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Just had a long chat to Crossy. Said place is unrecognisable from when he arrived. The definitive news from him on Lever’s return is around round 9 to 10. In relation to that debate about Trac’s condition and weight. I just mentioned he has a solid build. He responded that’s his build. Said he just ran his PB in the 2km time trial. His skin folds are excellent. He said they are being very careful with Viney. They don’t want to rush him back and have him back in rehab. The ankle surgery is just taking the normal amount of time to recover and they are also managing the foot etc. Hes expecting most rehabers to be back in main group by end of next weeks camp. He said coming back from a shortened pre season if anything is a bit of a bonus. He said it’s a really long pre season when you come back October or early November. You can feel cooked by the beginning of the season. They all have their off season programs and come back ready to go. Tom Sparrow is the stand out of the young players for him. Said he reminds him of Viney when he first came in. Training done. Thats it for me. Got to head off. Will try to answer any questions later.

I’m here. Let me know if there’s anything you want to look out for. Just standing next to the rehab group. Lever has clearly taken a strong leadership role. Just said to the group “Very good. Keep training game day habits. A lot of skills work going on. Passing to players on a lead and passing on to the next player. Said something like just run 100%” just spoke to Mitch Hannan. He said the knees feeling good. He’s getting a lot of running in now and hopes to be in full training in a few weeks. Asked him how does he feel walking into the AFL from the VFL the way he has and being on the website with the goal of the year and in a final. He said it’s surreal. He never imagined it. I said players come into the AFL and never play in a final and he’ll have that forever. He was beaming. I said he’s in for a great run. Others have been here 10 years and left with nothing. He said Thanks mate really appreciate it and ran off with a grin on his face. Go Dees Clarry just said back into full training in a couple of weeks. Standing next to the rehabers drink bottles by accident. It’s where they all come so perfect place to sneak in questions. Jonesy came over and went straight into boxing. I pity the poor bloke holding the pads. He’s pounding them. They have 2 computers set up just for rehab. One seems to have GOS data the other live footage just of their training.

The main group had a lot of fun in the initial warm up... the final exercise had pairs with both hands on the one football. When the whistle was blown the pairs had to try and rip the footy out of their opponents grip.., Jetta proved too tricky for Max, while Weids and May were called into the centre of the group to contest the ‘final’. The rest of the group were asked to stand behind the player they thought would win. Great delight from the Weiderman group when he was lightning in snapping the ball away from May... then ran off hurling the ball into the air to the delight of his ‘followers’!

Good New is Trac Gus and Vanders are all in main group. Update on this from Crossy is they are in but still slightly modified but will be back in full during or immediately after next weeks camp.

Having a look at main group now. A lot of cheering and clapping going on as they are all bunched in the middle. I’d be guessing some comp on winners for last weeks training. Pretty sure it’s not team selection. Now doing full oval game simulation. It’s full gas. Clearly working on game plan ball movement. What I’m noticing is the players down field leading to space and players with the ball being patient and looking for the lead before kicking. Plenty of missed targets at this stage. There’s no wind which suggests to me they are really working on low kicks to targets under pressure. Thats definitely looking like a focus From what I’m seeing Preuss is no lumbering slow big man. He’s surprisingly agile and fast. He’s also doing as much running as the midfielders. On what I’m seeing I reckon he’s going to surprise us. KK just took a brilliant contested mark and summed up options and did a great kick to a leading player.

They’ve just broken into groups and doing right passing drills. About every 90 seconds to 3 minutes the whistle blows and they swap bins from defending to attacking. Now back into full field ball movement. I’m guessing transferring what they did in the smaller groups. Preuss has a huge kick. Hate to say it but there’s a hell of a lot of kicks not hitting targets. Sparrow has the gate of a natural athlete. Body language is very confident. Leads really well to good places. Marty Hore solid unit. There’s going to be some solid contested marking capacity in this squad. Bedford’s doing some nice work. Getting to the right places to receive and making good decisions and delivering accurately. Petty still looks pretty light for a potential KP player. They’re doing a contested ground ball exercise where a ball is rolled to 2 players who have to fight for it. McCartney told someone to tackle harder. They want it to be full match day intensity. Garlett’s skills still stand out and he seems pretty engaged. He’d be a real bonus if he comes good this year. The competition for his spot is building. Jordan is also a good ready to go size. Another group doing a drill where they are tackled under pressure and have to get an accurate ball off to an outside player who has to snap across the body at goal. All the handballs go off and all the snaps I saw went through. Another group doing a drill where you stand with your back to a group are handballed a ball and have to turn and pick out from a series of players leading and get a low pass to them. Wagner started. Didn’t miss a pass. Seems to be doing some training with the forwards. The backs are in a group at the moment doing a clearing exercise. They were all brought in and there’s extensive coaching going on by Troy Chaplin. Then back into a drill in groups leading and passing. The philosopher is training with the backs. Hore’s Skills are good

Lever not back till round nine or ten?!!! Viney being managed??! They were missing targets all session??? I prefer Saty's reports

Viney is running like a powerful machine. Very driven attitude. Baker is struggling to keep up with him while they do repeat 30-40sec run throughs around the boundary. Viney is timing everything and telling Baker what to do next.

