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Surely Max is one of the big stories of 2016 for the Melbourne Football Club? With his knee reconstructions and other injuries, it took him a long time to become an overnight sensation but that's exactly what he became in 2016. Of course, I could be biased because I happen to be one of his sponsors and have been from the very get go after he was drafted. I even went out to Casey Fields to watch him play in his first game on comeback from his first ACL sustained in a TAC Cup game in 2009. Here's my picture as proof:- He's come a long way since then culminating in selection as 2016 All Australian ruckman and becoming a very popular and polished media personality to boot. Not many people know about his coaching prowess but I can tell you that whilst recovering from injury, Max took up coaching and during 2014 and 2015 he co-coached Ormond's Under 16 and 17s where he had under his wing a young convert from basketball in Lachlan Filipovic who moved on to the Sandy Dragons this year and was drafted as a rookie to Melbourne last Monday. Max also did some ruck coaching with him whilst at the Dragons. I also have a little anecdote about Max's coaching. As his sponsor, I invited him to a training session at my grandson's Under 12 team on the eve of the finals. The coaches were a bit wary at first thinking an AFL player might be a bit of a distraction on the eve of their first finals game but they were gobsmacked when he took over the training drills and ran them like a professional. He had the team and members of some of the other teams training that night, eating out of his hands. The boys won their final easily and needless to say, our ruckmen dominated (unfortunately, the lost narrowly in the grannie). Anyway you look at it, Max is a real gem and one of our big stories for 2016.

With the development of his game he got a lot more media exposure. On Demonland we had heard the odd snippet of his 'prankster' character. But seeing and hearing his quirky, down to earth, no nonsense humor and personality were a rare beacon in a world of overly engineered and robotic player media interviews. No wonder he has become an idol and icon, not just with Dees fans. I mean how could anyone just not love Max! Yes, a big story in 2016 and hopefully for many years to come.

You can also speak for most Dees fans living inside of Victoria who for whatever reason can't make it down to training. Thanks also to the mods for getting rid of the nitpickers who used to derail these threads by picking arguments at the drop of a hat and generally playing the fool. Training threads are much more readable these days.

Melbourne FC ‏@melbournefc 34m34 minutes ago When you challenge your idol to an arm wrestle Andrew and Wes: 2 @jackviney7: 0 #myheartbeatstrue 1 reply2 retweets10 likes Reply 1 Retweet 2 Like 10 More

Got there closer to 10 and no Hogan and I didn't see Hannan, Maynard or Flippers. Rehab group as standard; Viney, T Mc, Pedda, JKH, Vanders, Trenners, Mitch King. Restricted group pulled out of the main drill for running and skills; Lewis, Oliver, DJ, T Smith, Keilty, Wagner I'm interested in how long Lewis is staying out of the main stuff. They seem to be really pumping the work in to him with the rehab group. Maybe management after years of finals footy, maybe a change of role to an outside player and they just want him fit. One for Saty. Oliver (who had been in the main group) and Lewis were running repeat sprints when the rest of the rehab group had finished up, with Oliver a slightly lesser distance. Working hard. DJ impresses me. Kicks low and hard. Leaps for marks and takes it out in front. Reminds me a bit of Jamie Elliott from the Pies. Keilty has some spring to his movement and a neat kick. Smith isn't overly tall (obviously can play above his height) but does move well enough and can kick on both sides. There was a drill where the 6 in the restricted group paired up and took a few reps before swapping over of leading out from the square whilst the other gathered a loose ball and kicked to the lead. It was really nice to see mostly well placed and penetrating kicks hitting leading targets. No pressure but still good to see. Tyson hopped off at one stage but it appeared it was just to get what I assume are blisters tended to and then he was back in. Seems a very common ailment with others doing the same. The main group went from multiple series of in tight drills to full ground team ball movement. Ben Kennedy slid in with a perfect bump above knees to skittle Frostly who jumped back up and kept competing. Was very willing. I'm often critical of him but Spencer was starting to resemble an AFL footballer today. I'd say after a long build he's now got the right AFL body that resembles Gawny. Plenty of strength without looking heavy and appears balanced. He was presenting for the ball and moving it on nicely in the main drill. Doesn't always come off but Watts receives the ball in drills looking towards the corridor, when so many others focus first on going wide. In the main drill McKenna doesn't panic and backs himself to kick on both sides. Joel Smith impressed with his leap for aerial contests and a perfectly timed sprint up the middle to intercept an attack. Hibberd is powerful and calm but also one of the first to have hands on hips and sucking in the big ones. To be a big negative: Jeffy Garlett was getting out in space and running with the ball but a lot of kicks keep bouncing in front of the intended target, in match simulation and smaller drills. It's just laziness that needs to stop. ANB has a habit of just rushing to give or receive the footy, he induces fumbles, just needs more timing, he was better as it went on. Petracca is a little but unsure when in the back half. He wants to move everything on. Watts kicked to him at half forward and the ball was touched and then play on. Tracc did his best to avoid tackles but about 3 of them got him down and piled on him! There was plenty to like and it was a high intensity fast paced session for December.

