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In an age of James Frawleys and Tom Scullys, Jack Watts shows what true clubmanship is all about. This is the kind of loyalty, patience and hard work that builds team culture and cohesiveness. Along with Nate Jones, Jack Viney and Max Gawn, his devotion to the Dees is something we haven't seen for a good while.

I spoke to a current player last Saturday, he reckons Weideman will be a superstar.

Listening to Roos' press conference, bringing in Dawes is clearly in response to Hogan's frustration on the weekend. Of course it should be expected that Dawes contributes to the team in his own right and if he doesn't he'll be dropped again, but I think that's the context. It's been said numerous times that Hogan finds playing the game easier when Dawes is in the team - and specifically Dawes (same not true of Pedersen, for example). We know Dawes won't kick 10 and may not even kick 1, but if he plays an adequate game where he contests, competes, tackles, and lifts Hogan by 50%, he is worth having in the team in my eyes. Either way, we had to bring in a key forward. The alternatives were Pedersen, who is coming off a lengthy layoff from illness and by all reports was average for Casey, Hulett who is not ready, and Weideman who is less ready. In the long term Weids or Hulett need to step up for this role, and pretty quickly because I think both Dawes and Pedersen are on borrowed time, but I'm comfortable with Dawes filling the role in the mean time.

He was always an extremely nice, humble person. Even in primary school you knew he would become a footballer. His skills even then we're amazing, jumping over packs, he was so quick and talented even when he was boy, I would always try to be at the other end during kick to kick as you had no chance of getting the ball otherwise. We were Murrumbeena boys, just aquantances, not close. Amazingly when he became the number one ticket holder, and I said what I said to him on the day, he remembered me and then made the chat about me, introducing me to Tom who I remembered from our Murrumbeena days. Robbie was a true champion on and off the field. I was going to write about him when he passed, but found it to difficult at the time. It's still hard now because to me, he was part of the MFC's fabric. Melbourne his entire life, and loyal always. That he and Jimmy are not here to see our upward progression is so unfair. Oh well.....?

Colin Garland epitomises what you're highlighting as much as or more than anyone.

I can't believe some think Pedersen is done and should be delisted. Prior to his injury, the bloke was kicking 2 or 3 a game and taking contested grabs at both ends of the ground. He is a seriously good pack mark and provides a contest, which is far more than you can say for Dawesy. I think a few people need to go back and have a look at Pedersen's early season matches. He is also reasonably agile for a bick bloke and can at least hold the ball up if he doesn't mark. Dawes turns slower than the Queen Mary and could't run down a sloth crossing the road.

1. Robbie Flower saying to me in primary school to wear our Melbourne jumpers to school the next day in 1964, the week before the GF. 2. Being at said GF. (thanks mum) 3. Proudly telling my mother that a skinny kid with glasses in his first senior game would become a club champion. (Her reaction at the time was a highlight in itself ?) 4. My mother saying to me the only reason she endured the late 70s and 80s watching the Demons was to watch Robbie play. (she went every week for over 40 years, she is 90 now and still a member and watches on Foxtel ) 5. 2000 elimination final come back against Carlton, my sister was worried I would have a heart attack. 6. Telling Robert Flower on the day he became the number one ticket holder, that no one deserved it more than him. (He took it over from RDB) 7. Having hope restored in that I can go to a game and we have a chance of winning.

I'm rapt that he has signed, and will hopefully be a one club premiership player. He deserves it. No other player in history has dealt with that amount of cr@p from all footy supporters, including our own. The trash that has spewed out of Melbourne supporters' mouth at this bloke has been shameful. Fortunately it has been borne out of ignorance; rather than any astute knowledge. Tom Hawkins did nothing at Geelong in his first 5.5 years. Collingwood supporters are noweven questioning Darcy Moore, who will be a superstar. Some bigger guys take time; pure and simple. Now that some have nibbled at humble pie; and now that he has shown the ultimate faith in us, it is overdue that MFC supporters shut their gobs the next time he has a bad moment, or bad game or a couple; and take the very good with the odd bad. He has shown us loyalty through thick and thin, and it is about time we returned the favour. TGR

It's called "fielding the youngest and least experienced team in the competition more often than any other side in 2016". Even more often than Brisbane, who are sitting on the grand total of one win. As for "smackings" ? We've had two losses over 40 points for the year and not one 10 goal loss. Our worst being 55 points. When is the last time we haven't had a loss by over 60 points ?

