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No he's only in All Australian form.. You lost me straight away with that comment. May is right now one of the best full backs in the game. His record for this year speaks for himself.

Anyone thinking Saad is worth a first rounder have rocks in their heads... Not a chance...2nd rounder is about right but I would be looking elsewhere to be honest.

Yep, he was a million dollar player in 2018. Postseason surgery and many injuries later, and he's a shadow. I have no time for those who rubbish him these days. He is a very good player, struck down by ailments not of his making. I wish him all the best, I hope he can regain some confidence and rhythm. If he doesn't, it won't be for the lack of commitment and dedication.

A 26 year old possible All-Australian a direct swap for a struggling, injured and currently dropped soon to be 28 year old....? Don't think so mate.

Anyway, I know who out of Quaynor, Sholl and Riv that I want on Melbourne's list for the next 15 years. That will do me just fine thanks!

1. Players: a) Forward: Tom Mc was one of the best CHF's in the comp, that made it easy for Hogan to flat track 50 goals at FF, or even better when Weid came in and delivered at the end of the year. Petracca, ANB, Spargo, Hannan, Melksham had a very nice balance in the forward line around 2 big talls. Melksham isn't the same player, Petracca is needed in the midfield and hasn't found the forward/mid balance yet, ANB hasn't found that form. Spargo is just getting back to it. The additions since then in Pickett, Fritsch and Jackson are really just finding their way. Weid has taken a while to get back to the same form and belief. b) Mids: Tyson, Jones, Vanders gave us a wing rotation that worked against most sides. Gus was in career best form. Harmes was great. Gawn, Viney, Oliver doing their thing. I'll talk about the midfield more later. The additions since then: Langdon and Petracca. Handy, but not enough to cover other weaknesses. c)Backs: Frost and Oscar weren't asked to do much. Jetta and Hibberd were in All Aus form. Lewis was in the best role to get the most out of him. Fritsch was handy as an intercepting flanker. Salem was Salem. The additions since then: At the moment it's Tomlinson for Frost, May for Oscar, Lever for Fritsch. May's a huge upgrade but the others not so much. Hibberd isn't the same. Jetta and Lewis are been replaced by Lockhart/Rivers/Smith etc. We just don't have a settled backline yet. 2. Game plan: The 2018 game plan was incredibly simple. Go hard to win the ball in the middle, often with coverage with 2 extra off the back flank for bounces. Push up really hard to lock the ball in forward. Pray other teams don't get out the back. Use the corridor to counter because with so much open space back we always had room to counter. It wasn't the worst plan. Port are still doing a version of it now. But I think our coaches rightfully looked at teams like Richmond defending with a spare dropping back to get easy intercepts and stop quick over the top goals as well as full ground pressure and said we need to set up more like that. And other teams like West Coast had had success (especially against us) sitting deeper, kicking the ball around and adding a lot more midfield run and speed to power that game plan and counter teams like Richmond. The Eagles got rid of Mitchell and Priddis pre 2018, meanwhile our midfield was still young and lazy defensively and our wings were slow. The change of defensive gameplan also meant a change in ball movement because you can't just aggressively flood numbers forward if you're trying to defend the full ground and keep a drop back defender. So the bomb it in approach of 2018 - which was never pretty - got very ugly in 2019/2020 when our forwards had to think more than just converging on the top of the goalsquare and seeing what happened from there. In summary we've had to take a step back with the game plan to hopefully take a few steps forward. And whilst the overall list is probably in a similar situation we've lost experience. Other players who excelled in the simplicity of the 2018 plan have struggled. We aren't too far off 2018's results and we're yet to see exactly the changes to the game plan in person, although our best footy this year has looked promising. At some stage next year we'll know if the game plan looks up to the level, we'll know if the recruiters have found some of the missing depth and we'll know if our players can start to show some onfield leadership.

And they would be well within their rights to get stuffed.