A truly heartwarming picture. For those who don't know of 'Starlight', it is a foundation that helps make wishes come true for very, very ill kids. See more of their wish granting here:https://twitter.com/Starlight_star and if anyone feels like putting smiles on the faces of other sick kids by having their wishes granted, donations can be made here: https://starlight.org.au/donation-form Sorry if this post is classified as 'derailing a thread'. Will leave it to the mods to decide whether to remove it. Edit: It seems young Andrew has the vary rare Infantile Refsum Disease. There is a delightful video clip of him running with the team in this article about JV. http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/melbourne-players-work-up-a-sweat-in-gruelling-training-session/news-story/7bcc784d03e6ff36188431fd0365f11f And the beaming photo with his idol, Jack Viney is priceless!

The young Make A Wish supporter was befriended by Jack Viney late in the picture and was surrounded by cameramen, so expect to see some News reports this evening. Jack arm-wrestled the kid and then hauled him up on his shoulders. On Weiderman, yes he is still lightly built by AFL standards, but athleticism is excellent. He is busting a gut during training and will take another step in 2017, however, I don't expect him to play every game, 10 or 12 would be more likely. I saw Lewis get really down on himself for not hitting a leading target on his right foot. He immediately sent a sizzling pass with his left at the next opportunity. Watching Goody and Macca coaching together was encouraging, to say the least. Goodwin is very clear in communicating what he wants / expects from the group. Macca keeps working away at the finer detail... "arch your back and kick through the ball, Frosty, don't just caress it... Save that for Sunday nights!"