McCartney has just gone over from main group to discuss the rehab training with the 2 guys with the computers just for them. That’s the attention to detail nowadays. I’ve counted 25 support staff out there coaches trainers etc. How far have we come ina few years. Apparently this footy program is now cutting edge versus the rest of the Comp

Bradke has remained whilst most of his rehab group have departed. He is a keen observer of the senior players and occasionally gets instruction from a trainer on the finer points of the current activity

2009 2019

Up to 33,226 today ( 21 Jan). From this point last year we added about 15K to end of Season. So we are looking at close to 50K at that rate.

I disagree quite often with dv8 but it is a fan website where most the comment is opinion. So he is entitled to give his.

Bedford seems to have very good foot skills.... Pruess also hits targets ... Sparrow tends to give the short kick more air... Fritsch still the standout by foot

As others have said Viney looks in amazing form. Unfortunately Melk still seems on a pretty compromised progam mainly just running.

It's a valid concern but the break down is: Gus - was healthy to start and is back in the main group Oliver - has been running pretty much all summer Harmes - as above plus back in the main group Viney - doing more than last year Vanders - doing more than last year Petracca - apparently fitter than ever Fritsch and KK both doing well as wing options Jones - not missing sessions just backed off Stretch/Baker - both progressing Maynard - a depth option Sparrow - potentially an option To start last season we had Tyson out of the side, Brayshaw out of the side, Viney and Vanders injured and Harmes playing wing/forward. The midfield had huge changes between round 1 and finals. Oliver is the only who's really behind where they entered last year and there's time for him to catch up. Otherwise we just have to make sure we use the long year to our advantage by resting and rotating guys and building them up through the season.

My wife wanted me to mow the lawn but I reported a slight pain in the lower left hand side of my right patella. At that point she adjusted my schedule for the day and I sat on the couch and watched the cricket. Good result all round.

I think the days are gone when players train within the main group when they have an injury or niggle. I’d suggest any pain is reported to training staff and the players training regime is altered accordingly. I’m not worried at all.

After a time, the critical, negative comments about players become a sore, a bore and a chore, especially when it is focused on alleged shortcomings in talent, fitness or effort without any real, objective evidence. Unsubstantiated opinions are fine so long as they don't end up as substitutes for facts. I believe that each player is working as hard as he can and I rely on the club's assessment in adding him or keeping him on the list. Crossy's reported insiders comments about Tracca validate my belief. 2020 Go dees.

Fritsch predominantly back

Hibberd everywhere in 3/4 field match play.

Impressed by Baker’s size... has a body to back his pace... looks like he will get games in 2019

Everyone on list out on the paddock... Hannan was very strong in the boundary line runs with rehab group... Keilty and Maynard also running well, Bradke bringing up the rear. Gus Walker running laps at medium pace by himself

Preuss is fast becoming a priority action man with mongrel mobility - in your face. He may be the recruit of the year/decade/or century but whatever, I really like the rapport and support that fans are bestowing upon him - for good reasons he is an attention magnet. Great to hear of KK shining with the Dees, described often in training as 'brilliant', 'great at...', 'speedy' and 'skilled'.

Love him as forward, and love him on the wing. But his skill set may be best suited to half back with that combination of aerial ability and elite foot skills.. I am sure he will pinch hit everywhere. Fantastic young player.

You clearly need to re-evaluate your priorities, Tarax!! Fancy sitting and watching that pansy game while the REAL action is but a hop, step & a jump away! Hang your head in shame, lad!!

