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There strange belief that training is somehow designed or done with any fan or supporter in mind is so baffling to me. Your favourite band don't give you daily updates when writing and recording new music, they don't stream live recording sessions and rehearsals. The rehearsing and filming of the movies and tv shows you watch aren't made readily available to the public. Training time is for the players and the club. Keen eyes choosing to wander by and observe is entirely their prerogative, but there seems to be a real loss of the purpose of training and that it's not designed for public consumption or sharing. It's a time for professionals to hone their craft and simulate situations they may face in games etc. If it needs to be moved at the last minute as its deemed that's the best course of action to help win games, then that has to be ok. There should be no expectations from supporters that training is aimed at or particularly takes them into consideration. Training galleries have been consistent and uploaded almost immediately twice a week for almost the entirety of pre season. Digital channels have utilized short, sharp, tiktok style clips which is what those most engaged with technology currently know and expect. I know summer is long, and everyone's aching for footy, but the things people find to complain about are getting very very petty. The club's media stuff is fine. It's better than some clubs, worse than others, but this idea that it's the worst in the league is laughable.

I'm always heartened when people use this word. It means a lot.

I've met him and he's a ripper and that might be clouding my judgement but not only do I want him to make it I think he will. He's been good all PS and although it's not the real thing he's still competing against and with top end talent and doing well. I don't see the lack of pace that many have talked about but I might be wrong. His ball handling in the wet in the GF last year was elite and he was a clear BOG to half time when the game was in the balance. His kicking is very good, his hands are good and over his 3 or 4 years he's coming to understand what he can and can't do. Also, this PS his tackling, in the full on sims that I've seen, has been a highlight. So I'm buying. I think he can take ANB's spot because I think what we might lose in aerobic capacity we gain two fold in skills and scoring potential. I think too many judge young kids who play low possession positions that are heavily defensive related on possessions in their early games. This kid will leave no stone unturned to succeed and I'm hoping he gets a go with us and develops the confidence to succeed.

Do you know how much crime is committed by people who are high on drugs such as cocaine and meth? From my previous previous experience as a first-responder then a Detective, legalising these substances will only increase serious crime. People do hideous things on these drugs, things that unfortunately I can’t un-see.

Has anyone ever thought that maybe the club doesn't want to disclose too much what its doing? The off season is where you experiment with positional changes, game plans, tactics etc. Is it any wonder that the club wants to keep a few things under wraps?

Translation for: "We've really not progressed as well as we would have like and there is currently no option available at this point".

Can you tell us which $20 - 50 odd multi million dollar projects that you started with state, federal and council from the ground up, as you think that is easy to do? I hope you understand the word confidentiality? or should they just let everyone know and get all parties to withdraw from the talks.

And what part of that did you not understand?

Sometimes things can be misinterpreted through text so maybe that's what's happened here. If that is the case I apologise and will un-ignore QB.

QD isn’t angry. It’s just his warped sense of humour - same as most on here. 😉

We also won multiple premierships when based at the MCG in the 50's and 60's. It's not a valid argument, things move on and more quickly than ever these days. On the home base issue there doesn't appear to be a lot of movement.

Except that it has happened in some countries, Portugal in particular, and the data largely supports decriminalization. That other countries are considering some form of decriminalization indicates it's a direction worth considering

1. There is no supply problem. Drugs are easy to obtain if you are so inclined. 2. Taking drugs doesn't necessarily make you an addict just as drinking doesn't necessarily make you an alcoholic.

Sorry for the misunderstanding @Orion. I thought your observation about JVR was spot on. Love your work. Long may astute observations such as yours reign on 'Land. We need people like you as a counter-weight to people like me (and certain others - you know who you are 😍).

Trust me, he’s not angry. I know him well and he’s certainly not one who deserves to be on ignore, by anyone. He was actually complimenting you.

