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https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/claims-of-faked-injuries-playing-to-lose-as-melbourne-2009-tanking-scandal-laid-bare/news-story/897ea8fbba0db2ba2f61f14ace919988 Um this was 10 years ago. Why would you bring it up now. Does it take Mick Warner this long to discover a story? Does he feel good about dragging 2 people's name through mud who aren't here to defend themselves. Its a new board, coach, players and CEO. I have no idea why this is relevant now. Hey Mick here is an idea go and investigate what was in the needles the essenscum players were injected with.

Bit disappointed Keilty wasn’t picked this week, thought he was a real chance for his debut

Yeah just a short sharp skills and runaround session. Today. Most looked fairly clean with disposals and good on the move. Viney probably wasn’t moving around as fast as he could have. Noticed Hunt was doing a lot of leading in the 50 and also lots of snaps at goal practice. Also generally we were practicing a fair bit of end to end quick transition play

Sometimes, in fact more often than not, it would be advisable if clubs and players (perhaps everyone bar the coach) did not speak to the media. Who speaks to the media seems disjointed and random. And rarely does a player say anything of substance. It would be preferable if footy comments came from the coach or general manager (Mahoney). The players should concentrate on their footy and not feel that they have to fly the flag in the media.

Whether or not I agree that we did anything 'wrong' we have been made to face a truth no other club has had to. Every year the AFL allows clubs to sit players and play youth, with the incentive of a higher spot in the draft. We have learnt from it and we are a stronger organisation. But we are alone in that damnation. The AFL are the ones that need to learn.

I don't get all the love for Preuss - he really has shown nothing to warrant selection in an AFL team so far at Melbourne Simply being big doesn't equate to much at all - in fact, it is likely to be a big liability if he isn't marking, isn't chasing, isn't kicking goals etc. Not saying Gawny doesn't deserve a backup but Preuss would be behind Keilty for mine at this stage

I reckon we need to kick 16 goals to win this. So going by last week we need 280 inside fifties! ANB to top score with 3 goals 11

Sorry, but I think we are all missing the point of this campaign. It is called the Round for Reach. The club has dedicated the match day to raising funds for the Reach Foundation, which has been running programs to support kids affected by bullying for 25 years. Only now the focus is online bullying, an unfortunate reality for our children these days. To donate to Reach, text Reach to 0455 021 021 or visit roundforreach.org.au Jim Stynes will be proud his legacy continues.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/let-s-stop-the-excuses-goodwin-rejects-talk-dees-list-compromised-20190404-p51arl.html "As a coach and a club there are no more excuses for us as a club," Goodwin said before Friday night's crunch match against Essendon. "Start judging us on our performances and not on our pre-season. We’re ready to go. We’re fit, we’ve got a good 22 that’s going to go out there and play, so let’s judge us on our performances and let’s stop the excuses." The old “no excuses” excuse. Well the season is already two rounds gone and we weren’t ready to go.

Good to see that the MFC is leading the AFL by getting a microphone among the journalists so we can hear the questions.

What a brilliant initiative.

Finished a job early and have to wait until 11:30 for my next meeting near the MCG. Driving up Punt road and noticed the club getting ready for training. Perfect! Boys just walking out now

Documentation / records? What is that again? Apparently they don’t keep them at Essendon.

Yep. We made massive mistakes in their time at the club, and they are mistakes I hope we never get close to replicating. Still, at least we aren't drug cheats.

Both Wagners have pace and intensity, something we have lacked. I like Sparrow but he has had a taste now and needs to come back when he is ready to play his natural position as a rotating midfielder. ANB has to perform this week but will be more suited to a forward line with hunt’s electric pace and dry conditions. Pruese is interesting because if we keep bombing it forward we may as well have a big target there, be it he or Max. However, the ball is being taken out of our forward line with such ease I couldn’t justify playing another tall that isn’t quick. There seems to also be a lot of talk about May and Petracca being unfit for AFL level. I’m guessing Pruese would love to have the tank of either of those two. Albeit he is probably glad he is not as fat as Petracca.

Absolute twaddle, don't know which bit some on here don't get, we have a team of 22 that has put in two poor performances, one where the midfield failed and were duly criticised, the other where the midfield started to get it together but the team connection was horrible We have players stuttering to find match day form, not from an injury point of view but pure and simple form It may turnaround this week, but it will require 22 working as a team, that is what has been missing last 2 weeks, no excuses any more

"Start judging us on our performances and not on our pre-season" Ummmm

Ho hum Barrie I agree, but it may take far too long for a complete engine overhaul. Remember those handwritten signs on the back windows of cars, saying "running in, please pass."

