Leaderboard

Set up Olympic Sports Medicine Centre at Olympic Park approx 30 years ago, the first dedicated multi-disciplined sports clinic for elite athletes and the weekend jogger. It was at the time, we first started to hear about Sports Medicine and doctors specializing in the field. A researcher and practitioner, he is a Professor at Lat Trobe Uni. At the same time, he was MFC doctor in the Northey years. Lots of photos of him with the team in those days, sitting on the bench etc. At the time, he was a professed Demon supporter. Was involved with other AFL team, Collingwood being one and also Sports doctor for Olympic teams such as hockey, Aussie Test team and other sports. Also spent time in UK. Would be in his mid to late 60s, so has lots of experience. Not a bad thing. Also written text books on Sports Medicine and regarded as one of the doyens in the field. There are mixed views in the field about him but this is not unusual in medicine with its petty jealousies and rivalries. He has built a successful business so my guess is that he would not come cheap. With all his other interests, he would not be full-time but act more as consultant as needed. My guess.

Most experienced and credentialed sports med physician in Melbourne. I would suggest he’ll work in an overseer/consultative role. To address any confusion, fitness and conditioning ‘gurus’ like Burgess and Misson are only that. They are not trained to, or expected to assess or diagnose pathology, and ONLY manage players with injuries as relates to their return to match fitness. In this they will be advised by medical staff as to what players can and can’t do. When they are the mouthpiece, as Misson was week to week, on where players are at with rehab, it’s easy to assume they are more medically involved I guess. They do not make any of the injury based decisions.

We've got a number of docs and medico's on staff that all sit behind Burgess, but Brukner is a massive get, his experience in the sports medicine field is nearly unmatched. No matter how big/small his role this is great for the club. Have a look at his resume if you want to know more. https://www.peterbrukner.com/

They dont call him Hemingway for nothing !

100% a forward and from what i hear will train as a forward this pre season.

Going by his insta he has been training incredibly hard and is in ripping nick!

Prefer to take Bennell a cheaper risk with a higher potential

I just watched the VIC Country Vs WA game as I thought it would be a good one to watch as I knew it was a close finish. I was wrong. Weightman had a quiet game. WA pressure meant that VC sucked in the first half which was annoying as all the players I wanted to watch were all playing for VC. Weightman Highlights: Q1. A great tackle at the start of the match. This was nearly the only highlight for VC in the first half. WA dominated with pressure and VC never really got going. Q2. Was involved in a few passages which are barely worth a mention. It was a bad first half to be a small forward as the ball didn't come down that way often. Q3. A great quarter. Looked lively, kicked a goal and was ferocious with some of his tackles. Q4. Was not involved in anything worth talking about. Virtually unsighted Summary: Earlier in the thread I said that his highlights from the Stingrays didn't show any small forward talent. I was wrong. This boy can play the small forward role, just not the way I thought he would. He is lively, always on the move, positions himself well and has amazing pressure to lock it in the forward 50. He isn't the mercurial goal sneak that I expected but he does have talent. I will need to watch the other VC games as this one didn't show much. I have no idea why I am bothering to spend so much time researching a kid I don't think we should take, but here I am... I have even created a video of the highlights mentioned above for you guys to watch. I realised early on that there wouldn't be any sound but didn't realise that it would have that watermark in the middle of the screen until it was finished. Just so you know the programme I used was [censored] and I would not recommend it to anyone. Started to crash once the file got too big which was concerning for a 3min video.

The Irish players are rookies so we didn't use any picks to get them. Freebies! The lack of early picks was basically due to expansion and our trade for Birch. The Daisy thing kind of makes sense to me. We lost her, got Sherriff as her replacement. To bring Daisy back, we either had to get rid of Sherriff or use a pick to keep her. Based on her VFLW form, I think worth it for a known quantity. It's hard to know how we'll go next year. St Kilda and Richmond's lists have essentially played together in the state league; less the case for West Coast and Gold Coast. Brisbane and Freo were ravaged by expansion. As were the Bulldogs, but they've got the cream of the crop in the draft, players that might have immediate impact like Prespakis this year. The Pies come in off a VFLW Premiership and looked very strong at that level - will it translate? As for us, we do have one of the most stable lists and have been on the edge of finals each year. Never forget that we had more H&A wins than the Runner-up this year! Still, we'll certainly need some players to step up because the standard continues to rise. I have zero concerns about Birch though. I can see the thinking behind the players we got at the draft, which is reassuring! I love that Colvin's highlight reel is pretty much bumps and tackles. It was good also to see a couple of Casey players get picked up: co-captain Garner and Bentvelzen.

