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Apologies to those who missed the updates as I was posting them on the Match Day/Team Selection thread. I arrived as the team was doing their warm up and instantly noticed Viney, Tyson, Jones, Watts, Salem and Bugg were not present. Of the long term injuries only Vanderberg was there. Once the warm up concluded the team was split into several groups for some ball work. That is when I noticed Trengove in a group of 4 having a lazy kick to kick. The other 3 were White, Maynard and Vandenberg. That basically proved to me Trengove would not be selected this week. On the other side of the ground was Weed, Spencer, Ben Ken, Keilty, King and Johnstone doing some light drills. This also ruled out Weed. Hogan, Pedders and T Mac were competing in one on one marking drills with each winning their fair share. I thought this set up might be the one to go with up forward on Sunday. Shortly after, the team was split into respective positions for more ball work. Backs were made up of Oscar, Wagner, Jetta, J Smith and Frost. Frost looked unrestricted in movement but did consult the doctor pointing out his buttock area for a few short minutes and then was back into it. This drill basically consisted of high kicks and spoiling. The midfield set up was interesting. Max and Pedders would contest ball ups and the mids would try and win clearances. The players in that group where JKH, Lewis, Vince, Harmes, Stretch, Hannan, Oliver, Trac, Melksham and Brayshaw. There were two teams of 6 in this drill and they looked as sharp as ever. Forwards were Hogan, Garlett, Kent, ANB and T Mac. This was a simple drill of high kicks and some contested marking. Hunt and Hibberd were together in what seemed like a link up type of drill. One of the coaches would kick to them and in turn they would turn quickly with the ball and kick it to another coach. This drill lasted about 10 minutes. Next, they moved to a half ground match simulation. The defence as mentioned above lined up on the forwards also mentioned above. Hunt and Hibberd were also in this drill along with Brayshaw. The ball would start at the back of the centre square with Lewis usually starting the movement and the ball would move up the field quickly to the forwards. This pleased me the most, Hogan and Garlett were moving quick and looked sharp throughout. Hogan is clearly keen to get back in there and he was a sight for sore eyes. From his marking to ground ball winning he looked great. A lot of love for this guy from teammates and coaches. He was even dirty at himself for not taking clean marks and missing targets by a short distance, Jesse just breathes football. Simply awesome watching him train. The ball movement was crisp and precise most times and the boys definitely look refreshed and eager. To finish off they participated in a leisurely type of drill where the final link would be a defender trying to snap or banana a goal from all over the place. The whole team roared when Oscar snapped a beauty ala Buddy style from 40m out. Celebration by Oscar was great too. Brought a laugh to everyone watching this as Frost and Smith were trying opposite foot snaps on the run. Pleasant viewing. Players slowly made their way out of the track and stopped for endless photos and autographs. Whilst that was going on Brayshaw continued to run with Cross and was clearly putting in the hard yards. He participated in the whole session and still had energy to keep on running. Fantastic sight. Clearly the positives were Jesse, Gus and to a lesser extent Garlett in which he looked really nippy and clean with ball. Another positive is the team got through the session well and let's hope they replicate it on Sunday. Did I mention how good it was to see Jesse out there?

Never get tired of watching these all the radio versions of jacks goal, which 1 is your favorite I like the afl nation

One of the most pleasing sights was Gus involved in everything. The only one that has stayed back to put in the extra yards with Cross.

Can you add a little more context? I have no idea what you're talking about.

Good luck to big Hoges, he's had a really tough run of it basically since joining the club. Hope he gets a clean run of it now

Kent falls under demonland rule number 1. If you are out of form then you are never going to get back into form. If you were ever playing well in the past, the memory is now blurred and in hindsight you probably in fact were not in form. Your not in the best 22. Therefore you are hopeless and we should trade you now for anything we can get. Your strengths are not that good. Your weaknesses are terrible and you should resign.

Melbourne Footy, the person who uploads these videos, deserves lots of kudos for this. Constantly uploads great stuff to YouTube after every win and I've watched some of them countless times. Not sure if he/she posts here but, if they do, thanks very much for your quality uploads each and every week!

In light of the Tom Boyd story i think its sad what he's going through and i wish him nothing but all the best in his recovery and a peaceful mind. I read an article on Boyd yesterday saying how he's copped it since being drafted as a number 1 draft pick. I was taken back a bit because everyone has forgotten one Jack Watts who's copped fat worse barrage of abuse from members of the public to big media personalities. Do they not remember the round 2 Essendon game in 2013 when he was booed by 50 thousand people when he was subbed off?? If it was one person who could have easily put his hand up in the air and said "I've had enough, see you later" its jack Watts. Yet every week he fronts up with a smile on his face and just goes about his business as usual. My respect for Jack Watts has now gone through the roof. I admire your resilience mate! You'll always be a MFC champion to me.

Gold, Gold, Gold!!! We should all feel a tad guilty though, we partly contributed to his injured hamstring by watching it over and over.

