Leaderboard

Siren sounds with Casey winning by 5 goals. Casey Scorpions 0.4.4 4.7.31 5.10.40 11.20.86 Box Hill Hawks 2.4.16 3.4.22 7.7.49 8.8.56 Goals Casey Scorpions Kennedy Pedersen 3 Michie Terlich 2 Spencer Box Hill Hawks Langford 3 Hardwick Spangher 2 Stewart Best Casey Scorpions Michie Kennedy Neal-Bullen Dunn Grimes Oliver Box Hill Hawks Howe Langford Mirra Willsmore Spangher O'Donnell Disposals Neal-Bullen 32 Michie 31 Oliver 29 Grimes 26 Scott 25 Kennedy 24

In good news, Collingwood VFL team lost today. Casey claim the minor premiership!

It's hard to know if Jack had any lingering psychological issues with his foot this year. It's possible that he was still protecting it without being fully cognisant he was doing so. A full preseason, his first in 5-6 years, is deserved. I don't think he needs to find much pace to be the footballer we crave. If he can get full confidence and increased strength in his take off lever (foot) it just might make the small difference required. We're only talking fractions here, even though some may think it's quantum. It's also not insignificant that Jack is a former captain and one of the most popular players at the club. From where the club has been the culture and fabric looms large. As for Picket's question about what position he'll play or who he'll supplant, it's not as profound as he thinks. If he's good enough he'll create a spot, if he's not he won't. None of us would have had Hunt in the team this time last year. Now he's a staple running off half-back. Creating a position or role is what the preseason and practice games is all about. If Jack can become that bit lighter on his feet I can see him in a Vince, Bartel or Jarrad McVeigh type role, where one minute you're a mainstay in defence cutting off a mark, the next bobbing up with a crucial mark 30 out, or shutting down the opposition's best mid. Trengove has the versatility to be a utility. None of Vince, Bartel or McVeigh are quick, but their first movement is better than what Jack has recently shown. Can Jack get those first 3 metres back? For the sake of one position on the list and one full preseason it's hard to fathom why anyone thinks it's not worth the punt. Even if you do think success unlikely.

What an utterly shameful way to farewell Paul Roos. I'm bitterly disappointed (along with every other genuine Melbourne supporter!). So hard to take!

One positive to come out of a game like this is that Demonland really comes to together and there's no bickering.

the right thing done http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-08-26/demons-keep-the-faith-with-jack-trengoves-new-deal

Personally I reckon Dawes would have swung it.

Salem our best player today.

A bloke I know cut himself while shaving down there. It got infected and he nearly died from arse-nic poisoning.

What a shocking attitude. It still exists. Pick and choose at The MFC No concern that supporters and Members have forked out good money to watch the last 2 insipid performances....

MFC = Soft underbelly. Add as many contested ball winners as you like. If the ball isn't bouncing our way we roll over. It's in the fabric of this club. Over the last 2 weeks we lost any ability to talk players into coming to this club by selling them the idea that we are a changed club.

Yeah beating Geelong in Geelong again would be horrible.

A minor point which is fairly irrelevant in the scheme of things, but would love to see Jack Watts kick at least 2 goals and hit 40 for the season. A nice little reward for a very good season.

Not the first time I've said it. Thank God for Richmond.

Dear everyone questioning if we've improved, Get your head out of the sand. We have had a percentage over 100 all year until today), beaten 2 teams in the top 8, lost to 2 others by less than a goal and another 2 by less than 4 goals. On top of that we've won in Adelaide, perth, Darwin and the gold Coast. Until today, we had only lost 1 game by more than 40 points, to Sydney before the bye. If you truly think we haven't improved, well go and watch a bit of footage from round matches in 2013 before roos took over, or even his first year in charge. Today was pitiful obviously, but there haven't been many teams this year that haven't been absolutely thumped at some stage. It's a long season, we've frequently fielded one of the youngest average aged teams most weeks as the older, more experienced players were part of the reason why we had been so poor leading to this year. We've drafted in some absolute super talented youmg platerzs, but these super talented young players are still young. There will be speed bumps in the road until guys like hunt, petracca, Weiderman, hogan, oliver, Brayshaw and omac get to 50-80 games. You don't just become a seasoned experienced player in your first or second year. We see it with mcdonald, watts and jetta who have all ridden inconsistencies until the 100 game stage. Go outside, kick a rock around the street for a bit and cool down , we have improved immensely under roos tenure and next year we will improve again with more training, more development in the gym and more Simon Goodwin led stability. Go dees.

