Demonland

Here are the articles:- INJURY WOES FOR DEMONS MELBOURNE suffered a handful of injuries to cap off a disappointing day at the Blue Lake Sports Ground in Mount Gambier where it went down to Adelaide by 56 points in Saturday’s NAB Challenge clash. Key defender/forward Ben Holland (corked hip), backman Matthew Warnock (ankle) and rookie Daniel Hughes (illness) were the casualties. NAB CUP: YOUNG DEES OUTCLASSED BY CROWS MATCH-DAY coach Mark Riley admitted his side was outclassed by Adelaide in Mount Gambier, but said there were positives to come out of the day. "Everyone has had a hitout now, so that has been a real positive of the last week and today and we've got to have a look at guys under AFL intensity," he said. "The Crows were just dominating us all over the place." Riley said Melbourne would look at its over-use of handball.

Twelve weeks sounds a bit harsh to me for a first offence for both players especially when they know they have a flawed system of detection and neither player acted corruptly by betting against his team to win. And in view of the different standards applied in protecting drug users it sound a bit hypocritical to me.

Oops. My bad. The Oracle didn't submit the match details so I took them out of the paper. CJ did get a very honourable mention in the O's report.

GLIDING by The Oracle With three or four minutes to go before three quarter time in yesterday's opening round game of the AFL's Pre-Season NAB Cup between Melbourne and Hawthorn, the Hawks were just about on the ropes. Melbourne held a lead of 32 points (they didn't know that however, because Chris Johnson's nine point goal hadn't yet been given its full reward) and some members of the team must have gotten the idea in their heads that they had the game in the bag. They seemed to drop the pressure just a little and, all of a sudden, a couple of lesser known Hawks in Muston and McGlynn snuck in for super goals. Before we even knew it, there were only two very ordinary goals between the teams. Those goals were made up very quickly when Lance Franklin took advantage of some sloppy play by Demons downfield to level the scores and Jarryd Roughhead marked and goaled for the Hawks to take an improbable lead in the early minutes of the final quarter. Hawthorn had grabbed the momentum and they streaked away from a rather flatfooted Melbourne combination. Now the Demons were gliding in a downward direction - seemingly without the capacity to reverse the trend. Early in the game, Melbourne had the ascendency for the first ten minutes but could only convert truly once. Hawthorn then took over until halfway through the second quarter when the Demons running game clicked and they really looked on top by half time when they held a 16 point lead which was increased further as they dominated most of the third term. Where does that put Melbourne in the scheme of things? Clearly, a Nab Cup game in February is not the # 1 priority for a team that has in mind the need to break through the barrier for a top four finish in the main competition. The Demons went in with limited preparation (4 x 12 minute quarters of an intra club game last Tuesday at Telstra Dome) and a half strength team. That it was in a dominant position so close to three quarters of the way through the game was a tribute to their hard work and running to that time but the running at this early stage took its toll. Melbourne had far more possession of the ball; at times even over possessing in an effort to practice different styles of play. We saw their limitations but the experiment will no doubt continue - they simply have to get get better at it. Among the younger brigade Chris Johnson, Daniel Bell and Nathan Jones (especially in the first half) showed plenty and will be the big improvers in 2007. Recruit James Frawley was promising in his first run in senior company and Simon Buckley, who was drafted at the end of 2005 and spent 2006 with the Zebras, showed some pace and class. On the debit side there was some very average performances put in by a few of the veterans who should have shown more leadership even at this time of the year. Perhaps someone should tell them that at the start of a new season you can't take your place in the team for granted! Now that the Demons have been eliminated from the Nab Cup, they don't have to play in these meaningless exhibition games with the funny rules. Instead, they will enjoy playing in even more meaningless practice matches in the bush. Their first assignment is a road trip to Mount Gambier where they meet Adelaide which should be a good hit out against a team that came close to contesting the grand final of the real thing last year. To my mind, that's what the clubs should be focussing on even at this stage of the year - the real thing! HAWTHORN 0.3.4 0.4.8 2.6.13 3.11.17 110 MELBOURNE 0.2.5 0.7.6 2.8.13 2.9.14 86 Goals: Hawthorn: Franklin 5, Williams 2, Roughead 2, McGlynn 2 (one super goal), Young, Muston (super goal), Lewis (super goal). Melbourne: Neitz 2, Robertson 2, Green 2 (one super goal), Johnson 2 (one super goal), Bruce, Brown, Dunn. Best: Hawthorn: Franklin, Bateman, Hodge, Crawford, Lewis, Birchall. Melbourne: Bruce, Brown, Green, McDonald, Bell, Jones. Injuries*: Hawthorn: Ladson (ankle). At Telstra Dome. Crowd: 14,000 [Another bonus is that no new injuries were revealed from the match - that doesn't mean there were no injuries; what it means is that it might take us a week to find out if there have been any]

by The Oracle With three or four minutes to go before three quarter time in yesterday's opening round game of the AFL's Pre-Season NAB Cup between Melbourne and Hawthorn, the Hawks were just about on the ropes. Melbourne held a lead of 32 points (they didn't know that however, because Chris Johnson's nine point goal hadn't yet been given its full reward) and some members of the team must have gotten the idea in their heads that they had the game in the bag. They seemed to drop the pressure just a little and, all of a sudden, a couple of lesser known Hawks in Muston and McGlynn snuck in for super goals. Before we even knew it, there were only two very ordinary goals between the teams. Those goals were made up very quickly when Lance Franklin took advantage of some sloppy play by Demons downfield to level the scores and Jarryd Roughhead marked and goaled for the Hawks to take an improbable lead in the early minutes of the final quarter. Hawthorn had grabbed the momentum and they streaked away from a rather flatfooted Melbourne combination. Now the Demons were gliding in a downward direction - seemingly without the capacity to reverse the trend. Early in the game, Melbourne had the ascendency for the first ten minutes but could only convert truly once. Hawthorn then took over until halfway through the second quarter when the Demons running game clicked and they really looked on top by half time when they held a 16 point lead which was increased further as they dominated most of the third term. Where does that put Melbourne in the scheme of things? Clearly, a Nab Cup game in February is not the # 1 priority for a team that has in mind the need to break through the barrier for a top four finish in the main competition. The Demons went in with limited preparation (4 x 12 minute quarters of an intra club game last Tuesday at Telstra Dome) and a half strength team. That it was in a dominant position so close to three quarters of the way through the game was a tribute to their hard work and running to that time but the running at this early stage took its toll. Melbourne had far more possession of the ball; at times even over possessing in an effort to practice different styles of play. We saw their limitations but the experiment will no doubt continue - they simply have to get get better at it. Among the younger brigade Chris Johnson, Daniel Bell and Nathan Jones (especially in the first half) showed plenty and will be the big improvers in 2007. Recruit James Frawley was promising in his first run in senior company and Simon Buckley, who was drafted at the end of 2005 and spent 2006 with the Zebras, showed some pace and class. On the debit side there was some very average performances put in by a few of the veterans who should have shown more leadership even at this time of the year. Perhaps someone should tell them that at the start of a new season you can't take your place in the team for granted! Now that the Demons have been eliminated from the Nab Cup, they don't have to play in these meaningless exhibition games with the funny rules. Instead, they will enjoy playing in even more meaningless practice matches in the bush. Their first assignment is a road trip to Mount Gambier where they meet Adelaide which should be a good hit out against a team that came close to contesting the grand final of the real thing last year. To my mind, that's what the clubs should be focussing on even at this stage of the year - the real thing! HAWTHORN 0.3.4 0.4.8 2.6.13 3.11.17 110 MELBOURNE 0.2.5 0.7.6 2.8.13 2.9.14 86 Goals: Hawthorn: Franklin 5, Williams 2, Roughead 2, McGlynn 2 (one super goal), Young, Muston (super goal), Lewis (super goal). Melbourne: Neitz 2, Robertson 2, Green 2 (one super goal), Johnson 2 (one super goal), Bruce, Brown, Dunn. Best: Hawthorn: Franklin, Bateman, Hodge, Crawford, Lewis, Birchall. Melbourne: Bruce, Brown, Green, McDonald, Bell, Jones. Injuries*: Hawthorn: Ladson (ankle). At Telstra Dome. Crowd: 14,000 [Another bonus is that no new injuries were revealed from the match - that doesn't mean there were no injuries; what it means is that it might take us a week to find out if there have been any]

You're right there but you don't necessarily have to be an early draft pick to be counted as a "star". Dean Cox is a "star" and he came from the rookie draft. IMO Jared Rivers is on his way and he was pick #26. Bartram was a late round draft pick as a bottom age player. Perhaps had he not be drafted at the end of 2005, he might have been top 10 at the end of 2006.