The reality is that neither Brown nor TMac are a strong chance to play all 23 H&A games. It's just not going to happen. Brown's knee will require resting and management, and if you listen to the podcast with TMac you'll hear him say that his foot is basically in pain every day and he is managing it. Just because JVR doesn't play round 1, doesn't mean he won't get plenty of game time this season. If we haven't learnt to REST our most important players after last season, then we've learnt nothing at all. Great to finish top 2, bad to finish top 2 with 80% of your list struggling to play out a game.

Of course we can upgrade Casey if that's the path we are taking. My original point was that your comment that we won a flag with the facility we had doesn't hold water. That was 2 years ago, I know we have had some upgrades since that but we are behind the competition. We should win a flag this year, it won't mean our facilities are at a level they should be, it just means we have a better list.

All facilities need to be improved to keep up with the competition.

You're not getting the point... I have not said anything about us needing to be near the MCG. ...but our current facilities need to be upgraded, we are falling behind the arms race. As we did when we were at the MCG and didn't read the room.

Right at the end Ms Roffey told of at least a half a dozen councils she had contacted in the last few months regarding available land ( hectares as she put it) without luck. The club has been looking for 30 years we were told. Next question is when is time to give up. When is time to tell members that an inner city base is unlikely .Twenty seven million dollars doesn't go far when buy hectares in Melbourne.

Interesting that we don't look twice at people having a few social drinks, smoking a dart or popping a couple of painkillers yet recreational use of drugs is still a divisive topic. We'd be better off having a balanced and reasonable conversation at state and federal govt level (which is unlikely) about the pros and cons of decriminalization and how it could be implemented in a controlled, transparent and medically supervised way. Presumably one of the reasons that that ciggies and alcohol are taxed heavily is because of the high cost to society caused by their damage. Most hospitals would be half empty if there was no alcohol or tobacco in society. My understanding is that in countries where coke, heroin, meth etc are legal, their sales are controlled and monitored by govt, and they are available through pharmacies, not supermarkets, corner stores or the like. It's available, but more open and less attractive to do. Personally I'd like to see vapes heavily restricted in Australia. Packaging and flavors aimed at young people, particularly teens. In my burb there's a shop specialising in confectionery and energy drinks that also sells vapes, full of teens after school. This will be a medical time bomb in the years to come. But that's a side topic

It’s no shock that crime rates would decrease, given possession, supplying, trafficking etc are all crimes that keep police and authorities very busy. Offences against people (including infants and children) will increase. People are fooling themselves if they don’t think usage will increase.

I reckon we've had this discussion before, ET. I acknowledge your first-hand experience, but I think your logic is faulty. You assume that legalisation will lead to increased usage and a higher crime rate. Do you have any evidence that this has happened anywhere? My understanding is that usage and crime rates actually decrease after legalisation. No doubt you have seen some horrible things. People do hideous things while drunk as well, but I don't think anybody would seriously propose that we make alcohol illegal.

Just took this off the filth's Big Footy site. It appears they are really setting the bar very high this season. "I'm not too sure about Ginnivan. If he had mongrel he would be injecting directly into the vein....we'll have to see what emerges from his retraining...."

Well done big O! I took it as a compliment about your factual posting. I mean really in February, facts! (ha ha 🙂)

