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Just wanted to start a new thread on Jeff's 2017 form. It's outstanding. He's in elite territory this season when it comes to small forwards. 20 goals, equal to the raved about Toby Greene and Robbie Gray. 5 behind Betts who plays in the highest scoring team in the league. 35 tackles, which is miles above any forward other than Charlie Dixon (if you can believe that) with 30. Betts has 22, Gray 19, Greene 16. Not only his tackling, just his pressure in general has been fantastic, honestly like a new player, he's always chasing. Was nothing like this last year. For me his most impressive games have been in our losses, hard position to play in and he's really worked his arse off in those losses. I thought he was falling away a bit last year, but it's time he got some acknowledgement for his form of late.

Bit of love for Sam over the last few weeks! Not only did he totally shut down a very good and in form tex walker but his rebound and ball use were also very exciting! I reckon he's had a break out few games and I can't see him going out of the side anytime soon unless he gets injured. Hes always athletically been pretty special, nearly as quick as Jayden hunt but key position size. Could be a fantastic key defender for us for a long time. And i really liked tommy forward so if he allows him to be a swing man it just makes us even more dangerous and unpredictable

I'm going to go further on my previous post... I just watched the replay of all our goals from the weekend (not hard to do after a win!). I counted 11 of our 17 goals where Jeffy either; - Kicked it himself - Had an assist - Pressured the opponent to give someone else the chance to kick a goal - Was in the perfect place and was burnt by a teammate (Pedo burnt him twice!) - Was running past the drop of the ball at pace, goal side of his opponent Check out our 2,3,6,7,8,10,11,13,15,15 and 17th goals, but watch Jeffy just before these are kicked.

Has really improved his goal-kicking this year, especially from set shots. 2015: 40.29 2016: 29.14 2017: 20.6

I swear all he does is turn on a switch then goes full beast mode. Love his aggressive style and intensity.

So we traded pick 23 for Frost, ANB, and OMac. And Pick 23 turned into Pat McKenna who we traded for in an exchange of unused picks. We got all 4 for no outlay.

Here you go guys. Fixed. The ladder if two-goal (ahem, 13 point) thrillers were reversed . . . Melbourne 8 7 1 111.9% 28 Port Adelaide 8 6 2 150.2% 24 Adelaide 8 6 2 127.9% 24 West Coast 8 5 3 112.9% 20 Bulldogs 8 5 3 108.8% 20 Richmond 8 5 3 107.7% 20 Gold Coast 8 5 3 86.1% 16 GWS 8 4 4 120.5% 16 Geelong 8 4 4 116.5% 16 North Melb 8 4 4 92.8% 16

I will blame you for putting the mozz on him if it all goes pear-shaped from here on in.

I know I've mentioned it recently but hearing Mahns say he used to get laughed at by agents when he called them, to now where he has agents calling him is such a better place to be.

Great addition to the MFC family My Carlscum mate is still furious at what happened.

I know it's behind the paywall, but for those who can view it (or know how to get around the paywall), the link is here: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/melbourne/star-recruit-jordan-lewis-is-spreading-hawthorn-gospel-at-his-new-club-melbourne/news-story/5331da6c68b450060d13cb5f7b6e76fc Basically, it just outlines that Lewis has been talking extensively to the players about the 'take less money' model that Clarkson used at Hawthorn to assist in player retention, which in turn will help us break our premiership drought. Great to see Lewis doing this and if we keep growing as a group then hopefully that makes it even easier for players to sign on for the right coin. With teams throwing money around, and with a few gun players (Petracca, Gawn, Hunt etc.) out of contract next year, this may help us in retaining players without going overboard about it. The article does say that we aren't currently under an salary cap constraints and with it going up soon we shouldn't have any problems retaining our players. What it may help with is being able to add further players to the list as well to complement what we already have.

Martin will go to whichever team offers the most money, which will be Hawthorn. And considering his fathers involvement within a bikie gang, I wouldn't want the guy anywhere near the club.

i think you badly over-rate this "passed him up in the draft" factor. players and their managers are not that dumb if we had promised a player we'd take him in the draft then reneged at the last minute, or said derogatory things about a player during the draft then that might be a bit different. but just simply passing over a player in the draft is of no real consequence

The club would be doing it's due diligence, but I don't think we're in the market for a 'gun' as such, but would be in the market for players who will complement our list. Who those are is anybodies guess. I know we could probably use another key defender, but outside of Steven May and possibly Jake Lever there isn't a whole lot of quality on the market. We will need to be clever with our strategies to land the players we need.

Frost has always had the look of an excitable puppy when he has the ball but I swear he made a couple of extra laps around Tex before running off him just to emphasise the speed difference.

