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The video guy was a 'late' arrival, that is May at the end of 100 minute training session

Training is on today Wednesday and it's bloody freezing pics tomorrow or late tonight Lots of ball movement by hand and foot again Lever made an appearance just knocking off the rust May and Jetta again out 'rehabbing'

Both he, Nev and Nietschke participated in some of the drills, so rehab is just a word With the soft tissue injuries he had last season I am glad he is building up slowly, although at the end of the session he was doing 50 metre repeat sprints flat out

Unreliable all right. Howe went to Collingwood for less money than what we were offering. Watts going was never about money, it was about running out of patience with an inconsistent flake. They say there's three certainties in life: Death, Taxes and TGR thinking he's the smartest bloke in the room.

AFL have just posted an article about him. He’s gone full “Namaste” and incorporated Pilates and yoga into his pre-season. Which is a big step up from pizza n’ pints. Seems very determined to get himself right.

He has had Essendon in the top 8 for all parts of the ground - not sure I put much credence in his assessments.

Probably a PTSD flashback to last season.

In the video he looks exhausted after a 30 sec jog... Looks dejected: on haunches, head on hand, looks up, grimaces, head in hands...

I'm surprised we ranked so high (though to be fair I don't follow other teams closely).

How did Brendan Goddard become a thing..?

The key reason most bigs take longer to develop is that strength is a more important factor for them than it is for mids, flanked, wingers etc. As I understand it men might get to their full height at say 20-21 but continue to fill out up to 25 or so. For a big like weed, who in some ways plays like a traditional forward that is a big factor. Bigger than say a more mobile forward like hipwood. Hawkins is a good comparison for weed I reckon. Took time to establish himself but once he got to his mid twenties became very formidable to play against. Big 12 months for Sammy.

I cannot believe people still want to draft this bloke. I would rather have a shot at Picket than a bloke that threw in the towel last year and played out the season in the NEAFL. His output overall does not warrant $600 -$650 K per season and if Carlton think it does they are delusional. The bloke is a bust.

sounds like Dusty did. I expect him to win a brownlow, a premiership and attempt to stab someone with a chopstick.

Would you be happy with another?

They simply don't have enough draft pick currency to get pick 3 off us. Pick 6 and their first next year which will be in the 20s most likely is nowhere near enough for the benefit they would get and the opportunity we would miss. They had their chance during trade period to cough up a decent player to satisfy us, but refused to. If we think Green is the 3rd best player in the draft we will bid on him. Looks like he'd be in contention for no1 if he weren't an academy player.

Makes compete sense to me. Our key forward depth chart is scarily non-existent. We can't even lean on Tim Smith anymore. We had to play O Mac at CHF in round 21, and he even went down (along with Petty) with injury leaving us with absolutely no-body to play key forward against Sydney in round 22. Our list management got found out right there.

I'm amused by the anxiety demonstrated by quite a few posters on May's general condition. He's here, he's training, he looks to be in reasonable nick. Some blokes put on a few kg's easier than others (eg Buddy... going back further "Wilson" Pickett). Its only injury that I worry about when it comes to blokes who have already had significant AFL careers. On track for a very good season is Mr May!

Goddard is everything that is wrong with the footy media landscape. On rsn breakfast and now for the hun he is essentially an analyst paid to give informed comment about football. Leaving aside my bias that he sheats me to tears it is impossible to argue he gets either gig if he wasn't an ex footballer who likes to espouse an opinion. As each season passes all ex footballers opinion becomes less relevant the longer the time since their retirement. Particularly about tactical info. The only way to mitigate this law of diminshing relevance is for them to work hard at developing their new craft ie journalism and analysis. With a handful of notable exceptions (Terry Wallace being one) few ex players seem to do this. So it is no surprise that so much of their analysis is paper thin and of little and is often nothing more than uninformed opinion based on their hazy memories of their playing days.

It's hard to argue that our fowardline dysfunction was purely personal driven IMO - the whole system was a farce. I don't buy the 'Tom McDonald had 1 good year and never got the best defender' argument, which has been repeated so much it's almost become accepted as fact. He dominated the second half of 2017 (when he was originally thrown forward) as much as he did in 2018, and often with Hogan playing further up the ground or out injured. He struggled this year because he was horribly out of sorts and/or injured, not because he's been figured out. Weideman has been spoken about a lot, but ultimately does a lot right - I still think he can become a 40 goal forward as soon as next year. Early signs are good for Petty. Obviously Melksham and Fritsch have shown they can be more than handy, and Petracca is harshly judged and still improving. If we can get some continuity into those players and make it click, that's a decent forwardline.

