DubDee

sorry - 'team to beat' was the wording used

Alright, I'll change the phrasing: Ranking sides based on a combination of stats does not indicate who will win the flag. how can we be the 2nd best defence? even us supporters know this was our weakness all year. it's pointless imo

I reckon Viney will be appointed sole captain this year but if not certainly next year (my opinion only)

it is interesting. I would not be giving him the extension based on 6 weeks but on the past two years where we have consistently improved. He and his team have improved individual players (Harmes, ANB, T Mac) to levels I did not think possible. And he is still learning and will only get better with confidence and experience. there are always hiccups and the type of linear improvement we have seen is very unusual. I predict we will not make finals in one of the next three years (I also predict we will make a GF in one the next three years) such is the unpredictability of this league. short season, injuries can derail a season very quickly. Lock him away, we have seen him for 4 years so we know what we are getting. The club should be good enough now not to sack a good coach on the back of one bad season

Luckily the club doesn't read Demonland. the amount of crap Goody copped most of the year by some on this site was ridiculous. Lost again at selection! Goody has no plan B, etc He will be a great coach imo and it is terrific to have stability for the club. He has the combination of desire, high standards and man management, footy knowledge. He commands respect and his selections are consistent and in line with form/effort - not your draft pick or seniority. play well at casey for long enough and you will get your chance. Can't wait to see this bloke lift the Cup with Viney!!

they were first or second on the ladder all year long. and played without many of their best players throughout the season and finals. Gaff, Nic Nat, Darling, Kennedy CD analysis is garbage

You lost me at Adelaide 2nd and West Coast 11th

Bernie is coming out of retirement for one day only!

Key fwd and ruck depth/development are areas of some concern. I guess the club think we can change our fwd line structure if injuries come. Or maybe it was a poor draft for talls

you would have thought a tall would have been drafted. We are very short on rucks and tall fwds. perhaps we will rookie one? I do agree however with not drafting talls with early picks as they are risky. also, they have a day break in the middle of the draft but dont give clubs time to re-group for the rookie draft? strange. I would have thought some time for discussion would be handy before the rookie draft

How is this even a topic for discussion in the AFL? Even the Americans don't do this with their version of 'Football' I can understand non-victorian teams wanting a change as it is so unfair to always have the GF in Melbourne but this is not the answer

seems the MFC like to be a bit more left-field than other clubs. back ourselves in and don't worry about the hype. who had heard of Howe before we drafted him? seems like none of the media 'experts' had him in the top 30?

So Sydney will pick up a gun fwd rated around pick 6 without using a pick in the top 30? wow that academy point system is a rort! Sydney will never slide too far

You originally latched onto a post saying Hogan is now underrated and is worth 40-50 goals a season. you questioned this so I questioned you. obviously he has missed chunks of games as Trac and Lever and other young guys do. he has played =>20 games a season 3 out of the last 4 years which is a good result for a young fwd. We disagree on Hogan's worth obviously and I am ok with him going as he wanted to go home but I really don't understand how people think he isn't a significant loss. and 7 game Preuss? good back up but it would be miraculous if he was a regular in the 22

I agree, we should have played through having cancer and losing his dad and throwing his back out. how soft it might make you feel better to down-play Hogan but we have lost an extremely talented player. Our best and most consistent fwd over the past 3 years despite all his off field issues. and before you say 'move on', I have. but when you say he is not worth 40-50 goals per season you just make yourself look silly

Great team. and doesn't include: Vanders, Stretch, Preuss, Frost, Hunt, and other exciting kids certainly need more pace and tall fwd options though

Carlton would be crazy not to pick up Bugg. They lack players in their mid twenties. even as a defensive fwd he would be worth it

I think it is time to continue the changing of the guard which started when Viney became co-captain. We need to enable the young group to take us to our next flag. Viney sole captain makes sense to me as he is our best leader. Jones VC with Lever/Gawn as LG. Jones is legend of the MFC but is past his best although still playing good footy on the wing. it is no insult to pass the baton to a young leader when you are in the last years of your career. He should be proud that he is passing the baton when we are in such good shape. he will still be there to lead and to captain should viney be unlucky with injury again. It will also give Jones the chance to concentrate on his game without the weight of captaincy I like the idea of one leader at the top and have never taken to the co-captaincy where a final decision is not always easy and quick to get

Josh Kelly 16-1 for the brownlow. juicy odds I see we are $3.50 to miss the 8. so we are twice as likely to miss the 8 than to win the flag! that sums up the craziness of this league I think!

Gees its good not to be a basket case club any more. So many exciting games at great spots. the first 12 rounds are tough though, we better be switched on from round 1. only 2 games that we should definately win. 7 finalist plus Port, Essendon and Crows. plus WC away off a 6 day break. I'd say we should be 7-5 at least. and then win 5 out of the next 6 to be 12-6 with 4 massive games to decide our position how long til the season starts!!? im pumped!

Agree. however this type of draw should make it possible to stop selling our home games to NT in the next couple of years surely. attendances should be up 20% on last year you'd reckon.

but they'll be home games next year so what's the difference? the accountants should be able to handle the difference for one year going we will cash in next year edit. although if you mean not having a reserved seat etc then fair enough

"I'm going out (out) in a Blazer Glory" anyone else bust out some Bon Jovi when they see this tread title?

Wow it has disintegrated into a discussion about how and when a thread should be closed can we add that to the reasons a thread should be closed? close thread ?

So sad. i wouldnt be surprised if he had his own issues he was dealing with as he always seemed to out of control even in his 30's, the poor guy. thoughts are with his family and friends can we correct the spelling of his name in the title please?