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It is not surprising to me that it’s appears from recent reports that Rivers and to some degree Salo are training at least in part for midfield minutes. We have lost midfield depth and that’s before you consider we look likely to not have Clarry for at least the start of the season. We have Disco and Howes appearing to be cherry ripe for senior exposure in our back 7. Our ball use forward of centre has been bland and ineffective. Salem and Rivers are both aggressive, creative kicks. I like the move and you can always revert the plan if it does not prove positive.

Nah, can't see him becoming a whipping boy. As self appointed DL defender of whipping boys, i don't think he is made of the right stuff to be be a fully fledged whipping boy. For a start he has to get a regular spot in the ones so he can be accused of taking the spot of a player deemed more worthy. And he is the son of a gun, so there is too much good will for him to cop it. But on a serious note, I hope you prove to be correct Webber but i'm a bit more ambivalent about his chances of taking his game to another level and being a regular in the ones. I agree he is super professional (which i think can be a really underrated attribute - though not by coaches and teammates), but i'm not sure he has 'all the tricks' or the x factor. That said i think what he does has is an excellent tank, covers the ground well and is developing into a terrific athlete - attributes that have never been more important and will only continue to grow in importance. And maybe i under value his skills because he is so disciplined and eschews flair. I think his preparedness to work hard means he will further build his tank and become an even better athlete, which will give him an edge over many teammates and an excellent chance of cementing a best 22 spot. And as Gator noted, and as you imply, he is super coachable and we know Goody rewards players who play their assigned role and follow instructions.

Very confidently tipping Taj to be the break-out player of 2024. Underrated on here, but has all the tricks, along with an uber-professional attitude. Will exponentially improve with experience. (also tipping he’ll be a whipping boy until his value becomes undeniable).

How brilliant that MFC posted this from yesterday’s training. https://www.facebook.com/100064706349400/posts/pfbid026RvYPBZAgFe5yBLjTUSTKXkJjNdDfwgGAQ7b1DkL8JmcjvY9EpmSwy1JpP5SzC8El/?mibextid=cr9u03

Agree with Gator, Webber and you pose some interesting possibilities binman, I am definitely the glass half full when it comes to our squad. I see McAdam replaces Jake Melksham, Billing’s covers James Harmes role whilst the Kolt and the Duke develop and Woewodin comes in and replaces JJ’s role in the team. He looks ready to go and should get plenty of opportunities particularly whilst Clayton is out. I am also hopeful that Laurie, Howes and Disco get plenty of game time early in the season.

Very exciting young player. Does the things expected of a key forward as far as kicking goals with good accuracy, taking marks in contests and on leads, and turning up to contest after contest. For all that, my favourite feature is his pressure efforts and pursuit of the ball and opponent even when it is going in the wrong direction. That's what made tom McDonald particularly valuable at his peak as a forward and it is great to now see a 20 year old embrace that part of the game so completely.

Gus was having a great season until taken out by that dog Maynard, a fit firing Angus Brayshaw makes us a much more talented and better team. Good luck in 2024 Gus.!!

I recently (again) watched the 2021 GF. Gus' performance was off the charts!!

His career best year for sure.

No, he doesn't. Bobby Hill won a Norm Smith medal playing at 71kg as listed on his player profile in the Collingwood website. The days of being big and baulky are long gone. You stack a heap of weight on Mentha and you risk taking away his speed and agility. The game is all about fast ball movement and ability to sling shot off half back with speed on the ball. Kozzie Pickett was drafted at 67kg and he's handled the AFL environment just fine.

Date of Birth: 9 January 1996 Height: 188cm Weight: 90kg Games MFC 2023: 24 Career Total: 167 Goals MFC 2023: 2 Career Total: 49 Brownlow Medal Votes: 4 Melbourne Football Club: Ivor Warne-Smith Memorial Trophy Fourth Place Club Champion 456 Votes Had one of his best seasons at the club moving between half back and the midfield. Was often targeted by opponents who were fully aware of his importance to the club and Brayden Maynard’s apparently legal hit on him in the qualifying final was possibly a factor in costing the club a grand final berth. Looking forward to seeing Gus back in the line up in 2024.

Generally abbreviated to SOB, DH or FW in preference over BM.

The best key defender I've seen in red and blue.

Top notch Kev💥

Could a premiership player who finishes 6th in a a club's best and fairest, after being top ten the previous year, and who has barely mised a game in five seasons, reasonably be considered a whipping boy?

In Regards to Taj I think this statement is most valid. There is no clearly defined position or role for him at the moment. I remember ANB (the old #1 whipping boy) coming in as a pure midfielder and playing consistently there at Casey, unable to really break into the side. Then ANB was able to find a niche as the high half forward role and really own it. I hope Taj can find his niche and do the same!

"Super professional, excellent tank, preparedness to work hard, disciplined, lacks X factor" - are you talking about Taj or his dad? What I am trying to say is: that is exactly what his dad was like, and he won a Brownlow......

