Leaderboard

A few comments, to add to the other reports from Friday’s training session. Considering the trying conditions, strong northerly wind and high temperatures the standard of skills exhibited was quite high, stamina and fitness levels overall were very good. Agree with positive comments made by a number of observers/posters here re: Bernie Vince, Max Gawn, Dom Tyson, Dean Kent, Billy Stretch, Christian Salem, Alex Neil-Bullen,Christian Petracca, Tom MacDonald, Jesse Hogan all were noticeable for a range of attributes from their physical conditioning through to their determination and skills exhibited during the training drills. Impressed that most participants maintained an admirable intensity throughout the session which was intelligently managed by the coaching staff. Observed numerous rotations to allow for recovery and plenty of opportunity provided for maintaining hydration levels. Of the new recruits Bailey Fritsch moved with poise and purpose, looked very neat skills wise, was able precisely pass the footy by foot and appears accurate over an extended distance despite the conditions. He judged the flight of the ball superbly and marked confidently despite the strong gusting wind. Close by he is deceptively strong around the hips and upper thighs. After all the training drills were completed and most players departed for what one assumes was a cool shower. Josh Wagner, Jayden Hunt and Neville Jetta did some extra-curricula work competing in pairs for the high kicked incoming ball. Their positioning/bodywork to spoil or mark the ball was terrific. Jettta despite giving up “inches” was the obvious master. Observations on the possible ‘game plan’ for the coming season. Competewith strength around the packs, gain possession and clear congestion by handball and reminiscent of Hawthorn maintain possession by short passing allowing forwards time to lead into space to receive an accurate footpass. Well at least that appears to be plan A. Final thought as a visitor to the centre of the footy universe from the top end, conditions were much tougher for footy than ever experienced in the ‘cooler’dry season evenings in Darwin. Ok will acknowledge pre-season training is not a fixtured AFL game. But training intensity and duration appear to mimic something of game conditions. In anticipation of a continued positive trend on Goody’s team performance graph for season 2018. Adios from your northern correspondent.?Go Demons!

Thanks for the reports - they provide oxygen to those of us who don’t live in MLB. Stretch is a super neat and tidy footballer. I’m surprised he didn’t have more of an impact last year, but I think he might this year - he’s the type of footballer that I expect Goodwin likes. I reckon Bernie will have a big year this year. He’s not past it. Not remotely. The toe injury he suffered last year affected him more than I think many here realise. I also think Lewis will have a big year (once again). These two still have plenty to offer IMO. I’m super excited about Spargo. I reckon he’ll prove to be an absolute gem for pick 29. I’m just hoping we have a decent run with injuries. And Viney back - he’s critical. Then it’s simply up to us, as I reckon we’re now good enough to win more games than we lose.

Gday guys, on one of the training thread there's been a few doubts on young Charlie about his size and whether he can translate his ability to AFL level. Thought I'd bring this thread up and have my 2 cents worth. Just on Spargo, I had a bit to do with him when he was in the under 16s bushies . I didn't bother to write anything up on him when we drafted him (lack of interest in demonland at the time) but I thought I'd post my thought a on him now. Goody is going to fall in love coaching this young fella, he is 18 years old going onto 25 in terms of maturity and level headed. He was driven right from the very young age to succeed in footy and make AFL. He started playing senior footy for Albury in the strong Ovens and Murray league (step below VFL) at 16 and was still running rings around former AFL players with such ease. It was tipped right from then that this kid could potentially be the next big thing despite his size. He was quick, tough as F**k, and most importantly, driven and determined to make it. Despite being a quiet and down to earth sort of fella, he just oozes leadership on field! We played a praccy match against Bendigo once and he was captain for the day. The whole day he was barking orders, setting up midfield stoppages, encouraging teammtes, and giving direct feedback to coaching and senior officials on what was going right and wrong. He'll be in the leadership group in a couple of years. Mark my words. Obviously being in boarding school this year I barely got time to see any of his games (injured also). But we got word back from some recruiters that if it wasn't for injury he would be top 10 without a doubt. 3 clubs had even made mentioned that if he was just a smidge taller and injury free, they had penciled him for top 5. Every club rated him and the giants were absolutely filthy when they lost first rights to him. He is a genuine talent. If I was to compare him to someone in terms of toughness, leadership and skill? it would be Joel Selwood. He has everything that you need in terms of the culture you're trying to build and set. Yes I've pumped up his tyres, but the biggest test for him will be the transition to AFL level. The likes of Caleb Daniel and Eddie Betts have shown that it is possible if you've got the ticker and drive to succeed. I believe young Spargo has this. The likes of Jones, Viney, Oliver and Lewis will crave having this kid in the side running full tilt into packs and come out ball in hand. I don't want to put too much pressure on the kid but in my honest opinion, he is an absolute beauty! Hope that helps.