I don't care about the loss, all I feel is embarrassment for Roos.

Terlich goals and the lead is suddenly 25 points. Casey will finish on top.

We're handing Roos his worst loss ever as a coach as a parting gift. I'm ashamed to be part of this club today. Truly embarrassing.

Yay, this discussion again! I'm looking forward to the Demonland off season so I can stop reading this garbage.

Remember when we beat Hawthorn and we were the best team of all time? Those were the days.

Glad to see Jack get another year. He is a talented footballer cruel led by injury . He could have been a champion and still could make a contribution. Judgements are made about a players use by date. Some are right some are wrong. Whose to say. Time will tell. However, some players bring something special to a team and the human fabric of a club. It creates culture and a belief in the essence of a club. Individuals make a difference to a club and how team mates and others view it. James NcDonald and Boomer Harvey come to mind. Trengove is a role model for others. He is what a professional athlete should be about. His return from injury is an inspiration to others. Jack is a leader and a great asset to the club. You do not lightly dispose of quality individuals. And if you do, it can have bad outcomes. Disposing of him now would have sent the wrong message to his team mates and ones sense of justice and fairness. In 12 months time, Jack may be gone. However, at least we will then know. And the decision will be fair. Patience can be a virtue and I hope this proves to be the case with Jack.

Jesse hogan is dating jack watts sisters girlfriend, I believe (Source: Watts's interview stated it) She is from Melbourne, if this is a serious relationship, it would obviously increase the chances of jesse staying in Melbourne as she is from Melbourne. For those saying who cares if he leaves etc, are idiots, He is vital to our future. Of course jesse has his weaknesses, hence why its his second year of afl for goodness sake. Yes his attitude stinks at times, yes his kicking at some parts of THIS year have let him/us down, but he's just going through a patch at the moment that will turn out best for him and us. This year has been the year in my opinion that will shape him into the great player he will become, as his weaknesses have been revealed this year and thankfully, they are minor issues that are very fixable. Just to give you a quick run down Jesse Hogan 41 games 85 goals @2.07 goals per game (2.1). In addition averaged 6.7 marks in his first and year 7.1 this year! Everyone puts such high expectations on the kid, do you not realise how good of a return this is for a young man who has just 41 games under his belt, and in every one of those 41 games he has had to handle the oppositions best defender. to put it into perspective ill Show you the return of goals per game of of the elite forwards of the competitions first 34-45 games. As you would all agree the following three players are the best Key position forwards in the league, at the moment. Tom Lynch: First 41 games, 39 goals @0.95 goals per game Buddy Franklin: first 34 games, 52 goals @1.53 goals per game. Also remember in his first 34 games he wasn't getting the opponents best defender! Josh kennedy: first 45 games, 49 goals @1.08 goals per game, yet again wasn't getting the opponents best defender in his first 45 games. Some will argue that I've only gone through the statistic of goals and kicking goals do not measure who has had a better first two years, well guess what jesse kills them in every other stat as well (Disposals, marks, contested marks, and so forth) Just remember key position players take time to hit there peak... And that jesse wasn't the only one that looked disinterested etc today.. There were a handful. He will get over all of these hurdles and become a great, hopefully of the MFC! (Not freo)

I have banged on about poor disposal for 10 years now. We got the ball today, but literally handed it to them. Many of their goals were just gimmes from us. Disposal is the one thing I am really worried about, because it was atrocious in the last two games. With decent disposal, we would still have won against the Blues and today, while still a loss, would not have been a massacre. What I find very disappointing, is that some of the guys I would have expected to dispose adequately, don't. PS. No doubt we have improved this year, the results speak for themselves. Unfortunately we finished with two very poor games, which leaves a sour taste in the mouth.

