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Went down to have a look for a couple of hours, so here are some of the observations: * Col Garland running the session with the rehab group consisting of Viney, Smith, Vandenberg and Weidemann. All were kicking the ball between each other including Viney, mainly short stabbing passes. * Vandenberg is MILES off playing. His legs have lost heaps of muscle and he almost looks strange with this huge upper body and a pair of sticks below. Hope he can build up to get some game time during the year, as he is out of contract at the end. * Spargo and Petty doing some minor drills on their own away from the main group. Spargo is like a fly in a bottle and can kick. Petty hardly had to move in the kick to kick session as the ball from Spargo was drilled to his chest every time, both left and right foot. Petty not as clean. * Garlett, Hibberd, Baker & Hannan running laps. Hunt and Tyson not sighted at all. Didn't notice Bugg either, but not sure. The main session for the rest of the troops followed. A testing drill involved running 100m, drop, push-up, 100m back then kick for goal from 40m. Easy the first couple of times, but when they were on number 10, the pain was showing. Pleasingly the ones still leading the pack at the end were Petracca, Jones and Pedersen. Even big Max and Filopovic and King were staying up with the pack. Balic starting to fall to the rear, needs to build a tank. Then followed a quick transition drill from the half back line with 2 teams, aiming to switch to options out wide and then drive quickly forward. Fritsch finished on the end of the drive on a number of occasions with good positioning and hands. Petracca and Jones running rampant whichever side they were playing for and at one stage Petracca kept stuffing the opposition side by intercepting again and again. For those who are worried about the ruck situation in the coming season, I am now less concerned. Filipovic is building nicely and both he and King are looking like AFL players. ( whether they are or not is another matter), but their bodies are building and filling out nicely.

Arrived at training when the main group was coming out. Jeffy was running laps for about half an hour at a decent clip with Hibberd. Both left early. Viney, Vanders and J Smith showed up briefly and headed back inside. Tyson and Hunt no shows today, no clue as to the reason. Spargo and Petty were on restricted duties and also left early. Spotted the Weed briefly participating in a handball drill with one of the coaches, also early shower. The rest of the group seem to moving extremely well in the various drills. They are currently in what seems like a full ground simulation. Fritch is on the end of several plays and is a very good shot at goal. Im trying to take as many notes as possible but a certain 3 year old keeps screaming for water and milkshakes. Kent has participated for most part and seems free moving. Oskar Baker is putting in some hard yards around the ground with running. Lever very vocal as is Jetta. Like it. Harmes looking really impressive in the match drill, covering the ground well. Will have some more updates a bit later on.

I left prior to the completion of the session and wanted to add some notes to the earlier report. I focused on the individuals as I wanted to have a look at the new arrivals. I realise it's only a training session and the constant yellow bib swapping made it a tad difficult to follow everyone but the following stood out during the three quarter field match sim. Lever has an uncanny ability to get himself out of tight situations with quick feet and thinking. Can certainly fool opponents with the selling of candy so to speak. Fritch is a smooth mover and has a great left foot whether having a shot or general field passing. He can certainly find space. Hogan was impressive, if he didn't mark the ball in a contest he would quickly apply pressure to his opponents by tackling or slapping the ball free, he earned praise numerous times by the coaches for this. He outmuscled Oscar in a one on one and took the mark, which raised a bit of a roar from the group. This is by no means Oscar bashing as we should expect Jesse to do that to anyone he comes up against. In another passage of play the ball was kicked forward to the non bib team and Oscar found himself sandwiched between 3 of them in the marking contest and almost marked the ball, when the ball hit the ground he killed the contest and the defence cleared. Great work Oscar but not sure why 3 from the same team would all go up for the mark unless it was an instruction. Oliver is a great kick of the footy, he hit targets over distance all session. They all trained with intent but something about Harmes stood out, can't pinpoint exactly, maybe it's the new number. He just seemed faster over the ground. I don't know much about King but golly he's a big unit. Hannan and Johnstone ran laps early on and joined in later on with some of the drills. As mentioned before Johnstone has put some muscle on. I heard someone tell his kids that Tyson and Hunt were indoors today hence their no show. Has anyone heard anything about these two recently?

Just some quick snap shots for our interstate and overseas members - sorry Im not great with my spelling so you want get much chatter from me. - boys looked very positive, plenty talk, plenty one on one work with coaches - some of them never shut up. Big Jake Levers - nickname is snake. I will leave the rest of the write up to wiseblood he has a good handle on what to say Go Dees

Seriously ProDee if you don't like @Satyriconhome put him on block. There are many here that value his input and find you tiresome, how are your training reports going?

