waynewussell

You are so right on this point AlphaDee

I was front row near players race with loyal son... can't remember so many ridiculous miss-kicks in one game

The trip was a bad decision, but it looked like a trip. The out of bounds on full which should have gone to us but went to them for another shot on goal was as absurd as it gets. The holding the ball against Rivers when the ball had been knocked away near his ankle and then held in by a North player shows that the umpires are awarding what they imagine rather than what they see. The free against White for guarding the space at the throw in was an indication that the umpires don't know the rules or spirit of the game. I also counted 7 head high hits that weren't awarded to Melbourne players and there were at least 6 blatant holding the ball/incorrect disposal decisions that were not given. Neitz only has a bum and a neck because he sure as hell doesn't have a BACK!!!!

Bailey seems to prefer the Sandy route which makes a lot of sense, however, I rate Bate as an immediate in when fit... which places him head and shoulders above Sylvia IMO

I am a White fan, but I have previously written a piece called 'The White is Dead'. I saw the incident and my son had to pacify me in case I destroyed the expensive (for me) LCD monitor... I like what White has contributed over his long career. I like him for things other than his toughness. At the moment I don't like him for his clangers, particularly by hand (which I witnessed in person at Casey Fields). The other annoying idiosyncrasy (feel free to read IDIOTsyncrasy) is White's habit of seeing four options when he has possession without taking any of them... the fifth option is usually the one he does not execute cleanly!!!!! Now, White observers will know what I am talking about. He has been doing this for at least 5 seasons. FREE ADVICE FOR MR WHITE... "Always take the first option, take it quickly and half the time it will work out" ... which is a way higher percentage than you are currently rating!

Three games... on two occasions now he has beaten an opposition gun! Bruce-beaters are are dumb!

He actually kicked 2-2 but a goal umpire robbed us of a goal presumably because he was intimidated by the locals!

The only mugs around here are the (for want of a better word) supporters who can't acknowledge the positive contribution from someone they have bagged because they feel their point of view must be preserved beyond reason! I was pleased to see Miller's contribution today. He was a contributor and he made his presence felt. I can see the coach and the player in question drawing some confidence from that. We are on about list development and if Miller continues to develop along these lines then it is a good thing. I will support anyone who puts body on line and fights to restore some on-field pride in the jumper.

Nathan Carroll was the only player that acted out, on-field, what I wanted done from the stands. Nathan Jones had made a blue and had some Bulldog (think it was Hahn) in his face big-time. Carroll was ferocious in his efforts to support Jones. He shook the Bulldog like a rag doll and landed 8 of the best, rapid-fire jumper punches I have ever witnessed, with the result that said Bulldog was left cowering and looking for a hole to crawl into. On top of this Carroll played one of his best games for the MFC. Posters who make inane comments about his lack of skill, lack of pace, or lack of football smarts are so far off the mark they should be dismissed as insignificant light-weights. When given support in defence Carroll will establish himself as one of the best back-line pick-ups we have been fortunate enough to snare. He is an excellent pack-mark, he is aggressive and he puts his body on the line time and time again for his team-mates. He is clever enough to give away very few frees, even in this age of tiggy-touch-wood, one-on-one, umpiring atrocities. He deserves our admiration in this our darkest hour!

Dunn was a major disappointment. He was coming off 5 goals with Sandy and was supposedly fit. Today he couldn't even do the basics, he seemed lost and didn't understand his role (read 'gameplan') He continually ran to the wrong spots on the wrong side. At one stage he couldn't seem to make up his mind whether to tackle or not so he just escorted his opponent through the centre square without applying any pressure. Having said that, I wouldn't drop him, I'd play him in position... Half Forward leading and presenting, playing on and swee[ing the ball with good passes to the 30 metre spot. That's what he does well... JUST LET THEM PLAY!!!! They are over coached... no intuitive football being displayed. C H R I S T !!! These guys have been playing the game for years... let them play GAMEPLANS are for contenders!

