DemonDave

Just saw the same! Thats a first. Add to the list: Joel MacDonald (dumbbell) Test

Didnt Joel McDonald also pull out of the squad this week with injury? Cant be a week go by without someone mysteriously being omitted from this list

Really? Wow Over his short career Jack hasnt had the chance to string together 2 games in a row yet. In his debut in 2011, albeit probably a 'gimme' game in the last game of the year he had 11 posessions and a goal. Last year, both of his games were as a part of a side that got demolished by 10 goals. Rnd 7 also against the Hawks he struggled and barely touched it. Rnd 23 last year, travelling to Freo he kicked 2 out of our paltry 5 goals, also in likely a 'taster' game. Why is it that we should give Max Gawn '4 or 5 games in a row' to get comfortable at the level, yet we should drop Fitz as he's a 'spud'? If you've seen any Casey games over the last 18 months other than those televised on the ABC, you would've seen a player who I consider has developed/improved his game the most over that period. He looked nervous and tentative when attempting to mark the ball at times, but with a run of games this will be rectified, he could easily have had a dozen marks last night as he was constantly running to the right spots and creating an option for his teammates, that was quite often ignored. If he gets 4 games in a row and still hasnt improved I'm happy to eat my words but from what I've seen I think he can cement a spot.

I think you'll be waiting for a long long time. Another 8 posessions last week and duck eggs on the scoreline. But oh no, we've got to keep him in the side as he is gives us good physicality apparently. A less scrutinised season for so little return I have not seen in a long time. Anyone care to defend him and tell me why he has jusitified his selection in any of his 8 games so far this year? Gawns omission was predictable and justified, he has barely touched the ball the last couple of weeks. Same with Jetta

John So wouldnt be able to name one Melbourne player without the prompting of one of his aides. He was as token a #1 ticketholder as we've had since Rupert Murdoch back in the 80s. While he may have been a 'popular' Lord Mayor, that doesnt mean he was good at his job. He managed to surround himself with many a sycophantic and canny Councillor (Gary Singer,Catherine Ng,Ken Ong et al), and they spent the best part of a decade feathering their collective nests with cushy deals with overseas developers, as well as raising the salary of City of Melbourne Councillors to all time record highs. John So? He may be your bro, but for me its a big no.

"Australia's Own" Patty Mills and Aron Baynes lifting weights with secret Spurs fan Sir Paul McCartney: http://ussportsdownunder.com/nba/read/aussies-in-the-nba/aussies-in-the-nba-2952013-patty-lifts-with-sir-paul-bogut-on-project Pacers are really impressing me this series they are good to watch

Good chance for our ageing vets to put the feet up for a few days. Duncan has really been playing well this playoff series. The Miami-Indiana series has been an enthralling one so far, lets hope the Pacers can level it back up again and extend the series.

For the posters that were at the game thanks for the updates. The only thing that has apparently been holding Fitzy back from getting a game has been his defensive work, how was that today? Did he chase, tackle and exert pressure noticeably?

In: Watts Blease Out: Toumpas Tapscott - Another 11 lousy posessions at a laughable 55% efficiency, and no goals as a permanent forward and people still talk this guy up as he 'gives a few good bumps'? Enough already Fitzy had his worst game in a month on Saturday, if he was anyway half decent I'd be picking him ahead of Gawn who has had two terrible games, but I dont think that will happen now...

Very few positives out of todays game, right from the start you could see Box Hill were more switched on than us. The second quarter with the stiffened breeze was predictably barren for Casey, we just got smashed out of the middle. Pederson after barely being sighted in the first half had a solid second half. Fitzpatrick took a few great contested grabs, but let himself down with his finishing. Had a much better game than Hogan who just didnt seem to present to the right spots anywhere near as well as Fitzy. Was easily Hogans quietest game of the year. Rodan non-existent, Blease showed why he's still at Casey, a few flashy runs but wasteful disposal and barely any defensive pressure (we know Welsh is obsessed with DI's) Gillies anonymous. Spencer showed exactly why he is so frustrating at times. He did a fantastic chase on a smaller more nimble BH opponent, forced him to run too far and won a tremendously well earned free, only to shank the resultant free kick directly to an opponent. Just a game today. Taggert barely sighted the ball but when he did looked good, not enough posessions today to excite. Barry absolutely butchered the ball the few times he got it, his disposal eff would have been below 50%. Couch, one of our most important players in the engine room was very well held until the 3rd quarter when his drive got us back into it for a bit. Joel McDonald was Joel McDonald, tough and hard at the contest but clumsy and dumb with many of his posessions.

