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Another great find by the recruiting team with this guy (57th overall). Was a very left field selection but has been getting better every game he's played this season. It's not the run that he provides that has been impressing me lately (although I do love it and it's what our backline has been sorely lacking for quite sometime), but his willingness to defend as been really impressive as I hadn't seen this from him before. Can also take a decent mark and as some others have pointed out I think his kicking can still improve. Considering this was his first real full pre-season, excited to see what he can achieve with another couple under his belt.

Talking Footy's post match discussion entailed a 30 second discussion of "how good is Max Gawn?" and a 7 minute discussion of "how bad are Collingwood?". Watson declaring that the loss marks them being at their lowest point this season. One day, Melbourne will get total credit for a win and the opponent won't be deemed at crisis point. One day.

Collingwood, we just beat Collingwood mate. They'll be counting themselves lucky if they stay out of the bottom 4. I like the enthusiasm but temper your expectations a bit.

No doubt there are other threads about him, but thought this bloke deserved an updated one. Roos always had that ability to find a player from another team, bring them in to his environment, then watch them get to levels that many didn't think would be possible. I know we got sucked in to that sort of thing when we picked up the likes on Michie and Newton (no disrespect to either of those blokes). Vince has always been a quality player, but has probably been more consistent than anything else. The one that I think has the ability to develop in to something else is Tom Bugg. For some weird reasons that I won't go in to in this forum, I've watched Bugg a lot since his debut at GWS. At the start of this year I was stoked that he was now playing for us, so that I didn't have to watch GWS games. Not once did I think that he could become an outstanding player, but this view is fast changing. What I will throw out there for discussion, and I'm happy for people to shoot it down, but by geez he reminds me of a young Brett Kirk. Kirk turned out to be one of Roos' great leaders, so I'm not sure where Tom sits with his leadership ability, but he just looks to me like the kind of guy that is one of the first picked each week because of the roles he can play, is happy to play, his unselfishness allows him to play. Welcome to the Melbourne Football Club, Tommy, I think you will enjoy your time with us, not nearly as much as we're enjoying it though!

Was bloody awesome mate. Waved my flag and sung the song three times, and stayed until the boys went in. Probably won't do any of those things ever again, but felt the need for finally breaking the duck!

Cheers. Now can't concentrate at work . . .

The development of Hunt makes me really excited to see what we are going to get out of Hulett (bare with me....). Hunt's body at 16 really didnt work for him and that stopped a player who at 15 matched it with teammates Josh Kelly and Christian Salem. He has had 5 years of injury plagued seasons where he has shown glimpses of that underage form. What we are seeing now is that 187cm, hard-hitting mid who can break away from packs with blistering speed. Now while he doesnt have the disposal of a Danger or a Parker, what he does have over them is pace, and a similar work ethic to Parker, Danger etc. He gets from contest to contest and seems to have a tank which is rare for someone of that speed. He wants to be at the contest and while I'd like him to have more possessions, the smothers, the tackles, the pressure acts are good enough for me at the moment. Does he have it in him to be a Kelly or a Salem - talent wise I dont know, his passing needs work but as we all know, he has a cannon of a boot. What is not under question is his drive to become as good as Kelly and Salem, or for that matter Danger and Parker. I dont think he will become a bonefied centre clearance mid (due to our glutton of great CC mids), but contests around the ground, I love having him there. Heath Shaw is what I'd love him to become (player, not person). But what we are seeing now is faith in a young man who had all the tools early on and the desire to be great, but his body let him down So how does this link to Hulett, Same story as Hunt but he is a key forward. I've spoken to a heap of under age coaches about Hulett and they have all been unanimous in, if he gets his body right, you have a top talent. Someone who at 15-16 looked like he was going to be a start before injuries got the better of him. What we are seeing at Casey with Hulett at the moment is what we saw with Hunt. A desire to contest, work hard, and ensure that he makes it in the AFL.

No no no, you have it wrong. COLLINGWOOD were the inexperienced ones, Eddie said so this morning on the radio. He's my hero and he's always 100% correct in all things. One sec, let me get some stats to prove it. Total Players By Games Melbourne Games Collingwood 11 Less than 50 8 7 50 to 99 7 2 100 to 149 4 2 150 or more 3 Oh, uh, well this awkward. Must be an issue with Footywire. I'll take Eddie's word over cold hard facts any day.

Has work to do on his delivery of ball by foot. Exciting prospect though - his pace is blistering and he looks to use it as much as possible, and he plays a tougher brand of game than I expected. His progress is very pleasing.

Great article: http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/bernie-vince-sparks-melbourne-into-action-in-queens-birthday-win-over-collingwood/news-story/5aabffc702cc32168d33de68993a6062 "... But come the quarter-time huddle and it was Vince that played No. 1 motivator, confidently raising his voice and addressing his teammates". Kent: “Bernie spoke to us at that break. We needed to play our style of footy and Bernie drove that at quarter-time,” Three cheers for Bernie!

