Leaderboard

Now we all know you’re not as good as Craig Hutchison (the bar is that low), but when you’re in the same room as him do you look for where is? Do you get nervous, do you wonder how he forms coherent sentences?

Not all. On SEN. Former Western Bulldogs captain Bob Murphy “absolutely loved” Pickett's aggression as the Demons announced themselves a premiership contender. “This is the young upstart, this is a team that is discovering who they are and what they might be, taking on the champs and not being overawed, and getting in their face, and being a little bit cocky, and being a little bit arrogant,” Murphy told SEN’s Bob and Andy. “That’s going to upset a lot of people, Melbourne have been in the doldrums for a long, long time, they’re trying to change who they are. “I absolutely loved it.”

What the hell do people want? I for one don’t want to hear from the president unless something really good (home base) or really bad (sacking) is going on. Quiet achievers at board level suit me just fine. Not everyone wants to be an Eddie or a Kennett. Some people just go about their business without being flogs.

And so has Petracca but Melbourne supporters have the constitution of an infant with hand foot and mouth so here we are...

I've seen Jordon's contract and it includes a clause that stipulates that he gets a $100 bonus each and every time somebody spells his name wrong. I mean, it's great that he's signed and all that, but this is going to send the Club broke.

Whately is 300, Robbo is 60 show = 360

Hahahaha No

To me, the following quotes from the MFC announcement epitomize the way JJ is now playing for us: "James has worked diligently on all parts of his game, and is now getting reward for his hard work" " he is a really mature young man with a terrific attitude" Not all players can be stars, but diligence, hard work and the right attitude can take you a long way!

Very pleased. Because we delisted him and made him a rookie in 2020 he would have been an FA this year and gone anywhere. Great to see our investment in and support through injury of another youngster yielding rewards for him and the club.

Yes, on minimum wage as a forward for Casey reserves.

I can. I can't see Harmes coming straight in. I reckon his pre season and round 1 form was pretty ordinary to be honest. I much rather reward a Bedford or Chandler.

Yep, you've convinced me. Brown in. A bonus of Brown in is that it really creates a match up problem. Every team has strong lock down bi down back. We have two in Tomlinson and May. The opposition have no alternative to send that player to brown as he will monster a smaller player. Bu then they have to send a big, or at the very least a strong , defender to Tmac. That pretty much wipes most teams in terms of big defenders. So who goes to Jackson. And what about when max goes forward and LJ goes to the ruck? The hawks had McEvoy follow Max, but who then rucks against an ever improving Jackson. And then you have Fritsch, our leading goal kicker - a natural forward who is a brilliant mark for his size, not least because he uses his body so well in the marking contest. He demands an experienced and skilled medium defender. Anyhring less and he will get off the chain. I'd keep him close to goals for that reason (as opposed to pushing uo the ground). Complicating match up issues is TMac and Jackson already push well up the ground, get the bulk of their possessions around the wings and run up and won the ground all game. Brown plays much the same way. So their opponents have to have tank to go with them. If they do go with them it drags a big defender out of our forward line and creates space for the other forwards. If they stay deep TMac, Jackson and will take easy marks up the ground all game. I agree Melksham is the obvious out. But i just can't see him being dropped. Who does get dropped is anyone's guess. But it won't be Spargo or Nibbler. And I agree that it is unlikely they will drop Jones after his 300th - and his best game for the season.

I was interested to revisit the Lever deal after there's been quite a lot of coverage about him this week and one article talked about us overpaying for him. I'll put my hand up and say I thought two first rounders was way over for him, however, you can't just look at the headline swap and not take into account the other picks. I've had a closer look at the deal. I won't go into all the incredibly complex deals around all the swaps etc but in effect this was the end result in players. We effectively got Lever, Petty and Sparrow. Sparrow included our 2018 pick 37 on top of the Lever deal. They effectively got Bryce Gibbs and I can't really work out what else. The two first rounder picks we gave up became :- 2017 pick 10 Carlton picked Lochie O'Brien 2018 pick 19 Carlton picked Liam Stocker. In the end it looks like an extremely good deal.

I love this kid, thanks James Jordon and MFC for doing the right thing by the kid. J J will become a Rigoni / Leonchelli type player for us, just playing his role at present but has skills and courage to become a great link man for us. Does that mean he has been elevated to senior list??

Good luck to him. I still think leaving Melbourne was the worst possible career and personal move he could have made. But it is his life, and I wish him all the best.

I reckon Melbourne can't resist the fairytale Ben Brown story here. Debut for new club, against old club, at his home state. Make way Melksham I say!

Correct. Richmond had a golden run in all their premiership years. Nobody can really win a flag with injuries to their key players. I reckon the Dogs last flag, was probably the most impressive in terms of the injuries they had throughout that year. Winning a premiership is as much about luck as it is about talent.