And beat us twice this season as well as everytime for the past ten years.

Well that has put us all in a good mood.

The players will find it hard to look Roos in the eyes. They saved their only 10 goal defeat for the year until his last game. And his worst loss ever. But despite this bitter pill I take solace in the young emerging group, which has quality right through it.

I haven't been so embarrassed since I was in Geelong for 186. 148 was boring. 186 and today's performance in a hostile, arrogant environment are the most embarrassing experiences in footy. Some of you who have sat in the comfort of your own home and probably turned off the TV at the end of the first can say whatever you like. You can say it doesn't matter. You can say we're young and inexperienced, but the lack of intensity, work rate and downright lack of mere effort was disgusting. I don't think the players quite grasp what it means to be a Melbourne fan. Today, they may as well have smacked me in the face and smeared [censored] on my back. This collective have a lot of work to earn back any respect I had for them before today. It was completely extinguished today. We paid good money to go and watch them play and they turned in that performance, without a care in the world. The only time we lifted our intensity and tried at all was when faced with a 100 point margin and even then we failed to stop it. The buck has to stop with the leadership group and our captain yet again.

You need to follow the brilliant Clayton Oliver who just marked and passed to Viv Michie for a goal. How Oliver is playing here has me stumped. Lead is 31 points.

What a bitterly disappointing way to finish the season. Gutted. I'm not losing perspective on what was obviously a big step forward season, and this game is clearly not reflective of what we have achieved. I need to stew for a bit longer before I can take consolation in that, though.

What a shame to end such a promising season like we have. Overall, great signs for the future with lots to work with - and plenty to work on.

Let's now all watch Goodwin's hair change colour and receed...

It is pretty obvious that Gawn and Viney are cooked and Vince and Jones are playing lame. I wish nothing more than Salem having a full run at it next year, he has a great balance of class and hardness. Bugg, Vanders, Matt Jones nothing but ok depth. If Hogan doesn't request to go home I will be more so wondering whether he can actually be close to the player we thought he could be. Refuses to lead or chase and does nothing but point and shake his head. This will get ugly but unlike most I wont let a game that means nothing at end of season to sour what has been another year developing in the right direction.

You'll have to get over your obsession with one position. Rampe - one position; Enright - one position; Shaw - one position; Laird - one position; Birchall - one position; Docherty - one position; Zac Williams - one position; Neville Jetta - one position ... If you don't think Hibberd is good enough that's fine, but I'd lose the concerns over "one position". Although I'll add that he came 4th in their B&F in 2014, which was a year they played finals. The description "foot soldier" suggests to me that you're not overly familiar with the player. At 27 he's in his prime. I've also never worried about a player's pay. I'll back the club to manage the finances within the salary cap.

If you've ever watched a Melbourne game, you'd know there are always three jumpers on the field. The Melbourne one, the other team's one, and the three guys dressed in green playing for the other team.

That should stop people being racist. Thanks Tex.

He is absolutely a terrific bloke and a first-class human being. About 10 years ago, a friend of mine was in a plane crash in which a number of people died. Miraculously, she survived, but suffered severe burns to large parts of her body, and the combination of that and an infection meant she ultimately had to have both legs amputated. This would be hard enough for anyone, but was particularly so for my friend, whose favourite past-time was running and competing in marathons - the loss of her legs was devastating. My friend and her partner had been involved with the Swans at this time, and ended up coming into contact with Roosy, who took a close interest in her recovery, which was a long, slow and incredibly difficult process. We see and hear often how players do the right thing by visiting hospitals, spending time with sick kids and the like, but for the most part, by necessity, these relationships are fleeting, one-off acts of kindness. There's just not enough time in the day for it to be any other way. In a way, this happened to my friend, who worked in Parliament House in Canberra - many senior politicians and other 'notable' people were around to support her at the beginning, but most disappeared pretty quickly and got on with their lives, as people do. Roosy was different. He stayed in touch with her, regularly checking in on her health and her rehab as she slowly tried to put her life back together and recover from the horrific trauma of the crash. His friendship and support was invaluable during this time, helping to keep her spirits up despite regular returns to hospital for more surgery and the painfully slow rehab she had to undergo. Ten years on and she's largely been able to move on from that terrible time, but she's still very close with Roosy and his wife, who are now godparents to her young son. My friend and her partner can't speak highly enough of both of them, that they're just A-1 people with a good perspective on life. He doesn't do it for accolades, or because he feels obligated - he does it because he genuinely cares, nothing more and nothing less. So yeh, I reckon he's a legend in more ways than one.

