joeboy

Jones - frustrated and limited Vince - could rarely impose Hogan - underwhelming and disappointing Salem - little to appreciate Watts - impressive second half Petracca - lacked spatial awareness Viney - couldn't move mountains Gawn - surprisingly little impact Tyson - prolific but wasteful Oliver - looked at sea Stretch - pace and effort Garland - game has passed Pedersen - virtually no impact Michie - little to enthuse McDonald - game gradually improved Hunt - believed own hype Bugg - was rarely noticed Kennedy - tried but unconvincing Garlett - was embarrassingly absent Jetta - brave and solid Wagner - out of depth Harmes - shuddering to realty

I was a good enough junior footballer to be invited to do a pre season with StKilda under 19's, as a 16 year old ,however I lasted only 15 minutes into the first training session and requested a taxi back home.

Biff.. you were too quick for me.

6 - Gawn ( played as if he owned the field ) 5 - Jones ( 4 quarters of pure leader ) 4 - Bugg - ( I personally haven't been a huge fan previously but he convinced me against GC ) 3 - Jetta ( great application and endeavour ) 2 - Harmes ( seems to possess the complete skill pack ) 1 - Hunt ( his tentative and mistake-prone approach in previous games was replaced with pure excitement )

Jones - outstanding all game Vince - provided the class Hogan - wasn't really needed Viney - outstanding until concussed Gawn - dominated the ground Tyson - prolific but wasteful Oliver - genius in close Stretch - used speed well Kent - some classy cameos Garland - far from convincing Pedersen - successfully played role Michie - neat but tentative McDonald - better second half Hunt - attacking defensive weapon Bugg - brilliant first half Kennedy - better second half Garlett - always a presence Jetta - brave and focused Wagner - prolific but uncertain Harmes - Rising Star nominee Watts - not his best Petracca - exciting and clean

6 - Hogan 5 - Jones 4 - Viney 3 - Gawn 2 - Watts 1 - Tyson

Jones - always the warrior Hogan - our only winner Gawn - failed to dominate Viney - never left wondering Vince - was rarely sighted Kennedy - looked painfully slow Bugg - selection defies logic Petracca - some sublime touches Tyson - consistently wrong options Watts - continued impressive form McDonald - disappears when beaten Wagner - played amateur football Lumumba - was embarrassingly bad Dunn - inhibited by fatness Harmes - a poor game Garlett - couldn't find ball Salem - poor before injury Kent - probably wasn't playing Frost - not of standard Pedersen - see Dunn above Hunt - out of depth Jetta - slow and loose

Jones - playing second fiddle Viney - incredible second half Jetta - performed as required McDonald - dynamic and imprenetable Bugg - was rarely noticed Dunn - complements McDonald perfectly Lumumba - brave and effective Salem - superb with possession Gawn - supreme all game Vince - a wonderful finisher Wagner - reliable and confident Tyson - season's best performance Watts - fulfilling vital role Frost - effective third quarter Harmes - exciting when involved Kent - dangerous and creative Brayshaw - second year blues Hogan - better with space Pedersen - does just enough Hunt - cause for optimism Kennedy - some useful touches Garlett - was always dangerous

Jetta - controlled and steady McDonald - provided great presence Bugg - prolific and constructive Lumumba - played with passion Salem - not his best Harmes - loved his endeavour Oliver - probably needs rest Viney - loved his aggression Tyson - takes wrong options Gawn - a vital component N.Jones - back to best Watts - exciting and excited Frost - successfully fulfilled role M.Jones - played his part Kent - tough little bugger Kennedy - tough little bigger Hogan - exciting all game Brayshaw - was still rusty Pedersen - played within limitations Hunt - took them on Wagner - another recruiting gem Dunn - makes impressive decisions

N.Jones - not as dynamic Vince - played with desire Hogan - excelled under pressure Salem - played with purpose Watts - most frustrating footballer Viney - ferocious and dynamic Lumumba - impressive and reliable Gawn - made a statement Tyson - continues to underperform Oliver - impressive despite inexperience Dunn - held his own Stretch - some important touches Kent - great opportunist's game Frost - regularly appeared lost McDonald - reliable and steady Bugg - unsure of role Kennedy - had little impact vandenBerg - some random performances Jetta - wonderful attacking defender Wagner - out of depth Harmes - still learning role M.Jones - the better Jones

6 - Kennedy ( our only winner ) 5 - N.Jones ( tried )

N.Jones - was well held Vince - some insignificant touches Hogan - overwhelmed and disinterested Salem - was surprisingly wasteful Watts - little to commend Viney - no heroics today Lumumba - carefree and wasteful Brayshaw - was understandably rusty Gawn - very little impact Tyson - prolific but wasteful Oliver - looked uncomfortable today Kent - nothing to commend Garland - probably not playing Pedersen - nothing to commend McDonald - was systematically destroyed Bugg - was hardly sighted Kennedy - our only winner Garlett - 15 minute performance vandenBerg - loose and ineffective Jetta - was rarely noticed Harmes - out of depth M.Jones - had no impact

What a wonderful weekend for the Viney family. Apart from the extraordinary performance by young Jack in his 50th game , father Todd celebrated his 50th birthday too.

