45HG

That depends. If we lose by 6 goals but score less than 28% of their score, it'll still go down!

Since 2001, we have had the following top 20 picks; 9, 14, 15, 3 (Sylvia), 5, 13, 15 (Dunn), 12 (Jones), 12 (Frawley), 4, 14 (Grimes), 1 (Watts), 17 (Blease), 19 (Strauss), 1, 2 (Trengove), 11, 18 (Tapscott), 12, 12 (Clark), 3, 13, 20 (Hogan, Dawes, Barry), 4 (Toumpass). That's 24 picks. 15 players are still on the list. Good footballers Jones, Frawley, Grimes, Clark OK players/players with potential Blease, Dawes, Trengove Too early to tell Hogan, Toumpass, Barry Battlers Dunn, Tapscott, Strauss, Watts, Sylvia I make it 4 good AFL players, 3 with potential and 3 too early to tell from 24 top 20 picks. Two of those weren't even developed by us.

Oh yeah.

I don't know why he cuts it at top 10 (there haven't been that many) but if you stretch it to top 20, the headline is spot on.

What was his actual plan to stop Watson? It's one thing to say "stop Watson" - an entirely other one to say how to do it.

See, what's confused me about this issue is that Melbourne fans seem to just say that losing all of those players is ok because the players were no good. Really, we should be fuming that so, so many of our top 20 picks have turned out to be spuds. The fact that we got rid of them because they're no good does not point to their not being an issue with the list, in fact it states the opposite. It's fair enough to have a go at the club for losing so many young, first round draft picks.

