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Hi, sorry I've been MIA since last year. Busy at work with not enough time. Had a spare hour between meetings in Box Hill and the City which allowed me 40 minutes at the paddock yesterday. Not many photos but enjoy ==> https://six6six.smugmug.com/Wednesday-20160309/n-PxtMMx

Predictions: If we win, someone on Demonland will say it was because St Kilda was one game behind in their preparation and it showed by how much they tired. If we lose, someone on Demonland will say it was because St Kilda was one game behind in their preparation and it showed by how much they tried.

I'll be tying the knot midway through the first quarter. I expect someone to kick goal of the year to celebrate....

ANB has had some slight injury concerns over the pre-season. His knee felt unstable very early on and the club put him into re-hab. He tweaked his groin in Qld and missed all bar the last session up there. He also hurt an ankle, but he is fit and ready to go now. The coaches have given him some areas to work on. He'll have to earn his spot through good form in the Casey practice matches. ANB is playing this Saturday.

Late entry but some observations nonetheless. It was my first training session other than a brief squiz way back when at the Junction oval. Stayed for about an hour so only caught a few different drills and chose to concentrate on Petracca, Trengove and Hogan mainly. Trengove - Body shape and general physical appearance is top notch. He looks like he's spent a long time building his fitness and rebuilding his body. Stood out with voice, skills and general football smarts. Which is why I've always loved him. Just a smart footballer. Speed is hard to tell at training and I think we all know he was never explosive off the mark but he was gliding over the ground today and just looked smooth. Petracca - It's especially hard to talk about Trengove's 'speed' when this guy is around him. First time I've seen him in the flesh and he clearly has some gears. At some stages during drills he'd just turn it on and break through or accelerate past a defender. A very special trait to have. His kicking also has an explosive quality to it. During some of the kicking drills, he'd really punch the footy hard and it would zip through the air to his team-mate with a lot of power. Those quads. Monstrous I tell you. And as a poster previously said, his contested marking and vertical jumping were pretty damn impressive. He'll be a nightmare to handle as that mid-sized forward. Hogan - Just an unbelievable presence on the field. He's special. Any questions, feel free.

AVB was on crutches the first time I saw him at the season launch but one of the players mentioned that this was a precaution. He will only miss this week. So will Joel Smith due to a head knock. Everyone is saying that Jack Trengove and Christian Petracca are ready to be unleashed but nobody can say exactly when. If it's to be this week, I suppose we'll know when the team sheets for this week's Casey Scorpions practice match match comes out. I got to meet Mitch King briefly and told him he's already a legend for getting Clayton Oliver up to Morrish Medal status with his hit outs ?. He has a younger brother playing footy for Wodonga so Dazzle Davey could perhaps keep a lookout for him? And speaking of Clayton Oliver, one thing that impresses is his size. Back in the day, I'm sure he would have been a KPP but I can see Roosy turning him into a Josh Kennedy of the Sydney variety

Yes, we used the new rules to our advantage and were ahead of the curve. That felt strange to type...

WADA simply doesn't understand individual sports.

He was slow because he had (undiagnosed) stress fractures in his foot. He ran 2.97 seconds for 20 metres in state screening before he was drafted (considered good), so he certainly wasn't "slow" when he first came to the club. And I didn't think he was slow in his first 2 years. Ever since he's looked like he was running in quicksand, but I put that down to the injury.

err he was playing with injury....

Being conservative we should be 12-0.

It's a huge reshuffle and seem's a ballsy move by the club. One I'm happy with. But then, I was happy with Trenners and Grimes and trusted in Neeld so I don't even know why I offer my opinion anymore.

Melbourne - Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal 1. Bernie Vince - 328 2. Jack Viney - 327 3. Tom McDonald - 300 4. Jesse Hogan - 286 5. Nathan Jones - 270 6. Daniel Cross - 242 7. Colin Garland - 218 8. Jeff Garlett - 216 9. Jeremy Howe - 151 10. Lynden Dunn - 148 Plus Max Gawn It's not that hard to work out what's going on here.

Remember when majority of people on demonland weren't happy with the fact we traded up to pick 3 to land Oliver who thought he would have fallen to us at a later pick In Taylor, we trust.

Of course I'll back the coaches in. It's not a safe stance, it's the truth. They are paid to do it and I have no idea what goes on behind the scenes or what the instructions are on match day. If you can pull up the stats on Garland getting beaten by a small forward then go for it. I think it's rare that I walk away from a game feeling like he was beaten defensively. He might make the odd mistake or miss a target but then I can forgive him for that. Garland's job isn't to influence the result of a game - it's to shut down his man. He does that regularly with minimal fuss or fanfare. It's clearly what the players and coaches respect about him, as do I. As I mentioned above as well Grimes has been slowly shifted out of the leadership group after being captain. He has gone from co-captain, to leadership group and then to just being part of the team. They've treated that transition with respect.

