deespicable me

The Weed isn't a good contested mark yet because he can't hold his position in a marking contest. I was comparing him to Jack Watts and Reiwoldt by body type , ie skinny and tall as young men. I would suggest Jesse Hogan is a more natural contested mark player and I definately don't compare the Weed to Hogan. Weidemann is a long way from rag-dolling a player like Rance. I think for the next two or three years he will have to become good on the lead and runner like Reiwoldt did for this exact reason. His hands were good out in front of his body. I'm not sure if his coaches have told him to get moving more but he did on Saturday and had his best game yet because he wasn't a stay in the goalsquare full forward. All his marks were when he was on the move, not with the ball coming in high and full. Pederson was much superior when the ball came in bombed.

Kennedy was good and apart from the junior players Oliver and Salem who are learning still, he is probably first in line for a promotion. He is a penetrating kick and has good vision, I think he is in discussions every week for team selection. Can he cement a spot in the seniors. I'm not sure, but he has played up a lot this year, he has games at senior level where you are not surprised he is dropped, but his attitude is great, he tried his heart out today, didn't play forward as much.

I went and here are some of my thoughts on the game. The opposition were quite poor. We are a very good contested ball team and killed them at the stoppages. By midway through the second quarter when we were outscoring them into the wind, you could tell they started to become a bit of a rabble. I think Plapp the coach is doing a pretty good job, we are a good team, they were good to watch and there were some nice pieces of play. I hope all the boys that are eligible for finals put their hand up, we will go O.k I think if we have a team of todays quality. Mitchie was good. Since Oliver, Trengove, Salem, ANB and Grimes took most of the stoppage work, they have used Mitchie off half-back. They all look for him and he was a pretty good distributor. It is as good as I've seen him play and he looked comfortable out there. Does it translate to AFL level? Not sure. Salem was also pretty good. They played him on-ball and he and Oliver cut them to ribbons. He was quick but mainly short passes and handballs so didn't get a great deal of penetration. I think it would be good for him to spend a couple more weeks at this level to get some more fitness that playing on-ball will give him and getting the ball in hand a lot. He will get back to AFL level for sure. Oliver is great to watch. He is a big bodied mid and for a kid his age to be doing what he did today against men is very impressive. He won quite a few frees and a couple of his tackles were fantastic. One guy tried to run away from him and he was just so strong as he caught him and threw him to the ground and won the free. As we all know he has lovely quick hands in close and they were great today but he also kicked well and with a bit of space always hit his target. I don't mind him staying at this level as well because he still has a lot to learn and when you get it 30 times a game he will only get better. He could improve and concentrate on forward work, I would like to see him kick a few more goals, he is so quick with the handball but occassionally I would like him to kick it himself. Anyway going beautifully. The best game Weidemann has played. He took about 10 to 12 marks today. One on one he isn't strong enough yet but he was leading more today and I don't know who said he is a bit slow because he is a good leader and took a couple of nice marks out in front of his face at good pace. He gave off a couple of goal assists, one a smart kick back to Joel Smith in a better position and another marking on a lead then dishing off to BenKen who slotted it from 50. Nice goal. I too wondered if he was maybe going to be a bust, but today was the most positive I've been about his prospects. Other days he has been brushed off the ball (this will happen again) but today he had presence and was an important part of our attack. He is a natural forward in the Reiwoldt, Watts mould and he got a few of his marks well up on the wing. He can play very tall. When he builds strength and a tank which looking at him he is an impressive build, so he should, I think he may be alright. I think he may be ahead of Watts at the same age but maybe not as skillfull, but like Watts was as a younger man he may still be a couple of pre-seasons away as well. A lot to like today though. Spenser was up against a big bloke who played a similar game. He was probably one of their best players and honours were about even. Really liked Joel Smith. He is quick, can jump, is tall and is a real chance to make it. Nearly took mark of the century (well not quite) like his old man. Still doesn't know where to go so needs a lot of coaching but handled right and he may do a Jayden Hunt. Heres hoping. Number 15 for Casey is good. Of our tall back men I liked him the most, moreso than Dunn and Garland. All Caseys players played well, Hutchy, number 1 is a good full back. 15 is tall and takes a good grab and he looks young enough that he may not have reached his peak. I would like to see the club keep him and maybe Rookie him. Newton is very confident at this level and played accordingly but like Mitchie when they go up to AFL and they don't have the freedom to create they can get lost. I think they could both make it in the right team because they are good players but they have to find a way to bring their form to the tougher level. Both were great. Trengove has class. He took a great mark and a lovely shot on goal in the third and a couple of nice passes into the 50, I think his best chance at AFL may be as a half forward who can drift forward and kick a goal. Grimes, Garlo and Dunn were all good at this level but all three made critical errors that would have pages dedicated to them if they committed such errors at AFL level. They are who they are, but I can understand how they have been kept as back up only and even how there are a few in front of each one in a queue for AFL duties. I would love to see them win a flag with Casey. Cheers

