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After the really tragic events (a word often overstated) leading up to and including his pelvic fracture, it is truly amazing that Majak is in a position to play footy at any level, let alone to be even in contention for a back up position in an elite AFL Premiership team. This is a fantastic endorsement of his own resilience and of OUR club’s now elite culture and support. Go Majak ….. I hope that you can continue to make a contribution to our ongoing success. Your presence as a back up last season, putting pressure on those ahead of you while providing a fall back option, even without playing a senior game, should not be underestimated. The flag was a genuine full club success story.

Watching the Prelim with the SEN commentary. Gerard Healey calling non free kicks for Geelong whilst frees the we get are lucky. I can’t work out if he dislikes Melbourne more than I dislike him

A nice thread on Twitter about Laurie’s life from his family.

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"!

I’d have to watch them again but I felt the rnd 12 Brisbane game was our most complete, they were up and firing, have us a real contest… Cats were terrible the Prelim, god I love it!! Long may it continue.

I gather you might be alluding to Liam Jurrah and the family troubles that led him to return back to his home. Tippa is a top end Tiwi Islander, Jurrah from desert country Yuendumu, Central Australia. They are quite different cultures. Not all indigenous Australians are the same, or even comparable.

In : Hanks Out: Parry

In my season rewatch I reached the prelim final last night. Unlike most games where I watch one quarter an evening this one I watched in one sitting. It is arguably the most comprehensive performance of the season. Other than missing a few gettable goals in the second? quarter it was near faultless. The GF was special and no one will forget that 35 odd minutes of domination but I think this game was the pinnacle performance wise. Obvious kudos to Max but the performances by Brown, Spargo, Petty ANB..the list goes.... on are what should stand us in good stead in the coming season.

I'm not sure that Oliver's game style is any more physical than Judd, Dangerfield, Lewis, Bolton, Boak, Selwood etc (all are or will soon be 300 game players). The list of 300 game players includes inside midfielders, key forwards, defenders and flankers in more or less equal measure. The consistent theme: most are absolute guns. I think the key to reaching 300 games is to be good enough to still be best 22 when output inevitably drops 5-10% as players enter their 30's. Game style doesn't really seem to be much of a factor. I reckon Oliver is in with a very good chance of getting there. That sounds logical, but isn't backed up by the data. 9 of the top 20 all time games record holders retired in 2015 or later. Barring serious injury, Selwood and Pendlebury will soon make it 11 of the top 20 (both should reach 350 games this year). The game may have gotten faster, but sports science has come a long way in the last couple of decades.

Watson, although selected in the 1992 pre-season draft, had retired and never went to West Coast. Sheedy lured him out of retirement in 1993, just in time to play in that year's premiership. He played his 300th in 1994, which was his last year at Essendon. My opinion on the topic raised in this thread is that the only statistic that really matters is winning flags. I've never heard any supporter boasting of how many 300 gamers they've had or how many Coleman Medallists have played for their team and, although "nice", it's not really that important. Team success is paramount IMO.

*Wonaeamirri

You think it would take that long?

Not that convincing but we got the job done Contested game much better. Mithen BOG. Her best game for a while Zanker, McNamara. Paxy, L Pearce and Birch best of the rest A few players down on form still in particular Kate Hore. We need her firing if we’re to beat the best teams If we can bag the W against GWS next we’re in decent shape heading into a tough run home Go Dees