Agree Rod was a shame for Nev Jetta, Nathan Jones and of course Jayden Hunt they were all great servants of the club.

Are you taking his age and inexperience into account.

Because plain and simple he's not a ruckman nor should he even be considered as a 2nd ruck option. Playing ruck doesn't make you "learn AFL footy" he can do that playing his natural position he's grown up doing extremely well and that's up forward. Putting him in the ruck takes away a strength of ours and that's having a solid target up forward to kick to. He's our best forward prospect since Jesse Hogan and a natural in that position. Petty and JVR should be the stationary forwards whilst Fullarton/Schache can play that 3rd tall/relief ruck. Its the exact reason why we brought Fullarton in, so use him when the opportunity is there. You don't ever see Carlton throwing Charlie Curnow into the centre circle competing in the ruck nor did we ever see West Coast do this with Josh Kennedy.

The Northern Territory where he initially grew up is part of our NGA zone.

For those who are interested in good old fashioned statistics, here they are for Ricky Mentha:- WARNING: Some of the following information may offend so if you happen to be squeamish about weight, please look away - Ricky Mentha Height: 179cm Weight: 66kg D.O.B: 04-09-2006

Now there was a dasher off half-back. Gary at 187cm and 90kg was very similar in physique to Trent at 188cm and 88kg but played mostly at CHB. He could also drive a ball a distance, he was a magnificent raking drop punt in his pomp.

I’m down from Sydney and dropped into training with the family. It was good to meet Kev Martin and WCW for a bit of a chat. Overall it was a solid session with plenty of intensity in the match sims. In one of the exercises, players were practising their close-in congested work with keeping off before a long handball to an outside receiver who delivered i50 or had a shot on goal. In the group closest to us Chandler, Spargo, Petracca and Rivers shared the outside role with Chandler being the most consistent with delivering the ball to the leading players advantage. From the inside group I thought Brown showed a bit with good evasion and ball use. The others were a bit sloppy given the conditions. In match sims Petracca does some amazing things. In one highlight he sprinted 100m to cleanly gather a loose ball at pace then simultaneously putting out a fend off and pirouetted around a player before snapping a goal from 30m. It received some applause from the on lookers and trainers Others who were prominent in the match sims included Lever, May, Howes, Rivers, Fritsch, Roo and Salem. Chandler was also busy. Fullerton took a few strong grabs and showed a lot of promise. Tom MacDonald played forward and nearly took off Petraccas head when he took a fresh air swing at a loose ball. Of the new draftees Brown was my pick and got a bit of the ball. All 3 showed a lot of defensive work with some strong tacking in the sims. Brown brought down Gawn, Windsor had a great run down tackle on Howes (showed some speed) and Thulstrup tried to tackle everyone. After training the boys were happy to sign some autographs and Petracca gave my son his training hat that he was wearing which made his day. Aside from the weather it was great to watch footy in January.

A few slagging off JVO for undisciplined acts which is very unfair on the lad. His incident with McStay needs to be seen in the context of a hot physical final where one of your leaders has been taken out by a sniping moron. He went to a contest and clearly was worried about getting crunched. He made a split second decision to bump which he got wrong. Not a hanging offence. As for his spoil on Ballard earlier in the season he was very stiff and the footy world was aghast he was suspended. I'm not aware of any other undisciplined acts so if people are castigating him for the two incidents above they need to chill out You don't want to take out his physical attack. Its a weapon

Well it is a calf injury and such things do tend to dog players late in their careers but a reading of Jay Clark’s article suggests that the Herald-Sun is up to its usual tricks. Clark himself calls the injury "minor" with the issue being whether he'll be ready to resume training tomorrow. That is, 6-7 weeks before the team’s opening match. Panic stations? No, not even close - just rubbish journalism.

This can only end one way. Buffering and a scrolling wheel of death.

Jake Lever is another of our great defender’s and club leaders who is entering the prime of his career. Jake is a great mark and interceptor, we need Jake fit and firing if we are to lift the cup in ‘24.!!

The goal against Brisbane summed up his year perfectly

Is that Cameron Schwab ??

In fairness, the times that day were wind assisted. That said, he still came second out of plenty and wind assisted, or not, it's very fast. I like his prospects. Good size, skills and speed, and seems really coachable. I don't see a star, but I think he can become a good player.

if he's really good, we won't have access to him if he was in the gc17 darwin zone, they could take him no questions asked the nga system is a farce