I'm with you there Jaded. This is the role Bartram made his own from day 1, we have missed him big-time. One can only hope he is fit enough to reach the same level or even better with experience and physical development. That was what made Sunday's performace so insipid... No tags... No physical presence.

Forced myself to watch the first half last night and noticed something about our tactics in the ball-ups and throw-ins. Several times early on White tapped to Moloney. So much so that the opposition seemed to read this tactic, paying close attention to no 22 at these times (sometimes holding Moloney by the arm in what should have resulted in a free). On other occasions as many as three Hawks would try to block Moloney's run at the ball. I was surprised at how many times White's tap found Moloney's position... good ruck work! However, apart from the opposition reading this tactic, Moloney does not get the ball away as quickly as, say McDonald, and we were often tied up in another ball-up situation (Jones also has trouble getting it away quickly, often being wrapped-up in a gang tackle). Note that later in the game the umpire turned on Moloney penalysing him for holding the ball, I think the umps were just over-reacting to his constantly being tackled before disposing of it. The top teams usually feed that first touch out with lightning speed to the defensive side of the circle, followed by another handball to a wider running option. Our tactic centred on Moloney running toward our end and trying to burst through the pack. Now, I'm not knocking Moloney's game, he was clearly one of our better contributors. I am simply pointing out a tactic that has been coached, possibly by the mid-field coach, that was flawed. Moloney should be the player who is running a little wider for the second handball, he rarely gets the ball away quickly and he is best running in a straight line before unloading a long entrance into our goal-square (or thereabouts). The bloke who comes out looking alright here is White, and remember, I am only talking about early in the piece. I think McDonald was being wasted early-on. We also need someone else in the centre who can get the ball away quickly. Perhaps Brock should have been the go-to man in this set-up.

My rationalisation for that historic underperformance centres on the senior players belief in the new game plan. I suspect some antagonism from a group that doesn't believe fully in the re-arrangement. It seems to me that some are sulking. Take Brad Green for example, his heart was not in it for most of the first half, then suddenly in the third quarter he bursts through the centre, accelerates into the 50 and pots a sinature goal as easy as you like. I read that as a statement play... "this is what I would like to be doing if allowed to play the role". Just a perception I had at the time, a gut feeling, maybe grasping at straws but from that moment on Green appeared to be more willing to play with some authority.

I think your assessment stands up Mono. One or two other [censored]-bits that annoyed me... player with the ball after mark or free does not look both ways for an option. Several times a player was clear, particularly on the members side when kicking to the Punt Rd end, and the kicker did not even look in that direction before directing the ball to the Southern Stand flank. Another one that annoys the hell out of me is when the person who retrieves the ball after the opposition has scored a behind walks into the goal square presumably for the kick-in... then puts the ball on the ground and trots out to CHB while the bloke who we deem "the kicker" trots 30 yards back to the square to take it... on a day when we have been notoriously slow and defective at bringing the ball in. Miller did this on one occasion which made me all the more angry at him for his poor defensive skilss/nouse.

I'll be there with my kids. I took all three today ,which has become a Mahoney tradition in round 1. I checked with all three on the drive home and all three said they were not put off by today's miserable (and statistically historic) event. They said they would come again because watching the new players develop was exciting. I should add that all three are under 14yoa. So bring on our first home game. I would think that anything under 50 points in arrears would be a step forward

maximum bob or maximum gob? Your analysis is as helpful as a wet sponge in the Ash Wednesday fires. Glib, drab and flaccid. Get thee to the Gold Coast!

White's time is over! There isn't another ruckmen at AFL level that fears White's presence. That, with the new centre circle rule (which negates White's only athletic advantage) is reason alone to move on. he has been a great servant of the club. There were years where he was one who demanded the ball down the corridor. he has taken some wonderful high marks and slotted some telling majors, but he is not helping us get the ball out of the middle and PJ, MJ & JM should be given a challenge. For a start PJ and MJ ar far more agressive and agression is needed when you suffer a 100 point demolition in a landmark opening round. Heads will roll. The White is dead, long live the White!