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🤩

It is a tough ask no matter how good or durable a player is. It basically takes 14 years of full seasons to reach 300 games. Even getting games from your first year you are still talking about playing to 32+ without missing a season. Testament to the sheer determination and resilience of Nathan Jones to get there while spending most of that time being used as both battering ram and castle gate. Of current (one-club) players with at least slightly realistic hopes; McDonald; 29 years, 193 games. Would need 4 1/2 years worth of games, but is durable and smart, and a key position player. Viney; 27 years, 150 games. Would need to keep plugging along to 33+ but isn't as far behind in the games vs age balance at you might expect as a lot of the time it has been more a case of being limited by injury than not playing. Salem; 26 years, 130 games. Limited games in his first few seasons, but I can't see any reason why he wouldn't be able to keep playing until at least 40. Harmes; 26 years, 122 games. Similar numbers to Salem but is not as certain of a continuous place in the 22, and doesn't have the wise head and kicking value that adds to longevity. Petracca; 26 years, 127 games. The idea that this guy is less than halfway through his career... Brayshaw; 26 years, 119 games. The coach loves him for a reason and it isn't because he's super quick or a mega-athlete. Outside chance for an unusually long career. Neal-Bullen; 26 years, 105 games. In a tough position to be stable in the best 22 and behind the count a bit already. Unlikely but I hardly think he'd be embarrassed if he 'only' managed 200! Fritsch; 25 years, 85 games. Mature-age recruit the only thing against him, but it makes it very hard. Oliver; 24 years, 124 games. Piece of trivia; Simon Goodwin has only coached one game without Clayton Oliver playing, and that game was as stand-in coach for Essendon. Clayton Oliver is 24 years old. *Snort-smirk.* Rivers, Pickett & Jackson; Sure, why not?

The reason why so few 300 gamers is that we were unsuccessful and rarely played in the finals. A sustained period of success can add up to 30 games to a career. Clayton Oliver.

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

This is the picture of Sam McClure in "The Australian" story (online version). I think he owes us all an apology for that haircut.

Bowey will get to 430 games, 5 flags, 1 Norm Smith, 0 B and F's, and then retire quietly into the sunset. (I think)

Your point is valid, but Judd didn't play 300 games. Unless you're projecting forward about 15 years and talking about McVee.

ok......seems i counted maysie in first row then again in second row specsavers booked

Remind me again. Who won this game?

Tony Lockett was making a lot more cash than Tex Perkins is now in the 90’s, in a far more professional league. Not many people dared to challenge him on his fitness. And Stewie Dew tore the 2008 grand final apart, dismantling a super team. The demons girls are close to if not 100% super fit athletes. Tex came in and did a role for us a couple of years ago. But overall our girls are incredible athlete and Eliza Mc is a machine. Her 6:59 2km time trial stands up pretty well too I think. Im sure Tex’s coaches, the fitness staff and more than anyone Tex herself would love to be fitter. But I actually find her a little inspiring that she gives it a crack even when she must struggle with her diet and preparation. The game would actually be a far better viewing product if more of the women weren’t in elite shape to chase and tackle all day and instead had the footy skills of Perko.

Pickett doesn’t get many frees for someone who cops a lot of head high tackles!! In comparison to Selwood is unbelievable! Melbourne torching Geelong in this game from 5 min mark onwards was excellent, and then to hear Coach excuse Scott topped it off! Just grand!! Max’s 5 was ok to, particularly the 4 in the 3rd, just outrageous!

I've heard Gus and Gawny talk about the golfers at the club. From what I recall, Hunt is off 1, May 6 and a few others are lower than Gus.

Yes , it’s disappointing that we have only two 300 gamers. I don’t want to hijack your thread, but equally disappointing is our Coleman Medal record. The only winner was Neitz with 75 in 2002. We have to go back to before Coleman played to find the previous Demon who topped the goal kicking. Ie, Fred Fanning with 97 in 1947. And of course, we’ve never had a 100 goal kicker (in a season). It will take several years before we can add another 300 gamer to join Neitz and Jones, but we could improve our Coleman Medal standing this year. Go Fritter, Go Demons.

As I recall our own Austin Wonammeri was in a similar situation and never came back near his dynamic best. Good luck Tippa …… hope you can get back to your best (except v MFC of course).

He'll look back in 30 years and wonder . . . what was I thinking?

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

If he did, that would make Weid Jacobs ladder. (Bdum Tish)

My Supercoach team name this year.

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 👹🏆

That’s often mentioned about him, and was targeted by opposition players accordingly, apparently. I heard that he kicked 6 goals in a quarter against Fitzroy in a match where we flew home late but still lost. In looking at AFL Tables it was 1959 (when he won the Bluey in a flag year), and amazingly, he only kicked one other goal in the entire 75 other quarters he played that year. His last kick for us was the “winning goal” that was disallowed in the dying seconds of the 1962 First Semi against Carlton - iirc it can be seen in the MFC club history DVD.

