Dante

Max has said that when he was off the track for that time he became a passionate Melbourne supporter and sat in the stands barracking for the Demons, he will never leave the club he loves. May have been a blessing in disguise as it enabled him to get his body right and not be rushed in to the side when he wasn't ready.

I watched the replay again tonight and the sort of pressure we applied was exactly what's needed to win finals matches, we were relentless and Hawthorn had no answer to us. Hodge looked like a tired warrior who has gone one battle too many and some of their younger players were exposed without the help of their big five playmakers. I'm not saying they're finished but they are going to have to look at their list as they can't expect Hodge, Mirchell, Burgoyne, Lewis and Gibson to keep carrying them. If we'd been able to keep up that intensity in the first game against them this year, we would have been able to claim their scalp twice. On another note, has Isaac Smith got a top lip?

He got in because he fought back against the Norf aggression, wow, whereas Jack frightened the crap out of the premiers with his aggression. I think it's the name,The Bont and the other one in the team, The Package. Cannot understand how Conyliglios go in the selected side and Jack was on the bench.

I've been saying that for a while, he does a lot of the heavy lifting in the packs and if he can't get it to one of ours he makes sure it doesn't get out. Agree with the rest of your post and the fawning over Rioli, by the commentators, is sickening.

Like us they need(ed) a new coach and as others have stated above, a priority pick won't help, they have to make the club a more attractive destination and the only way they can do that is to get the right people in place at the top. Their supporter base has dropped off, their sponsors will probably be looking for an out clause and there's no Fitzroy to top them up this time. We did it by recruiting the right players and by trading draft picks for players and multiple top ten picks, Tyson/Salem for Kelly. If they think that one player will do it then they haven't learnt a thing. I feel for their supporters but at least they have the threepeat to look back on, we have nothing and when we wanted a priority they railed against it.

I very much doubt that the club would trade ANB, he is going to be ok, not everyone can fit in to the team immediately and some just have to bide their time. Players drop form, get injured and that's why you need depth and quite honestly I regard ANB as more than a depth player. Same with Matt Jones and even JKH, they won't always be the first players picked, but will get games when the time is right.

You form an opinion, you put it out there and if it turns out you want to change that opinion you just say so, don't try to cover it up, it's only a footy forum for Chtist's sake. We all change our opinion from time to time just cop it sweet and move on. You've crucufied this kid from day dot, he's 19, give him and us a break, we know what you think of him so there's no need to keep posting it all the time. Go to the Clarry Choo Choo thread and dine out on that for a while.

Oscar is doing pretty well for a 19 year old kid playing his first year in a key position in a very inexperienced side. He will make mistakes and will cop criticism but if they stick with him he will repay the faith, he will be a good player for the Melbourne Footy Club. Hey Picket, aren't you the one who thought that Juice was the best Forward we'd ever had? Nice judgement there.

Plus the park was closed so parking was non existent close handy.

If there was a country called Smug, they'd all be Hawthorn supporters. I was [censored] when I saw quite a few of them sitting in the Melbourne Members area, but happy they were there at the end of the game. Their top 5 players are all over 30 now and the smugness may disappear shortly, the Desolation of Smug is on the way.

I meant to be old enough to have seen it.

Just watched the replay and it is always good to have a closer look at the game on TV, there are a lot of things missed over the other side of the ground. The commentators really are a/holes, they pray at the alter of Rioli and fawn over the Hawthorn players, it's always, wait for the Hawks to hit their straps, it was as if they were waiting and hoping for us to falter. When that idiot Brown came up with the Snow joke I nearly smashed the TV, it's probably the most overdone piece of crap I've ever heard, if that's the best he cam offer then the 21st Century needs to update him. The young kids don't take a backward step and I've never seen a Melbourne side so hard at the ball and it's not as if they lack talent, they just combine both elements. I'd say that was the best game of football I've ever seen Jones play for the footy club, I don't recall him making one mistake. The longer the game went on the better we got and the more the flaws in Hawthorn showed up, they have got a few problems, none more important than an ageing group of senior players, you can always tell when footballers are getting on, they whinge to the umpire a lot more. The pressure we applied showed up their deficiencies. We will win the last three games.

Not only that but the umpire singled, Play on Play on, why would he do that unless there was an incident? If he saw it and didn't give a free, then why? If there was nothing there why did he throw his hands in the air and call play on?

Not sure that's a reason to be happy. Interestingly if you look at the comparison and how we crumbled in 1965, Hawthorn have looked shaky all year and we may have started the end of the empire, we dismantled them yesterday and the result was never in doubt even when they regained the lead.

Clarry got stuck in to Rioli at the centre bounce after he got shirt fronted, good to see.

There were a lot there, but my my, they were quiet, weren't they.

The dee's supporters were going ballistic in the last quarter, in fact for most of the game, there is a lot of passion amongst us. Effing shyte umpires nearly killed the game. We may not have a lot, at the moment, but we sure make a noise. Great game, great win and great bunch of kids who don't know anything other than having a red hot go.

Absolutely sensational to see the VFL players putting pressure on the firsts, drop off on form and you drop out of the side. We have the best side I've seen in my many years of supporting Melbourne and that's not just because of the win today, it's because we now have about 30 players that are capable of playing firsts and the side wouldn't lose a lot.

I'll give you a clue, Grimes has captained an AFL club and Daw is a reserve grade player at best.

I could help them out, if they're looking for suggestions.

I'm a bit concerned about all of this to be honest, how good was Jobe before the drug regime and how good will he be when he gets back? Sheedy was going to delist him at one point and then he turns in to a Brownlow medalist. How confident can we be that Hibbered will be a top liner without the drugs?

I agree with that and there is always the issue of injury and loss of form to consider. I can see a time when Jones will play another role and not be an inside mid, to be honest his capacity to get the ball is good but his disposal, in close, is not great. We have a few we can delist this year and i'd suggest that Trenners won't be one of them. If he can get himself fully fit and maintain his Casey form, he will get games next year, maybe not 22 but he will get games. If his form has dropped off bit towards the end of the year, it's probably because he hasn't had a full pre season.

When the end comes at Melbourne, Terls will still want to play football and if he can show that he's just a little below AFL level and is prepared to put in every week without fail, he'll get a gig somewhere, either in Victoria or South Australia. I hope he does well, he has given his all at the club but it's just not enough, it didn't help that Roos delisted him at Sydney.

I think they will give him another year, there are other players that will go before him. I hope they keep him on because I think he has a lot to offer, I wouldn't be surprised if they play him this week against the Hawks. He didn't get a proper preseason last year and it would make no sense to give him another year, then delist him. If they were going to rookie him, it would have been done last year. The club will be mindful of how popular Jack is and won't want another Junior on their hands.

Rohan averages about 10 possessions a game over the last 7 years and less than a goal a game. He has never really had a breakout year and even though he is supposed to be hard at it only averages 2.5 tackles a game. I'm just not sure why Sydney love him, because if it's for his goal kicking or tackling, it's just not there. Honest question, what is it you see in him that I miss?