Kit Walker

Agree with Neitz at CHB, but I'd have Wight at FB and Yze on the HB flank. Willo in the forward pocket!

As a matter of interest, can a player be retained on the rookie list beyond two years? If so how long for?

No Stretch, Obst, Spalding or Brian Wilson? Great list though.

Hayes still hasn't played a senior game for Sandringham yet though has he? No chance to be uplifted this year - see how he goes next year. Sounds like Neaves must be close though - purely on what I've heard as I've never seen him play.

Don't agree with everything you say Rhino, but in this case a perfect summation.

The reason it has become a huge deal is because, before the footage was released, you can give the benefit of the doubt to someone rather than pre-judging on the basis of a lack of evidence. The video clearly shows him walking out of the pub and punching someone who had his hands by his sides and was clearly not expecting it. A few people on this forum and who I've talked to generally think it was justified because this bloke apparently threw a pool ball at someone's head earlier. That's wrong because he wasn't defending his mate, he was just retaliating later in a pretty callous and cowardly manner. As Rhino correctly said, the Magistrate will deal with him and I have little doubt it will cause any club looking at him to have serious second thoughts.

The Sphinx is in Geelong

Just wondering if anyone had any suggestions about where's the best place to see the Melbourne game in Launceston on Saturday night?

He was named there last week too. Only time I saw him up forward was when Robbo ripped the ball out of his hands for a mark 15m out. Still expect him to have first go at J Brown. No real surprises - Moloney will probably come in if Bruce doesn't get up, and one of the other two if Carroll doesn't

Agree completely - Holland will be too slow and Miller too small but much happier to see Miller have a run. I'll go a little bit further though, and say that Brown will give any defender in the competition a hiding if he's fit. Was at a sportsman's night a couple of years ago in Port Fairy and he's easily the biggest man I've ever seen. Not so much a brick outhouse as the entire block!

Not at all but I think you've missed my point. It's difficult to assess the backlash against Voss at the moment because the video has only just come to light but it's fair to say there will be one, particularly if he's found guilty at court. The fact is that he made a bad error of judgment. I'm not saying hang him but he's not a 20 year old kid either. I had Voss marginally ahead of Ratten for various reasons, an important one of which is being the face of the club. If Voss' reputation is tarnished, and I think it will be, then that puts Ratten ahead in my view. I doubt that it will count him out altogether but it will be a consideration

Is he being tested for his hamstring, his knee, his finger... Surely no chance of playing this week?

If he is not made the Melbourne coach, I doubt that will be the only reason but it will and should be a contributing factor. There are enough other reasons to choose someone else (coaching experience springs to mind) but reputation, and I don't just mean in a football sense, counts for a lot. You may be right in saying that it has no relevance to his abilities as a coach or mentor but I don't agree that it has no relevance to being the "front man of the MFC". At the moment, it is difficult to tell exactly what the fall-out will be although it has already cost him an ambassadorial role with the Qld government. If he is convicted that damage will be magnified but the video is pretty damaging in itself. As for saying it occurred after he retired, that again may be correct. However, he had or was shortly to sign a contract with Channel 10 commentating on AFL and as a coach with the AFL/AIS academy. This, in combination with his stated desire to be a senior coach, means that his behaviour clearly affects the AFL's reputation and his reputation as an ambassador of the game. I don't accept that the assault that appears to be shown on the footage is acceptable for anyone, and it's a pretty slippery slope to argue that taking drugs (agree completely with distributing them however), hanging out with criminals (although not doing anything illegal himself) or assaulting a man vs woman is more bad than punching someone at a pub who wasn't expecting it while drunk. FWIW, I selected Voss in the poll as to MFC's next coach that was on here a little while back just ahead of Ratten and a few others. This incident IMO tips the scales.

To be honest, I am much more confident of Rivers being included than Bate but he seems capable of doing the on-field things that inspire team mates. Of the older brigade (discounting McDonald because he's over 30), I'd have Green as a vice captain. He has impressed me most of that middle age bracket this year.