If he comes home it's to us I know his sister it's GC or Demons .

When you're the editor of the Herald scum, you'll see that "dee-spair of Collingwood, essendrugand ninthmond" will far outsell printed copies of "dee-molition at the g" or "doing the M-C--DEED" Let them cry, let them argue about how pathetic they are. Let the media focus on GWS, or danger, or whoever it will be this week that's flagfavorite.we can just continue along, more experience on the big stage with more games into Wagner, petracca, gawn, Viney etc. We will bring the 6 minute important segment to them, in time.

How about we just keep Hoges! We want to win a premiership don't we?

Watson has a law degree?!

What amuses me more is how he left the MFC to play in the forward line. This one we can put down as a win by the FD.

Out : Melbourne based members In : Bombay Airconditioning

Not aware if already mentioned ( mea culpa if so ) Was extremely impressed with Wattsy's mark in the last. Running straight out of the square but had 2 Maggies running right at him. Took guts to try...and he clunked it. Top effort. He's come a long way

Righto, where to begin? Started the game on the bottom level of the MCC with a North Melbourne mate of mine where we most unfortunate to have the most annoying and deafening Collingwood supporter (could be a tautology) in the form of a 10 year old boy. Safe to say that it didn't take us long to come to our senses and relocate in the hopes of protecting our hearing. Overall, the first quarter was certainly not something that warrants reviewing. At one stage, I looked at the big screen and was staggered to find that Bernie had accumulated 12 possessions in the opening 15 minutes. Unfortunately, many of them left a bit to be desired. I loved Viney's goal (despite the fact I had a fiver on Watts to bag the first), but we continuously went about finding new and inventive ways of turning the ball over in our forward 50. My mate and I then spent the next three quarters on the top deck around the Midfielders Bar. During the second quarter, It began apparent to us that Max Gawn was on a completely different level to anyone around him. Undoubtably one of the best individual quarters I've ever seen. I couldn't help but feel immensely proud of Trenners when he bagged his goal. He has no doubt proven that he still a valuable player. Once Hogan bagged his second while sporting a newfound 'Andre the Giant' appearance, nipple and all, it had appeared we had flicked the switch and were beginning to put the Collie Wobbles to the sword. Christian Petracca's goal was seriously something else. 7 games....scary. Ill be honest and say I didn't pay much attention during the third quarter. My mate and I ran into some friends and spent most of the quarter catching up over a pint. My eyes wondered to the television above the bar occasionally where I eventually caught Nathan Jones bagging a set shot. Celebrations ensured. The final quarter (minus a Collingwood goal in the opening minute) was delightful viewing. Loved watching Wattsy kick a couple to firmly put the ghosts of his Queens Birthday debut to rest. Overall, I couldn't be prouder of our Demons. Bring on the Swans Other observations No passengers today. Everyone had a moment of brilliance that justified their selection. Max Gawn continues to set the bar. He's been in unbelievable form this year. The fact he kicks goals and plays like a midfielder highlight how dangerous he is. An All-Australia gurney surely beckons. He might be knocking on the door of the Brownlow as well. Vince, Jones and Tyson accumulated around 100 possessions between them. While on the topic of midfield dominance, Jack Viney is a serious freak. 30 odd possessions with a busted knuckle. Dean Kent, Oscar McDonald and Ben Kennedy all without a doubt played their best games for the club. Frost in defence! Funnily enough, it works incredibly well. He'll make the odd mistake but in most cases, I feel safe when the ball is in his hands. He has such an imposing figure as well.

His name is pencilled into the starting lineup without a second thought. Great pick up.

Without wanting to be too negative about a player who played well in a good win, Bugg is such an unclean user of the ball at times that I find him hard to love as a player. That said, he'll remain in the side so long as he continues to play the way he has this year; with strength and toughness. I think being a Kirk like leader is too high an expectation; if we want to compare to mid 2000s premiership players, reliable foot soldiers like Paul Bevan or Rowan Jones are probably a closer match. Edit: I obviously haven't watched him as much as you though Billy. I've got to admit I'd never paid any attention to him before we picked him up and I was surprised to see how many games he already had up his sleeve. He can obviously play.

I thought Wagner was good yesterday, am I on my own here?

I like the sentiment mate, although I still think we're one year away from playing finals. We still have our inconsistent moments and, as young sides do, we make mistakes at crucial times. But you can see the progression there. While rolling Collingwood is nothing to get all that excited about, what we did see was a backline that was far more cohesive. It worked harder and won plenty of contests and we saw how much better we look when it occurs. Our next two games will tell us something - if we roll the Swans and go close to the Crows then we are in with a very small shot. Lose the next two, which is likely, and we'll be out of the hunt. I will say this, though - isn't it nice to actually be talking about finals at this stage of the season. Makes for a nice change.