As I said in the gameday thread, it is possible for this season to be a success and for today to be disgraceful on all levels. There is unfortunately a lot more to these performances than the players seem to think. We may well have done ourselves out of a Friday night game next year (you can easily imagine the fixturing team at the AFL just saying to themselves "but Melbourne just lost by 100" whilst they pencil the 12-10 Saints and the "resurgent" Bombers in for Friday night games instead). Then there's the whole "destination club" effect - again, you can imagine players wondering how far we have come (I dispute any suggestion we haven't improved this year but not everyone watches Melbourne as closely as we do). Finally, there's the fact that we can't even get ourselves going for the final game for a coach we actually like. First coach we haven't been forced to fire since...who? I don't even remember. And that is how we respond? 2016 was a success. We are streets ahead as a club of where we were at in 2013 and, IMO, better placed than 2010. We have a promising list and a bright future. But we've inexcusably let ourselves down today and we as supporters have every right to be disgusted.

2016 overall feels way too much like 2010. This is what I'm worried about.

No way would he have played today, far too busy sorting through offers from rival clubs.

We really should just close this thread, forget this game and move on to 2017. Nothing was gained from playing thr cats today apart from reality check. Need more leaders need more maturity. Move on nothing to see here

Wouldn't have been an AFL season without at least one classic Melbourne performance.

So just to be clear. It's a game day thread. We're losing by 70 points with a quarter to go. And you're surprised by the emotion and negativity. Okay then.

What a way to finish his career. Well done to the pathetic gutless 22 losers out there today who have no idea how lucky they are to be representing this club and having Roos as a coach.

It's fair to say we've checked out. It's highly disappointing, but let's take a breath for a second. We are still the youngest side of the round and we've worked hard ALL season. Coming in to the final round with nothing to play for, while the other team is potentially Grand Final bound (which makes me vomit at the thought), and this is what we get. Again, it's disappointing, but let's have some perspective for a second. The one highlight so far is Salem. He's been terrific. Another good pre-season and he will be a seriously good player for us. Hopefully we can break even in the second half, but don't allow a game like this to cloud what has been a successful season for us. You'd be stupid to do it.

Footy is 90% mental. The other half is physical. Dees by 23.

Eagles win means Geelong are now playing for a guaranteed top 2 spot If we win they will slide out of the top 4 (as long as Hawks and Giants win) and have likely no chance at the flag. God that would be sweet!!!

Absolutely thrilled for JT, a deserved extra year. as for Pickett, suggest no-one take seriously a guy who was complaining about Juice Newton being delisted for three to four years after he was cut. This guy genuinely thought Juice was a gun. Pickett, showing how classy and knowledgeable he is, joined and started a couple of threads on the old demonology slamming Brad Green for being soft on the week of his 200th. History has shown him to be quite clueless on many topics, I believe JT will just remind us again how the fence is about as sharp as a plank.

Come sign Jesse and tell that tool Barrett to get fu#$@d. He is dirt.

I hope Jesse is watching how Josh Kennedy is going about it tonight. None of this running back hoping for the kick over the back, no sulking at teamates for not hitting him. Just straight straight up leading up towards the ball. An absolute A grade power forward is Kennedy.

Heath Shaw was 28 when he played his first game at GWS. How has that turned out for them ? Heath Shaw is their general down back. He organises teammates and uses the footy well out of defence. How often do you see him in a midfield rotation ? Answer - never. How often is Grant Birchall in Hawthorn's midfield rotation ? Answer - never. Hibberd will be a terrific mature pick up in a young team with an even younger backline.