Really want to test Miller over the rest of the season in the backline to see whether there is a place for him. Much more upside than Holland who will probably be gone at the end of the year regardless. Bruce for Petterd if he comes up otherwise probably Moloney

With the greatest of respect Jaded, are you serious? Footballers are criticised regularly on this forum (rightly in my view) for the stupid things they do while drunk. Walking outside and punching a bloke standing there with his hands by his side is beyond stupid. How was he "restrained"? Because he didn't hit him with a billiard cue? Likewise, it is entirely relevant what he does outside the football club and that affects how he is seen as a leader of both the club and the competition. I know you don't think that the Didak, Cousins, Kerr, etc. situations had no effect on their respective clubs so I am at a loss as to how you don't think this, at least to some extent, tarnishes his reputation as a leader of the competition. If a current coach got involved in a bar brawl and shown throwing a punch in the circumstances that appear to be shown on that tape, they would be sacked.

David Neitz should captain Melbourne next year with Brock McLean, Matthew Bate and Jared Rivers as co-Vice Captains and a larger leadership group of maybe 5 beyond that. None of those three are ready to captain in their own right next year but it gives us a proper second tier of leaders.

Amen to that. I'd add Brian Taylor, Tim Watson and Liam Pickering who'd make a top 10 IMO.

Wasn't aware of this, when was the cut-off date? Any word on Bruce's injury? Channel 7 said it was a hamstring at training but nothing more.

Channel 7's Sunday footy coverage is as bad as I've ever seen. Delayed to 3pm (for no good reason) then has ad breaks in the first quarter of 5-6 ads. They apparently realised they had stuffed up and wouldn't finish the game by 6pm so there were almost no ads in the last quarter and a half. Then, to add to their incompetence, nothing after the match - no coach press conference, no analysis and not even the song. I thought they had improved their Friday night coverage, but the Sunday telecasts are abysmal.

I thought Nathan Brown was a real catalyst for the win against Carlton. The five minute patch where he won two free kicks for holding the ball, kicked a goal and made the desperate dive to touch Waite's kick for goal was inspirational. Doesn't change my view that he probably should retire at the end of the year but he provided a fantastic example of what the younger players should aspire to from an effort/commitment point of view.

Really impressed with Newton's game yesterday. Presented really well, looked quick off the mark and strong - that mark he almost took in the goalsquare showed a lot of strength. His shepherd when Godfrey was running into an open goal was fantastic too.

He was poor yesterday and has struggled to get his hands on the footy at all for the last three weeks. Clearly we need him up and running to be a good side as we are getting smashed at the clearances, even with ruck dominance. I'd like to see him switched with Sylvia for periods in a game to shake the heavy tags he is getting, allow him to try to get some confidence (nothing helps like a few goals) and to give Sylvia some time in the middle as well. There are excuses for his lack of form (youth, injury, heavy tags), but if people want him to captain Melbourne soon (and I do, probably 2009), his poor games have to still be competitive and a lot closer to his good games.

Not over the season, just viewing it in a different manner than 10 weeks ago. Now just optimistic about the future rather than frustrated with everything. I care if we lose this week. Carlton without Fevola and Whitnall in a team with even less depth than ours? Bugger the prophecising about whether Carlton will win one more game or not. We should always care - good teams always do. The concept of tanking is disgraceful and counterproductive. I have no doubt that Brisbane's young players will gain a lot more from their win last night than the club would have achieved by playing for the rest of the season to finish below Carlton or us for the sake of a couple of draft places. There is a difference between selecting a team to lose and planning for next year by giving injured players a rest and surgery they need. I never want us to lose but some losses hurt less than others - when I can see evidence of effort on the part of the players and a plan on the part of the coaches. I'll be disappointed if we lose but I won't be upset like the Richmond game. Unless we put in an effort equivalent to that night as well... Won't be going as I have personal commitments today. Will watch it on tv though. Awful day but Carlton still have a big supporter base - 38,743

That's a very fair comment. I would have preferred Dunn to Frawley this week as Dunn can also be used as a wingman at this stage and for Frawley to get 100 minutes of game time in the VFL but the selection makes sense from a team balance point of view (1 ruckman, defender, midfielder and forward on the bench). I do have two queries though: 1. What is the least number of players who have played every game for a team in any given season? (lost another one this week in Bell) 2. Can anyone recall a taller interchange bench than the one this week? (every player above 6'2)