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Nev Jetta went from delist to essential part of the team and leading AFL small defender after recovering from (presumably) similar issues. Hope KK can do the same.

1. Full season from Viney 2. Trac has a breakout 3. Lever's full recovery 4. Weid build's on Geelong EF and signs early 5. Hunt and Kola get back to previous promise. 6. The Gawn/Preuss double delivers 7. TMac outscores the bloke that went west 8. May proves he is the gorilla tamer we have desperately needed

Can’t wait to see him on a wing. If Hunt can return to form and claim the other wing we could go from no/average wings to seriously dangerous wings. Hunt for elite pace, KK for elite kicking. Here’s hoping one or both of them can stay injury free and build consistency!

8 Christmas Wishes. Feel free to critique or add your own. 1. Teach Clayton Oliver forward craft: Clarry was 3rd in the league with 166 total tackles last year and first in the league with 405 contested possessions. When you add those together plus preseason games and training you start to work out why he had both shoulders operated on in the offseason. He's only 21, we have to protect him if he's going to play well in the 30's. So that means improving his leading patterns, his marking and his crumbing as a forward so he can impact games from there. We should have plenty of options to role through the midfield especially if we are lucky to be leading games with big margins. So it's time to take the load from Clarry's shoulders (and back, hips, knees etc). 2. Make Gus Brayshaw's kicking up to scratch Gus got his head and body right and turned in to the elite ball winner we all hoped he could be last year but now it's time to get him hitting targets at a much higher rate. In a lot of ways the pressure is on to show he is a dangerous midfielder worthy of a 3rd place Brownlow finish. I hope he continues to embrace his kicking on both sides and works hard to really be decisive with his decision making and flatten out his kicks. 3. The club needs to get Jayden Hunt to play tennis I was up to the boring bit of my occasional West Wing rewatch when the great Leo McGarry had this to say It made me think about players who aren't performing as they could and what might be done about it. One thing that stuck out with me with Hunt at his best compared with Hunt this year is the quick little steps he'd take to get down to a ground ball then break free to space went missing. Obviously, he had some ankle issues that wouldn't have helped but I wonder if the best way to bring that movement back is to get him playing the sport he grew up playing. One that relies on quick feet. We have a couple of tennis coaches available to the club - Todd Viney and Nicole Bradtke, one of them should get Jayden playing some tennis! The AFL is full of junior basketball players lauded for their vision and movement but in the case of Hunt tennis might well have taught him how to move. 4. Fix Tracc's goalkicking I don't know what the plan should be but after excellent accuracy in 2017 Petracca's goal kicking went down the drain last season. Fix it. Fix the other 10 things wrong with his game as well but fix the goal kicking and he’ll play with confidence to do the rest. 5. Get Melksham and Tommy Mc tackling Both guys move like they have fused ankles when it comes to laying a tackle. Melksham 1.9 per game is not good enough for a half forward. T Mc 2.3 is better but for such a mobile key forward he should do more. I don't know if it's training drills or an unusual training method to get them more agile and reactive but something needs to change. Maybe they can play squash and get used to quick in tight movements and getting down low. Hopefully offseason surgery helps Melk out but even with healthy ankles he’s got improvement in him. 6. Oscar has to wrestle a bear Oscar has the skills, size and discipline to make it as a good key defender and we saw that at times in 2018, but as his confidence waned as the year went on he became indecisive. He was attempting to watch his man instead of backing himself to go to the ball and he was tentative in crashing packs. To keep his spot in the side with May coming in and to thrive as a player he has to get more physical. You can't be a good key defender unless you're tough and aggressive. As a child UFC fighter Khabib wrestled a bear. Sadly I doubt the club wants to risk the complaints of the RSPCA by bringing in an actual Russian baby bear. That said, we've got something simialr available. At North Braydon Preuss nearly snapped Andrew Swallow in half one day and he put recent GWS draftee Jye Caldwell out of the game in a North VFL v AFL academy match. He's a big angry man who doesn't take a backward step. There's no one better on our list for Oscar to make a statement against to show he's ready to take on big forwards. The coaches need to design a drill that has them go one on one, word both players up and then let the magic happen. 7. The Nibble needs to add some bite to his nibbling ANB is clearly our best forward pressure player and a great runner. His ability to go contest to contest and not give up a chase makes him a certain starter every week even when he’s doing very little good (or a lot of bad) with the ball. That said, chasing is good, laying the tackles really ups the turnovers and is what makes you great as a pressure player. ANB probably isn’t going to suddenly develop Rioli like instincts and movement or get any quicker, he’s just not that type of athlete, but he still catches plenty of defenders and can increase the damage he does once he catches them by mastering some sneaky tackling tips. The Cyril Rioli special was grabbing an arm and then turning a guy to spill the ball loose. Ain't no thing but a chicken wing. 8. Run Bayley Run When Fritsch was moved on to the wing for the 2nd half against the Bombers I thought the team took a huge leap forward. We finally had a guy with lovely skills, the ability to get out in to space and overhead ability to bail out a bad kick. A lot of our best ball movement came through Fritsch. Clearly he tired as the year went on and he wasn’t as natural when forced to play half back. So to take his game (and the team) to the next level he needs to run like a gun wingman. Every indication from training so far is he’s running really well so I hope it continues.