Well the problem is that we are actually at near full strength, and have been all year. Few injuries and plenty of talent knocking down the door from the VFL, but it makes little difference when we come up against teams that sit directly above us on the ladder (Port, Saints, Eagles this week). The likes of Richmond, Collingwood and North if you consider them a bottom 10 side have played better football for longer periods than we have. We notch up one win and then get absolutely smacked the following. Somehow, Carlton notched up 4 or 5 wins in a row and could very well finish above us on the ladder. Maybe it's just me but I can't remember a team in the modern era (1990-now) ever having such a major gap in performances in such short periods of time. Sure, Carlton and the Saints have been smacked a few times this year, but they've also gone through long periods where they have played at a really high standard and beaten some good teams. We switch on and off at a really concerning rate and to me I just can't quite understand it. I don't think it's a speed or pressure or hardness issue...well, it is, but I think what's driving that deficiency is 100% between the ears. We played Neeld-era football on Sunday. It was a 10-goal loss had the Saints been switched on in the first (they weren't: go and watch the replay). Our leaders missed easy goals and stopped running IN THE SECOND QUARTER! "It is what it is." What it is, is astonishing. I'm filthy after Sunday's loss. I really just want to go up to guys like TMac, N Jones, Watts, shake them as hard as I can and say, "AREN'T YOU SICK OF LOSING LIKE THIS!?" Too many individuals who go into a shell. We play shocking team football atm. That's the stigma that infects a player's mind when they pull on a Melbourne jumper. It's not a "team" worth dying for. We're going to lose again this week. We're going to get run over, spread, mutilated. Because we're not a team that wins in Perth. It's just not what we do.

I'll make an effort to play the ball here... all your opinions above are crap.

Ranks as elite at pointing to unguarded space, and is also rated top 10 at frowns. Valuable commodities in today's game.

Jake Spencer 1 goal 20 disposals 8 kicks 12 handballs 3 marks 7 tackles 44 hit outs 139 dream team points Just sayin'

Yes we should.

Grows up supporting the Demons iNamed Captain Plays100games A Dream come true for most

I'm hoping we can get Vanders back to his best in the AFL for next week. There's really only one way to do that, so I'm hoping he gets the Casey coaches box role this weekend.

After looking at tomorrow,s team I am sure we need a Key Back and or Key Forward before we need a reasonable mid with suspect knees.

Thought the cartoon accompanying the Watts article in the Herald Sun was in pretty poor taste. I can't find a photo of it online but it has Watts captioned as saying "I never wanted to leave Melbourne" to which the journo replies "A year ago it wouldn't have been your decision." Neither funny, relevant or appropriate to the good news story.

I dont get the hysteria on here and to be frank im thankful none of you are in charge. Young teams cant travel, its well documented. Dawes is in to provide experience, a target and a big body and he will bring all of those things notwithstanding his flaws. A few have rightly pointed out that two ruckmen at subi would be a disastrous selection, so spencer waits a few weekz before we put max on ice. Weed and hulett arent banging the door down and by all accounts have a fair way to go - whats the rush? We arent gaining anything this year by sending them on a 6 hour round trip to Perth with noone in the fwd 50 except 20 year old Hogan for company. Get real. Hulett will debut later this year. Weid potentially not at all unless he can turn his form around. My understanding is VDB has been basically playing injured all year - both ankles and a few hip issues. If you watched closely at the st kilda game he got crunched a few times and was slow to get up. For those saying he is slow - you have no idea. One of the quicker players on our list and its a key reason why his defensive and tackling pressure is a good attribute. Hope ANB gets played a few times in the middle and can show some things. Was disappointed when he came in earlier in the year off the back of red hot form and was unsighted. Just quietly - i think stretch is coming along very nicely and in 3 years might just surprise a few with how good he is.

Poor [censored]

Personally I don't think leg speed is an issue. It is about where you are positioned, where you run too and how you move the ball that determines how fast a team looks. Last week we looked slow because all our players were inside competing for the ball. Every stoppage and contest we had the inside players and we always got sucked into the ball. We were trying to win the footy, but what happened was when the ball came out they were already away. When we won the footy and could get it out it largely wasn't clean, because they could close down our first receiver quickly (they were outside of us remember). This is why players like Oliver can make us better - because they extract cleanly and other players can stay further out of the contest. Add to this, for most of the day we played 5 forwards and 7 defenders, but one of the defenders always ran straight into the guts as an extra mid. This extra player didn't stay loose around the stoppage but actually got involved in the contest, and I think that congestion hurt us around the ball. It definitely hurt us once we'd won the ball and we had no one to kick it to. Spread and pace are two different things.

