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The news all over the Twitterverse is that Jesse Hogan (not to be confused with our Jesse the key forward) has suffered a stroke. He is also an avid Demon fan and we wish him a speedy recovery.

Melbourne 2013

Young bloke, too. As a Demons fan he may be on this board. If so, I wish you well and hope for a speedy recovery. I'm confident all Demonlanders feel the same way.

I'm not sure why you feel this way. He used to regularly run with his Mum to improve his endurance: Elvira, who used to run marathons, played a part in helping him improve his endurance. The pair ran many times over summer around the 10-kilometre Beasley's Nursery track near their Warrandyte home in Melbourne's north-east. "She beats me in the longer distance but she's lost her sprint," Petracca says. He also watched vision post games with his Brothers: Every Monday after a game, Petracca brings home a DVD with his match edits, and sits around the dinner table with his brothers and studies the vision. Julian and Rob play for Mitcham in the Eastern Football League but are midfielders, which Christian also wants to be. He has an upbeat personality that suggests he'd never want to let his teammates down: "He's cheeky and fun-loving. His teammates next year are going to enjoy being around him. He reminds me of a young 'Dipper'. He's happy, he's fun, he's excitable and he'll do anything for his teammates. You'd go to war with him," the recruiter says. And the reports during the off-season suggested that while others were still on holiday Petracca was busy rehabbing at the club. He's only 20, so he's on a learning curve and no doubt will have his up and down times, but everything I've read about him paints a picture that is at odds with your assessment.

Shame he want selected. Was so looking forward to yelling "HULETT THE DOGS OUT!"

Who would you most want to play against in a Grand Final? The loser.

One NAB Challenge win is all it takes.

The AFL obviously forgot to consult ASADA about whether Prismall could work at the club as a player welfare officer. Gillon only asked Collingwood and Hawthorn what they thought should be done.

Absolute rubbish CBD 12 goals in front at half time and win by 15 at the final siren. By then there will only be dees supporters in the MCG . Lovely!!!!

I get so few right ! I mentioned 2 weeks ago about his highlight package and now they are working on his tackling technique. Good move. There is so much grey area when you opt to sling. By watching his highlight reel you can see that Saturday was not the first time Oliver has gone the sling tackle. It is good that the club is on the front foot to get it out of his game ( and I await my call from the club if they would like any more insightful assessments on other players - I'm tipping I will have a long wait)

We scored almost 100 points last week with Hogan kicking just the 1 goal. No Hogan this week presents another opportunity to explore other avenues to goal, as well as further put to bed the idea that we can't kick a big score without him.

Jesse Hogan to be rested this week. Will be back for NAB3 game though. Hogan to be rested this weekend Some useful updates on all the rehabbing guys in this article.

Good luck to Steven Febey. But I'm a bit disappointed that while posters support Febey (as they should) through his battles with depression, so many others show no sympathy to other players who have explained they have depression but are disbelieved apparently because they did something that's considered to be either un-Melbourne or unmanly. Obviously Mitch Clark is one, but there have been others, too.

ask me in 6 !!

I was at training this morning and saw the fragile Petracca. photo 1 was him tackling coach Crossy. Who was lucky to come out alive. photo 2 was just the usual bag hangar he does. And by the way his little pinky never gave a Yelp.

I would like to see Indiana Jones play ( there's a man not afraid of the hard ball - although he is apparently terrified of Phil Baker)

I think suggesting the AFL is somehow trying to pick a fight with ASADA is giving the AFL far too much credit. i think it's much more likely that the wrong advice was given to the Bulldogs through incompetence.

A reminder of the fragility of life and why our presence on this planet is so precious. So important to enjoy each day and be aware of our own mortality and of our fellow human beings. Our sympathy to others is important as ultimately we are all connected. Life is fragile, handle with care.