Kerr is in for a busy week. Tonight he plays for the Weagles against the Dockers, Tuesday, he's in court facing a prior charge and then on Thursday he's back facing the one from last night. If he was at any other club, he'd also face some sort of disciplinary action from the board as well. I don't know if the Eagles are into that sort of thing or not!

by J.V.McKay No offence to the cricketers, tennis players, golfers, Archie and the soccer crowd, the athletes, the swimmers and the rest but I'm glad that most of them have packed up their kits and moved on. There’s only one place to be when the summer comes to an end (as it will in a few day’s time) and that’s at the football. And I mean the real thing - Aussie style. It started last night with an exciting interstate derby in Adelaide and a one sided affair on the Gold Coast between a committed Kangaroos side and a half-baked Magpie team that just didn’t look as if it was interested. And there's more coming up on the weekend culminating for me with the Nab Cup clash between the would be merger partners of a decade ago, Melbourne and Hawthorn, on Sunday night at the Telstra Dome. Just thinking about the Nab Cup gets me excited. Even the name of the sponsor gets me going. After all, where else in the world would you name a bank "The Nab"? Surely, with a name like that, the punters must have a fair idea as to what the bankers have in mind for their money? And speaking of punters, that’s where I'll start my review of the game. Despite the fact that the Demons were the top Victorian team in the AFL last year and their opponents finished down in the lower middle rung of the ladder, it's the Hawks who are opening up as reasonably firm favourites at $1.60 while the Demons are at $2.20. My old man once told me never to ignore the smart money and so I have to ask myself why are the Hawks so firm with the punters? The answer is that Hawthorn has made it clear from its team selection that it's going flat out to win the money. The Hawks are only three players away from their best possible squad with only the injured Trent Croad, Danny Jacobs and Joel Smith missing, On the other hand Melbourne will be without Clint Bartram, Aaron Davey, Travis Johnstone, Brock McLean, Brent Moloney, Colin Sylvia, Paul Wheatley and Jeff White among the players you would expect to be regulars missing from the squad. Some of these players are injured or carrying little niggles while others are being rested. The situation reflects the differences in philosophy of the coaches. Former Demon Alistair Clarkson is desperate to develop a winning culture at Hawthorn and wants to instil this into the team at every opportunity. Neale Daniher doesn't mind winning either but he has said from the very early days of the pre-season that his primary objective for this competition was to use it as a preparation for round one of the premiership season. A look at the respective squads for the game however, tells me that the Melbourne team will still be highly competitive for Sunday's game and I don't expect it to be anything like the humiliating display of the sort that Collingwood put on last night in Carrara when the Magpies were deplorable in just about every facet of the game. The Demons still have a good balance of experience, youth and emerging talent and, with the competition red hot for places in the team for the premiership season opener, there are several players desperate to impress the coach and selectors. Prominent among this group will be Clint Bizzell who needs to re-stake a claim for a place in the team after a year out with injury and Brad Miller whose career took a backward step last year after an indiscretion at Subiaco ended in a two week suspension that was followed by injury problems and a lengthy stint in the VFL. In Miller's case, it ultimately cost him a place in the leadership group and despite a brilliant game at CHF in a losing semi final team, Miller has a lot to prove in the coming month. Others with something to prove will be the ruckmen Mark Jamar and Paul Johnson in a "mini battle" to decide who will be Jeff White's understudy, Ryan Ferguson who has been mentioned as possible trade bait over the past two seasons and Daniel Ward whose gambling problems have been well documented in the media. The pressure is on these players and they will all have something to prove at the Dome tomorrow night. Also of interest will be the form of a few up and comers in Daniel Bell, Lynden Dunn and Chris Johnson who have the opportunity to put their hands up high for regular places in the team. Although Neale Daniher said last week that he was "using the NAB Cup as an opportunity to prepare for round one and have a look at some … young blokes," there won't be too many of the club's 2007 recruits on show with James Frawley the only new recruit named in the 28-man squad. Simon Buckley who spent 2006 developing at Sandringham has impressed during the preseason and may also get his opportunity and Daniel Hughes, a rookie, who played in last year’s opener against the Bulldogs in Darwin is also in the squad. On the other hand, Hawthorn's team is full of young, promising players who will be keen to impress and I don't discount their capacity for great improvement over last year or the potential danger to Melbourne of young guns Hodge, Franklin, Lewis, Roughhead and Birchall. All in all however, I think that, despite missing a significant part of its starting midfield, the Demons have the all-important edge in experience and in depth and I'm therefore going to go against the bookmakers' odds and tipping a 12-point victory for Melbourne after a close and cracking contest which should ensure that the stadium's new "no pass-out" policy won't be tested on the night. A close result and a Melbourne victory in this brand of football will alone make the Telstra Dome a great place to be on Sunday night when we can celebrate the end of a long, hot summer with a dose of the best game on the face of this earth. The squads - MELBOURNE 1 Simon Buckley 2 Nathan Jones 3 Clint Bizzell 6 Matthew Bate 7 Brad Miller 8 James Frawley 9 David Neitz 10 Daniel Ward 11 Paul Johnson 13 Adem Yze 14 Lynden Dunn 17 Chris Johnson 18 Brad Green 21 Daniel Bell 23 James McDonald 24 Russell Robertson 25 Nathan Brown 27 Jared Rivers 30 Simon Godfrey 32 Cameron Bruce 33 Byron Pickett 35 Ryan Ferguson 37 Matthew Warnock 38 Daniel Hughes 39 Shane Neaves 40 Mark Jamar 41 Nathan Carroll 45 Matthew Whelan HAWTHORN 2 Jarryd Roughead 3 Jordan Lewis 4 Rick Ladson 5 Sam Mitchell 6 Mark Williams 9 Shane Crawford 10 Chance Bateman 12 Brad Sewell 13 Simon Taylor 14 Grant Birchall 15 Luke Hodge 16 Beau Dowler 17 Beau Muston 18 Brent Guerra 20 Tim Boyle 21 Richard Vandenberg 22 Ben McGlynn 23 Lance Franklin 25 Tim Clarke 26 Zac Dawson 27 Stephen Gilham 28 Matthew Little 30 Campbell Brown 33 Josh Thurgood 34 Brent Renouf 38 Travis Tuck 39 Robert Campbell 45 Clinton Young