In my opinion this is the exact argument that will keep the strong strong and the weak weak. And it was one of the more expressed comments on radio and even here on Demonland. 55 I believe your attention is misplaced, its got nothing to do with what we received, it is what Hawthorn got and what they paid to get it that is the main point. The politics of the AFL, Eddie (who falsely believed Collingwood would benefit greatly but has had a terrible few years admin instead), Hawthorn and the stronger clubs who went hard when "equalisation" was put on the table and attacked COLA and the priority pick and put up "free agency" as the trade off for the tax on "football dept spending". Consequently the movement from bottom of the ladder back up riding on a priority pick or two of the late 90's and early 2000's is gone. Everyone blames the expansion clubs for the "holding pattern" of the ladder which sees the same teams play finals year in year out but I seriously don't believe it's true. The lower teams are in a circle that sees them rise to mid or lower 8 then back down they'll go. Richmond has peaked, Carlton won't get far past mid table and Melbourne are showing promise but may / will probably peak around lower 8 in the next year or two before we are torn apart by salary cap problems and are picked apart by the strong clubs. I'm actually pretty excited by our side. (this is me excited ) If one team has to pay less money for their talent than another you work out whats going to happen. Its pretty obvious to me 55. Look at Brisbane, without priority picks or AFL support, surely they are going to be a decade long basket case and in essence should go out of business. Yes, I'm a socialist or communist when it comes to running the game. I wear drab green clothes and I harp on. Thank goodness there aren't too many like me. But I wish there were less "greed is good" clubs like Hawthorn in the world too.

Equalisation is a crock of rats entrails. That plick Frawley said pay me $700- k or I'm gone and went to Hawthorn for about $350- k. Thanks ####! Thats what they do. They tell the free agents they're interested in "come and play in a decent team, play finals, enjoy the glory, but don't think you can command big money. It's on our terms or don't bother." It's all very well for Hawthorn and a couple of other big clubs but the smaller clubs having to pay their own players more money to keep them will keep the premierships in the big clubs coffers for a long while to come. Gil (who I believe is an empty headed puppet and a political appointment that will just pay lip service to "equalisation" in the interests of Hawthorn) has done nothing to change the alarming direction the game is heading. The AFL has to ask itself a basic question. Is the game for the fans? If the answer is yes then how much joy is enough for the Hawthorn supporters? When are they going to meaningfully intervene to share the joy of the game around to the other supporters? Shouldn't the charter of the AFL be to create the game in such a fashion that over a ten year period we see at least 15 different teams playing off in a Grand Final? Not easy to do but shouldn't they be at least trying to achieve such an ideal? Where is there someone, anyone in the media railing against this ridiculous monopoly. Melbourne will never get there. Never. Sometimes I wish they'd just fold. Sorry about that, but it is the way I feel.