Because I have clinical depression too and I can relate to him. The 'selfish' label is very harsh. When you have an illness like depression, you specifically need to do what's best for your mental health, even if it's to the detriment of others. This is because often a source of depression is trying too hard to please everyone, failing to do so, and then being unable to pick up the pieces (because your brain is quite literally not working properly) when you're ripped in several directions at once. From personal experience, some people in your life will understand this, some will not. If it comes down to being loyal to your employer or doing what's best for yourself, you have to do what's best for yourself. The employer will recover. You might not. Did it hurt when Clark left? Absolutely. Do I hold it against him? Absolutely not.

True but at the stage he did his toe he was still in the late stages of rehab with his knee. I believe I read one of the coaches pointing to the fact that while the toe will heal in 4 weeks it will put his program for his knee behind. Ultimately I wouldn't read too much into the time frame with the latest set back, I feel the club is really taking their time with him just to be sure, much the same way they did with Jesse. Also consider that the jump from joining main group to playing (NAB or VFL) might not be that much if he impresses enough on the track.

Powerful trio Trac, Oliver and Vanders. All Pavlich like in build and not far off key position size.

Not unless they are Nostradamus. its on tomorrow night

The Filth .................. lay down misere,

Last time Hogan wasn't named in the side we beat Geelong at Geelong.

Its just another irreverent opinion from a hack footy journo. Everything Ive read is he loves the MFC. His own manager said that, his own teammates say it. Thats good enough for me.

Well richmond supporters are just pies supporters with teeth

LOL.. Bernie is the man. Go glad we got him to the club.

Nah they were all crying in their beer long before than and had vanished in shame down to Olympic park where they were burning down their home.

West Coast and Watts can take a speccy over Nic Nat in the goal square to kick the winning goal Or we beat Essendon to a pulp for payback for 2000 Or we beat Hawthorn by playing their brand of anti-social football Or Collingwood with The Weed kicking 8 Actually all four, one year at a time

theyll have a crack down for 6-7 rounds and then relax the interpretation and then at some unknown point later in the season will go hard again and wonder why players are confused what a joke the AFL and umpires are. its the one thing i dont miss about footy - pulling my hair out at the inconsistent, rubbish umpiring. Umpires should have to have played the game for 5+ years in my opinion. its too fast and complex a game to read about in books ill try to stop my rant there!

I like Bernie's humour when talking about Hogan's contract: "He's contracted for next year still, so I think he'd be silly to sign now. He loves it around the place," Vince said...(He) might be able to squeeze a bit more money out of the club if he has another good year, so I can see why he's done it...Hopefully he doesn't take any money off me though. I haven't got much left at the moment." Typical Bernie! I like this as well: Vince wasn't afraid to mention September action as a possibility for the Dees. "We're not shying away from that (time for the Demons to get results). From last year to this year has been a massive step up," he said...If we can step up just as much as we did the year before – which I think we're in front of that – you only need to win a few more… and we'll be knocking on the finals door." I haven't heard this talk around our club for ever so long. I'm no longer hearing the platitudes and half-hearted but unfounded optimism of prior years. From every player interviewed I'm hearing belief and intent. And its significance that this is coming from players rather than coaches or football department - it means the players are taking ownership of results. Reminds me of the wise words from Barassi: If it is to be, it is up to me! 2016 might be a bumpy ride due to our young group but it sure will be worthwhile!

I'm a little surprised Liam (or even Weideman) wasn't selected to play this weekend in the light of the club deciding to rest Hogan. He's only 18 and he appears to already have such an imposing and mature figure. Will be interesting to see how he plays in the Casey practice matches.

It's all a misunderstanding Choke. Early on in the saga, Dill received an email from ASADA that he wasn't quite happy with. He noticed there was a junk email button on the screen at the time, and as that's what he thought of the email he decided to click that button. Not realising however that all subsequent emails from that address would be automatically placed in the Junk email box that nobody ever looks at. So all subsequent emails from ASADA were never read until McD called to tell him they'd sent clear advice and suggested he check his Junk box. After 7 AFL technical experts had been called to assist, they located said email, and promptly advised the Dogs of the new information. See, nobody's fault really.