A GREAT PLACE TO BE by J.V.McKay No offence to the cricketers, tennis players, golfers, Archie and the soccer crowd, the athletes, the swimmers and the rest but I'm glad that most of them have packed up their kits and moved on. There’s only one place to be when the summer comes to an end (as it will in a few day’s time) and that’s at the football. And I mean the real thing - Aussie style. It started last night with an exciting interstate derby in Adelaide and a one sided affair on the Gold Coast between a committed Kangaroos side and a half-baked Magpie team that just didn’t look as if it was interested. And there's more coming up on the weekend culminating for me with the Nab Cup clash between the would be merger partners of a decade ago, Melbourne and Hawthorn, on Sunday night at the Telstra Dome. Just thinking about the Nab Cup gets me excited. Even the name of the sponsor gets me going. After all, where else in the world would you name a bank "The Nab"? Surely, with a name like that, the punters must have a fair idea as to what the bankers have in mind for their money? And speaking of punters, that’s where I'll start my review of the game. Despite the fact that the Demons were the top Victorian team in the AFL last year and their opponents finished down in the lower middle rung of the ladder, it's the Hawks who are opening up as reasonably firm favourites at $1.60 while the Demons are at $2.20. My old man once told me never to ignore the smart money and so I have to ask myself why are the Hawks so firm with the punters? The answer is that Hawthorn has made it clear from its team selection that it's going flat out to win the money. The Hawks are only three players away from their best possible squad with only the injured Trent Croad, Danny Jacobs and Joel Smith missing, On the other hand Melbourne will be without Clint Bartram, Aaron Davey, Travis Johnstone, Brock McLean, Brent Moloney, Colin Sylvia, Paul Wheatley and Jeff White among the players you would expect to be regulars missing from the squad. Some of these players are injured or carrying little niggles while others are being rested. The situation reflects the differences in philosophy of the coaches. Former Demon Alistair Clarkson is desperate to develop a winning culture at Hawthorn and wants to instil this into the team at every opportunity. Neale Daniher doesn't mind winning either but he has said from the very early days of the pre-season that his primary objective for this competition was to use it as a preparation for round one of the premiership season. A look at the respective squads for the game however, tells me that the Melbourne team will still be highly competitive for Sunday's game and I don't expect it to be anything like the humiliating display of the sort that Collingwood put on last night in Carrara when the Magpies were deplorable in just about every facet of the game. The Demons still have a good balance of experience, youth and emerging talent and, with the competition red hot for places in the team for the premiership season opener, there are several players desperate to impress the coach and selectors. Prominent among this group will be Clint Bizzell who needs to re-stake a claim for a place in the team after a year out with injury and Brad Miller whose career took a backward step last year after an indiscretion at Subiaco ended in a two week suspension that was followed by injury problems and a lengthy stint in the VFL. In Miller's case, it ultimately cost him a place in the leadership group and despite a brilliant game at CHF in a losing semi final team, Miller has a lot to prove in the coming month. Others with something to prove will be the ruckmen Mark Jamar and Paul Johnson in a "mini battle" to decide who will be Jeff White's understudy, Ryan Ferguson who has been mentioned as possible trade bait over the past two seasons and Daniel Ward whose gambling problems have been well documented in the media. The pressure is on these players and they will all have something to prove at the Dome tomorrow night. Also of interest will be the form of a few up and comers in Daniel Bell, Lynden Dunn and Chris Johnson who have the opportunity to put their hands up high for regular places in the team. Although Neale Daniher said last week that he was "using the NAB Cup as an opportunity to prepare for round one and have a look at some … young blokes," there won't be too many of the club's 2007 recruits on show with James Frawley the only new recruit named in the 28-man squad. Simon Buckley who spent 2006 developing at Sandringham has impressed during the preseason and may also get his opportunity and Daniel Hughes, a rookie, who played in last year’s opener against the Bulldogs in Darwin is also in the squad. On the other hand, Hawthorn's team is full of young, promising players who will be keen to impress and I don't discount their capacity for great improvement over last year or the potential danger to Melbourne of young guns Hodge, Franklin, Lewis, Roughhead and Birchall. All in all however, I think that, despite missing a significant part of its starting midfield, the Demons have the all-important edge in experience and in depth and I'm therefore going to go against the bookmakers' odds and tipping a 12-point victory for Melbourne after a close and cracking contest which should ensure that the stadium's new "no pass-out" policy won't be tested on the night. A close result and a Melbourne victory in this brand of football will alone make the Telstra Dome a great place to be on Sunday night when we can celebrate the end of a long, hot summer with a dose of the best game on the face of this earth. The squads - MELBOURNE 1 Simon Buckley 2 Nathan Jones 3 Clint Bizzell 6 Matthew Bate 7 Brad Miller 8 James Frawley 9 David Neitz 10 Daniel Ward 11 Paul Johnson 13 Adem Yze 14 Lynden Dunn 17 Chris Johnson 18 Brad Green 21 Daniel Bell 23 James McDonald 24 Russell Robertson 25 Nathan Brown 27 Jared Rivers 30 Simon Godfrey 32 Cameron Bruce 33 Byron Pickett 35 Ryan Ferguson 37 Matthew Warnock 38 Daniel Hughes 39 Shane Neaves 40 Mark Jamar 41 Nathan Carroll 45 Matthew Whelan HAWTHORN 2 Jarryd Roughead 3 Jordan Lewis 4 Rick Ladson 5 Sam Mitchell 6 Mark Williams 9 Shane Crawford 10 Chance Bateman 12 Brad Sewell 13 Simon Taylor 14 Grant Birchall 15 Luke Hodge 16 Beau Dowler 17 Beau Muston 18 Brent Guerra 20 Tim Boyle 21 Richard Vandenberg 22 Ben McGlynn 23 Lance Franklin 25 Tim Clarke 26 Zac Dawson 27 Stephen Gilham 28 Matthew Little 30 Campbell Brown 33 Josh Thurgood 34 Brent Renouf 38 Travis Tuck 39 Robert Campbell 45 Clinton Young

It will. Cheers, Andy

And the Demons have been a bit like the Sarge ever since as they keep going in and out of style .

