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I am working with disadvantaged indigenous youth here in Alice Springs and had sent an invite to the club to see if any players could come and chat with them. It was a late invite, yet the club found the time to spend just over an hour with these kids. Angus Brayshaw and Liam Hullet came out, sat down and talked with these kids about a range of issues. Despite them probably not seeing it, it was a great thrill for these kids. Liam and Angus were very well spoken and generous with their time. As I will write to the club, I can't thank them enough. They gave these kids a real thrill and by sharing their stories they have helped to reinforce a lot of the work that has been and will continue to be done to help these disengaged youth.

Lets be clear. If Dion chooses us as his preferred destination, he will end up a Dee. You can never have too many A Graders. Those who say we have too many players of his ilk are being naive. How many midfield A Graders has Hawthorn had in the last 5 years? Many of them have had to play in alternative positions, but the key to their success is firstly recruiting them and secondly having them play their role which may only be periodically and briefly through the midfield. I have no idea what we will have to give up for Dion, but once a player declares a destination, the destination club is in a position of power. The departing club has rarely received market value, particularly since free agency. The acquiring club has almost never failed to sign their man once preferred destination is declared. My understanding is Dion will choose us. Hogan will re-sign along with McDonald. We are unlikely to lose regular 22 by choice. As I have previously said, I will retire GNF if I am wrong. This is the firm belief of our club.

I'm not overly sentimental when it comes to (most) footballers, but I have tremendous respect and empathy for Jack Grimes. He's stagnant on 98 games and deserves to play 100 for the MFC. Some will look at it from a F/S point of view, but that's a distant consideration. He's not best 22, but the club needs to make sure he reaches this milestone. He's not so far behind a Bugg, or a couple of others, that it would compromise our winning chances. It would be terribly disappointing if he left this club without his name on the locker. He deserves it.

Yeah, me at the back right there. normally we work with anything from 5 to 20, those in this photo are a good bunch.

Strange post. He's a limited player but surely one thing nobody could question about Grimes is his desire to compete.

Is this your young group RGRS ? Taken form the club website, twitter feed. Hope you and the youth you work with get to see the game on Saturday and hope you all see us win. I echo previous thoughts and a shout out to you and folks like you that help underprivileged kids around the country.

Our smart recruiting and new found ability to actually develop the top shelf talent we have into top shelf players means we need Dion less than in previous years. Let me state this clearly: I'd be happy to get him and don't doubt his talents. However, one of the main reasons we're rising is because our football department has done several things very well Identified MFC players whose currency outside the club is high, but whose role or value or commitment to the club may be limited (in terms of building a premiership team), and have traded them out for maximum gain. For example, Frawley, Howe, Clark. Identified and traded for players at other clubs who've yet to hit their ceiling as a player, or had issues, and provide something the club needs. These players have often come cheap as their current clubs didn't value what they offered. For example, Tyson, Bug, Kennedy, Garlett,... Identified and recruited mature sub-AFL level players who would flourish under a professional and well managed development program. For example, Vanders, Wagner Traded draft picks and players to gain access to high draft picks. For example, Oliver, Petracca, etc... Dion represents a recruitment path that hasn't been great for us, that is, recruiting top shelf players who are at their ceiling and come at at high price financially and in terms of trade cost. For example, Dawes, Lamumba, Clark. Perhaps we'd be better to stick to the strategies that have us on the rise and let other clubs engage in a bidding war to acquire Dion?

Why give up our one clear advantage this week? "Better clubs"?! This week's game isn't a lock you know? Who do you guys think we are that we can bring an underdone VFL ruckman into a team with a game plan based around clearances and still beat a team that is considered better than us? This game is worth the same amount of points as any of the next three, let's focus on trying to win this one first before planning for the "better clubs" hey?

Thought I'd post the pic up from the clubs Facebook page. So great to hear the story from RGRS.

Judd's grandmother?

Yes, and this is the one rule I wish they would stop- third man up! Let the rucks ruck and go about their business. Gawny is clearly being nullified by this, as have the other pure ruckman in the league. Whilst some have moved through it, I'd like to see the third man up made illegal purely so we can just see the rucks compete.

They achieved a lot more than most be at least being on a list and playing a few games. That makes them very good footballers in my book but not everyone can make the grade. But it does not mean you have to shudder.

Can I just reiterate, our midfield is a work in progress. We are not finished yet. Anyone who thinks we are is kidding themselves.