Kozzy Pickett is one of the most promising young players in the league, and there has been much speculation about whether he will stay with the Melbourne Demons, or move interstate to another club. Last year the Demons went through this “Will he, Won’t he” situation with another one of their young guns in Luke Jackson. Subsequently Jackson shunned the Melbourne Football Club's offer and defected back to his home state. Whilst ultimately unhappy with his decision Dee’s fans will remain forever thankful for Jackson’s contribution in the third quarter of the 2021 Grand Final which helped secure the Demon’s their first Premiership in 57 years. Dees fans are once again faced with the prospect of another one of their young guns being lured away from the club. At the time of writing, it is not yet clear what Pickett's decision will be. However, there are a number of factors that could influence his choice. One of the main factors is the success of the Melbourne Football Club. In 2021, the Demons broke their premiership drought, and Pickett was instrumental in the team's finals campaign kicking 2 goals in the Qualifying victory against the Lions and 3 goals in the Preliminary Final against the Cats Despite the Demon's straight sets exit during the 2022 finals series they still finished the season in 2nd place after winning the first 10 games of the season. They are widely regarded as having one of the most talented lists in the league and are tipped by most pundits to finish in the Top 4 once again in 2023. Given Pickett's role in the team's success, it is likely that the Demons will do everything they can to keep him. However, there may be factors outside the club's control that could influence Pickett's decision. One such factor could be the lure of returning West to either his home state of WA or to South Australia where he played a lot of his junior footy. Pickett was born in WA but grew up in the Indigenous community of Ceduna in South Australia and played junior football for West Adelaide. If he were to move to Perth or Adelaide, he would be closer to his family and friends. Another factor that could influence Pickett's decision is the financial aspect of the deal. The Demons have a plethora of star players that they have had to lock away on long term deals and whilst Kozzy is an integral part of any future playing list the clubs out west may be able to offer him a more lucrative contract than the Demons, which could be a tempting proposition for any young player. In terms of what the Demons could expect in return, it is difficult to say. If Pickett were to move to say Port Adelaide, who by all reports are his main suitor, the Demons could potentially receive a trade or draft pick in exchange. The prospect of Port being able to offer adequate compensation is even more grim as they’ve already traded away their future first draft pick for 2023 as part of the Horne-Francis deal. Given Pickett's value to the Demons, it is likely that they would seek a trade that would be beneficial to both parties if he chose to leave. If Pickett were to leave the Demons, the club would undoubtedly miss his contributions. He is a dynamic and explosive player who has the ability to turn a game on its head. His speed, agility, and goal sense make him a valuable asset to any team. Demon fans are salivating at the prospect of Kozzy playing more midfield minutes in season 2023 and depending on the success of this change it could potentially increase his already high value to the Dees and any other prospective suitors. As for how Demons fans would feel if Pickett were to leave, there is no doubt that there would be a sense of disappointment & devastation. Kozzy has quickly become a fan favourite due to his electrifying style of play and his role in the team's premiership season. On the heals of Jackson's decision to leave the club that took a punt on drafting him, losing Kozzy would feel like a double blow. In time, fans would understand that players sometimes need to make decisions that are best for their careers and personal lives. However that does not make up for the sting of a star player leaving. As a Dees fan, I cannot begin to express the immense joy and pride I feel watching him play. His speed, agility, and skill on the field have been nothing short of phenomenal, and he has quickly become one of our most exciting players to watch. Hearing whispers that he may be considering leaving the Demons for another team, I feel like I have to make this passionate plea for him to stay on behalf of all Demon fans. Kozzy, you are more than just a player to us. Your presence on the field brings us joy. You have become a role model to young fans, showing them that hard work, dedication, and a positive attitude can help you achieve great successes. But more than anything, Kozzy, you have become an integral part of the Melbourne Demons family and a cherished member of our community. We have watched you grow and develop as a player, and we have celebrated your triumphs and supported you through your challenges. As a Demons fan, I can say with certainty that we want nothing more than to see you continue to grow and develop with our team. We want to see you raise the premiership cup again, hear you sing the team song, and watch you celebrate with your teammates and fans. So I am begging you, Kozzy, please stay with us. Stay with the team that has nurtured and supported you, the team that has become your home. Stay with the fans who have cheered you on through thick and thin, and who will continue to do so for many years to come. We need you, Kozzy. The Melbourne Football Club needs you. Please don't leave us. Please stay ...

That is definitely the other thing. If the club post a full internal match replay other clubs can go through it to try get an edge for round 1. I saw Port Adelaide posted this, so if I'm the Lions I would be watching that very closely.

Will make it and be a very good player in 2023

Drugs are already out there. People are taking them. Prohibition has not stopped and will never stop their use. The question is then how to deal with it. It's completely illogical that alcohol (a drug, by the way), which causes more problems in society than all other drugs combined, is legal, readily available and socially acceptable but other drugs are "bad" and illegal. My opinion is that we should legalise, regulate and tax drugs just like we do with alcohol and tobacco. These taxes should directed into health services because this is a health issue, not a legal issue. By doing so, we would free up Police to concentrate on real crime, clear the backlog in the court system and stop the overcrowding in jails. It would also eliminate the criminal involvement and get the "dirty" back-yard lab drugs off the street. As to your last point, nobody should be driving if they are impaired by alcohol or any other form of drug.