More likely than you not picking up on a bit of harmless tongue-in-cheek humour I reckon.

A real asset that the MFC seems to have at the moment for attracting and retaining players is Goody. Listening to KK and May talk reciently, big motivating factors in them joining the Demons was the impression that Goodwin made on them and the vision he was able to articulate for their role in the team. Probably quite a similar story with Milkshake and Hibbard with respects to their relationship with Goodwin. It's particularly the case at lower level footy that the sucessful coaches are the ones that are able to attract and get good footballers wanting to play for the club and I really see this as starting to play out in our favour with Goody's interpersonal skills and the team culture which has been reestablished at the MFC giving us an edge over our opposition for building and maintaining a quality list in the era of salary and football department caps etc.

Love all your points. I just want a Premiership.

EIGHT REASONS TO GET EXCITED ABOUT MELBOURNE 1. MAY BE CRUCIAL 2. OTHER RECRUITS 3. NEW LEVER 4. BEST LIST 5. TOP MIDFIELD 6. MORE VINEY 7. WONDERFUL WEIDERMAN 8. SCORING POWER

Congrats on your fiancee letting you wear those sunnies alongside a backwards-facing pink cap Gawny. The odds were definitely against you there...

Hadn't seen that confirmed but you may be correct. In which case Pert still has plenty of time to make an announcement in 2019. I would think to maximize the exposure for any new sponsor there are much better places in the news cycle. There is a reason this is called a non ratings period.

That is 2018 list, don’t believe iSelect are men’s team sponsor for 2019.

Sunday Morning Special EPL Sunday 2.00am Tottenham Win/Over 2.5 Goals $2.15 vs Wolves Coupled with your 2 picks that amounts to 13 - 1 (boosted) DZ ... I'm on!

It’s why the Steelers have become one of my hated teams, they should have beaten the saints last week.

Sounds good. There’s not a lot on Macca, some leagues are having breaks. My specials are early tomorrow morning. Italian Serie A for both games Sunday at 01:00 Lazio v Torino Lazio Win/Over 2.5 goals $2.50 Parma v AS Roma AS Roma Win/Over 2.5 goals $2.40

You go with 2 selections DZ and I'll go with 1 this week. When Wadda returns we can try 1 each? Worth changing things up sometimes to get that collect.

How do you want to play this @Macca? We talked about Pick 3s and it looks like Wadda is out for a spell. Do we go 1 each or one of us places 2 selections and the other 1 and then alternate the following week?

Soft at the finish Macca. Well done on the exacta, healthy divvie. A winning double for the crew here today. Good job, play money for the EPL tonight, which reminds me to head over for some monkey business.

2 from 2 today thanks to your tip getting up with Deprive. Well done DZ and the horse was way too good for that lot. Got the exacta with 'After All That' flashing home for 2nd. Hands and heels for the final furlong too. A progressive horse that looks the goods

Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about that Gorg. So much to remember! In any event, you are still playing for the 2 seed and that is all important. It might mean either playing at Chicago or hosting the Bears at your house (in week 2)

Even if saints lose @Macca they can’t lose #1 seed as they beat us. We might rest some in later snaps if we are well up.

Good luck to El in the next, a bit of PL happening here as I didn’t put its stablemate Khartoum in my quaddie.

McVay said early week we are playing all starters, Gurley May miss again but through injury and with CJ Anderson lighting the place up last week there is less a big rush for Gurley.

It’s so fortunate that Stuart Dew rejected us.

I assume you will have T-Mac and Weid in your best 22? Now do your side if one is unavailable. Now do your side if both are unavailable. There is best 22 and then next up based on position. If this happens it appears we will be playing one tall KPF or relying on the resting ruck as the second tall or expecting the role to filled by one of two Smiths or Keilty. The only other would be to tinker with our back 6 which i suspect will be unlikely. Another year for Ped as the last spot on our list I would have thought would have been a reasonable contingency. T Smith I feel is limited but really has not had a clear run of it once he has made the senior side.

or his mother

More than his brother.

Hail Mary time. Lions, Eagles, Colts

From what I can see, Skins-Eagles, Rams-49ers and Vikings-Bears all on at the 4.25 slot. So Monday morning. But they'll know where they're at mid game. If Rams are 3 TDs up, Bears could take their foot off the pedal, bench Trubiski, and watch Bears end Eagles season.

If Weid breaks out in 2019 like hes promising to do hes going to be a very wealthy man.

