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CAPTAINS LOG STARTDATE 422022 We have found ourselves stuck in timewarp and are seeing visions of something not yet identified. Captain Kirk. "Spock it seems we are trapped in a time warp from which we may never return"! Spock . "A time warp from which we may never return? Why Captain, I can't believe my ears"! Captain Kirk " Neither can we Spock", Neither can we"! Uhura "Captain I’m getting a voice message from somewhere called Casey Fields. From someone or something called Picket Fence"! Captain Kirk "Picket Fence sounds like a Romulan! Put it on speaker!” Training notes almost a three three and a half hour training session, a few casualties crackle crackle BANG CRACKLE STATIC Uhura "I'm losing him … “ Captain Kirk “A three and a half hour training session? Bones what do you make of it"? Bones McCoy" Sounds brutal some sort of games are played requiring levels of conditioning which go far beyond human endurance. Must be super fit!" Spock “Captain I’ve run a scan and it seems this Picket Fence is a native of planet Earth and attends training conducted by Melbourne Football Club, as a sort of Scribe" Kirk "Fascinating. Keep communique channels open Uhura Spock, Bones, Lets Beam down and find out more, Scotty get ready to beam us down.” Scotty "Aye aye Captain but I'm not sure the Dilithium Crystals can take too much more'"! Mr. Sulu " Captain there is a strange figure crew cut with a beard starting to materialize holding something in his hand" WTF IS IT? STAND BY Uhura "Captain, I’ve downloaded this Picket Fence summary, I'll put it through computer and relay, NOW” Arrived at training at 9.15 for what turned out to be a marathon training session lasting over 3 hours probably closer to 3 and a half and was it a brutal and punishing session. No beg pardons about training loads and INTENSITY. In fact I can't ever recall a longer or tougher session There were several notable injuries throughout which I will get to. A brisk wind was blowing down the ground towards the south end and although fine this contributed marginally to some skill errors by foot. REHAB Mitch Brown who ran a lot and hit the bike INJURIES Spargy went down after a hit to the head and was escorted of not to be seen again. Mild concussion a possibility. T Mac went down and limped of the ground with what could be an ankle injury. Both these occured in Simulated Match Practice. Then just near the end of training Trac was being attended to by a trainer/Doctor by what could have been a lower leg possibly ankle injury. He too walked gingerly of the ground but was not escorted by training staff. Hopefully all are minor. SKILLS , DRILLS AND MANOUVERS Drill 1 Possesion kick and weave In formation Drill 2 Full match simulations RED VS BLUE 4 QUARTERS of about 20 mins each Drill 3 a Tackling practice 3 b One on one grappling push of and then kick to leading player 3 reps by each pitted one on one player 3 c short kick handball and corridor football type style drill in small space 3 d Running running and more running. MATCH SIMULATIONS AND PLAYER WATCH CLARRY CYBORG Just cannot be stopped hence name Cyborg not being disrepectful, he is just like an indestructible man, again he just takes on the tackler and is impossible to stop, runs all day tank just got bigger and disposals are elite KADE CHANDLER Will clearly press for a place this year his skills and pace are major weapons and he knows where the goals are JACOB VAN ROOYEN Blink and he's gone, he is very elusive and not dissimilar to Bailey Fritta. He also took a magnificent contested mark from 20 out and duly converted. MAJAK DAW was respectable in the ruck vs Max and his work around the ground and in stoppages was very good. Also took a strong contested mark about 30 out and converted. JAKE BOWEY Has found another gear and continues to use the ball well and in my view is already better than Caleb Daniel which say plenty! FRASER ROSMAN Was pitted against Ed Langdon and got plenty of quality ball. is noticeably fitter this year. MICHAEL HIBBERD as hard as a cat’s head. Just does not know when to quit was prominent in match sims TOBY BEDFORD Was eye catching with some of his moves dazzling with pace and flamboyance - might be a wild card this year. DEAKIN SMITH Very steady in back half, never flustered and has telescopic arms. DAN TURNER ditto! STEVEN MAY and JAKE LEVER are rarely beaten and know each other’s games so well, it appears a telepathy exists among them BBB Watch out if he stays fit we might have a 70-80 goal Key Forward. Clunked marks, Kicked goals and roams far and wide. BLAKE HOWES, JUDD MC VIE, BAILEY LAURIE, All flashed into the play with deft hands and very precise disposal. MAX, JACK V, CHRISTIAN S all were their usual excellent selves. LUKE DUNSTAN The more I see of him the more I think he plays very similarly to Stephen Powell. Gets in good positions and his disposal is very good. SAM WEIDEMAN Took one great contested grab in the square and converted and did several useful things JAMES JORDAN AND TOM SPARROW Both had there fair share of the ball and used intelligently and tellingly. ADAM TOMLINSON Making some big strides one or two errors but a very solid game I thought. FINAL THOUGHTS As iterated this was as hard a session that I have seen and it proves one thing to me … that the defence of the Premiership is foremost in the minds of the players and coaches who clearly want mo more. There are just no passengers in this team and the healthy competition being created builds a strong unified culture of excellence. No beg pardons, No shortcuts, just hard relentless footy played at breakneck intensity. Welcome back we are hear to ROCK AND ROLL P.F Meanwhile back on the Enterprise Mr Sulu. ''That figure is materialising, I've seen his face before its ITS MAX GAWN and what's he holding""?? Captain Kirk " It looks like a cup a trophy of some sort and whats that number on it Spock. "2022!!! FASCINATING"!! Captain Kirk "WE MUST LEARN MORE"!

