TeamPlayedFine39

Very sad for the kid, and the club. There is however no longer a savior mentality at the MFC and amongst its supporters. It's terrible for Christian, as it would be for any player, but he was not going to star for us this year as it was all going to be about his development and education. While obviously this will be impacted, it will not be an entirely wasted year for him. Lots of rehab, lots of cardio, lots of footage review with the coaches, gameday observations - the opportunities to improve his understanding of the game are immense. He can shed some pounds and be ready to hit the ground running next year with JT. Sunny-side-up view... perhaps.

I'm still scarred by the two times Hogan jarred his knee. Fingers crossed to Christian...

Fitz looked like ripping apart a Darwin game against the lion in 2013. Got a knock to the head after 4 goals and faded out IIRC...

Every club has their little cash grabs. Geelong and some other clubs I believe used to ask members to pay before the season started to enter the pool for grand final tickets. The club has nothing to lose by asking.

I did it last year- obviously didn't have to hand over a stack of money. Didn't mind at all; after each win I was in such a good mood they could have taken 1000 and I wouldn't have cared.

Was interested to hear Kent was at 'full power'. If memory serves correctly, Kent had knee troubles last preseason - spent a lot of it on light running in rehab. Is this his first full preseason?

Good player who would be a great addition. But gees... a 24-25 year old free agent doesn't seem right to me.

If the medicos said that his foot had recovered - absolutely. Far too talented and passionate to delist.

I doubt he'll play this year - it's probably his last chance to make sure he gets his foot right. I'd anticipate they'll give leave in August and get him back into training October so he's ready for a full preseason next year. If fit, he's starting 22.

This is exactly how a leadership group should be in a footy club. You need to have the experience and wisdom that can only come from playing the game at the highest level for a number of years. We, for a number of reasons, have been missing the wise older heads at our club for many years. Too often the LG has been seen as a way of giving the younger players a 'taste' of responsibility. Without a strong list and culture, this responsibility has been overwhelming for them. I'm glad that Tyson, Viney, etc have been left out of this. Let them play, let them develop, let them kick down the door of the leadership group in two/three years time.

What pleases me about our recruiting over the last two years is the hypothetical teams are not entirely composed of 18-19 year olds. Over previous years the team predictions and training reports have been dominated by kids who were drafted three months before. I would suspect that if this were 2010, the teams in this thread would feature Oscar McDonald (CHB), Neal-Bullen ( C ) and Stretch (W), so we can get 'as many games into the kids as possible'. This pressure and expectation is no longer lumped onto the kids at the MFC and the fans and media attention is placed upon older, more developed shoulders. It's a positive position for the club that the training reports are not solely focused on Brayshaw, Petracca and co. and how they will burst onto the scene and 'make an immediate impact'.

I'll have a go at my preNAB team for round one. B: GARLAND DUNN JETTA HB: GRIMES MCDONALD HOWE C: WATTS JONES LAMUMBA HF: VINCE PEDERSEN KENT F: GARLETT HOGAN GAWN Foll: JAMAR TYSON VINEY Int: TOUMPAS NEWTON CROSS Sub: SALEM (it is very frustrating that Dawes had that brain-fart at the end of last year. He plays an important role in the team and he's going to be missed in round one, where we'll be looking to make a strong start to the year)

I assumed he'd be snapped up by a SANFL of VFL team. It must have been a terribly frustrating time for him - his body not allowing him to play as he'd like to. Might need a year of low-key footy to get back the love for the game that may be, quite understandably, wavering...

I'd like to see Howe play high half forward/wing in tandem with Watts. He's building a pretty good tank and is able to exploit his greatest asset (his high marking) if he has some space to move in.

Was touted as a future captain from the day he was drafted - unfortunately, he was lumped with the responsibility too early. Focus on his football. The captaincy is a huge burden, and that is manifested ten-fold if you're down on form. All the best Grimey.

I'm in shock! What's the source of the pic? He's starting from even further behind than anyone's been letting on.

I really like this pick up. He looks raw, but has some talent and a great build to work off. It's great to see brothers play together. Fortunately for Oscar he was picked up at 53, so he will have time to develop out of the spotlight.

Nowadays there has to be a third tall / second ruckman, doesn't there? For me, that means that the team has to have either Pedersen or Fitzpatrick. Gawn, Jamar and Spencer seem to be pure, full-time rucks, who offer little when spending time in the forward line. We have to have someone who can play predominantly as a forward, but give a good chop-out in the ruck. Dawes, like what Malthouse believed, would be perfect if he had the tank / desire to play this role. Unfortunately, he believed that this was the main reason for his form plummeting, and then ultimately leaving Collingwood.

Love Neita but also believe it can only benefit him to experience the other football clubs go about things- especially if he wants to make a careers of coaching/assistant coaching. It shocks me that some players, after spending fifteen years playing at one club, then shift straight in to coaching at that club. Players like Buckley, Voss, Hird, etc. could have got an assistant job at any club in the country; but instead, they stuck around the same people, structures and cultures that they'd always had. It's hardly conducive to innovation and fresh ideas. Would be wrapt if Neita did some coaching elsewhere, soaked up us much knowledge as he can, then one day landed back at the MFC.

Huge vote of confidence in big Maxy's knees and ability to hand him the number 11. He's a fan favorite - especially with the kids so the best of luck to him. Out of curiosity, look likes every player to don the number 11 since Jimmy has been a ruckman: Simmonds, Jolly, Johnson, Clark now Gawn. Anyone know of another club that has a positional jumper tradition number like this?

Nev Jetta's the real shock for me. Bulked up significantly!

My predicted top three: 1) Petracca 2) Brayshaw 3) McCartin All are talented, strong, big-bodied players able to play in the congestion of the modern game. Whether it be bursting from a pack (Petracca) running through a back (Brayshaw) or busting a marking pack (McCartin). Then to round out the top 5: 4) Lever 5) Laverde

Best of luck to Dom. Was always a project player who the coaches obviously saw a lot in. He wasn't in my 2015 best 22 for Round 1 or Round 22.

I must say that if I was an AFL player, who had played matches in the seniors, there's no way I would want to change my number. I'd much prefer to make whichever number I had, my own. There's a lot of superstition around player numbers. Was it 1999 that the Wiz changed numbers to from 33 to 8 and his form plummeted, leading him to change back? Number 1 or number 50, make it your own.

Appreciate the repost. "HE'S SPINNING THE BALL ON HIS FINGER!!! TAKE IT!!! TAKE THE BALL!!!" Classic Krusty. Nothing like a Simpsons quote to provide a little context to a report...