Wiseblood

You would expect that figure to jump a little again on Sunday. I think the number is pretty good considering the bitter taste our end to last year left in the mouth. We would surely be above 40,000 by now if we had of made finals, so this is a fair number all things considered.

He has a really good mix of the attributes you want in a player - he clearly works hard and puts in on the training track, and he has the swagger and confidence to go with it that screams 'I'm better than you, and if you give me a moment, I'll show you why'. I hope we go with Gawn, Oliver, Petracca and Jones in the guts on Sunday. We can smash those buggers into the turf from the moment the ball is bounced.

There are a number of posters on this board who provide insightful, worthwhile and interesting training reports and photos, and it's incredibly disrespectful to say that we rely on 'one poster' to get them. I, for one, appreciate what the others are able to bring to the table over the summer and we should be thankful we get them. So, thanks to the others who go along, give us a huge training report and answer all questions without bias. It's always appreciated.

I know that @stevethemanjordan has a Colin Garland tattoo on his chest. He might share it if you're nice to him.

Another positive step forward for the club. We all know what a fantastic player Trac is, but he is also a terrific person and just the sort of personality you need at the club. It's more great news for the MFC and I can't wait to see him tearing it up through the middle this season and beyond!

If we're complaining about the type of letter we get in our membership pack then we are really scraping the bottom of the barrel. Get your membership card? Good. Supporting the club? Great. The rest is totally meaningless.

Everyone has at some point. It's the nature of the beast. We're the best at constantly bringing it up, though.

I'm in again DV! Team name is 'Van Buren Boys'. Thanks in advance for your time and effort in getting this all organised for another year!

Will we have the coin to pursue another free agent this year? We do have plenty of players coming out of contract this year that could create space, but after nabbing Lever I can see us potentially being a little quieter come this off season. That does depend on many factors, though, so I could be way off the mark.

Great move by the club. We were outgrowing Luna Park and being able to have it back at the 'G can only be a good thing!

Great post @dazzledavey36! The thing that excites me the most about the club moving forward is the quality of people we are getting in. Of course football talent and ability comes first, but we seem to have not only drafted players who have that in spades, but also guys who bring so much leadership and maturity to the table as well. They are level headed blokes who will train professionally and uphold the high standards that we expect of our playing group. It's exciting to see!

Well said mate. I also like the fact that, if they do get a run in the seniors, that they have the proper leadership and support around them to succeed.

I'm just excited that we've got some terrific young talls on our list who can develop over the next 2-3 years and potentially play plenty of games together in our backline. It's bloody great stuff!

Does that really need answering? He is a terrific scout from his armchair.

Out? We still have picks from the second round onwards. You are putting too much emphasis on the draft. You can improve your list in a myriad of ways that doesn't focus on first round picks.

I would have thought, with the recent success of some smaller players, that we wouldn't be so negative towards a players height. Let's give the kid a chance and a few pre-seasons before we start judging him purely on how tall or short he is.

Who would you have taken then oh wondrous talent scout? Taylor must have no idea. You should apply for his job with all your knowledge.

I think we did well to get him in the 40s. As @Deeoldfart mentioned above, he is clearly a bloke who has worked extremely hard to get himself back into draft contention and he has pace to burn. I don't expect him to play much next year but he has time to develop a bigger tank so he can involve himself with more consistency.

Good selection. Outside of Lever you could argue our other tall defenders (T Mac not included) are still projects as well, and selecting Petty not only gives us insurance but also gives him time to develop as well.

They commentators described him as the most competitive player in this years draft. For the moment, that sounds good enough to me.

What I liked the most about the small highlight package was the last goal - he ran from the back of the square through the middle and got the ball before getting round a couple of players and slotting the goal. Showed all the things you mentioned above as well as a willingness to run hard to position and not just look for the cheap possession. I wouldn't be disappointed if he fell to us at #30!

No, it doesn't. Of course he is going to say something very positive about a coach who has given him a lifeline. He'll do anything to stay in the good books. Absolutely spot on. He played with Trenners for 8 years and saw how hard the bloke worked to get his body right again, and even that wasn't enough. I don't think that will change now.

Absolutely stoked for Trenners. I think the club made the right decision to move him on, but I also feel as though he deserved a second chance elsewhere as well. Hopefully it's a positive outcome for all involved.

Also, I'd wait on the membership panic until Round 1. People have a myriad of reasons for not signing up - money is tight, their auto renewal stuffs up because their credit card needs updating, some are still annoyed about the end of last season. We may be behind on last year, but we are only just rolling over to November. Plenty of membership water to go under the bridge.

I do the auto renewal and have had my 3 already go through. Will do that each and every year regardless. No worries, fairweather. Happy now to pay up during the good times but won't do it during the bad. Change your username to bandwagon and you're all set.