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It'll be refreshing hearing the commentators talk about his basketball background.

Dunn and Garland were dropped because they couldn't or wouldn't play the game plan that the FD required. The conventional wisdom in this thread in favour of dropping Oscar was that he should go back to the VFL to learn his craft. Who from - Dunn and Garland? As others have posted, back line cohesion is a key factor and the only way to get that is by playing together. Oscar showed at AFL level that he is prepared to play the way the FD required and despite his need for physical development that's why the FD has persisted with him and now that Tom, Sam and Oscar have played together for a period it's bearing fruit. Posters would benefit from a bit of patience and taking the longer view. I think there are differences between back line and forward line play and that's why the FD have persisted with Weed and Hulett at Casey where they can work on the individual development.

Come on man, surely you have some left.

Tracc, Watts and Maynard would've got us gold in Rio.

PM me and I'll sort that out for you .

To the people saying that it will somehow be better to miss the finals than make it, just know youre in good company - Damian Barrett said the same thing It is the stupidest thing I have ever heard

Exactly! First week, destroy Carlton for a percentage boost. Second week, put Geelong to the sword on their own turf. Question is, who do we bring in for WCE in Perth? It's a big ground.

For the first time in a very long time I am genuinely sad for players who are missing games because they can't break into the team despite very good VFL form. It's great.

When we destroy Carlton & the Roos get a kicking by the Swans, this place is going to be mental.

So twice in a generation talent?

I would be mortified if we are focusing our attention beyond on this week. The Blues have had a knack of beating us no matter how well we are doing or how badly they're going.

Good interview with our skipper in waiting.

Corey Maynard obviously has some excellent AFL attributes, having been chased by at least four other clubs. His preferred destination is the Dees, which is testament to our Club and where we are now seen to be heading. I doubt he would have chosen us 3 or 4 years ago, despite the family connection. Seems like very astute use of the Category B rookie arrangement to me. Love you Dees!

Hawthorn won a flag ahead of schedule, look at the devastation that has caused their club. The Hawks might never recover from that 2008 flag. Best we miss out this year.

Either way this year has been a success. We have shown to potential recruits that the form is there and that we will be a good side next year. If we do make the finals we earn valuable experience and also more media exposure. If we don't we start preseason early and get more learning into our younger players, either way this year was a big one for the club. (But it would be really nice to attend a final)

Sooooo in the spirit of not getting ahead of ourselves... All things going to plan and Norf lose this weekend, we belt Carlton and get over the line against the Cats. I think it would be hilarious if a huge contingent of Dees fans (in our Dees gear) head along to the Norf v GWS game that night cheering loudly for GWS (besides Scully of course).

There's no schedule. We'll make finals when we're good enough to make finals. Indicating concern about the negative ramifications of making the finals is peak MFCSS. At some stage we all have to stop assuming the worst is about to happen. I'd invite you to take to that step now. It's very liberating!

I think two important things must happen this weekend. 1) we take care of Carlton. Obviously, by more the better, but a win will do. 5-6 goals would be good enough. 2) a strong Sydney team peaking as they always do in the lead up to the finals with Tippet back in, spank North by 7-10 goals. I think a Sydney win is almost a certainty. They're brilliant at this time of year. We just have to take care of Carlton, however that happens.

Those saying we shouldn't make finals, because it'll give us the desire next year are crazy. We've had a great run of injuries this year. There is no guarantees that next year will be the same. Imagine what it would do for the club: memberships, sponsorship, exposure, fixturing next year if we are seen as an improving, exciting team. If we make it there will be teams worried about us. I think i read that Brereton even said that if we make it there will be 7 other teams worried about playing us. He also said that he thinks we're playing as well as any other team in the comp at the moment.

All I'm focusing on is that should the Roos result go our way this week, we are playing a game in round 22 to potentially play for a spot in the finals in the final round. Whether that last round actual eventuates to anything or not we should just enjoy the ride for the next week, not look too far ahead & have enjoyed the previous 2 weeks. After all we deserve it after the last 10 years.

I love Jayden Hunt. There I said it. This kid has been a revelation, one not many saw coming (from memory Redleg was a fan of his after seeing him tear it up at training last year/over preseason). Whether he gets a RS nomination or not is really irrelevant because he's going to be a damaging player for us for the next decade.