i'll go: - we win every match on the way to a glorious undefeated season and first run of seven premierships in a row - we don't just beat north in round 3, we absolutely destroy them - 100+ points please - we win every match by a minimum of four goals, meaning no mfcss in the final quarter all year

Agreed on Bernie, anybody thinking he is going to go quietly is mistaken He is in the best shape I have seen since he joined the club, trains every session at a really high standard Lewis is just Lewis, watching him coach the players during a drill is a bonus

One of my greatest hopes with the team is that Billy Stretch can emulate a reasonable percentage of the fine running, ball-carrying and disposal that his father, Stephen, was able to achieve on all grounds.

http://melbournefc.com.au/news/2018-01-20/family-day-returns-to-the-mcg Family Day will return to the MCG, in 2018. ?: Sunday 4th March ⏰: 10.30am - 12.30pm ?: Yarra Park, MCG (outside gates 2 and 3) ?: Entry is free

@Wadda We Sing & @Demon77 Will almost certainly end up going 4-6-6 tomorrow at Sha Tin (race 9) ... I don't want to leave the 3 out to win (Time to Celebrate) ... and with that name it's a bit of an omen pick anyway. 4-6-6 is a bit liking boxing 5 with 1 extra ... cost a tiny bit more but there's no 'What if' factor

Yes thankyou, now i understand. Never apologize for typing with a decent scotch! I expect nothing less from true Demon supporters.....god knows we need it!

Sooner or later I'm going to whiff completely D77 but keep in mind that I would never advocate a large outlay. $20 on a 3-6-6 combo can return 33% if successful and $30 will net 50% (if successful) I always try and do the form before I look at the odds. But for this race I'll do a 4-6-6 combo. A $20 outlay returns 25% whilst a $30 outlay returns 37.5% I like any of 4 runners to win ... Nothingilikemore, Exultant, More Than Lucky & Time to Celebrate and I've got ''Singapore Sling' & 'Lockheed' for 2nd & 3rd only. Here's the race form again ... The Hong Kong Classic Mile $1.5million SW 4yo (C&G) (Sunday 21 Jan 8.10pm)

Yeah Macca, I think Dan worked too hard early but in saying that I think the younger horses are too good for him these days. It was good finish though between the top 2. Looking forward to your selections for Hong Kong tomorrow.

When Dan was in good form and going through the grades his rating enabled him to enter strong races with a light weight and it turned out as a success. When a horse loses form and doesn't register a win for a while the rating of that particular horse will drop but it still might be one of the highest rated horses in the race like Dan was today, hence the big weight. As it stands today Dan is an 83 rating I believe. For him to gain a light weight he would need to enter a benchmark 90 race or higher(listed/group). In that case, due to the fact his best is beyond him he would be way out of his depth in strong races. Connections are in a tough spot now, for him to be a realistic chance of winning again they would need to target a weak race like an 80 benchmark or country handicap, but all that does is make him carry the grandstand. I hope that makes sense a tad, I really shouldn't be typing on the back of a few scotches..

You went close Wadda - that 8th race was a wide-open affair ... small field too. Rock 'N' Gold was overdue for a win but any of the 8 horses could have featured. There was an eye-catching run from 'Nature Strip' in the Inglis Dash - set for the Rubiton Stakes now and then maybe the Oakleigh Plate. I got 50% of the Tri in the last which amounted to the grand sum of money back! - but I'll take that. A collect is a collect.