Imagine a top four team lose their ruckman, or even their back-up ruckman and they look at a lower team like Melbourne has been and decide to chase Spenser. I think Spenser could be a number one ruck in an AFL side just not ours because of Gawn. They get in Spenser's ear and all of a sudden he has dreams of playing in finals when he hasn't even played in an AFL game all season. Of course he'd want to go. But more to the point he'd be mighty [censored] off if Melbourne turned around and said no. The potential for de-stabilising a team that is already struggling to build team culture would be devestating. All the years of developing a ruckman like Spenser, 25 and just starting to put it together is lost. And then Gawny has an injury and we're left without our back up ruckman that we've spent years developing because a team that didn't have the foresight to develop their own back-up's pinches them. I'm using Spenser as an example coz I now our list well but I'm sure every lower team has a similar player. Rotten idea, it's a no from me, for what it's worth.

Hogan has the highest ceiling, no doubt. He has the most potential and we are seeing glimpses of what he can do in only his second full season. In the third quarter of the Queens Birthday match against Collingwood there was a period of time, almost 15 minutes where even though we were 20 odd points up the game was in the balance. The ball was going from one end to the other, there were mistakes, turnovers and missed shots on goal. The game was crying out for someone to do something special, inspiring. Hogan in a four minute period took a beautiful contested mark on the wing against three Collingwood forgetables, then another contested mark 35 metres out and slots the goal. Game over. I'll never forget it. That for me was his arrival as someone who can win a game off his own boot. Hogan is our potential champ, his good although not consistent is as good as Melbourne Footy Club has seen since Neitz and I think he can be better. He is the major reason we are scoring more and gaining respect as a team capable of beating top level teams in the comp. Full forwards are like the lead singer in a rock'n'roll band. You can have a great drummer and a really great lead guitarist etc but your nothing without the lead singer. Hogan has all that. He has swagger, self belief and the desire to win. Underestimate him at your peril, he is at the very top of any of these lists you care to make up. By a mile.

I really think all those drug taking players should split up. Too many of them together and they're likely to fall back into their drug-taking ways. I applaud any player trying their best to come clean, but we've all heard the stories. One loss and they'll be out the back, over the road, re-offending. "Hey man, have you got any more of that Mexican [censored]?" Sad, sad Bummers

Common knowledge

TMac will be going unless he signs for unders, we've got Hurley signed up and he and Milkshake will take young Oscar under their wing and next year we will see a bigger, faster, stronger and better tanned young beast than ever you've seen. Goodwin has got this, just relax. And if you can't we have something for that as well.

I think they are all in trouble and will be lucky to be on any list next year. Maybe Grimes, I like him.

Should be a good game. They will test us with run and spread and their forward line looks dangerous with Dixon, Westoff, Wingard and Young. I would be keeping Michie, ANB and Newton in as we had great rotations through the middle with Viney not needing to be as dominant. In the heat you need fit runners and plenty of them. I agree Max and the coaches need a plan B. Watts was terrific today and they will be happy to have a plan C but he shouldn't be plan B. We also need an extra tall down back, so a resting ruck going back into the hole at CHB may help. Frost, Pedo or Spencer? or stick with plan A? Don't drop any runners! IN; Lumumba, Tyson, Jetta OUT; Oliver (inj), OMac, and anyone sore enough to need the rest.

Putting a list together and keeping it together, paying them the right amount to keep them happy and in balance with one another so players don't get their noses out of joint, then adding the right player at the right time is not an easy science. History is littered with many sides who thought they were "in the premiership window" got in a high priced recruit to take them to premiership glory, then failed miserably, suffered for years and then had to rebuild again. Having said that Buddy may still work at the Swans, Scully has come good for the talent laden Giants and as you say Boyd hasn't yet ruined the Bulldogs prospects. It has been argued the Tigers have "sat on their hands too long" during trade week and haven't added talent to their list at a time when they needed to. Dal Santo, Higgins and especially Waite have been fantastic for North to the point where they could pinch a premiership they could never have achieved without those additions. But they have an amazing number of 30 plus players in their squad and it's a fine line between a list master genius at North and a bloke looking for a new job. I think our guys are doing a good job, so I trust them and pray they get it right coz I reckon' you need a lot of luck and there's a fine line between genius and dud. And for those of us who reckon we have to get this player or that player and spend this amount on them, with respect I think they might just think it's easier than it actually is.

