hemingway

Always saddened by the club's sacking of Neale. He had great strengths as a coach but like everyone else he had weaknesses. I also could not help but feel that by the end of his reign as coach he had become a true Melbourne person. More so than others before and after. His battle over recent years show the true worth and strength of the man. A remarkable individual and much loved by all.

Agree. Also, there was so much negativity around MFC and JW, and every season it became an issue. Almost like a curse. talked about by media, fans and no doubt players. When coaches and the club would prefer to focus on the positives and the team. It was an emphasis on the individual rather than the team. It was like this before Dusty turned the corner, although it was his off-field stuff rather than his on-field performance. The Tigers were successful last year in eliminating all the bad news story and concentrating on the team and on-field success. I am sure that Roos and then Goodwin became sick of the questions and the distraction. There was every chance that the distraction would have continued in 2018. Now that the dust has settled, I have no doubt that the JW decision was right.

A very good point

Agree, will be the season of truth for Goodwin. Finals or it will be ugly. Most supporters want more than a finals appearance though.

Two posts use the same word, "courage" that's reassuring.

Sorry I meant titbit, meaning a little bit of gossip or scandal. or a small morsel of food.

That''s the most interesting [censored] bit I have read all day. Thanks La Dee.

Hope BF has the intensity and competitiveness around the ball. Not only to get the bloody thing but also to tackle like a demon. Not run sideways watching the play. if you know what I mean.

Unfortunately, the lackluster fool is making a lot of money and will end up a very rich man. Whilst, the huge revenues continue to flow into AFL coffers, Gil is as safe as houses.

We have to get used to some of our leading lights being sidelined. Will be a test of our depth, versatility, and finals hopes. If we can't cover absences in the early part of the season, forget about finals.

Tiresome and so cliched. Just a dick.

Agree, this will never be resolved between the keep him brigade and the send him to purgatory mob. Although, I reckon there are a few more fence sitters today. The judgement will rest and fall on the success or failure of the MFC or PA, and Watt's own performance. I was one of the keep him brigade, however, with his departure it feels like a veil has been lifted from the club. I will be one surprised lad if he has a stellar year after 9 years with the Demons and PA make the Granny. If his form is not up to scratch, the PA fans will make mincemeat out of him. A very unforgiving mob.

Paul (and all those other scribes), please don't talk us up. Broken expectations have almost killed me over recent seasons. If we make finals fine, anything short of that, forget it.

As we know, injury management is not an exact science. X-rays and MRIs etc can be used but they do not tell the full story. Particularly so with foot injuries. In normal life, people will normally allow an injury time to heal. In professional sport, there is pressure on the player and the medical staff to get the player back sooner rather than later. I don''t think we can expect anything more than what the Demons staff are doing. Publicly, staff are going to hedge their bets on a likely return. However, I am sure that staff have managed the problem conservatively. But at the end of the day, there is always going to be some risk on return to the field of play. The player and staff are not going to know 100% if the time is right. As said, there will always be a risk of re-injury. I suspect that the injury will be monitored week to week and that Viney is going to need some rest time during the season.

Agree, although I'm not sure i would want him to bulk up certainly not at the expense of his mobility and flexibility. He has Rance like qualities. A huge asset with quality defenders around him. We have the makings of an exciting defence that on paper could be the best going around.

Reasonable thinking Forest. Encouraging thing is that all your "outs" are reasonable players. No duds.

Year after year we peak early and run out of steam in the latter part of the season. Last year, the team was physically and mentally destroyed by season end. No point starting the race in a sprint when we are running a marathon. This year, we have an improved list and better depth. Hopefully, the coaching staff and players know what is needed this season. In particular, the importance of "peaking" at season end. The GF is our Olympics.

Not everything can be detected. Investigations are not always fool proof. Doctors and health professionals have a difficult job. They don't get recognized for accurately diagnosing a problem but get blamed if something is missed. More often than not patients (particularly middle age men) do not present, or if they do, do not disclose their symptoms or disclose their symptoms well down the track almost at the death knock. Also, it is very common in active, fit men, including those that engage in competitive aged group events. As they are so fit, in some cases, super fit, they feel indestructible. A friend of mine recently died despite the fact that he had been a swimmer all his life and competed in age group competitions. Compared to most adults, he was super fit. We will never know if he had had prior symptoms but if so, they were never disclosed. My comments may not be relevant in Jeff's case, but it is a common problem in health management.

As we know, serious foot injuries can be season ending if not career ending. At very least, they can become chronic injuries that can affect a players career and week to week availability. Given Viney's game style, his injury is a major concern. I am not concerned about the first game, but the season and his immediate future. There should be no doubts and no risks taken. I hope that Saty and others who talk about the way the club now rehabs players are on the money. Running training is one thing, but match play and a full season is another. Please, no risks with Jack.

We are seeing a pattern now where players who are seen to have great value to their club and other clubs will be rewarded with big pay deals. Greene is certainly worth a lot, however, how much becomes the question. It gets down to the players valuation, market forces and negotiating strategies. Also, whether Greene is worth it can only be truly measured at the end of his contract or well into its term. Is it a question of whether that player makes the difference between a flag or not? If a flag is the measure, then Franklin's worth becomes debatable. But perhaps not in marketing terms, membership and his impact across the whole season. Not so Dusty. Despite the Tigers team effort, Martin was the difference in the final series. At the time, many thought his coin excessive. No one is questioning that today. What we know is that there is a high risk involved in all these big deals. However, there has to be balance between these big individual pay deals and the team. The rest of the team, particularly the big time players must see these deals as fair and reasonable. A club has to be able to justify its decisions and actions so that all players think they are being treated (perhaps not equally) but certainly fairly.

probably true.

If it's true that Hogan will be used in the midfield, why announce it? From a coaches viewpoint, when it comes to tactics, I would be keeping my powder dry rather than telegraphing my punches. Let others draw their conclusions and keep them guessing.

All class, a perfect fit for the Bombers! Notice how the media is again all over the Bombers with good news stories. Also the Tigers. You wonder "who pays the Piper."

For the purists its a dead duck. Similar to the Big Bash it is a business decision, and introducing a new product, attracting new customers, and widening the revenue base. Oh, and the AFL's forlorn hope that they can export this product to the Asian market. Footy is now business or business is now footy. No longer do we live in a world where decision makers are happy with the status quo. No, we need continuous improvement every year, we need progress and and development of market opportunities. Depressing really, but sport has now become totally exploited by business forces and collective and individual enrichment.

got to say, have always loved the demon in all its incarnations. compared to the soccer club logo and the drink coaster logo, the demon says it all in footy terms. the marketing department might want to identify with the city of Melbourne, but in footy terms it leaves me cold. to quote Checker Hughes "I want you to fight like demons""