ALIAS SMITH AND JONES by Whispering Jack It was back in the early 1970s that an American television series, "Alias Smith and Jones" about a couple of fugitive con artists on the run in the Wild West, gained a cult following among viewers. With Melbourne's recent additions to its rookie lists, the time is ripe for a reprise of the Smith/Jones combination at the club that could bring as much entertainment to the fans as did the two likable fugitives in the days of old. We all know about skipper Nathan Jones who, following the departure of Lynden Dunn to Collingwood, assumes the mantle of the longest running member of the team. Jones was selected for Melbourne in the 2005 AFL National Draft and made his debut against the Western Bulldogs in Round 17, 2006 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and then played the remaining eight games of that season. This means that he is the only current player to take part in a finals game for the club as he was a member of the the team's elimination final victory that year against St Kilda (its last win against them). Now it seems to me that when the Demons run out against the Saints in next year's opening round, Jones will have the opportunity to count on a Smith or two to partner him in their downfall in much the same way as the Smith and Jones partnership did to the baddies in the days of the Old West. The first of the Smith boys is a former basketballer, 20-year-old Joel Smith (191cm and 85kg) who was listed as a category B rookie player last year and spent 2016 in development with the Casey Scorpions where he played 13 games, mainly in defence. The athletic Smith who is the son of former highflying Demon and Kangaroo Shaun Smith, produced his best form late in the season gaining acclaim for his performance against Williamstown in the VFL Preliminary Final. He is highly thought of at Melbourne and has returned from the off season looking in great shape. While the club won't push him in too soon, it remains a possibility that the former hoop will join his captain for the opening game of 2017 at Etihad Stadium. Tim Smith - other Smith - arrived at Casey from Upper Ferntree Gully in 2012. The 192cm, 88kg forward kicked 31 goals in 19 games this year to take his career VFL numbers to 91 goals in 80 games for the club. Along with Joel and fellow rookie draftee Declan Keilty, Tim who is known as "Bull" for his hard attack on the football, played in this year's losing VFL Grand Final where he was among his team's best and booted three goals. He also earned selection in the 2016 VFL Team of the Year. Bull has come a long way since he arrived at Casey almost five years ago. Back then, his main strength was his marking but he was inconsistent and appeared very laid back, often drifting out of games for long periods of time. He almost went back to local football at the end of last year but he came back with greater application and the rest is history. Who knows what might happen next - the bull could become a cowboy and join Jones in ending his club's long-running losing streak against the Saints on 25 March and if they do, it will be about time!

There are always other posters such as DeeSpencer who go the extra mile to describe the drills, not my forte, I provide a bit of colour, chats, photos etc Goodwin and Macca are encouraging the physicality, and rightly so, it helps that we are now the beneficiaries of the 3 years hard work Roos and Misson put into building bodies Jones and Oliver were smashing into each other on Wednesday with Macca shouting encouragement BenKen got cleaned up yesterday and then got Sam Frost with a beautiful hit The non preferred kicking is getting better each drill. The fact that they have the footy out all the time shows where the team is at fitness wise, touch wood we will have everybody ready to go first session after Xmas I followed half the squad to the tan yesterday and after 100 mins of footy training Misso had them repeat running up the hill near the Bowl, whilst the rest who stayed had Crossy to deal with The photos I put up on Instagram were trying to show some of the 'new' body shapes enjoy

I'll start worrying when he is accused of attacking someone with a machete...

Yours too BBO. The relocation to Romsey was under close consideration for some time but the President discovered he had an allergy to llamas and the move was shelved.

Cheers again for all the training reports. I am sure I speak for most Dees fans living outside of Victoria, it is much appreciated.

Yes, the intensity was good. Kent collected Kennedy, front on, at one stage and left him a bit groggy. Someone brought Wattsy down pretty hard on the boundary, couldn't see who it was. Had a chat to Hannan, who is excited about coming to the club and is impressed by the list and the coaches.