Dee-Fence wins flags from Fox Footy The tale of the tape.....Melbourne's 2 year turnraround to get its defence right The ability to stop oppositions scoring once they enter their fwd 50 is an historic low by a long margin..

I'm expecting @demonstone to pop up more than once in this thread. Great news.

Good news. Trac next. Edit: And Jackson

Brown for Melksham is a no-brainer. We wont lose any of our immense pressure, as Melk is not a pressure player anyway.

Yes, it depends on the club’s position at the time of the mid season draft which I believe is slated for 2 June, 2021 i.e after Round 11 so there’s a lot of water still to flow under that bridge. However, there’s another factor and that is that the club must have a vacancy on its list after the 2020 drafts and the supplemental selections in March as well as long term injuries to players. At the end of the draft period, Melbourne had two list vacancies which it filled with two supplemental selections in Majak Daw and Deakyn Smith. However, a further two potential list spots were opened in the pre season period with ACL’s to Marty Hore and the unlucky Aaron Nietschke. We don’t have to exercise the picks but have the right to do so. I read recently that a number of clubs don’t have vacancies and at this stage, it’s unlikely that Carlton, Fremantle, Geelong, GWS Giants, Richmond, West Coast and Western Bulldogs will participate but that could change depending on the situation with injuries. I suppose that the salary cap might affect whether clubs decide to use the MSD. My guesstimate as to the positions if the draft was held today is as follows (but note that ladder positions will change over the next five rounds):- 1. North Melbourne 2. Collingwood 3. St. Kilda 4. Hawthorn 5. Essendon 6. Gold Coast 7. Adelaide 8. Brisbane 9. Sydney 10. Port Adelaide 11. Melbourne 12. North Melbourne 13. Collingwood 14. St. Kilda 15. Gold Coast 16. Adelaide 17. Melbourne 18. North Melbourne 19. St. Kilda 20. Gold Coast 21. St. Kilda 22. Gold Coast I’ve already mentioned that I would like to see the club avail itself of a pick but more to select a player with an eye for the future because it’s likely that we won’t be participating in the early part of the November national draft. Given the disruption to play in 2020, there are going to be some rare hidden gems that have been kept under the radar and if we get it right, we could achieve some big bonuses for the future.

No, the boys had a couple of days off as given to them by the club. First training run tomorrow.

I absolutely wouldn’t, the bloke has done nothing but have cracks at the club since he left. He deserves to finish out his career in the bottom 4 (hopefully with no crowds watching).

It’s a joke. He stood up against the cheap shots that the Tigers pulled when losing. Tigers liked a few short elbows and punches in the clinches or after a contest. Kozzzy does not take that [censored]. That’s the story.

How much of a luxury has it been being able to have these young players just simmer away in the background and develop in their own time instead of being put in the cauldron too early in their career? Jimmy is a great example. Comes in and looks pro from day one, but in reality has put in a tonne of work to get here. Awesome.

I watched the segment but I doubt I ever will again. I think Trac was confused by Robbo's rambling. It was hard to detect if there was a question there and if there was it was, sort of, "did you know Dusty was on the ground and did you know where he was"? I think Trac was so stunned at such a dumb question he wondered whether he'd misinterpreted it and hence his bemused look and hesitant answer. Robbo is just so awful.

Neither. Is it a matter of looking at the stat sheet and seeing low figures next to his name? You only need to watch the game to see the impact he's having. Uses the ball so well, damaging at times with his forward 50 entries and his attack on the opposition defensively has been sound. Even though we were under siege in that first quarter I thought some of his efforts without the ball in the opening 10 minutes were outstanding in setting the tone for us for the rest of the contest. His defensive acts lift the team. Not going anywhere.

When he was at Freo I was hoping he wouldn't rip it up. Now at GWS I'm happy for him to do quite well.

How good is life right now! This week on the Deeluded podcast, we interview afl.com.au's Cal Twomey about Melbourne's canny list build, Jason Taylor's best pick, Luke Jackson's best position, and our next generation. (Spoiler: Jake Bowey might be a combination of Lachie Whitfield and Caleb Daniel). Plus, we discuss Jonesy's 300th, our hatred of Richmond, and Christian Salem's Brownlow chances. Hope you enjoy it! https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/episode-7-the-deenasty-begins-with-cal-twomey/id1219118375?i=1000518904530

There was a point in 2019 when we held the AFL record for players (games experience) unavailable through injury. It was the main reason that year derailed, and why it’s taken til now, with players accumulating ‘games together’ to see our true potential.

He gets the job because he has been a loyal News Ltd man for a long time and is well protected by the power brokers upstairs. I know people that have been in and out of News Ltd and he’s largely considered to be an 80's misogynist relic that trades on his “blokey, bloke” image, and [censored] kissing to make up for his lazy journalism and poor presentation skills. Basically he is widely despised by those below him while those upstairs keep him around because he is still seen as having broad appeal to the Herald-Sun/Fox Footy demographics - most of which are white males Journalism is not an equitable or equal trade and never has been.

