Leaderboard

Got there about 11:20. Stayed for half an hour or so. Absent: Viney, Vanders, Weid, McKenna Seemed to be a group doing about a 2km time trial. Tommy McDonald took the win, Jones not far behind, Bugg behind him, then a gap to Hogan from Lever, followed by a gap to Kent who did well fighting to stay ahead of Lewis, then Jetta and Fritsch (who went out with the front 4 and fell back) with a gap to Balic and then to Flipper. Gawn and King were running together as they have been lately. Lots of short sprints and changes of direction as well as longer stuff. The main group were doing repeat 200's. A rehab group of Garlett and J Smith in a pair and T Smith and Petty were doing longer interval runs. Hibberd, Melksham, Hannan were doing leading and kicking, as were Spargo and Baker with Crossy. Spargo looks like a very technically correct kick of the footy and can snap it accurately as well. Baker isn't as smooth, his drop punts can be a touch more up and under but not terrible. These 2 plus the 3 I named above did a kick to a lead, get a handball and kick a goal drill and Baker's easy change of pace was obvious and he nailed a very smooth running goal. Baker joined the midfield group, Hannan the forwards after they finished running. They split in to line groups. Chaplin again taking the defenders. Hard to tell if it's Rooke or who is in charge of the forwards. The forwards again had the soccer balls out to warm up with. All 3 line groups did drills with the focus on kicking and moving. They then divided in to 3 seemingly random groups to rotate through 3 drills. 1. Receiving the ball, turning off the mark and kicking to a short sideways lead right in close next to the boundary. 2. Picking up a ground ball under token pressure, straightening up and hitting a 45 degree lead (I like this drill because it replicates a more aggressive stoppage plan) 3. A 3 point kicking drill where you could either bomb to a target down the boundary or hit up a short inside 45 kick to a stationary team mate who would then wheel and go and kick long to the down the line man who has simultaneously turned and is racing towards goal. They split in 3 lane groups about 50m apart for simple lane work in a race to be first to 10 completed kicks. Very fast and surprisingly accurate. Lots of laughing and arguing over who won. Then the last thing I saw was the players pairing up and repeatedly leap frogging then crawling between a team mates legs. Another drill that seemed in high spirits but also probably had a decent point to it. Those explosive movements to jump up then get down and crawl repeated multiple times would be tiring stuff.

Doing everything he can with what he has. His effort can't be questioned. A long term high quality midfielder forward with good vision and skills. I have him in our best 20 now and on the rise. Good character too.

There is so much to look forward to with Jesse. Easy to forget sometimes just how good he is. A lot of Demon supporters might even underappreciate him... every opposition supporter would kill for him on their mob. God help the rest of the comp when he reaches his true potential. if he takes that next step in 2018 we will finish top 4.

Great runner and uses it in games to rack up the ball by getting to the right spots and does his bit defensively. Not super quick to really break lines on the outside and not a powerful dynamic inside player so I think the half forward role is the right one for him, although more rotation minutes is a good idea. I'm not sure what others are seeing in terms of his decision making and skills. Most of the time when he gets the ball I close my eyes because I don't see a lot of confidence in his decision making. He certainly improved last year but still there were lots of games where I regretted that he was getting it 20 times. There was a strong correlation between when he was using it well and how the team was playing. Consistent good decisions and nailing his kicks will determine if he's better than a role player.

Looks like Jesse is ready to go. http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-12-04/-hogan-in-super-nick-and-set-for-beast-mode and is working on some tricks like "... a focus on improving his functional strength, with a particular emphasis on being able to push off big opponents and create separation in marking contests." And is working on his 'body language' which I assume means not to show his frustrations on the field (to teammates or umpires) and stay aware of where the ball and his opp is . Those things will go along way to making him a better player. Lets hope it his year.

I have always rated ANB. Early on, his ability to get to the drop of the ball was impressive as was his ability to get on the end of a chain of possessions to score. He looks to have improved his two way running and seems to feel more comfortable in the team which I suspect is adding to his improved performance. Not every player in a good side is a superstar. ANB can be a vital part of our midfield in time.