We can't pay Hurley what he would like and expect to keep our team together. I almost think it's too late for any big name players to join us on big coin. O'Meara, Prestia, even Brown from Collingwood would probably be too expensive. There will be too many demands by our players as they start to get highly rated within the comp already. Gawn and Viney will become top 50 players this year and in two years time we will probably have 6 - 8 in there. We need to find a player like Hombsh or a young Ted Richards. Cheap and under the radar when they come across but have always been good value to their clubs.

Look at Frawley at Hawthorn. He was similar to Tom in that he was prone to turning the ball over and many supporters were keen for him to go and get in the brand new Brayshaw. Frawley took a while to learn how to fit into the Hawthorn backline but his last two finals in 2015 and his early 2016 form is very good. He doesn't turn it over and takes safer options when he has the ball. We have a guy in Brayshaw who we all hope will be a gun in a year or two but isn't yet. I think its time Melbourne stopped being a kindergarten for the big clubs. We need Tom as part of a mature backline that grows together, not another potential kid champion that we all slobber over then cut down in their third year because they haven't performed miracles. Adam your post annoys me. When are you going to start up the "Brayshaw is too slow" thread and start cutting another down. Try being a "SUPPORTER" for a while.

I think Richmond got a smaller crowd at the "G" hosting a loss to Port (funny). I think we would have got about 35,000 at the "G" hosting St Kilda so I would be upset if the AFL themselves didn't regard the situation as a mistake. A mistake that was hard to see at the start of the season. So, what we do hope to see is more opportunities to make money next year and the year after. Better opportunities than Richmond if they stay in the bottom four. Also with these "event" matches everyone is carrying on about I'm more [censored] off with us losing the "pink" game (probably our greatest marketing success) as a fixed game against the dogs at the "G". Or is that because we had the girls game as a curtain raiser. I'm not sure. I probably should get my facts right before being [censored] off. Who do we play in the Pink game? Is there an exhibition girls game again this year? These are great opportunities for us. Incidentally I think the home game against Richmond was a good crowd and I'm pretty sure we had bigger numbers than the Toiges, so if we can drag ourselves out off our ten year journey down the S bend maybe we will get a better fixture. Lets make sure we finish above Richmond, Carlton, Collingwood, St Kilda and Essendon and give Action Jackson some ammunition to go to the AFL.

Pederson had one of his best quarters for the club ever in the last when the game was up for grabs. Was terrific. Frost came good in the second half when he started running the length of the field. His opponent was left for dead. The coaching staff are doing a fantastic job and we are developing to be a very good 4 quarter side. I think we have been very good at understanding what limited rotations means and how best to understand and get an edge in games by exploiting the new rule. I thought after the Essendon game and we were discussing at half time when Pedo and Frost had limited impact that Dawes might be a better option, and for some games he may, but the second half showed what they are trying to achieve with Frost and I would now like to see him remain in the team and develop his main weapon, which is his endurance running.

Not many are rated elite until we get into the top four and then all of a sudden the Denham's of the world reckon they're all elite. I agree we've got a fantastic list developing nicely, but there's a lot can go wrong. We are yet to do it. Goodwin is a young coach being protected by our godfather Roos. I hope we don't miss him too much, Roosy. He's looking borderline genius if it all rolls out like he has planned it.