Am I right in saying we got Hogan from the Scully compensation? So really, Max's Magic chunder landed us Hogan? Is there anything that man can't do?

exactly this - we weren't ready in 1987. We weren't ready but we beat the doggies anyway and made the finals and then we weren't ready. We weren't ready in the elimination final but we smacked North by 100 plus points. We seriously weren't ready against the Swans because we only smacked them by 70 plus points. We missed out on a Grand Final berth by 2 points and a kick after the siren. Who thought we were ready to beat the Hawks two weeks ago ? We are young and relatively inexperienced but the first step to winning any game is being "ready" to win. After too many years of poor performances - I am ready for us to win this week and the next week. If we make the finals I am ready to face every game knowing that if we play our best we will win.

we'll grab his brother in a year or so too when the filth go into a rebuild after flicking figjam

The brother is starting to look like a player. We would have to have the best basketball team in the AFL by now for sure.

Some strange posts on this thread in the last page or so. I mean Hibberd hasn't even signed on with us and he is getting potted for not being fully committed. Jeez louise. And knocking his parents for encouraging him to stay? Please. I for one hope we get him as i think he will slot in very nicely on the half back line.

I've never encountered such bizarre logic. It has been proven unequivocally that finals experience is all but a mandatory prerequisite to winning premierships (save for a couple of "stolen" flags). How then is there such a concept as "bad" finals experience or finals experience "before time"?? Keep the focus on Carlton for sure this week (no guarantee anyway that the Swans do the right thing), but be in no doubt the objective is to play finals and go as deep in to September as the momentum roll will carry us. We could well be cruelled by injury next year and miss out on finals...who's to know? Get this young group accustomed to playing in September as soon as possible - it can only serve to feed their hunger, cement their belief and reduce the chance of them being overawed in subsequent finals campaigns.

Of course Purple would say that: he's the most one-eyed North supporter in the media.

I reckon it will work in our favour actually. Would give them a week to recharge/refocus after having to get themselves up for such a huge match in Round 23. 2006 St Kilda finished 6th & Melbourne 7th. Elimination Final played at the MCG.

What utter carp! If we make the 8 we make the 8. Mickey you are right ,and Martin Blake is added to the ever growing list of morons working in the media.

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-16/athletes-with-doping-past-tell-russia-not-worth-it/7722080

Just did the ladder predictor. Tried to give us the best case scenario while still being realistic I have us beating Carlton by 30 points this week, and Sydney beating North by the same margin. Among the other round 22 results I've got Hawthorn beating West Coast by 12, Collingwood beating GCS by 12 and St Kilda beating Richmond by 12. This puts us 1 game behind North, with their percentage (106.3) ahead of our percentage (106.2) by 0.01% The following week, I have us somehow edging out the Cats by 1 point at Simmonds. That leaves Saturday nights clash between North Melbourne and GWS. The Giants win a close one by 12 points. Meaning the Cats' consequence for losing earlier in the day is they have coughed up their top 4 spot to GWS. With a 1 point win we scrape past North Melbourne by 0.06% and play Geelong at the MCG in an elimination final

If anything is going to cost the team it will be the North loss. The quintessential 8 point game. We could have won the North encounter and only a bit of inexperience cost us - we certainly didn't play poorly that day. I believe that loss propelled the team forward anyway. The players started playing with real confidence and belief from that moment. The other point about the season is the amount of bad days that we've had ... I'd say we've had about 5 - 6 games where we weren't completely switched on. And probably only 2 of those 5 - 6 games were shockers. Again, you'd take that at the start of the season when factoring in that we were going to play well or very well in the other 14 games. 5 of our losses have included narrow losses to North & the Eagles, 2 x small losses to the Hawks & Crows and we weren't disgraced against the doggies either. It's fair to say that the win over the Lions was an average win but we've won 9 other games in impressive fashion, all things considered. One of the major factors that must be considered is how young & inexperienced the team has been all season. We're in bonus time ... playing with house money. A free hit.

I don't think they'll let him run...they'll want him to be able to run out the full four quarters of the grand final.

Pretty good quality considering TV had only been in Australia for 8 years. Check the commentary at 2.51 agree entirely, Barassi a gun.

And often the cheeky train driver, running the 4:38 to Blackburn, would cruise past the oval and toot the horn. People would often run on the ground believing that the siren had gone. I was there the day Barry Bourke took out Hudson. Hudson had 8 till half time. I reckon Barry ran 50 metres to take Hudson out. You can only wonder what the MRP would have done to him, if such an action happened today. We ended up winning that day, with Frankie Giampaolo kicked the winning goal from the goal square at the swimming pool end. Great memories.