I think he will mature into a top 50 in the league player. AkA Jones who improved every year. He has better vision and twenty metre execution than everyone on our list excluding possibly Petracca (by foot). He is already a very good player and very underrated on these boards in a similar manner to Jones early

Nibbler, ANB, or as Danny Frawley calls him, "Bullen". At the risk of putting the mozz on him, I'm excited by this fella. All his stats are trending upwards after a signficant step forward last season. As an elite runner and steadily improving his all round game he could become a valuable long term asset in the midfield. Historically he has split opinion, although majority view has been "useful foot soldier". I'm interested in how posters view him on the back of quietly impressive 2017 season. How do you see him progressing next season? More importantly, what is his eventual ceiling?

One of the other great benefits of having Lever around is the rate of improvement for both he and Hogan of getting to train on each other in a lot of these one on one drills. Should raise the standard for both of them. That photo last week of the two of them grappling with each other was pure rolled gold.

Strength work won't hurt but what Hogan really needs is some good old fashioned coaching. Seems right now they are still in pump up mode which is fine early in the year. But if he's struggling in games he needs to be encouraged to use his tank and repeat lead and get his opponents moving and he also needs some good coaching when it comes to spoiling from behind, following it up at ground level and tackling. The drill when he and the other talls were practising contested marking in November had me confused. Looked like all it was going to achieve was an injury.

We welcome any reports and/or photos from any intrepid Demonlanders. Official times are updated occasionally here: http://www.melbournefc.com.au/Team/training-times Men's Training times: Monday, 4th December - Gosch's Paddock 11.00am Friday, 8th December - Gosch's Paddock - 9.30am Women's Training times: Saturday, 8th December - Gosch's Paddock - 9.15am UPDATE: Due to severe weather warnings on Saturday 2nd December, the Melbourne Football Club have postponed the AFLW Open Training and Kids Clinic to Saturday 9th December. Please note: Training times are subject to change at late notice PLEASE REMAIN ON TOPIC AND REFRAIN FROM DERAILING THE THREAD OR ATTACKING POSTERS WHO ARE KIND ENOUGH TO PROVIDE THE REST OF US WITH MUCH APPRECIATED TRAINING REPORTS. IF YOU DON'T LIKE A POSTER THEN IGNORE THEM.

Trac is fine, building nicely, ticking off the sessions

Haven't seen much long running but he's keeping pace in the sprints in the main group. The gap between them in the repeat sprints is probably as narrow as I've seen it. Neal-Bullen's often towards the front but Hunt, Harmes, Salem, Brayshaw, Tracc etc aren't dropping off.

Not sure on fitness but he's got the guns on display. On a side note I hope he beat Lewis to the ball.

He will be wearing a Minnesota Vikings top under his MFC jumper?

We badly need aerial contest coaching and training. We were pathetic in this area in 2017. Lever and a fit Gawn will help but we need a lift everywhere. We were massacred down the line all season long.

Please Subscribe to our YouTube Page. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY5QjEIIGGe_Wp5JnIQuBnA/videos We will be adding more content all the time.

I'll long remember the goal he kicked in the third quarter at Subi when we moved the ball from deep in the back pocket via a scrambled Frost kick that became a frenetic run and handball transition ending up with Nibbler out-(gut) running his Eagles opponent to get on the end of the loose ball and slot a neat goal in front of the MFCaway supporters....bloody inspirational! I rate him. Will become a weapon if he can remain healthy.

I reckon no news is good news with Trac. He gets talked up so much by all parts of the footballing world that I think it will be good to see him have a really solid, quiet off season where he continues to build his tank and his ability to play more midfield minutes in 2018. What a weapon he can be if he is able to add this to his repertoire over the off season! Thanks again as always @DeeSpencer, your reports and insight are much appreciated.

These various coping strategies, should come as part of the membership pack.

An old Raptors top maybe?