Reading the tweets last night there is a sense of a strong, steely resolve at the club epitomised by these words from Bartlett: Bartlett said that “whilst progress is being made, we won’t rest for even a minute”. “Whilst there is still noise from time to time about our club, we’re not listening and we won’t be distracted. “I am personally more fiercely determined than ever to carry out our vision for the club. Bring on the season and go Melbourne.” I know it is preseason but I've not noticed such resolve before and the determination is significant as it is consistent and genuine from the top to the bottom of the MFC. Belief starts here! It will grow with every win, with every time we come back during a game. Losses won't send everyone into the pits. We are developing the mental fortitude of our club and our players. How far will it take us? I reckon if that resolve is carried onto the field and we play out every game with that fierce determination it might sneak us over the line to pinch a few extra wins! An interesting reference to 'noise' by Bartlett. I very much doubt we will hear the words 'mental scars' or 'veil of negativity' ever again! Already the word I am hearing in the media is 'fierce' eg for Gawn, Viney, Hogan, Vince, Jones. Soon they will talk about Petracca, Vandenberg, Oliver also being fierce! If we become the most fierce team to play against in 2016 I will be very, very happy! Yep, hungry and fierce for 2016!

Got there just before 11, left around an hour later. Very muggy. No sign of Dunn, Vanders, Brayshaw, Newton, Dawes, Spencer, Terlich, ANB, Weed, Hulett, King, King or White by the time I arrived. Maybe a separate Casey training group this week? Everyone else who was on track was involved fully as far as I could tell. Including Petracca and Trengove. Usual group drills focussing on quick hands, spread and kicking. Then more positional drills. Talls doing marking. A group of backs doing kicking. Midfielders practising quick handballs up with pressure approaching. The forwards had to lead up for a mark with token defensive pressure before doubling back in an arc and leaping for a mark on top of the speccy bag. Petracca had a hell of a ride pretty much sitting on top of the poor coach with the bag which had everyone laughing. High fives all around for the poor coach who was squished. Was the highlight of the session aside from seeing Bernie Vince sail a drop punt goal through from about 60 on his left. 8 or so players finished with session with boxing. Hogan, Lumumba and Wagner went with Rawlings for a drill where they led in to space either side of the 50. Was more to get Lumumba and Hogan some extra work I think. Kent did goal kicking with Brett Allison. Very much a focus on keeping balance and a straight line through the ball. The first few was rusty but after that he seemed to find his confidence. Tyson, Jetta and Ben Ken did a series of 200m sprints. Kennedy led them out early before Tyson took over as the repeat efforts continued but Jetta and Kennedy weren't too far behind. Oscar Mc and then later his brother were doing extra kicking practise. A focus on fast feet getting some agility around cones before steadying and kicking low to a target. Oscar struggled, not sure why he's kicking is down, but then got better. Tom was kicking fine, it's just not the same pressure as game day. Gawn spent most of the session just with Stafford doing ruckwork before Frost and Pedo joined him a bit.

And they got the skinny kid. This time.

It's a pretty good time to be Colin Garland right now, a 3 year extension, and now elevated to the leadership group. Well done Col, great rewards! Not bad for an 'ordinary player' if you believe what you read on here. Clearly the people that run the club have a much better handle on his importance to the group and onfield standing.

Very satisfying that we were able to get that draft pick ahead of them with some clever deals.

I heard yesterday that it stays in the system for a small number of days ... 3 or 5 or something like that ... so not residual. What gets me is the "family doctor" prescribed this. Maria has lived in the US since she was 7, is surrounded by a team of managers, coaches, trainers, lawyers, advisors, nutritionists ... everything tightly controlled ... doesn't even scratch herself without a team meeting ... but she still supposedly uses the "family doctor" who prescribed this gear from Latvia which is not even authorised for human use in the US. She's so ill she's needed this gear for ten years straight ... but the brave kid can still struggle on to court time and again to give her all. #heartpumping #heartwarming Pull the other one, Maria. (I said in my dreams last night.)

any GOOD ?

Held up well and it was an enjoyable night. I came and left full of optimism but then again, that's where I'm always at this time of the year. Is there a point of difference? I guess it's the number of young players in the 18-22 age group who appear to have exceptional potential. It's also Max Gawn's threat to become a top tier AFL ruckman (i.e top 4) because if that happens then our capacity to improve by 4 to 5 games on last year is no longer unrealistic.

