Adzman

2 weeks for the Scorps for me. There are still a few players banging on that door for a spot. Cale is always the better option, but a few weeks to get his legs back might be the best thing.

Hughes has played himself into selection. With the injuries and lack of depth we have inside our forward 50, you would have to look at Hughes as an option. He is ahead of Newton, and I think the club is at the crossroads with playing you Millers and PJ's. If the dees want to see what they have in Hughes, they need to play him on the greatest stage. He deserves a crack. If he performs he can carve out a long awaited career at the top. If not, at least he was given one more chance to prove himself.

Shattered to lose Ricky for 2010. I am really hoping he signs and we get to see him again.

This round could shake the 8! We need to come out firing against an improved Kangaroos unit. Hawks V Dons. That is going to be one hell of a match.

Great Article! This club has rich history in its veins.

Interesting. I would have thought that QLD would have produced a fair bit more than that. Sadly GC will look nothing like it. Will be loaded full of stars (and gimmicky players- C.Hunt) that are earning so much dough that it will make you sick every time you see them run out on the field.

I am going to cop it here, but our kids struggled to push though because Nathan 'Chopper' Carroll did his job down back for a few seasons there. It was when he started to wane that the dees toyed with anything they had (including Buckets Holland down back). This opened the door for Warnock. Warnock was a gamble that paid off, and he has pinned it down ever since. Garland and Chip copped it big time early on in their career. I was never one to ride chip, but Garland was a guy that I could not figure out. I never bagged him, but I wasn't going to back my house on him being the player he is (or is going to be) today. Just look at them now..........great perseverance from our list management team!

I think he should put a brown paper bag over his & his girlfriends heads.

He is doing what Macca is doing with only a handful of games under his belt. If he can continue to improve he is going to cause one mother of a headache for his opponents each week. I have said this in other threads, but the truth is I have never seen a young kid tackle like this - ever! Jordie may not have the fanfare of the Sculgove twins, but his rise has been a massive part in the dees engine room functioning in 2010. He has shown commitment to he jumper by staying when he could have left. Huge Wraps!

Never write off a Ginger. They have powers we humans don't understand. On a serious note, I was one to worry about Bate. I never gave him a slagging/bagging, but I was starting to wonder where he was going. Bate had done a great job in recent weeks, and now looks every bit of a permanent fixture for this team going forward. Bruce showed some form from his greater days. I liked it, and would love more of it. Still has it at this level, and will offered a new deal to stay with the club.

Will be a rollercoaster year where the boys are up and down. What is exciting is that a there will be some up times. The last few seasons have been so dark for the club and its fans. Sadly I was 30 years to late for the 50s, I too am a child of the 80s. I was lucky enough to get to speak 1 on 1 with Stuart Spencer, and from his tales I could start to piece together just how special the decade was for the MFC. What I enjoy most, is having opposition supporters coming to me asking me about the Dees for their footy tips. "You think they are a chance" they say. For the first time in a number of years, I can honestly say "mate, tip em if you want 8 this week!"

To be honest, I don't think we have that many fair weathered fans. To be honest, I just don't think we have that many fans! When I was growing up in high school, I was one of 3 (yes, 3!) Melbourne supporters in my year level. This was years ago before Travis Johnson was claimed with the #1 pick, but the message always rang true. If the dees lost, I was going to cop it from a large amount of opposing supporters, of which there was always many** (with the exception of Freo, Eagles, Swans, Crows, Power) Now in my late 20s, I am one of 3 dees supporters in my workplace (yes,3 again!-staff of about 85). I would love for anyone to convert, fair weathered of not. Just to have "Deemania" run wild would be great. I would prefer that all fans put their money where their mouth is and buy a membership (and show up on time- with the exception of being late due to a line at the Kebab Stand). As long as you heart beats true for the red and the blue, that is all I could ask for.

I am not surprised Journos get our players names wrong. Lets be honest, no journo has watched a Melbourne game without trying to publicly lynch them for a number of years. The Dees have been the medias whipping boy time and time again. All of a sudden some nice play has developed and they are forced to write something about a club they know absolutely nothing about. Are we copycats? I can tell you one thing, the most recent Cats premiership squads did not invent this corridor style play. The 3-peat lions used similar tactics before their reign came to an end. There are similarities between their play no doubt, but the dees could change that by developing a dominant forwardline- something the cats did not have during their flag years. Midfielders kicking foals won the cats flags, but if the dees could have midfielders and forwards dominating, maybe we too can start to think premierships down the track.