Who from Casey did you think was equipped to replace Viney or Tyson ? We've got plenty of players in the senior team that have spent years in the midfield, but have been pushed out of the top 5 or 6 core. Players like Lewis, Vince, Melksham now get their chance and with Oliver, Petracca, Neal-Bullen, Hannan, Stretch, etc. it's not all doom and gloom. One thing I like is our speed. Hannan, Hunt, Garlett, Frost and Smith are lightening. I reckon our pace can really worry Carlton.

An article in the sun with the attendance numbers for all clubs. An impressive 4th overall. Yes we had Anzac eve and QB but considering the time slots we get given, and the lack of Friday nights, I reckon that says something about the passion at this club. Not that we even got mentioned in the article mind you. Would have had to have gone against the myth that dee supporters don't care. The article also spouted forth about how loyal the Essendon supporters are as there numbers are up 60% this year. To me that only shows how fast they fell off in a couple of bad years. The dees are in the elite bracket this year for support....and THAT is good for sponsorship as well.

Troll Jason Johannisen 24 hours a day. Those were the good old days.

It's a shame Mitch White chose that weekend to stay off the turps.

I know the 3AW commentary off by heart - I still get such a thrill watching this footage. I seriously don't think I will ever forget that day.

You would expect Kent goes to half forward which releases someone like ANB to play more midfield minutes. The same with Joel Smith, as that may release a Jordan Lewis or Bernie Vince to spend more of their time in the midfield as well. The selections do make sense.

Looks like the session is wrapping up. One of the last drills was a fun type where defenders would finish of the play by trying to snap goals from all over the place. Big roar from the team when Oscar snapped one from 40 out. Boys seem in great spirit.

24 players now involved in a half ground match simulation, Jesse looking mobile as ever along with Jeffy. Gus involved in this drill also. Weed and Trengove not in this drill which leaves me thinking Smith, Kent, Wagner, Stretch and JKH fighting for the final four spots. Once again Jesse looking really sharp and focused!!!

It comes down to duty of care mostly. Same way the AFL subsidised Ben Cousin's rehab (and offered the same support to James Hird). An employer has a certain amount of liability when it comes to things like this. And I don't think it's helpful speculating whether the victim and their family have been offered support (other than to project your obvious distaste for the AFL's current administration). I think you'll find it's quite the opposite because, again, the AFL has certain liability in these situations.

Need a monster game from Oliver.

Liam Jones will need to be more accountable with Marchbank out and Weitering and Ploughman suffering in game injuries last week. I doubt Jones will be able to run free all day with our talls Jesse, Tom and Cam or Max running around up forward. The Carlton defence also need to deal with Garlett and an inform Hannan at the feet or our tall guys. If we can keep up the forward pressure and keep the ball in our half it will make life a lot harder for their defence and a lot easier for our undermanned midfield. Also, Ed Curnow is still out and their midfield isn't as good without him. Murphy and Gibbs will need to work harder. Demons to win.

Jeez Lever is good.

Is Clint Bizkit posting under an alias over there or something??

If he has half a brain (not conclusively proven as yet) he will realise that he has been given chances before and it seems hasn't done what has been asked of him, and may not get too many more chances especially as some of our injured players return. If and when we get a fully fit list there will be quite a few disappointed spectators amongst their ranks. So hopefully he will run, run, run, tackle, tackle, tackle, and kick a bag of goals.

They are super confident on Bigfooty Carlton board. They are certain of the win. Would really love to pummel them. It's time.

I observed Jesse closely today at training and the one thing I noticed, every time he took a mark where he needed more than one grab he would spend the next few seconds talking to his hands in frustration. Also when he missed a target by foot even by a short distance, same thing. The guy is a star in our eyes already but his willignesss to improve and minimise simple little flaws is quite outstanding. A Carlton friend from way back told me the same thing about Diesel Williams when he watched the Blues train all those years ago.

What about Hibberd's spoil that led to O Mac getting it to Harmes and then to the golden boy?

Agreed Lucifer. Very disheartening for Jack. One can only imagine how discouraged he must be feeling and what it must be doing to his psyche and confidence levels. It does seem similar to the Grimes situation. Coaches and selectors have to make tough decisions but it seems harsh. There are no rumours about Jack's attitude to it all, so it either says a lot about the man or the nature of the interpersonal relationship between coach and player.

As with others, both Weids and Trenners on light duties at training because of their game tomorrow. The rest, including the 23rd carry over, all trained well - basically a technique session for most of them - plenty of snaps by our forwards and preparation on crumbing and giving for the little guys. From my reading of changes: Hoges replaces Bugg as a leading forward - this time we go bigger up front as T-Mac and Pedo also part of six-man forward rotation with Kent, ANB, Jeffy and Trac/Hannan when resting. Smith replaces White in back seven rotation (six plus on on bench). Hunt replaces Vince (used on ball). Lewis and Vince and Trac to get more minutes in core midfield with Oliver and Gawn. JKH on the outside with Stretch and Hannan. Unclear yet whether 23rd is Wagner or Stretch/JKH or Jeffy. Given Jeffy seemed to get through, my guess is we will remove Wags but it could be Billy? Given we have lost our two midfield lifebloods and our two best kicks, it's amazing how sharp and vibrant the place was this morning. Maybe we weren't mentally beaten up by the Swans after all. The good thing is that this is almost our most balanced side since Round 1 and almost our quickest since that game.