Two years ago things were reversed and Melbourne was up at the top of the list with by far the highest number. Nobody gave a toss about us or demonstrated any sympathy for our plight. So yeah, big woop!

Trac may not be the most polished media performer, but at least he’s great at his day job. What the [censored] is Robbo’s excuse?

Wow. Never thought I’d hear (or see) these words come from myself, but thank heavens for Jack Riewoldt. Trac’s not the most polished media performer, and you could see him giving Jack that HEEELLLLLPPPPPPP glance.

I know that this will be discussed at length during the weekly list of Demon's podcast, but I thought, would love to see a thread of what people thought was their main highlights from the game. I might be going over it a bit too much - and maybe should move on - but gee got to celebrate the great wins! Watched the replay yesterday, even better on second watch. Anyway my top 3 highlights from the game: 1. The Trent Rivers spoil to stop a certain mark to Riewoldt. Just the look on the face of Riewoldt, it was an act that I think captures perfectly the changing nature of this side. It was almost as if Richmond just kept expecting us to fold, and in that moment Riewoldt expected it to come to him - think again. This moment, plus the notable involvements of Dogga and Kozzy, excited me because it showed an "unburdened" young brigade coming through who know winning and don't have any baggage. 2. The Kozzy Pickett no backward steps - let's be honest, like the hawks last week, Richmond tried to bully the Dees. We have always had a perception of being mentally weak (- for example when Port got after Max a couple years back). I certainly have never seen us be the aggressor. Nice to have an element of bully in our team as well. Kozzy scares defences more and more each week, just opening up more space for Tommy Mc.... 3. Charlie Spargo's tackle on Houli. I could watch this over and over again. He's quickly becoming a fan favourite. Love it!

And as for Jack Riewldt telling Kozzie what to do, that really made me angry. Im Glad Jack Viney grabbed him and told him where to go. Im so sick of Richmond and the afl media. They are at an all time low.

I didn’t really provide any reasons so I can understand that you couldn’t see them! Brown is A grade when up and running. He has had 2.5 VFL games and played very well, including presenting up the ground. There is no chance of dropping Fritsch, Tmac or Jackson on current form. Fritsch is not a tall though and I think we have room for another. Now that Brown is ready it’s also time to test what could be our best forward setup. Much like Jetta being dropped for Hibberd, whoever makes way for Brown will be unlucky but it will improve the team. Melksham is easily our lightest contributor in recent weeks IMO. Spargo was also weak last week but has been better prior to that. Jones isn’t going to be dropped straight after his 300. Melk played fwd/mid. Only two score involvements (nibbler/Pickett 7, Spargo 1), 2 tackles/13 pressure acts (spargo 3/12, Pickett 5/21, Nibbler 4/26). We aren’t losing much. Nibbler, Pickett plus one of Melk or Spargo will provide the forward half pressure. TMac, Fritsch and Jackson are capable of pushing up towards the wing/high half forward. We can make room whilst maintaining excellent forward pressure.

in 2 hours time it'll only be 72 hours until the teams are out!!! ARRGHH! the 360 boys actually brought this topic up last night and said the clubs are the ones that want this not the AFL. And they said it should go back immediately to Thursday teams being released. It is part of the fabric of supporting footy, having the teams in the paper while you watch the game, actually being able to do footy-tips etc. was good to hear

a lot suffered last year financially, i reckon we cant under estimate that. if we get close to 50K it will be a great effort.

Im always big on NO CHANGE unless we have injuries or very sore bodies, but we have to try and integrate BBB or the Weed in the next couple of weeks. In the next month we have Roos, Swans, Blues and Crows if we are going to try and integrate them i would say this is the perfect opportunity to do so. I have a feeling one will come in this weekend with the romantic story line attached to it. I can't remember a time where its been so hard to bring in 2 key Forwards into a line up. This is success and long may it continue. This is a fantastic problem to have for the Coaching staff.

Yeah I loved the umpire saying to Tom: "You hit him in the head" and Tom goes: "Yeah I know" ?

I actually don’t like doing that when it’s my own posts - I prefer transparency when I’ve said something thoughtless and want to retract it (as a self lesson if nothing else) but I don’t know how else to stop numerous people from quoting me just to slam me and further derailing the thread, when I have already explained myself. *shrug*

Unless it’s Dermie with a mirror and a rolled up 20.

I loved Maxy’s slap-punch on Nankirvis as they argued, and then his Cale Morton like running away from him... Made me laugh.

You wouldn't get a better day in May down here for footy.

All of these amazing stats - undefeated with players queuing up to get a game with hot VFL form - I don't know what to do with myself! Very strange feeling!

What about Nibblers goal, 40 out on the boundary with a wet ball. That was when I thought 'Yep, we're on here.'