I know he has been quiet in recent weeks but I’m genuinely miffed at the suggestions of dropping Weid. This is our last chance dance, he’s clearly made a positive impact on the team this year and a key forward target, and people want to drop him to bring in TMac who has shown exactly sweet FA? I don’t get it at all.

6 ?‍♂️

LJ is our future but I see no need to rush him back, I say we give Brown a run against his former side. A chance to prove his spot on the list for 2021.

It may be a boring opinion but I’m just wanting us to beat Essendon. Whatever plays out after that will be what it will be. I’d imagine that’s the mindset the team will be taking in as well. I listened to the DeeBrief podcast and they were talking about going in with the attitude of “we must smash Essendon by X amount” could end up as a distraction. Just go in wanting to play the way we did against GWS and the rest will sort itself out.

I think Dub is taking the Mickey!!

This is the same Clarko who blew first round picks to get O'Meara, first Round picks to get in Mitchell, traded first Round pick Ryan Burton and 2nd Round Pick for Frost. Recent years suggest, desperation and not wishing to acknowledge the need to bottom out

Saad is everything our team is crying out for. Make it happen Melbourne.

Langdon left due to Blakely

Not me. I love to hear rumours.

At the end of the day another nomination would have been nice, but i'm just thrilled we have Trent on board. What a future he has (hopefully all at this club!)

Not sure if it’s been said here. But could be Jack is carrying a serious injury re his foot and u der stands his career will not be a long one. needs to maximise his income.

Thank god for the ignore function

Bah, had Behemoth at $5.50 other day and I was going to back it then, bugger.

We robbed Hawthorn getting a future second round pick for Frost.

Probably the most frustrating bloke this year. Real talent. Real absences. His goalkicking accuracy ? 19.20 this year is not good enough. Should be 26.13 with some of his poor misses. I went to the Bulldogs game and prior to the start, Fritsch must have had at least 30 shots at goal in 15 minute warm up. He nailed virtually everyone. I think he missed 1 out of 30. Shots were all roughly 30-35 metres out on 45degree angle left and right and straight in front. Only remember one snap close in a pocket about 10 metres out at the end. No one on the mark. No running shots or pickup running burst kick. In the actual game he missed shots under pressure. 1goal 2behinds 2onthefull The problem 1- his kicks are not always nice 30m out in front. There’s angles and sometimes in the pocket or pressure or a man on the mark. He needs to simulate match like Goalkicking. 2- he is so laconic. He missed a chance v giants to take off after one mark when his opponent had fallen over. His lack of urgency or intensity or slowness to kick or handball means turnovers. 3- his marking is very good BUT HE IS OFTEN BEHIND HIS OPPONENT AND SHOWS LAZINESS. He twice went for speccys v Haynes and then finally played the percentage shoulder into body move and mark in the space out the back. Result!! Fritsch can be good and a real danger up forward but he needs a rocket up him. He needs intensity. His skills are generally good. He needs to play the smart way. His kicking must be firm and direct , and not layback style.

What about those who have improved? Steven May has easily been in career best form. Trac has been in career best form. Sam Weideman has continued to improve. Ed Langdon has arrived and continued to improve and be an instrumental part of the side. Our three picks this year have all come into the side to play senior footy, and all three have looked very good. Michael Hibberd has also had a terrific year. I mean, sure, some have had off years, but there are plenty of other examples of improvement.

Ummm life. Look of course I hate seeing us lose and I’d love to see us hold the cup before I die, but things are more important. I haven’t been able to see my kids for 6 months. A friend died and I couldn’t go to their funeral. My job is on the skin of its teeth - very day to day. So yeah as much as I love watching my team do well, it’s not the end of the world if they don’t. It’s a game. A fun game and a great distraction from the serious, but just a game.

Oh no we don't. Not past the top half dozen or so in any case. It's one of the problems here, supporters are constantly over-rating the quality of the team. We're a long way off it at the moment, and each week we're playing a handful of players who would not get picked up by other clubs if we delisted them.