Last 8 flags ruckmen 2012 Mumford started at another club 2013 Max Bailey home grown Hawthorn dud 2014-15 McEvoy started at another club 2016 Jordan Roughead now at another club and no longer a ruckman 2017 and 19 Nankervis started at another club 2018 Lycett now at another club It's an uninspiring list.

Worked with Burguss at both the Socceroos and LFC

Also was the Doc at Liverpool FC

Good to see some more experience in the strength, conditioning and medical side of the FD. Well done to JM continuing to go about his business But the lunatic fringe still want him gone because he was around for 186

Legit never heard of this bloke.. But welcome Pete!

He doesn’t want to be with us; move on

He's back... couple of little articles in some of today's papers: "Meanwhile, Melbourne's football department facelift will see Dr Peter Brukner return to the club he worked for in the late 1980s. Demons .."

Put football smarts....with lightning reflexes. A genuine football brain... with grunt, a bit of nasty and follow up 2nd efforts. Add to this some class finish around stoppages and in front of the sticks. Clever unselfish knock ons, amazing agility / awareness in traffic and a super leap for his size ...and what have you got!?? Football's Masiah? Nope...just lil ol' Kysaiah!

Pick 15 yes, pick 8, no

Could also be why the coaching department has shrunk somewhat. Adding Brukner, Burgess and Richardson might have meant a tighter squeeze in the 'soft cap'.

fwiw, I reckon a key reason for our fitness problems this year was losing Rob Jackson early in the 2019 pre-season. In the preceding years I recall a number of our players did extra work at his gym. In the 2018 pre-season there were a lot of mfc articles about the extra work players did. Don't recall such articles in the 2019 pre-season. That may or may not have anything to do with Rob Jackson leaving but he left a gaping hole at the club and the way 2019 played out I'm not sure we ever filled it.

I watched the Vic Country vs SA game & he kicked 2 in the first quarter, another in the second and another in the second half. He is definitely a goal kicker, he only needs one opportunity and he’ll pretty much kick a goal.

Dr Dan Bates was the replacement for our '20 year experience' doctors who left in in 2011. Dr Z Dr Zeeshan Arain started in 2013 after Dr Bates resigned for involving MFC with the shady S Danks. I'm not saying Dr Arain has or hasn't the required experience just noting that he did not replace the doctor(s) who left with Misson's arrival in 2011. At this stage we don't know what Dr Brunkner's role is or whether Dr Arain will stay with the club. So it may be a bit early to say his appointment is a mistake.

Great news Joel, can't wait to see you out on the MCG in 2020??

Gould's a big boy. Probably the fattest since Mumford, but only 191cms! That article above has a quote that he gets blasted by coaches for always trying to take the hardest kick and not the easy/team option. Shows he's a bit of a Sam Frost and doesn't necessarily follow team gameplan. If that's the case, clubs wouldn't rate him as very coachable or good for team environment, and it's probably why there's questions where he even gets drafted in the top 30. Personally I think he's worth a pick in the mid-late teens, but he's not who we should be drafting with either top 10 pick, and he's not what we need either. Young plays a similar position, but is more agile, quicker, better intercept marker, better kick, and more versatile. Take him at pick 3 and look for best talent available at 8. Gould ain't it.

There is mention in this article: Lions on brink of another golden era Meanwhile, Melbourne’s football department facelift will see Dr Peter Brukner return to the club he worked for in the late 1980s. Demons football boss Josh Mahoney has made mass changes to the club after its disastrous season with former St Kilda coach Alan Richardson and high-priced fitness guru Darren Burgess the big-name signings. Brukner was previously the Australian cricket team’s medico and will also be well known to footy fans through his various media roles. The experienced sports medical expert has held positions at ABC Radio as a boundary rider, SEN and Fox Footy. This year he penned articles for Fairfax. The Demons have farewelled assistant coaches Brendan McCartney, Jade Rawlings and Craig Jennings as part of Mahoney’s revamp.

One of a very few highlights in an otherwise dreadful season for me. He's a forward, and a star in the making, if we can get a couple of marking forwards up and running, to take the heat off him.

