dazzledavey36

I disagree unfortunately. How will last year be any different to this year? 2021 came after a year of zero football in Melbourne and its probably fair to say there were some poor crowds in Melbourne this year. I think some people will be still hesitant attending this year and will most likely see same crowd attendance as last year. Some people who have experienced covid once may not be so keen attending a crowded venue.

Not really Melbourne related, but it's interesting seeing this unfold. Ex-Crows footy boss ‘vindicated’ by infamous camp verdict Sam McClure and Caro have had to issue an apology to the Collective Minds group over the whole camp fiasco. What raised my eyebrows was this was mentioned in the full statement. "In 2018 former Port Adelaide head coach Mark Williams publicly stated a number of outlandish claims he asserted were facts. These were a key trigger in the AFL Integrity Unit investigation and have since been proven to be wrong by the AFL Integrity Unit and Safework SA."

Well I suppose that puts things in a much better perspective.

No that wasn't my expectations at all. I thought at least starting point was 46k perhaps. Does anyone know what we were this time last year?

There's only one..

I must admit I'm a tad disappointed that we're at 40k for memberships. Especially after premiership winning year, it's hard to fathom that we are on level with St Kilda and Fremantle.

No it doesn't. It shows the person making the comment has zero idea.

There's always one..

Started early days at Tarrawingee and then Wangaratta Rovers. Pretty sure he finished off his footy playing days at Tarra.

He never said 2 first round picks would replace him. He said that it's pretty much a starting point if Jackson decided to eventually go back to WA. Draft picks aren't guaranteed in becoming a success but every player has a starting price. Following on from what @Deez Man said I agree with him regarding Jason Taylor. You'd easily back him to unearth another Pickett and Jackson if we dod net two 1st round picks. That gives me comfort. In all of that, I doubt Jackson is leaving anything soon.

Funny enough my initial thought was Hogan as well. Back when he was a pack marking beast before he turned into a 3rd tall roaming forward who instead skirted the packs instead of jumping at the ball. I do like Hogan and really hope to see him at his best this year.

We're allowed. We're reigning premier's and I'm arrogant as [censored] about it now. Our young players are better then everyone else.

Andy Moniz Wakefield looked pretty classy in that clip also. Kozzy just seems like he'll go up another level. Couldn't believe my eyes how he easily ran down Hunt. The Jacob Van Rooyen clunk has me excited. Not only that but his ability to leap over Joel Smith who probably has one of the highest vertical leap at the club. Is it me or did that contested mark remind me of Aaron Naughton? very impressive.

Holy smokes! The Van Rooyen clunk!!

Any news in Brock Smith being a potential recruit @KC from Casey?

I think of some of the greats of the game who had proven over time in being able to stand up in big finals and perform. They build a reputation as just going up another level when finals arrive. Their sheer brutality and intense hardness was something I admired about these blokes and everytime these guys played in September everyone around them walked taller. Guys like Michael Voss, Nigel Lappin, Luke Hodge, Joel Selwood are probably the ones who stick out the most. Jack Viney sits alongside these guys quite comfortably.

If Jack Darling retires which is looking that way, this will open up huge cap space for the Eagles.

I totally forgot about that.

One thing I learnt about our premiership win is that any team can implement a good system over the pre season. Sydney and GWS especially are huge threat next year. GWS I could see being a genuine top 3 team if they get their system right, and have a good year injury wise.

I bumped into Daniel Turner at our local gym during the off season and had a good chat to him about his stint so far in the AFL system and the September experience. I was also blown away by how incredibly fit he was. He'd already lost all his puppy fat and looked as lean as I had seen. He said he got a reality check with just how professional you have to be off field including your diet. Stark different compared to his 'tradie diet' as an apprentice plumber prior to being drafted. He was doing his running program up here with Charlie Spargo who is an absolute pro when it comes to off field training standards. His older brother has recently signed at our footy club. Looking forward to getting some good updates off him. I hope he gets a game next year.

Just trying to find some details to confirm this, but the Melbourne Football Club junior Academy are playing St Kilda's JA as well. I'm lead to believe future father son prospect Kalani White will be playing for the Dee's which would give some glimpse into the future. If anyone could fine further details that would be great.

Not sure why there is this rush into getting games into JVR. I'd be happy for him to play majority of the year at Casey (fingers crossed) until he absolutely bangs the door down like Bowey did. If he's able to sneak in some late games towards the back end of the year then I think it'll be a good outcome for JVR on a personal level and the club as well. But absolutely have no doubt the club would not be one bit fazed if he didn't debut this year. They'll just want to make sure he is developing well. What we do know is Mark Williams mantra of tearing your birth certificate up when you arrive at the club. Meaning there is no cap put on you when you are a young draftee. If you have strong consistent form in the 2's then you'll get a game.

Yeah that was annoying. Almost like explaining to a kid the simple basics of footy.

On the topic itself, I've always found that I do quite enjoy listening to Tom when he speaks. He's very smart in the way he articulates his language, but is often ahead in his thought process. I didn't mind the interview at all. I love his honesty, and the biggest thing he emphasised on, and probably a lesson for young footballers, was just make sure you have a career option to fall back on. He couldn't stress enough the importance of just be prepared with life after footy. On the other topics, I mean it's obviously what he believes in and good on him. I think now people are too scared to express their own views and opinions on a social media platform with the fear of getting smashed online. I admire the bloke for not being afraid to express his views.

The better thing was we were in fact rarely dominated at all in all our losses. That's whys our season imo was by far the best season from an AFL club since Geelong 2007.