If he was such a liability in the eyes of the coaches and the players then he wouldn't be selected. I'll trust Roos, Goodwin, Macca and the players on this one. Good to see him straight back in the LG.

Should have been named in leadership group when he spewed up over Scully in China. That spoke volumes

We're screwed..

My Brother told me this afternoon that he'd pay to watch Petracca train (he was at Gosch's today) and that he's the most exciting talent he's seen come to Melbourne since Jakovich. Best of all, they're all different and will complement each other. Petracca, Oliver, Brayshaw and Viney will be as good as it gets in 4 years time.

SuperPetracca on the Parish

98 rotations in NAB 2.

Do you get a trophy for finishing top of the Nab ladder? If we snag top spot I'm going to party like it's 1989.

delicious isnt it

^^ I stopped reading at Brayshaw not convinced! Lol Port & Cats prospects overrated by some IMO, I don't think either are really that good & won't make finals. IMO. I think we can sneak into the 8 but likely be around 9th/10th this season with a fairly young core and a couple of finals in 2017. A run like the doggies last or better yet an '87 & better again baby bombers year would be an absolute dream come true though! A lot needs to go right for us though.

Question - how did Garland train??

At the 2016 season launch on a table with Max Gawn, Mitch King and Josh Wagner which makes this virtually the main table. A lot of greats of the club are here including RDB, Noel McMahon, Stan Alves and ... Neale Daniher?

Don't want to start a new thread about these scum, but had to post my disgust WRT Anzac day. After having their rights to the day questioned, their response: "“Everyone understands this game is about Essendon and Collingwood. It’s why the game is played, it’s the clubs that have driven it for so long." I always thought it was meant to be about remembering the diggers

So you can't there til half time? We'll save you a couple of seats behind the goals.

The problem with this attitude is that it is totally unrealistic. Coffee? Coca Cola? Pepermint?Juniper berries? Aspirin? What's a drug and what is performance enhancing? As for unfair advantage, really? Long legs? high jumping? fast twitching? There are lots of unfair advantages. The world isn't as black and white as you make out.

AFL announces new Rule Tinkering Unit Hilarious ....and yet so scarily true !!

I still think Parish will be a very good footballer and will follow his career with interest. I look forward to seeing how both boys turn out in the next few years.

You're starting to sound like me OD. You're still a little conservative though. I'm going 37 points. Maybe more but I'm trying to keep a lid on things. GO DEES!

It is in the bag bb Dees by 7 points.

We could have gone a long way towards having clean sport in this country but that takes real leadership. The AFL passed up on that opportunity and chose to look the other way.

I am going to make a huge statement with a small disclaimer. (if his foot causes no inconvenience) Jack will come back better than ever. He only needs to be able to get contests and his football smarts will hold him in very good stead. As you rightly said - Balanced and skillful footballers who make good decisions are a valuable commodity.

All things are possible including that she knowingly took a performance enhancing drug for 10 years to gain an unfair advantage on her rivals - after the drug was "officially" banned she just kept on taking it knowing that there was only a small chance of getting busted - the small chance won out though. So, it was damage control mode (all carefully thought out) The press conference and aftermath has been beautifully stage managed (not that it has staved off sponsors walking) There is a lot of public sympathy for Maria based on all sorts of factors (including the biggie - the "like" factor) It's all so predictable in my eyes. Seen it all before but this one has a number of factors to garner public support - I'm not buying it though.

unconvinced by Brayshaw there's a good one

One retired, 2 have spent the off season injured, one was there before they came and Dunn is the other. Mostly out of their control, but nice try.

Peter Jackson at the 2016 Season Launch: From twitter: Jackson: We've finished the rebuilding and restructuring of this club. There's no more excuses. Jackson: We know from a football point of view the journey we're on. We're committed to it and it's going to be a great journey. Its up to the players now! As the boss says: no more excuses!

lids off.. Melbourne FC ‏@melbournefc 2m2 minutes ago PJ: Without wanting to resort to hyperbole, this is one of the best pre-seasons I've seen in my 20 years in football.

Oliver got 30/30 in the goal kicking test at the combine. So if he is continuing as noted above then the combine results weren't a one off fluke. :-)

I find it hard to think he won't at least be a good AFL player if he doesn't break down. He's way too good to be just a VFL player and will be an absolute bonus off HF or HB. Balanced & skilful there is always a shortage of.