DemonWheels

This is brilliant, thank you

Agree with those that suggest the final Rd1 team reflects the fittest available - not necessarily a ‘best 22’. After watching last nights game I can understand why - given the intensity of the match. But at the same time we’ve kept in 2 players that probably need the extra time and ‘step’ with the footy more than most in our squad. They both might get there one day but they lack the experience and in some ways, natural ability of those left out. Interesting call but I hope it pays off. Don’t really trust either of them with ball in hand so the final selections have made me a little worried!

He’ll get there, just going to take some (more) time. The club knew at the time of drafting him that he would need a few years of development – hopefully we start to see a few more signs this year. After seeing him at training this preseason he is looking physically more ready.

Where are these so-called ‘leaders’?

Spot on. We’re a world away from where we’ve been in the past - which consumed us all with constant ‘hoping’ that certain players would take the next step and develop / progress / grow into our next important players. I’m not saying we’ve got them yet but this batch is the first in a long time (probably ten bloody years) that as a core group is developing together and showing signs of consistent improvement. And from what I can tell they’re demanding that improvement from each other to grow and get better - a real sign of maturity for a young group.

Liked what I saw. Clinical by foot in windy conditions speaks volumes about where this team is at compared with 3 seasons ago. The list is looking very balanced and if we stay injury free over the next month the Rd 1 team will be a ripper and so will Casey’s.

Wonder if the club has ever seriously considered Albert Park. There are about 7 or 8 footy ovals that go mostly unused throughout the week (other than Junction Oval). And if we’re serious about using such a small piece of land on the edge of Punt Road I’m sure we could make a similar size development work by redeveloping one of the current club houses or car parks to run as it already normally does for the local teams as well as house the MFC and their administration.

I often find the games super stressful and don’t like to be overly social when I’m at the ground. I like to watch intently and listen to the commentary through headphones. If my mates are considering coming to a game and they’re a 50/50 chance of going, I’ll often tell them I’m not able to make it so then they don’t go. Then I go anyway so I can soak all it in without having to chat!

I popped down briefly. Not a huge amount to report. Everyone seemed to know what they were doing and went about their business. But I was watching Weideman pretty closely as he was doing his run-throughs / sprints in front of me, lead some of the time by Crossy. He's looking a lot fitter and much more 'AFL ready' compared to last year. I saw him at a similar stage last year and thought he really seemed to look quite heavily running across the ground – almost trudging – but today he really glided along and ran swiftly for a big bloke. Wouldn't want to be standing in his way. Obviously he's still got another couple of years before we see the best of him but I think we might see some exciting glimpses this year. He couldn't be too far away from joining the main group as he looked pretty comfortable running at pace.

Dropped into training for a quick 20 minutes, my observations: – Piping hot in the sun but it looked like the players were well looked after with refuge in the shade at fairly regular intervals – Clarry with a full face of Zinc cream – I was really impressed with the clinical skills on show – most kicks hitting their target with players kicking very quickly after receiving the ball and kicking to players leading all over the place, both towards the kicker and away into space and with the opposition player on most occasions given no chance to intercept. The quality of our skills are miles and miles ahead of where we were a few years ago. – Very impressed by Petty. For a tall defender he moves really quickly, has some hustle and bustle about him and reads the ball well. Looked really intent and his skills were looking good. – Thought Tyson looked to be a step quicker than the last two years. Might have just been wishful thinking on my behalf but if he finally is completely niggle free then I think he’s set for a big year. – Jones and Garlett doing sprints and looking fresh – same with Tim Smith albeit at a different pace. – Overall I came away thinking that the list is in a very very good place, particularly with the inclusion of the quicker skinnier types such as Fritsch and Baker (as well as Hannan) who add the balance we need to mix with our core group of stronger burst and endurance players.

My interpretation of the interaction with the AFLPA is that the players went to them for ADVICE on how to deal with the situation. Not for the AFLPA to step in and take over. Not suggesting thats what happened. But the way people/media are talking about it and the facts become more diluted, the more it starts to be portrayed that way. I can totally understand and commend them for seeking advice if they truly believed that their conditioning, after 2 months of solid training, was at risk for little or no gain. Just seems to me that the story got out when it really shouldn't have. Or at the very least it should have been spun from a positive perspective by the club from the outset.

Lets get the Richmond doctor to take a look at him. If he gives us the nod then it's a Yes from me.

Same day, not too far away: "With Penrith’s Pepper Stadium packing 15,089 spectators into its grandstands and the standing room area at each end, the Matildas enjoyed their biggest home crowd in their history." Huge Congrats to the Matildas - there'd have to be alarm bells ringing at AFL HQ.

Weideman needs to focus on building his tank this summer so he can actually run / lead to space and get some cheap footy. So many of his attempts at the mark are from a standing start and then in an effort to reach the ball at its highest point (and often bad delivery) he gets pushed under the drop of the ball. He tackles well and always taps the ball on to team mates where necessary so I think he has a lot to offer with a good footy brain - not to mention he's a pretty good kick on both sides. Just needs to get to more contests and to get to them first without the opposition affecting his run.

I've only been here 10 mins and Wagner has turned it over in front of me 3 times already (under no pressure either, just bad kicking).

Such a blood.y Melbourne thing to be doing – sitting here on a Sunday night wanting another team to lose so we can limp into finals after we've had so many possibilities to make it on our own.

Where is this 'orange hurricane' we always see against the Dees?

Pressure - we need a heap of intensity around the ball. They aren't a massively physical side so we need to hit them hard BUT intelligently. They will run off us and handball and link up if we get sucked in too much. We need to pressure them with the ball and then spread and run as soon as we get the ball back and KICK THE BLOODY BALL. (Fewer handballs please)

Patton is a jet - will be a top 5 player in the comp in a year or two me thinks.

Filled with dread about this game. Will be genuinely surprised if we have enough class on the park to kick a winning score. And with no Watts or Salem I'm not sure how we even link up to get the ball inside 50. Admittedly St Kilda haven't been in amazing form which is similar to us – but they have hunger and intensity which can snowball into impressive momentum as they run and run, similar to GWS. We need to be prepared for that.

How the freakin Fracking hell did we lose to this mob of kangaroo feelers? I'll put down some serious Dollarydoos on the bloody Magpies doing the same to us too. When will all this carp end...

Went to the pub to watch the game. Have now left the pub as that was basically the most pathetic quarter - where is our intensity and ferocity? We should have been bashing up on this mob. But instead they're just running rings around us and we look very very ordinary.

Cats V Swans in Geelong. Will be hoping for a big BIG win by the Cats tonight against the Swans. Not sure it will happen with Dangerfield in the stands - but we need the Swans to lose to ensure they're not getting too far ahead of us in the 8.

This might be obvious to some, but having now watched the replay and recalling some small frustrations during the second half watching at the ground, I reckon we're still lacking a certain type of player in our forward structure. That sort of player would be the one to compete and jump high when we have to bomb into our forward 50. Get their hands on the ball at its highest point and either mark it or bring to ground (directly in front of them ideally) - basically what Daniher and Ben Brown are doing. We've already got this player on the list: Weideman. As soon he's ready to play in the seniors regularly - which is hopefully at the start of 2018 after another pre season - we'll have the perfect balance. In the mean time I think we haven't quite got the balance right - Hogan showed on the weekend his best position is a lead up Cente Half forward who can use his pace and agility at ground level.

No surprise - Walker heavily involved with OMac his opponent.