CHANGES 2016: THE WASH UP - by The Oracle The first day of our summer brings with the beginning of a new cycle for AFL teams. The recruiting season is over and team lists are set in place for next year. There has already been discussion about the winners and losers over the draft period in particular but the reality is that it will be years before we can identify the real winners. I remember going back twelve months or more ago when the conventional wisdom among many observers was that the draft crop was not strong, particularly in terms of key position tall players and ruckmen. The latter group are often shunned in the main draft these days and unless they are very good, the ruck types will usually have to wait until the rookie draft. In many ways, the 2016 draft was looked upon as predominantly one for the midfield and smaller player. Moreover, there were no great standouts in contention for early selections with much wavering among the experts about who would go at number one in the AFL National Draft. There were clubs like Hawthorn, Melbourne and Collingwood who possibly saw the writing on the wall a year ago and not only traded out of early rounds this year but made little or no apparent attempt to get back into them. The Hawks' first selection was originally listed in the 80s but, after passes and changes to the order through the bidding process, it became the 74th pick overall. They traded stars in Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis without any apparent great effort to shop them around for better picks. The Demons traded out of this year's first round to get Sam Weideman last year and the second round for Michael Hibberd which meant they waited until number 46 in the latest national draft and the Pies took their first player at number 30. All three clubs had other priorities set for this draft and determined a long way out. In the wash up, this year's draft intake at Melbourne is certainly unconventional. After three or four draft periods in which they reaped some good young footballing talent, the Demons went unconventional in that none of their selections in either draft featured in the many phantom drafts, two 18-year-olds were picked (of which only one played representative football in the under 18 national championships). Three more mature aged players were drafted from the second tier VFL, two of them from the Casey Scorpions. The mix of player types was good and the club seems to have covered most if not all of its needs over the trade and draft period (including a developing young ruckman who was selected in that position in the TAC Cup Team of the Year) to the extent where it can make a fully fledged assault on the finals in 2017. Simon Goodwin should be pleased. The final pieces of the list puzzle were put in place with Monday's rookie draft. Here are the player pen pictures from the 2016 Draft Edition of Inside Football: Lachlan Filipovic 29/8/98 Ht: 199.5cm Wt: 93kg Sandringham Dragons "Big Sticks is a ripper of a kid, similar to Hamish Brayshaw in terms of his impact off the field in leadership. He is a very raw developing tall who has just come across to the sport from basketball. We think he competes really well and just needs to impact more around the ground. But he came on with that in the finals and had some very good games. Given the lack of talls we think he could get a sniff late in the draft. If he doesn't get picked up we would consider him as a 19-year-old. Needs to pick up a little bit of game sense having come over from basketball. There is a lot of upside." - Dragons talent manager Ryan O'Connor Strengths competitiveness, potential NTI: game sense, reading of ball in air Declan Keilty 8/5/95 Ht: 194cm Wt: 88kg Casey Scorpions "Athletic right-footer who kicked on in his second year at Casey, winning the club's Rising Star award and finishing third in the best and fairest. Also selected in the VFL team of the year. Spent the bulk of 2016 in defence but did some ruckwork and had some good moments when playing forward in the preliminary final against Williamstown. Came out of Gippsland Power. And with a well-rounded game he's going places." - VFL expert Paul Amy Strengths: versatility, marking NTI: speed, finding more ball Tim Smith 20/2/91 Ht: 192cm Wt: 88kg Casey Scorpions "They call him 'Bull' because of the way he goes after the ball - in the air (he took a handful of old-fashioned speccies this year) and on the ground (he enjoys a tackle almost as much as a goal). He's 25 but coming off a season in which he was named at centre-half-forward in the VFL team of the year, represented the VFL and booted 31 goals. A roughie to be a late selection in the national draft for an AFL club needing to inject some grunt." - VFL expert Paul Amy Strengths: marking, competitiveness, tackling NTI: running The MFC playing list now looks like this: PRIMARY LIST: Angus Brayshaw Tomas Bugg Sam Frost Colin Garland Jeff Garlett Max Gawn Mitch Hannan James Harmes Michael Hibberd Jesse Hogan Liam Hulett Jayden Hunt Neville Jetta Dion Johnstone Nathan Jones Ben Kennedy Jay Kennedy-Harris Dean Kent Mitch King Jordan Lewis Heritier Lumumba Oscar McDonald Tom McDonald Pat McKenna Jake Melksham Alex Neal-Bullen Clayton Oliver Cameron Pedersen Christian Petracca Christian Salem Jake Spencer Billy Stretch Jack Trengove Dom Tyson Aaron vandenBerg Bernie Vince Jack Viney Josh Wagner Jack Watts Sam Weideman ROOKIE LIST: CATEGORY A Lachlan Filipovic Declan Keilty Tim Smith Mitch White ROOKIE LIST: CATEGORY B Corey Maynard Joel Smith

I filmed Hogan at goal kicking practice about 10 days back. IPhone from about 30 metres so not that clear, but the run up was definitely smother. I got the impression that he had been working at it. Under actual game day stress he might revert to his old ways, however, I reckon he and a coach or two have had a crack at simplifying it

thks, wyl. just realised why i was confused. my previous employee used to have a kids xmas party at luna park that plus having a seniors moment - lol