I mean both Brayshaw and Harmes had career best years under Goodwin, probably Melksham too. Brayshaw & Harmes are victims of playing under Viney. Melksham is anyones guess, with T Mac & Jetta just physically cooked.

Surprised there isn't a thread in this section already. To this point, still not contracted, and apparently Essendon and his management are a fair way apart on terms. IMO, adding Saad would change our mix considerably. Would mean no more Harmes in the backline, would give us more run and would open up the option of having Salem and/or Rivers having a run further up the ground. There's other players who could bring that to us as well of course, but Saad is a quality player and would definitely form part of the overall picture of changing our dynamic.

Kick one more goal against Geelong or Brisbane and the year is not 'wasted'. Results don't go our way (and results going a team's way is always a factor in the bottom half of the eight) and our year is apparently wasted. It's a seriously thin wedge.

Not a sling tackle. No concussion. Stayed on the ground. Arms not pinned. Didn't drive his head into the ground, but rather momentum took them both forward. Actually an everyday tackle. Correct decision.

Positives: May, Trac, recruitment, the draftees and Burgess Negatives: miss finals (probably), inconsistent effort, midfield mix, forward set-up, forward half pressure, goal kicking, Tmac Ultimately, I think we’re underachieving based on the talent at our disposal so for me, no finals means a wasted year

Heart in mouth, maybe with more experience and some excellent development and encouragement, we may have another Hardeman coming along. For me, Gary was the best CHB I have ever seen, and since then, we have had quite a few greats in that position. He is not a Neitz, but smaller like Hardeman and has that poise coming along, nicely.

I think I'll be employing that now. I'll indulge you one last time. Yes, May is in career best form. Yes, Weideman is in career best form because he has been consistent. This is easily the most games in a row he has played. I'd rather this than one good game against Geelong. Yes, Petracca is in career best form and he has slowly continued to develop over those last six years. And of course I bring up the draft picks. They have clearly been nurtured and developed since arriving to the point where they can contribute, and contribute well, in our senior side. And by the way, I have no idea why you go off on your rants all the time. The rest of your post has nothing to do with the point you were trying to make - you claimed a few players had not improved or gone backwards, and I showed you the other side of the coin. It doesn't mean I accept mediocrity or whatever you are peddling. Now, go back to bringing Clayton Oliver up in every thread. At least, at that, you were ever so slightly interesting.

A few Crows’ players left bewildered about Sholl missing out and have made their feelings known publicly. Not suggesting we should have done the same, just liked the support for a young kid that probably deserved the nom this week.

I agreed with your comment when I read it. Now I am trying to reconcile how 2 seasons ago we were 1 win away from a Gf. Yes we got thumped in the pf but we were well above this uear and especially last years standard. If we are really only a 8 or 9 spot team how did we finish 2 two years ago? This is a genuine question. It really is pretty much the same team as 2018 so I think its reasonabke to assume they are better than our present ladder situation.

Frittas kicking has gone out the window but has been fairly solid otherwise. If we can do a deal we we can reduce some of his (tmac)cost we should take it. Best for player (he has served the club with honors most of the time) and the club. Im pretty sure the poor blokes injured in some way. In his present form it seems he wpuld have trouble getting a game. Not a great way for such a past very good player to finish his time at the club.

