WERRIDEE

When Jones was tagging Ablett Ablett was beating him but when they forgot about Ablett and let Jones off the leash Jones singlehandedly got us back in the game. Can't worry too much about Ablett he's unbeatable, just got to hope that Jones can play a blinder.

I wish Robbo could do every interview. He is so much better than boring, predictable Burgan and why does Burgan always wear the same black and white checked shirt? Don't the club pay him? Why can't he afford another shirt?

The Suns will want more than just a draft pick and they will only want the players that we won't let go like N.Jones, Tyson, Hogan and Brayshaw (if he steps up) the rest they won't be interested in. Zero chance of him coming to Melbourne.

He got 18 disposals in a team that got beaten by 9 goals and wasn't named in the best.

Gawn is definitely not a definite starter.

I understand what your saying except for this line, really clutching at straws with that one. The fact is we are a poor team, if we were a good team Brayshaw wouldn't get considered. Playing rubbish players ahead of zero gamers won't magically make us a better side, playing 22 players that can actually play will make us a better side. It will be interesting to see which way they go with Brayshaw, it will tell us what they really thought of the Essendon game. Will they put a line through some players like they done with Pedersen after his poor showing against Freo? Bail was named in the Casey squad a few weeks ago, that could be a indication that he could be the first casualty. How long will they persist with M.Jones? What do they do with a confidence player like Toumpas? Have JKH and Kent done enough? Will Vince and Howe be fit enough? I think the Willy game might have put Brayshaw ahead of vandenBerg but it's hard to tell if he is ahead of Toumpas, Bail and M.Jones as they weren't allowed to redeem themselves in the VFL. We have plenty of selection headaches, unfortunately it's due to players lack of fitness and poor form instead of what we really need which is players knocking down the door due to their great form.

B: JETTA, DUNN, GRIMES HB: LUMUMBA, T.MCDONALD, SALEM C: CROSS, N.JONES, NEWTON HF: KENT, HOGAN, KENNEDY-HARRIS F: WATTS, FROST, GARLETT FOLL: JAMAR, TYSON, VINEY IC: GARLAND, BRAYSHAW, VANDENBERG SUB: HOWE EMERG: M.JONES It looks like Vince is still another week away, but if he does play I think he will replace Vandenberg. Garland to be the 3rd tall defender option. I would be surprised if Frost didn't play forward.

We will be favourites in both those games so it will certainly be 2 losses.

Has everybody erased our last 10 games from their memory? We were arguably the worst side in the comp during that period, St.Kilda actually won a game and had a similar % to us during that time. 8 of those games were just embarrassing. Anything more than 4 wins is a bonus but the real key again will be %. We have to eliminate the shockers like the St.Kilda, Brisbane and GWS x2 games and compete against the best sides longer. We are certain to be a bottom 4 team possibly bottom 2 team depending on how the Bulldogs, Magpies and Blues go. Let's try and win an actual game first as it has been a very long time before we start thinking about 9 or 10 wins.

I seriously think people are overrating Pedersen's year last year. Yes his first half of the year was pretty good but his form dropped away pretty quickly in the second half of year getting dropped for the last 2 games. I don't know if you have watched any games this preseason but Pedersen has been dropped for the last 2 games while Frost has predominantly played up forward, played there for the whole game against Essendon and looked pretty good. The problem with Frost like most of his teammates is that he can't kick.

I have to say that I was very surprised to see us go with White instead of a ruckman for our last pick. Surely there must be a ruckman out there that can compete better than Spencer and Gawn. Gawn is a very sloppy ruckman an does very little up forward. I think Spencer is a better ruckman but a lost cause up forward and it looks like Fitzy is a lost cause as a ruckman, while King looks very raw.

I don't think he has a choice. It's either stay with us or choose to go into the lottery that is the draft and hope to get picked up very late in the draft, I doubt that we will just give him away. Was really struggling before he got injured, really lacked pace for an outside player. Already 2 seasons gone and if he is fully fit after that next year will be all about finding his feet again, so he is a very long way off getting a regular game again let alone making an impact.

Honestly their forward line looks shocking. I expect a high scoring match with the Suns scoring 31 points to our 30. Why do people have Pedersen in the side. He wasn't in our best 26 or 24, he has been replaced by Frost. I seriously doubt that he will play.

With the coaches sending him to the backline tells me he is nowhere near defensive enough. Why would they do it otherwise? Our backline is a lot stronger than our forward line when it comes to depth. His defensive game won't change over night it's going to take a lot of time, time that he doesn't really have. They should have tried this last year to give him every chance of succeeding.