Word was that Oscar was spotted later in the pool, thrashing his arms around as he managed to propel himself from one end to the other and back. Apparently some were saying that this was another poor effort, as it was clear proof that he had failed in his attempts to walk on water.

I heard from a very reliable source that both Christians (P & S) were told at their end of season reviews to prepare for next season as midfielders. Based on the training reports this appears to have been confirmed.

I think usually at this time of the year most us are looking forward to and speculating on who might make an early AFL debut or feature at some stage for the MFC in the year ahead. (Not so long ago we would have already slotted half of them in our starting 22 by now). But a function of being an actual decent team with some genuine depth and competition for spots is that the number of 2018 debutantes in the red and blue will likely be diminished, and that we should actually be less hopeful to see them happen. As a bit of a present round-up: King: I seriously had to double-check if his name was Max or Mitch. Seems as if they’re ramping up his training this year and he looks in good shape. But is he Gawn’s direct replacement in the event of an injury now, or, despite Watts’s departure, will we continue to attempt to plug the gap like last year in overlooking Spencer? I think the preference atm would be seeing Pedo go number one in the middle and a rejig up forward toward a smaller make-up. Are we already in some trouble if King enters the frame? McKenna: The forgotten man on the list. Arrived with little fanfare and has barely been heard from since. I’m not even certain what position he in fact plays, but from memory it’s somewhere around half-back, where he’d be an especially long way behind in the push for a spot. I doubt that few of us hold even a vague hope that he’ll bolt out of nowhere and be pushing for a place anytime soon. Johnstone: Assumed to be the direct understudy for Garlett as a mercurial pocket type, but by most Casey reports has been largely underwhelming to date in terms of development, with little impact across the year and not much on display in terms of rare, untapped talent. Looks fit in the training photos, but if Garlett were to go down, I imagine there’s plenty of mediums who would be selected for the small pocket role before him. What has to go wrong before he becomes a realistic chance for debut? Keilty: Seems to have been to have been a consistent improver over the back-half of last year in the seconds, yet, despite I assume a number of us here rooting for him a little extra due to his relative’s (brother's?) personal insights on this forum, when you take an objective step back it’s difficult to see where he might force his way in. Has been shuffled around a bit at Casey, I guess as part of his development, but appears to have settled into a back role - to ultimately end up against some stiff senior competition if not currently offering a stand-out trait. The signs are on the positive side, but again, would we have to be in a fair deal of trouble before he was being considered for debut? Filopovich: I really don’t know much about what’s going on here. A raw project still, and a long long way back I would presume? Then there’s our quartet of draftees: I’m not sure if it’s a remnant of a past MFC-conditioned supporter mentality, as well as the usual hope and hype around draft-time, but all of Spargo, Fritsch, and Baker (and to a slightly lesser extent Petty) feel as if in some way closer to a debut than most of those mentioned above – be it needs-based in the case of some extra dash with Baker, or, in reference to Spargo and Fritsch, that our small-medium brigade up front isn’t as quite as settled and proven as our other lines? Obviously, most of this assessment is based on subjective perception and a very limited range of second-hand sources, so I am curious to hear what others may think? In your opinions, who is likely or at least a chance to make their AFL debuts this year with Melbourne and why?

Please leave your political infighting to the general board. No place for it here.

Epic fail, Andy!! Since when did family come before footy?? (Only kidding! The kids grow up all too quick. Savour every moment and event that you possibly can, while you can. Otherwise, you'll look back with too many regrets in the years to come!)

I'd better not turn up then. They might confuse me for you. Good day for snaps today though. pretty good light. Going out tonight so I'll get the rest of them up at some stage over the weekend. Cheers

Hiding from 'Joeboy'...

Working for a small corporate who does sponsor an AFL team and having worked at a medium corp who sponsored the Hawks there are so many layers to these kinds of things. Is it a brand only play? If so how much is the spend/over how many years? How long is the season so the brand is in play for as long as possible? Can you use those $$ in other ways to drive more brand or sign ups? Can you get more eyeballs through a billboard on Citylink or more from digital spend than this sponsorship? How big is the member base/how much access to them do you get to pitch your product (whats the reach)? Is the club on the up and potential for new members in yrs 2 and 3 etc. Does the product you have align/can it be sold to the members/fans? What kind of acquisitions do you think you can get out of the members and other fans who may see your product? The old company did well out of Hawks, they signed up just before hawks won the first of the 4 flags. Lower cost, lower CPA for first couple of years, decent take up by members with an ok CPA. How well do you work with the club? We have an awesome relationship with our club who work hard to provide value to the partner. In our case what kinds of values does the club have and do they align with or exceed our values? We are constantly pitched to by NRL clubs... no fkn wwwaaayyyy mate! What kind of access can you get to other sponsors/partners/anyone else associated with the club or code? etc etc It is pretty subjective especially if it is a brand play only (but clubs provide "value metrics" you need to pick apart), acquisitions and CPAs are easy to measure.

