Leaderboard

Go well and keep fisting big fella

Just because you don't know what his role is, doesn't mean Ricahrdson doesn't know what his role is. My guess is they're waiting for the whole team to be settled and determined before making announcements. That's the way it should be done.

What's the rush? I mean im all for transparency and good comms but their review is still going, and the dust is still settling from the departures, so I assume the full scope of his role is yet to be nailed down. So it would be silly to make some announcement about his title and resposibilities ahead of that. And to what end? To appease a few dees fans who are worried about the lack of clarity about his role?

My 5yo great-nephew plays AFL for the Lantau Lizards in Hong Kong. Two weeks ago Spud was there for an inter-club carnival, giving the kids tips: The side of him few people would see how much and how far he went to give back to the game. He touched so many. RIP.

A mate of mine has been good friends with Danny for a couple of decades and worked with him at the Tigers. We were talking about Spud only a month ago and he was in tears of laughter reciting some of the funny stories from their past. Sounded like a ripping bloke. He also spoke of how highly he thought of Spud for opening up and getting help for his depression. Vale Spud

Ironic

For someone I’m not sure I’ve ever met, this is surprisingly gut-wrenching. Vale Spud.

I am in Bellagio on holidays and just heard this sad news from a guest at the hotel. I know some of Spuds family so I am devastated for them. You just never know when your time is up. Embrace each day. RIP Spud.??

Im sorry but ANB is not a natural at anything, and I am not really being mean, he is just ordinary at nearly every facet of the game except running and pressure. If he stays on the list he should be completely transformed into a run with player, a genuine tagger, that's his future, apart from that he offers absolutely nothing.

Having lost a member of my own family the same way, tragic news for all concerned. On all fronts. "He was also popular as a speaker, where he would share stories of leadership, men's health and his battles with depression and anxiety." https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/afl-identity-killed-in-ballarat-car-crash-20190909-p52plb.html

At one stage Spud lived in the street behind our house. More recently, I used to see him at Princes Park, Caulfield when he was coaching an amateur women’s team near where one of my grandson’s teams trained. He was dedicated to the game and achieved so much. Condolences to his wife and family.

Lets hope he can overcome the injury.

Of course he knows, or at least the general scope. And I'll bet london to a brick he knows the salary. My guess is that richo himself will have a fair say in what his responsibilities are and what his role will be. They wanted him, wanted to ensure another club didn't grab him and I have little doubt part of the pitch was to create a win win scenario. We get his expertise and he gets, within parameters, scope to focus on what he is most interested in. Given things are still somewhat fluid I see it a massive vote of confidence in the fd and tbe club that he went with us or didn't just say let's wait a while.

Speaking about his disappointment with Adelaide's communication: "You know what, stuff you guys. I'm going to show Adelaide what they missed out on!" Love your work, Bernie!

Some of his best moments on triple M. This was the Saturday rub at its best.. Garry, JB, Spud and Purple was just the perfect team. Use to love tuning in at 12pm every saturday in the car on my way to playing footy. Rip Spud

Will certainly be missed. Always came across as a genuine, lovable kind of guy. Condolences to his family.

I rate him very highly as a player and was wrapped when he came to the club as he possess the polish and outside-skill that we've been missing. It's very concerning to see the effect that some fairly innocuous knocks have had on him.

He certainly showed them: won The Bluey in his second year with us. Clearly has no regrets and is rapt with how his life has evolved living in Melbourne. And he played 100 mfc games - enough for any little Bernie's to choose the Demons to play for.

Terrible news. Puts everything in perspective. My thoughts are with his family and friends.

Rubbish.

I wasn't being insulting to you or ANB, i said it wasn't meant to be mean spirited but its my opinion. Dont question my knowledge of the game and the players just because i dared to have a different opinion to yours.. that's narrow minded right there. He might be the worlds best clubman and worlds best bloke, i wasn't arguing that at all.

In a very disappointing year where there is much to be critical of, I thought using Fritter and Petty as forwards were an improvement in the 2nd half of the season. Two small flecks of gold in a pond of stinking mud

Serious Question Where was the improvement in the 2nd half of the year ( not just the odd stat) but real improvement, because I didn’t see it. and that does concern me at this stage

Saints won’t even have pick 6 after they bring in Brad Hill Tom Browne is an idiot

The club hasn't said anything yet (which I find weird), but Richardson chose us over Essendon due to Essendon not offering a senior assistant type of role, so would make sense that he took the Dees job because that was on offer. Of course, there's the potential that he's also got some kind of list management involvement and that's why it wasn't announced yet seeing Todd is still there at this stage.

