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RETURN FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES 6 REBOOTED Picket Fence. Thanks very much the gates are open again and about 70 or so Dees fans in attendance. There are scribes with I. Pads, people with note pads scribbling away, interestingly Ive never used notes or anything else whilst compiling my reports, so there ya go. Oh wait hold the phone, this report just keeps on getting wackier and more way out, like a drug induced stupor.. There in fron of my eyes is Charleton Heston ( AKA Taylor) from the original "Planet of The Apes"What is he doing here?? Hello Taylor whats going on man why are you here and how are you here? Taylor" And who might you be?? You like like a B grade extra in a Z Grade cheap flick" P.F '' Yeah thanks for that, I'm here doing a footy training report my name is Picket Fence" Taylor " A gumshoe eh"? Well Fence I'll tell you what Im doing here, the producers are casting for some Ape's for the next installment and sent me back from the future ( Sound familiar ?ED) to get some from a place called LuliePie" P.F LULIEPIE ????? sounds terrible, I think I'll just stick to the old Fourntweenties thanks" Taylor. These Luliepies are totally life like and are exactly what the producers need coz they dont need any makeup and walk exactly like the apes on the set. They look like this P.F "Ok, I know the script I'll take you there on one condition!" Taylor" And whats that???? P.F "Talk to the producers and get me a big Acting Gig in the big apple" Taylor " Done" TRAINING REPORT MONDAY Conditions very hot but plenty of shade, No slitheras but did see some Bigfoot prints adjacent the Moat NO SHOWS OLIVER, BBB, SMITH, FULLARTON, MELKSHAM MODIFIED DUTIES HUNTER , PETTY Both on the bikes, and later JEFFERSON running and VERRAL same NOTE SALEM, MONIZ-WAKEFIELD all back in FULL TRAINING! TRAINING DRILLS MANY AND VARIED 1 One on one full stoppage simulations and hemming opponenent in at boundary 2 Random player ground ball gets and then precision passing to leading forward option 3 Rotating forward entries from centre transitions to forwards leading with one on one defenders as checkers spoilers 4 Whole ground manoeuvers from back to forward PLAYER WATCH SHACHE Standout player today for mine took several strong contested grabs againast quality defence May and Thommo and perhaps the penny has dropped about being more hungry and agresive at the ball Mc ADAMS Um sorry I don't buy this fitness lacking thing , he is an excitment machine who figured in goals and knows where to run and go WOEWODIN Continues to improve and looks confident and strong JED ADAMS Looked pretty composed by hand and foot and could surprise BILL LAURIE Trained very well and generally disposes well, but I'm not sure he has the X factor needed KOOYONG KOLT We have a goodun in this guy,punches well above his weight and at one stage provided 3 pressure acts in a row and resulted in a turnover. A lot to like MARTY HORE For some reason he just looks like he's ready to go, works well into a contest and disposal is very sound ANDY MONIZ -WAKEFIELD Some serious X Factor, involved and very skilled in linking up. As you would expect MAX, LEVER, MAY, THOMMO,RIVERS, KOZZY NIBBLER, et al all trained as seasoned pro's HIGHLIGHT..... A drone was hovering over Bowsers head and he thought swatting it was a good idea, got close but no cigar.. Funny to see though. Drills are a lot more corridor based and feature the ability to a) Select the best option in traffic b) Execute skills to best advantage. Its coming together and the intensity is definately obvious Cheers P.F

I attended my first preseason training this morning in hot and breezeless conditions. I’m not a big fan of training techniques so I’ll concentrate on some observations on individual players, and let others comment on set plays. My initial observations were very pleasing: TMac has certainly changed his body shape (and hairdo) looking much lighter and running comfortably; Tomlinson is generally not noted for his agility but a dedicated summer of training sees him looking lighter and quite fast too. Tholstrup looks and trains like a man on a mission and his repeated efforts certainly don’t go unnoticed. Bowie has muscled up and his kicking was a weapon Rivers looks supremely fit and continues to give the impression he’ll play more midfield time this year . Not overly impressed by the fitness of McAdam who seems to be coming from a fair distance behind the others in fitness Petty likewise to McAdam seems a fair way off match fitness, understandably.