The big change in Max's game in 2016 was being able to jump with confidence. Two knee recos can affect this. Watch how he often leapt over packs to take telling marks and reach for hit outs to team mates. For those of us who are old enough to have attended in 1964, the memories of the traits of the greatest ruckmen and tall players over the eras always includes their ability to jump. If you get the chance, watch Nicholls v Farmer from the 60's or Knights v Van Der Haar from the 80's - no pushing and shoving and scragging but pure footy contests displaying skillful positioning, timing and spacial awareness. As the second tallest player in the league, Max could leverage his height advantage to make him even more effective and damaging. When he frees himself from the ugly and pointless strength contests and relies more on his height and athletic skills, he will become an even greater joy to watch. Go Max!

All I care about for next year's draft is who will be available at pick 18 when we have our first pick.

Agree and it is a player from 50 years ago. I must say I feel differently about 2, but it is in great hands ATM.

For further discussion on "H" please refer to The SELL-OUT !!!! thread.

I agree (for those who live in regional Victoria too)

Wayne you are the bomb. Insightful, personal and informative with no superfluity. You and Deespencer are invaluable on these threads. Much appreciated.

Cards now Hibberds engine is up and running, his kicking is on show, you can be positive about that as well, one example one low flat rocket across field about 60/70 metres to a stationary Bernie Vince, slapped into his hands at eye height

Best "season" of preseason training reports ever? Positive, we're on the up, seeing Lewis in the red and blue, talent developing... Is it rnd 1 yet?!

Just a bit of colour from training, they had a young guy for Make a Wish today, his wish was to train with the Dees, so started with Goodwin, spent a bit of time with Misso, went with the squad to the run

MEMBERSHIP2017 27820 tracking at almost Feb numbers from last year

It turned up?

Got my 20 year certificate and pin yesterday... the good wife looked at it and said "is that supposed to be something that you're proud of?" ... as with anything football and MFC related I simply sigh and say "you just don't understand hun" Go dees!

KC have always appreciated your efforts and reports. Ive never quite worked out whether this arrangement is the best option for us ( MFC ) but it is what we have and I sense a new beginnings between the MFC and Scorps occurred last season with Plapp coming on board. I truly think its marvelous that come shopping time we DIDNT overlook our own back yard and smile to think some hard working industrious types with good footy abilities have been given the leg up form Casey to Melbourne. Well done and plaudits all around. Now there's greater harmony re game styles and direction between the two clubs this might result in even greater synergies than we saw in 2016 We once had great times with the Zebbies . I think we may now be embarking on a similar duet with Casey. Good luck in 2017...all in the family as they say

Spencer is insurance, a very, very cheap plan B. He is not a best 22 player if Gawn is fit - that is obvious. However, from a list management point of view, no top ruckman is going to stay on our list on the possibility of maybe getting a game if Gawn (the best ruckman in the league) injures himself. Some people seem to be of the belief that we need to have Goldstein waiting in the wings. Any decent ruckman that was on our list at the end of 2016 would have left the MFC first chance they got; cos they're not going to get a game while Gawn is fit.

Unfortunately for the world, understanding is not a prerequisite for breeding.

Gee it's nice to read that Hogan is home in WA and not have all the speculation on here about him returning home.

Usually just before Round 1 dc

There was a bit of advantage taken DJ. Wasn't the Gawn/Viney the No. 1 hit out combo in the league followed by Gawn/Jones and then Gawn/Tyson (I may have made some of that up but whatever the stats they were fairly impressive)? Max's best games though I thought was when he was clunkinking those big marks around the ground. He can bit be either "on" or not in this regard. Imagine if he could consistently lift his performance to near the level of his second half performance against Hawthorn. Clarkson said it was one of the most dominant performances by a ruckman he had ever seen. He was pretty much unstoppable

A large part of the key to success in 2017 will be our tactics to take advantage of Gawn's ruck dominance. He gave great value around the ground but I feel that we did not take advantage of his ruck dominance. I have no idea of what the required tactic(s) might be but if we can master them and Gawn can remain fit nothing is impossible next year.