McGrath is a second rate footballer. He will be one of those brissie players that get the arse at seasons end.

There are a stack of kids not playing much over there. Why not grow the game in china? And before anyone uses Yao Ming as a positive example- the dude is made of glass and has cost Houston any chance of a championship this last decade. Would be very interested to see what the Chinese could produce.

I hear all this buzz around the free AFL agency. The reason the free agency is so successful overseas is because they have long seasons (with the exception of the NFL). 22 games is nothing! You want to have a free agency top top up talent when you only play them 17 games a season? What is the point of a F/A then? You take away from the credibility of the sport, not to mention the joy of the fans by cutting the season short. As it stands 22 physical rounds is pretty fantastic (over 24 to fit in bye weeks). Kennett is a [censored] for suggesting otherwise.

It really comes down to how his body feels at the end of the year. Macca is only one injury away from the end. On current for and out lists current development, he still easily makes our best 22. If his body is right, and the mind is willing I can see Macca going around for one more year. It is no secret that the upcoming draft is going to produce very few sure things. Our rookie list will pretty much be a clean slate at the end of the season (lets be honest, Jordie and Spencer will be given spots, the rest will be unlucky and have to try elsewhere). We won't use many draft selections in the ND. We will take a few flyers in the rookie draft, which is where this club seems to find diamonds in the rough time and time again. There is enough dead wood to cleat to allow us to draft in both drafts without Macca having to retire. The truth is, the MFC is not ready to lose Macca just yet. Whatever Macca does, he has my blessing and support because he has battled for this jumper every game of his career.

I don't want the dees to create a "cameron wood" type trade. If a ruckman is worth spending a first pick on in the draft then sure, bt as for trying to lour another ruckman from another club it always comes with the risk that they just might not click in this team. developing our own makes sure they fit our system. Oh, gets Jamar's signature on paper for another 2 years. Verdict is out on the rest, but we have much footy to play before making any bold moves or predictions for their futures.

I wonder how the Fev will go as the focal point for the lions attack..... What an interesting game ahead! Still think we are massive underdogs, but JB out does give the dees an outside chance.

Keep him forward until we have another option. And when we do let him play wherever the hell he wants. A mate of mine (pies supporter) asked me after the collingwood loss who we were missing that could have been the difference. My answer was Colin Sylvia. My mate the stated "he would not make out best 22". I look forward to seeing him towards the end of the season to see if he can still back up this atrocity. I get the feeling he may feel like a bit of dick when Melbournes potential leading goal kicker cannot get a game ahead of Leigh Brown, Paul Medhurst and Leon Davis.

Need some love for Steph Martin. Kid is a talent that is currently being used in the ruck, forward, back and even running out of defense. He was one of the better players at Casey on the weekend, and IMO has overtaken Spencer, Miller and PJ as the next tall into the side. If he keeps developing it very well may be Martin that sneaks into the side. Many don't rate him, but he has done enough to prove to us that he might just be a big part of our future plans. Our best 22 is going to rotate over the next 24 months. Much is going to come down to form, which is something this club has lacked for many a season. Open competition for some spots is going to help carry this club out of the doldrums.

Bate still has some kinks to work out of his game, aside from that he is very handy. Watched Jetta at Casey on the weekend. NO doubt he has pace to burn but a few crucial errors cost the team. Jetta will be a forwardline prospect, but he threatens your Wonna types more than he threatens Bate. He does have plenty of work to do to cement a spot in the forward 6, but considering our other options I think he is doing good enough to keep his spot and should remain there for the foreseeable future.

Because he looks Russian........... Rush has been outstanding. Another few solid games and he will have earned himself a 2-3 year deal. Rather extend him during the season than at the seasons end.

Anyone got any tissues? Actually, a mop might be better... Love to know that this club is somewhere players want to play. Knowing the players love the club as much as we do brings a tear to my eye (figure of speech, I am saving every tear for a premiership!!)

He is not the only Senior player to have improved his disposal. Bartram has also improved out of sight! Midefield coaches are obviously doing something right. Credit for Jones and Co for such a large improvements in their games.