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

When time permits I watch from the start. Watching the Dogs’ goals and seeing them take the lead makes the turning of the tide in the third SO much sweeter. ❤️💙

Nicely put Supreme Demon. Much appreciated. I’m 73 also and have a Demon supporter in my street who will help me in March when the Club gets the bar codes. While I’m here my favourite reads are the Post Grand Final thread, the training reports and now on Game Plans a couple of members explaining to me what went on in that 3rd quarter.

That's actually a valid question. I definitely prefer physical membership cards but I can deal with a mobile phone digital membership I guess.... However, what about elderly MFC members or those who don't have Smart Phones? My Dad is 73 and has no clue how to set up a digital membership. Just because we have all this technology doesn't mean we should be forced to use it in every aspect of our lives.

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

Thanks for the stats IT - they make for interesting reading. I had planned to watch last season in order - one a week culminating in the GF just before the 2022 season starts. My thought was to post some short comments about each game - i even started a thread for it! But it took a while for me to get keen to watch them again and once i did have just watched them at random times (ie not weekly). And i didn't feel like over analyzing them and have just been enjoying them for enjoyment sake. So haven't bothered with a running commentary on them. That said, some interesting themes on the tactical front have emerged for me, things I missed or didn't fully appreciate during the season. I'll post some of those thoughts in this thread once i finish watching the season. But a reflection on clearances. Coincidentally, i watched the Dogs round 19 game last night (after a slow start i'm ahead of schedule). It really reinforced my thoughts at the time that Goody was playing ducks and drakes in that game - keeping his tactical powder dry so to speak. One example was our clearances. Goody replicated the round 11 set up in terms of Harmes running with Libba (i'd describe it as a soft tag), not locking down Macrae at all (barely put any defensive work into him) and allowing Daniel to be free behind the stoppage (defensive side) and play his customary sweeper/distributor role. Macrae had a whopping 38 possessions, and with 9, their equal most clearances. Critically, he also had 8 inside 50s and 9 score involvements (and 532 metres gained). Daniel had 34 possessions, 5 clearances, 2 inside 50s and six score involvements (and 415 metres gained). But come Grand Final Goody changed this set up. He didn't run even a soft tag on Libba - just allowed Viney (and sparrow when giving jack a chop out) to go head too head with the him. Libba's numbers were almost the same in round 19 and the GF. I predicted before the GF that Goody would not allow Daniel so much space. But whilst he tightened up on Daniel in the second half, he largely replicated the round 19 approach. And i think he did so because Daniels' influence is over rated. I focused a bit on Daniel when watching the round 19 replay last night and as was the case in the GF, so many of his possessions are just fluff - lateral short kicks that don't facilitate a switch or create scoring opportunities. And they give us time to set up our defensive structure ahead of the ball. In the GF, Daniel had, on paper, arguably a better game than round 19. He had 37 possessions (22 of which were uncontested), 631 meters gained and 5 inside 50s. But critically, he could only manage 2 clearances and a paltry (for a player getting so many possessions) 2 score involvements. Salem's numbers in the GF make for an interesting comparison given they play a similar role. Despite having 10 fewer possessions, Salem had 8 more meters gained (639), 2 more inside 50s and of most significance, SIX more score involvements. Daniel, despite his high numbers, didn't really hurt us in any of the four (inc. the preseason match) games we played against them in 2021. But McRae did. So in the biggest game of all, for the first time, Goody, put a lot of defensive work into Macrea (something i did correctly predict). And it a had huge impact on how effective the dogs were when winning a clearance and indeed their overall fortunes. The numbers tell the tale - 11 less possessions than round 19, 5 less clearances and 144 less metres gained. Reflecting Goody's tactical shift to deny Macrae time and space and limit his impact at stoppages, he had 6 less uncontested possessions - important because of how damaging he is with any time and space. But the key numbers are inside 50 and score involvements. In the GF, compared to round 19, Macrae had 5 less inside 50s and an incredible 5 fewer score involvements. I know there are stats about scores from clearances, but frustratingly i think Champion data lock them up as i can't find any. Really the critical stat is how often a team score directly from a clearance. Macrea is most damaging when the Dogs win a clearance and feed it out to him. We basically took that strength away and as a result really limited his impact. Conversely, compared to round 19 (and indeed all previous 2021 games), we were incredibly effective in terms of scoring from center clearances in the GF. For mine that is in large part a function of Goody keeping his tactical powder dry. He refused to show his hand with clearances and clearly they were working on different set ups and set plays for use in the finals. The employed some of these to devastating effect right through the finals. We were brilliant all season at absorbing pressure and not allowing teams to really hurt us when on top (save a handful of examples) - and responding finally with a goal of our own. What i found interesting when watching the replays in terms of clearances is that often we followed up that goal with another quick one from a center clearance to wrest back momentum completely. There was good example in the third q of the round 17 Port game. I wonder if that is a specific tactic, one that involves going to a particular center square set up that is infrequently used (but practiced throughout the season at training) that is maybe a more high risk, high reward (eg an aggressive set up ahead of the ball) set up/set play. In terms of next season, i agree they will tinker with things in terms of clearances. But there's no value in showing all your cards in the home and away season as opposition coaches will just go to town on them. So i think by in large they will keep the same set up and systems they used in the 2021 and work on their surprise set ups to use as required in home and away matches and dial them up comes finals.