Van Rooey is Nick Reiwoldt like in his lead up patterns and already cat like reflexes. He looks the type that creates something from nothing and although raw looks to be an astute pick up. As iterated can clunk marks and likes to take front positioning

Let’s hope that this talented sportsman can get his body and mind right. Injured goalsneak takes indefinite leave from Bombers

There's a few teams that might have a better spread of exposed AFL talent. The Dogs are one. But I don't want to rehash the depth argument across the comp, and certainly most teams aren't flush for back ups. My point is more that we've already got all our highly drafted players from the '17, '18 and '19 drafts and Bowey in the best 23 now. Apart from Laurie who will probably push for games we aren't exactly stacked for highly rated young talent outside the best 23 in that 2-5th year age range where guys often take a big leap forward. That's not a bad problem to have given how many young players we have in a premiership side, but it's always nice to find 1 or 2 players that you weren't expecting. The guys we do have - Baker, Chandler, Bedford, Turner, Rosman, D Smith - would all be a bit of a shock to see in the side regularly. But I would've said the same thing if you told me Sparrow and JJ would play (or be sub) in just about every game last year. Those 2 were seriously hard workers who adapted early to raising the standards. If every player has now caught on and the full team is training with a far greater purpose and intensity then there might be some surprises from our lessor know group of youngsters.

Eliza McNamamara is becoming a very, very good AFLW player..

Majak is the fittest he has been for some time, his elevation to the Senior side will be no surprise to me😁

From where he has come from, if he is able to get back to enjoying life, then he is a success.

Best wishes to Walla and I hope things work out for the best for him. I just like watching him play. How many football players get a song written about them?

Answering a few enquiries, Joel Smith played well in defence and Moniz Wakefield has been training really well. Not quite as prominent today. If T Mac is injured Id almost go with MAJAK. Interestingly Clarry, Jack V and Tracc ALWAYS play in the same teamtoday it was blue, also tellingly Lever and May also only play in the same team and today it was Red. You cannot get into the ground so my view is always from outside the Fence looking in at ground level. Would LUURVE to sit elevated in the stand but No Dice with COVID. Two other people were watching training. Cheers PF

The fact is that in a competition that could well be tight at the top at the end of the season, it’s important to make the most of your superiority over the opposition. The team cannot afford to be as wasteful in the second half as it has been so far today.

McNamara all class, Zanker and Mithen cracking in. Libby Birch very solid down back We’re the better team. Just need to convert our chances.