Both Oscar and Tom McDonald look far better with the assistance of Frost in the backline (our coaching staff are a clever bunch), all three were very good today.

Go away.

This is exactly why I am a fan. That and the showboating against Richmond. Young Tomas has a fair bit of [censored] in him - I love it.

Love this analogy, Chris Dawes if fit provides structure, a General in the forward half , takes a good defender away and can kick a goal! The fact he didn't register a goal but provided great decisive moves and impact in clearing the packs and providing leadership is one reason why we won on Monday! Ask Jack Watts and Jessie Hogan what they think of Dawsy in the team! A keeper for a year or two yet while The Weed and Hullet learn the craft!!

Jones was battling a back injury. Last week was his first game back and he played limited minutes. This week he played his first full game back and got 32 touches. Everyone forgets he was injured not dropped

I've got a thing for acceleration, Hunt's is as good as anyone's you will ever see.

I am thrilled for Jayden, as I was one if his early supporters. Could end up a gem for us.

Interesting if true. Means he would be going to a club that is not only not the club he and his family support and is on the rise, but has chosen a club that will need a rebuild. Again, if true, it would suggest that either we dropped off, or they made a much better offer and he is going for the dollars only. We will see.

Watching the replay now and I'll tell you what has really improved. Tyson's tackling is phenomenal. He is becoming a terrific player. Really looking forward to seeing him up in Sydney next too.

I thought Chris Dawes was very good today, He did what he had to do and there is no doubt in my mind that we look a better side with Dawsy in it!

Great day, great win and I converted my nephew from a Pie to a Dee!

You took the post way too seriously

Bare with you? I'd rather not, if it's all the same to you.

Wagner is the present and the future. He plays like there are no tomorrow's. Let him make mistakes but he represents the new MFC. No going back to the tried, tested and failed. Other than where injury means there is no other choice. Nostalgia or sentimentality should not get a guernsey.

Reckon he is a beauty as is Wagner. Both these kids have got it. Guts, determination, run, tackling machines and great in the contest and open space. They represent the new MFC and what we have lacked for so long. Let them make mistakes but make no mistake, they are the future.

I think its fair to say that Petracca's blind turn will put to rest any query on his knee being fully recovered.....

Looks like Jane, plays like Tarzan.

Nasher gets to watch a Melbourne win live.

"We lost by 100 but Howe took mark of the year". If I was to roll up all of the games from the Neeld era and make them one, that's probably how I'd describe it.

Well Well Well, all those fellow landers that know (me included) have been saying for a while now that Sam Frost should be played down back! I thought today he was excellent and certainly dispelled any doubts that he will be a Pinacle Defender for years to come! Reminded me of Glen Jacovich today (no mean feat) Produced Run, Carry, Grunt and surety by hand and foot! Well done young man!!

Matt Jones did.

I watched the replay .....amazing what you see when emotion is taken out. Oscar's kick coming out of the backline hardly ever missed a target....I thought he was very good .....obviously he will get out bodied at times because he is only 19 but he will have better skills than his brother. Dunn has a hamstring so wouldn't have been selected & our coaching panel aren't stupid ....if there is a better player in the 2nd's they will get picked so obviously they don't feel Dunn warrants selection

I haven't seen mentioned anywhere Roosy's decision at quarter time to get Bugg to tag Sidebottom. Looks like a good move from the coaching box from where I sit. What was that about match day tactics again?

I like the idea of no changes but it's a six-day break, interstate, against a top-2 side. Surely by now we've learnt our lessons with these shorter turnarounds, the more so given we're going interstate. I suspect one of Wagner and/or Stretch might be rested this week though I don't think anyone really should be dropped.

Oscar good and bad, but more good than bad today... Sign of his developmental stage I suppose. I'm giving him credit this week though, he was still outbodied a lot, but that will improve in time, however he was spoiling a lot better this week. And as The Biz mentioned, both McDonald's look a bit more comfortable with a bigger unit around so a fair bit of credit for their games should go to Frost.

It's his 2nd game in 2 years. Gonna take him a few more weeks to get the speed of the game back

Very, very happy. I was invited to a corporate box today. I arrived to find myself the only Dee supporter amongst 15 smug Magpie medicos - almost the worst type of supporter. Well it was my lucky day - I managed to guess the first goal kicker and was the only one to pick that Melbourne would be in front at half, 3/4 and full time. Only missed out on the 1/4 time lead. Go Dees!!!!

I know one shouldn't gloat, but today's game highlighted a few trades that might be regreted (from different perspectives): 1. J. Howe to Collingwood - go suffer Jezza (don't care where). We'll keep Kennedy thanks very much; 2. A. Trelor to Collingwood - all of a sudden Sydney doesn't look like such a bad place to be; 3. C.Silva for B.Vince - best trade ever. Let this serve as a reminder!