I agree 100%...but, I wonder if the newfound love of the umpires to penalise players for shepherding in marking situations makes it harder for players not to make a contest for the ball? (It's just one of the rules I would like Steven Hocking to look at. I've never understood how a player standing still can ever be penalised for shepherding. It just means he got to the right spot first, doesn't it?)

Why not blue and yellow? Genuine question. Why is it always Fremantle that the tin-foilers always cite as stealing Hogan away from us and not WCE..?

One of my major frustrations this season was watching 2 or 3 players fly for the ball. Such a basic error even in suburban and amateur footy. More often than not, no player would position themselves in the front or at the back of the pack, this occurring regularly at both ends of the ground. The ball then being swiftly taken away by our opponents.

Agree, but also some on ground leadership ie who is helping him stay focused during the on ground time while he isn't having a rest on the bench or during breaks in the qtrs. I think that is an area the team as a whole needs to improve on, the leadership of on ground talking/coaching when needed.

Only difference Rigoni really hurt you by foot, his kicking especially over distance was elite

I agree, 14 of our squad have played less than 10 games, leaving 30 who will make up our playing group each week especially in the first half of the year. I did a calc to exclude the 14 from the Age/Experience which effectively gives us the' playing group' or an approximation of the best 22. Average Age: 25 years Average Experience: 64 games To give a bit more insight and remove the bias from the 'average' of players like Vince, Lewis and Jones at one end and Weideman at the other I looked at the Median (ie the midpoint of the group): Median Age: 24 Median Experience: 46 The only way to really compare is to do the same thing for each club (can't be bothered...) so hard for people to draw conclusions compared to the other clubs listed. We now have a core group around 25 years of age who will be in the 50 to 150 game experience. It is many a year since we have had more than a handful of players in that core group. We are well placed to have an extended period of success. How far up the ladder that is, well who knows. On a side note, I can't wait to see Hogan, Oliver, Petracca, Brayshaw and Salem play together. With their various injury woes over the last 3 years I doubt they have played more than a handful of games together. If they click then it will be great watching.

In an earlier post in another thread I had nominated Nibbler as one of our four most valuable players who consistently beat their opponents one-on-one, win the ball and deliver to advantage. Green-machine's observation that Nibbler has better vision and twenty metre execution than everyone on our list excluding possibly Petracca (by foot) is spot on. He developed an ability to find space, stop, look, pick a good option and deliver over short distances. In the forward line, this is a most valuable skill to set up teammates for an easy shot at the goals. I hope our players are being coached to offer themselves as targets to take advantage of his unique skills..

Position - 5th Improvers - Salem, Petracca and Hogan Sliders - Lewis, Vince, OMac Roughy - Petty

Classic!!!

I think the most tactful way to do it would be to do a "history" of the number and include the likes o Peter Giles (80-87), Tony Campbell (88-91), Chris Sullivan (92-94), Andrew Obst (95-97), Brent Grgic (98-01), Craig Ellis (02-03), Ben Holland (04-08) and then the other guy who's name escapes me because it's never ever mentioned on this site. Or they could get creative with photoshopping Harmesy's 3 out of his footage or just show footage of him from front on or from only on the 4 side. Or the next logical option is to highlight AFLW player Karen Paxman.

Saw this last week on Facebook and got emotional watching it. I would have been at many of those games and still clearly remember that intercept mark against Hawthorn, Kelvin Moore I think it was. He kicked a goal from it too. Very few players could read the play before it happened like Robbie. Very fond childhood memories. We would get flogged more often than not but you just knew you would see a genius at work and he never disappointed.

I met Robbie a number of times and he was always a modest, unassuming and courteous man, whose skinny, accountant-like demeanor belied a driven and passionate footballer who loved the Dees with an intense desire, and played the game as if his God- given talents were a reward for us mere mortals who could only marvel at his feats.

