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Just back from Maroochy and had a good chat to HB. Mentioned his calf is good and will get into full training in 2 weeks. Good news and lets all hope the next 2 weeks are injury free for him and he gets some training in. He's loving it at the Dees and hopeful of playing games this year. Looks in great shape.

I was having to coral kids while training took place so unable to provide a full training report. However, a couple of things that stood out to me were: Brayshaw doing match sim and taking marks one-armed. Thought it was a bit risky but everyone else stayed off from making contact with him. Some very willing tackling going on during a number of drills so the boys are definitely going at it. Couple of stingers to Wieds, Hibberd, JWagner and Pickett right in front of me as a result but all got back up and continued after taking a minute or two. Lever/May are great organisers and love hearing their continual voices to younger and less experienced players. Language used shocked some of the kids watching but its going to make a massive difference if we can have both playing 20+ games and get some continuity in our backline. Langdon/Tomlinson are really good gets as they were great during the match sim in creating options to move the ball out of defence. Tomlinson is very fit despite the setback at the start of the preseason while Langdon just keeps running as well. One-on-one contest comp between Trac and Hore at one stage that had the rest of the boys yelling and barracking. Was two-all from what I saw before Trac won the last contest in dubious style with a bit of a push in the back. Great feeling amongst the group as you can see they're enjoying things despite the hard work. Burgess has them doing footy-related fitness a lot of the time rather than just straight running. Makes a lot of sense and the boys definitely look fitter and more prepared this year. Didn't see the rehab group as I was on the other side of the ground but didn't see at all TMac or Vanders. Was really looking forward to seeing how Vanders went in particular. Reckon he could also play a massive role for us this year if he can stay fit. All the players were wonderful after training in staying out in the hot sun signing autographs and getting photos taken. OBaker was up for a chat as I'm involved in his former club up here in Brisbane while Maxxy was the last one out there despite walking with a brace and a big limp. Love his work with the kids and others supporters and he even joked with my son that the injury was just a ruse to get out of training in the heat. Overall, a great opportunity for Qld supporters to see the boys in action and get an understanding of training and the support crew required these days. The buzzing of the drones overhead throughout certainly tells you how engineered and structured everything is; also the coaches with Goodwin sitting upstairs watching it all while relaying info/directions to the assistants on the ground. My two cents anyway and a big thank you to all the usual track watchers who provide their reports on a regular basis for those who can't be there. ? DOCS DEMONS' TRAINING REPORT

Just home after spending night up at Coolum. Couple extra comments from those already posted. Jackson left training about 3/4 way trough with a slight limp. Did not look bad, Just that they have to go off with any minor issue. Tom Mac left on Saturday as wife had baby thus why he was not there yesterday Jetta reckons Kozzie will be a JET and fan fav when he plays first game but said he needs to keep a lid on him as he wants to go at a million miles an hour. Said both he and Jackson will be guns for us. Had about 15 minute chat to May. He also said Kozzie and Jackson will be guns and Rivers not far behind. Had a big session last Friday with full inter match practice and backs working well together. Squad in great shape and also mentioned that Tom Mac is up and about and was a handful on Friday. If anybody around Sunny Coast tomorrow they will be back at the ground at 7.30am for a full training session then flying home. Today is a rest day.

Courtesy of a post in Facebook

In the interview that was mostly about Gawn, Mahoney said Bennell’s calf strain set his rehab back 3 or 4 days and it’s the kind of issues they were expecting to encounter. He said Bennell has done everything asked, is popular among the team, and even explicitly said he was well placed to earn a contract. That’s as close to “it’s locked in” as you will ever hear. So I guess Brad Hardie was pretty close when he said a MFC contract looked unlikely ? I honestly wish I could make a living out of just making s*** up.

Aren't you in I.T 'Nasher'?

Smith was coming along very, very nicely before the injury ... in good form, good time, good effect. In combinations - and there appear to be more of these coming into the 2020 season - he will be a real asset to the team, given his style of play and decision-making.

Has a MFC player ever had to answer more questions from someone who evidently know nothing about the AFL? https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/559178/-unbelievable-camp-to-set-dees-up-hibberd Kudos to hibbo for keeping a straight face

It's pretty sad whichever way you cut it. Over on bigfooty there are people openly proclaiming this to be due to "something else" (nudge nudge wink wink). And people on here talking in secret code. about the same thing. But really, the cause doesn't matter. We have a 23 year old who is struggling to cope with being in society. That by itself is distressing.

ticket sales are down and the stands are grey we're playing for points on a diamond in LA i'd be cold and wet if i was at the G gosch's paddock dreaming on such a summer's day

My missus went too far the other day by accusing me of being a flamingo. I had to put my foot down.