Solid team. ANB & Newton add to the midfield depth. Saints & Bulldogs beat us in the in n under and the backline suffered as a consequence. Our best Backman comes in, together with a quality mid. The team is evolving in a positive direction, heaps of ball winners and with the leading spread of goal kickers in the AFL we are a massive chance. This team is eons ahead of the same team we took to the Alice last year both in class, structure, game style, confidence and attitude.

It will be announced today ......he will sign

I still don't think a lot of us get it. (Admittedly I could too be wrong) our diamond defence means that our defenders guard space, not players. It assures that opposition forwards are not getting 1 on 1s and getting space to lead into. Our set-up forces the opposition to bomb it in long, and its pretty hard to mark a high ball with 6 other blokes jumping at it. I know we are very shallow defensively, but it's really not as bad as we make it out to be

The main reason the final recruitment strategy hasn't been a main feature across Roos' tenure is because the MFC itself hasn't represented any value to the outside footballing community. Instead, we've decided to identify which players were worth keeping and building a side around. All the while, this enabled us to finish lower on the ladder and stockpile draft picks. Our defensive mindset was never going to win us a lot of games, but the scoreline was usually respectable. Roos and co have basically performed a stealth rebuild and 'list management' strategy across three years, but done it very cleverly. Freo are doing vaguely similar things, playing an outdated brand of football that will see they don't get blown off the park every week, but also won't win most games. But returning to my original point, we are now in a position to attract quality players and Dion is one of them.

That's pretty much what I do anyway. One thing I've learned over the years is that I know bugger all. I can spend valuable brain cycles by trying to work out what's going to happen, but then get it totally wrong or I might fluke it right. Far more fun just to let the emotion take over and run with that. Well, that's more fun when we're winning anyway.

And we have only added Petracca, Stretch, ANB, Hunt, Garlett, Newton, O. McD and Vince, so l guess that we'll get smashed by the 'new-look Pies', especially when we also bring in Oliver and Trenners!

There's been a lot said over time about the apparent lack of coordination between the Demons and their alignment partner at Casey but I'm sensing that's now a thing of the past. This article from the VFL site talks about how the Scorpions were effective in reducing the Hawks' supply of uncontested possessions last week - Wynstan Stats Central Rd 7: Casey dismantles the Box It goes on to say - "Casey has made its living this season on being in the competition’s top two for contested possessions, hard-ball gets and clearances per game. However, it’s also attacking the opposition on the rare occasions it hasn’t won the ball in close, ranking no.1 for tackles per game. On Saturday night, that manic pressure took away the time and space Box Hill loves to carve through defences with precision passing by foot, and duly rewarded the Scorpions with a win as well as plenty of respect." This sounds very much like what the Demons are trying to do as well and it suggests that when players such as Chris Dawes, Jack Trengove etc and some of the younger brigade eventually do manage to break into the side, they should be able to fit in seamlessly.

That was up there with Rhys Mathieson for haming up a high tackle then by Thomas!

I just reckon Misson and Roos would have a pretty good handle of Gawn's fatigue and injury and they've decided it's not a factor. How do you know he's fatigued and not just had a poor couple of weeks given the extra attention opposition teams have been giving him?

No point reverting to man on man in defence against Westhoff and Dixon. It will just confuse the McDonald boys trying to work out which hipster is which.

Clearly Frosty couldn't be selected in warm conditions. For obvious reasons ...

Part of me can never but help but feel that the next bitter disappointment is just around the corner, though... I don't usually leave that part in charge though. The rest of me tells that part to bugger off and stop ruining my optimism.

Congratulations, you've just won Brian Taylor Bingo!

Hi, I'm Ethan, Ethan Tremblay. I was thinking today who is the team that I really want to beat, obviously we want to win every game but that ain't gonna happen (just like Stuie letting something go, only joking. No I'm not.) There's the obvious top of the ladder teams but for me it's Carlton. I really hate that they're doing better this season, I was looking forward to seeing them suffer for a few more years. I'd love to thrash them and put them in their place. A close second is Collingwood, for obvious reasons. My hatred for them just grew a little more when watching fox footy and there recent form being described as a 'Renaissance.' My guess is they used the word to just confuse Collingwood supporters, no good googling it because they wouldn't know know to spell it. "Who the [censored] is Renne Sauce?" So who do you want to beat the most and why?

All on the Lab, bar McGuire and King, giving Thomas a serve.