Robbie was almost always leaning forward when he ran. Low centre of Gravity, his balance skills are a joy to watch. He could play the same way today and be a star. Best player i saw play, Matthews was a street thug The ablett’s were on a par with tulip but not one Brownlow a complete joke that Dippierdethuggero is a Brownlow Medalist and Tulip is not i don’t rate the award at all for that reason

Your efforts in this thread are much appreciated LH.

You are right nut. Having said that, I find the decision by Trump to retweet anti-muslim videos posted online by the far-right Britain First party very worrying. Even the mob at InfoWars described it as 'bad optics'. We've gone from targeting the legitimate threat of Islamic extremism to open season on anyone with a middle eastern appearance. Here's Trump acolyte Ann Coulter: Confronted with the suggestion that she was spreading "fake news" by claiming one of the films showed a "migrant" beating up a Dutch man, when in fact both people pictured were citizens of the Netherlands. Coulter said: "Nobody cares about `migrant' against 'child of migrant'. He is not a 10th-generation Dutchman, he is beating up a 10th-generation Dutchman." She added: "Anybody can look at this video and see it is a Middle Easterner. If you would prefer, we'll say 'Middle Easterners born in the Netherlands.' but if you don't accept that, we're going straight back to `Middle Eastern' in another 30 seconds. It could not be more supremely irrelevant - it is a difference without a distinction. "The issue is all these Middle Easterners and Muslims being brought in. To pretend there's no difference between a 10th-generation Dutch person and a migrant or the child of a migrant is preposterous." As the grandson of Holocaust survivors, this language is downright frightening. The references to 10th generation Dutchmen suggest notions of racial purity, while the line about 'anybody can see it is a middle easterner' is beyond belief. Forget wearing yellow stars (or similar) to denote ethnicity / race / religion / origin - anyone who looks middle eastern is fair game. I know I definitely don't look like a 4th-generation Australian, I look much more middle eastern. Will I be spared when I inform the marauding hordes that I'm Jewish and not Muslim?

In truth, I was mainly referencing American politics. I should add, I'm a pragmatist too. It's what we conservatives do.

PEDO is looking ultra trim amazing

Bloody Seattle winning and we have the Eagles this week then go to Seattle. Must win in Seattle even if we lose to the Eagles. Would have helped us if the Eagles won tho. Rams are looking decent but still so many holes, our D is either good v run or v passing. Not string8ng many games together that holds both. Hope it starts this week.

YouTube channel! So when are we moving on from podcasts to a TV style discussion panel? I always thought I had a face for TV.

The phrase... "the body is not even cold" springs to mind

I'd regard his season of 2017 a little more than '...quietly impressive...', P-man. His season was one of terrific improvement and his running and attack on the ball have both lifted, considerably. A duplicate season is less likely - he is more likely to put in a better season, given his overall improvements over time and his excellent return to training and team activities. I cannot foresee his ceiling but he has become the midfield-fwd line Jetta and overall, it will be bright. He's a terrific asset with what appears to be a great mindset for competitiveness and execution. I am getting strong vibes that the running game is going to be an increased feature of the Dees this coming season and for Nibbler, that is 'just down his alley'.

?? Jones has been top 50 for a few years now

All the comments above are so perfectly right and so sad, i always feel unfinished business somehow. That horn on that day will be for him too. On the highlights i love how it looks like there is only half the opposition on the ground, so you think you see him playing by himself.

From the Dees Podcast Facebook page -Gold!?

No luck my way either Wadda ... a lot of the races were over the shorter distances and when factoring in the short straight, the actual races were over before you knew it. The $1million Kingston Town Classic (1800m) is on next week so I'll butter-up again (a trifecta & a first 4) ... a number of the runners from the Railway Stakes have been entered so the form from that race could be a good guide (especially those horses that were flashing home)

The Samurai adopted Zen to make them better warriors so the same principles could be applied to football.

This is where I was headed in my next paragraph but thought I'd leave the floor open. I do however believe that a good coach can instill this same sense in a player or squad, and I do think Goodwin is a very good coach. But there is certainly no harm in using the technique of mindfulness in conjunction with other methods of positive reinforcement.