I'm hoping we can do both. We need to be reasonably busy this offseason IMO, not over the top or 'scattergun', but more than just the one trade and one high pick. Bringing in a mix of trades, draftees and free agents will hopefully improve our list, especially our depth which got found out a bit this year.

I think we've all known that he's not actually a Melbourne supporter all this time. As you've said previously, he would have similar accounts on other fan forums to stir up as much trouble as possible. As for this thread - I don't think I've ever celebrated harder than when Hannan kicked the sealer. 12 years of raw emotion was let out that night. The opportunity to do this again won't be another 12 years in the making.

The Sopranos ended perfectly.

This needs an update Outscored 28.21 to 8.19 in first quarters.. ha ha ....last 7 finals

This comment just proved that you have not watched Weightman in the flesh live and only going off what you read on Bigfooty draft boards. I shall and won't explain any further only to say that Weightman is a completely different player to Spargo. And this coming from someone who had a lot to do with Charlie when he was coming through our development squad in the Murray Bushrangers program.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-finals-2019-giant-trade-target-adam-tomlinson-shattered-at-brutal-finals-selection-call/news-story/d3095fff35f0d5c26ab05ea0b4a3cbb1 Featuring in 80 out of a possible 81 games and being dropped for their final doesn't really constitute "not getting a game"

He’s a good small forward, but doubt he’s worth pick 3. Late first round early second round I’d have thought. I know we need small forwards, but you draft on talent not need so early in the draft. If we used pick 2-3 on him, I’d seriously question the recruiting staff.

Absolutely agree. I've said this before about Collingwood being a good example of how a lot of their kickers seemed to go from turn over merchants in 2017 to a strong team of kickers, who can control games in a similar way to old Hawthorn under Clarkson. Collingwood clearly worked really hard on their fitness (arguably too hard, given all their injuries in 2018), but this meant their players regularly got to the outside and into space, so they could keep moving the ball with seeming accuracy. As has been said a couple of times now, you look a much better kick when you're not trying to thread the eye of the needle, and merely kicking into space or to a free player.

My thoughts on the list and what they need to achieve over the pre-season. 1. May needs to get his body ready for the rigors of professional footy. 2. Jones needs to learn to hit targets going inside 50 and demonstrate some defensive intensity. Otherwise he won’t get anywhere near 300 games as he will be at Casey. 3. Salem needs to show more urgency in defense. 4. Harmes needs to continue working on his versatility. He’s our one mid who can play in other spots. 5. Petracca needs to work on his goal kicking. And his gut running if he’s going to play mid. 7. Viney needs a pre-season (sounds like a broken record) and a role in 2020. (Either run with player or defensive forward role) 8. Lever needs to work on his touch and tidy his kicking up. 9. Spargo needs to work on his physicality. If a defensive forward can’t stick a tackle he is useless to us. Speed and kicking penetration should also be areas of focus for Charlie. 10. Brayshaw needs to continue working on his two way running. If he wants to take his game to the next level he needs to work on his ability to hit targets by foot. 11. Gawn needs to work on his goal kicking. I’m a believer that the Gawn/Preuss experiment can work with a fitter Preuss. I’d love to see Max play more forward. 12. Bedford needs to insert himself into games more. He needs to find a way to get involved more, either through his tackling or by playing higher up the ground. 13. Oliver needs to learn to put the ball under his arm and break the lines. You be responsible for ball movement. Be the man instead of giving off the dinky 2 meter handball to a teammate in trouble. Only then will he take his game to a Cripps/Bont level. 14. Hibberd needs to be better defensively, and find that yard of pace he had in 2017. This game passes you by very quickly. 15. Stretch needs to learn to be a momentum driver, not a momentum killer. When Billy gets it, he stops, he props, he moves sidewards, he looks behind him. He needs to get it, use his speed and take more risks. 16. KK needs to play. We can’t afford to carry 3-4 blokes who play 2 games between them in 2020. Our depth isn’t good enough to cover it. 17. Frosty needs to do some meditation. If he can show some calmness and composure when he has the footy in hand he can become a top notch defender. 18. Melksham needs to work on his tank so that he can spend more time going through the middle. He was a real impact player in there in a couple of games mid-year. 19. Hannan needs to re-gain confidence and start jumping at his marks again. He can be a rare commodity in our team in that he is a threat in the air, on the ground and he can apply defensive pressure inside 50. 21. Preuss needs to get super fit and work on his hands. Stop dropping marks you get your hands to, you big lug! 22. vandenBerg needs to get on the park. As I mentioned in another thread, avB was a barometer for us late last year in that his aggression set the tone for the rest of the boys. He’s not the classiest but he was sadly missed in 2019. 23. Jordon needs to put on some size. This kid showed a bit when played as an inside mid in the second half of the year with his left foot penetration and ability to win the footy. He just needs to develop a body that can compete at the next level. 25. T-Mac needs to find his elite running capabilities. I’m sure he played with something this year and it impacted his ability to blow his opponent up by running up and down the ground. I’d love to see him smashing marking contests again. 26. Weideman needs to work on his hands and mark those balls he gets his hands to. I also think he needs to impose himself on contests more by throwing his weight around and having a real belief that he can impact marking contests. These things come down to self-belief. 27. Nietschke needs to enjoy his pre-season. He is effectively starting his AFL career at base camp and can’t fall into the trap of trying to fast track things too quickly. 29. Hunt needs to work on his small forward craft. If he is not traded this period this is the only position I can see him playing long term in our team. 30. ANB needs to work towards becoming a one touch player. I know he is often fatigued when he approaches a footy due to his gut running but he just has to be cleaner. 31. Fritsch needs to work on doing the simple things well. This kid will make the AA Squad of 40 next year if he plays the whole year as a forward, but only if he kicks 45 - 20, and not 30 – 35. 32. Sparrow needs to work on his delivery by foot. He is tough, wins the footy, and has good breakaway speed. The thing that may hold him back is his kicking. 33. Oskar needs to work on his game craft. As a wingman, a position we sadly lack options in, he needs to work out how he can become involved in games for longer periods and not just drift in and out of matches. And he needs a tank. Burgess is going to be busy. 34. Hore needs to work on his decision making. Can he become a player we can rely on when he has the footy? As that third tall/intercept player, he needs to differentiate himself from Lever through his superior ball use. He is far from at that point yet. More to follow.

