waynewussell

My thoughts exactly, Iv'a, when I picked up the scarf at the Hawks match. It is very 'FITZROY' of old. I think it is because the red thread has been knitted in with the blue in production, thereby giving it the moroon touch. Have a closer look you people who thought I'va was dreaming. I too prefer not only the colours of previous scarves but also the design(s)

Ahem! Well, b@gger me dead, who would have thunk it? I reckon my initial reading of the situation was accurate. I'm only irritated by the blind-eye the umpires turned. The free-kick should have been reversed! Remember, this is the same group of adjudicators who reacted with triple knee-jerks to the push in the chest by Grimes which gifted same Rioli a shot from 15 metres out. They are also the same group who debated the out-of-bounds rule for 71/2 minutes just to ensure all of us that they were meticulous when it comes to the rules of the game!!!!!

I thought Grimes showed poor decision making when retaliating by pushing over Hawk in the SS forward pocket in third qtr. However, how in the hell did it end up in the hands of Rioli from straight in front? This wasn't too long after Jones went 1/2 a metre over the mark and was instantly given a 50m penalty... and just before the umpires decided that Jamar was the only ruckman in the nation to try and avoid being pushed aside at a throw in by holding a part of his opponent.

Ok, I watched the replay. Rioli was miffed at some rugged treatment... he whacked the first Demon to come near him, which was Jones who was running to position, or to the interchange... not expecting contact. It can be passed off as unintentional in that Rioli didn't use his fist. However, the free kick should have been reversed.

Not interested in an appraisal of Jones' game here... just interested in the facts surrounding a Demon player who was distressed by a body hit from an opponent which may not have been legal. If you can't contribute some factual information save your rant about how much Jones resembles a plastic marker for other threads which are devoted to such vitriol!

Don't care about your toughness barometer, if he was hit off the ball when not close enough to expect forceful contact, then Rioli has a case to answer. To me it looked like the act of a clever footballer who didn't appreciate the tag!

are the 'nothing in it' brigade talking after viewing the footage?

Thought Martin continued on from where he left off last week... a 'keeper'. We need a few bigger bodies, therefore Wonna is a monty! (probably for Jetta) We won't slash and burn, so injuries will play a part. I thought I saw Tappy favour his hip considerably late in the game, Garland may miss. Jones could have a cracked rib or two thanks to Mr Rioli (may give Gys his chance). I'd be interested in how Newton got his goals. If he played as a genuine CHF I think we need to consider him.

I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned here. Behind play, hit him in the guts, took the wind out of Jones for some time. Straight forward I week with a guilty plea, like Scarlett I would have thought.

Something to cheer demon supporters after the dismal display today!

I'll put up the full 2nd Qtr after we take care of Hawks today!

Yep, Google Chrome seems to have fixed it!

Yes, pages definitely slow to load here at wusseland! Have also noticed it for a week or so.

This is exactly the sort of response I warm to at 12.45am on a Sunday morning. Witty, wise and welcome welief for wayne!

Grandson, that is the most accurate appraisal of today's game I have seen to date. Well done mate... I concur!

Only 16 of today's 26 will be required in round 1 Warnock Jones Watts Bennell Sylvia Dunn Petterd Maric Moloney Rivers Macdonald Scully Jetta Jamar Spencer / Martin depending on how we play the substitute rule Bail Tapscott will follow soon after (along with Frawley, Morton, McKenzie of course)

