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Just to let you all know, I've officially refunded my Geelong membership and have order my Melbourne membership ? Carn the Dee's!

I got there at closer to 10:30, so no surprise if I missed a few but: Missing: Lewis, Hibberd, Wagner, McDonald, T Smith, Hannan, Keilty, Flippers, Mitch King, DJ, Tyson, Jetta. Laps: Pedersen, JKH. Oliver doing sprints up the side line. Sprints and towing a sled behind them: Viney, Vanders, Trenners. These three guys look strong and fit. You barely notice the sled with the weight dragging behind Viney. The rest started in smaller drills and then were doing some full ground ball movement. Getting the ball under pressure from one end and working it all the way up to the other before swapping over. The usual standouts - Jones, Brayshaw prolific, Harmes involved with a nice fend off, Salem - so classy, Petracca's burst movement, Stretch getting out wide. Not sure what will come of it but Spencer's movement continues to impress me. He's running on top of the ground at least. Frost is such a zone defence weapon with his ability to break and intercept. Unfortunately, he's still a bit out of control when it comes to actually doing something with the ball. Right now though my choice for third tall defender isn't Frost and definitely isn't Garland. I'd be picking 44 and seeing what he can do. Ben Kennedy came back from AAMI with a band on his nose and a compression bandage on his forearm, think someone cleaned him up earlier in the session but he seemed fine.

How good is it to have Crossy teaching guys like Oli what it really takes. Hope Oli hates him but learns to love what he is going through now.

Choo Choo is the best midfield talent I've seen at this club in decades. They are not letting him relax by the sounds of it. Years ago we would have ruined someone with this much potential. If we get 200 games out of this kid we are going places. Not to mention the other guns. He has the best hands in close I've ever seen.

Good to see Clayton Oliver putting in the hard yards after coming back in poor condition. Spoke to Oliver's former Bushies coach and now current development coach at Casey and fair to say Goody and Misso were pretty disappointed. It wasn't the fact he did no running its more that he didn't reach his target that was set out for him. Its not a serious issue as Hogan and Nibbler went through the same thing last year, but just means they start behind the eight ball.

Great stuff guys i was in the cheersquad in the 70's as well, remember most of those guys now that names have been mentioned they were great days even if we didn't win that much. Some of my memories are meeting early in the mornings of gameday at the G to hang up the banners,having a little fire at the back of the old southern stand to keep warm some mornings,used to take home a banner sometimes to open it up during the week to help air it out and dry used to roll it out along the footpath always loved the MELBOURNE - MASTERS OF THE MCG . The cheersquad used to sit on the wing in the old southern stand , remember we played either Collingwood or Essendon cheersquad a couple of times and we won also the 1976 game at vic park, was so upset at missing the finals that year and a big fight in the field in front of the players race after the game the collingwood supporters were going off, Steve actually walked with me across the ground so nothing would happen to me, think i was about 14, good man ( still think Carlton lied down that day so we didn't make it !!! ) but also ripping up phone books during the reserves game to throw whenever we kicked a goal,the old duffle coat with Robbie"s name on the back and the old material cheersquad badges that mum had to sow on . I still have it, my son wore it to the merger match when i thought i would not have a team anymore , lots more i remember thanks for starting this thread so long ago but have brought back great times even if we didn't win that often and why i love this club so much . cheers guys

I haven't been there myself but have heard... Garland fixed up Hogan in 4 or 5 one on one contests. ANB training well and showing strength amongst some other midfielders. Oliver running hard and completing drills with Daniel Cross.

Sat.. I don't want to get into a pissing contest with you as i have actually hadn't mind reading your training reports. But the 6 to 8 weeks off Clarry has had off since the VFL grand final is plenty of time to get his fitness up to a standard Misso and Goody wants. He obviously didn't meet that requirement and is now doing work with Crossy (poor kid) to get him up to speed. I read last week that you mentioned Oliver had picked up the hayfever asthma symptom when first week of training had started. By then they would have done skin fold testing and thats when they would have picked up that Oliver hadn't reached those required targets. The Hey fever would not have stopped him doing the required physical work that was set out for him during that time off. Lets not forget that it was also mentioned in the MFC website that he turned up in unacceptable shape. What i also will say on this issue is that its not a major crime that he has turned up in poor shape. I read Lenny Hayes biography and he mentioned that in his 2nd Pre Season he turned up 7 kilos overweight from his footy trip experience of sinking [censored] in Mexico! The coaching staff gave him a bake and made him run lap after lap to catch up to the rest of the group. He never did it again. Just goes to show even the true superstars of the game have had off season hiccups and have come out even stronger. Clarry will learn from this just like Hogan has.