Looks leaner than last year. That will do me. If he remains uninjured all year that's a win showed in the few games he played how good he can be for us

May on track

In actual fact I believe young Weide is starting to resemble father Murray with the weight snd growth leaving his teens and early 20's behind. Good signs as he really looks more like a key position player and not to be taken lightly by defenders any more. 2020 will produce some surprising development in the careers of Weide Trac Angus Lever Fritsch plus Sparrow Jordan Lockhart and Dunkley and Pruess. Add all our seniors inc. May being much fitter and able to play out a full game and the newbies Langdon Tomlinson Bennell (last half) plus Picks 3 and 8 snd 2 PSD pick give a much stronger list than 2019 would appear to produce. 2020 could be a surprise to us all if Half glass full eventuates in fitness and development and attitude.

Nice clips boys but here's 16 minutes of brilliance. Note he kicked 5goals in the elim including a trade mark hanger and another 4goals in the semi final before getting his collarbone busted in the prelim and then retiring. If anyone should have been nursed to 300games it should have been this legend.

Definitely nominate Green at pick 3. Force GWS to pay for this super talented youngster. If they don’t match? Dees will have picked up probably the best player in the draft as he certainly right up there with Anderson and Rowell.

As Bernie Quinlan said at Robbie's memorial service at the MCG: "If we can't have a statue of Robbie Flower here, there's something wrong." https://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-10-13/footy-greats-farewell-demon-legend-robbie-flower

These clips genuinely bring a tear to my eyes today, just as they did when No2 flanked the MCG wings most Saturday afternoons. Robbie was one of the few shining lights in the very dim decades of the 1970s and 1980s for the MFC. Brilliant from the start of his career, loyal until the end of it. He has few peers in VFL/AFL history. Thanks for the clips WJ. Timeless and priceless.

I don't mind this! Although none of our players have started following him on Instagram, so probably not happening ?

That's a useful and insightful post Dazzle! Hope you don't let everything like this upset you. Second worst in the league in 2019 and best in 2018. Who would have thought that half seasons from McDonald, Weideman, Hannan and Melksham (number 1 for goal assists in 2018) would impact our forward half. Fritsch having to cover down back, McDonald, Petracca, Hannan and Melksham having significantly interrupted preseasons (Weid as well?) and a compromised back half meaning the midfielders had to cover down there (as well as Gawn). With a full complement on the field I can't see why we can't get back to close to our 2018 output. And if Bennell comes good........

Having re-watched all available u18 championships i'm now a Henry convert at 3. Freo will no doubt match the bid but he is worth a try. Easily one of the stand outs in the championships along with Jackson and a handfull (or maybe two) of others imv. Ash also had a very good series. More so than Young imv who was ok but not sure he gets involved often enough to impact often enough, especially from a run POV. Not quite able to break free or get into space enough to receive and effect the contest if that makes sense. Can do so don't get me wrong and very worthy of top 10 to 15. Just not sure he is a clear No.3 after a full (and more considered/focussed) re-watch. And i'm not saying pick Jackson at 8 either as im still not sure we can afford a third ruckman nor need one with a top 8 pick. If i had more evidence he was a genuine forward prospect i would be alot more eager. Is Jackson worth a top 10 pick for a team that is in need of a ruckman? Hell yes.

Of course it is, it's 2 in the morning!

I have little time for Goddard but his assessment is fair as evidenced by our 2019 %'age being the second worst by a long way. But considering Petracca was the 'lone ranger' being the only one to play 22 games forward and most of the other regulars barely played half the season then 14th is ok. Would be more worried as St Kilda and Crows who have less reasons than us for performing poorly. Anyway, 2019 was a bad year no matter how it is dissected. It is now done and dusted. Nonetheless, we will see many more postmortems to fill the media space and we will not rank well, because we shouldn't. But they will have little meaning as 2020 will be an immensely better year. Scribes overrated us at the start of 2019, I will guarantee they will underrate us for 2020. We will show them!

He's ranked our forward line the 14th best in the world, not too shabby.

Throwing Tantrums in the rooms at Halftime Number 1. B Goddard Does he have his eye on Slobbo’s job? Goddard has just appeared, full back page yesterday... Who cares.... (We know how bad the forward line was, as bad as your decision to go to Essendrug...)

Sadly missed. I remember sitting in the old Northern stand, next to the players race. Robbie was chasing the ball toward the boundary against the filth and had two opponents whacking him from either side. He still gathered the ball and kicked it into our forward line. I screamed blue murder at the opposition tactics. You could clearly see the hits to the ribs. In fact, from my vantage point, you could hear them. But no free kick. Robbie played when footy was hard and physical, yet for a man of his physique he managed to rise above the thuggery and was a star in some very mediocre sides

Flower elevated playing football to an art form. He had the poise and grace of a ballet dancer, the dexterity of a gymnast. He was genuinely a one off!