Also just got back from Cardboard Park. We played the kids Cook (2nd half), Tapscott, Howe, Tom McDonald, Nicholson and Evans all got a run. McDonald looks good coming out of defence. He has good size, clean hands and shows poise under pressure. I reckon he will be in the 22 by years end. Nicholson is a magnet, got quite a bit of it in the final qtr... is slight for this level but is a footballer! Howe made his presence felt and probably contributed as much as Watts, however, Jack's kicking for goal is sublime. I agree with everything that has been said about Tapscott. He is looking fully fit and one feels much more secure with the ball in his hands than when Strauss has it. By the way, Strauss often takes the kick out but he waits so long to get rid of it that he ends up a one trick pony, kicking it to himself then long to a boundary contest. Of the regulars, Sylvia was terrific in the first half, Jones was good in patches and never stops trying, Moloney got better as the game went on, Jamar owned the ruck and took a couple of big grabs up forward, Spencer is looking better each game and is certainly a handy back-up. He is huge now! Was good to see Gysberts out there but he seemed to tire. Jetta was in everything and laid some big tackles. He did some smart things in the packs. Jamie Bennell is pushed off the contest too easily but his run is superb, notably in the fourth quarter. Bate contributed and looks fit. Dunn coasted without being dominant. Scully had a quiet first half but was starting to show something in the final qtr. Cook got a late run but didn't get many opportunities with the ball. Bail had flashes of brilliance and tried hard all day. Rivers was Rivers. He made one big mistake kicking across goal in the first quarter allowing a Brisvegas forward to chip in for a goal. McDonald did a similar bad kick in the third going across the centre square to opposition after ignoring Evans who was free on the other HFF. Moloney and Martin also caughed up the ball by hand and foot. The umpires were ordinary, missing many obvious frees then picking out tiggy-touch-wood frees which were particularly damaging in our backline. At least three Brisvegas goals were the result of doubtful umpiring. I'll leave it at that and maybe answer any questions that crop up. Given they got a few goals from rediculous errors by MFC foot and the aforementioned umpiring influence, and the fact that we played several kids, I'm not too depressed about the result. We definitely have unearthed a few strong contenders for the best 22 in years to come in McDonald, Tapscott, Howe and Nicholson.

As I reported earlier, watching the final stages of training at Gosch's paddock on Friday 28th Jan, Joel MacDonald consistently outperformed Strauss with his torps from the goalsquare. On more than one occasion he hit close to the centre circle. I made a quick measurement later and came to the conclusion that MacDonald had been kicking 65 metres (75m from goal when you take the square into account). Tassie was an excellent drop kicker, but he was no match for Geelong's Paul Vinar who regularly got highest marks for distance on WOS (I seem to remember a 91 metre monster). Modern examples of longest drop-punters at MFC would include Bennett, Wheatley, Neitz and Dean.

As well as Frawley, Campbell, Newton, Wonaeamirri, Tapscott, Davis and Fitzpatrick... and, of course, Davey, Jurrah and Bennell

The thing about the contested mark was that it came against stiff opposition in a training drill where the emphasis was on leading fast to the ball carrier (there weren't many contested marks in the whole session). It also came in a short period where he lead out and took a good uncontested grab on the lead, found a team mate with a pass, then followed up immediately by presenting and outmarking a couple of decent defenders. In this 10 minute period Watts showed a range of skills... improved strength, speed, accurate kicking. He brings plenty to the table and his influence will continue to grow. I'm not expecting any more than another talented option in the forward half in 2011. I add his name to Jurrah, Wonaeamirri, Petterd, Green, Dunn, Davey and Sylvia.

Jeremy Howe trained... I know this because I heard his name being called in match-play. However, even though I was keen to see how he went, I can't recall actually noticing him.

A few pics from signing

I was at the Barassi signing in the Demon Shop this morning with my son. Ron was very accommodating, signing everything that was thrust under his nose. He was interviewed during the book sign (CH 7 News I think) and he had a few interesting things to say. On the question of who he would endorse as the next MFC captain Ron was diplomatic, saying he wasn't close enough to the inner sanctum to know who should be captain. He did add, however, that the captain should be tough and be the one who stood up when the team needed a lift. When asked about where he thought Melbourne would finish in 2011 he said he couldn't say but he thought they were on the improve. He went on to say that Melbourne supporters would need to keep their expectations at a realistic level.