Max is Max, but Viney was unbelievable as a leader last season. Get us another flag boys.

Sparrow and Brayshaw in full training😁

If Schache could somehow reach his potential as a top 2, 199cm player we could be laughing. Won't hold my breath just yet though.

I went to training last wed and had similar thoughts. Petty was limping quite noticeably near the end of training and McAdam looked pretty gassed. Which as you say is understandable for petts given he is coming off that foot injury. In fact even though they never really communicated anything other than a very loose rehab time frame he is ahead of the worst case scenario that was floated (ie lisfranc requiring 10-12 months rehab) With Mcadam one thing i did notice is how skilled he was in the handball in tight area drill they did a few times. good hands and great evasive skills. Strong too, as evidenced by standing up in tackles. And i was surprised how quick he is off the mark. In the match sims he also took a couple of strong marks - very sticky hands. I think Melk's defensive (but can still provide an offensive threat), medium forward role is his if he can get his tank up to scratch by round one.

That’s just plain ridiculous.

Max and Jack are the best leaders this club has had for decades. They compliment each other very well. Max covers off field to let Jack lead on field. Not saying they don’t do the other Just need more players to play with the same dedication and hunger that these two do

Checking thread to see some good news and i hear Schache is the answer? think i’ll wait a month

Anyone doubting our premiership captain is in for a shock after Grundy was dropped he was back to his best he is driven, might be older but not over the hill. he will be back in 2024

Schache………..as the saying goes, If Schache is the answer you’re asking the wrong question

Joeboy; reported house down.

Max is one of the best captains in the game - a genuine leader on and off the field. For a footballer, he is off the charts for social skills and emotional intelligence - which is increasingly important as a mentor for young players - helping them simultaneously figure out 'who they are' while working in a job that attracts a potent mix of relentless public scrutiny, idol worship, quick money and media vultures (hi Kane). Jack on the other hand is the quiet guy off the field who becomes a giant on the field, lifting everyone around him with acts of insane bravery and a monomaniacal desire to crush the opposition. This is one of the best mixes of leadership Melbourne have ever had and it is the right decision - for 2024. My sense for the future is that Petracca needs to reach his personal footballing ambitions before becoming captain - more flags, a brownlow, a B&F. He has set himself to be a legend of the game. Being a captain takes time and effort - I'm not sure he is yet in a place to let go of the all conquering desire to be the best player and team mate. Depending on what happens this year, he might be ready to to focus fully on the rewards of captaincy. He will be fantastic when he is ready. If you wanted a more conservative path, Lever is a ready made captain. If you wanted to be more strategic and long term? Rivers to me is starting to look like a man who can inspire those around him. My wife is getting suspicious about how long I've been 'checking my emails' - back to making hot cocoa :) Cheers

joeboy; cub reporter extraordinaire

obvious comment and you used more than 3 words. many thanks a different view, they all help