And it was why Dawes was dropped and has not played a game since and is back in. We would be better off with Frost back down there or playing Gawn in the forward line and bringing in Spencer. Dawes gives us nothing, he does not mark he does not score and he does no ruck duties. what the hell does he do?

Given you are such a dyed in the wool demons fan i wonder if you might, at some point, post about the MFC not the EFC

It was a joke.

we could have 4 super fast cumbers surrounding Dawesy in a 360 degree formation ready for any mark that may be spilt. I call it the diamond offence!

Was it Sam?

Howe with another shocker.

No, that's not at all what I meant. If anything, that's what you've done, and I really hate it when people do that.

The early signs are promising, for sure.

If he signs on for five years, reaching free agency, then by the time the contract is up we'll either be a first rate club or trying to salvage the rubble all over again. Just think, who else will be in their mid or late 20s by then - if they haven't come along to be a core group of at least a dozen first-rate players, we're screwed. 30/31 - Watts, Jetta, Garlett 28/29 - Melksham, Gawn, Trengove, Vandenberg, T. McDonald, Tyson, Bugg, 26/27 - Kent, Kennedy, Viney, Wagner, Hogan, Hunt, Salem 24/25 - Harmes, Petracca, Brayshaw, Neal-Bullen, O. MCdonald, Stretch, Weideman, Oliver Wow, looking at that, Hogan would have to be mad to leave!

I blame Misson.

Rookie spot only I reckon.

Valium

I think he tried, but Bail kept missing the target.

I'm not sure Dunn can maintain the structure that Dawes can. Don't get me wrong, I don't rate Dawes at all but after the St Kilda game I can see what the coaches are trying to do here.

Spot on bb. Since we improved the playing list we seemly cannot say "they played crap". Who's ego are we protecting?

He has the chance to play well and put all his politeness aside. A big ground might suit him but I hope he plays like its his last game because it could be. I want to see a fight from him,or several. i hate nice big blokes. get nasty Dawes.

Sorry Ernest but he gives us bugger all.

"Snedda's dies on the Job" The Truth Headline... classic

I can't understand the angst with Dawes....he isn't a match winner ...he played crap in his last game but we are desperate for a big body to take the pressure of Jessie and he has the nous & the body to do it. If he plays as he did against Freo then ok...bad call but if he replicates his form against the Hawks...great selection. We aren't a top 8 side yet....we're a really young side so play the bigger bodies & let the Frosts ...Weidemans....Hulett's develop at their own pace...2017 perfect for the latter two....on this forum we are so harsh to judge & then it's okay to post an abject apology when proven wrong. Dawes won't be there in our future but I'm happy to use him for all the above reasons. Like it or not but you can bank it....hogan loves dawes on the ground..

to put it more simply the MFC was in such a shambolic state that we needed a bomb proof coach to hold the line whilst we rebuilt our list, our game plan and our commercial operations. $4.5 million very well spent.

When my 9 year old Daughter, who is a survivor of Leukaemia got out her Trumpet, after the match and played a couple of renditions of "the grand old flag" which she had only taken upon herself to learn 3 weeks earlier. She wasn't busking but several supporters opened her case and started putting money in...I was the most surreal experience as she is not very good...yet on this occasion...so fluent...so proud...

Round 1 this year against GWS. My partner and our 5 children sitting behind the Stynes family.

It's been a really great experience this year watching Jack play well and really enjoy his footy. You can see it in him now, there's no hesitations or flinches of doubt, he's backing himself to win contests and kick goals. Great to have you on board till 2019!

Jack has set an example of honesty and loyalty that stands up alongside the likes of the Hawthorn OAPs. Hopefully it will prompt the likes of Tommy Mac & Hogan to display similar qualities. For one who has been the target of no end of sniping and disrespect from coaches and supporters for so long, it is amazing that all he has to say about the club is positive. Good on you, Jack Watts. You have been an absolute beacon during the dark times.

I'm not worried about Hogan any more because we've always got Dawes.

There was "no way" we could have beaten Geelong at Geelong ............................