Leaderboard

I really wish the boys would stop saying "obviously" so much in interviews. It really is bothering me more than it should. I've officially run out of meaningful things to complain about with regard to the Melbourne footy club - how good is that!

Tom is a breath of fresh air really Intelligent well considered and articulate responses to a series of questions No pathetic cliches, no umms or ahhs Well done TMac deserves every success and I hope it comes his way

It makes sense to me. Whilst I enjoy Jack Viney's leadership on the track, I think he is pretty average in front of a camera. And by pretty average I actually mean quite poor. With all due respect, he doesn't have the tools to be able to reflect on questions and answer them meaningfully without repeating the same old cliches like a broken record. Tmac on the other hand is extremely well spoken, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him follow the post-career media personality route as many before him in recent history. Re: him not being leadership group, I think it would have come down to him or Nev. Both were excellent and deserving options.

I walked past the oval a bit earlier with my dogs but they wouldn’t let me in, even after I told them my dogs were cleaner and less feral than West Coast supporters and their kids.

What an amazing recovery? A week ago, T Mac was ruled out of football’s biggest extravaganza outside of the grand final. Now, he’s back in town.

Our best leader. Been saying it for a year. But of course once you pick a favourite, you back yourself.

Yep and future coaching material also.

1. Welcomed a beautiful baby girl (our first) into the world. (Seems there might have been a few new additions for Demonlanders over the pre/post season?) 2. Avoided work at all costs and managed to get away with it (so far). 3. Made a real effort but struggled to enjoy the cricket this Summer.

Obviously. But yes, going Sugar free can do wonders. My wife did it before she fell pregnant. She lost weight and kept it off like never before. Added a lot of lean muscle as well. I wish I could follow suit. Sugar and beer (and bourbon)... killers for me.

Also knows where everyone is at fitness wise, very impressive. Must admit he is also one of my Faves...!!!

The winning post not delivered to my newsagent this morning. Very frustrating as it means I cant do my form on the train. Will have to get one somewhere and do on way home (and at home). A reminder races at flemington start early tomorrow because of heat.

1. Had my first child 2. 3.

The squad looks like it's been written by Thomas Hardy or perhaps one of the Bronte sisters with Woodland making way for Heath.

Tom moving to the forward line has become more confident with his on / off field demeanor which is exceptional. The 666 will help him in beating any opponent deep in the square one on one and awfully hard to beat in the air especially with his jump mark tactics. Is crucial to our cause and IMO he is about cherry ripe to put in his best season and the new rules will help immensely. With a little luck the Coleman medal could be around his neck.

1. Spent two weeks in Taiwan and, among other things, did a presentation about Australia to a bunch of kids studying English in a public high school 2. Drove from Sydney to Melbourne via the coastal route down the Princes Highway and spent a couple of weeks catching up with friends. 3. Took my son to Tokyo for a couple of weeks and wandered around taking photographs and eating.

I just don't like the vague description "mental health issue". I grew up with someone who suffered from major mental illness all of their life, and saying you suffer from "depression" as an excuse to get out of certain situations, to me devalues the very real suffering of people struggling with this issue. We all get depressed sometimes, but most of us do not get to know the "black dog" of utter despair. To cite mental health issues too many times risks the public becoming immune to the real problems of people with mental illness living their lives out of the spotlight. The public will become cynical and less sympathetic to ALL sufferers is they suspect players are using the system to cover up something else. Sorry to be so heavy, but this is a sore point with me.

Tom McDonald is by far our best media speaker when it come these kind of interviews. Love listening to Tmac.

1. Got married. Tiny ceremony by the harbour up here in Sydney. Then a little dinner by the sea with a small collection of close friends. 2. Got married, again. But correctly to the same person. This time in Vietnam, for the benefit and approval of the new side of my family which by my count is literally (and I use literally correctly) 30 times the size of my 'old' family. Officialy events occured in two different cities and on three separate days and involved three different outfits. Regretfully, I was unable to find a suitabl red-and-blue Ao Dai. Oh, yeah, and these events also blended into the Vietnamese new year, Tet. My third Tet in Vietnam but they never get simple, closest analogy would be if you ran a big traditional extended family Christmas together with a fairly committed effort at both the fun kids-version and the spiritual sides of easter, all at once. 3. Took a deep breath and sat quietly until the room stopped spinning. That took most of the rest of February.

If I ever see another post opening, or finishing, with "discuss" you can read it as dead in the water.

Makes him faster ?

Johannes Vermeer 3.60 and 1.55fav and first start since 2nd in the 2017 Melbourne Cup. Thats a very long break. Anyone know what race hes being aimed at this prep?

