joeboy

I used to think Joeboy's 3 word were good, but towards the end of last season and now this, seems a bit pessimistic to me, and samey, not sure if he watched the game

My opinion of course

I actually appreciated the efforts you took to present a regular training report for people who weren't as lucky as you,and were employed , so I'd just be interested to know ( in 3 words per player only ) how YOU viewed each player's performance on the day ,and yes I was at the game.

Bail - was rarely sighted

Dawes - was almost unsighted

Dunn - reliable and steady

Frost - 2 great tackles

Garland - just a game

Garlett - exciting and talented

Gawn - way too erratic

Grimes - way too flakey

Hogan - tried but disappointing

Kennedy- Harris - effective and creative

Jamar - dominated tap outs

Jetta - great defensive drive

M.Jones - provided effective link

N.Jones - missing when needed

Lumumba - classy and effective

McDonald - was always reliable

McKenzie - had little impact

Michie - little game time

Newton - classy but quiet

Salem - outstanding 3 quarters

Tyson - prolific but wasteful

VandenBerg - injured very early

Viney - often careless disposal

Watts - some useful plays

Bail - was scarcely noticed

Cross - professional as always

Dawes - played his part

Dunn - lacked normal ferociousness

Frost - athleticism and aggression

Garland - worryingly careless occasionally

Garlett - encouraging second half

Gawn - had little influence

Grimes - tight but wasteful

Hogan - gradually displayed potential

Jamar - had little influence

Jones M. - never inspired confidence

Jones N. - always inspired confidence

Kennedy- Harris - disappointing first game

Jetta - useful before injury

Kent - some useful involvement

Lumumba - loved his carry

McDonald - was generally sound

Newton - looked at home

Tyson - prolific but wasteful

McKenzie - struggled for relevance

Pedersen - didn't enjoy conditions

Salem - a little disappointing

Toumpas - had little impact

Van den Berg - size and talent

My 3 word team summary of expectation this year , with ladder position .

Hawthorn - team to beat ( 1 )

Sydney - powerful and threatening ( 2 )

Geelong - recruits add potency ( 6 )

North - will not slide ( 4 )

Footscray - will not prosper ( 17 )

GWS - readying to pounce ( 9 )

Gold Coast - Ablett the key ( 8 )

West Coast - don't seem convincing ( 10 )

Carlton - poor recruiting repercussions ( 16 )

Melbourne - expectations bely reality (15 )

Collingwood - key position weaknesses (12 )

StKilda - 3 years away ( 18 )

Richmond - around the mark ( 7 )

Brisbane - remarkably a contender ( 11 )

Adelaide - hard to gauge (14 )

Pt Adelaide - continued upward trend ( 3 )

Fremantle - massive home advantage ( 5 )

Essendon - disruptions will hurt ( 13 )

My first venture out to see the boys this pre season, and the following are my highlights of the events:

N.Jones, was dominant, classy, prolific, and everything you expect of a leader.

Salem will be a revelation off the half back line.. his silky skills and reading of the play were clearly obvious today. He made difficult passes look simple, and he was creative and impressive.

Garlett will quickly become a fan favourite.. he makes something out of nothing , and his skills are sublime. As Baghdad Bob said earlier, he'll make Malthouse look foolish, which is not a bad thing.

Newton, looked to be coasting but got a lot of the ball and regularly used it well.

Toumpas was neat and efficient, but his gait looks weird, and it's hard to tell if he'll ever be quick enough when the pressure is exerted.

Hogan had little to beat, being matched up against an undersized, top up player, but he has obviously been given the liberty to travel far and wide for his kicks, often marking the ball around the wing area. He is strong, fit and aggressive, though I noticed him pull up from a possible collision with a much smaller opponent for fear of having to attend a funeral the next day. I have no doubt he'd be happy to attend once the season is in progress though.

Gawn looks very fit and actually looks like an athlete rather than a woodcutter. I liked the way he moved around the ground and actually did more impressive stuff below his knees than above his head.

Dunn is a general and is taking his vice captaincy role very seriously.. he was very vocal and extremely instructive

Disappointments from today:

Ball movement was still not as slick as hoped for. It WAS very hot but the day was still and conducive to effective transfer of the ball.

No dominant ruckman who could regularly impose on a game.

Brayshaw appearing to sustain a jaw injury, albeit seemingly not serious.

Senior players, who will remain nameless at this early stage of the season , making the same clangers we've grown to detest.

The umpires, who continued to make game changing decisions against us.

If we throw all of our top draft picks into the deal to land Kennedy then I'll...I'll ...I'll .. stop submitting my weekly 3 word player analysis.

Seriously, risking everything on 1 player would be a total catastrophe, and reeks of desperation.

Surely Roos cannot expect our current list plus Garlett , ( possibly Lumumba and Frost ) to make any significant inroads just by adding Kennedy!!

ideal scenario is the Saints decide to keep pick 1 and draft McCartin

And we keep picks 2 and 3 for Petracca and Brasyshaw

Problem is, we wont know who the Saints want at pick 1 until draft day

ideal scenario is the Saints decide to keep pick 1 and draft McCartin

And we keep picks 2 and 3 for Petracca and Brasyshaw

Problem is, we wont know who the Saints want at pick 1 until draft day

Head of StKilda's recruiting gave the impression on SEN this afternoon that Petracca was their man

Supporters whinging about losing Frawley and not being fairly compensated is perfectly fine.