Just give them the water and milkshakes to shut them up. Will also allow you to write better notes for us!

I couldn't make it to training today as I double booked it with my daughters end of year school concert. If I was really committed to the Dees you'd obviously be looking at photos from training. I'll spare you the Prep graders rendition of "How Far I'll Go" from Moana.

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2017-12-07/youngsters-bond-in-threeday-camp My mate Miffsy who is a junior coach at Torquay watched the boys training yesterday. Miffsy (who son is a promising junior) was gobsmacked by the players' foot skills and marking. He ain't a Dees man, but was very impressed. BTW Torquay has produced some handy AFL players including Travis Boak and Jasper Pittard. Noah Gadsby likely to be a name you'll hear in a year or two.

Lets accept all training reports for what they are. Everyone who contributes should be thanked. They go to the trouble of attending and writing reports that provide information that we can enjoy. I also like to read the different comments and perspectives. I think all those who write them deserve a break. Readers like me are in a sense free loaders who benefit from the contributions of the training watchers. Are we better off with these contributions irrespective of content? I think so. See the common good and ignore the things that irritate you. The summer period is a time to renew our hope and faith in all things including our beloved Demons, and to look forward to the season ahead. A time to be positive and to accept our differences. Particularly as we all share the same love.

Just not true (read his interview, many of his issues flowed on from being long-term injured), but even if it is, so what? It takes a lot more mental courage to be honest with yourself about what your emotional needs are than it does to just plow on regardless, toughing it out because "that's what real men do". This is the kind of BS that leads to the suicide rate amongst men being X3 that of women.

Thank you to all the Demonlanders who contribute either by word or photos. They are much appreciated. I'll hopefully be at training on Monday so if you see a guy with a camera come and say hi.

Time to toughen up, there will be other concerts.

Have been reading with great interest the story of the Zephyr and feel that I vicariously know each leg of this horse. Any chance of a photo and good luck Zephyr !!

The camp I was talking about http://melbournefc.com.au/news/2017-12-07/youngsters-bond-in-threeday-camp

I'd be talking to one of Amazon's new business partners in Australia, GetSwift. That's the company run by Joel MacDonald and which has Joel and James Strauss as significant shareholders. (In Joel's case "significant" means about 140 million dollars worth.)

Saty, it's like panning for gold on a good prospect - ya gotta ignore the dross and appreciate the nuggets, not the other way round. Keep up the good work!

The constant negativity on here is one reason I feel like not posting again, whilst I can understand some of the angst, it is December, it is a new season, it is at least 2 months before we fire a shot in anger Read the reports, look at the photos, let's revisit Oscar, the fwd line, the game plan say around Rd 6, then we will have some data to go on At the moment, nearly all the squad hopefully will be ready to go Rd1, competition for spots will be ferocious, Goody does not play favourites From what I have seen at training, we will have a team of versatile men who can run all day and the skills are getting better each session

Oh dear, you will incur the wrath of the crowd now........

Dan Zephyr in his old winning colours. I asked my friend to send me one and he sends me this, I could've gone on google myself.

Its a good point Diamond Jim, i also feel i know him. Perhaps one day they could run him in Demon colors!

My grade 2 has been to many Demons' games. She is used to disappointment.

I did get a better deal than the other dealer I went to during the process. Was it better than I could have extracted by just driving a hard bargain? Good question Not sure however I have had a good relationship with their service department since. Conclusion I suspect I got the same deal a non MFC member driving a hard deal would have got but they knew I was an MFC member and that may have benefited the club. If the club had a sponsorship deal with another car supplier I would go out of my way to get a price however I would need to be interested in the vehicles they were selling. PS I recently used "I select" to change my car insurance.

read what you like - ignore what you don't - it really shouldn't be that difficult ?

Spoke to mate yesterday and they might scratch the horse again. If they go ahead with the scratching he will have a jump out on Monday to keep him ticking over and race at Caulfield next Saturday. I also like De Little Engine for the cup Wadda. Great run last time.

My last car was bought from an AHG dealership. I went there on the basis they were a MFC sponsor when there were closer dealerships available. But I do agree with your view. I am in the market again but this time I will look closer to home.