TIME TO SEE THE SIGHTS

On Friday, the Morning Glory boys Ian, Billy and Tim interviewed Melbourne coach Neal Daniher. Billy Brownless introduced the Demon coach noting that this was his tenth year at the helm and pointing out that it's going to be a big year. Neale Daniher: Big year. They're all big Billy! Billy: I haven't heard you lately. A couple of years ago you were the Reverend. You were on your soapbox. Spruiking Melbourne. This and that. You've quietened down the last couple. Neale: Bad news sells Billy. That's why we've been very quiet because we’re just going along beautifully at the moment. You just tune in to the Blues and whoever else is in trouble. We're just going along nicely. Tim: How beautifully are you going Neale? Neale: As beautifully as you can go at this stage Tim. What you've got to be concerned about this time of the year is not having any injuries. We listen to a Nick Riewoldt do a hamstring and I guess over the next few weeks you’ve got your heart in your mouth. You start to do play some practice games, intraclub and you just have your fingers crossed that none of your stars or anyone gets injured over the next three or four weeks. Tim: Neale, we keep reading that everybody's training harder than they ever did before because they want to keep pace with the Adelaide Crows. Is this the new trend in the AFL is it? Neale: I wouldn't have thought so Tim. Some clubs I think may have re-adjusted from a power based programme. It does go in trends. The Brisbane Lions won three in a row and you recall the size of them and the power they had and the big bodies. Maybe clubs have toggled. I think the Kangaroos have adjusted and St. Kilda has adjusted. We haven't adjusted. But that's where that's come from Tim - when the Brisbane Lions got into four grand finals everyone may have thought that the speed/power was the way to go but it's still an endurance sport. Tim: What's been your concentration then, the key thing that you identify that you needed to improve with your group over the summer? Neale: Just our young players Tim. We think we've got some real exciting players like Bartram - he's only a year in. We've got a mini veteran like Brock McLean who’s only 20. We think that Bartam, Bate, Bell and Dunn, Jones who came into the side late last year with five games, McLean, Moloney, Sylvia - those sort of blokes - we think they're really going to improve us in the next year. That's been our focus. We're sort of fine-tuning our game. We've got to get better on the long grounds. We felt we weren't as competitive as we would have liked to be at Subi and AAMI. We'd like to adjust our game to run and carry a little bit more but most of our focus is on these younger players who have got a lot of improvement in them. Tim: So do you think you've been picking the wrong sides, that you've been taking the wrong personnel over to those big grounds or is just the game plan? Neale: I think two things. We've been very, very successful at the MCG where we've won 11 out of 12 or 12 out of 13 and then it's a combination of both personnel and game plan. Everyone in the inner sanctum of the AFL knows that we're predominantly a kicking team rather than a handball team and we've been working on having a number of game plans that we can turn to depending on what sort of ground we're on. Ian: You spoke about Brock McLean. Two questions. Is he a future captain and what's happening with the captaincy at the Dees? Neale: The answer is that Brock is definitely a future captain at some stage. We've got a five man leadership group which the players have had the major input into and the captain will come from that group which is David Neitz, Cameron Bruce, Brock McLean, Brad Green and James McDonald and that will be announced prior to the Nab pre Cup competition. Ian: I mean normally if you're going to stick to the incumbent you just let it roll on but with those sort of noises you're making is there a chance that there is a change in the guard at the Dees? Neale: Not bad Ian. Not bad, you're trying to get the announcement through this morning? Ian: I am yes. Neale: Good effort. I'll give you a B+ for that one. Well done. Ian: Well, that's better than I ever got at school. Billy: Neale, are you spying on any or all of the other clubs? Neale: No. We've got one of our guys just starting to have a look Billy but we haven't been focussing to much on what the other clubs have been doing. We're just focussing on what we’re doing and how we're going to get better. Tim: And are you going all out for the pre season competition Neale? How do you approach that? Neale: Our major priority is to have everyone up and going for the round one game, Tim. We'll go into the Nab Cup to win it but we also want to be able to have a look at a number of young players and give them opportunities. You know, Lynden Dunn and these sorts of boys need some game time. Mark Jamar finished the year injured, Paul Johnson is a ruckman we want to have a look at so it’s always a mixture Tim. We want to see which young players are ready to take the step up and help us in the home and away series. Ian: Question off the SMS. Brad Miller. How's he travelling at the moment Neale: Brad is travelling well. He had osteitis pubis this time last year and wasn't training because of it and we had a number of boys who had that complaint. Brent Moloney missed most of the year with it. Brad Miller's 100% and is training really well. Brent Moloney's progressing really well and he'll play in round 1 and will play during the Nab Cup. Tim: Just before we let you go we know you always head home to Ungarie for the Christmas game with the boys in the back yard for cricket. How did that go this summer? Neale: Not too bad Tim. We had the Danihers versus the town and very controversially the town got up this year. We've got some suspicion that the town supplied the scorers with more beer than what we did but we'll re-group and there is some word that Terry Daniher will be dropped for next year's game for poor performance but we’ll have a look at that and we'll make a big comeback next year. Ian: We appreciate your time. One last chance. No news on the man who's going to toss the coin? Neale: We'll make an announcement before the Nab Cup. Ian: Good luck on the Nab Cup and for season 2007. [Thanks to Alpha33 for transcribing the interview]

BECALMED by Whispering Jack Australia Day 2007. It's a beautiful, calm summer's morning as I make my way towards the Trinity Grammar playing fields to take in Melbourne's skills training session. A little more than four months have elapsed since the Dockers beat the Demons at Subiaco and I reflect on how the team has disappointingly bowed out of each its past three finals campaigns. Melbourne seems to have developed a habit of peaking a little after mid season, limping into the finals and then faltering without mounting any real challenge to the top AFL teams in September action. This story has by now been well documented. Which brings to mind an old adage in sport that you're only as good as your last game. I'm reminded of how Melbourne was playing with confidence and had Fremantle rattled and held a 15-point lead midway through the second quarter of the 2006 Semi Final. Then Chris Connolly made a few changes and the Dockers proceeded to turn the game by running the legs off their visitors who were becalmed and eventually wilted by the warm humid air drifting into Perth from the Indian Ocean. Freo's midfield had too much pace with Heath Black, Byron Schammer and the Carr brothers all winning plenty of quality possessions. With a few exceptions, the Demons appeared sad and slow and in the end lacked the necessary endurance to run out the full distance of a gruelling finals game. This applied not only to the on ball brigade but to the forwards and backs - they fought hard but for the most part were beaten mentally and physically all over the ground. That was our last game and it stands as a reality check as I cross the Eastern Freeway and approach the training venue. This is the time of year when the general feeling at every club is one of optimism looking forward to a new season. You will hear the same story everywhere - the injuries suffered in the previous year are healing, the players are looking fitter than ever, those who have previously been labelled as "potential" are starting to mature and there are a fair number out there who are, as they say in the classics, "training the house down." But I'm not here looking for the stars at training. What I want to see is something that might signal a change – that things are happening to address the problem of those end of season fadeouts; that Melbourne is taking steps to ensure that it has the physical and mental wherewithal to match it with the best throughout the long grind of an AFL season. This was the major factor that was lacking in 2004, 2005 and 2006 when the team peaked too early! I'm not particularly into describing training drills but I must say that a lot was going on by the time I arrived. Players in different coloured guernseys were running with their footballs up and down the length of the playing fields and one thing that was clear was the emphasis on running. The rule changes and the latest coaching tactics and strategies have demanded more and more athleticism. It's not enough to just be a footballer these days. Enter Melbourne's new fitness advisor Bohdan Babijczuk. Babijczuk has received plaudits as fitness coordinator at Hawthorn (where he was seen as a key component of the Hawks' push to the Preliminary Final of 2001) and with the national men's basketball team. His experience in athletics goes back three decades from competitor to high level coach and he has been used as a consultant at a number of different football clubs. At Hawthorn, he took Shane Crawford's 800m time down from the 2:20's to well under two minutes and Crawford went on to win a Brownlow Medal fortified by his added speed and endurance. More recently he took Western Jets youngster Bachar Houli under his wing and improved his 20m sprint time from 3.25 seconds to 2.96 seconds within a fortnight by the time of National Draft Camp. Houli was subsequently drafted by the Bombers in the recent National Draft and I understand has since significantly bettered that time at Essendon. The Babijczuk influence at the club is apparent immediately. Many of the players have significantly changed body shapes, the skinfolds are way down and a few look faster and stronger as well as sleeker. Nathan Jones and Brock McLean stand out. Jones has dropped 7kg to 80kg - a loss of almost 10% of his previous body weight. "He is a cut above the rest," Jones says of the man who is training footballers at the club to be fitter, faster and stronger than they have ever been. Daniel Bell, who has lost 3kg, talks of feeling much better and having the capacity to get through pre season training pain free under his regimen. Brent Moloney is training solidly and is definitely moving more freely as he relishes the absence of the osteitis pubis that put a premature end to his 2006 season. A few years ago I spoke with a Hawthorn player who was competing during the summer season at the Glenhuntly athletics track. He was suitably impressed by the fact that Babijczuk had tailored individual fitness regimes for every player at the club aimed at increasing the intensity once things got simple. The training regimen requires a fair degree of strong discipline from the players and that part is certainly showing out starting at the top. David Neitz is looking more like a rising colt in his mid-twenties than a veteran who has passed his 31st birthday. Babijczuk says that the player whose speed has improved the most is another post 30 year old in 2006 All Australian James McDonald and it looked that way as Junior zipped through a training drill aimed at moving the ball swiftly out of the clearances. The players flash past and it's difficult to recognise some of them as they sport different hair colourings; they change guernseys regularly and then there are those different body shapes. Nathan Carroll, who kept key Dockers forward Matthew Pavlich well held in that last game at Subiaco, seems to have undergone a complete personality change since he arrived at the club as an unknown rookie from Fremantle a few years ago. After a year in which he must have come tantalisingly close to being an All Australian, he knows now that he belongs in AFL circles. I expect that both he and Jared Rivers will gather further in stature with the benefit of this pre season. I could go on and on but I'd probably be charged with the same over optimism I complained about earlier and the point is that a football hasn't yet been bounced in true competitive anger. That will change in the next few weeks as the intra practice games start. Apparently the club is planning one at Moorabbin and another at Telstra Dome in the week before the Nab Cup matches to give the Channel 7 crew a bit of practice for the forthcoming season. There's no truth in the rumour that The Twelfth Man has been pirated away from Foxtel to do the voices of all of Seven's football commentary team as a cost saving measure (although he does do a very speshialllll Bruce McAvaney impression). If anyone fears that the intensity of athletic training might be harmful to the players, they should think again. Virtually the full squad was on hand at Trinity Grammar with Chris Johnson the only absentee - he was back in Perth to celebrate his 21st birthday. A small group is still in rehab, notably Colin Sylvia (shoulder and OP) and Clint Bartram (ankle) but they are apparently not far away from resuming training. A couple of others like Paul Wheatley and Matty Whelan sat out parts of training but on the whole things were looking good - even when I took off my rose coloured glasses. There's a lot of interest in the new blood at the club but none of them stood out at this training run. They're all still young and shy and have a way to go although there are some reports that James Frawley might get a run in the NAB Cup. Both he and Colin Garland certainly have awkward kicking styles that nevertheless don't appear to inhibit their accuracy. However, we'll wait and see what they're like under pressure in matches. Simon Buckley looks ready for a crack at the big time after a year with Sandringham, Shane Neaves has developed a six-pack and will be looked at with interest while Michael Newton will surely be tested in the Nab Cup. My early tip for big improver among the younger brigade is Lynden Dunn - another of Bohdan Babijczuk's projects. Ultimately however, the players are in the hands of Neale Daniher and his coaching panel. They now have under their control what is most certainly a more athletic group with greater pace and better endurance than that which left 2006 behind them at Subiaco. But there's a long way to go from a calm and balmy summer's day at Bulleen to what this group might achieve in the months to come when the springtime returns.

