Farmer

Another juicy possibility for those who like to deal with the "Turf Accountants" Flemington Sportsbet have MFC at 501/1 for the flag. Three other agencies I checked have us at 150/1 i don't think we will win the flag but I don't want to be like all the Leucester supporters who didn't back their mob at 5000/1, so I've had a modest investment. Incidentally one can still get 9/1 for Dees to make the 8--I think they are ridiculous odds. As to the flag and the 8, St Kilda are shorter than our mob

Flemington Sportsbet had us at $2.90 half an hour before the game--I thought this was ridiculous and acted accordingly. Football betting ( together with golf) is too much affected by the popularity of a club or golfer, and good opportunities do arise

I thought that was a welcome fluke.. But I think we've learned a bit about Frost. He always improves in the secind half and his last quarter on Sunday was excellent. He has superior aerobic capacity. In all matches he has dropped easy marks early in the game, but improves, and I agree with another poster that he has something distinctive though if can become anything like Blicavs it would be a bonus. At times he looks a poor kick--his set shot early in Q3 was ordinary, but both in the kick after the bell in Q3, and some kicks in Q4 he kicked beautifully. i still wish he could do more in the ruck--it would help enormously. But I'm now much keener on him

viney gawn watts tyson wagner pedersen

It's not fashionable to say so, but Dawes would be very useful at present. I would play him as soon as we can, unless Frost discovers somerhing

I thought Watts knocked his knee in the very bruising mark which preceded his misguided kick to Hogan. In fact I wondered if it contributed to his decision to pass the ball instead of shooting at goal

Gawn---best game by a ruckman I've seen Viney Vince Lumumba salem watts

There is zero chance of Harmes being dropped. if Garlett fit he must play, otherwise no change. Why make changes after a game like that?. I agree Frost was poor but As someone else has said, you can't pick him one week and drop him the next

Rubbish! Tyson was not poor. Look how we dominated the clearances. Sure, he missed a couple of targets, but some of his handball was aggressive and brilliant. To say nothing of a great goal.

Following a recent discussion I believe players do look at these sites

I'm concerned that it is so easy, after a narrow loss such as this, for recriminations to break out on this site. these usually relate to the last few minutes of a game. So, Watts is under fire for not kicking at goal. Dunn tried to stop a half volley with his foot. Bugg buggered up his kick to Stretch. RVB missed his easy shot.This ignores errors such as Vince's errant kick to Kennedy in Q1 which was marked by Firrito and led to a goal to NM .But, at other times,Tyson is said to have been useless notwithstanding his second quarter. The coaches must have got it all wrong, otherwise we must have been successful. No-one thinks of many remarkable errors made by NM. Errors were inevitable today. this game was played in remarkable conditions, yet it was one of the best matches I've seen since 1950 when I started supporting Melbourne. In wind such as we saw today a score of 8.18 to 6.16 would have been predictable, or a greater loss for Melbourne.. It was no match for we the supporters to be casting around looking for culprits. Melbourne played a first gamer plus third gamer against the most experienced team in the comp. They played on a ground they've never played before. And their best player Max Gawn gave the best display of knock ruck work I have ever seen in 60 plus years, against the player hitherto regarded as the best ruck in the league. Can anyone recall such direction of the ball to our runners? What about the 8m tap to Tyson in Q2 leading to a brilliant goal? We are plainly going somewhere and those thrashing around in anger are misguided. It wouldn't matter except that some of the comments are very hurtful, and may play a role in future list decisions

Agree Frost no good. Did try but had little impact wagner did some nice things, worth persisting. Harmes pretty good, I agree he was robbed a goal after a great mark not paid. Stretch is awfully young with some skill. Perhaps not in our best 22 at present. salem at HBF and kicked in, played v well

A problem on this site is that after a loss--even by 4 points in a game involving close to 250 overall, someone needs to belch out rage. " major coaching errors" Rubbish! Don't think you'd find many commentators to agree . Getting Higan involved early was masterly and he played easily his best game. and Dunn gone? Again, sheer nonsense. He kicked a great goal and wasn't our worst and much of his disposal was exemplary. I was frustrated when both Dunn and Stretch went sideways deep in the last quarter. But on tv you can't see what is available downfield, and the worst option was to give the ball away. and while I'm about it, some other dill has again attacked M Jines who, at a time we were miles behind, had more disposals than anyone. And Wagner? Promising first game. Some lovely disposals