How were the bombs into the forward line? Hope they practiced this lots as they didn't seem to work last weekend.....

It may be a requirement but that does not mean its a good thing unless you are addicted to social media and want to watch or listen to anything associated with the club. And I can't imagine too many players enjoy the media circuit. I assume players are allowed by the club to talk about themselves, injuries or general themes but there are no go zones such as criticism of club, coach, teammates, disclosure of specific game plans etc. They probably can't win, because if they are told what to say in broad terms, the message comes across as a scripted message and players get criticised for not being honest. On the other hand, if they said what they really thought all hell would break loose, the media would have a field day and clubs would have to go into damage control. So what we are left with is a pretty bland melange that pleases no-one. Ho-hum.

Stretch and both Wagner doing the captains run right now. No Sparrow or May.

I cant see any difference between May and Cox incidents other than Cox is a popular player, being an American.

Contention There is no place for "facts" on Demonland.

I’m pumped at the moment, I’ve got the MCG/SCG double. Flying down tomorrow morning for my first game of the year, returning Sunday afternoon. Then off to the SCG for Thursday night footy. Expecting to be 2 & 2 come Thursday night with our season back on track.

BTW, I think it's fairly unthoughtful of some on this thread to be so outright dismissive of the cyber bullying problem. Many who level hurtful comments at others on social media get to do so with a cloak of anonymity or the safe distance that being on the end of a keyboard puts them from their target. Such anonymity isn't afforded to the players on the receiving end of a barrage of such hurtful comments, the scale of which the ordanary person will never likely experience. I could well imagine that after a while or even in a moment of emotional vulnerability the effect of social media comments could become deeply personal. I know I have personally made some less than nice comments about individual players etc on this forum and this short clip from the players as well as the broader conversation around hatered and toxic language used on Facebook being discussed right now has given me some food for thought as to how I could do better at times. Similarly in the context of young people, the ease at which bullying could be amplified to a much broader audience with social media and intrude on life 24/7 beyond the school yard compared to in days gone by is quite scary. All well and good to say just stay off it, but social exclusion is a form of bullying in it's own right. When rightly or wrongly 'social' media is the medium for socialisation between young people today, anbsence from that platform is to be somewhat socially excluded. I'm quite proud that the AFL has taken a stand on social issues of importance in Australian society, think there is a role for it to play given the prominent part Aussie Rules plays in Australian culture and I hope it continues to lead on social issues.

So the impact of cyber bullying applies to everyone. Except the players of course, they should cop it because we aren’t playing well right now. Right. Back to planet earth now - fantastic initiative. No one should have to put up with insidious bullying by losers hiding behind computer screens.

FFS who cares it’s way in the past. Could have been worse we could have been drug cheats. Good work robbo, quality as usual.

Argh!! [censored] ANB gets another gig! Joke! While we are at it lets run Gawn to the grown by playing the sole ruckman.

Robbo trying to help his Bombers? What a [censored]. Can't imagine there is anything new.

Quite happy with the in's this week. The key things I think Josh Wagner certainly offers is hardness and good defensive intent. He is also quite quick and willing to take that game on creatively by foot. I thought Cory Wagner was pretty stiff to be dropped from our Rd.1 performance to be honest. Won enough of the ball as a defender and I thought his use of it was pretty good too.

That’s a lot of Wagners.

For those who have missed the point of the banner, the players intend to smash through all the personally insulting tweets they have received in their time. It is an attempt to show cyberbullying is unacceptable and that MFC don't accept this. Just as the Eagles came out against the racist comments made about Liam Ryan and I expect another club to make a statement in the coming weeks as well. On the back of this the club is raising money for the Reach Foundation who for 25 years has nurtured and cared for kids who have been dealt harshly by society, don't fit in or have been bullied. MFC is proud of the role Jimmy played in this and our ongoing support. It is no wonder players are advised not to read social media. I to, go to the footy to see Melbourne win but I have never accused a player of not trying. They may lack ability at times, can be carrying an injury or having an off day and occasionally they get beaten by a better opponent. It is ok to be critical but there is a line that shouldn't be crossed by getting personal or bullying.

we're gonna run rings around em, perhaps?