For those yet to renew, I just saw this on club website: Renew by Friday 22nd March and be in the draw to WIN You could WIN: - Return flights and accommodation for 2 people to our Round 18 game in Alice Springs - 2 x Tickets to attend Round 18 in the Territory Lounge - 2 x Post-match access Change room passes for Round 18 - VIP training experience in Alice Springs It might help the cause if the club put that in a story on the Home page rather than buried in a tab on the 'Membership' page. Membership is now 37,856 - 4,500 up on same time last year and 7,200 to break last year's record. And 12,200 to get to the magic 50,000 members! I reckon we can do it, especially if the MCC/MFC campaign goes well!

Interesting running double at Randwick, r2 no 10 Looks Like Elvis into R3 Microphone.....just sayin.

Your use of the letter Z here is hilariously ironic (pronounced 'zed' thank you very much) I agree with your sentiments wholeheartedly however

HOT OUT OF THE CITY by Paddy Gosch The Dees travel out of the city for game one of two JLT Community Series practice matches before the season proper. Our first match takes us to the floodplains of the Goldburn River in Northern Victoria to the city of Shepparton. We take on the Tigers for the first of at least 3 encounters with the 2017 Premiers this year. The game will be played in scorching temperatures so expect plenty of rotations, ice vests, fans running overtime and extra water carriers. The Demons are coming off a win against Collingwood in it’s first practice hit out of the season. We went into that game with a strong lineup despite about a 1/3 of the best 22, including Nathan Jones, Jack Viney, Clayton Oliver, Tom McDonald, Jake Melksham, Jake Lever, Mitch Hannan and new recruits Steven May and Kade Kolodashnij, sitting out the match for various reasons. In a club presser on Thursday Tom McDonald stated that he should be right to play this week as long as he doesn’t have any soreness from the match simulation at training. He indicated that it was unlikely that Viney, Melksham, May and Kolodjashnij would line up against the Tigers but all would be looking towards JLT 2 to build up match fitness heading into Round 1. The Demons have rested Max Gawn possibly to gage how well new recruit Braydon Preuss goes solo. They have also decided to rest some of the older brigade with Michael Hibberd and Neville Jetta listed as emergencies along with Aaron vandenBerg. Jordan Lewis will not be making the trip up state. Bayley Fritsch makes his return to the team after missing last week due to AFLX commitments. After off season surgeries to both shoulders, Clayton Oliver returns to strengthen the midfield. James Jordon joins Tom Sparrow as the only rookies picked for the hit out. Harrison Petty and Declan Keilty who missed last week have been recalled to the team that will have a larger bench to accommodate the sweltering conditions. Demonland trackwatchers observed Tim Smith leaving the track early with a leg complaint so he too has been omitted. Boom Richmond recruit Tom Lynch will not be lining up against the Dees as he races the clock to be ready for Round 1. Other Tigers sidelined through injury include Josh Caddy, Jason Castagna, Shaun Grigg and Jacob Townsend. Despite these injuries Richmond have named a strong line up for the game including Trent Cotchin, Dustin Martin, Jack Riewoldt & Alex Rance. Players to watch for the Demons include Jayden Hunt, Billy Stretch, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Brayden Preuss and rookie Tom Sparrow. Jayden Hunt made an impressive return to the half back line at Olympic Park Oval. From all reports he has had a great preseason and I expect he will be working hard to cement his spot over the JLT series after a disappointing 2018. Preuss was also imposing in his first hit out for his new club. He kicked two goals and took some strong marks and played his role as back up to Max perfectly. It will be interesting to see how the Demons' new big man goes rucking alone in the heat but he will no doubt be backed up by Tom McDonald and Sam Weideman. Billy Stretch returned from injury and got his hands on the ball a lot. Prior to his injury last year his form was picking up so I expect that he will continue to push hard for a spot on the wing. Likewise Jay Kennedy-Harris attacked the ball well and got a fair bit of it. He too showed glimpses in stages last year but wasn’t able to cement a place in the side. No doubt he will take on these JLT games to stake his claim. New recruit Tom Sparrow had limited game time last week but was thrown in the middle on quality opposition and showed that he can get a couple of touches and also kicked a beautiful goal. I anticipate more game time for him over the JLT series and tip that he will play seniors at some point in 2019. Expect plenty of rotations and full use of the extended bench. Melbourne B: Josh Wagner, Sam Frost, Jayden Hunt HB: Marty Hore, Oscar McDonald, Harrison Petty C: Bayley Fritsch, James Harmes, Jay Kennedy-Harris HF: Alex Neal-Bullen, Tom McDonald, Joel Smith F: Chalrie Spargo, Sam Weideman, Jeff Garlett R: Braydon Preuss, Angus Brayshaw, Clayton Oliver IC (from): Christian Salem, Christian Petracca, Billy Stretch, Corey Maynard, Tom Sparrow, James Jordon, Corey Wagner, Declan Keilty Emergencies: Max Gawn, Michael Hibberd, Aaron Vandenberg, Neville Jetta Richmond B: Alex Rance, David Astbury, Dylan Grimes HB: Nick Vlastuin, Bachar Houli, Jayden Short C: Dion Prestia, Shane Edwards, Trent Cotchin HF: Daniel Rioli, Riley Collier-Dawkins, Jack Higgins F: Jack Riewoldt, Dustin Martin, Daniel Butler R: Toby Nankervis, Kane Lambert, Ivan Soldo IC (from): Oleg Markov, Nathan Broad, Jack Ross, Liam Baker, Jack Graham, Brandon Ellis, Maverick Weller, Noah Balta, Callum Moore, Connor Menadue, Fraser Turner, Callum Coleman-Jones JLT Community Series Richmond v Melbourne Sunday, March 3, 4.40pm AEDT Deakin Reserve Shepparton Gates open: 3.10pm General admission Tickets can be purchased via Ticketek. TICKET TYPE GENERAL ADMISSION Adult $20.00 Concession $15.00 Junior $5.00 Family (2 adults, up to 4 juniors under 15) $40.00 Adult Member Upgrade $5.00 Concession Member Upgrade $5.00 Junior Member Upgrade $3.00 All prices are subject to additional ticket agent fees. Members Melbourne Members with Premiership Season entry entitlements will have free general admission access by scanning in at the ground (subject to availability, upgrade fees may be applicable). However, entry is not guaranteed and it is recommended that Members upgrade to a reserved seat or register for a general admission ticket in order to guarantee entry. Membership upgrades and registrations are subject to availability on a first come, first serve basis and subject to an additional fee. Transaction fees may also apply. To register, visit Ticketek. Car Deakin Reserve is situated on Nixon St in Shepparton. Off-street parking may be available in surrounding streets. Public transport Deakin Reserve is located a 10 minute walk from Shepparton Train station. TV The match will be televised live nationally on Fox Footy live from 4.30pm AEDT. Mobile app Live scores, stats and match highlights are available at the tap of a finger in the club's mobile app. Download it for iOS or Android. Social media Match hashtag: #JLTTigersDees Follow the club on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for live match coverage and a behind-the-scenes insight into match day.