Wow, that is quite a talent you have there. And not just for the tipping. I love the language, does anyone over there understand you? Boos SOOL = Blues still out of luck? (not that it matters) You should get together with Titus O'Reilly, you are both worth ten times half the bozzo's that are over-exposed in Footy shows and previews. Do you have an outlet like Titus with his podcast or are we the only lucky ones? Cheers, well done

Have to give up something very good to get something good. I'm enjoying the players we have. I am happy for us to sign up our own for what they are worth and get on with it. Bringing in players on "overs" can create inflationary pressure on a club.

I agree. That bald umpire was horrendous. He gave the two fifties from frees that were'nt there and the one to Goldstein in the second qtr was just non-existent. The way the commentators are "coached" to never diss the umpires just means nothing is done. There is no accountability. I find it very hard to watch. I don't blame the umpires for the loss because it was there for us to win and we couldn't do it and "good teams overcome bad umpiring" but that bald bloke is a shocking umpire and I won't watch again if he's umpiring. It's just not a pure sport. The umpiring had almost as much effect on the match as the wind and at least you knew you were going to get 2 quarters with the wind.

Dawes as a footballer is not always a great option but what I was suggesting is that if Hogan and or Watts become better footballers with Dawes out there then that is a win for Melbourne. I don't think Frost or Pederson have as yet created a "finished" six forward line. Clearly on Saturday we were two talls down, one in the forward line and one in the backline. I don't think Pederson was any worse or better particularly than Watts or Hogan but clearly the "mix" didn't work. For some reason Kent was down as well. Dawes for all his failings might help make us a better forward line. Especially considering we missed leadership down there on Saturday, with the press carrying on about Hogan getting frustrated etc. I'm sure with clear planning Dawes can add something there.

I went to training on Wednesday for a couple of hours. Just a couple of observations. Dawes was back training with the main group and was a welcome return. There was a distinct lift in comraderie. He is a natural leader and was very happy helping Weidemann, Oscar, Hulett and King with their positioning etc. Hogan was very happy to have him part of training. You could see that Hogan is just a kid and having a big senior player there was good for him. I think Dawes may be important in the next 12 to 18 months for the development of our forward line. If we replace Frost with Dawes in the forward line doing a lot of leading up the ground it will take away a bit of pressure from Hogan and Watts can become the third tall again. Watts and Hoges were bordering on non-functional on the weekend and Dawes may help restore the balance. Hulett was marking everything. He held his own against some of the senior players in man on man wrestling and out-marked the young King everytime. He continues to develop well. Trengove was looking good. He did a drill where you had to do a series of quick steps, then push off to one of three cones placed left, right and centre. He showed no effects of his injury and was quick and strong. He is another natural leader who likes to help with positioning and general teaching in drills. He and Dawes come across as pretty intelligent people. They aren't ever involved in joking or mucking around and Trengove really appears focused and determined.The addition of Dawes and Trengove to the team will add much needed senior leadership when they get back. Tyson was impressive. He was better on the weekend and continues to improve on the track. He is another who you can see wants to improve and develop his game and hopefully now he is fully fit he will build into the year.

Tyson has a different personality to the other mid-fielders. He is a bit stand-offish. They still need time to gel as any good team does. All good teams can second guess where their mates are moving to, where they want the ball directed etc. This is Dom's biggest weakness, he is not a natural team player. Probably a star junior who did it all himself. Hopefully he matures into a team player, I don't think dropping him to the seconds will do anything positive for his development, in fact given his struggle to be team oriented it would probably be a negative and only serve to isolate him more. They need time to grow as a team.

I was down there for an hour or so. Salem is still protecting his finger and not training at 100%, someone would have to be on stand-by, it must have been a fairly serious injury for him to carry it into a second week, and he will need to pass a fitness test later this week. Also Oliver had a minor twinge in his lower calf by the end of the session. I would suggest it is very minor but given he is still a kid they may choose to rest him, not sure. They may choose to ease him off and re-hab him for a week, but if he doesn't play for the firsts I doubt if he'll play at Casey.