I think the Media have taken a low key approach on Hogan out of respect and care for him, and at the request (or lead of) of the Club. You'll notice the MFC has hardly made mention of Hogan's return and the players and coach(s) when talking about him in response to media questions, have largely played a dead bat to their questions... ... and I think its the right approach, as it removes any pressure on Hogan to do or perform at a level that he may not be mentally or emotionally able to do, yet.

Split into respective positions now. Max and Pedders contesting ruck battles with the midfield trying to win the ball in a clearance type of drill. Hannan, Vince, Oliver, Trac, Stretch, Lewis, Melksham, JKH and Harmes make up that drill. Hunt and Hibberd working on their own as this looks a link up type of drill. Tmac, Kent, Hogan, Garlett and ANB are the forwards. Frost, Wagner, Smith, Jetta and Oscar the defence.

Carlton are the worst clearance side in the comp. They have good players in there, yes, but they're also one of the worst contested ball winning sides. This is why they're 16th. We saw against Sydney that losing Viney alongside no Jones is huge but the deficiency was larger than those losses alone. We simply didn't get enough from most of the team in this area and almost everyone was down 2-6 CP on their season average. This makes a huge difference. If everyone plays their role and matches their season output thus far I don't see how Carlton gets close. The hyperbole in this thread about our injuries is just insane. We beat the Eagles in Perth without a KPF and with 3 guys running around on 1 leg. We smashed Adelaide without a ruckman or KPF. Midfielders are a dime a dozen. We've won games this season in far more dire circumstances structurally. People need to get a grip.

Sorry 'puntkick', but I wouldn't mention Sam in the same breath as Graham Kennedy.

I don't mind league teams but last night without roosy it was really really bad, they all just waffled on about crap, at least roosy knows what he is talking about

I thought it was poor form to take Jack to Perth on the bench in the pre season game vs Eagles and then not give him a run. If ever the club wanted to assess him at something close to AFL level that was the game - really not much at stake. It amazes me how he keeps his chin up sometimes. All credit to him. Last year the club kept nominating Grimes in the squad but rarely got a game. It became embarrassing. Hope the same doesn't happen to Trengove - he deserves better, I wish the club would play him or not nominate him in the squad.

Nobody else left could lift the boys with a rousing pre-match speech like Big Max imo

Yeah, it’s a shame – but he’s finished. If he can’t get any more than 15-20 possessions a game at vfl level he’s never going to cut it at afl level. By comparison the likes of Melksham, Bugg, JKH, ANB, Kent and Kennedy are regularly getting 30-40 possessions a game at the lower level. Based on the small sample I saw in two vfl games He can't hit targets regularly by foot and he doesn't do enough defensively.

Jones, Viney, Lewis, Tyson aren't quick.

Exactly what I was thinking, AFL Nation was the only one that mentioned he did well.

Exactly. It's the same line wheeled out every time. We don't even have a general idea what they want him to work on. Is it attack, defence, disposal, decision making..?

You are correct with all those things if JKH was coming back into the lineup as a small forward again. Thankfully he's not, he's coming in as a midfielder - huge tank, thumping kick, nice evasive skills and is coming off several weeks of working hard to effect clearances and tackles. Deserves his chance and you might have to reappraise. Perfect player for marking Murphy, SPS or Cunningham.

Kent gets a bit of a beating on here, so will I be run out of town if I say I don't mind him? I like his pace, goal sense, kicking and ability to create scoring opportunities by using his pace to get it over the back. If he could bring some intensity and (vastly) improve his defensive pressure I think he could be in the best 22. I'd like to see him get another go at it.

Or perhaps they like the idea of all 3? I can't wait for the day you have to eat humble pie.

Just reading the Carlton forum and they are worried about their lack of height in defence with the inuries they have. This could well be right....

Tis a shame they didn't exercise that same care before employing the dlckhead !! Has form..So ah...the AFL wasn't concerned then ?? SO yes, the AFL now have to continue with their 'obligations" They have strange priorities this AFL

As much as losing Viney and Jones is deflating for the team...I reckon having Hoges back will really lift them. Ive almost forgotten how good he is.

Perhaps you're forgetting that Jimmy on his deathbed in his own home asked Tommy if he was staying for list management reasons. Outside Tommy said yes. Why else do you think he's the most despised person on this site. You can take your your thoughts to the cleaners Go Dees

Just be himself and train hard. Opportunity offers the brave.

Wow bit of a slip up there if true, I always wonder whether they already know the changes when making the squads and that usually it's minimal changes to the first thought. Also a tad disappointing, though not surprising, if Trenners missed out.

Petracca, Lewis and Vince will need to play the whole game in the midfield if we are a chance to win this. Huge week for our 2nd tier mids too - looking for Harmes, ANB and Stretch to step up.