WJ's article is posted elsewhere. He did take some photos but hasn't caught on to how to work the zoom on his camera. There will be a few shots posted most notably of two canines named Belly and Brucey belonging to a board member.

Just to let you know that the 2006 version of the sponsorship was a great success with three functions during the season that really kept members of the sponsorship group informed about the way the club functions. I personally couldn't make it to the last session in December with Craig Cameron but those who went said it was worth its weight in gold. Participants saw vision of all new recruits and Craig outlined what he expected from them in the future. I highly recommend this sponsorship and I'm sure that others who were involved will post here on the subject.

As far as I can see the Eagles have remained silent on the issue to date. I think they would surely have to make a statement on this if only to deny the allegation, otherwise some people might start believing that it's more than just a rumour. Alternatively, maybe the Eagles don't read Melbourne newspapers?

Happy New Year and Thanks to all of our contributors during 2006. A special thanks to Whispering Jack, The Oracle and all our witers ... to our Moderators ... especially to Finks for keeping up our enthusiasm and to Nasher for all his technical assistance ... to all who post on our message boards (with the exception of the spammers who try to flog viagra etc) on our site and ... thanks to all at the Melbourne Football Club. Here's hoping that in 9 month's time we'll be giving our even bigger thanks to the latter... Happy New Year ... and stay safe in 2007 ...

December 26... Today is the day we remember the passing of Troy Broadbridge in the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004. I found this tribute written by Whispeing Jack on this day twelve months ago. It still fits the memory ... ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Whispering Jack Three hundred and sixty-five days ago the earth moved, the seas split and a wave was sent across the ocean leaving a trail of devastation that took with it a quarter of a million lives across two continents. We were touched by the tragedy; we felt its sadness and then life went on. Soon after, we could have been forgiven for thinking that despite the enormity of the event, the world remained unchanged. Seemingly, nothing did change our world in 2005. People still died whether by natural causes, by natural disasters like earthquakes, floods and hurricanes, by epidemics such as AIDS or by man’s own hand everywhere on the planet but most notably in the deserts of Darfur, in the streets of Baghdad and even in the London Underground. "Nothing's gonna change my world" These are the words of the late John Lennon. Perhaps a single individual in a vast universe may feel that there is nothing he or she can do to change our world. But we are not totally helpless - we can make a difference. Trish Broadbridge, the Melbourne Football Club and friends proved this at Phi Phi Island - at the very place where their fallen husband and comrade Troy perished in the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004. Their persistence and endeavour enabled the building of a school for the children of the devastated island - the finishing touches were applied with their own bare hands. That generations of young Thai children to come will benefit from their labour bears testament to the fact that all of us can make a difference. We can change the world.

We have two new articles on the Demonland Blog - The fourth in the Oracle's Changes Series and THE FAT KID, THE SKINNY KID AND THE HOCKEY PLAYER by Demon Dave. Thanks to all of our writers over 2006. We have more good stuff coming up and don't forget Tuesday is TROY BROADBRIDGE DAY. All tributes and contributions are welcome. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Stay safe over the New Year period because 2007 is our year!!! CHANGES - PART FOUR: THE FINAL CHANGE by The Oracle The Melbourne Football Club playing list for 2007 has now been finalised after the Demons made their solitary selection in the 2006 Rookie Draft. The Club used pick 12 to take eighteen-year-old livewire left footer Daniel Hayes from the Easter Ranges Under 18's in the TAC Cup competition. Melbourne's General Manager of Recruiting and List Management, Craig Cameron describes Hayes as "a clever and very capable forward … with good all round skills." The 180cm Hayes, who originally hailed from Bairnsdale has been with the Ranges for the past two seasons and made the Victorian Metropolitan Under 18 team for the National Championships in 2005 as a bottom age player. Along with fellow Demon recruit Isaac Weetra, Hayes was a member of the Australian indigenous team which toured South Africa earlier this year and he was considered one of the stand out players in that group. However, his 2006 season was curtailed by injury and the need to return home for personal reasons causing him to fall off the radar of a number of recruiters. Hayes is settling down well at the Melbourne Football Club where he joins three other rookies - Jace Bode, Daniel Hughes and Shane Neaves with former rookie Matthew Warnock being elevated onto the senior list for the 2007 season. The number of changes to Melbourne's total list for 2007 is a relatively low five. The inclusions are National Draft Selections: - 12 James Frawley - Date of Birth: 20.09.88 Height: 192 cm Weight: 81 kg 30 Ricky Petterd - DOB: 24.07.88 Ht: 185 cm Wt: 76 kg 46 Colin Garland - DOB: 28.04.88 Ht: 191 cm Wt: 85 kg 62 Isack Weetra - DOB: 27.02.89 Ht: 184 cm Wt: 76 kg and Rookie Draft Selection:- 12 Daniel Hayes - DOB: 13.07.88 Ht: 180 cm Wt: 70 kg The players who have left the club from the 2006 senior list are Shannon Motlop (now back playing in Darwin), new MFC life member Alistair Nicholson (retired), Phil Read, Nick Smith (Box Hill Hawks) while Andre Gianfagna was delisted after an injury riddled season on the rookie list. The club's playing list for 2007 will be as follows: - MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - PLAYING LIST: SENIOR LIST: Clint Bartram, Matthew Bate, Daniel Bell, Clint Bizzell, Nathan Brown, Cameron Bruce, Simon Buckley, Nathan Carroll, Aaron Davey, Lynden Dunn, Ryan Ferguson, James Frawley, Colin Garland, Simon Godfrey, Brad Green, Ben Holland, Mark Jamar, Chris Johnson, Paul Johnson, Travis Johnstone, Nathan Jones, James McDonald, Brock McLean, Brad Miller, Brent Moloney, Heath Neville, Michael Newton, Ricky Petterd, Byron Pickett, Jared Rivers, Russell Robertson, Colin Sylvia, Daniel Ward, Matthew Warnock, Isack Weetra, Paul Wheatley, Matthew Whelan, Jeff White VETERAN LIST: David Neitz, Adem Yze. ROOKIE LIST: Jace Bode, Daniel Hayes, Daniel Hughes, Shane Neaves The first sighting of any Demon player in action for 2007 will be in early February when an Indigenous All Stars team takes on Kevin Sheedy's Essendon in Darwin. The AFL action will take off soon after in the NAB Cup pre season series and hopefully, we'll see the Demons in action throught unit the very last day in September ...