B: Bell Carroll Holland HB Wheatley Rivers Petterd C Buckley Jones C Johnson HF Bruce Dunn Sylvia F Davey Green Neitz Foll White Bartram McDonald Bench PJohnson Morton Weetra Garland

Bruce is coming off a knee injury. I was one of 12.000 Melbourne supporters who attended. I sat one row back near the players race and Bruce was obviously one MFC rep who knew what he was doing and tried and has what it takes. He is a skinny prik, he has a motor, he made mistakes but I'm afraid mistakes were made in Biblical proportions from selection on. I was nailing Green for being disinterested in the first half but then he runs on, into 50 and slots a sublime goal as easy as you like. At that moment I realized (as I have since the classic comeback against Carlton many years back, that Green is being played out of position. He is every bit the player that Williams (Hawks) is in the same position. Robbo is keeping him out of the forward line and I am over Robbo.

IN Batram, Dunn, Sylvia, Holland, CJ, possibly Rivers if 100% and about 25,000 Melbourne supporters who didn't show up today OUT Miller, Yze, Newton or Neitz, McLean (not 100%), Weetra (some good signs but needs more time at Sandy), possibly Robbo protecting the ball carrier does not even appear on the game plan agenda. This is the essential ingredient of run & carry. We all run away from the ball carrier, leaving him to run into trouble... TURNOVER Brad Green MUST be played as a leading forward, FF if necessary leaving the first kick from a point kick-in uncontested is STUPID football leaving the centre corridor to your opponent for 100 minutes is the quickest way to lose by 100 points MILLER IS NOT A BACKMAN, he is hardly a footballer... one thing he can do is lead hard at the ball-carrier, let him go back to Sandy and rehearse what he does quite well Holland should have been played. leaving Bell to play on Buddy was excruciating. HOLLAND would have forced the ball to the ground on half a dozen occasions At one stage we had three of the tallest players on the list within 30 yards of our goal (whilst Bell was struggling against Buddy!) THE GAME PLAN DOESN'T WORK! I hope Bailey is man enough to admit a mistake and change to kick long and one handball to a running player before kicking (this might be considered old hat, but it puts pressure on backmen and I guarantee it yields more than 6 goals a game!)

Morton can play, he would look a lot better in a competitive team. Paul Johnson took some good marks early. Thought Bruce and Green showed that they can still play, however Green seems to have the sulks and Bruce is easing back after knee trouble.

They have now updated the Valenti pic

Caught the tail-end of a very interesting conversation Connolly had with The Ox and friends. He said..... * Carroll and Brock have had an outstanding pre-season but had broken the code set by the players * There are no other incidents that the club is covering up re Brock * Brock has only been suspended and could still become a captain of the MFC * Green was a person he expected to be on a shortlist for captain when he arrived at the club, but the players had not voted him onto the leaders group. Expected Green to learn what he needed to do to get into the leadership group * He thought the travelling around from training venue to venue, far and wide, was unacceptable and would be something he works very hard on to fix for next season * We would have 41 out of 43 going round in some capacity this weekend * Injured players have been given every opportunity to arrive at round 1 ready to play * Cheeney has been held back in an ultra-cautious manner * Bailey has the call on matters related to when players would return to full training etc * Said questions about McNamee should be addressed to Gardiner * Indicated that McNamee must be well credentialled because he is on a very short list * The appointment of the CEO was the most important for the club in 25 years

Its become my first favourite activity since Mrs Wussell cut my..... supply! Ho! Ho! Ho! Hope the fat man brings joy but don't forget the real meaning of Christmas.

Thanks for the comprehensive report MFC4Life. You have covered an enormous amount and brought us up to date.