True thing. When I chatted with Jesse's dad two years ago, the main issue they had with Jesse as a kid was trying to stop him burning himself out with all his training and physical preparation. After school he would apparently go for a surf, go to training then do a gym session and an extra run. He lived for footy, and the more he trained the happier he was, sometimes to his physical detriment. Much like Jack Viney at school/underage footy, his dad also had to coach him in not hurting people with his physicality. I suspect we'll find that footy IS life for Jesse, and his idea of the best psychological/emotional and physical recovery will be to get back out there as soon as he can.

Provided all of the information released is correct, my son (a surgeon) and my wife (a GP) both believe that he might be right to go sooner rather than later given his strength and physical fitness. He should only need some antibiotic to prevent infection, general pain meds to cope with the discomfort and a few days off his feet. My son admires Jesse's maturity and common sense in seeking out the doctor immediately and said 95% of young men, particularly young athletes, would have said "she'll be right" and waited until things got worse.

I don’t like it because it means Richmond are top of the ladder.

Just re-watched the 3rd quarter (because why not?), and just quietly, Frost had one of the most pivotal moments of the entire match. Two minutes into the third, no score for either team since half-time, we're still down ten points, and the Crows had one of their few moments of slicing through the centre square with ease, leading to a high quality kick inside fifty from Sloane to Tex Walker in space. It looked a mark for sure, but then Frosty closed the last five metres at speed, put a big spoil on, kept his feet and outran Walker to the ball, then turned him inside out and got a clean kick away. It was absolutely brilliant defensive work. If Walker had marked and goaled, we'd have been 16 points down, instead we took it up the other end (with a little pause for Hunt to knock himself out along the way) and TMac goaled. Classic two goal turnaround, and it all started with Sam.

Pedo to kick 6 and really stick it up his old side and for him to assert his new found dominance over North's massive ruckmen.

I was also amazed as a lot of people at the club and maybe their families would have known over the weekend and no leaks - as you say a strong club. And like you, Viney has gone up in my estimation and his position as captain, especially after I read this article http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/jordan-lewis-has-revealed-how-melbourne-responded-to-news-of-jesse-hogans-cancer/news-story/6e4082d3609c47e08756c4f1d47ab41e According to Jordan Lewis, It was Viney who revved up the guys as they were about to play and said "...to just go out and enjoy it. You know, play hard. One of our own is at home who is sick, who would love to be out here so take the opportunity and enjoy it. ... It was certainly mentioned going into the game that one of ours was hurting at home so if you’re going through a tough time tonight, dig deep.” Inspirational by the young captain. He led from the front in every way. And the team delivered for him and for Jesse. Equally inspirational.

His closing/take off speed is exceptional and have saved us on a number of occasions in the last 3 weeks. Great to see him have a clear run at it and he looks like he could be a very good long term player for us, a real key player in that backline to push us into finals.

I like your idea. I've often thought of how could Melbourne expand its member base. I never thought of the indians. Or the cowboys for that matter. boom tish! Some of you guys are quick to attack our esteemed Mr Dees2014. 40 year supporter is worth some respect. Rather than criticize why don't you guys come up with an idea to get us to 50,000 members. Nothing wrong with his trying, and it is bad form by the club not to reply.

Took me 10 years to read.

We need to keep this fellow at the club after he's retired as a player.

I'm an MCC member, so my membership is nothing more than a donation. I'm not rushing out to get one by Christmas.

afl execs get free international travel?

At one point Tex was having a bit of a crack at someone, can't recall who, and Frosty went up to Tex and gave him a little 'love tap'. Tex spun around to see who it was and saw it was Frosty, and left it at that. I think his number one attribute is his competitiveness, he hates being beaten. Some of his smothers this year have been incredible. Beyond that though, I think his size and speed instill a certain amount of fear in his opponents. Frost on Waite would be intriguing to watch, I hope it happens from the first bounce.

Still better to build a champion team rather than chasing a team with some champions. We're learning not to have to rely on individuals.

What an interesting comment: "The game of football is 120 minutes, and I might only get the ball in my hand for a minute, so what am I doing for the other 119 minutes? What can I do to help a teammate?" Isnt it funny, even though you may have played the game, watched it for years that is a great insight! you may only have direct influence on the pill for 1 minute in 120m of a game. What you doing the rest of it.

And how good is Hibberd? We have snagged one here.....

I agree with all of that except McDonald forward. McDonald forward can work well as an element of surprise, but I don't see it as a set position, or his best position. It's a handy ploy on occasions, but more mid game. Frost has been a revelation recently and is becoming pivotal to the backline.

