Gator

And as for the absence ? I like arguing. What's there been to argue about this year ?

Yes, I'm confident we'll win. Put simply, our best is better. We have three top 10 players in the league, the best defence (historically very significant), they're tough, and our stars are now in their prime. Of course, there are no guarantees, but there are also no excuses.

OK. Good pick up. I still have a funny feeling he'll be named. Probably nothing...

My gut feel is that Jones will be the sub. I don't usually take much notice of the order of the I/C bench, but it seems poignant to me that they've listed Jones first. This is on the back of stating Jones has been dominating match practice. It would also give his teammates a lift knowing he's part of the team. It also gives them the flexibility to name him again if they get through. And going by his form it's not simply charity.

Are Geelong who lost to Adelaide and Brisbane by 10 goals pretenders ? Are the Dogs, who lost to an undermanned Richmond as well as your ''pretenders'' ? Are Port, who've lost to Geelong, Brisbane, West Coast and the Dogs, i.e. nearly every top 8 team they've played ? This year is very close and there's no super team. Anyone who finishes top 4 can win it and anyone who finishes top 4 will have queries against them. Melbourne are no super team and there are queries. We have 6-7 weeks to start playing better football and finish top 4. If we finish 5th we're cooked.

This will horrify some people on here, but I believe we're a better team with Melksham in it. His form has been average to poor, but I'd still have him ahead of Sparrow. Sparrow is a young player worth persisting with, but he has plenty of time. An in form Melksham makes us infinitely better. In: Melksham Out: Sparrow Lots needs to improve and I understand the calls for Brown, they're understandable, but I'd like to see the smaller version for a couple more weeks.

It doesn't sound far-fetched that a teenager gets homesick. But it also doesn't mean he won't stay. And we don't know the context. There'd be players at every club that get homesick that are able to work through it. I suspect more stay than go despite the occasional pang, or lure of home. That said, he's becoming a valuable commodity, especially if he salutes in the RS award. Obviously, we don't want him to go anytime soon, but at least he's worth plenty and rising. However, getting what someone's worth isn't always easy when you're limited to a two team town.

If you don't have Jackson as Melbourne's best player you best give up football.

How come a Richmond team missing Cotchin, Edwards, Lambert, and Prestia - basically four of their best 5 mids - beat them at the G about 3 weeks ago ? They're not ''scarily good''. There are no superstar teams. There were years ago, not now.

It's a conundrum. We have looked better smaller, but I agree re Viney. Also, the one weakness Footscray have is their tall key backs.

We'll see.

Ditto.

Reading between the lines my guess is Viney has had a minor setback and won't be available. If you listen to recent interviews by Goodwin there was a clear change in the narrative.

I've watched good teams play ordinary football and keep racking up wins for years. It's pretty bloody exciting to finally follow a team doing the same. Great signs. And Viney makes us better. He's important.

Gary Rohan.

Geelong's second half was the best football I've seen this year. Having not been a fan of theirs for years I was genuinely surprised.

Good post. Sparrow played the best game I've seen him play last week, but no-one is ''deserving'' off the back of one good Casey game. If he strings a few together he'll get his opportunity.

Right now Weideman would be better than Brown, but I understand the call. It's easy to forget that Weideman will start playing his best footy in 2-3 years when he hits 26. I'd rather lose Brown or McDonald than Weideman.

I agree with it because it was the change I'd hoped for. Jones is no longer a midfielder, as you assert. He's playing a pressure HF role. Unlike many here, I prefer Melksham to Jones. It was clearly out of those two as to who was going to be omitted. I want to support a caring but ruthless footy club. Jones was honoured brilliantly by the club, but it has also shown it does what good clubs do, select the best team to win as they explore the right team balance across the course of the season. This side is as good as it gets. One can debate Weideman v McDonald, but in essence their current outputs are about the same, so they cancel each other out.

Excellent.

He attacked aerial contests really well, but I thought he lacked a little urgency when the ball was on the deck. Easily fixed.

Weideman and Brown is by far the best combination at AFL level. I'd hate to lose Weideman due to McDonald's good form. Hats off to McDonald, but Weideman will be a better AFL forward and IS the future.

I'm interested in observations and information I may not know, but I couldn't care less about how they ''feel''.

I don't hate or even dislike Howe. I have no emotion, as I'm not invested in him. That said, I couldn't care less what some supporters feel. It's inconsequential to me. Why do you care what others think ?

It wouldn't surprise me if Jones' 301 game is as the sub, which would mean just one change to the 23. In: Brown Out: Chandler