I get the idea of teaching a young player new skills and roles, but the timing of Fritsch's move to the backline was just atrocious. Not only did he move back without the benefit of playing alongside May & Jetta, but it left the forward line horribly undermanned at the same time. Thankfully Goodwin didn't completely destroy his confidence and Bayley was able to make a strong contribution late in the year when back in the forward line. He is certainly capable of kicking 30 goals or more next year (and will probably need to given that we didn't recruit any key forwards in the trade period).

Shining Light for the future. Love his skills and endeavour. Will have a great year 2020 and beyond. Still cant work out why he was played back before the bye. Anyway hope he becomes part of a disciplined effective forward line 30 plus goals is realistic.

I do like Kemp AF as you know, but very keen to get in one of Young and Stephens

Kemp may well be gone by 8, whereas Gould should be there by 8, so this should dictate our drafting strategy. I hope this is the thinking anyway. ? Alternatively, @Fifty-5 proposed trading 8 for 10 and an early second rounder. We could still probably get Gould with 10 and maybe a Weightman at the start of the second round. Kemp, Gould and Weightman all address needs. I like it.

On what planet is Melksham depth? He is one of the classiest ball users and goal kickers in the side and we bitterly missed him for those 10 or so games.

Melksham??? Depth Miles in front of Hunt for example The remaining list shows how shallow we are. Jones and possibly Sparrow aside none of the remainder have shown signs of pushing for a best 22 spot short of injuries. Time for a good look at how MFC players are being developed at Casey. It's not just about winning games because you have some strong Casey listed players.

Has played two exceptional games in his 8 year career. No from me.

Lamumba was a risk. Volatile at Pies due to his ego and we took him. Lever for two 1st rounders was a risk. Mitch Clark was another risk. We do take risks.

Surely, you can't expect them to manage the list with the expectation that they'll all be injured? I like Frosty, he was fun to watch but offering him 3 years on decent money isn't sensible list management. Also, he wasn't sacked - that's hyperbole. He was offered a sensible contract and chose to leave. IMO, he made a good decision for his career but so did Melbourne, in terms of list management and player payments.

I look at someone like Nick Haynes from GWS and see a lot of similarities to Young in terms of his intercept marking.

None appeal so far. Maybe Wylie Buzza but only because of his name.

Still pretty quick though. He'd shed those kgs in a pro environment and add more pace to his game. Goody likes South Aussies too, so Gould and Stephens could be in the frame. I wonder if the review took away some of his list management oversight.

Holy moly!! Really?

Nar don't underrated it MASSIVE TICK!!!! ??

Melksham would be one of the first picked each week.

He might have the worst nicknames in the AFL, but on no planet and no AFL team for that mater is Milkshake a 'depth' player. OMG, one rubbish season and Demonland had gone bananas.

Respectfully, it can't be a 2 way street. There is a game plan they all need to adhere too. If the forwards lead but Frost ignores them and runs an extra 10 m they are all out of position and he can't kick to them anymore. They are caught out. Next time they don't lead because they wait to see what he will do. His random play ruins the structures.

Frost struggled to hit targets by foot when he was on the run. Dashing like a headless chook and then delivering poorly (assuming he wasn't tackled) was a 'hold your breath' moment most weeks. Having said that, he did chip kick around more this season, which shows he's learning his own limitations. He was fun to watch, but IMO he would've been overtaken by May and Lever in 2020. Petty, Omac and Hore will play their roles and supply support where required. I'm much more concerned with our forward line than backs.

Criticism levelled at Petracca is at best ignorant, at worst stupid. A complex player that deserves complex analysis. Much better than people are prepared to admit. He's not just another Jack Watts. He is firmly establishing himself as a great of the game.

Plus May giving it to him against the Lions

He’s an intriguing player. For all the criticism he receives for not living up to the initial hype, he continues to produce stats that both surprise and point to his continued development. I’m keen to see what level he can go to next year.

Fair enough, but in that case for you games at the G are interstate

If we played the crows at the G this year we would have won. Imagine we were vying for top 8 and that lose cost us a spot in the finals. How much is that worth???

I would MUCH rather play an extra game at Marvel than in Darwin. For one we play well there. Secondly most of us can actually get there to see the game. And most importantly there is no travel fatigue factor.