Maybe next year

My Votes: 6: Warnock (great defensive game considering the amount of time it went there) 5: Davey (great footskills - endeavour wa sback eventhough a number of opponents were able to easily avoid him 4: Morton (good run and effort today) 3: Green (went missingin last quarter but not Robinson Crusoe 2: Miller (he had them on toast until being concussed) 1: Bruce (needs to avoid those annoying, stupid and costly mistakes) Honoralble mention to J Mac for his tacking and Jones (would have got in my votes but consistentlytries to beat 3-4 opponents and gets caught. Has poor awareness). Back to earth for some of our younger players (Cheney, Petterd, etc).

My Votes: 6 - Cheney 5 - Moloney 4 - Warnock 3 - McDonald 2 - Petterd 1 - Green

Another season starts but with no more of an expectation than some improvement from 2008. I think we saw that today regardless of how we feel losing again. What bothers me is the doomsayers bagging the same players. Bruce - was quiet in the first half but was pretty good in the 2nd half. I was amazed that he was lined up against Wells in the first half. He did make some mistakes but also tackled hard and at least presented himself time after time. He needs to play on the ball or in the fwd line. Unfortunately, a few good games on Brad Johnson now means he is a tagger. Green - on other posts people say he went missing in the 2nd half. I would argue he got us back into the game in the 3rd qtr (ie. handball and goal). He did go missing in the last but for half of that qtr he wa sin fwd line. Continually placed his body on the line. Miller - people do not notice the little things (ie. bringing ball to ground, taking 2 defenders). He hurt himself in the 2nd qtr and prob had an injection to allow him to run. He does need to improve his kicking at goal. Unfortunatelt, he doe snot play on instinct and 2nd guesses himself too much - probably because of all the criticism he faces. The players that do worry me are Brock McLean, Nathan Jones, James McDonald and Brent Moloney. The last 2 can be excused because of their 3rd and 4th efforts and their tackling. They are too slow . We can afford 3 but not 4. We must have Buckley and Davey on the ball to give us some pace. The other worry are the kicking styles of the players. Brad Green needs to show Bruce, Miller, Pettard, Spencer, Morton and others how to kick properly. Anyway - only week one. Let's give the players a break for a few weeks.

pathetic effort today - maybe we did tank - we definitely did not try FWIW 6 - Sylvia 5 - Bruce 4 - Buckley 3 - Warnock 2 - Whelan 1 - Yze

6 - Morton - reminded of a tall Robert Flower today 5 - Bruce - reminded me of an older Cale Morton today 4 - Green - my pick for skipper next year 3 - McDonald - consistently put his body on the line 2 - Wheatley - a great Melbourne man - plays with heart and soul 1 - Buckley - provided great dash Hon mention to Newton who chased today Need to lift award goes to Aussie - please hold your marks.

Hi All, I took my 7 year old son to the superclinic today at the Junction Oval. At first I was nervous because I was not sure how I would react when I saw the players. Then I became confused - I wasn't sure who would be teaching who after last night's performance. Thankfully as soon as I arrived I became at ease and spoke to many of the players. Whilst I am not sure about Isaac Weetra the player, I am certain of him as a person. He is a genuinely nice guy who worked well with the kids. Jake Spencer was with him and he too was great. I thought he would be taller though. Only the young players from last night's game was there (except Wheatley) and were in a fairly jovial mood - definitely relaxed. It was a great morning and my son loved it. A huge thanks to the club and the players for bringing a smile to my son's face - not a regular experience with him when he sees our players (ie. on the field). Some comments on the players: Isaac Weetra and Jake Spencer - See above Aussie - very quiet - in fact I do not think he said a word - despite me talking to him. Matthew Whelan was very similar but at least said thanks when I said he had a good game last night. Aaron Davey - Great with the kids. Likely to play this week. Incidentally his brother is recovering well. Paul Wheatley - A delightful person. Had a great conversation with him. Genuinely upset with last night's performance and just said they were blown away. He is glad to be playing upfield a bit and is enjoying not having too many injuries - just some niggles. I asked how his shoulder was and he said it is fine but had a guilty look on his face and his reply was with no real conviction. I think there are probs there. Colin Garland - Pleasant guy with a good sense of humour. Shared a few jokes. Said he probably could have played last night and he is expecting to play the next game. He said my son's trading card book would be worth another $100 because he was signing it. All said tongue in cheek. Cale Morton - Definitely a future leader of the club. He is very confident and good spirited. His first comment to my son was - "am I your favourite player?" Was disappointed my son had no football card of him. Very relaxed and I sense good things will come to him. Chris Johnson - a delight. Really hope he achieves great things. I congratulated on his return to the team and he just wants to keep his place which says something about the guy. I think he will be at Aus Kick tomorrow with the kids so I hope to chat to him more then. Ricky Petterd - pleasant guy. Apparently still struggling with a hammy but is hoping to play tomorrow with Sandy. Nathan Jones, Stefan Martin, Jace Bode, Adem Yze, Brad Miller, Lyndon Dunn, Kyle Cheney - I hardly spoke to them. I did hear Adem talk to some kids and he was great. I was really glad to see that because last year he was rude, uninterested and disinterested.

