joeboy

A little ironic that you'd be decrying his tactics , whilst feting a total ball player with your name here- Grinter was far from an angel for all those too young to recall. And for the record , I advocated Mathews as coach about a month ago

Leigh Mathews is only 61

Trengove - just a game N.Jones - wonderful first half Watts - time to decide Dawes - impressed and delivered Frawley - great under duress McKenzie -below required standard Dunn - struggled for effectiveness Rodan - justified his inclusion Strauss - rarely imbued confidence Garland - continued toiling manfully Pederson - not all negative Macdonald - was rarely sighted Evans - had few possessions Kent - some promising touches Tapscott - had limited opportunities Davey - classy but restricted Howe - classy when involved Jamar - not the worst Bail - was the worst M.Jones - couldn't get going Terlich - composure was needed Fitzpatrick - cause for optimism

6 - Dawes ( terrific game considering the horrible presentation he was given ) 5 - Frawley ( loved his passion and will to not let Franklin succeed) 4 - N.Jones ( terrific first half ) 3 - Howe ( all class , but easily put off his game) 2 - Garland ( continued his good year ) 1 - Davey ( elite disposal , and played with passion )

Up until about 3 years ago , I'd only missed about 20 home matches in 45 years of watching mostly inept Melbourne teams underwhelm me . Currently we have easily the least inspiring collection of players to ever represent our club, and I have only brought myself to attend 2 home games. I will not attend again until the players demonstrate that they deserve my support!

Not sure he was actually 'slagging us off' , but was really quite measured and honest. The reality is , he's right about everything he's saying

6- Howe ( Fantastic all day . Skills were sublime ) 5 - M.Jones ( Far from outstanding , but our only successful runner ) 4 - Frawley ( overwhelmed , but focused all day ) 3 - Trengove ( actually looked fit and played accordingly , though was still swamped ) 2 - McKenzie ( hard at it all game , but rarely hurt opposition ) 1 - Jamar ( merely for weight of knockouts , but unfortunately little support from onballers )

Trengove - regained some flair N.Jones - couldn't shake tag Watts - welcome to go Dawes - couldn't find ball Frawley - solid as rock Byrnes - not on field McKenzie - never stopped trying Dunn - gave rebound drive Garland - played under duress Nicholson - tried but failed Sellar - just lacks skills Evans - made dumb decisions Tapscott - nowhere near standard Davey - interested but flawed Gawn - had no involvement Howe - a wonderful game Jetta - was probably playing Jamar - just a dinosaur Bail - had no impact M.Jones - tried , lacks polish Terlich - tried , lacks composure Magner - tried, lacks ability

6 - Davey ( creative and sublime disposal ) 5 - Frawley ( loves the Riewoldt contest , and held his own despite the regularity of entry) 4 - Dunn ( good at both ends , and his kicking to advantage was noted ) 3 - Howe ( excellent with the ball, but I wish he'd get it more) 2 - Terlich ( sees ball and gets it ) 1 - Magner ( an encouraging return )

Trengove - good, not prolific N. Jones - gave little drive Toumpas - little boy lost Dawes - gave some value Frawley - excellent under pressure McKenzie - devoid of skills Dunn - versatile and effective Strauss - was rarely sighted Garland - good under pressure Nicholson - below average skills Sellar - stuck at task Evans - had occasional involvement Tapscott - tough but inconsistent Davey - best for ages Gawk - had little impact Howe - needed more involvement Jetta - tried but failed Jamar - an effective ruckman Bail- just a plodder M.Jones - rarely affected game Terlich - rough but ready Magner - slow but smart

6 -Gawn ( actually seemed to care ) 5 - Sylvia ( showed exuberance, skill , and passion) 4 - M.Jones ( showed composure , and almost reasonable skills)

N.Jones - pressure weighing down Dawes - unfit and unhelpful Viney - tried but flawed Frawley - had little presence Byrnes - was a liability Sylvia - gave a damn McKenzie - bereft of skills Dunn - tried but failed Strauss - loose and dumb Garland - was rarely sighted Nicholson - dumb and dumber Sellar - bereft of skills Evans - was on field Kent - had no impact Tapscott - fumbled and failed Davey - limited and flawed Gawn - seemed to care Howe - wasted natural talent Spencer - was easily beaten Bail - probably on field M.Jones - had limited effect Terlich - unwarranted overconfident attitude

6 - Dunn 5 - Garland 4 - M. Jones 3 - Sylvia 2 - N. Jones 1 - Frawley

Trengove - becoming a liability Grimes - a significant loss Jones - great first half Viney- was probably playing Frawley - wonderful without ball Byrnes - possibly on field Sylvia - flair without greatness McKenzie - see Frawley's comments Dunn - showed commendable discipline Strauss - may have played Garland - dedicated but loose Tapscott - loved his courage McDonald - see Frawley's comments Nicholson - tries but deficient Evans - had occasional impact Kent - backed himself in Gawn - showed some glimpses Howe - had no impact Spencer - tries but deficient Bail - may have played M.Jones - tries but limited Terlich - limited periphery vision

Trengove - hesitant and slow Grimes - performed as expected N.Jones - an unexpected passenger Watts - only second gear Frawley - good without ball Byrnes - played his part Sylvia - was always trying McKenzie - presence not justified Rodan - gave little drive Blease - 5 minute performance Garland - easily our best Terlich - ugly but effective Pederson - wasted a position McDonald - mistake-riddled performance Evans - unsighted after first Tapscott - tough and effective Davey - couldn't get involved Gawn - showed encouraging signs Howe - playing after first ? Jamar - enjoyed Moloney's presence Bail - regularly fluffed possessions Jones - tried but flawed

Ok everyone ... hands clasped together , and let's sing with feeling ' kumbaya .....