Also mentioned to May that Brown is a good get as he can cover both back and forward. Response was. "He'll be forward". Backs in good shape. If the case then he will keep Weid honest. Brown did the match sim up forward and gave some options. He, Weid (if he can clunk some marks) and Mac with the others like Ftitter, Melk etc should at least see us improve up front.

as long as both sides don't come back i'll be happy

Smith was looking very good before he succumbed to injury.

With what Josh has said, I can't see the MFC backing out from here. Is that the end of the story - no. Is this a fairly tail in the making - I have no idea. My take is that all up, this is a win-win situation. In the worst case event that Hadley's footy career eventually reaches a dead end, the MFC gets a heap of free 'feel good' publicly from signing him on and that publicly does have a tangible value. Even in this scenario, Harley gets the financial, medical, institutional support and comradery afforded to him by the MFC and a chance to put in place some more pieces in his life post footy. Best case scenario is a MFC flag, Harley becomes a star reborn and of course everything else in between is probably the most likely scenario. Anyways - why not us? Go Harley - Go the mighty Demons!

Actually, the point here was that Kansas City is in Missouri... not Kansas.

Damn right, about time a USA team won the Super Bowl.

Wasn't Templeton the biggest coup of all time - at the time (before my time!) Aside from the usual suspects like Dangerfield, Fyfe and Martin, I can't think of a player that the MFC needs more than a fit and healthy Bennell. Would provide something that our club is sorely lacking - a genuine classy and outrageously skilled forward.

And then there was this ???...

I'd take all this with a grain of salt. Mahoney says Bennell is a medium term prospect and from what I've seen at training he hasn't got anywhere near full pace with his running, more like half pace. He's done no agility work either. When Tomlinson came back from his calf he was doing what Harley is doing in December and was not admitted to the main group until the last week. All this indicates to me that Harley is a long way away and not two weeks from full training. I hope I'm wrong but I'm not getting my hopes up that he'll be in the main group in the next two weeks.

You get the ball in the second half. It’s often hard to score on the first drive of the game, better to have the ball to start after half time when you can make adjustments. Plus the team that defers often ends up with the ball to close the first half as well so you get 2 goes in a row either side of half time

We've got Tommy down in the rooms. Are you there, Tommy? I fink so 'Arry but I may 'ave got locked in the janitor's cupboard by mistake. It's very dark in 'ere 'Arry. Correct weight at Sandown. Back to Don Hyde at the MCG. Alves streams down the wing, kicks in the direction of Wells who turns and fires it to the goal square. DITTERICH FLIES AND Now for the 4th at Mildura, the Dodgy Brothers stakes, a six furlong maiden ....

Watched the first year players more closely. Surprisingly Rivers looked the most advanced and ready to play at this stage. Jackson may need a little time. Kozzie was sharp and skillful and will push for round 1 simply because of a need for a small forward. Of the rest Swallow and Omac both looked like they had put in hard work in the gym and were impressive . The biggest surprise was Vanders. He looks in ripping condition and may be in for a great year. ? DEMON SPOFFORTH'S TRAINING REPORT ? DOCS DEMONS' TRAINING REPORT

It was a hot morning and showed on the players by the end of the session. Was a lot more in rehab or not doing the full session than I was expecting including Pruess and Smith. I didnt see Tom McDonald, Vanders or Petty today. May have been elsewhere at the ground but even when all players came to the huddle I didn't see them. Some observations that might be common place for those that get to see training all the time: 1. I was really impressed with Sparrow. He is a good size and moved really well. Also thought his skills were pretty solid and he ran out the session well. 2. Harley Bennell is a lot taller than I thought and seems to be really good bloke. Don't so much care about his past now, just good luck to him. 3. Really glad we picked up Brown. He looks dependable and solid. I think he will prove great value. 4. Bedford has certainly come on since last year and Chadler seems to be a good mature kid who has some drive and passion. One to keep watching. 5. Max is so giving of his time. Stayed out for extra time to get around to all the fans he could, despite walking around with th e big brace on. 6. Oscar Mc seems very fit and was solid. 7. I hope everything clicks for Josh Wagner. He is versatile size and athletic enough, if it just all clicks for him he will be a bonus. Also special mention to all the players who signed stuff for the kids. They were welcoming and engaging and the mood of the group seems strong after a hot hard session. Have to go now and peel the Mooloolaba prawns and Mud crab we got on the way home. And yes, it will be with a XXXX. ? DEMONOX’S TRAINING REPORT ? KALLANGURDEMON'S TRAINING REPORT ? DEMON SPOFFORTH'S TRAINING REPORT ? DOCS DEMONS' TRAINING REPORT