6 - Viney ( a complete game ) 5 - T,McDonald ( reliable, effective, convincing ) 4 - Watts ( loved his new found endeavour and passion ) 3 - N.Jones ( prolific and led from the front ) 2 - Kennedy ( short in stature but big in endeavour and heart ) 1 - Oliver ( focused and skilled )

N.Jones - sublime unselfish skilful Vince - loved his energy Hogan - match winning quarter Salem - cool and composed Watts - valuable and invigorated Viney - supremely complete game Gawn - made a difference Tyson - something still lacking Oliver - a wonderful debut Kent - some inspired plays Frost - a few moments Garland - occasionally found lacking Pedersen - just a game T.McDonald - some major moments O.McDonald - far from convincing Bugg - not great debut Kennedy - an exciting debut Garlett - always looked sharp vandenBerg - performance gradually improved Jetta - was a rock Harmes - has been better M.Jones - no obvious howlers

N.Jones - more of same Vince - genius defensive switch Hogan - dominates and signs Salem - smooth moving backman Watts - finally silences critics Petracca - justifies the hype Dawes - pales into insignificance Viney - maintains upward rise Lumumba - proves his worth Trengove - the Cinderella story Brayshaw - assumes major significance Gawn - our All Australian Tyson - injury free improvement Oliver - another inspired draft Dunn - successfully marshals defence Stretch - limited game time Kent - a major player Frost - effective swing man Newton - just filling in Garland - career best season Pedersen - a solid season Kennedy-Harris - others are preferred T.McDonald - thrives on responsibility Weideman - learning the art Hulett - learning the requirements O.McDonald - becoming brotherly clone Hunt - slowly justifying faith Neal-Bullen - second year blues Grimes - tries but lacking Bugg - an inspired pickup Spencer - injury plagued year Mitch King - building required body Kennedy - irritating Magpie supporters Garlett - all Australian forward vandenBerg - our own Barlow Jetta - all comes together Harmes - providing X factor M.Jones - a stop gap Terlich - little game time

I take a slightly different approach to yesterday's win than many here: We won ugly and were brought down to the level of our opposition's inexperienced team to achieve it.Yes I know we're not in a position to pick and choose when we display our A game endeavour, but sometimes good teams underperform but still win, like we did yesterday.. and that MUST be a good thing when we consider our recent history.

From Jack's mother: Ahggggghhg He's going nowhere!!!!

Dawes WAS in rehab group today but was running a series of 800 metre sprints at an impressive speed and easily accounted for Jetta and Spencer ( no surprise ) who were doing the same manouvres Of more significance to me was that Dawes was noticeably bigger and muscular than his leaner ,paleo-inspired body last year. He actually looked amazing?

Petracca not training?

I attended my first pre season training session today and my observations were: Gus was running heaps of laps in company with Cross, the latter being probably the fittest on the park... unfortunately Our captain looked strong and fit though he was restricted to non contact work whilst I was there. The most impressive sight for me was CP who looked in peak condition ,moved beautifully , and dare I say it, had Ablett-esque traits. Hogan has lost much of his puppy fat but not his swagger There were more assistants on and around the field than I've ever seen before at training.. It seems as if the football department has been cashed up.

I'm old enough to remember the 60's when we 'owned' the MCG and a banner appeared at every game, extending the full length of the front of the outer grandstand , as the Southern Stand is referred to now, and it read: Forever forward dashing Demons, the greatest ever exponents of perfection football, and masters of the MCG. This banner was symbolic of all we were once ..a brilliant team, the sole occupants of the 'G, arrogant, and successful. I still dream ( in 3 word phases ) of those days.

N.Jones - rarely lowered standards Dunn - rock in defence Hogan - promise of greatness Salem - classy when playing Watts - rarely raised levels Toumpas - little to excite Dawes - Jane not Tarzan Viney - found new levels Lumumba - steady, not valuable Brayshaw - exciting debut year Gawn - cause for excitement Tyson - rarely played unhampered McKenzie - never impressed selectors Stretch - limited by size Kent - a huge loss Frost - cause for optimism Cross - professional and determined Newton - some random cameos Garland - steady but lacking Pedersen - never got going Michie - struggled making inroads Vince - was everyone's favourite Kennedy- Harris - injured and limited T.McDonald - was mostly outstanding Riley - limited without pace O.McDonald - made impressive inroads Neal-Bullen - showed occasional glimpses Grimes - generally unfairly maligned Garlett - effective despite limitations Howe - obviously coach's pet Jetta - a crossroad's year Jamar - coach looked elsewhere Spencer - rarely bothered statisticians Bail - failed to impress M.Jones - made limited impression Terlich - not on radar Fitzpatrick - one decent game vandenBerg - excited us all White - promising first game Harmes - exciting final round

For what it's worth , Watts was in the assembled group of injured and Casey players who lined up to cheer Cross off the ground after the siren. He was wearing his Demons' jacket and was as excited as the players as he hugged whomever was nearby.

6 - Jones ( defied suggestions of injury to return to inspiring best ) 5 - Viney ( tough, uncompromising and took right options today ) 4 - Salem ( smooth as silk and classy disposal ) 3 - Gawn ( dominated the centre bounces as he should ) 2 - Hogan ( gave the team confidence with his ruthless attack on the ball ) 1 - Harmes ( took some great marks and showed class) Apologies to T.McDonald and to Brayshaw for a great second half