If we can wait a couple of years, his younger brother Wayne is playing for the Sandringham Dragons in the TAC Cup and by all reports will be a gun KPF.

A hard day at the office but the win was thoroughly deserved. Wicket didn't deteriorate ...perhaps because it was so cold on the first three days. A very good crowd for a fifth day.

Couldnt agree more, it doesnt have to be wild and erratic signings just because, but be calculated, be a bit bold and use our position wisely. There is a great opportunity to find best 22 players and also upgrade depth which is just so important, i would argue you need 5/6 players who walk into the team if needed and can impact.. did we have any this year?

I find the Richardson situation bizarre and poorly communicated to be honest. The club and Alan know what his role is, he would've been offered something to consider and make a decision, why the club isn't telling members/supporters is a bit weird. He didn't just come onboard and find out his role later.....

Gws have some brilliant kicks too. Kelly, finnlayson and Whitfield in particular. A key skill players need these days as opposed to say 15 years ago is the ability to weight a ball over zones and into pockets of space and the quick change of direction diagonal kick. Both very tricky and both reasons why so many kicks get turned over and intercepted across hb.

8 -173 Fat Lady has entered the building...

You are the most negative poster here. Look at your posting history. That's conclusive evidence if ever I've seen it

Because 16 clubs are above us?

@dazzledavey36 talk about sick and twisted however I read through the thread and interesting to see how many posters this season if doom are absent in this thread our resident clown only posted once and it was to praise Chris Scott's press conference, which is obviously the first thing which would come to mind as a real Dees supporter after your biggest highlight in 12 years

The MFC are on analogue. But the game is now played on digital.

Currently broken. The hands are missing, the springs are loose, the cogs are worn, the glass is cracked and the battery is flat. The alarm still works. If it can be fixed who knows?

If we are talking about lack of kicking skills then KK was a big loss for us this year.

How is 'Goidwin' mentioning things any different to Ratten doing it?

Far out what a night this was.. this was literally 12 months ago. If you had told me that in 12 months time we would finish 2nd last on the ladder with 5 wins, i would have completely told you you've lost the plot. Especially after this performance when we completely bullied the cats.. Feels like a lifetime ago now...

Mad Max theme. Drop them all in the middle of the Tanamai desert and let them run back. They can take turns carrying Gawny all the way back to Melbourne while he gives them a spray about how he's had to carry them all year.