Agree Dee Bruce. FWIW my votes: 6. Whelam 5. J McDonald 4. Valenti 3. Bruce 2. P Johnson 1. Me (for watching the whole game)

6 Morton (just wish he could improve his kicking to a player) 5 Bate 4 Sylvia (would have mnore votes if he tried in the 1st quarter) 3 McDonald 2 Garland 1 Valenti

Completely different team after the 1st quarter and difficult to give votes - i have tried to choose consistency over flashes: 6 - Bate 5 - C Johnson 4 - Miller 3 - Davey 2 - Buckley 1 - P Johnson

Unbelievable. He has been in our top players all year and he will finish in the top 5 in out best and fairest. Give a guy a break.

6 - Dunn (beat the 2008 brownlow medalist) 5 - CJ - gaining confidence with each game 4 - Buckley - his best game for the year 3 - Green - consistently in our best players 2 - Wheatley - our go to player and gives his all 1 - Bate - always presents

6 - Green (now my captain for next year) 5 - Miller 4 - C Johnson 3 - Dunn 2 - Wheatley (should be in leadership group) 1 - Sylvia

I sit in Bay 52 lower lever (reserved seats) and was ecstatic to see Jimmy come down with Aussie's Dad with about 8 mins to go. Great to see hm cheering and screaming like the rest of us. I would have liked to have heard what he said to the "dad" when Aussie lost his head and went for glory with about 2 mins to go. I have a good sense where this club is heading.

Absolutely fantastic. Similar to his run down against Sydney last year (or was it the year before) when he broke his collarbone. Gives his all - that's all you can ask for.

Disagree. I would not trade Bruce. His disposal may bot be great at the moment but we need him. He has sacrificed his game to support the club. He has been playing in th ebackline most weeks and his right position is midfield pushing forward. When he has that role like on the weekend he is very effective. He is the best plater at the club. We must keep him and people need to accept he is our next captain -albeit for 1-2 years.

I was interested to see that Bartram is the voic eof the football club again with respect to reports from the game. I wonder if this is a development strategy for the young bloke. He may be targeted for a leadership role within the next few years and possibly captain. I can't believe he is only 20 and playing his 3rd year of football (one lost to injury). I will keep my eye on him in future and his media work. Also good ot see him push forward and kick a couple of goals. If he is doing this for a few parmas (to quote the official club's website) imagine what he would do for a buffet dinner at smorgys. It wa salso good to read that Jimmy has Bartram's full support. I am sure Jimmy can sleep better now

I know players can cost us goals. I can't believe he can cost us that many goals (-4, -5, etc) although has last few games were shocking.

6 - Wheatley 5 - Warnock 4 - Garland 3 - Johnson 2 - McDonald 1 - Sylvia

I am a big Bruce fan and defend him regularly on this site. He is the first to be picked on when we lose and obviously this year he is an easy target. On saying that he had his worst game for the year today and I admit he was awful. However, when moved on the ball he played better. Hopefully, this will be the end of him playing on the HBF. Anyway I am willing to cut him some slack this week because he has been one of our best most weeks despite the usual bruce bashers here.

You will notice I did not include any past players or coaches. I am sure Caro goes for Rich - not Melbourne.

I thought Denis was a WCE supporter ( I know he is a big Robbo fan) Anthony Hudson - Geelong Andrew Maher - Carlton Mike Sheahan - Melbourne Caroline Wilson - Richmond Tim Lane - Carlton Peter Landy - Hawthorn Drew Morphett - Carlton I think Eddie McGuire - need I answer Francis Leech - Stkilda Mark Fine - StKilda Bruce McAvaney - Neutral

How many games did he play for the Melbourne FC? No-one doubts his performances but I wonder about his longevity. By the same token maybe you expect Jacko in the top 150 also (and what about Jeff Farmer). I am not surprised he has been left out. I would also be surprised if Bruce is in as he has not won a b&f. On saying that I think Bruce has been a better player than Jackavich but not by much. I have no doubt that the top 150 players will all deserve their spots. The biggest question for me is how many players in the top 50 will come from my era (80's onwards). I doubt there will be that many. Some certainties include: Lyon, Neitz, Flower, Viney and Stynes. Other than that I am struggling. Which would you prefer from these? J McDonald vs Woewodin Steve Smith vs Danny Hughes Jackavich vs Mark Jackson Robertson vs Gerard Healy Bruce vs Greg Healy Others to consider: Wilson, Stretch (doubt it but I loved watching him), White, Wight and Greg Healy

My point was obviously too subtle. These guys are performing week in and week out. If you want to focus on getting value there are others way ahead of these two ( a couple who were once in the top 10 draft picks several years ago). For the record I do not want either of those players to go. Besides, if you want 1st round picks you will not get it from Bruce or Green as they are both too old and are not considered in the same class as Judd.

Here we go again. The Bruce and Green bagging show. These guys continue to try their guts out for the team and people come along here and want to trade them. It is getting boring. How about supporting the guys who give their all?

It is a no for me. I want to be able to see my club play. I would rather the club merge than move interstate. On saying all this, I would rather we exist on our own but we need more support week in week out. We need a goo dschool base dprogram to encourage young kids to support our club.