Hello Uncle, Im not writing Weeds of by any stretch but Van Rooyen looks very good! Majak also looks impressive on the track. DEPTH DEPTH and more will complement an already potent and exciting list🤩

Mithen - 8 x tackles zanker n paxy - 7 x tackles hore - 6 x tackles i like it

One of my all time favourite Demons. Such a polished, beautifully balanced footballer. He had the perfect combination of sublime skill and toughness. It was always a delight to watch his brilliant passages of play which occurred oh, so regularly. RIP Laurie and thanks for the memories.

I didnt post much as I was too stressed. I also really thought we had lost it at the 19 point down mark. But I was so excited at the comeback I started banging on the walls and almost put a hole in them.

I do genuinely feel for the individual, but I'm not sorry that Essendon will be deprived of a bloody good player.

I agree Jontee that was the best training report ever, thanks Picket that was a ripping third dimensional Report. The boys look super fit and it is great to get that first hand reporting from someone in the know. You have set the Gold Standard now.!!!

Gawn, Jackson, Daw- not a bad cohort of rucks, doubt many other teams have 3 genuine ruck options on their list

I'm surprised Picket you didn't beam yourself up to the Enterprise and hover over the ground for a better look.

Intergalactic planetary… another dimension… another dimension… well now don’t you tell me to smile…you stick around I’ll make it worth your while…

One thing about watching the replay of game you are not as tense as watching it live and hoping when we were 19 points down that we could make a game of it and win the game. I also watched us lose the 1954 GF game. To all those people who were virgin premiers this year enjoy it because when I watched my first in 1955 when I was 9, I hoped we could repeat the dose in the near future. In 1964 when we won the GF my father said that the team had probably reached its zenith and we need some fresh blood to win another I did not realise it would be 57 years till the next one and my father passed away in 2007 still hoping to see a premiership. So enjoy this premiership but they are bloody hard to repeat unless your injury luck is good and the players that you do lose are not long term and are replaceable with your depth players.

I just received this sad news about Laurie Mithen (one of my original Demon heroes from the 50s - # 11) from the Past Players and Officials Condolences to the family. It is with much sadness that we announce the death of past player Laurie Mithen, at the age of 87. Laurie came to the Melbourne Football Club from Ormond, making his senior debut in the first round of 1954. Wearing No. 11, as he would for each of his 153 games (with the notable exception of the 1958 Grand Final), this game against Collingwood saw the youngster receive rough treatment, which bred resilience and toughness in him throughout his stellar career. Entertaining and clever, Mithen could play on either side of his body, and was valued for his kicking and marking ability. In his second season – 1955 – he not only played in the first of five premierships, but was also the inaugural recipient of the Ron Barassi Senior Memorial Trophy for outstanding service. In 1956, Mithen was a member of the all-powerful Melbourne outfit that would later be inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. The ‘Olympic Premiers’ thrashed Collingwood, and Mithen’s contribution was hailed by the club, with the annual report for the season stating that: ‘In Laurie Mithen Melbourne possess a player of outstanding skill and cleverness. In the semi final this year Laurie played the type of amazing game that he alone in our side can play.’ Injuries curtailed the typically consistent Mithen in 1957, but he returned to cement a dominant spot in the centre, along with a third premiership, this time against Essendon. It was Mithen who set the tone for the Grand Final when he took the ball out of the centre. Then it was on to Barassi, who kicked the first goal for the game within seconds of its start. Barassi and Mithen formed a dominant combination within a powerful team, and unfortunately this was part of the downfall of 1958. Up against Collingwood in the Grand Final, the two Demons were among those particularly targeted for distraction and roughing up. The ultimate result was a three goal Grand Final loss, and dismay for all those in red and blue. There was a silver lining for Mithen, however, as he was named Best and Fairest in 1958; an achievement that was followed up by another premiership, and a second Best and Fairest in 1959. Having also represented Victoria, Mithen was celebrated for his achievements, with the plaudits including that comments that: ‘Our “Best and Fairest” winner for 1959 for the second year in succession was Laurie Mithen. Laurie…has developed into one of the outstanding footballers in the Victorian League. His clever and brilliant football now possesses a directness and vigour that only comes from experience.’ That experience helped to take Mithen to a fifth Melbourne premiership in 1960. In 1962, he went on to serve as the club’s vice-captain, before hanging up his boots to become playing coach of VFA side Port Melbourne, helping to deliver the 1964 premiership for the ‘Borough’. In 1966, schoolteacher Mithen headed west, teaching in Perth for four years, as well as playing for WA side Claremont for two seasons. He then spent time as a school principal in Canada, before later returning to the Gold Coast. Throughout his lifetime, Melbourne continued to recognise Mithen for his contribution and status within the club. Named as an emergency in the club’s Team of the Century, announced in 2000, Mithen was inducted into the MFC Hall of Fame in 2003, and was named as a ‘150 Hero’ in 2008. In 2013, he was made a Life Member, as humble and delighted as ever in accepting honours for achievements that are an eternal part of the club’s heritage. We will always value and remember Laurie Mithen as a special part of the Melbourne Football Club, and offer our most heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.