AND LIKEWISE FROM ALL OF US AT DEMONLAND A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY AND SAFE NEW YEAR TO ALL AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET THAT TUESDAY 26 DECEMBER 2006 IS TROY BROADBRIDGE DAY ... PLEASE POST YOUR TRIBUTES TO TROY ON THE SITE ON TUESDAY

by The Oracle The Melbourne Football Club playing list for 2007 has now been finalised after the Demons made their solitary selection in the 2006 Rookie Draft. The Club used pick 12 to take eighteen-year-old livewire left footer Daniel Hayes from the Easter Ranges Under 18's in the TAC Cup competition. Melbourne's General Manager of Recruiting and List Management, Craig Cameron describes Hayes as "a clever and very capable forward … with good all round skills." The 180cm Hayes, who originally hailed from Bairnsdale has been with the Ranges for the past two seasons and made the Victorian Metropolitan Under 18 team for the National Championships in 2005 as a bottom age player. Along with fellow Demon recruit Isaac Weetra, Hayes was a member of the Australian indigenous team which toured South Africa earlier this year and he was considered one of the stand out players in that group. However, his 2006 season was curtailed by injury and the need to return home for personal reasons causing him to fall off the radar of a number of recruiters. Hayes is settling down well at the Melbourne Football Club where he joins three other rookies - Jace Bode, Daniel Hughes and Shane Neaves with former rookie Matthew Warnock being elevated onto the senior list for the 2007 season. The number of changes to Melbourne's total list for 2007 is a relatively low five. The inclusions are National Draft Selections: - 12 James Frawley - Date of Birth: 20.09.88 Height: 192 cm Weight: 81 kg 30 Ricky Petterd - DOB: 24.07.88 Ht: 185 cm Wt: 76 kg 46 Colin Garland - DOB: 28.04.88 Ht: 191 cm Wt: 85 kg 62 Isack Weetra - DOB: 27.02.89 Ht: 184 cm Wt: 76 kg and Rookie Draft Selection:- 12 Daniel Hayes - DOB: 13.07.88 Ht: 180 cm Wt: 70 kg The players who have left the club from the 2006 senior list are Shannon Motlop (now back playing in Darwin), new MFC life member Alistair Nicholson (retired), Phil Read, Nick Smith (Box Hill Hawks) while Andre Gianfagna was delisted after an injury riddled season on the rookie list. The club's playing list for 2007 will be as follows: - MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - PLAYING LIST: SENIOR LIST: Clint Bartram, Matthew Bate, Daniel Bell, Clint Bizzell, Nathan Brown, Cameron Bruce, Simon Buckley, Nathan Carroll, Aaron Davey, Lynden Dunn, Ryan Ferguson, James Frawley, Colin Garland, Simon Godfrey, Brad Green, Ben Holland, Mark Jamar, Chris Johnson, Paul Johnson, Travis Johnstone, Nathan Jones, James McDonald, Brock McLean, Brad Miller, Brent Moloney, Heath Neville, Michael Newton, Ricky Petterd, Byron Pickett, Jared Rivers, Russell Robertson, Colin Sylvia, Daniel Ward, Matthew Warnock, Isack Weetra, Paul Wheatley, Matthew Whelan, Jeff White VETERAN LIST: David Neitz, Adem Yze. ROOKIE LIST: Jace Bode, Daniel Hayes, Daniel Hughes, Shane Neaves The first sighting of any Demon player in action for 2007 will be in early February when an Indigenous All Stars team takes on Kevin Sheedy's Essendon in Darwin. The AFL action will take off soon after in the NAB Cup pre season series and hopefully, we'll see the Demons in action throught unit the very last day in September ...

by Demon Dave On Wednesday night, 20 December 2006, I went along to the Bentleigh Club and joined a small crowd of about 150 in attendance for what was a rather uneventful Melbourne Football Club Annual General Meeting. I use the word "uneventful" in comparison with those of recent years, especially given that there were no dramas at the club and not even a Members Information Night this year as had been in the past. The Info Night was always quite an entertaining occasion, highlighted by Neale Daniher and his power point slides and the famous (or infamous) "Premiership Clock". During question time on Wednesday night it was explained that increased communications to members this year via email and the dwindling numbers at the Info Night dictated that the function was off the agenda this year although there had been long hours of debate as to whether it should occur. Club Chairman Paul Gardner opened the night with the traditional welcome and he was followed by CEO Steve Harris who presented the financials, which look to be continuing the climb in a positive direction. The club is expecting an advance of $2 million next year from the $6 Million they get from the AFL as part of the TV and New Media rights, and this would go towards bringing their bank debt down to zero, which is very pleasing. Next year the club is budgeting to make $1 million dollars, which is the same amount budgeted for this year. The club fell $200K short of this figure in 2006 due to a number of factors such as the impact of the Commonwealth Games on early season receipts and sponsorships. The highlight of the night was the presentation of Life Memberships. Club Football Manager Chris Fagan noted that in the club’s 149-year history only 148 people had achieved the honour of Life Membership, so it is quite a difficult and prestigious thing to receive. First to receive this honour was James McDonald, who got probably the longest and loudest sustained applause of the night. He was introduced by Andrew Leoncelli, the much-loved ex-Demon who had formed a great partnership with Junior in the midfield in the early noughties. Chell's speech was enthusiastic, he spoke of the young skinny kid who first came to the club weighing 60kgs wringing wet, who was quiet and an exceptionally hard trainer and once you got to know him had a great sense of humour. James' older brother Anthony was also at the function which was good to see. James was very quietly spoken, but was very proud of the award he received. Next up was Russell Robertson, aka "the solid, fat kid from Penguin". Fagan gave the introductory speech and told how he was a newly appointed coach of the Tassie Mariners when he went up north on the island to check out the talent he could grab for his team. His first impressions of Robbo were of a fat kid with board shorts and LA Lakers shoes bobbing around at training. He liked the look of this kid, but the coach of the squad suggested Chris take another longhaired player who he described as "the best of this lot". Fages was doubtful, so he pitted them one on one and Robbo won hands down. After having a tape pinched from his offices of Robbo taking some hangers, Fages next saw the footage, as we all did, on the Footy Show's Almost Football Legends segment. Thus the Robbo legend was born. Drafted by Melbourne at the same time that Fages was recruited by the Dees as a coach, he was soon delisted but worked his way back onto the senior list and into the side to quickly earn himself a Rising Star nomination. A message was read out from an absent Adem Yze, stating all of Robbo's achievements which are I must say quite lengthy and impressive. Robbo gave a very emotional speech, thanking Fagan for his mentoring over the last 10 years, and saying it meant a lot to him. Big Alistair Nicholson, recently retired, was next to receive the award. David Neitz spoke in his honour remembering him as the big gangly hockey player with a shock of curly hair who came across from WA. Neita described the pre-season battles they had had from the goal square over the years, and also mentioned Matthew Richardson could breathe a little easier now he was retired. Nicho seemed a bit overwhelmed up there on stage and remembered his first senior game. It was a cold, wet day at Waverley in which he was stationed in a forward pocket and the last placed Demons were walloped by St Kilda to the tune of 86 points and he wondered if this AFL caper he'd gotten himself into was a bit overrated. Fagan also made an additional special presentation to Nicho of a large framed number 8 guernsey, stating just how many champions Nicho had taken on in "the cage" over his career – big brutes such as Lockett, Richardson, the talented Lloyd and many others. Last up for Life Membership was trainer Spike Harris, who has filled roles varying from team manager of the Under 19's to player sponsor and boarding players. Melbourne's doctor, Andrew Daff, noted how Harris came to the club as Under 19's Manager after his wife insisted he go for the job as he spent so much time talking about the Club he may as well work there. Eighteen years later, Harris is still giving his time to the club, and is "Mr Organised", ticking players off as they arrive in the rooms, at the door of the team bus and at the front of the check-in desk making sure everything runs smoothly. Harris noted that one of his best pre-season trips was down to Tasmania, a fact attested to by David Neitz who was in the Under 19 squad at the time. Then it was down to business as Board formalities and changes to the constitution were ratified. This is the boring but essential bit of the night - such banalities as changing the term "Chairman" to "Chairperson" in the constitution were all passed without issue. Question time was also rather uneventful, someone mentioned a new Archbishop was heading to Melbourne and had no football allegiances, so the President said he would send out an invite to a game. When a question was asked about the new recruits, Craig Cameron got up on stage with the new kids, and simply read out their names as they put up their hand. There was no background information on them, which was a little disappointing, but I suppose that's been well documented elsewhere including on Demonland. Reverend Daniher was not there. Chris Fagan let us all know he was on a boat floating down a river somewhere in Thailand on a well-earned break. After the meeting was called to a close I joined a few mates for a cold beer afterwards and we noticed Wheels wandering around the gaming area, so we asked him over and had a chat for a while. He said he had had heel spurs removed recently, as had Brad Green, Godders and one other but he was fair bit further behind those guys in terms of fitness. He then sauntered off to find Aaron Davey and Byron Pickett who were feeding coins into the machines at the back of the gaming room at the Bentleigh Club. With that, we returned to our beers, and our discussions about how excited we are for the new season. I can't wait! THE MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB BOARD The Melbourne Football Club Board consists of: - Paul Gardner (Chairman) - Beverley O’Connor (Vice Chairman) - Dr Michael Coglin - Dr Peter Dohrmann - Karen Hayes - John Phillips - Stephen Bickford - Tom Starkins - Charles Sitch - Sue Nattrass