Beat Whorethorn

G'Day Macca, hard to go past Wise Hero in my opinion also. Malaise is the other one I fancy, I will try and put some sort of trifecta with Dan in there. Malaise ran almost a second slower than Wise Hero in winning its last start over the same distance and what looked a similar grade also. Like you stated, if Wise Hero runs anywhere near the time he ran last start it would be hard to beat. It would be nice to get a collect today and fund the upcoming Autumn Carnival.

No update as yet but at those odds I will have something each way just in case the Zephyr gets up. My mate says the horse has to win a race eventually....today seems as good a time as any.

Much like Daniel Cross before him, Lewis is our on-field coach. We would not have lost that Freo game last year had he not been suspended. He remains a super important player for us.

I'm into the NFL but that's nearly done Wadda - games are on Monday morning too which isn't exactly the weekend! The EPL for similar reasons. I'll get into the tennis from this weekend - Ash Barty is playing later this afternoon whilst Roger & Novak are both engaged in matches this evening. The Autumn carnival is just around the corner though (Feb 10) ... kicking off with one my favourite events - The CF Orr Stakes. As you well know, it's then full on for another 10 weekends! I may have mentioned this here before but the Demons only play 2 Saturday arvo games this season (plus 2 Saturday twilight games) so it's the horses all year round for me. Just a couple of small Tri's today though with nothing to recommend especially. I do like 'Wise Hero' in the Zephyr race - it is up a couple of kg's against its rivals though. 'Amber Sky' back from running well at Sha Tin is a speedy one which I've included in multiples (it's in the preceding race - The Kensington Stakes) Anyway, let's hope that the Dan can get into the finish today

If we ever were fortunate enough find ourselves as needing to wear a clash strip in a grand final id be happy enough to wear that. Way better than some white monstrosity and eliminates a clash v the likes of port, essendon, carlton and the saints. Laura dureya (spelling) put a post on instagram pre xmas and i swear she had an inverted jumper on too.... ill find it Thats a hint of red on the front yeah? Perfect set would be normal, inverted and royal blue imho

I think his head exploded.

Little Charles Spargo is already my favourite small player.

I have a mate who always gets good mail from North. They were pretty gutted to miss out on him as he was a father/son candidate and rated him pretty highly, they were set to use their next draft pick on him and we're gambling on him sliding.

Turned up today. Always go to one or two sessions. Definitely about skills ATM. Intensity will come later in pre season. Disposal in general was the best I have seen from a D's team in preseason. In the past players built endurance and fitness during drills chasing mongrel kicks and handpasses all around the park!! It used to be ordinary at best. Those who play or have played lower level footy will know what I mean. Now its all about getting it right - disposal and decision making - all the time. O Mc and Hannan have built up a bit. In general the players close up are way bigger than they look at games, TV or pics. Oliver would be an exception but he is naturally powerful and does not need to carry gym muscle. The usual in rehab. Did not see Weid. Trac over his issues and trained well. Was very vocal and confident during drills. Players called into line groups at one stage. In these groups players would give feedback to the group. Feedback I heard was all positive. As you can image big Max was not short of a word. Trac also chimed in as did most.

Dropped into training for a quick 20 minutes, my observations: – Piping hot in the sun but it looked like the players were well looked after with refuge in the shade at fairly regular intervals – Clarry with a full face of Zinc cream – I was really impressed with the clinical skills on show – most kicks hitting their target with players kicking very quickly after receiving the ball and kicking to players leading all over the place, both towards the kicker and away into space and with the opposition player on most occasions given no chance to intercept. The quality of our skills are miles and miles ahead of where we were a few years ago. – Very impressed by Petty. For a tall defender he moves really quickly, has some hustle and bustle about him and reads the ball well. Looked really intent and his skills were looking good. – Thought Tyson looked to be a step quicker than the last two years. Might have just been wishful thinking on my behalf but if he finally is completely niggle free then I think he’s set for a big year. – Jones and Garlett doing sprints and looking fresh – same with Tim Smith albeit at a different pace. – Overall I came away thinking that the list is in a very very good place, particularly with the inclusion of the quicker skinnier types such as Fritsch and Baker (as well as Hannan) who add the balance we need to mix with our core group of stronger burst and endurance players.