Taking drugs doesn't necessarily mean you have personal problems just as drinking alcohol doesn't necessarily indicate an underlying issue. People do it because they enjoy it and, as adults, should be free to choose what they consume. It's time we legalised the lot and stop the hypocrisy and double standards. The "war on drugs" has been a costly and dismal failure and an absolute WOFTAM. Disclaimer: I neither drink nor take drugs.

I very much doubt much progress has been made. I hope i am wrong, but i don’t think so. Not blaming anyone. Just reality. There is nothing to tell….

Our society spends far too much of the police's time and revenues with the war on drugs. Those doing the crimes are usually the victims of the underworld, that make a mint out of the trade. Enforce the rules on the crime gangs. Most know who they are. Follow the money. As for the addict committing crimes. Gee, if the society didn't criminalise them (illicit drug use is a gateway behaviour to further crime), but treated them as a medical disease! An addict must be an easy arrest, and conviction for our resolving door penitentiary system. As they are usually poor, their housing is unstable, has to do crime (buy illegal substances) in the open, they are very vulnerable. Regulate their drug, make it affordable to the vulnerable, so crime is not an option. Give them a chance to be functional members of society. I believe the places that have decriminalised substances have reduced criminal activity from the addict. The police could spend more time on enforcement of the bad, not the mad (addiction). Have specia emergency mental health police squad, similar to a SWAT squad.

So what is it about the use of recreational drugs that is intrinsically "bad" and deserving of being illegal?

Love the preamble... it so hard to get stuck into you when you are being respectful and diffusive :) not that i had any intent to btw. I don't see decriminalizing as a binary solution (i.e. legal vs illegal) - where there is a therapeutic benefit (i.e. marijuana for chronic pain, LSD or MDMA for PTSD treatment) it should absolutely made available. However i draw the line on recreational use. As for evidence, i think the lack of cities/states globally implementing decriminalization of hard drugs is proof enough. Yes there are still a handful, but there are not enough to get a statistically significant sample to support a conclusion either way, so we just have to rely on good old common sense.

I'm sure this is the case, but isn't that an argument FOR legalisation? Just imagine if all those massive amounts of money, time and resources were re-allocated to the prevention and pursuit of crimes against people and property.

You remove the full weight of the law, then the drugs become much more accessible and cheaper with no legal implications for usage. There is no doubt in my mind that this will ultimately increase drug usage cross the entire population. Whether that translates to serious crime - i cannot say - but increased usage is just about a guarantee.

The answer is simple - disguise the players and let the fans in

I present Monday's Most perceptive insight for the day.

So would opposition clubs I'm sure. Despite the fact that I love reports from training I have no problem with the club not giving away any intel too early to opposition clubs. They won't get much from reading our training reports and if the send out spies then good luck to em but as much as we all want to see the match sims we really shouldn't be providing them video footage on demand.