2017. Simon Goodwin takes over the reigns as senior coach. For the second year in a row Melbourne had no involvement in Free Agency. The Trade period saw Michael Hibberd and pick 59 arrive from Essendon for picks 48 and 66, Pat McKenna and picks 51 and 69 arrive from GWS for picks 57 and 59. In a late surprise, Jordan Lewis and picks 57 and 68 arrive from Hawthorn for picks 48 and 66. Lynden Dunn and pick 51 are traded to Collingwood for pick 47. Chris Dawes, Jack Grimes, Matt Jones, Max King, Viv Mitchie, Ben Newton and Dean Terlich were all delisted. Having traded out their 2016 First rounder in the 2015 trade period, Melbourne entered the National draft with a mediocre draft hand. Mitch Hannan (46) and Dion Johnstone (68) are added to the list. Josh Wagner is elevated from the rookie list. The Rookie draft sees Lachlan Filipovic (8), Tim Smith (25) and Declan Keilty (41) added as rookies. Corey Maynard is added as a category B rookie. No players are added to the list of men still standing which remains as Jack, T.Mac, the skipper, Salem, Christian Petracca, Angus Brayshaw, Alex Neal-Bullen, Clayton Oliver, Jake Melksham and Joel Smith. The season ends in heartbreak. With less than a minute left in the last game of the season the Demons were still, in the eight by a fraction of a percent. West Coast Eagles were playing top of the ladder Adelaide in Perth. A goal to Jack Darling with only minutes remaining on the clock sees the Eagles edge passed the Demons and into eighth spot by 0.5 of a percent. Enjoy. 2017 - Independance Day 4K ==> https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-ZFSdQC/i-jSKLzqj/A 2017 - Independance Day Mbl ==> https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-ZFSdQC/i-SJT93rr/A -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016 - Starman mbl ==>https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-Pm7mRh/i-LdCJFFV/A 2016 - Starman 4K ==>https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-MhQnCP/i-nzqkvQm/A -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2015 - Foundation ==> https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-MhQnCP/i-VLMSNqD/A -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2014 – New Hope ==> https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-MhQnCP/i-Wkj43BD/A -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2013 – Annus Horribilis ==> https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-MhQnCP/i-bWkHdxp/A

That worked extremely well for Norf, giving us a premiership winning forward 3 goals in a dominant GF performance🤣

Apart from JVR, and Petty, who else from our forward talls could be relied on to take marks and kick goals? So long as we can prevent the oppos from taking easy marks, then we have the "play tall" forwards like Fritsch and perhaps McAdam to compete in the air and the small forwards like Kozzie and Chandler to prosper at ground level. Balanced with a strong defence and an attacking midfield, the lack of dominant forward talls might not be a disaster yet. GO DEES

And you're right too about BBB. It took a 4 year deal to get his signature. I've got my fingers crossed that he'll still be able to make a meaningful contribution this year as he's such a quality person. I just hope it's not to the detriment of his long term mobility.

I watched 3x 15 minutes quarters and he probably took 1 or 2 marks for the entire game up forward and missed a set shot. Maybe he fired up in the last quarter. Interesting to note that PF has talked him up 2 or 3 times this year in his training reports. There is definitely an opening for him if he's good enough to take it.

Hearing this form many many people.. interesting nonetheless — look fwd to seeing if any of it is real or not.. but if he remotely lives up to his true potential & has learnt how to make an impact in the contest aerially then we could be in for an interesting depth-chart up fwd.. but I won’t hon my breath either as it’s something that’s often never learned, and is more intrinsic.. BUT 🤞

I suspect that the poster meant JVR to do some of the ruck work some of the time deep forward, as have many successful KPP forwards over the years at many clubs. and didn't look into the Time Machine to see Fullerton do a hammy !! How negligent. Sack Taylor now.

IMO JVR should not be rucked at all. He needs to concentrate on his forward craft and not be taken away from his position, confused and increasing the risk of injury. We have others to be the backup ruck, who aren’t as valuable to our forward hopes.

In other words you haven't the faintest idea so why suggest a mismanagement of running loads ?

We all love dumping on DeeSpencer because of his ill thought out posts - but he is near a good point here; we will have to past these two at some point and for me it should be CP5 in his prime with Lever his back up. It also happens quicker than you think it should…

Viney can’t be Captain, he only knows one way……..He’s a sledgehammer and you need more tools in your kit to lead a team. On the field he leads by example and he does it beautifully.

No problem, at least you're putting something forward.

Very much so PF. There were also rumours that they found his wife Hester to be hard work but she seems to be as altruistic as Ben so you'd have to wonder at their accuracy. That said, that hub brought out the best and worst of people.

If aint broken don't fix it. Both outstanding leaders and ambassadors for the club.

Thanks Joeboy and Picket Fence for the excellent training reports and travelling out to CF and all posters for their comments and observations. Schache is an interesting one, has the height for ruck/fwd, is it possible that Josh has started to click on what he needs to do to keep his AFL career alive? I am also on Will Verrall watch as I am hoping that he is a live one!!