This is a 'negative for negative's sake' sort of post. George didn't say he was going to be a superstar. He simple passed on his opinion from training that he was impressed with Spargo's ability to kick off both feet and that, in the future, this could make him a viable option in the midfield and we need to see how he develops. There's nothing over the top about that, nor did he say he looked like a star. Some people on here can't see anything in a positive light anymore. It's such a shame.

Someone I know watched a lot of his school footy last year. I believe he was the Captain of Melbourne Grammar. Said 4 things :- 1. Hard as nails. Runs through brick walls. 2. Highly skilled. Very good kick and exceptional goal sense. 3. Very strong contested overhead mark with an unusually high vertical leap for his height. 4. Great kid.

I started barracking for this post.......

When I was at training not long after the new recruits arrived, I watched Spargo and Petty doing kick to kick. They are different players for different roles, but what stood out for me was the ability of Spargo to hit Petty time and time again on the chest. But not just that, he was doing it both left and right foot. If he is to play mid-field, then the ability to deliver accurately by foot is essential, and it gives the player options on how he does it when they are fluent on either foot ( ala Sam Mitchell). At pick 29 a genuine footballer who can kick is a very viable option. We now have to see how he develops.

Couple of shows not mentioned on here are, Berlin Station, one series so far, excellent, not sure where you can get this may have to download Line of Duty, 5 series so far, 4 on Netflix Both British and both very good. Ozark, Jason Bateman and Laura Linney, on Netflix was also very good, very different and had to keep watching, hard to watch just one episode. Also Spooks, very good series 10 in all, you may have to download this. There is a movie on Netflix with Kit Harrington, based on the series, called surprisingly Spooks, MI5 Gunpowder, staring Kit Harrington, based on Guy Fawkes and the attempt to blow up Parliament, Harrington's distant relative Catsby was instrumental in the plot. Its a bit self indulgent but very good and very graphic. Three part series.

Well DJ you will not be surprised that every since you said the above I have noticed how many funeral adverts there are on 3aw. There are even a few on smooth FM.

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2018-01-19/aflw-quarter-by-quarter-pies-v-melbourne

Go read my post on the Charlie Spargo thread.. He is light years ahead of the Bleases, Maric's and Strauss types.

At least he has Obama Care.

I’m just waiting to see the first couple of games to see how our guys handle the enivitable sledging as result of their decision to cancel the camp! They have invited all other teams to give it to them on this issue. I still cannnot believe this was made public. What a bunch of dimwits to bring this upon themselves.

Graham and the Colonel. "I call him Mr Easter."

If you look on the bright side Swyl can blame all failures from here on in, on the falure to attend the training camp as opposed to 186?

Dan Zephyr has accepted for Flemington this Saturday. It looks like connections are trying hard to get the horse another win but the current odds suggest otherwise. As far as I am aware they will run him. https://www.racenet.com.au/racing-form-guide/flemington-20180120/vrc-young-members-handicap-race-9 Lets hope he starts the year a lot better than how he finished the last.

More action fighting for a spot at the urinal. NFL is bog ordinary. Would not cross the road to watch it. Staggering egos and pay-cheques, and full of politics.

Outrageous after R23. They should toughen up like at a boot camp. (Is there an emoji for being ironic?)

Reckon if it gets super hot they will cut session short, they can make it up Working tomorrow in air conditioning thankfully so no pics or 'gossip' On Spargo Kennedy was a very good VFL player who couldn't quite bridge the gap on a consistent basis, like Mitch White and many others Spargo comes into our system at a completely different time and there is no rush to blood him, he may make you eat your words @old dee, yesterday Bernie Vince gave him a torrid time, deliberately I think, handled it all with aplomb, looks a step up in speed and skill from Kennedy, but time will tell

Spargo was 17years Old when drafted I believe. He may well grow a few cm at least. Also in his favour is his football heritage- it must count for something. He apparently has genuine football smarts. He’ll make it!