First up, let me reiterate what I said the first time I did this. I enjoy Aussie Rules. I love the Demons but I take a lot of joy from watching most games. If you don't care for the rest of the AFL, this thread is not for you. Round 3 Again, there are some absolutely cracking match ups which could help reveal the fibre of a few clubs. Fremantle v Essendon This promises to be one of the mouth-watering clashes for Round 3. On Friday night, Perth will witness two teams in cracking form comprising of two very different game styles. The Bombers play an agressive, free running style and like to back in their forwards to do the job. Traditionally, Ross Lyon's teams are probably some of the hardest to coach/play against/watch. Watson, Heppell and Zaharakis are very dangerous in the middle but will get no where near the freedom they got last week. Fremantle are great at shutting out space for the opposition and I'll look for them to be too good at the crucial stages. Dockers by 7 North Melbourne v Sydney Mouth-watering clash number 2. The Roos may regret this game being played in Tassie. At the Dome, I'd have them winning almost comfortably - down there it's about evens. North have been in good form but have come up just short against two very good teams. Sydney have just gone against the two new AFL sides. This is a battle of the working-class midfield against the diamond encrusted working-class midfield. North's guys just get the job done consistently and, with Petrie firing and Thomas lively, their work is well rewarded. Sydney are obviously the reigning premiers and it's hard to judge their easing into the season. With North up and about and keen to impress their new fans, they should get up over the Swans - could it come down to Petrie v Reid? A loss could be tough to take for the Roos, who would slip to 0-3 despite showing some great form. North by 9 Melbourne v West Coast As John Longmire said, there are no easy games in footy...unless you're playing Melbourne. With that out of the way, I'm going to go well against the tide. Before Round 1 I said I thought one of Freo or West Coast will turn out to be pretenders. I don't think it's the former and, without Nic Nat, I think West Coast struggle. This could be the battle of the inside 50s, with two of the comps lowest teams for that stat facing up to each other. The thing is, the Eagles have enough players to damage the opposition when it does go in (scoring at about 65% of the time they enter). Melbourne will be up and about for this in my opinion. I think Neeld will loosen his grip on the side and the boys will revel in their freed up environment, ready to run and support one another. We'll try very hard (I've invited friends for some birthday fun to this game, labelling it as part of the International Comedy Festival) and it'll be a whole lot closer than others are expecting. However, our lack of fitness and finesse will hurt us in crucial stages and as the game wears on. West Coast by 37 GWS v St Kilda The Saints need to get on the board and will refuse to lose to the other expansion side having already succumbed to Gary Ablett. GWS are not the push-overs they were expected to be this season (yet) and will be tough to shake in patches but I'm looking at the flat-track specialists to do a job on GWS. Saints by 73 Geelong v Carlton This game's great because one of them has to lose. Geelong simply do not know how to lose. Carlton simply do not know how to ignore their own hype. The Cats have won the last 3 against the Blues (interestingly, these teams have not played twice in a season for 10 years). A tough game to read for a number of factors but the biggest, in my mind, is the Blues run on. Against the Tigers, for a quarter, they looked unstoppable. At their best, they use the ball well and run forward of the play in flocks. Against the Pies they were well up and about but just succumbed to a better side. Will it happen again? I can see this being one of those games where Carlton thrash the first half and it'll depend on how well Geelong do their comeback. Either team by 11 points Gold Coast v Brisbane The battle of the bananas, or whatever they call it, is often a close match (2 our of 4, anyway) and this should be no different. I've watched a lot of Melbourne games and have no qualms about saying that the last time these two teams played each other was easily the worst game of football I've seen. GC are very hard to shake at home and, with Gary Ablett, nothing can be taken for granted. For the March champions, this signals the possibility of going 0-3 - almost unthinkable going on pre-season form. The Lions will be desperate for the win to get their season on track, the Suns will be itching to roll their neighbours and go 2-1. Brisbane's experience should win out, however. Brisbane by 27 Richmond v Western Bulldogs The Tigers are flying and the Bulldogs, despite the Dockers taking their foot off the pedal, were brought back to Earth on the weekend. Richmond's midfield is very hard to stop and the only thing that really can hold them back are, really, moments of just being Richmond. This occurs, most often, in their backline. The Dogs forwardline, however, won't be enough to cause that to happen and the Tigers will be too strong. Tigers by 42 Collingwood v Hawthorn Yum. A true blockbuster. Collingwood will need a lift from Cloke but the biggest thing will be their drive of half back. Hawthorn struggled against the Cats foot speed from the back line and the Pies will need to manufacture this. Thomas may be back for the filth but the big name is L Hodge. It's no surprise, really, that the Hawks did a job on the Eagles when he came back in. The thing is, though, for two big teams that are pretty evenly matched, Hawthorn traditionally win this game - and often win it well. They both love the big stage and they both love a contest. Hawks by 17 Port Adelaide v Adelaide The round ends with a but of fun in the showdown - there's always something of interest that happens in these games. Adelaide were shocking against the Bombers and, save for some Dangerfield magic, looked short against the Lions. The Power have played one poor quarter this year. Form, however, matters little in these clashes. Like Perth, I feel there's only ever room enough for one team at a time in this town. This year, could it be Port. On Port, it's important for us Dees fans to remember their finish to 2011. They played the Pies at home and lost 3.3 to 23.21 and a week later to the Hawks 5.2 to 31.11. A week later, they played a poor Dogs side and trailed, at quarter time, 63 to 6. They've turned the corner quite quickly. Toss a coin. Game of the round A few to choose from. Hawks Pies for mine though, but with Dockers/Dons, Kangas/Swans and Cats Blues up there. Thrashing of the round Saints over the Giants Upset of the round North Melbourne

...? Those are pretty much the only two ways a young player will leave a club (unless you're Tom Swift).

I'm Ron Burgundy?

I don't understand point 2.

Depressing to think that this was written nearly two years ago - and things have only gotten worse.

They might get a bit of and finally the deal.

What a hollow offering.

Huh? You've missed the point approximately 100%.

Posted this in the other thread, but fits here too. Thanks for the rundown titan, great work. This stood out for me and it relates to what I posted in the Brian Royal thread. I don't understand why they weren't taught the non-negotiables first before they were taught an overly complex gameplan that was very different from what our players were used to. Why wasn't it "ingrained in our culture" and our playing style first. Once the coaches see that consistent attack and intensity then begin to bring the layers of the future gameplan onto the group. It's like the FD have seen where they want to end up and they've just implanted that onto the playing group. Anyone familiar with teaching will know of the "zone of proximal development" - essentially that you only push students so far that they can reach successfully but with effort. The FD don't seem to have acknowledged this. Instead they've got our boys playing a game that is too different/difficult for them to grasp and it has shot their confidence to nought. We need to rethink this "rebuild of a rebuild" super quick.