Oh yeah and please keep Bernie in the mid field or forward for the most part. I think he can be an effective sweeper down their on occasions, but I don't think it's his best role and the backline functioned so well on the weekend in his absence, why break away from a winning formula.

Gawn just mentioned he is aiming to be back for the Pies or the Bulldogs

It's not only the number of tackles but how he tackles is what I've really liked from him so far. When he tackles the opposition they are almost always brought to ground and either the ball spills free or we get a stoppage inside the forward 50 and very rarely do they get a clean possession away.

They had a topic on 360 discussing how "unlikely" it was at the start of the season that Yeo would be leading the Coaches award. Yeo is playing in his sixth season with 92 games. Oliver is 7 votes behind Yeo in third place. He's playing in his second season with 21 games. I couldn't help but think Gerard and Robbo were overlooking the more unlikely event. Yeo might be unlikely. Oliver is defying all logic.

"Figure out Aussie Rules footy" Enjoy a uniquely Melbourne experience with an afternoon of AFL at the MCG!Aussie Rules football is a huge part of Melbourne’s sporting culture, and the mighty Demons (Melbourne Football Club) want you to catch the fire! They’ve organised an AFL familiarisation event for uni students who are intrigued, but can’t quite make sense of, the game – or just looking for a fun and active way to spend a Sunday.Come along to a Footy 101 workshop, starting with a game intro, an active session on the field, then head over to the MCG to watch the Round 9 game between the Dees and North Melbourne, enjoy some ‘traditional’ footy fare, and a beer if you like. ALL FREE.Sunday 21 MayArrive from 11.45 for a 12-1pm hands on session:Gosch’s Paddock (Corner of Punt Road and Olympic Boulevard, East Melbourne)www.mopt.com.au/about/sports-precinct/goschs-paddock/Register to attend:www.melbournefc.com.au/fans/engaging-melbourne Looks like the football club is trying to attract international university students as this was posted on the University of Melbourne home page. Could this be the way we end up cracking 45k next year?

40463

And how much moaning was there at the time of it being "overs"? I wonder if anyone wants to try and defend that position now. We drafted ANB and OMac with the picks we received. So our two staple key defenders and a useful flanker, all for the bargain price of a second rounder.

We'll need more than the win against Adelaide to attract players of Lever and May's quality. There were a multitude of contributing factors as to how and why we were able to land Lewis so I hope posters don't feel the need to use him as an example. We're definitely in the conversation for target players now but as far as Martin and Kelly go, we'll be behind a handful of clubs. St Kilda for example will have two first round draft picks this year. Theirs and Hawthorn's so they'll have some serious bargaining power. Whilst our injuries have been unfortunate, they're definitely not as bad as some on here have said. We just won against near full-strength Adelaide at their home coming off a shocking loss. We won because of the way we played over four quarters. And we won without all those players that poster's said we sorely miss. We need to continue to play the way we did against Adelaide if we want to be in the market for any serious talent. Especially given how even the comp is atm. But like Wiseblood said, we need to fill holes rather than go hard for established stars. All energy should be put toward making stars out of our own young talent. A key-back and some class and foot-skills through our midfield is all we're lacking. I like Stretch, but not as much as some. He is nowhere near damaging enough with his disposal and I reckon we could do with a hard-running winger with elite foot skills.

The midfield pressure on the guy with the ball is a key to this. High up and under kicks under pressure makes life easier for defeners. Check out the first qtr, Hibbs had a heap of intercept marks and spoils because of this.

Now do classical gas.

How about we actually just win the games Then what is ... IS and not what if !!

Has really cleaned up his disposal/decision making, has always been an amazing athlete, will be very dangerous for us He has been outstanding!

Certainly was, and a winning and pressuring midfield and half forward line helped their cause too. Very few "easy" entries.

Logical matchup for Waite this weekend, who has stitched us up a number of times in the past. I felt the backline looked as strong as I could remember against Adelaide. Long may it continue.

He's always had my love. In fact, despite some pretty stiff competition these days, he's possibly my favourite player.

Until this year I wasn't super confident when he had a set shot but he seems to have really improved there! I reckon he's going to have a massive game at some point and blow it open

Love him. Good on ya, Jeffy. Reckon he's even better than his first year with us. That's a terrific stat that tackle stat. Very impressive.

I actually think we're a sneaky chance to steal a flag this year. How's that for optimistic? The responses are predictable, but our best footy is as good or not better than anyone's this year, the harder-nosed teams are mostly languishing down the bottom, and we have home-ground travel advantage over the fancies. GWS are also as young and as inexperienced as us in the big dance. The problem is making the 8, and hopefully avoiding a trip to WA.