I'm not. I will still always enjoy my beloved Cats. But after watching many Dee's games, and the majority of Casey games this year, I know a lot more about this club and its players than I do of Geelong. Oh and when your best mate and brother gets drafted to them, it's hard not to change your allegiance

I loved watching that last year. It happened in the first game of the year against GC where Watts brought Hogan into the game in the last quarter and they both got us the win. Watts is as good as kick to a leading forward as there is in a game. I rewatched the final 10 minutes vs Hawthorn last week, Watts' kicking to a leading forward is near on perfect. Low, fast and cuts the angles beautifully. He also allows the forward to come meet the ball which a lot of AFL players haven't mastered and makes it much harder for defenders to intercept the ball. Hogan can also drag a defender out of the space when they both find themselves deep to allow Watts a mismatch as he often finds himself on smaller opponents for minutes at a time. Great dynamic between the 2.

Yes. Unfortunately, he won't be able to put in place what he's learnt until next pre-season. In the meantime, we get someone who'll be underdone all year, but perhaps more seriously in terms of finals etc., we get someone who runs out of steam late in the season - as we saw with Hogan, who went through a similar experience last pre-season, and has confessed as much.

I have started Airbnb (100 metres from the "G")! I give all my overseas guests a Melbourne scarf. They love it (and it cleans out the drawers)!

Would love to be proven wrong but Garland's not good enough to play for Melbourne anymore.

Agree Cards. There have been a number of really smart decisions made since PJ came on board. Keeping Crossy at the club being one terrific example.

Somebody asked me to, so I thought would give it a try, impressed my daughter, so a win on two counts

By golly, Hogan is looking fantastic on the track.

Melbournes newest member seems to like the scarves

Except me.

Long time reader. First time contributor. Too Saty and all the others who contribute to the forum and provide training updates, you are legends! Thank you very much. Always something to look forward to...... On the Oliver situation, I have someone on the inside. Think you might find that Oliver is on deliberate modified program due to his OP flaring up again mid year, last season, which he had before he was drafted. This being the case, it makes you wonder what the ceiling could be considering the levels he reached last season.

Rumour has it that while AFL Players Association delegates were gathered in Torquay today amid increasingly tense pay negotiations, one rank and file Demon is already on a pre-season strike and has not been seen around Gosch's Paddock for several months.

This is great insight into some behind the scenes intel on the team. Thanks so much DD, fantastic to read a little scoop on Clarry's progress and the reason he's in rehab. Certainly answers a few questions at last.

Just a word of warning, if and when Declan gets a game in the AFL side, I suggest you stay away from the match day thread, unless you are in the condition your name suggests

I am still at a loss, taking into account DD's information, I attended training on the first day Clarrie was back, he was clearly suffering from something, second session he had to pull out and after discussion with medical staff, sat down and waited for session to end I approached him, he didn't look well and said he was feeling crook, I checked with Misso and he said the same thing He disappeared from the next training session or two and then reappeared looking a lot better, I asked him after the session what had occurred and said he had been sent for tests and it came back he had asthma/hay fever and was now on medication, but the whole episode had knocked him around, I would be surprised if he lied to me in such detail He participated in the whole session or two after that, before appearing in the rehab/other group on Monday, as a lot of players including Nev Jetta and Dom Tyson have done the same, I didn't find this unusual I also have approached Macca/Goodwin/Misso and asked whether anyone was brave enough to turn up not ready to go, and all said no, including Macca, you ask him a question and you get an answer, as others attest, so I believed them I don't really care what you think SMJ, I am over the negativity displayed on here, some need it to be able to post, I watched Clarrie motoring around the field in repeat 400's the other day, didn't look underdone to me

Garland's problem is purely between his ears. When he is "on" he attacks the ball, runs forward & takes risks. Lately though he has just gone into his shell, he has become hesitant, won't take risks, goes sideways & backwards & fluffs his disposals. People have probably forgotten that in his early days he did really good jobs on the likes of Buddy Franklin & Eddie Betts.

H , Stafford has Gawn and Spencer belting into each other, he also hands it out, the mantra under Goodwin, physicality

The lesson learnt from the Doggies success tells us to not rely too heavily on any one player. They withstood injury after injury this year and still managed to win a flag. The idea that Max going down or Jesse doing his knee tolls the death knell is simplistic, unhelpful and frankly unrealistic. Good teams do not look at their list this way.

You can't argue with Satyr MW he knows everything......

I have been watching some of the highlights from this season on utube- one thing I noticed was the affinity between Hoges and Jack Watts. They feed each other and seem to know where the other is going. It's also obvious they are great mates. Lip-smackingly good.

Victorian road toll 1970 - 1061(population 3.4 million) Victorian road toll 2015 - 252 (population 5.8 million) I'm pretty happy with the changes.

Brayshaw was always admiring of "rigs" - He seemed to be always the older guying using a young man's parlance to demonstrate his currency

Still the best poster we've had in here since YZE Magic. Welcome to the fold D. Hope you enjoy the ride, it can get bumpy.