What's with taking a mark and handballing it to a stationary player with opposition nearby?!?! You have the mark - you are "safe." You can assess your options and help a teammate by giving them the footy in a good position. Automatically handballing to a teammate nearby (and proceeding, usually, to not shepherd) with no options upfield (which was the reason for the handball in the first place, I presume) makes no sense to me 90% of the time.

What summed it up for me about this bloke (and by extension, the rest of his team) came with about 30 seconds to go in the game. After Byrnes (don't get me started) slipped and turned the ball over, the footy fell to Cale Hooker who is 19 cm and 16 kg heavier than Viney. Hooker looked at him with contempt - no doubt bought from his smaller stature and (more importantly) the fact that 90% of Melbourne players seem incapable of sticking a tackle. Viney wouldn't relent. He put his head down, tackled (hard) and brought him to ground. Didn't win a free or anything, obviously didn't influence the result, but this is what I would point out to the players as my first and main point to the players at the review. A bloke with a crook ankle in his second game showing up a bunch of much more experienced players. You don't have to be good to run. You don't have to be good to shepherd. You don't have to be good to tackle.

Thanks for the rundown titan, great work. This stood out for me and it relates to what I posted in the Brian Royal thread. I don't understand why they weren't taught the non-negotiables first before they were taught an overly complex gameplan that was very different from what our players were used to. Why wasn't it "ingrained in our culture" and our playing style first. Once the coaches see that consistent attack and intensity then begin to bring the layers of the future gameplan onto the group. It's like the FD have seen where they want to end up and they've just implanted that onto the playing group. Anyone familiar with teaching will know of the "zone of proximal development" - essentially that you only push students so far that they can reach successfully but with effort. The FD don't seem to have acknowledged this. Instead they've got our boys playing a game that is too different/difficult for them to grasp and it has shot their confidence to nought. We need to rethink this "rebuild of a rebuild" super quick.

78 inside 50s to 28. I thought our midfield was third world - I think that's being kind. I think Neeld and co just need to let them play. There is NO flair NO instinct NO passion. Players just mope around the field trying to remember where they're supposed to be if the opposition has the ball in a certain spot, by the time they remember the ball has already been kicked forward of that position. Let them off the hook. Set your non-negotiables but set it as a team. Let the players know what you expect but let them play with their natural flair and attack. Playing purely defensively has not only killed our offence, it's also killed our defence because they play one step behind. Let the boys play!

“I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.” - Melbourne Football Club.

What I saw tonight, in many ways, was a disgrace. On-field I think this club died after we knifed James McDonald - but that's for another thread. I sit near the race each week and what I saw after the game left a sour taste. Ignoring the degenerate Essendon fans come to our race to give our players/supporters grief was shocking - but I was far from enamoured with the behaviour of Dees fans. Last week the booing was, I feel, an instinctual reaction to a terrible performance. What I saw tonight was macho rubbish - men wanting to big note themselves to their mates, to show off and laugh at how they could slag the players off of the ground. This, for mine, is very dangerous territory. Tonight was absolutely disgusting, I feel the lowest I've felt as a fan, but that heckling, booing and rubbishing of the players shouldn't be part of our club in my opinion. It achieves nothing and is not what sport is about. I think there will be two camps; 1) I pay my money and can act as I please 2) you should never boo your team off What I despise is the premeditated nature of it - the tribalistic show-off nature of it. Regardless, I think it's an important conversation for fans to have.

Don't mind the look of this guy. Gets into decent positions, uses the footy pretty well, seems to do his job. Reminds me of a previous 45 - in that he's good at football.

Petterd has looked handy in his first game for the Tigers - woeful disposal is letting him down. Good to see Riewoldt v Riewoldt.

lol

Thanks for sharing P_Man and Cards - brings a tear to my eye. Will be thinking of them, as well as my beloved Grandfather on Saturday. Go Dees!