From the Demonland Blog ... THE JIGSAW PUZZLE by Whispering Jack Friday, 8 December 2006: There are 113 days to go before the opening bounce of the season proper but who's counting? True, it's a long way to go before autumn sets in, but the scene before me on this idyllic early summer's day suggests that this group is focussed on what has to be done over the ensuing months in order for them to accomplish their mission ... The picture is something like a nearly completed jigsaw puzzle. In fact, forty-three of its forty-four pieces are there already. The group is made up of the thirty-eight senior list Demons, two veterans and three rookies while the remaining space in one small corner is reserved for another rookie and that last piece of the puzzle will be put into place on Tuesday morning. The Trevor Barker Oval is in reasonable condition given the drought conditions we're enduring in our region of the world. The sun's shining and there's not a cloud in the skies although a reddish tinge of smoke from the bushfires raging in the north east of the state lingers. You can smell a whiff of it in the air but the players seem oblivious to this. Pre-season training has changed a lot over the years. In the early days of the game, players used to turn up to training in March, often worse for the wear and carrying the extra pounds (or kilograms if you like) brought on by the excesses of the Christmas period. Then along came John Kennedy who introduced commando training at Hawthorn and things were never the same again. As the game became more professional, you came to expect something better from your players - higher levels of fitness, the youngsters bulking up and greater athleticism from the group. In the early 'nineties, players were expected to run 100 hundred metre sprints almost back to back as part of their fitness regime. Well, we've now reached an even higher plane in the evolution of the footballer/athlete. The players today are by and large presenting as super athletes with chiselled bodies and skin folds that barely register on the Richter scale (there is always an exception to every rule but more of that later). Training might still be intense but it's varied and concentrates on many different facets of a player's physical and mental make up. You sense that the team is being prepared for a long hard campaign with the aim of peaking at the business end. That's what it's all about - a professional approach to a sporting season that starts in February and ends in late September. We want consistency but we have to match it with the others when the pressure starts building in August and reaching a peak over the following month. With results of 7th, 8th and 5th in the last three seasons, Melbourne simply has to improve in this area if it wants the mission to succeed. Of course, you still have to put yourself into the race early (and not be 0-3 after round three as the Demons were in 2006) and the team looks in good shape at this stage. We still have a rehab group but it appears to be of a reasonably acceptable size for this time of year. Colin Sylvia's arm is in a sling, suggesting that his pre season proper will be delayed until well in the New Year. I can't even call him plain "Colin" any more because we have another one at the club (but again, more of that later). Clint Bartram is recovering from the ankle he injured in round 22 while Brent Moloney, whose season was wrecked by shoulder and groin problems, is on target to resume full training soon. Paul Johnson and rookie Daniel Hughes are also on the sidelines with Matty Whelan who is running slow laps. Recruit Ricky Petterd is recovering from a hamstring injury and is doing some restricted work. That said, the rest of the group looks to be in pretty good shape. Brad Green, who had a lot of niggling little problems during the year, is moving well, as is Adem Yze. Jeff White always looks good at this time of year and today is no exception. Nathan Carroll, who appeared to have been recruited to the club almost by default as a rookie a few years ago, continues to impress with his attitude. He now seems quite at home with his role as a footballer playing well at the highest level. However, the stand out from my point of view is Brock McLean whose physical appearance and approach to training justifies his elevation to the leadership group at the tender age of twenty years. He's a little lighter than in the past but he's still a strong and fearsome unit that's headed for stardom. Two other players to impress are Daniel Bell who I expect to kick on enormously in 2007 and Matthew Bate whose debut season was underestimated in many quarters. Bell appears lighter and leaner but still strong of body and having that important asset of good pace. Much the same can be said of Bate who works hard on the track and can only get better and better with time. And the Jones boy looks super fit! I haven't seen much evidence of massive bulking up from players like Lynden Dunn and Michael Newton but Simon Buckley is certainly much bigger in body than he was twelve months ago when he first arrived at the club and Ryan Ferguson, while no Adonis, is also no longer the stick figure he was a few years ago. As I said earlier, most players' skin folds are right down. However, Byron Pickett well and truly makes up for that all on his own. Sporting a beard, the Byronator looks like he's been in a reasonably good paddock of late and will need to do the hard work if he is to be a contributor again next year. He needs a good fitness base because, as we saw late this season, a few weeks' lay off with injury can prove disastrous in terms of his ability to fully see out a game. Also sporting a beard but with no apparent excess body weight is The Flash, who takes training in his stride. Nothing explosive is needed right now! All four National Draft selections are on hand and my first impression is that none of them are likely to make an impact in 2007. That is not to say I'm not impressed - it's simply a case of there being plenty of work to be done before they can reach the level of regular senior players both physically and with their skills. We didn't have any of picks 1 to 5 and we are in a position where we can wait for our youngsters to develop without any great pressure on them. James Frawley looks the closest to AFL standard although I would not expect him to occupy a key position for another year or two. His kicking looks awkward but is certainly not problematic, as some have suggested. Colin Garland is interesting in that he is of a height to be a key forward one day and has a lot of up side in his development. Another awkward looking kicker of the ball, but no problems with accuracy as he slots a couple of long shots through the big sticks at the Alf Beus Can Hill end of the ground. Isaac Weetra is another player who has plenty of development to go and I can't see him in the red and blue until at least 2008 bearing in mind that he was mainly an Under 17 with Port Adelaide Magpies this year. So who will be the 44th man - the person who will occupy that final piece of the jigsaw puzzle in that small corner of my picture? I can't say that I'm greatly impressed by any of the four invitees on show. Andrew Ericksen is 204cm tall but light as a feather and doesn't show a great deal of the aggression that you need from a ruckman at AFL level. The Swans invested three years in him but cut him adrift at the end of the current season without a game at AFL level. In that time, Sydney traded for Darren Jolly, Paul Chambers and Peter Everitt but they also drafted a young 200cm ruckman in Daniel Currie in November to replace Ericksen. Enough said. The Fanning name might be big at Melbourne but former Magpie giant David "Flaps" Fanning looks as if he's half a kilometre to the west of the TBO - all at sea. Stefan Martin from Old Hailybury is interesting. He has a good leap but, at 196 cm will struggle against the modern day ruck giants so unless he can play key position as well, he might find this level too big a big step up from VAFA Under 19's. Andre Gianfagna is the other invitee but, having been dropped from the rookie list just a couple of months ago, it would surprise if he were reinstated next week. Craig Cameron is watching proceedings and I hope he can pluck out one of his special smokies (perhaps that word might not be appropriate in view of the bushfires raging around the state) to fill the last piece of the puzzle next Tuesday. And by then, it will be 109 days to go but then ... who's counting? [THE PICTURES by Finks]