This framing almost always bugs me when spoken about - as there's a difference between on-field leadership and game-changing ability and the two are often conflated in how we term and express them. And they are sometimes different again from general club leadership. Viney and Jones can drive training and cultural standards as our club leaders but are lacking the ability to change a match. Jordan Lewis could (but not always) contribute a cool head in a tight situation through on-field leadership. Petracca now has the footballing ability to potentially change the course of a match at the death. These are all different things - and we haven't had them in a single-player package for a long time. They are genuinely rare though. May, Trac and hopefully Oliver I believe will soon cover this void. You don't necessarily need a 'premiership player' to play this part, and nowadays this isn't just the captain. But we have a serious issue coming up - and it's already a problem (and a legacy problem). I keep banging on about the same thing but I think it needs repeating for any real perspective. Our most experienced players are all mostly shot - and we're on the verge of losing a truck-load of game-day experience. Jones 295 Melk 185 Tmac 170 Jetta 160 Hibberd 155 Tomlinson 150 ............ Viney 135 Gawn 135 These are our most experienced players - and three of them are more recent imports already. It's conceivable we will lose half of them from our list for next year, or they won't get much of a run anyway. Most of that remaining upper group aren't known for their serious leadership qualities in the categories described above. We can augment it however we like but the next group simply have to step up if we are any chance of success. After Gawn and Viney on the bottom of that experience list we have another real gap to (in order): Salem 105 Harmes 105 Petracca 100 Oliver 100 Brayshaw 95 Lever 90 Bennell 90 Langdon 85 But that's eight core players to absolutely get excited about, plus May and Gawn and maybe Viney as our drivers going forward. Together, one half of a team. Throw in some younger talent - guys under 60 games such as Fritsch, Weideman, and then last year's recruits in Jackson, Pickett and Rivers - and we are close to a seriously stacked first 18 in the coming years. The question then is: do you stay the course and add another couple 25/26 y/o's on the wing or at half-back or a KPF where we have the most serious needs, but suffer another year or so of inconsistency until all these players peak together, or do you get in some old hackers to fill those spots? I have the patience. We're in a very slow rebuild since 2012 but we're nearly there. The slowness is a factor of what came before. But I've waited for so long now that I want another dynasty rather than stealing a flag and going back to the pack. I would hate to be a Bulldogs supporter right now. Issac Smith or Jack Gunston shouldn't be the answer, but Zac Williams and Adam Saad and possibly Jeremy Cameron are. We are not in JoelMac territory anymore. We are now brimming with real potential leadership. We have no trade cookies for now but we should have salary-cap space.

The kid was robbed. Weekly award is dumb anyway. Every first year player 20 and under should be eligible .

How was Frost let go at the expense of Oscar McDonald? That’s pure conjecture. Frost was OOC and OMac had a year to run.

We made him an offer, lower than he wanted. Not having him hasn't hurt us

So much of it is down to attitude and instructions, also down to having those one or two players that can lift a team. Look at West Coast, they were decimated by injury but they had enough quality out on the park and those that came in just did their role. Jeez I'd love to see a Melbourne FC that could do that!

I recall he had surgery post 2018 season, got injured again during 2019. He's hardly been able to jump off the ground since. You armchair critics are quite harsh sometimes. Do you think he's deliberately ruining his reputation? Your assessment, Rufus, indicates you may have never played the game. Am I right?

We had a win. We are still in the hunt. Maybe we will get there, maybe we won’t, but geez the wrist slitting in this place is depressing. It’s just a game. A fun game, and a game we are invested in, but at the end of the day it’s a bunch of kids chasing an inflated bladder. It’s not the be all end all, and our lives won’t change no matter what happens this weekend

Does he pass any measure of the No DH rule? He'd have to be an A grader to justify taking on the problems he has

There's a guy at my work who in just the last month has had the misfortune of twice getting a sniffle so mild that normally you wouldn't even crack out the Vicks. Both times he's done the right thing, stayed home, got tested, waited for the result. I would guess he's about $800 out of pocket for doing the right thing and nobody has issued a press release saying what a great guy he is and how he's really hurting. Just sayin'

The year the dogs won the flag they played freo in the last game and lost. They played WC in the elim and won and we all know what happened from there. So if the dogs lose again to freo and we make it then we can beat the eagles and go on and win the flag. I have unlocked the crossword. Conversely the dogs lose to freo but we get done by drugs and the saints win their game. Same scenario as 2016.

Where was it last year when it counted, Mumford failed to fire a shot in the GF last year

He misspelled gutless.

His name’s Neale, not Neal-Bullen. They won’t look at it or they will find a way to rariinalise their way out of it.

Seen enough from Rivers, Jackson and Pickett to think we have 3 serious players add in Langdon we have had a pretty good draft trade period in 2019