Firstly thanks to @Demonland for accepting our invitation to be a co-presenting partner of the eighth edition of Demonbracket. Those of you who have played before won't need any further instructions, but for everyone else the Bracket can be summed up as your opportunity to make an arbitrary choice about which Melbourne player you prefer based on whatever criteria you like. It's a knockout tournament with some byes due to seeding and seniority (more intricate preview post here), where we work down to the one most preferred player on the list. Previous finals: 2012 - James Frawley d. Nathan Jones 2013 - Tom McDonald d. Mitch Clark 2014 - Nathan Jones d. Jack Watts 2015 - Nathan Jones d. Dom Tyson 2016 - Jack Viney d. Nathan Jones 2017 - Max Gawn d. Jack Viney 2018 - Neville Jetta d. Clayton Oliver The draw will be conducted live on Twitter @demonblog from 19:00 on Friday 25 January, with matches commencing 07:00 Monday 28 January. After that the tournament tree will be updated in this post, and daily matches posted for your voting enjoyment. You can either cast your vote in this thread, via Twitter, Facebook, email ([email protected]) or in the interests of bringing all the people together the BigFooty Demonbracket thread. Only one vote per person per matchup please. Other important rules for first time players: The voting criteria for each match-up is your personal business. It need not have anything to do with football if you don't want it to, but if does then the best of British luck to you. We won't ask questions, and nor should anyone else. Vote shamers will be denounced. Voting will be conducted between 0700 and 1900 AEDST unless otherwise noted You must cast a valid vote for every match that day or none of your votes on that day's matches will count (I'll try and remind you where possible by there are no guarantees). You must pick a winner in every match up. No half votes, no "I can't split them". Yes you can, and you must. In the event of a tie both players will advance to the next round, except in the case of the Grand Final where a replay will be held the following day. If a match features three or more players and two or more tie for the most votes they will advance with all other players eliminated. We reserve the right to refuse an excessive number of multiple votes from the same person using multiple accounts This thread will be updated with the list of preliminary and first Round matches on Friday night, and the first match-ups to vote on will be posted Sunday night. Until then, have at your speculation about potential winners. With five former champions on the list and at least five other realistic championship contenders this promises to be the biggest Bracket yet, and we're thrilled to have the Demonland community join in.

oooh sexy - our program is cutting edge. anyone have intel on what the paradigm shift is? Let's touch base, going forward and get distruptive, as I can see all the low hanging fruit in the pipeline. I guess we need to leverage our assets and move the needle and think outside the box to synergise our 360degree thinking. So I'd love to pick your brain and take a deep dive.

for sure. he is also entitled to get some 'feedback' from other posters if he turns out to be full of it

If Petracca is, as advertised, at 96kg, dropping 5kg to get to 91kg will see him have a very similar body shape of the likes of Dangerfield and Martin. While I don't claim to be an expert on the matter, I'd also imagine Petracca at 91kg would mean he has worked a lot more on his tank, rather than bicep curls, meaning he should be able to start as a mid, then drift forward like the said players you mentioned. Hard part is, we all have no idea. He might be exactly where the club wants his body to be at. They might be frustrated that his body isn't changing to where they want him to be, or his body may not be able to change so they will work with what his strengths are. I think it's an ok conversation to have on here, but it's going to be one where we will never know the answer to, so maybe stick to having a civilised discussion about it. As long as he plays top quality footy, I won't care at all. At the moment, I think he has higher levels to get to, and would like to think we will see the next of those in 2019. If not, then I'll be back on here looking at reasons why he isn't.

This line says it all Vagg, “she who must be obeyed" Tarax knows how the world works. Good effort!

Thanks @It's Time. How’s Sparrow looking? Based off not much more than physical appearance, I think he’s going to be a gem. If we can somehow keep him under mass pressure, possibly a diamond.

Just look at this.. 20 year old key forward in his first final... wowowowoww!

Thank god for that Ernest. I look for to a decade of sustained success.

True.Barry, especially for a former goulban valley boy like your good self, where men were men and women ... Truth is today most blokes need to be a be fully coqnescent of their partners whims and desires and adjust accordingly. Anyways the track watchers reports are ebullient and entertaining.

Agree but that is a value judgement. And being respectful is another important element. If you are respectful and don't play the man then I have problem with people giving opinions different to my own

Yes, OD, i did see that line, and know only TOO well what it means. However, there is a time when a man simply MUST stand up! Clearly, this is one of them! (If a guy with a black eye or two turns up at training, we'll all know that Tarax has arrived! LOL

love the way he jumps at the ball and his aggressive tackling. good below his knees, and excellent by hand and foot for a big guy. does everything Hogan wouldn't, or couldn't, do as a forward. Hogan does have him covered for running power though, but he will get better the older he gets.

That team would wallop the 2012-13 line-ups.

To give credit to the photographer, if anyone on here is a Facebook user, this lady is a volunteer photographer for the AFL and captured some fantastic shots (over 250) of the boys last Friday. Here’s a link to her page.