PD, i think you are overestimating him. He is at best the sycophant's sycophant's sycophant, but more realistically the sycophant's (x3) sychophant. If you follow my drift.

I was at training today, will post pics later, 2 things Hogan has modified action slighty, did 15 minutes of goalkicking from all possies including 50 missed maybe 2 and not too badly from my count. Salem starting to be involved with clearance and stoppage work as a mid

It's sweet that you believe everything they tell you. Think about it for a minute. Why would any club official tell you anything different to the information you got if indeed he had come back underdone?

bring back butch gale, mike williamson, indeed anyone pre-1980. lets have footy radio and TV where knowledgeable commentators talk about the game. cant we get rid of special comments and the boys clubs at each station behaving in their loud, boorish and matey manner. i speak particularly of the commercial radio where the standard is so poor. just getting nostalgic folks and thinking how awful it will be listening to these clowns next season.

@stevethemanjordan will be over the moon with this piece of news.

I remain hopeful Garland can bounce back and become a regular best 22. At his best he has much to offer. I assume the club think this also as otherwise they would have let him go. Something was not quite right last year, no idea what but he strikes me as someone who can lose confidence and when he does finds it hard to get it back. That said he is going to find it very hard to break back into the back line with Hibberd and Melksham coing into the side and Wagner in favor.

Could have made a fortune if the books were open on this. 100% predictable, but sickening all the same. We pioneer the bloody thing, but find ourselves playing second fiddle to the favoured clubs. Hope they play a nil all draw.

Don't waste your time.

Mate the clubs own press release stated that; "Oliver, who averaged 19.2 disposals per game in his first season, has had a slow start to this pre-season and has been training with the rehab group as he looks to return his fitness levels to an acceptable standard." That has come from the club! But I suppose you'd know better? ?

This morning I was at a business end of year function . The guest of honour was Rodrigo Teixeira (pronounced Teshera). Rodrigo was present with his wife, young son and baby. He spoke of his journey to Australia from Brazil, which culminated in he and his family attaining Australian citizenship. Rodrigo first came to Australia on a medical fellowship, as he was a surgeon in Brazil. He took up further training at our Royal Children’s Hospital. Now, he is Head of Reconstructive Surgery at the same hospital. He was the lead surgeon of a team that separated the conjoint twins; Krishna and Trishna See http://childrenfirstfoundation.org.au/2013/trishna-and-krishna/ But this morning, to top off such a wonderful story, Rodrigo announced to those assembled that he is a Melbourne Dees supporter, with the family of 4 being all members of the club. He joined up the youngest child while he was still in the womb. This is a wonderful story and I have brought it to the attention of the footy club and I hope they follow up. It highlights what is Melbourne’s wonderful multi-cultural community, which of course, thankfully, the AFL community has embraced. The fact that this great surgeon, coming from the other side of the world, to look after our kids and then becomes a MFC member is a great story for our footy club. I hope the club follows up The following link will tell you a bit more about Rodrigo’s story. http://www.rch.org.au/plastic/staff/Rodrigo_Teixeira/

Don't know about that. To have to stand up in front of the whole team and all the coaches with your mea culpa is not something young Clayton is going to forget in a hurry.

but biffo, for every "wasted resource" dollar they raise more dollars in revenue to send ministers on overseas self discovery tours and fund robo polling

Had the longest preamble to questions than anybody on the media.

Melbourne's debt is 52 years.

I'm over this thread, don't know what Oliver blew and don't really care. If my life was on the line I'd prefer a drunk Oliver, Simon Black, Travis Johnstone or anyone else with proven elite level split second decision making over some obese tom, dick or harry with no reflexes that is sober. But everyone has to obey the law and Oliver hasn't in this circumstance so let him cop his punishment and let's get on with it.

Thanks mods inherently lazy Me "Jordan, nice kicking today, do you ever miss a kick?" Jordan "Nah" Man crush today some of his kicking is sublime Viney VDB JKH and Trengove started to join in drills Spoke to Goody and Macca they are both stressing the physical aspects of the game, you hit and tackle hard

Also I'd like to add, I have seen a fair bit of discussion about he's ability to play at an AFL level comparing to his VFL performance. It seems like a lot of people were forgetting he was working a full time, very physical job, then training at close to an AFL level 3 nights a week for up to 3 hours, which would see him up to 16 hours a day away from home. Despite all this, he was competing on the same level and even sometimes at a higher level then the AFL listed players. In a full time footy environment, and 'touchwood' he doesn't get injured, he will be playing at a very competitive level next season.

Just FYI I have been advised that it is agaisnt MFC policy to talk about specific, insider player information on any publicly available areas. However, I 'think' he is really enjoying it, is settling into the workload nicely and already has been involved in some pretty amazing stuff. To be honest I don't think I've ever seen him so happy. He knows he is involved in something very special.