This is pleasing indeed. Both in recent years have put on extra weight to play deep forward and on key backs. I can't help but feel with two elite runners for their size that this has impacted their fitness a lot the last few seasons. I'm fairly bullish about Tmac going back as even last year in short stints at the end of games filling in back there he was sound and steady. Loving hearing how motivated Tomlinson sounds to be to get back in the side. If he is lighter hopefully his pace is better and can move up the ground more as a marking option.

Hi Macca. I seem to remember that T-Mac's existing contract, rumoured to be around $750k per year was one of the stumbling blocks in him being able to find another suitor prior to the 2021 season. At the end of what turned out to be a successful year for both him and the club it was agreed to extend his time with us by spreading out that money over a longer period, possibly with triggers and incentives added. Happy to be corrected on that of course.

Great fightback. 24-7 down at half time but didn't give in, there was no way we could stop their run especially on the outside. We were just flat out poor in the first half. Already mentioned defending the run but completely unable to get any pressure on Goff as well. I thought the Lions were outstanding in the way they approached this game and really exploited our weakness. Some massive slices of luck helped get us going, the tipped ball Jennings catch and the Aiuik fluke. You need these rubs sometimes and if Purdy doesn't air it out there it doesn't happen. Then Dan Campbell's aggressive approach on 4th down. While it may have been wise to kick the FGs you have to remember its this approach that got the Lions to where they are. They weren't totally void of fortune themselves when Moody missed the field goal from 48 or Purdy couldn't get it to a wide open Jennings to start the 2nd half but that's football, take what they give you. The bright lights kicked in and all of a sudden Gibbs fumble and the 2 Reynolds drops, the pressure was on and Detroit seemed to wince in the moment. Once they lost the lead and had to rely on pass to get it back the momentum had well and truly shifted. They will be better for it, congratulations to Detroit for getting this far. Arguments could be made we weren't the best team on the night but I think we still deserved to win. Not thinking about the SB just yet happy to enjoy being NFC champs for the moment. Any picks for who's going to win would be extremely premature at this stage but the Chiefs have done it and know what is expected. For the time being, go Niners!

Fairly sure we gave Brown a 4 year deal to acquire the player which included his first year (2021) and T-Mac might have has his contract extended after the 2021 season But it should be remembered that T-Mac played 23 of 25 games in 2021 and there was no outcry when we did extend his contract. None that I recall anyway So you make decisions and you live with the decisions. There's no shouda, couda, wouda aided by hindsight

Well said, Macca. I just want to add one extra point. How the club treats its players at the end of their careers will be noticed by other players (and their managers) when contemplating changing clubs. It would be much harder to attract quality players to join us if we didn't show we cared about them in their declining years.

Picket that's a second Joshua boost in recent reports. Many here would have him closer to the penny dreadful end of the spectrum but none the less an interesting watch. Has some ability just needs to overcome perennial stagefright.

Thanks Joeboy - More please.!!

What a great pickup for the Colts, good luck Michael Hibberd, what a champion player and person.!!

I'm eternally grateful that we have so many medical professionals here on Demonland that have reviewed the file of Ben Brown and are able to give us such confident prognosis on his future at Melbourne FC. Because otherwise we'd look like a bunch of amateur, blowhard quacks. Right? 🤔

Surely you’d have to have intimate knowledge of his running loads over weeks/months and his body to make that assessment?

Tomo has never played back up ruck for us. When he was recruited to the club, he was trialled as a wingman to little success and then transitioned into defence where he has remained since. I was hoping last year that they would have swung Tomlinson forward in the finals series instead of a cooked McDonald. Some don't realise but Tomlinson was a gun CHF at junior level due to his high work rate and endurance level. Even when he started at AFL level he showed some good signs as a high CHF who could run both ways and blow up his defenders. Tomlinson was fit at the time and felt that maybe that could have added some unpredictability going forward instead of McDonald who was absolutely useless.

Tomlinson has played back up ruck for us previously, from all reports he has had a great preseason. Schache has also had experience as a back up ruck at the dogs. Obviously not the preferred options but opportunities have presented for players to step up and grab their chance.

Was Mcqualter the brains behind Grigg as ruck? Gawn out Spargo in?