My post was admittedly a bit confusing Luci. I was referring to Melksham as having received no admonishment, or punishment for that matter. The point i was trying to make was that was an indication how out of line May must have been - i mean May was recovering from concussion and Melk broke his hand, if he was in any way in the wrong he would have copped a punishment. I don't think there is any question May was paralytic drunk. IIRC there were reports on DL that the group were seen at a boxing match all arvo prior to going to dinner and were drinking heavily. So a big day on the sauce and then off to a restaurant and more drinking. IIRC May admitted he was hammered. My underlying point is NOT that the media didn't do enough to highlight a societal 'double standard'. Again, i was probably unclear. My underlying point is that there is always a lot of moralizing, from fans and the public (and sometimes, but not always, the media), when a player gets pinged (pardon the pun) for using recreational drugs. And very little moralizing when a player chooses to drink excessively. Excessive alcohol use only gets raised in the context of an incident that happens, as in the case of Steve May. In May's case i don't recall the club or AFL publicly criticizing May for his use of alcohol, other than in general sense - just his behavior. From a moral perspective, not many people had an issue with a big group of players drinking all afternoon and into the evening. But some (thankfully, perhaps less people now than might have been the case 10 years ago), judge Ginnivan for using drugs. This morality palaver means players are expected to come out with a pantomime statement saying how sorry they are for their use of drugs - one off, so sorry, let the club and fans down won't happen again blah blah blah. Just as Ginnvan did - despite there being NO suggestion he behaved poorly. Look at the rubbish Willi Rioli copped for being caught with a small amount of marijuana. Just ridiculous. A player caught using drugs is often criticised because they are 'role models'. Well surely that should also apply to their use of legal drugs such as alcohol. What sort of role models to young kids siting near them were the dees players drinking all arvo at the boxing or to diners at the restaurant? I could care less about a players choice of recreational mood enhancers - be it illicit drugs or alcohol (assuming of course it doesn't impact on their ability to perform). I care about their behavior. That's where i draw my moral line.

The statement is praising you for using facts and not making stuff up, like many others. So being out of the normal he indicates with humour that you don't belong. It is humour, but I can see how you may misinterpret the intention. No-one likes being ostracised, even within a joke.

Impressive @Monbon. All this👆 and you still find time to post...busy people get things done!

The footy club last year posted a 3 minute video on match simulation. We then won 10 games in a row. Opposition clubs would struggle to nitpick anything out of this. They had an interview with James Harmes the other day and the most exciting part about that whole video was seeing a quick 5 second grab on Matthew Jefferson taking a strong contested mark. I loved seeing little glimpse like that on our first year players. No one is asking for a full streamed match simulation. Save that stuff for when we're playing practise games against St Kilda next week.

The media have been pumping up the tyres of JVR to the point of explosion. Richardson is just tempering the expectations of supporters as a result.

I think Essendon are certainties for bottom 4. It will be interesting to see the Hawks v Bombers round 1 game I'm predicting it to be the battle for the spoon.

Get where you are comming from in part. I'm not so much one for chipping Goody and the selection pannel for their mantra of maintaining stability within the senior side, but it also did feel a bit at times last season that we perhaps could have used our opportunities to rotate more player's through the senior side at times. I'd agree though, that during our mid season slump in particular our depth was tested and strained by having a number of players out at once, like Gawn, Jackson, May, T Mac and perhaps Viney/Trac?/Oliver miss over a period of a month or so, which I think really hurt in retrospect. I'm also glad we didn't throw in JvR into the finals pressure cooker in desperation. Don't think our Casey Premiership counts for nothing in terms of depth though. If you read some of the recient comments from Alan Richardson, I think there's a bit of an admission that perhaps the team and coaching pannel went a bit too conservative and defensive in the back half of last year and perhaps weren't will to take risks that could have created better energy in the second half of games etc. I think the team selection aspect could be part of that conversation.

Paul Puopolo was the AFL's tenth shortest player, standing at 173 cm and played nearly 200 games in what was a strong multi premiership team at the time. If Chandler can find his niche in the MFC side, I don't think height is really such a barrier. I didn't watch Puopolo super closely as a player, because of my general loathing of Hawthorn, but seem to remember him as being a nuggety and strong for his height, a tenacious tackler and a player that kept bobing up and presenting in good places around goals. He was also a reliable shot on goal and didn't miss many opportunities. I see alot of the same traits in Chandler. He's also great mates with Max and I think generally a pretty popular guy with his peers, which has got to count for something. I'm going to be a bit more bullish on Chandler and offer up $2.20 for the farm boy from outback SA. A a supporter group, we've just got to come up with a nickname that's as infuriatingly annoying to opposition supporters as 'Poppy'.

Or delay it until Sunday in 23 degrees. Ridiculous to play in 36 degrees with predicted thunderstorms.