Yes and GWS put a lot of development into the kid who comes from AFL heartland in Albury and plays for the Murray Bushrangers. His father Paul played for North Melbourne and Brisbane and his grandfather Bob played finals with Footscray. How much work are the Giants are putting into Brander who is with Bendigo Pioneers. Jack Powell is from Canberra which has had a strong local competition for aeons. Lovely. I don't object to academy zones per se but the AFL has turned them into a joke with the pretence that they're meant to help foster and develop talent in areas underexposed to the game.

Would have worked my arse off to see that happen back in the 80's

In that case, you can start spewing now RTG because I've thought long and hard to come up with my first 2017 Phantom Draft. 1. Charlie Spargo (Murray Bushrangers) GWS Academy2. Darcy Fogarty (Glenelg SA) 3. Jarrod Brander (Bendigo Pioneers) GWS Academy4. Jaidyn Stephenson (Eastern Ranges)5. Connor Ballenden (Brisbane Lions) Brisbane Lions Academy6. Sam Hayes (Eastern Ranges)7. Hunter Clark (Dandenong Stingrays)8. James Worpel (Geelong Falcons)9. Jack Higgins (Oakleigh Chargers)10. Jack Powell (Canberra) GWS Academy That makes three early picks available to GWS through the academy system assuming their zone isn't changed to exclude the Riverina District which isn't really being "developed" by the Giants anyway (and note where my picks 1 & 3 are playing). Here is an article about the GWS Academy that might be of interest.

This tweet of training today pretty much sums up the changes between last season and now... 0 replies0 retweets0 likes Reply Retweet Like More Melbourne FC ‏@melbournefc 4m4 minutes ago The coach reporting for duty @Starlight_star #myheartbeatstrue 0 replies0 retweets0 likes Reply Retweet Like More

Roos flagged this personally 6 months ago. Huge upside to declan.

Spoke to Macca about him, showed enough improvement in the 6 week mini pre season last year and consistency at Casey to be given the chance, think only scratched surface they want to see what full time environment can achieve Big lump of a bloke, managed to rip his training jumper to shreds in tackling drill

Had a chat to Sandringham club mate last night about Lachlan. Said has worked really hard this year as he spent his 17th year injured. Filled out much more and they feel he has growth left in him. Very coachable and a very good kid.

Anyway, back to the topic of a young lad called Lachlan... He looks to be a pretty good athlete and not the stick-figure that many young rucks are to start with. I suspect he'll wind up being a fairly hefty specimen. I'm not overly worried about his kicking. To my mind it's more his overall game that's the concern. If they can take the raw material and develop him well then he could be a great pickup, but right now he's got a lot of work to do to keep learning how to play the game.

Tell it how it is! He's obviously not quite AFL quality, but at times when Spencer has had to shoulder the load, he has done a decent job. I actually think he's not too bad as a tap ruckman, but his skills and work around the ground does leave a lot to be desired. Sidenote - after watching that highlight reel, Filipovic really needs to learn how to kick.

The young fella has only played the game for two years and he's found his way on to a AFL clubs rookie list. If anything, this fact alone shows the massive scope this kid potentially has. Handy basketballer and soccer player. Oozes talent and if Max says he's a hard worker then I'll back him in.

IN: Jake Melksham (in effect) Jordan Lewis Michael Hibberd Pat McKenna Mitch Hannan Dion Johnstone Lachlan Filipovic Declan Keilty Tim Smith OUT: Jack Grimes Matt Jones Dean Terlich Lynden Dunn Chris Dawes Ben Newton Viv Michie Max King Looking good to me

Read the blurb on club website Maxy has been working with him already at the Dragons, i'm satisfied

As any average or worse kicking ruckman should.