Sounds like a double album of classical music.

I can judge us on performances and I have. Since & including last years prelim... We've been a shambles/a dogs breakfast. Pretty simple really. Let's see what Friday brings.

Goodwins comments will look good if we win, but if we don't he can assured that no-one from supporters to the media will be accepting excuses. I find it a strange comment, perhaps reflecting the pressure he is under to turn it around. Two games in and he is talking about no further excuses, it sounds a little desperate after two games. Mid season or end of season, I could understand. Better to simply state, we expect to see improvement this week or we are going out expecting to win.

This is the bit that seriously plays with my head. We weren't ready at the beginning...and I'm still not convinced we're ready now. I mean wtf ??

Try to think of it as a strategy of under-promising with the intention of over-delivering. Then it's much more palatable.

I really wish Melbourne players would just shut up.

I wish people would stop knocking Billy's kicking. He is one of the best at passing the ball correctly on the list. His problem is not getting it enough, not his disposal. If he had 15 kicks into the forward 50, it would have been a far better score for us last week.

If Petracca starts as the deep forward again, I will be heading to the bar to watch the rest of what will be a miserable night.

I was a really good schoolyard bully and fairly good as a workplace bully - Worksafe and anti discrimination laws curtailed my achievements in that area. I have to admit though, I never really got the hang of cyberbullying ( although I did [censored] Stuie off a few times) Must be a generational thing.

time for a club to play us into form (god knows we have had to good grace to do it for the rest of the comp for $%@#$@WER knows when)

Tom Mc isn't filling me with confidence for this week: "We know where we need to get better. It's not going to happen in one week or one quarter, it'll take a little while, but I think we understand what we need to do and it's about using each other a little more and bringing others into the game without thinking you've always got to kick it long to a contest all the time." Um we don't have much time; lose this week and finals start looking doubtful ? And, would prefer if we didn't flag our lack of confidence to turn our game around to this week's pposition! I'm a fair way off the mark.

Agree, tipsters are underestimating how quickly Ess can bounce back when their backs are to the wall as they proved last year. Also, they dismantled us in round 2, 2016 by playing 'control and possession' football: switched wide at ease, moved the ball quickly down the wings and got behind our zone for easy run into open goals. Most of our big defeats in the last year or two have been to clubs who play that style. We have won some games with 'chaos' football games against the 'control and possession' style teams but not many. Worsfold will remind them of that 21016 game, that they can do it. They will be ready and hopefully we are two.

Considering the players we have available, that team looks far more balanced IMO and it would be Keilty ahead of Tim Smith as Tim Smith is smaller and less versatile than Declan.

Besides the lack of forward pressure the other problem with our chaos brand is the predictability of our play. We never seem to switch it when we are moving forward. Chaos needs unpredictability.

I am really torn as to how I feel about tomorrow night. The new part of me who believed in this side for the last 6 weeks of the 2018 season says: “it’ll all be ok, we’ll get miles into the legs, we had 100 tackles last week, we had so many inside 50s, the tide has to turn.” Old & torched me: “we are gone, won’t beat Essendon & it’s season over, why bother even going tomorrow night” This club has turned me into some sort of psychopath with a split personality. I must admit we were slow out of the blocks last year; Round 1 - should have won but Geelong weren’t that great last year Round 2 - jumped out against lowly Brisbane before they reeled us back, didn’t look overly convincing Round 3 - Slow start, jumped by North & won comfortably but didn’t look all that great Round 4 - Flogged by Hawthorn Round 5 - Flogged by Richmond So there is still life (I must be in the new me personality this morning). We must simply win this week or it’s curtains & I’m going to Sydney next week so I don’t fancy the trip with the season basically gone. Cmon Dees

It’s an interesting set of circumstances to be very fair. We don’t expect our players (MFC) to cop this rubbish but at the same time we’re happy to lay it on thick with other teams players. I’ve done it before thinking that it’s been light-hearted, just for a laugh like Joe Daniher is an ugly Bugger. So is that fair to him? Clearly not. I and most of you guys just brush it off and move on.... However, when you put yourselves in their shoes and really appreciate the spotlight they’re under, only then will you get a relative understanding of how the players are affected. They are in such a public arena that we expect them to be able to handle it commensurate to their salary. Unfortunately they’re human just like me.

They'll have to run through another banner Saturday morning if we lose.