Score out of 10 for those who played : Hogan - 3 N.Jones - 6 Watts - 3 Toumpas - 3 Frawley - 6 Byrnes - 5 Sylvia - 6 Dunn - 7.5 Rodan - 6 Garland - 3 Pederson - 2 Magner - 3 Nicholson - 2 Gillies - 5 Macdonald - 3 Sellar - 5 Grimes - 4 Evans - 3 Tapscott - 3 Davey - 3 Howe - 3 Jamar - 6 M. Jones - 3 Terlich - 4

List of those who gave us little , or nothing , today : Hogan,Watts,,Toumpas, Garland,Pederson, Nicholson, Macdonald,Evans,Tapscott,Davey,Howe,

Just got home from the game . Not disastrous . Positives: Rodan - lots of class , speed , creativity and strength Byrnes - knows where to go; understands the fall of the ball Nicholson - showed nothing to suggest he deserves a game ( this IS a positive ) Dunn - continued his resurgence ; easily our best player and kick Sylvia - started to get some touches Best : Dunn, Jones , Rodan, Sylvia , Jamar ( dominated the hit outs against no opposition )

My first comments for quite a while, and my first attendance at training this pre-season. Undoubtedly, the most outstanding aspect of this morning's training for me was to see an energetic, involved, and enthusiastic Aaron Davey. He was running, chasing, and tackling as we remember him from 3-4 seasons ago, and he was far and away the most effective ball user on the field, even kicking a wonderful 50m goal on the run from the boundary. Another highlight was Fitzpatrick turning Junior McDonald inside out as he grabbed the ball at centre half forward , then backed his confidence to outsprint his more highly regarded opponent over 30 meters before kicking the goal. I like how Watts has finally broadened his frame to man- size proportions , and thoroughly enjoyed seeing Viney assert himself at every contest. Like others here, I was very disappointed with the kicking skills, though Casey Fields tends to bring the worst out of most players' disposal levels. No complaints about the endeavor of all, though this should go without saying at this time of the year. I'm looking forward to returning with my 3 word player analyses soon.

6 - Macdonald - made few errors and gave a damn 5 - Sellar - see Macdonald 4 - Sylvia - stringing games together helps 3 - Howe - wasn't great , but at least showed some class 2 - Nicholson - disposal was poor , but never stopped trying 1 - Grimes - gave a damn , but was still beaten

Trengove - playing on empty Grimes - gave a damn Watts - couldn't find rhythm Bate - second half effort Frawley - seemingly without passion Sylvia - started to perform McKenzie - disposal was amateurish Dunn - not the worst Blease - some isolated cameos Garland - no heroics today Moloney - no involvement again McDonald - absence was felt Rivers - not the answer Macdonald - our best defender Sellar - was always solid Martin - looked totally lost Tapscott - angry but useless Howe - classy but absent Spencer - waste of space Bail - had little involvement Nicholson - brave but careless Magner - is obviously tiring

Trengove - finally got possessions Grimes - continued his assession Jones - accomplished and effective Watts - used possessions impressively Bate - enjoyed his freedom Frawley - did little , well Clark - breathtaking first quarter Sylvia - some dynamic involvement McKenzie - harassed all day Dunn - effective in defense Blease - backed his speed Garland - an effective target Moloney - very quiet game T. McDonald - steadily building confidence Rivers - enjoyed new role J. MacDonald - tough and effective Sellar - played intelligent game Davey - goals but lacking Howe - great second half Jamar - dominated as expected Nicholson - successfully broke lines Magner - was rarely noticed

Trengove - continued to underperform Grimes - stand alone captain Jones - inspiring and courageous Watts - good but embarrassed Frawley - just a shadow Morton - officially an irrelevance Clark - great all day Sylvia - continued wretched season Mckenzie - gotta love him Dunn - found his niche Blease - was invariably unbalanced Green - sadly an embarrassment Garland - not the answer Moloney - not a tagger McDonald - a solid game Rivers - not a forward Seller - can't fault endeavour Tapscott - brave and aggressive Howe - needed greater involvement Jamar - had little influence Nicholson - courageous and improving Magner - just a game

Trengove - some vital touches Grimes - excellent sweeper's role Jones - a vital cog Watts - an intelligent game Morton - mistakes , but useful Clark - a minor player Sylvia - started to impose McKenzie - excellent tagging performance Dunn - effective , but limited Blease - excellent until injured Green - experience was important Garland - the x factor Moloney - enjoyed not tagging McDonald - mistakes , but important Rivers - a classy game Macdonald - tough and clever Seller - an impressive game Tapscott - application and toughness Howe - some cameo involvement Jamar - more rounded game Nicholson - confident and exciting Magner - never shirked issue