Considering the AFL haven't exactly bent over for the MFC of late, I understand the concern of supporters.

Also media outlets suggesting last week Frawley would only command 400k - only adds to the concern.

Pick 3 is excellent compensation for a good stoppage backman, with limited skills, poor decision making - and below average execution.

He's also very unattractive

I was privileged to have met Robbie a number of times both when he was still playing and afterwards when he was a businessman.

At all times he was the most humble, unassuming, and polite gentleman.

His statue must be the next to be erected outside the MCG , ideally somewhere adjacent to the wing that he invariably 'owned'.

Anyone with the name Cockatoo must cause anguish amongst those Dees' supporters who are old enough to remember

Played 23 games this year for a team that finished 3rd on the ladder .. he can play

When was the last time ANY MFC player did that......

Yes, and he played 23 games in a team that finished 3rd on the ladder !!

DO THE DEAL!!!!!

Brett Anderson reporting on SEN that Varcoe for Clark deal will be done first thing on Monday

He has a son

Joeboy. Please stop supporting Melbourne immediately. You are obviously the problem.

Yes, sadly I think I am responsible

He was a 100 game AFL footballer for MFC. Better than all the never were's and wannabee's that pass judgement here. Show some respect Diqueheads.

Oh sorry, Alistair

You are on the money BB.

Always amuses me how keyboard heroes have the audacity to pay out on guys who have reached the pinnacle of our game by making an AFL list.

Nicho played over 100 games including many servicable efforts on gorilla forwards plus he relieved in the ruck effectively.

Always gave of his best.

Lol.. so because I didn't play top level AFL football I'm not entitled to have my opinion about crappy footballers?

Give me a break!!!

And just so you know, I WAS once considered a good enough junior footballer to be asked to do a pre season with Stkilda

I'm NEVER one to exaggerate or overstep the mark!

Ok, ok , maybe I did treat him too harshly in my grading ( or is that degrading) of him , but he was a useless footballer and only Bode, Weetra, Mahoney, and Grgic have been worse, in my memory.

And before anyone gets stuck into me for my callous criticism of him , let me point out that I've been a Demons' fan and member for 49 years, and seen more crappy Melbourne players than I care to remember.

Furthermore, up until a few years ago I'd even argue that I've seen more Melbourne games than virtually anyone here, so I'm entitled to make ludicrous judgement calls as I see fit!

Was probably one of the worst footballers ever to represent the club , so it's pleasing to see that he found his place in life

Recruit him without hesitation !!!

1- N.Jones

2 - Tyson

3 - Vince

4 - McDonald

5 - Dunn

6 - Cross

7 -Pedersen

8 - Jamar

9 - Jetta

10 Watts / Howe

Personally I agree about Jetta.. much overrated here

N.Jones - the supreme performer

Grimes - never got going

Hogan - weight of expectation

Salem - adulation was unwarranted

Watts - year's greatest disappointment

Toumpas - couldn't gain momentum

Dawes - stagnated after brilliance

Viney - failed to inspire

Frawley - dependable and versatile

Trengove - cruelled by injury

Byrnes - failed to deliver

Clark - no comment necessary

Tyson - performances belied inexperience

McKenzie - tagger without skills

Dunn - found his niche

Clisby - couldn't find mojo

Kent - teased and faltered

Blease - disappointed us all

Cross - made his mark

Strauss - couldn't impress selectors

Garland - seen better years

Pedersen - rejuvenated and reinvented

Michie - injuries curtailed advancement

Vince - professional and skilled

Kennedy - Harris - early exciting form

McDonald - was rarely beaten

Nicholson - papers are marked

Riley - rough and ready

Hunt - the jury's out

Evans - little to show

Barry - improver , but raw

Tapscott - little to impress

Gawn - never gathered momentum

Howe - talented but lazy

Jamar - worthy but slowing

Spencer - work in progress

Bail - just filling in

M.Jones - showed average skills

Terlich - the turnover specialist

Fitzpatrick - rarely utilised height

Jetta - feel good story

Georgio - surprisingly sparingly used

Harmes - impressed Casey regulars

King - jury is out

N.Jones - workhorse, as expected

Watts -better , still frustrating

Dawes -passion, little purpose

Viney -passion ,poor decisions

Frawley - passionless , serviceable game

Tyson - prolific, slow thinking

McKenzie - dedicated, skill deprived

Dunn - was soundly destroyed

Kent - revealed undoubted talent

Cross - limited but professional

Michie - has some talent

Vince - loved his attitude

McDonald - passionate and willing

Riley - ferocious but rough

Barry - eat some food

Gawn - unsighted before injury

Howe - failed to inspire

Jamar - tried but failed

Bail - only occasion involvements

M.Jones - what's his purpose?

Fitzpatrick - waste of height

Jetta - loose but dedicated

6 - Vince ( a class ahead of anyone else in our team this game)

5 - Tyson ( intelligent footballer who amassed heaps of possessions , but infuriatingly seems to encounter mental blocks)

4 - McDonald ( hates to lose , has passion, but needs to master his foot skills)

3 - Kent ( a break out game too late to build momentum on )

2 - N.Jones ( workhorse, who was prolific but not a standout )

1 - Cross ( sad we have to play him, but age hasn't wearied)