Clarry is pretty big for a midfielder? 187cm and built.

You're stating the bleeding obvious, OD. If he is a player of average ability then he'll struggle, even more so if he's short. That's not news to anyone. However, from all reports (not just training, reports on him coming up to the draft) he is the complete opposite to a Ben Kennedy which is why I think he may end up being a shrewd choice. We want competitors and players with ability and he seems to have it in spades, even if that's going on limited exposure.

that's fine, but i wouldn't be calling jack viney a midget if i was you...and he gives up 13cm to oliver, and about 20cm to patrick cripps for instance... his ability and desire is what allows him to (more than) compete with much, much bigger midfielders similarly, nev jetta is not exactly a giant but his ability and desire allow him to compete - in the air, no less - with players significantly bigger than he is

size is irrelevant in football it's about ability and desire that's one of the best things about afl players - they can be anywhere between 165 and 215cm tall and still be able to make an impact re kent, i think he's on a hiding to nothing this year, which is a shame as he has pace and aggression, but he simply has never been able to get his body 'right', and his skills are as hit and miss as his application appears to be i maintain that if a player misses too much football until the age of 22 they are massively up against it to ever 'make it' - you never get that 'development time' back

While I don't think he'll get much opportunity this year due to our improved depth, I feel as though Spargo is going to be a very shrewd selection by our recruiting team. What he lacks in height he makes up for in skills and intent and that can take him a long way.

I attended yesterday's craft session, as they call it. The music was blaring in what was perfect conditions. Some things that stood out to me: -Dom Tyson looks fit and was second to ANB in the interval running at the end of the session -Bernie looks 10 years younger and is covering the ground as well as he ever has -Salem was getting his hands on the footy a lot at the stoppage drills. He, Dom and Clarry were the standouts here -The coaches support Trac verbally during the running drill at the end. Twig Rawlings really revved CP5 up to give it everything -Charlie Spargo has clean hands, moves very well and looks a good user. Harry Petty has an unusual gait and looks ungainly. Oskar moves well and is a penetrating kick, but obviously his conditioning is a fair way off the others at the moment -Pedo looks lean and is covering the ground well -Wags and Hunty got to do a fun drill. The had to sit under high balls inside our defensive 50 and take a ride on Jade Rawlings' back and take the grab. Poor old Jade played the step ladder here -Gawny is very verbal and gave a lot of instruction to the on-ballers. Benny Matthews really drives Nut Harmes a lot of instruction at these drills -I enjoyed watching Max Rooke working with the small forwards v the small defenders. There was great intent here, and Dean Kent looked to be relishing being back with the main group. -Post session, I watched Billy, Salem and Clarry stay out and do some touch work, Corey Maynard do some stuff with the specialist coaches and Charlie Spargo do some grappling with a phys eder.

Got down to Gosch's today for about 80 minutes... observations other than those already mentioned, Bernie's predicted demise was premature! His ball handling and kicking to position in the conditions was of the highest quality and he was up to speed in the sprints Ditto Lewis Impressed by Filipovic's increased bulk, athletic running and sure hands Jetta terrific in man on man defensive rebound activity Oscar McD consistently effective at spoiling in the arial contests Tom McD had the safest hands in the marking exercises I watched Petracca bustles like a bull and gets what he wants Bugg is looking like best 22 again Lewis an unlikely dead-eyed-dick on the day Oh yes, a bloke called Clayton continues to make the difficult look easy

That's a great photo. it looks like a footy card from 1968, which is fitting because Lever looks and acts pretty old school (the hair, the seriousness at such a young age, engaged etc)

If there is one thing I respect about Eddy McGuire (it's a stretch I know) it's how he has defended the integrity of Collingwoods jumper design. I also recall one of the most emotive moments in the proposed merger with Hawthorn was Don Scott ripping the Hawk off the MFC jumper. Come on Melbourne supporters - GET PASSIONATE. No more of this white jumper rubbish for the MFC.