I had previously read the "ongoing problems were neck related not concussion related" but this article adds a bit more insight. Apparently he kept failing concussion tests until they identified that the neck muscles ere giving him comparable symptoms. From his debut he played 67 of 75 games before the concussion issues. Missed the back half of 2017. Came back for the first 4 rounds of 2018, had lingering issues, thought it was concussion and took a couple of months to identity the issue. Commenced the neck exercises, and came back for 4 games towards the end (playing out of position as a KPD) when he was injured again. Has really only missed 1.5 seasons with the injury, and it was clear he was ready to leave during this season given the rumors etc. Lot's of upside for us.

Not training with the main group, not listed as injured, must be a player rift, GONE! But in all seriousness, I'd much prefer the Club say nothing. He may have a long term injury that other teams may target next year or a personal issue he doesn't want made public.

No way.....that’s as stiff as it gets Layz.

MELBOURNE As it stands: 30,891 2018 haul: 44,275 (record) If you weren’t already excited by what Melbourne achieved in 2018, then their work during the trade period should have provided another boost. They added star defender Steven May to a backline that will include Jake Lever at some point next year, along with 2013 Pick 5 Kade Kolodjashnij and ruck security in Braydon Preuss. And then they have one of, if not the best engine rooms in the AFL.

I liked this because he's my brother, and he typed a large post, probably hammered, hoping to get a like.

you will need a full hazmat suit with triple filtered breathing apparatus

When in doubt, 426

dl4e, if you're going to be Irish, please spell it right: it's taut.

No love for Melksham? I think we need to enjoy the Milkshake for a few more years also. Sign him up.

We obviously wont be in the market next year for a high priced free agent as we have too many young players of quality who need to be re-signed (on bigger contracts) before they get poached. IMO the only club to have been a success in luring top line talent for unders is The Hawks. This is who we need to emulate. Their list management has been excellent for a long time. If we want to be a long term success, with 60k members, fleeting one-off success wont get us there. It needs to be sustained for a long period or we end up back where we started 5 years ago in no time. While the bath water is currently tasting like Krug, it can turn to vinegar quickly. The same people who write these articles now, will be belting us from pillar to post if we dont produce what they themselves have predicted. Nice to read if you support the Dees, but it doesnt mean much.

There's one where he's wearing a Dockers jumper. An act of rash stupidity that a number of young men these days unfortunately indulge in.

No disrespect but we are debating about two players who would be sitting well outside our best 22 - probably outside our best 30 - so you have to take into account their future potential and value to the club. Cameron Pedersen will be 32 when the 2019 season starts at the end of March. He was never all that quick but he’s at an age when the body starts slowing down. Smith is four years younger and while neither would have been likely to have much of an impact, the club’s decision to go for the younger man is correct in this instance.

As soon as I saw the post and from DS I thought there will be multiple “wishes”, yet i have just the one. Premiership, just give us that sweet sweet feeling.

Corey Wag is very fit and is running just as well as ANB. ANB had a bandaged knee and seemed a little off though. Tom Swollow was my standout today. Big session today, they all worked extremely hard. Going to training these days is so much more enjoyable with quality players and coaches doing their thing. Our footy IQ is incredibly high now. Merry Christmas to all. Go Dees in 2019

Pedo is playing for Phillip Island (Bulldogs) next year. I will definitely be following his progress as I live close to the footy ground. His family has moved there and Pedo and his wife are hopeful of securing teaching positions on the Island. One of my favourite demons.

Friday night wins are the best! I get to spend the whole weekend thinking and talking about how good we are. If we lose on Friday night then I take all of Saturday to remain [censored] off but am over it enough on Sunday to enjoy the last of my weekend. Losing on a Sunday with work incoming on the Monday is a real downer and I dont know how my family put up with me to be honest.

For families, Sunday 4.40pm and night games are a stinker. Also for country folk who have a long journey home by car or rail. Oh, I forgot, the scheduling is for TV, streaming and those sports fans with their wide screen, high definition, radiation emitting screens.

Good to see him impressing first session with his new teammates. He's a good runner clearly and I'm hoping he can make the wing position his own. By all reports he was also a stand out with the skills at training. He was an elite kick as a junior and before concussion issues at Gold Coast. If he can realise his potential, he will become a running kicking weapon for us. Great pickup for steak knives in the May deal!

From the Dees website. “MELBOURNE recruit Kade Kolodjashnij has wasted little time trying to impress his new teammates with a strong performance to finish third in the Demons' 2km time trial on Monday. The time trial was won by perennial pacesetter Alex Neal-Bullen, who ran an unofficial time of 6min 22secs in hot conditions at Gosch's Paddock. Defender Joel Smith ran over the top of Kolodjashnij in the last 70m to pinch second place after the former Sun took the lead early in the race. Neal-Bullen is renowned as one of Melbourne's best endurance runners and motored home in the last lap to claim victory in his pet event. Kolodjashnij set the tempo early as he looked to take it to the field in couple of laps and looked comfortable out in front in his new colours.”

Top 5 pick actually, not sure why some continue to relegate him to only top 10 status.