Great response to the Suns goal

Inaccuracy in front of goal is the story of Melbourne’s women’s team since inception. Daisy coming to the rescue ditto!

Or posterity I posted but have absolutely no memory of it.

Most times I just need a quick hit over the slow burn. Best part is we can pick how quick the hit is. Time to kill .... Whole game. Time for the good stuff ...1st, 3rd and last qtr. Snack before bed ... Last 10mins of the 3rd. Sheesh it's late, better go to bed .... Last minute and a half of the 3rd. Sweet dreams baby 👹🏆

He never really made it as a forward, but if he could ruck 50:50 he could make an impact. Still think his best footy was down back and if he is at peak fitness and still got something in the tank he could make a smart pick up for a team looking for a chb next year. That would turn what’s already a great comeback up a notch. Great to see him out there and I reckon Max loves the challenge his athleticism gives him at training

With these minor injuries, are you thinking sabotage?

I don't think he will make it but it's good to see that he has given himself a chance by getting fitter.

Excellent work Mr. Fence. As you know, Melbourne has recruited a number of Klingons from another galaxy. Wondering if you could elaborate on young Van Rooyen - was he competitive in the match simulation (apart from his mark and goal)?

Better output from Zancker Paxman and Mithen will help. All three were quiet last week. Not sure if self or opposition related. The team needs to use the flexibility they have shown to overcome any diminished output from an individual. We still have the potential to be the best team and can beat any opposition if we structure appropriately and change patterns if any obvious difficulties. Coaching needs to respond by making appropriate moves to match up both defensively and offensively. it took too long to use Daisy in the forward line when Harris wabeing double teamed and channelled. Oppositions are getting more refined and we must adapt to that.