In answer to my least favourite player question - Linday Thomas by a mile. He just ran back towards a player and grabbed his hand and held it around his neck. AFL needs to fix it. It's like diving in soccer. Makes me feel sick.

my meat

The Pies on the QB game, with a good old fashioned raised elbow coat hanger. The Hawks to prove we deserve to be there. Done in high, jovial spirits to remind Frawley how hollow a trophy is without your mates And The swans, just for Roosy. Me bitter, never. I've just got a decade of F you's to launch. The saints....next....

You remind of supporters from other clubs that have sustained success and forget where you came from and adopt an arrogant hard core attitude. You lack respect and it reflects on you.

Ernest - there are always people who just don't respect the achievements of others unless those achievements are outstanding. As you imply, even reaching an AFL list is a bloody good achievement that the vast majority of humanity fail to achieve. Sure these players were not world beaters and may not have achieved what they themselves would have hoped or expected, but they did wear the great red n blue Good luck to them.

Maybe the coaches think we need to win the games we should and this is a game we should win all things considered. You have to take each game as it comes (while also balancing the long term view - not easy) and I think Gawn needs to play with what he brings. Maybe bringing in Spencer to ruck more minutes couldve been an option with Gawn resting more often but to leave him out altogether I think would be tempting fate.

I've been with my fiancée for 9 years. She's Hawthorn. We haven't beaten them in that time. Trust me.

Grimes is an average AFL player who got the most out of his ability Vastly over rated around here Giving him the 31 Jumper was just not fair. The Captaincy...I was and still am lost for words. Becoming a vegetarian i don't think would have helped either.

Just for the record, the cut-off date is July 31 so 2 months to go. Point #8 on the enclosesd: https://membership.melbournefc.com.au/terms-and-conditions Agreed! In addition to Pies we then have home games vs GC, Crows and Hawks so some good value games to choose from with a 3 game membership. Plenty of opportunity to get to the 40,000! It would be great for PJ to go to sponsors with that number especially as our main sponsorship (AHG) is up for renewal this year.

The one downside of the rest on the AFL realising we are on the rise is that our future picks have less value. Clubs would now be shifting their rating of an MFC first round pick in 2017 from a pick 4-8 (ladder position 14th to 10th) to a pick 10-14... So on one had we're more attractive (to Prestia and other players), while on the other hand we have less currency. New territory for us, we'll have to get creative.

It lurks inside every Melbourne supporter. You are not alone.

I like the team, it's quick and learning how to wear teams down with relentless contested ball, tackling and runners who go both ways. Our "midfield" now runs from Jeffy to Nev with all expected to attack courageously and defend relentlessly and contest everything. Oliver's a big out but Petracca's step up of recent weeks has added another outrageous talented young bull to our mid/forward mix. If we can win the lions share of control out of the middle and implement our forward press we hold the ball where we have our best talent, the forward line, which will go a long way toward getting the job done...

Really glad they gave Newton another game. Looked good against Brisbane

I'm outraged! Viv should be captain, Frost should be booting OMac into tomorrow and Spence should be first ruck to let Gawn have a snooze in the forward line. I just blew up my membership card. Does that help?

Was this intended to come across as some secret note from a Cold War spy thriller?

Thought I should post this, most will see it on the MFC site but these are incredible.... http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2016-05-26/jones-overwhelmed-by-painted-boots

I know that just because we were less than impressive in a 10 goal win and the Pies were impressive against the Cats that it means absolutely nothing when the two teams play each other a fortnight later. To say the Pies will smash us is a silly comment.

I think the links to Richmond are just clickbait. Every major trade target is always linked to one of the big clubs; it's purely to get eyes on the story. Look at Carlisle last year; he ended up at the Saints but was constantly linked elsewhere.

I like the look of this team. I had hoped that there would be a bit of freshness in the team but if you have a look at it there is with Jetta and Tyson coming back in after having a week of not playing footy and with Newton and ANB retaining their places. I think that if our midfield plays with the drive we have seen during most of the first 9 rounds of the season we believe we can outscore anyone. I think they will be asking Petracca to step up especially when Watts is in the ruck. He showed a couple of things last week which made me think he could fill into a very mobile CHF position. I will be getting up early (my time) to watch with the bowl of muesli and a pot of strong coffee. The muesli has not been a Dee's fan but the coffee is on board. If the muesli does not commit I will have to change my eating habits.

This makes sense - Roos is a master of subtlety and subterfuge.

So we've solved the Frost/Pedo conundrum.