65 pints! That's heroic! I usually pass out after 15.

He articulates the questions well, remains topical and discreet. He has long been our best spokesperson. There is no clowning around or cluttered chatter. Great Captain material from the spoken language point of view.

Dyson was interesting as a footballer and yes, he could kick. Bennett was exceptionally good, as well and a better kick than Dyson. However, overall for each kick and/or delivery over distance, consistently, there has not been one better than Rod Grinter.

Obviously he’s given that some thought

A very handy player - not quiet a gun.

The “outs” and how they appear to be tracking:- 1. Stephen May (hamstring) — due to return to full training shortly. 2. Nathan Jones (hamstring /ba ck tightness) — should be fit to start the season. 6. Jordan Lewis — rested? 7. Jack Viney (ankle surgery) — should be fit to start the season. 8. Jake Lever (ACL surgery) — hopefully will be back training with the main group in about a month. 12. Toby Bedford — not selected. 16. Kade Kolodjashnij (adductor) — available to play Round 1 but more likely in the VFL. 18. Jake Melksham hamstring) — due to return to full training shortly. 19. Mitch Hannan (knee) — return in the middle of the first half of the season. 27. Aaron Nietschke (ACL surgery) — season 35. Oskar Baker — not selected. 37. Kade Chandler — not selected. 38. Tim Smith — left training early on Thursday. 43. Guy Walker (shoulder surgery) — return date not available. 46. Austin Bradtke — not selected.

Has future coach written all over him. If he lead, I'd follow.

Unlike Viney, no “yeah the boys... etc”

1. Refurbished one of my eskys to make it much more efficient 2. Learnt how to play Finska and had a lot of fun and beers playing it. 3. Booked our honeymoon to Greece for later in the year, and then later realised it's during the freaking finals. Fmd how could I stuff that up!!!

