Dante

The best thing about this is that the club no longer relies on donations from the foundation heroes to break even/make a profit. I know some were critical of that in the past and it's good to know that the club is standing on its own two feet. We can grow to be a major club in the competition as long as we can continue to improve on the field and we can keep PJ onboard.

Great run today but I'll get you next year.

He's a 40 goal a season player, even when he has an ordinary year and that doesn't count on the goal assists, wich sometimes go unnoticed. I'm like you, I love his work, he's the sort of player, that when he's on he can kick a bag and give a few away. Yes Old, he does go missing but that type of player does, most small forwards come in and out of the game, not sure why but it seems a trait.

No you don't, it's one of the things that's kept me going during the dark times.

It's not a left or right thing, it's a left and right thing but the left refuse to acknowledge they are responsible for their share of the abuse, I would acknowledge that the conservative side are guilty of verbal abuse but will the left? I've seen many times where someone from the right side of politics, particularly women, are abused and instead of condemning it the left applaud, it amazes me why the applauders can't see it's wrong. When Clementine Ford prints some of the revolting trash she is prone to, she gets #greatarticle, whereas a journo on the right would get hounded by the very same people. There are racists and bigots on both sides of politics and having worked in pubs and clubs I can tell you that there were plenty of racists that were rusted on Labor supporters and the same applies to misogynists, how many times do you see a picture of a naked women in an office as compared to a factory of workshop? Where is the call to arms when a female on the right is verbally abused and who stands up for them, certainly not the sisterhood. Yes it is an "individual person thing" but it is also the reaction that is the problem, there has to be some condemnation of this sort of thing and it shouldn't mater who said it it should be condemned by both sides. When someone says that Miranda Devine and Rita Panahi should be taken out and raped, there should have been an outcry by everyone but there wasn't, imagine if that was said about Gillard or Plibersek?

I'll go with bulky, there's no fat there he is in great condition. Very pleased with ANB, there has been talk about his tank and this will go some way towards disproving this.

In my opinion that issue is the main problem on the left side of politics and the left in general, you consider it insignificant and an afterthought. Oh! well.

Yet you refuse to address the matter of inflammatory language used by the left. I have no issue with the rest of your post and it seems to be a cry in the dark for the reformation of the left, but the first part of that reformation is toning down the hatred that they show towards anyone that doesn't agree with them. If you can't see that then there is no point in pursuing the rest.

But they did get rid of Vickers, so that's a plus.

You do understand that an equal amount of this "inflammatory language" emanates from the left, don't you? I've never been able to understand the Left and their never ending desire to belittle anyone that disagrees with them. Perhaps you should take off your rose coloured glasses, take a step back and have a closer look. I'm a conservative voter and at times cringe at some of the comments that are made by my side of politics but it seems that the left just cheer the abuser on. When I read some of the left journos i wonder why there is no condemnation at some of the vile and disgraceful things they put to print. When a conservative female (can you still use that term?) is abused it's sport, when a member on the left receive any criticism, it's misogyny. The Labor Party have always had the reputation as the Great Haters and that stems back over 50 years that I know of. Who was it that said Rita Panahi and Mira Devine should be taken out and raped and was there any outcry by the sisterhood? Have a closer look, you might be surprised.

Harmes is still a bit young and impetuous, the club like the way he takes the game on and must be confident they can hone his skills in due course. He's just what we need he's got a fearless attack on the ball and loves to run. I think it will take a season or so before he is the player he can be.

Great summary STMJ, I'm a big fan of Harmes and I'm glad that there is at least one other who sees a bit of talent there. Salem too, I think the last game he played was a sample of his talent, he will be a beauty, I still can't believe there were some on here suggesting we use him as trade bait. Gus is another who will shine this year, he had a couple of concussions last year and some wanted to write him off, do so at your own peril. Appreciate the time you've taken to share your thoughts.

I think the fact that H wasn't at training today makes it legitimate that there is discussion about him on this thread, but I seem to have missed any training reports in the meantime, did anyone actually go today? It would be interesting to see if there was a lot done and if any of the players just back performed well? Usually we get a double dose at this time of the year with the Draft and Training, but with the draft being irrelevant for us this year, we only have training to get our fix.

I'd have Hunt before him and I think Hibberd and Vince, would be better options as well, I cant see him being missed this year and I doubt he'd be getting a game every week. The club obviously value Wagner as well and then you have Melksham. Some of Howe's marks were just brilliant, but they were, at times, outweighed by his brain fades immediately after.

I think that most of us just want to see a former great Melbourne Footballer get his life back on track.

Fits his new image.

Given the changing landscape of AFL football, I'd say that there's a very good chance that most of the players you've mentioned here will play senior football next year.

Should have been more specific, i meant Grant Thomas.

Some people are never Saty-sfied.

Aussies have lost 6 for 22 this morning and it's about time heads rolled, they are a disgrace. The same old players fail when the pressure is on, or not.

Thank God he did, we have come a long way since then, we went down for a while but at least we got rid of the apathy that existed and now we have a new and vibrant club. If we left that board in we would have, in all probability, still been wallowing at the bottom and probably still fighting for survival.

I guess it's an age thing, we grew up with these guys and they are just as old or older than us, I went to see the Beach Boys a year or so ago and the youngest member is now 70. I liked Leon with Joe Cocker/Mad Dogs and Englishmen but must admit I didn't follow his career much after that, except for Tight Rope.

The Saints were a good side with a poor coach, they probably would have won a flag or two if the were better coached. Goodwin is unknown but I believe he will be a good coach, he has a good relationship with the players and that's important, he has a bit of history as mentioned above but I'm sure that Roos and PJ would have asked him if there was anything that would surface that would embarrass the club.

Went past the ground at about 11 this morning, may have been a bit later and I saw a couple of players still there on the wing near the tent set up, one player set off at full tilt around the boundary. I'm not sure if he made it all the way around, or if that was the intention but he was going pretty quick and I could imagine that it would have been pretty tough lap. Maybe they were taking it in turns, I couldn't see because I was in traffic and I was a passenger, we passed too quickly.

I agree with that, they will miss Sam Mitchell much more than most expect. They have had an A grade midfield and an A grade backline, now they will have a relatively inexperienced midfield, Mitchell and O'Meara are both relatively young and O'Meara has had some serious injuries that are yet to be tested, whilst their backline relies on the three ageing stars, Hodge, Burgoyne and Gibson. Even if they get Fyffe, will he make the difference, I doubt it, he can't play everywhere. Their backline will be under pressure, they don't have enough goal kickers, Vickery, I don't think so and they put Puopolo on the table so they have obviously lost faith in him. It will be interesting to see how the lesser lights perform without the armchair ride they've been given in the past.