As soon as acute symptoms have settled (often more to do with bone bruising than soft tissue damage) they can start linear non-weightbearing activity, i.e. bike, water running. Then some alter-G, and back into full running. The time (and potential delay) for MCL is its readiness for transverse, lateral and rotational activities, i.e. non-linear running. It’s all a function of time and nature. Max will have excellent base fitness, so that shouldn’t cause extra delay.

We can't have that...build a wall!!!

Not quite sure what you are getting at here. "There are no expectations on the trio to dominate at senior level in the early stages of 2020, but they have shown plenty of promising signs heading into their debut season." That reads like a lid on kinda statement to me. What should the club say: "You know we got a pick 3 and pick 10, but now that they have trained with us a few times, they really don't look like they have much talent, so don't expect them to be picked anytime soon, maybe if ever".

When Bennell plays his first game at senior level will we be saying the greatest MFC coup of all time?

Like Tom Boyd walking away from the remaining $1.5 million in his contract? I get what you are saying - very occasionally, no doubt the 'mental health' line is probably used by clubs when there are also other problems going on. We've come a long way, but there's still a stigma surrounding mental health, particularly for men. Trivializing mental health issues is incredibly damaging (for athletes or for anyone).

They're probably using a back brace for an average sized human.

Was young and it was a stretch to pay tbh. No one gets choice about the club in my family. I still don't understand how you could let your kid choose another club.

Has a MFC player ever had to answer more questions from someone who evidently know nothing about the AFL? Kudos to hibbo for keeping a straight face

Could not agree more demonstone . A typical afl [censored]. How about fixing the problems at home guys like the game dying at grass routes level.

5 actually, if you were a Geelong supporter. 3GL broadcast every Cats game.

When I was a boy, I thought 3KZ was one of the best stations. It had Ian Major and Jack Dyer calling the game and I thought they didn't have the races.

Sounds like good news for a nice change.

Why is this game called Football?

Footy is a terrific game and we all love watching it and being insanely passionate about it. Yet there are continual and ongoing attempts to [censored] with it. It does my head in.

Photo off FB - check the knee brace.

I would prefer no risks with big Max, knees are not his strong points. Round 2 is a fine starting point, 25 games after that will make a very good season.

If there was an option to just hear the crowd noise without the execrable commentators and ads, I'd love to listen to that. Unfortunately, that's not possible, at least not on the FTA channel which is all I have available to me.

This kid really has the full package. You can see why he was recruited even if he output isn't there quite yet. He has one of the most perfect kicking styles I've seen. He's got impeccable judgement marking at the peak of the flight of the ball. Has great speed and athleticism for his size. I'm looking forward to him bringing it to games and cementing his place this year. He's probably the player under the most pressure to perform this year. A lot of list management has been based around him working out. Personally I've got faith it'll happen this year. Not much point thinking otherwise.

There hasn't been enough full match sim to make any declarative statements and even then it's impossible to tell until the real stuff starts. That said, last year was a write off in terms of working out where the strengths and weaknesses lie, but if we go back to 2018 the biggest problem with our defending was midfield transition. Our forward pressure was ok and lifted in the run in to finals. Our backline had plenty of good moments, but it seemed they had to be super aggressive and go for the intercepts up the ground because if they sat back teams would coast through our mids. Tomlinson and Langdon are big inclusions to make sure the wings have proper two way run. Harmes to a half back flank I'd imagine is to get a player who can cut off a lot of transition attempts. Those 3 should be tasked with getting in the right positions to cut off the easy targets, which in turn hopefully forces long kicks to Lever patrolling half back or May at full back. The inside mids - as with all our players - are doing a heap of work on transition drills. Viney is clearly having a better preseason and can be really important in that part of the game. Oliver is fitter again and whilst he'll never be an endurance machine he has the burst and instincts to pressure. Brayshaw can't be as bad as last year. Petracca is the wildcard, in theory his aerial ability, reading of the play and burst should be as useful defending as attacking but he has to have the motor. Defensive personnel is a bit of a concern (2nd key defender, mid sized depth) as is finding the right mix between pressure and attacking players up forward, but the team is absolutely drilling two way work rate.