by Whispering Jack Friday, 8 December 2006: There are 113 days to go before the opening bounce of the season proper but who's counting? True, it's a long way to go before autumn sets in, but the scene before me on this idyllic early summer's day suggests that this group is focussed on what has to be done over the ensuing months in order for them to accomplish their mission ... The picture is something like a nearly completed jigsaw puzzle. In fact, forty-three of its forty-four pieces are there already. The group is made up of the thirty-eight senior list Demons, two veterans and three rookies while the remaining space in one small corner is reserved for another rookie and that last piece of the puzzle will be put into place on Tuesday morning. The Trevor Barker Oval is in reasonable condition given the drought conditions we're enduring in our region of the world. The sun's shining and there's not a cloud in the skies although a reddish tinge of smoke from the bushfires raging in the north east of the state lingers. You can smell a whiff of it in the air but the players seem oblivious to this. Pre-season training has changed a lot over the years. In the early days of the game, players used to turn up to training in March, often worse for the wear and carrying the extra pounds (or kilograms if you like) brought on by the excesses of the Christmas period. Then along came John Kennedy who introduced commando training at Hawthorn and things were never the same again. As the game became more professional, you came to expect something better from your players - higher levels of fitness, the youngsters bulking up and greater athleticism from the group. In the early 'nineties, players were expected to run 100 hundred metre sprints almost back to back as part of their fitness regime. Well, we've now reached an even higher plane in the evolution of the footballer/athlete. The players today are by and large presenting as super athletes with chiselled bodies and skin folds that barely register on the Richter scale (there is always an exception to every rule but more of that later). Training might still be intense but it's varied and concentrates on many different facets of a player's physical and mental make up. You sense that the team is being prepared for a long hard campaign with the aim of peaking at the business end. That's what it's all about - a professional approach to a sporting season that starts in February and ends in late September. We want consistency but we have to match it with the others when the pressure starts building in August and reaching a peak over the following month. With results of 7th, 8th and 5th in the last three seasons, Melbourne simply has to improve in this area if it wants the mission to succeed. Of course, you still have to put yourself into the race early (and not be 0-3 after round three as the Demons were in 2006) and the team looks in good shape at this stage. We still have a rehab group but it appears to be of a reasonably acceptable size for this time of year. Colin Sylvia's arm is in a sling, suggesting that his pre season proper will be delayed until well in the New Year. I can't even call him plain "Colin" any more because we have another one at the club (but again, more of that later). Clint Bartram is recovering from the ankle he injured in round 22 while Brent Moloney, whose season was wrecked by shoulder and groin problems, is on target to resume full training soon. Paul Johnson and rookie Daniel Hughes are also on the sidelines with Matty Whelan who is running slow laps. Recruit Ricky Petterd is recovering from a hamstring injury and is doing some restricted work. That said, the rest of the group looks to be in pretty good shape. Brad Green, who had a lot of niggling little problems during the year, is moving well, as is Adem Yze. Jeff White always looks good at this time of year and today is no exception. Nathan Carroll, who appeared to have been recruited to the club almost by default as a rookie a few years ago, continues to impress with his attitude. He now seems quite at home with his role as a footballer playing well at the highest level. However, the stand out from my point of view is Brock McLean whose physical appearance and approach to training justifies his elevation to the leadership group at the tender age of twenty years. He's a little lighter than in the past but he's still a strong and fearsome unit that's headed for stardom. Two other players to impress are Daniel Bell who I expect to kick on enormously in 2007 and Matthew Bate whose debut season was underestimated in many quarters. Bell appears lighter and leaner but still strong of body and having that important asset of good pace. Much the same can be said of Bate who works hard on the track and can only get better and better with time. And the Jones boy looks super fit! I haven't seen much evidence of massive bulking up from players like Lynden Dunn and Michael Newton but Simon Buckley is certainly much bigger in body than he was twelve months ago when he first arrived at the club and Ryan Ferguson, while no Adonis, is also no longer the stick figure he was a few years ago. As I said earlier, most players' skin folds are right down. However, Byron Pickett well and truly makes up for that all on his own. Sporting a beard, the Byronator looks like he's been in a reasonably good paddock of late and will need to do the hard work if he is to be a contributor again next year. He needs a good fitness base because, as we saw late this season, a few weeks' lay off with injury can prove disastrous in terms of his ability to fully see out a game. Also sporting a beard but with no apparent excess body weight is The Flash, who takes training in his stride. Nothing explosive is needed right now! All four National Draft selections are on hand and my first impression is that none of them are likely to make an impact in 2007. That is not to say I'm not impressed - it's simply a case of there being plenty of work to be done before they can reach the level of regular senior players both physically and with their skills. We didn't have any of picks 1 to 5 and we are in a position where we can wait for our youngsters to develop without any great pressure on them. James Frawley looks the closest to AFL standard although I would not expect him to occupy a key position for another year or two. His kicking looks awkward but is certainly not problematic, as some have suggested. Colin Garland is interesting in that he is of a height to be a key forward one day and has a lot of up side in his development. Another awkward looking kicker of the ball, but no problems with accuracy as he slots a couple of long shots through the big sticks at the Alf Beus Can Hill end of the ground. Isaac Weetra is another player who has plenty of development to go and I can't see him in the red and blue until at least 2008 bearing in mind that he was mainly an Under 17 with Port Adelaide Magpies this year. So who will be the 44th man - the person who will occupy that final piece of the jigsaw puzzle in that small corner of my picture? I can't say that I'm greatly impressed by any of the four invitees on show. Andrew Ericksen is 204cm tall but light as a feather and doesn't show a great deal of the aggression that you need from a ruckman at AFL level. The Swans invested three years in him but cut him adrift at the end of the current season without a game at AFL level. In that time, Sydney traded for Darren Jolly, Paul Chambers and Peter Everitt but they also drafted a young 200cm ruckman in Daniel Currie in November to replace Ericksen. Enough said. The Fanning name might be big at Melbourne but former Magpie giant David "Flaps" Fanning looks as if he's half a kilometre to the west of the TBO - all at sea. Stefan Martin from Old Hailybury is interesting. He has a good leap but, at 196 cm will struggle against the modern day ruck giants so unless he can play key position as well, he might find this level too big a big step up from VAFA Under 19's. Andre Gianfagna is the other invitee but, having been dropped from the rookie list just a couple of months ago, it would surprise if he were reinstated next week. Craig Cameron is watching proceedings and I hope he can pluck out one of his special smokies (perhaps that word might not be appropriate in view of the bushfires raging around the state) to fill the last piece of the puzzle next Tuesday. And by then, it will be 109 days to go but then ... who's counting? [THE PICTURES by Finks]