A problem on this site is that after a loss--even by 4 points in a game involving close to 250 overall, someone needs to belch out rage. " major coaching errors" Rubbish! Don't think you'd find many commentators to agree . Getting Higan involved early was masterly and he played easily his best game. and Dunn gone? Again, sheer nonsense. He kicked a great goal and wasn't our worst and much of his disposal was exemplary. I was frustrated when both Dunn and Stretch went sideways deep in the last quarter. But on tv you can't see what is available downfield, and the worst option was to give the ball away. and while I'm about it, some other dill has again attacked M Jines who, at a time we were miles behind, had more disposals than anyone. And Wagner? Promising first game. Some lovely disposals

Overall free kicks even. but the decision not to pay the mark to Harmes at the end was a disaster, compounded by the absurd free to Goldstein in the second quarter. It's not the number of frees but where u get them

Overall free kicks even. but the decision not to pay the mark to Harmes at the end was a disaster, compounded by the absurd free to Goldstein in the second quarter. It's not the number of frees but where u get them

In the last quarter, as Pedo was out marked by Lobb, I wondered why he had gone back and not Frost. i still can't understand why he can't play SOME role in the ruck. Stynes was able to play all day in the ball, because for much of the time Schwarz did the ruck work on the forward line. From recollection he never contested in the centre of the ground, but was very effective at boundary throwins. If Frost could take some of the workload from Max it would help our cause greatly. overall, however, with his size and athletecism, I favour giving him a decent run in the team

Do you, and others writing so " seriously" about this matter, realise that if these guys were playing for Melbourne Victory, or Melbourne Rebels, or the Australian cricket team, or were competing in international athletics or rowing, this issue would not have arisen? Only in AFL or NFL does out of season testing for illicit drugs take place. There is of course out of season testing for performance enhancing drugs--as there should be because such drugs have a lasting effect, well into the season. this is why the players' association is rightly incensed. They volunteered to take part in this program, as a means to assist players who may have a problem. They were under no obligation to do so. To

Pot is an "illicit drug" . The positive hairtests may well relate to players who've smoked the odd joint your post suggests you are concerned about players' welfare. Fine. But what about alcohol ?

That is bloody outrageous! What are Eds doing if you are allowed to say that? The innuendo in your post is clear , yet , I suggest , you have no EVIDENCE whatever ! this topic can easily lead to witch hunts . A few years ago we all heard rumours about a ( current ) MFC player. Those rumours came to nothing

You couldn't be more wrong! ASADA/WADA is about performance enhancing drugs. In other words , cheating. That is what the AFL should be primarily concerned with. Are you suggesting that a player who uses Pot during the offseason is cheating ? Or should be exposed for doing what every other kid is doing. Prof Alex Wodak in Sydney has been making the point for years. The single most dangerous product being ingested by footballers at all levels is alcohol. Yet no one is hair testing for alcohol. I listened to Mark McLure raving about this on Saturday, hopelessly confusing recreational drugs with WADA and cheating . When he played , players got [censored] after every match. It is not as bad now but grog is still the most dangerous product affecting footballers one other point . The hair test is not conclusive . It is simply a trigger for precise testing . . t

Great optimism re Gawne perhaps I'm wrong but I thought a bloke called Mumford played for GWS!

Look, that's just not right! I HAVE watched the StK game several times. I also watched game 1 v PA more than once. another poster has made the point that he invariably plays on the wrong side for a right foot kick. If he is to kick with the natural foot he turns inward toward the centre. If playing on the other flank, it is entirely different and a hell of a lot easier. on one occasion on Sunday Grimes got the ball in heavy traffic and turned onto his left foot. Whilst being tackled he pin pointed a teammate 45m up the ground. As someone else has said, if Salem did that G Healy would have raved about it. Instead, the commentators went on talking about Hogan's off kicking day. Last year's stats don't lie! His successful disposal percentage is as high as anyone one other point. No-one these days seems to pay any attention to a player's defensive skills. In 2014 he shut down M White for PA to the extent that White was benched in the last quarter, having had 3 disposals.. Apart from Jetta ( who is better closer to goal) he is the best shut-down defender we have.

Well at least you've had the courage to say something.! Your mate DazzleDavey cut down several trees last week in order to give us the benefit of his ( extremely tedious) negative views re TMac. This week, he's had nothing to say. No " sorry Tommy and well played on Sunday" or any other acknowledgement . In other words, if we can't attack someone, we say nothing. both the coaches and commentators have stressed the new game style, the greater emphasis on attack from defence. Everyone has mentioned that while this develops mistakes will be made. Garland, Wagner, Salem and TMac all made mistakes on Sunday, and let me warn you, they will make them on Sunday week and thereafter, but we must make this change and, overall, our list with the much stronger midfield, we will do much better

Sorry he is hugely important to our chances. Not for some years have we had on ballers getting a clean run at the ball due to adroit palming