Surely the AFL could employ all 34 banned players as integrity officers!

Bring on the Weid!

To me it's not mistruths coming from the club but highlights the difficulty of making fully accurate assessments about injury/rehab time. Injury recovery is not an exact science particularly when it involves foot injuries. Diagnostic assessments are as much about intuition as science. Recovery rates will also vary according to the physiological differences between individuals. These injuries are hard to manage particularly in professional sport with the intense pressure to get an athlete/footballer back on the track/field as quickly as possible.

Leaving aside the obvious effects that witnessing the Bali bombings would have on a person. We talk about the choice a person has of playing football at the highest level and the fabulous sums of money they can earn and I hear many chants of "what a gifted life". However it has always struck me, and moreso as every year goes by, that playing AFL football really is an abnormal life style. Whilst there is some responsibility on the players to perform actions and tasks so much of their lives are dictated and managed for them. Here are your training sessions, here is your program, this is what time to be at the airport, this is what time to be at the ground. Couple this with adulation and the spotlight from the public, it must leave a gaping whole in their lives once they retire. I know the ALFPA over the years has focused heavily trying to help players transition to life after footy but it is a huge task in moving a life from the abnormal back to the normal and it does not surprise me that many players do get "lost" and go the way of Febes. Best of luck to him - great courage in telling his story and I hope he continues on his current path of healthy mind and body.

Petracca did his knee in an interclub match - NAB matches are practice matches. So do we go into the season proper without players really getting the rust of their systems, testing new game plans or playing players in alternative positions. Injuries happen - they happen at training, they happen at intra club games and they will happen at NAB cup games.

They're just practice games. Every single club wants to play them. Every player in every interview I have ever listened to says there's a huge difference between training fitness and match fitness, the latter of which you only get playing games. Whether you have a formalised practice game competition or not (i.e. NAB Cup), clubs will arrange to play a few games against one another before the season proper starts. It's a necessary part of a club's preparations for the season proper. And injuries happen at training too. It's part of the game - it is a contact sport after all, even if this club has traditionally avoided physical contact (i.e. the 'bruise free' period). Injuries will continue to occur.

I think we got hit by the bullet, went through our chest then hit Geelong.

Never knew of this. Never heard anything about this before. I was surprised.

First Women's AFL match is being played this Sunday at 5:10 following the men's match. Only Victorian players for this one so no Tayla Harris, but Daisy will be back running around in the red and blue. Details on the MFC website: http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2016-03-02/womens-team-to-play-against-bulldogs Will also be streamed live here

Wouldn't think so Moon. One of Earl Hood's aristocratic background and breeding would insist on his maids being clean shaven, surely?

I want to see trac in the side round one. He is a gun with a body ready for afl. He'll learn more in the afl than the vfl.

The only thing they have in common is they are a similar build. After that they are nothing alike; Apart from lack of application, Silvia also had no footy nous and absolutely no peripheral vision and no idea what was going on around him. Petracca is a gun basketballer, you can't be good at that sport without almost having eyes in the back of your head. 'Ox', not one known for the overstatement said Trac was the 2nd coming of Ablett....Snr If he's half as good he will be more than ok...

Unacceptable Mr McLachlan Banned player Brent Prismall no longer working at Bulldogs after ASADA intervenes

Bumped into Dave Misson last week and asked him about Petracca. He said Petracca will start the year playing VFL to get match fitness and touch. Don't expect to see him for a few matches yet. He was very excited at him as a talent though and said his power is unlike many players he's ever worked with before.

It sounds simple to do what he's done but it takes a lot of guts and character. Well done to him.

Thanks for the post Gorg! I remember him as a gutsy player who fought above his weight and it seems he's found that mojo again and given the black dog a whack!! Go Dees!!!