I’m also hoping Hunt becomes a regular again in the 22. Question to everyone, where would Hunt suit us best? Imo, after reading training reports and observing a session last week a spot in defence is there for him to cement. We all remember his dash and carry over the last few years, but with the 6-6-6 rule in place now you’ll need to back your player’s ability to win the one on one should you lose the centre square clearance and the ball comes swiftly into your defensive 50. He has the pace to close down an opponent, his leap isn’t bad at all so he can spoil and as you stated he’s added muscle over the summer. He could find it a lot easier picking up one of his spoils and dashing out of defence with less numbers in front of him now. I mainly watched the defensive drills last week and most of them consisted of practising for the above scenario. Ball would come in rapidly to a man and the objective was just to kill the contest ASAP. Hunt was like a wild beast trying to get to the ball before his opponent marked it. If that wasn’t enough of a workout, the coaches kept Hunt and Jetta out on Goschs well after everyone headed to the showers. They were standing in the goalsquare and repeatedly had the ball thrown up in the air and the sole objective was just to spoil the ball to the boundary. The coach’s directive was loud and clear. Make sure that ball is dead after it comes in quickly to enable us to get our numbers back, set-up and back our strength of winning the clearance. Apologies for the long-winded post, but this is the kind of stuff that interests me and hopefully other members on here whenever I get a chance to observe a session.

This is a pic from friday. To think some peanuts on here actually think hes still carrying puppy fat or is carrying too much weight. He is an absolute ripping nick! Just shows how hard he has been workinh on his fitness on and off field.

Not saying that the 09 list is anywhere near as good as this year, WJ. Just think it wasn't all bad.

Allegedly ...

2009 Melbourne Football Club List 1. Simon Buckl ey 2. Nathan Jones 3. Clint Bartram 4. Jack Watts 5. Brock McLean 6. Matthew Bate 7. Brad Miller 8. James Frawley 10. Cale Morton 11. Paul Johnson 12. Colin Sylvia 14. Lynden Dunn 15. Ricky Petterd 16. Jack Grimes 18. Brad Green 19. Addam Maric 20. Colin Garland 21. Daniel Bell 22. Brent Moloney 23. James McDonald (c) 24. Russell Robertson 25. Kyle Cheney 26. John Meesen 27. Jared Rivers 29. Michael Newton 30. Tom McNamara 31. Paul Wheatley 32. Cameron Bruce 33. Austin Wonaeamirri 34. Stefan Martin 35. Trent Zomer 36. Aaron Davey 37. Matthew Warnock 38. Daniel Hughes 39. Neville Jetta 40. Mark Jamar 41. Rohan Bail 42. Jake Spencer 43. Jamie Bennell 44. Shane Valenti 45. Matthew Whelan 46. Sam Blease 47. James Strauss 48. Liam Jurrah 49. Jordie McKenzie 50. Rhys Healey 2019 Melbourne Football Club List 1. Stephen May 2. Nathan Jones (c) 3. Christian Salem 4. James Harmes 5. Christian Petracca 6. Jordan Lewis 7. Jack Viney (c) 8. Jake Lever 9. Charlie Spargo 10. Angus Brayshaw 11. Max Gawn 12. Toby Bedford 13. Clayton Oliver 14. Michael Hibberd 15. Billy Stretch 16. Kade Kolodjashnij 17. Sam Frost 18. Jake Melksham 19. Mitch Hannan 20. Corey Maynard 21. Braydon Preuss 22. Aaron Vandenberg 23. James Jordon 24. Jay Kennedy-Harris 25. Tom McDonald 26. Sam Weideman 27. Aaron Nietschke 28. Oscar McDonald 29. Jayden Hunt 30. Alex Neal-Bullen 31. Bayley Fritsch 32. Tom Sparrow 33. Harrison Petty 34. Marty Hore 35. Oskar Baker 36. Jeff Garlett 37. Kade Chandler 38. Tim Smith 39. Neville Jetta 40. Corey Wagner 42. Josh Wagner 43. Guy Walker 44. Joel Smith 45. Declan Keilty 46. Austin Bradtke

He was training his guts out on Monday in the heat and slotting quite a few on the run...

He’s a player. You can be a flash in the pan and get on the end of a few every now and then but, that EF against Geelong, he showed he has all the tricks a great key forward needs to have. Strong marks. Crunching tackles. Repeat efforts. Well timed bumps (Dangerflog) Sweet kicking action. Etc. As long he stays fit and has great pre-season, I’m confident the Weid will be even more valuable than Hogan.