I'm sure the club will contact you re Fullerton for your experience on these matter....

It was a good day at Casey apart from the weather and the wind but fortunately as the players started the match sim both abated a bit and conditions were not too bad. Watching this match sim is so much more informative than the ball movement drills they do at Gosch's as it's genuinely competitive but tackling is very soft and the intensity is limited. Nobody crashes packs for marks much expect JvR who seems not to be able to help himself. There is the occasional tackle but it's more to impede someone than to take them down. In the ball movement stuff on Wednesday's the main players don't seem to dominate and the youngins do well but today was a different kettle of fish. Trac did what he liked and really ruined the game in the first quarter. Gawn, Trac, Viney and ANB were against an assortment of players the most notable being Rivers. But Gawn had no opposition (KFW played forward all day) and the centre group had a field day. Viney is great and looks set for a continuation of last years form, as someone else said ANB was very good and was heavily involved. But again, as noted, Bill was right up there. He's just a very smart footballer who does smart things. One goal in windy conditions from the boundary and another where he dodged the man on the mark and kick truly from 45 were highlights but he was involved inside and dished the ball out with good vision and precision. I'm not sure he'll play because of the logjam for spots but he'd be an automatic selection at most clubs. I know it's easy to get carried away at this time of year so I've got to be careful but keep and eye out for him. Kade Chandler is another to impress. Sure hands, good kick and quick today with at least 2 goals and perhaps more. He ran out of petrol tickets last year but this year he'll be better and better for longer. Problem is he's competing with Kossie, Spargs and a number of others for a spot in the forward line but he certainly put his name forward today. Howes played deep back and started on Fritta. What he did he did well and he looks taller than last year to me. He's got really good skills and seems to have picked up the pace of the game well but of course with the midfield dominating for Fritta's team Howes had his work cut out. He's an interesting choice for third tall because you'd think it means Lever has to play more accountable footy and that's not his go. Another interesting watch. Kynan Brown is also an interesting watch. He certainly gives it his all and can find the ball well. He played the game on Langdon and they were on the side where a lot of the play was (due to the wind). He did some nice things but in a fully contested game he'd be ragdolled I reckon. But his hands are clean, he is quick enough and he's showing a bit. A great Moneyball pick. I was also impressed with Seston. He was involved in quite a lot of play in the wing/back area and found quite a bit of it in one patch. He used it well and was clean, he's clearly made improvements to this game this year although he's not close to best 22 at this stage. But for a smokie he's not disappointing, he's got some really good attributes, his kicking being the main one. Jake Bowey was really really good. His disposal is first class, his ball handling is very good and his decision making was good. He found it a lot today both inside and outside and was a real standout for me. McAdam is a class footballer but he didn't play the whole game. In the third he, Brayshaw, Billings and some others were just running laps and McAdam was the tailender so I think they are still trying to build his tank. But when he was on he finds it and uses it and will be an interesting addition unless his fitness stops him being selected. Rive played midfield for the last part of the game and did well. He just looks to be continuing his confident run from late last year and as I type this I'm wondering if Howes takes his spot if Riv plays more up the ground. Tmac was good today but he wasn't on anyone much. But he found it and much to DL groupthink kicked it well on all but one occasion. By the way, he wasn't the only one to miss a kick. It was a kickout from a point and I don't expect him to take any of them in the seniors. But in my view he was the third best tall back on the field with the caveat that he didn't really have a challenging opponent. Fritta took some really good grabs, Kossie did some Kossie things and Woey looked composed with the ball but struggled against the first picked midfield. The Kolt and Duke had little influence that I saw but Duke played on the grandstand side and I wouldn't have noticed much of his play if he was involved. Best for others to comment. Kolt seemed to have little input and is still picking up the pace of the game. My final point is that the kicking for goal was very good in difficult conditions. As I commented to others, if we'd kicked like that in the finals we'd have won the flag, but enough of channelling Masie. I can't be bothered proof reading this so apologies for typo's and mispellings. @Demonstone will no doubt do that job for me and this report will be covered in red ink.