Well he cant take a trick re the barrier draws but hes due for a break soon. At least in longer races sometimes its not so much of a handicap.....looks like a soft track, how does he go in that sort of ground? I like Burning Front and watch out for that Waterhouse Bott lightwieght missile at the bottom there, one of only 3 runners they have sent down. Maybe your quinella with those two. Good luck D77 Ill be watching on! I like De Little Engine in the Cup race, was flying home last start although he doesnt seem to win much these days. Quinella with Grey Lion. Have you come up with the form for The Kingston Town yet Macca? Whos W Pyke on this time!??

I'm not entirely convinced with esports. it's a super competitive market and unless you compete successfully in NA and Asia, the financial benefits are minimal. You also won't attract good players unless you'r prepared to outlay most of the winnings to the actual team. Some smaller esports teams only give a small percentage to the players because they'r seen as a stepping stone to more reputable teams. it's the kind of thing where you need to invest millions in order to start off high from the very beginning. I don't think any of the Afl teams getting involved are going that deep. imo some AFL clubs are seeing the financial benefits based on the success of NA and Asian teams, without truly understanding or appreciating the cost to actually set this up. Blizzard was asking for tens of millions just to buy a license for the Overwatch league. This is a league that atm has appealing projections, but there are still huge question marks over the viability. ultinately it all comes to sponsorship money and purchasing intent. Gamers are traditionally firmly in that high purchase intent category, but they won't get involved if the team/players aren't competitive on a global scale.

And your contribution is.......................... Off to ignore you go

Now ahead of last years figure....... 28,354

It is believed that only a premiership can relieve the symptoms. Unfortunately there is no known cure.

Saty's insta is the best. Keep up the good woork @Satyriconhome, love the photos! Edit: forgot to say, nice guns Saty

They do indoor wrestling and Garlett was working with Pedo and tweaked a rib, all good, did nearly an hour and half of rehab

The real problem is caused by the club only training 3 days per week. It's the other 4 days where people fill in the gaps. If we could only get the club to train 7 days per week the problem would disappear.

Right from the start he showed something and this season he proved it has what it takes. You nailed his important attributes 39. His determination to succeed and his "knack of being in the right place at the right time"". He showed the latter attribute right from the start, he just started doing it more frequently last season as his confidence grew from becoming a regular selection each week and having time to develop his confidence. He is definitely a team player. I like him up forward because he is an opportunist near goal and a reasonable shot on the run.

People underestimate his strength inside forward 50. He provides a decent amount of pressure, and he has the ability to lower his eyes and hit targets very effectively.

For those apologists who believe Melbourne don't 'deserve' equalisation money from the AFL or Friday night/prime time exposure, this is how it manifests itself. Any sane sponsor would rather back a team that is constantly in prime time getting valuable media exposure. This includes playing finals. So Melbourne is to blame for parts of thios equation but the AFL has created a massive ueven playing field with their 'fixtures' that discriminate so heavily against teams. Add to this the rank stadium deals where teams like Geelong and West Coast get 100% of corporate box revenue, stadium advertising, a good clip of food and beverage spend etc then you see why the Dees are at such a disavantage to other clubs..

I'd be talking to amazon

It is a training report thread, it is the only topic I am posting in, the rest degenerate into slanging matches and negativity If anybody wants to whinge and whine do it in one of those, let the rest of the readers read them in peace @DeeSpencer puts a lot of effort into his reports, read and enjoy, that's what I do and I am at the same sessions

Surprise, surprise stmj is worried tmac's younger brother won't make it. Quelle horreur! Well i'm not. I can see what the fd can. Like he has been since first selected he is a lock for our starting 22 (yes, yes, i know he was dropped. Once). I have argued the fact he is picked week in week out is proof of his standing. Some - well one - have argued his selection is down to luck and fortituous timing (there are no other options!). The latter argument is moot this year with lever coming in. There are options for the fd if they think he is not ready. So when he starts in the side round one and remains in all year, injuries notwithstanding, it will be crystal clear, even to his most trenchant of critics, how highly he is rated by his coach and the fd. By the happy to bet the above scenario will come to pass.

Just a couple of quick notes from training today Oscar Mac is now a healthy 99kg and is working on core strength, from the player Standout in running today that involved Trac, Clarry, Gus, Tyson, in other words the younger mids. was Salem Hogan was again a standout as was Vince, anybody who thinks Bern is just going to go quietly is mistaken Lewis' left foot is a thing of beauty Lot of craft drills today, including an interesting one where they were torping in from the square and the forwards were attempting to mark Viney was out in the fresh air today Kent is back with main group and looking really fit Pics on Insta later if Mr Demonland wants to move them over And the younger players are not involved in a boot camp, from Mr Mahoney, and the boot camp last year is showing the benefits this year

i hope you win the crystal ball