Made the trek from The Manor to have a squiz at training. The blustery wind wasn't ideal and , unfortunately putting up with Moonie's bluster was less so. Some observations I wanted to have a look at KK but he was only doing a bit of running and some short kicking drills with Bedford and Chandler. I think he said he was about 6 weeks away from being right but I may have misheard that. May Viney and Hannan were also on light duties but May joined in some drills later. He didn't look troubled but didn't seem overly switched on either. I'm not a JKH fan but he did everything right when I was watching him - very sharp. Weid was another who looked very good in everything he did - confident ball handling and good kicking. Oliver must be just about right. He played wide in the simulations but laid a very strong tackle on some unfortunate and was also sure in his ball handling. I had never seen Pruess in the flesh and watched him carefully. He did a sure handed pick up and his long kicking seemed fine. In the drills where he had to short pass he was very deliberate. He found his targets ok but would too slow in a game. He'll usually be looking to get the hand pass off I reckon. At one point Pruess, Gawn and Bradke were doing throw in drills directed by Stafford. Obviously they weren't doing full on body smashing but they were jockeying for position. Preuss came out on top most times. As would be expected Bradke didn't get a sniff against those two. Stafford also took Pruess and Gawn for some goal kicking practise. A few times he indicated modifications to grip and drop to them both. It was good to see Bernie Vince assisting in some drills although he was far less vociferous than I would have expected. Melkshake looked a gun. I watched him in one on one marking drills against Trac - he absolutely towelled him up about 4 times in a row. Right at the end Nev had a couple of the young blokes to work on body positioning in the marking contest. They showed great respect in the way they hung on whatever he said. After that strenuous session Moonie and I had a couple of quenching libations at the old corner pub.

Leadership material written all over him.

He's still up in Sydney. From memory he moved to Sydney because he had a work opportunity in IT. Last I heard he was involved in a software company providing logistics functions. He was involved in the local Junior footy club I coached at. His son was a few years below mine. He was incredibly commited to the junior program not just coaching but organising footy trips interstate every year and other great initiatives. The kids in that age group loved it. I've also seen him at a couple of the Demons functions up here in Sydney. He's a Dees man. A great guy. Very friendly and still very passionate about footy.

Didn't escape my radar. He was a favourite for me. I was really disappointed when we lost him.

Kevin Dyson was admired by many & still remains a popular past player. His ability to find the footy & hit targets with his renowned 50 or 60m kicks was amazing. He was a natural footballer & flew under the radar at the Dees in his time at the club. He would make some of our players today look silly with his precision skills by either hand or foot & this was a real feature of his game. I remember watching a reserves game one day in the early 90's & saw Dyso drop a torpedo through the goals from the HF boundary at the G.......one of the biggest kicks I had ever seen. I know he & Darren Bennett use to hang out a bit & at one stage KD was thinking about punting as well. He & Bennett had the best kicks that I have ever seen at the Dees......beautiful to watch. Biggest quaddies ever, but unlike CP, his kicking was rediculously good! Anyone know what KD is doing? I think he stayed in Syd after his stint at the swans.....

In support of this; I would think that Hardeman was so talented, attacking and valuable at CHBack - regardless of his height coz he had the build and a phantastique leap at the ball with vice-like marking skills (never saw him drop one) - that he would be up there alongside or ahead of any of the very talented CHBacks that we have ever had in any team. Just on more recent flashbacks, he was far better, for example, than the very creditable likes of Ingerson and Wight - and perhaps, on a par with the young Neitz when he played at CHBack - albeit a totally different type of player and role between the ages. No kidding!

1. Had another daughter. Well, my wife gave birth to it so technically I didn't have it, but I was there cheering her on with the membership number ready to go in my phone. 2. Took a break from here. 3. Watched as much NBA and EPL as humanly possible. Absolutely pumped for the footy to get rolling, though. Only 3 or so weeks to go (for the real stuff, anyway...)

1. Once trade and draft were done we welcomed Junior Demon number 4 into the household early December. First preseason baby out of the lot. Developing nicely but still off legs. 2. Disagreed daily with the lovely about the best way to soothe baby, White Noise or MFC theme song. 3. Watched the Elimination and Semi-Final highlights and perused DL an endless amount of times during sleepless nights.

Makes a good vacuum cleaner and hand dryer.

FMD!!! Please bring on the footy so that there's something to talk about.

Gawn, Jetta, Vanders and Hibberd are listed as emergencies on the AFL website teams

The way the ball is held is critical as is the height of the drop. Salem has the ideal hold and drop. Some players like TMac used to hold the ball in a way (for field kicking) that it would sometimes float end on end the other way. Salem would never kick a ball like that because the starting vertical position virtually doesn't allow it. Interestingly TMac has fixed that with his set kicking where the ball is held vertically (end pointing twds ground) and his hands remain very low minimising the height of the drop. He almost places the ball on his foot. I recall too that both Neitz and Robertson were ordinary set kicks when they started but became very reliable in the latter half of their careers.

You underrate Febes a little, Pennant. He was a terrific HBF in his day. Flash is a must in the side, though - preferably in a forward pocket, feasting on the crumbs that Neitz, Ox, Lyon etc get him.

Consider it training in case of another prelim in Perth.