaber when hindered. When we expect and get 100% from each and every player we may even win 10 games in a season.

How hurtful, must be the spectator with the most footy related injuries ever actually chap played in 3 states all at amateur level taught how to play by an RSM having started to watch the game in 1977 so might be able to proffer an opinion or 3 Dear dear me Jeff had an issue at the start of last pre season as well I have spoken to a few of the players who have told me when unhindered Jeff is one of the best trainers at the club up and running means unhindered but continue to look for the negatives if u must

It can be. There's 3 reasons why I don't like that formula: 1. If you're swapping a defender/ruck and the other team has 2 key forwards and 2 rucks (say North with Goldy, Petrie, Brown, Waite) then you might need 3 other taller defenders to swap with. 2. You don't get much rest these days with the moving zones and two way footy that most defenders play, whilst you can sneak a bit of a break as a deep forward. Less interchange will mean longer stints on field and I don't want someone doing 7 minutes in the ruck then having to play on a dangerous forward. Not to mention it's easier to get on and off the field rotating with a forward. 3. I think backlines in particularly still play best when working together and reasonably predictable combinations. That's obviously true for forwards as well, but in particular I think it helps if backmen know each others tendencies and when the spoil, leave their man etc.

I don't mean to sound cruel, but homesickness itself isn't really an illness. It's feeling a little sad and disappointed. So if that was the case in trade week then GWS have every right to say 'you just signed a 3 year contract extension' and that they will keep him, give him his break from September to mid November ie. 10+ weeks back in Perth, give him his 2 weeks over Xmas back in Perth and work with him to facilitate other things like family and friends coming to spend weekends with him in Sydney. They don't have the power to hold him hostage and have rightly let him take some extended leave and I bet they are still paying him. Now if he has depression or another serious illness they have to help him and if they lose out at the trade period later in the year then it's too bad for them. But it's an adult business and he signed a contract as an adult and GWS have every right to decide to hold him to it.

I used to watch Cousins and his incredible intensity and just assumed he had a good mental game. But it could have been stimulants. Amphetamines = stimulants. For players who need a bit of a gee-up. Marijuana = depressant. For players who get too keyed up before a game and waste energy. Party drugs can most definitely enhance performance.

Homesick Cam McCarthy granted indefinite leave by the Giants "GREATER Western Sydney has granted key forward Cam McCarthy indefinite leave to allow him to return to Western Australia. The 20-year-old is understood to have informed the Giants on Wednesday he was homesick and wanted time with family." AFL needs to do something about this growing trend of young players holding their clubs to ransom. What is the point of free agency now?

Grimes breaking games open? I must have forgotten those ones.

I think Toumpas and Watts is definitely between the ears. ( although Toumpas also has been hampered with injuries as well) Grimes - I think he is actually mentally tough ( physically he has been stop and start). But he does have some gaps in his skills.

Spot on. Unlike those 3 Toump was actually a hard trainer who did everything possible rright to become a good AFL. As you put it sometimes its just unfortunate luck with injuries tgat stall some of these players. He is the type of kid that you want around the footy club. I wish him nothing but success at port.

Because you had a kid, come into one of the worst team of all times with the expection he would be one of the key pillars that would pull us out of it, but he and the club knew that his body wasn't going to be anywhere near 100% early on, and in his second year, he'd play a pretty solid game, then get dropped, was in and out of the team all the time, third year he got a solid run and started to show that he could mix it at AFL level a bit and then had a bad game and was dropped again. not an easy thing to handle for a young man unless you are a particularly resilient person.

Actually blantantly right. Newspapers are working off information from recruiters and TAC watchers. Until you provide one shred of evidence that Wines was rated by anyone ahead of Toumpas then your comment referring to "blatantly wrong" is blatantly wrong. Did we get it wrong in hindsight ? no argument. Your comment " Without question Toumpas was in that correct range and the debate between the two was valid at that point in time" is correct but the debate at the time was one sided - At that time it was envisaged that Toumpas would be selected higher than Wines and that is exactly what transpired. I will watch with interest how Parish goes because before any more rewriting of history happens, I will also state that Parish was more highly fancied that Oliver so I expect there to be much hand wringing if Parish ends up a much better footballer than Oliver. However I don't get angry over who we could have had - it is a pointless exercise.

I believe Petracca will play Bummer Melksham will be out. Here's how I see it. BACK : Jetta -- Dunn -- Garland HALF BACK : Salem --- T.McDonald --- Lumumba CENTER : Tyson --- Viney --- Brayshaw HALF FWD : Vandenberg --- Frost --- Kent FWD : Garlett -- Hogan --- Petracca FOLL : Gawn -- Jones --- Vince INT : Bugg --- Watts --- Harmes --- Stretch EMG : Neal-Bullen --- Kennedy --- Dawes Unfortunately I can see Roosy playing Dawes and leaving Frost This could all change by the time NAB challenge is over Could have Oliver, Weideman and Hulett, you never know.

Sometimes you are full of it 'bb', I think you've expended all your ability to reason on the EFC biz...the tank has run dry, nothing left in the brain box. Of course if fit & healthy is the catch cry, he won't get a game if he's not. I don't see anyone saying he should walk straight back into the team. I will speak for myself and what I am saying is if he is fit & healthy, no more problems with his foot then he is easily best 22. To me his talent is undeniable, to others maybe not. ...and of course he is not over the line, I'm certainly not saying he is. As he has said himself, he has to tick off the boxes. Lets hope he ticks them all off and makes a successful comeback.

I think they mean on footy talent he's best 22, being optimistic... but he has to recover, getfit, & then put games together, then gather afl form as well...

Good observation WJ I still remember arriving by air at Nairobi Airport in some years ago from Cairo on Sudan Airways (a story in its own rights) and being detained at Customs and told I would have to wait 3 days for a flight out because my yellow fever inoculation was incorrect. I had been inoculated 3 days before in Cairo and told it was valid for 10 years but I wasn't told the vaccine didn't take effect for 10 days. So I was caught on a technicality that the official would need some money to persuade his manager to ignore. Anyway $US200 later got us out to a taxi and on our way. That's Africa.

Great words, Mr Lennon. Sadly I doubt if D'land will ever be as one. I can envisage as Nathan Jones accepts the 2017 Premiership Cup on our behalf, some here will whine about the missed pass in the second quarter, or bemoan the fact the <player x> missed a tackle in the third, or the failure to convert the 95 point win over Hawthorn to over 100 due to a poor set shot in the dying minutes. Some will never ever be happy. Sad souls. You can guess who they are.

Had been avoiding this thread. Was hoping it wasn't as bad as it turned out to be. I just want our young players to be the best they can be and I'm sick of comparing our draft picks. Can't wait to see Clarry pull on the red and blue jumper.

Why are we still talking about this? As was often the case pre-Roos, we recruited the wrong player. It doesn't matter where he was "ranked" by experts or who wanted who, we drafted Toumpas and it was ultimately the wrong decision. Being a hindsight hero on these threads has absolutely no benefit to anyone. Our drafting and recruiting over the past few off-seasons seems to be much improved as we have as solid a group of youngsters on our list as I can remember. Let's look forward, not back. If we're lucky, maybe Wines will choose to come "home" at the end of the season.