I hadn't heard that (about goody coaching from the bench to get a feel for momentum). Makes a lot of sense and gels with one of the key things i've picked up watching the replays from last season - how dam good we are at absorbing sustained opposition pressure and negating any momentum they have. So many times teams have stretches of relative dominance, but don't hurt us on the scoreboard. I watched the Port game the other night and the third quarter was almost a mirror of the dogs' third quarter in the GF. If anything Port were even more on top than the dogs, but like the dogs threw everything they had us at us. But for all their effort, Port, like the dogs, could only manage two goals in the third. They got within 5 points with their second. We then kicked an answering goal, against the run of play, and seized the momentum. We had a shot at goal for a point almost immediately and then 3 minutes after our first goal of the third, kicked our second to take the lead back out to 3 goals. And it was game over. Port had fired their best - and last - shot and we held them at bay in the last. What was incredible about that game is watching it again, Port had good stretches where they were on top, yet we looked in control all game. How good we were at absorbing sustained opposition pressure and negating their momentum was evident watching the games during the season. But what i have really noticed more watching the replays in the last few weeks is how we go about doing so. Which is where your comment about goody coaching from the bench to get a feel for momentum intersects. Most teams try to wrest back momentum by scoring a goal themselves. Footy 101. But we seem to be happy to simply absorb pressure and make it hard for teams to score. And a big part of that, an element i think is unique to the dees, is we are really happy (well happy is probably the wrong word - prepared?) for the ball to be in our defensive half for long stretches. Unlike most teams we don't panic or take big risks. And we are happy to dump kick it out of our 50, even if it is likely to come straight back because the other team have a wall set up. We just deal with it again when it comes back inside 50. So, we negate. But what i have really noticed is what we do once we score and stop the opposition's momentum - we attack, and switch from a defensive mindset to an aggressive one. Like holding your serve in tennis after getting a break, we lock in the change in momentum with one or two quick follow up goals. It reminds me of boxing. Absorb pressure, let your opponent tire, land a punch that stops their momentum - and then attack and get all the momentum. But unlike your opponent, take full advantage of that momentum Another key element in that battle for control of momentum athat i really picked up on is how we use the clock as a weapon, something I hadn't fully appreciated. It reminds me a bit of how soccer teams look to manipulate time left. Its like the clock is another team mate. Control is the key word. We control the tempo and the clock so much and so well. A big difference between the home and way games and the finals is in season often once we have got the momentum back, and got the lead out to 3 plus goals we go back to control mode. Which explains why so many of our wins were in the 3-5 goal range. But in the finals, particularly the prelim and GF, once we got momentum we never went back into control mode. We just kept attacking - which explains how high our scores were. I expect we will see exactly the same pattern in 2022. Which can be frustrating to watch in season as you want them to put teams away and get a percentage boost. But watching the replays you really get sense of how much energy they conserve by not going all out attack wire to wire. Again, the Port game is good example. We won the game only kicking 4 goals in the second half (though frustratingly we kicked 10 points in the second half!). As i noted we absorbed their pressure in the third. Despite it only being a 3 goal difference at 3 quarter time, Port never looked a chance in the last and we were happy to control the tempo and and suck time from the clock. Port were stuffed and if we had gone all out attack we could have beaten them by 10 goals. But at what cost? Save your legs.

The main reason it took 57 years to win a flag was not the training facilities IMO. It was that we had poor administrations and more importantly not enough players capable of playing at a level that wins flags. We won our first flag in 57 years from training at Casey the majority of the year. The training venue is important but what is more important is the players and administrators, we have the goods in those areas at present and are probably Favourites again in 2022. If it takes another ten years to resolve a central training facilities so be it.

Great to see this thread going strong Fond memories from 2021 but I haven’t looked at a replay or any snippets for a while now. My mind has turned to 2022 and our quest for back-to-back flags. I can’t wait to get back to the G for the games Go Dees

I’ve got a standing annual bet with a Bulldogs mate on which team finishes higher on the ladder. Been going on for about 7 years and has cost me dearly… but not this time! It rotates between a keg party or long lunch, and today’s the day! If you live around Nortcote, there is a strong weather warning of smugness 😁

Lasting Memories of Laurie in the 1950/60 glory days as a tough very accomplished centreman. Great team man and thoughts with the Mithen family snd his close teammates of the same era. Wonderful he experienced our Glag last season.

I remember at half time i was sitting there pretty down trying to prepare myself to watch the most important half of football in my life.The dogs were the only team i thought would give us a game and to that point they had. Bont goal sailed over my head and i thought that was the game. Thank god i was wrong!

Pleased to read the comment on Dunstan s disposal .That has been the serious the only serious knock on his game .If it is not an issue he will be in our best 22.

"Come up and see me make me SMMMILLE , I'll do what you want, Running Wiiillld" Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel! Great Cool Tune check it out ya all! 😁

Jesus reading that has me salivating for round 1 and the defense of the premiership!! Bring it on Great work @picket fence

All will be fine @picket fence and earth people. Petracca, Spargo and TMac are all in the sick bay under the watchful eye of Dr. Leonard McCoy. Based on his medical skills, they should be back on the track tomorrow!

I know it’s not always appropriate to make comparisons between eras but if you think Ron Barassi (6 premierships) as Christian Petracca and Laurie Mithen (5 premierships) as Clayton Oliver then you might understand the importance of Laurie Mithen to the golden era we experienced during his career with the club. The other coincidence is the influence of players coming from Ormond to Melbourne and getting the # 11 guernsey. That’s 6 flags that I’m aware of to date. Laurie Mithen was one of our truly greatest ever players.

Tomorrow is my birthday. I am going to give myself a real treat. I am going to watch the whole of the 2021 Grand Final