My two favourite lines from Titus’s Knee Jerk Reaction Max Gawn looks like a Viking, and he treated Geelong like it was a small medieval monastery on the coast of England. This pressure showed when Joe Selwood complained about a fifty-metre penalty given against him, which was like watching an arsonist complaining that they got burnt. https://www.titusoreily.com/afl/the-monday-knee-jerk-reaction-preliminary-finals2021

Best game I've ever attended 🔴🔵

Were not playing well not gonna win the premiership the way we are going but there is still time to hit our straps.

Yeah okay. I remember Mark Williams did the SEN interview last year which was actually great to listen too. I know Choco can say stuff that can divide opinions, but personally I wish we could hear more from a football perspective.

The apology says in part, "If the publications were taken to suggest otherwise, Nine withdraws that suggestion. Nine apologises and expresses regret if the publications caused hurt and offence to Mr Woulfe, Mr Leddie and Collective Mind." There is also similar wording replacing "Nine" with "The Age" (which Nine, the company) owns. I'm surprised the injured parties accepted that wording. It's not really an apology at all. Why have Nine and The Age been allowed to get away with including the phrase "if the publications caused hurt"? Of course they did - that's why the apology was sought in the first place. If a footballer had said that after breaking someone else's jaw behind play, journos would be the first to criticise the player for qualifying it with that mealy-mouthed expression.

One of my idols as a player during our golden era, and so sad to hear of his passing. Joining a legion of past players looking down on the ‘golden era’ just begun. RIP Laurie. Condolences to his family.

Superstar of the team in the second half of the 1950s. Champion player. Surprised there doesn't appear to be anything on the club web site, as yet.

Another sad passing from our history, but at least he lived to see us break the drought. Laurie was always hard at the ball and gave no quarter. If I recall correctly it was the 1961 2nd Semi Final where he was dropped behind the play, in what may have been a game changing incident - it was said to be by a Hawk (alleged by some who claim to have seen it happen, one who went on to become a prominent QC or even a judge though my memory may be failing so please don't quote me. Happy to be corrected). No video review in those days so he went on the play in their inaugural premiership.

I'm old enough to have seen Laurie play and to be taught history by him at Melbourne High. A good bloke, popular teacher and sadly missed.

I had the good fortune to attend all the suburban grounds. Its was footy in the raw. Honest, gritty and hard. For fans the conditions could be cold, wet, muddy and damn well inhospitable. But on a dry day, you were up close and personal to both the play and the spectators. You could see and hear the whacks and the intensity of play. As a kid, it was an education. The first time I heard men swearing, the first time I witnessed punch ups in the crowd, , got showered with beer, taken to the game. A kid with grown men. Treated as an equal. A ritual and an initiation. Watching the footy gods stride the turf. And don’t ever say that the Demons of the 64 era were soft. They were tough and ruthless. Of course, we would not stand for the playing and spectator conditions today. However it was exciting then and memorable now. Favourite ground was probably the Lakeside. Swans fans were not too bad. The outer at other grounds could be frightening. But it was an education, an exercise in growing up. Of becoming a man. The game has become professional but has lost so much character.