So we continually allow Nicholson to miss his targets by 5 metres, and thats OK? His mediocre disposal and lack of awareness is appaling, he wouldnt get a game at GWS at the moment, yet we continually endorse his ordinariness with repeated selection. Tapscott had 7 posessions and didnt score playing as a forward last week, love to know how he figured anywhere near our best. And I agree that Bail should be dropped, 8 lousy disposals at 50% efficiency was a very poor outing

Wow Nicholson, Tapscott and McKenzie guaranteed another game! This is as Bizkit said one of the worst Melbourne teams in living memory. Surely Spencer misses out on the bench as Jamar and Gawn are named in the 18.

Been an absolute surprise packet. Didnt impress much in the NAB Cup, but then in the St Kilda game at Casey had a breakout game and thoroughly earned his spot since then. Only thing he needs to work on his is defensive positioning and pressure, he seems to struggle a bit with this.

I thought this may have been a thread about us potentially redrafting John Meesen. Perhaps I misread the thread title.

Those preseason games cant come soon enough now! Wow that was depressing being at the MCG today...

I'm just finishing up my PowerPoint presentation now, pretty happy with the font selection for the numbers I've placed on the premiership clock graphic, but having trouble with transition shadings on my master page. Should have it finished by 10am tomorrow, can someone from the club advise me what parking is like out front of the football offices? Thanks see you then.

he had another whopping 7 possessions and 1 tackle today. I'm sorry but other than being a big body who likes to bump and bruise people I see no signs of improvement since his first game.

but, but....... he's the fittest guy at the club. He has elite endurance (over a 5k time trial)! Surely that means he's on the cusp of greatness!

mark the papers of Nicholson, mckenzie, strauss, bail, tapscott and sellar as never to be played again. They are all flat out spuds masquerading as footballers.

There was one positive for me today. The free packs of fantales we scored that they were giving out at Richmond station.

He's averaging 11 1/2 posessions and 1 1/2 tackles a game this year, that may be an improvement on his sporadic appearances in the past couple of years (at least he has strung a few together this year in a row), but they're hardly earth shattering, supercoach-trembling numbers. And thats our problem, too many of our players are averaging similar numbers this year and we end up with 100 less posessions than teams most weeks. The comparisons that were once made to Paul Chapman should probably now be moved to Campbell Brown. Big bodied who likes the tough stuff more than most, but largely an ineffectual foil for the real forwards.

I shudder to think what they will do to us down at KP this year, yet foolishly I'll go as per usual. That was an unbelievably good, intense game of footy to watch. Stevie J put on a masterclass, it looked like he was really enjoying the creativity of all of those over the shoulder handballs he pulled off. Dons had a real dip and beat them stats wise in just about every department, but still Geelong pulled right away in that third quarter. The quick trio of Stokes, Motlop and Christiansen have really given them an impetus to hit the corridor with aggression then run, run, run this year.

Given how woeful Mcdonald was on Waite (and inexplicably left there for 3 1/2 quarters by the coach before finally shifting Frawley who had been wasted on hampson moved onto him) could we mix things up a little and move Tommy down forward for a freshener and some confidence next week? He played some impressive games early in his career in practice games up forward. outs: Grimes (inj) Nicholson (woeful disposal) Kent (clearly not ready yet) Spencer (unlucky, had more hitouts, touches and tackles than Gawn but not as dangerous up forward) ins: Dawes (no brainer after Saturdays game) Jetta Blease Fitzpatrick Joel Mac, Rodan and Spencer to be emergencies. Toumpas needs to play more than 1 decent game to earn a recall. Taggert has played good halves in the past couple of games but not a full 4 quarters Sellar also unlucky played quite well down back against Port

couldn't believe when I read the papers this morning that neither of them had garland even in the best let alone our best player which he, alongside dunn, clearly was. Just shows they purely look at the stats column rather than the impact players actually have on the game

I find it endearing but amusing that some on this thread think we showed some positive signs today. That's like saying the Greek economy is improving...it is but it's still sh*t. Same applies to stability in Afghanistan and sadly thebMelbourne Football Club. Lets be real about it. We have no player who breaks lines, no player with speed apart from Blease who looks like the chooks my dad cut the heads off that ran around without knowing where they were going(because they didn't have a head which I see as a valid excuse that doesn't apply tomBlease), no player with physical presence, no player with an aura of intimidation, no player with great decision making, no player with plenty of time, no player with silky skills, no player with great talent, no player with a great (I love this term)"footy brain", no player that is hard-checking, one player who can mark aka Jeremy Howe, no player that can spoil, no player that provides outside spread.....I could go on forever and I defy you all to challenge what I have written. God knows how we did it but from the treasure trove of high draft picks over the last decade we have managed to recruit and develop NOTHING! I am writing this with total dispassion which is sad. I love yelling at the TV and throwing the remote. It shows in my own tragic way that I care, that I expect more, that I have hope. I didn't utter a word as I watched an incompetent group of footballers play without spirit or, it would seem, a game plan. Greece is a generation away from prosperity and I feel the same applies to the Dees. I'll still support them from afar but as many others have in these forums, I don't really care any more. We've been too poor for too long