I can't believe we have covered 9 pages on Fitzy a sub standard player when we possibly could have 2 of our best players coming back in Howe and Vince who are far more important to the team than Fitzy. I think we have 4 players in serious trouble, they will have to do something amazing not to be delisted at the end of the year. They are Fitzpatrick, McKenzie, Pedersen and Michie. If you have been around for more than 2 years and can't get a game for a club like Melbourne I think you are in strife. I think Terlich and Riley will be added to the list but have been injured so it is hard to access them ATM. Out of that list I think Fitzy would get another chance at a club maybe the Bulldogs who don't have many tall options, even though it will most likely be on the rookie list. His pace\height combo should be too tempting to pass up.

I'll try and take the focus off Fitzy and actually turn it into a training thread. What are the chances of Vince, Howe, JKH and Kent all playing in the VFL this week?

How do you know this? Do you think he would tell anybody that Toumpas would be up for trade if he didn't perform? I say trade him if he doesn't perform this year. If we don't trade him and we hold onto him for another year or 2 and he still doesn't perform then we get nothing for him like Morton. Trade him for Butcher. We will get a forward that can help out Dawes and Hogan and if the rumors are true and Port really rated Toumpas on draft day they will probably think they can get more out of him than we could. Win\Win

For the Essendon game and the last half of the season. We have been shocking. It's only going to take 1 game for the knives to come out and game could very well be RND1. If we can't compete against the Suns Roos will be under the pump. There is almost no chance we will win the next 2 games maybe a slight chance against Richmond and then we get the horror stretch from rounds 5-7. 0-7 would get most coaches the sack. The game against the Suns is the most important game for a long time.

Yeah I made a mistake with Tyson keep on thinking it's his 3rd year when it's actually his 4th so put him in the saviour bracket. Garlett's year last year can't be forgotten, he's started well but that's only pre season, he has to continue that form during the season. Watts hasn't played well enough yet to be a saviour but he's going to have to perform like a saviour if we are going to improve this year just like the rest of the players that I mentioned that need to improve significantly.

Roos is a gun coach. So we are a defensive team, the fact that we have a sub standard midfield that don't kick goals, a team that turns it over consistently and our best key forward is a 19 year old who hasn't played a game yet contribute to this. We can't blame the coach for this, it has to be the players. Honestly this team looks uncoachable, if Roos can't coach them then who can?

Who said he was our saviour? If he plays a game he is suddenly a saviour? It's usual Melbourne scapegoating, they been made the scapegoats due to our experienced group of players being pathetic. Our 1st to 3rd year players shouldn't be expected to do anything more than their role, if they can do more then great aren't we lucky. Our saviours are N.Jones, Dunn, Lumumba, Cross, Grimes, Dawes, Vince and Jamar. Is that a good enough list to save us? Highly unlikely, it's why we are near the bottom. Tyson, Viney, Watts, Jetta, T.McDonald, Garlett and Howe will have to improve significantly for us to improve, the rest will need to play their role. I can understand making kids earn it, but you have to make your experienced players earn a game too. We are not Hawthorn competition for spots isn't that high. What confidence will players like Brayshaw get being behind spuds like Bail, M.Jones and McKenzie in the pecking order? If either or both Hogan and Brayshaw play against the Suns and we get belted and they don't get a kick I won't be looking at them screaming that we played them too early, I will be looking at the real problem which are the players I have already mentioned.

It's a nice theory to have picking experience over kids but when most of the experience are spuds like ours surely you have to go with the kids? Talent should always win out.

Are you joking? He wasn't that bad, who is going to replace him? McKenzie?

Hell no. We have far too many battlers as it is, bring in some players with talent like JKH, Kent and Brayshaw.

I only saw the half so I can't comment too much but I thought Garlett, Lumumba, Dawes and Frost looked good the rest were pretty ordinary. Interesting that Tyson was in the best he looked pretty poor from what I saw. Toumpas one step forward 15 steps back, he was shocking. Bail and M.Jones have got me thinking what sexual favours are they giving Roos. How on earth are they getting a game ahead of JKH and Kent? I'm not overly concerned because I think if this game doesn't wake them up nothing will. I think they should be fired up with a point to prove against the Suns. What has got me concerned is their appalling skill level, it's at VFL standard. TDI keeps telling us how much our skills have improved but I tell you TDI they haven't if anything they are worse, we won't win too many games with our skill level. RND 1 V SUNS B: JETTA, DUNN, GRIMES HB: LUMUMBA, T.MCDONALD, SALEM C: CROSS, N.JONES, NEWTON HF: KENT, HOGAN, KENNEDY-HARRIS F: WATTS, FROST, GARLETT FOLL: JAMAR, TYSON, VINEY IC: VINCE, VANDENBERG, BRAYSHAW SUB: HOWE