It's a wet morning, ball is like soap to a few. Rehab had Jefferson and Hunter working with a trainer, ball work and fitness drills. Farris-White mainly running laps. Melksham and BBB in the sheds with the pedal and rower. Billings, AMW, McAdams, Petty did all the drill work with the team but didn't participate in the sims. Brayshaw worked with the backline and was wearing the lime cap (no contact) during sims. That line also included, McVee, May, Lever, Tomlinson, Bowey, Adams, Hore. Interestingly, not Rivers, Salem, or Howe. They worked very well as a group, good ball handling and disposal for a wet day. A run on indigenous player wearing number 49 was with us, as was N.Yze. I thought Salem was training well, fit and skills remain silky. After their warm-ups and drills, they had a competitive game of handball. They showed great intensity, tackled and hit each other with some gusto. Impressed with Frittas tackling, a couple of times he did two consecutive and other times wrapped up the ball carrier. The area was small, so shimmy and acceleration was needed to do well. Some have that ability to break into space where it is not obvious (McVee, Kossie), or the vision to see the outside player (Tracc, Bowey). I also noticed Goody getting angry, (first time I had noticed this behavior at a session), after the end of the handball game. Another watcher mentioned that Williams did the same. Perhaps the coaches aren't going to be so chummy this season. The playing group appeared slightly stunned by the outburst and went quiet. ('this way covered, that way covered, should XXX take the first open option.'). The sims were unspectacular given the weather, plenty of safe kicking and jostling for that front position. A few soft injuries to Bowey and May in collisions. Turner is looking good, as is Howe and Verral. Tracc is leading by example, getting better and better. No Oliver. They were kicking goals well in the wet during drills. Plenty of fumbles all through the session. I think today's session was very much about being 'hard'. Had to leave early, so I haven’t got a comprehensive report for sims. We are looking good, healthy, fit and dare I say, ready, so early in the season. Go Dees.

Billings, Blake Howes, Taj Woewodin, Bailey Laurie... we could even look to push Salem higher if needed. We have ample coverage.

Did you see the latest interview of Jacob van Rooyen on the MFC website. How impressive and refreshing is this young man, when asked about the new kids coming through he responds with - love seeing the new recruits as we will be playing together for the next 10 years. Those sentiments warm the cockles of the heart.

Modern day punters have it so easy. We used to watch VFA on channel 10 with a black and white pixel haze. I couldn't even tell whether Eddie Melai or Fred Cook had the pill. And that was on a sunny day. And we never complained once.

Have we dropped nibbler from the whippin boy list?

Agree. I think the wing is his best shot, which means getting past Langers or Hunter (or one them moving to a different role). And Howes is also probably in competition for the wing spot, though he could also play at HBF (perhaps taking Mcvee's spot at HB allowing judd to move onto the ball). On whipping boys status i think the front runners are (in order) Spargs, TMac and Benny Brown - with a watch on Fullerton if he finds his way into the ones. Maybe Laurie too if he keeps getting games when he makes little impact.

What's people's take on Jed Adams? Have we a player on our hands?

Well, the Herald Sun hasn’t disappointed this morning. The headline says TALL FALL AS DEES TAKE ON BIG WET and it’s about our uncapped defender Jed Adams who slipped in the soaking rain and faceplanted while in the middle of a kicking drill. Trainers were called, he might end up with a shiner and finally the club confirmed there was no fear of concussion after the slip. Meanwhile, Lachie Hunter’s sore calf kept him away from the main group but he “moved strongly and ran at good speed” and could “return to training with the main group as soon as Friday’s session”. Hallelujah! The club’s season is back on track. Thanks Herald Sun.

totally agree to be honest. Ill support any one of our players that tries 110% all the time. even if his days are numbered.

Thanks WCW, Waynew, startibart, Kev, Sydee and all other posters great reports from Gosh’s today. I love the reports and special comments they have made my day and such a crappy start to the day as well.

How would Hardeman go as an intercept mark specialist these says? Without having to worry too much about his opponent! He would absolutely dominate

Great show. I remember 1 episode where Max thought 99 had the hots for Agent 43.When Max asked her 99 said, you’re worth two 43s Max.

A clumsy slip from big man Jed Adams sent a small wobble through the Melbourne camp. Uncapped defender Adams slipped in the soaking rain and faceplanted while in the midst of a kicking drill, with trainers called upon to check his eyesight. The 196cm West Australian called out in pain and was off the track for 15 minutes before returning to run laps with the hint of a shiner on his right eye. The Demons confirmed there was no fear of concussion after the slip.

4K? If only the package came with appropriate surgery on my eyes to allow me to tell the diff from HD.

those are some big tvs i went from 40" to 55" and thought it was HUGE mind you, half the time when i'm watching footy on the box i'm on my 27" computer screen as apparently i'm 'too loud' to be amongst company

Imho this boy is ready to go… Laying some really hard tackles. Super agile and endless energy.

Kev was here earlier. He’ll write a report. Meanwhile, Shane Mc is running laps by himself. KFW also training separately, running along the boundary line… Soz just got a little distracted 😅 Where was I? Yeah, I asked Shane Mc if they’re treating him well. He said, “yeah, they’re treating me very well, they’re really looking after me. It’s a great club, this.” Stick that where it fits, Cornes.

Liam ryan is having surgery Some poor kid from the bombers has done his knee But lachy hunter has a mild calf strain and its the preseason from hell