Agree with this 100%, except of course if we decide to pick him up in the PSD.

Geez........... who can imagine Robbie on a wing in our 2020 team ?. I remember so vividly watching Flower carving up a wing the "G" when i was a teenager. I loved how the crowd reacted whenever he got the ball..... "Robbieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee". This is what we miss most nowadays... a player who makes the crowd go nuts when he has the ball. We were not a great side then, and havent been for a long time, but thinking of that still gives me chills. Im going to be off my face and full of tears if we win a flag before i die. GO DEES!!!!!!

Not having his go-to guy would have made a difference. George Kittle is becoming to Jimmy G what Gronk was to Brady

He should really be kept out of Harmes way.

indeed he looks surprisingly big. reminds me of when Frawley piled it on one pre-season then became an All Australian. lets hope its a sign, as half his problem is being pushed off too easily.

Surprised players are getting away with using body momentum to work out their biceps & triceps. Lot of effort for minimal gain.

It was awesome seeing him in the Big V and showing where he deserved to be -- amongst the very best. Never forget one game against SA where we were down at half time. Robbie was "swung to" (old fashioned term now) centre half forward (!!!) and practically won the game off his own boot. We hear of Millanes, Bourke/Barrett/Clay, Jezzas ... imagine the reputation RF would have if he'd played for a big 4 club. Stellar player. GO DEMONS!!!!!!

Such a shame he was born about 5 years too early. His silk could've really helped us during the Northey years, might have helped us pinch a flag in 1990.

Yep and yep Sad I still think of him quite often, I posted ny Ode on quite a few occasions, As I said to some of his close acquaintances, "Where has 5 + years gone?? Great player!! Better Bloke!! there can be no greater legacy!! Always remembered! Thanks for posting

Sparrow on the wing seems appropriate.

I haven't moved from Young & Kemp but note there is a lot of noise around Jackson & Pickett. Just on Jackson, I see a giant sized midfielder rather than an out & out ruck. If that's what the club thinks we need then so be it but I'm skeptical. I've seen nor read nothing in his short exposed history that indicates he would readily become a forward. And that kicking is a concern. On Pickett, yeah he looks to have some nice tricks but his best output has been at SANFL Reserves level. Reserves ! There are suburban comps in Melbourne who's top divisions are a better standard than SANFL reserves. Would have liked to have seen more in the SANFL firsts or the nat champs. Again, skeptical

I'm really staggered by the people throwing aroudn bizarrely uninformed comments like "how will this improve out goal kicking" or "how will this stop us being a basket-case' and so on. Let's see now - the data can now tell us, for each player, exactly how well their fiel kicking is going when you look at it for long kicks, short kicks, kicks under pressure, kicks on the run, kicks from different parts of the ground, you can even cut for how and who from they received the ball. That doesn't just tell you about their ball drop or action, it tells you how they react to the different situations. Is such-and-such reliable when they are playmaking with a little time from half-back but tend to go for blind bombs or dinky low-value options once they are in congestion. Or even if the actual part of the ground changes confidence and behaviour - do they hear footsteps and rush their kicks when in the middle even when they aren't under immediate pressure, but have a little more steadiness with the reassurance that their blind side is covered by the boundaries? So, there's a tiny fragment of the kind of thing that can be isolated by just one stat area. You can even answer questions of blame in some ways - is there a particularly player who isn't spreading enough but calls for it and get short pointless little handball receives and then gets tackles or has to dish it off again for just as pointless a next handball? Or is there a particular player who dishes off the pointless short handball without considering better options? The full package can filter it all out to see which end of the 'equation' is the problem, identify specific weaknesses in specific players when to even the most astute normal observer it just looks like another centre clearance chain breaking down. Who actually improves when the game in tight? Who loses accuracy and effectiveness quickly after certain amounts of fatigue and who can keep going a bit longer without suffering too much? The depth of stats now available, combined with GPS, is now like having a hundred extra pairs of eyes all watching the game for any given aspect of every individual player. And that sheer volume of information is just junk of you don't have someone genuinely skilled to filter it, identify anything interesting and give that feedback to the relevant people. Absolutely yes. It will improve out kciking. It will improve out inside 50s. Because we will It will have consisent information about where things are breaking down and what needs to be improved. And it definitely can improve our gameplan and even game-day felxibility because it gives us much clearer knowledge of who is best for what roles and who can effectively shift around to make new combinations. I'll end the rant there but seriously, people, enough with the "I don't need no MRI, just do the brain surgery."

Kudos to the CEO Gary Pert on this.