If we win our next six matches, we are certainties for the Flag!

My Aunty, who is 95 and still goes to all our games at the G, saw Hassa Mann at the Hawthorn game and had a long conversation with him (she sure can talk) about his playing days. Wonderful player and a wonderful man.

Agreed. Garlett, Pedersen and Harmes played 85, 82 and 86% TOG respectively. We've already got Oliver, Stretch, Kent and Brayshaw who regularly play in the 60-75% range. I think the last thing we need to be doing is adding too many players with question marks over their ability to run out a game. For me, if Garlett is injured, Kennedy is the replacement. Notwithstanding JKH's good couple of weeks, Kennedy has been playing well in the VFL for longer, is fit, and has demonstrated AFL ability at times this year. With our season suddenly getting serious, I wouldn't be taking any risks. I'd consider Weideman for Pedersen, but I'm far from convinced and would be happy either way. No other changes to a winning formula for me.

Not going to happen I would think. 2 underdone players and one kid who is yet to build any endurance...along with Oliver still building a base. Even Carlton would be salivating over this prospect.

Barassi cribbing the mark. Fantastic.

For some reason in my mind I pictured all those questions being posed like a classic radio play cliff hanger with dramatic sound effects. Only thing you'd need to add would be a line like, "all these questions and more will be answers in another dramatic season of the....'Australian, Football, League!'"

No way they'd make a Dees vs Cats at Etihad. They'd want the bigger crowd Besides we'd forfeit anyway

As a loyal demon, where do I sign my pact with the devil to make this happen?

I was at that game. I felt like the Essendon loss shocked the team into waking up from the delusion that it was just going to happen and the Kangas loss showed them how good they can be when they are switched on (and how bad they can be if they aren't). That second quarter was incredible, and the first time I saw the boys completely tear a team apart. Your absolutely right, inexperience got us in the end. There were some extremely interesting calls, particularly related to Boomer, but mostly they got over the line because they knew what to do in the clutch. If we make finals we deserve to be there and should be there, I'm not afraid of us getting to the finals and being a joke. I just can't see the boys allowing that to happen.

The award is nice. It gives young guys a pat on the back and says well done. You might not turn out to be a superstar or play 100 games but you are having an impact on the game. I bet that Oscar will be focused on training but he'd be celebrating with the parents and brother tonight on the nomination and as he should be. There are about 30 other guys who played this weekend who were eligible to get nominated and he did. Now they dont all turn out to be stars (or play more games) and that is fine. It's like goal of the week - its a nice little recognition, it has a ceremony at the end of the year, and the winner gets to feel good about himself. I cant see a way that one of our boys wins it this year, but I'm very proud that we've had 6 of the last 36 nominations and that all 6 are playing regular senior football. Because at the end of the day, that is all we really want. That all our youngsters are good enough to play best 22 for our club (and we win more than we loose).

Something I've noticed over the last couple of weeks is that our handballs in close and to release a player out of congestion have been exceptional. There has been nowhere near as much handballing to stationary targets and the handballs have been quickfire releases from one player to another and another until someone is in space. This seems to have really clicked for us and is a sign of 1) higher workrate and players being constantly on the move around stoppages and 2) more confidence in their teammates to keep control of the footy meaning they shoot handballs off without hesitating.

Last year these players lined up for Melbourne: Grimes, Newton, Michie, Dunn, Cross, Salem, Dawes, Neal-Bullen, Howe, Garland, Lumumba They've been replaced by: Tyson, Bugg, O. McDonald, Jetta, Kent, Oliver, Hunt, vandenBerg, Petracca, Frost, Pedersen Half the team will be different. Salem is the only 'in' I'd like. While others talk themselves into being nervous about this game due to last year's result I take solace in the fact that we're a completely different team with loads more talent, a different game-plan and something on the line. I expect the Dees to win comfortably (although we all know what can happen).

Not worth starting a new thread.... How the f.... did Boomer Harvey just get a fine for a deliberate high shot to the head of Mitchell. Comical at best.

The boys were on notice last week having be unreliable in backing up after big wins. Another challenge this week agaisnt the Blues because should they relax they will be vulnerable. Not even thinking finals at this stage, happy with the progression and IAH as the old cliche goes not getting ahead of myself and just focussed on beating teh Blues this week, before moving on