titan_uranus

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/video/2013-09-06/paul-roos-media-conference

It hasn't started. It's just footage of a chair.

This is what I had suspected. This was Roos clearly saying to PJ and Bartlett that the job's not done yet. Get the structure right and he'll stay longer.

Wow. I knew it was coming, but still... When was the last time we felt like this?

From the MFC website: 2013 Melbourne best and fairest results Winner: Keith ‘Bluey’ Truscott Memorial Trophy – Nathan Jones (365 votes) After winning his first Keith ‘Bluey’ Truscott Memorial Trophy in 2012, Jones deservedly went back-to-back. The incredibly durable midfielder was Melbourne’s most consistent player in 2013. Second: Sid Anderson Memorial Trophy – Colin Garland (360) The defender capped off his best AFL season as a close runner-up to Jones. He passed the 100-game milestone and proved a model of consistency, often under pressure down back. Third: Ron Barassi Snr Memorial Trophy – Dean Terlich (306) The mature defender was of the bright spots of the year, playing all but two matches in his first season. It was an outstanding return to the AFL system, after he was a Sydney Swans rookie in 2008. Fourth: Ivor Warne-Smith Memorial Trophy – Matt Jones (303) Like Terlich, Jones was one of 2013’s good news stories. The 25 year-old midfielder took his opportunity, playing every game after being picked at No. 52 in last year’s NAB AFL Draft. Fifth: Dick Taylor Memorial Trophy – Colin Sylvia (288) Aside from missing three matches through suspension, Sylvia produced a very consistent season. It was the third time he has finished fifth in the best and fairest award, after his efforts in 2009-10. Sixth: Lynden Dunn (270) A hamstring injury interrupted the defender’s start, but he bounced back to play every match from round six. Dunn was one of Melbourne’s best players in the second half of the season. It was his highest finish in the club’s best and fairest. Seventh: James Frawley (268) The leader missed five games for the season – on two separate occasions with a hamstring injury – but again gave his all down back, often under pressure. It was the fifth consecutive time Frawley has finished in the top 10. Eighth: Jack Trengove (257) A foot stress fracture last December rocked the second half of Trengove’s pre-season, but the co-captain fought back to play some good football and all but two matches in 2013. Ninth: Jeremy Howe (256) Howe’s first half of the season was especially good. He missed just one match with a calf injury in round 20 and again dazzled the football fraternity with his majestic aerial skills – as highlighted in the final round against the Bulldogs. Tenth: Tom McDonald (249) After finishing third in last year’s count, an ankle and shoulder injury forced McDonald to miss five games in the first half of the season. But the defender bounced back with a solid latter part of the year. 11 – Jack Watts (238) 12 – Aaron Davey (209) 13 – Jack Grimes (202) 14 – Jack Viney (199) 15 – Shannon Byrnes (191) 16 – Jordie McKenzie (172) 17 – Dean Kent, Luke Tapscott (159) 19 – Chris Dawes (147) 20 – Jimmy Toumpas (143) 21 – Max Gawn (133) 22 – Mitch Clisby (120) 23 – Jack Fitzpatrick, Jake Spencer (117) 25 – Michael Evans (116) 26 – Daniel Nicholson, Cam Pedersen (108) 28 – Mark Jamar (103) 29 – David Rodan (93) 30 – Rohan Bail (77) 31 – Sam Blease (71) 32 – James Sellar (58) 33 – James Strauss (58) 34 – Neville Jetta (48) 35 – Mitch Clark (41) 36 – James Magner (26) 37 – Troy Davis (21) 38 – Tom Gillies (16) 39 – Joel Macdonald (11) Voting system explained: At the completion of each game, the match committee consisting of the senior coach (Mark Neeld/Neil Craig), plus assistant coaches Jade Rawlings, Brian Royal and Leigh Brown voted using a one to seven ranking system. Seven was the highest a player could receive and one was the lowest. Each player had the opportunity to gain a maximum of 28 votes in each game.

I'd have put Watts on the list instead of Garland. Doesn't matter much though, as the vote has to go to Fitzpatrick.

I'm sure we'd all prefer winning games 120 to 60. I'm also sure we'd also agree, though, that winning games 70 to 60 would be preferable to what we're going through right now. Finally, the notion that Melbourne with Roos = Sydney circa 2005 is not correct. One of many problems with both Bailey and Neeld was that they brought in game plans they wanted to implement, but that were being left behind by the competition. Roos brought in his Sydney game plan to counter the style of football that was winning Brisbane its premierships. I'd back him to read the game as it currently stands and work on styling a game that will suit the current AFL, and if that means defence, then it means defence, but if it means something else, then it will be that.

Whoa, is that you Jon Ralph? This is what Roos actually said: "To be fair to the Melbourne Football Club, to the players and the members, you've got to be fully committed to doing it. It's now time for me to put up or shut up. You've got to say, 'Look, I definitely want to do it,' but clearly the family is first."

Agree with this. Terlich's got the attacking flair we need from a HBF, but he has to learn to defend. He also needs to work on his decision-making, which extends to knowing when to take a tackle on and knowing when to pass.

What about the cricket thread? That's currently on 202 pages...

Good on them both. Nathan should be considered for, and probably given, the captaincy in 2014. Matt had a great debut year and with a new coach and another pre-season, could well be a regular part of our best 22 as we push forward.

Disagree re: Sellar. I don't think he's shown close to enough. Given that we already have Pedersen as one depth player, if we're going to keep another tall for depth, I'd actually rather keep Davis for his potential than Sellar, who is just far too slow to hold down a regular position anywhere.

Refer: http://demonland.com/forums/index.php?/topic/30395-contracts/

Gold Coast - Maverick Weller, Kyal Horsley, Liam Patrick, Joel Wilkinson, Jacob Gilbee all delisted.

Not really. Moloney's absence may be the closest thing to 'hurting' us as you've got. No Rivers doesn't bother me at all, given our defence. No Petterd bothers me even less, given he's crap.

It's six coaches, I think (Daniher, Riley, Bailey, Viney, Neeld, Craig). I don't think that the measure of games played helps bolster an argument in support of Dunn's credentials. Relative to other Melbourne players it may say something, but given that other mediocre players like Matthew Bate (102 games) have been able to get to 100 games, I don't think it speaks too much about Dunn's ability. It says more about our lack of options to replace Dunn with.

This is the kind of attitude you'd hope Roos' signing would eliminate With untried coaches, the moment the club starts losing you wonder whether it's the coach. We did it with Bailey, we did it with Neeld. With Roos, one of the many benefits is that, with his record, we won't need to start wondering if it's his ability. It won't be. It will be what Neeld wasn't able to properly display, due to his ineptitude - the MFC is coming from a long way back and time is required.

Scott Selwood is a great player. If somehow we can get him off his WCE contract and lure him here, that would be an enormous get for this club. If Roos is the reason why Selwood might entertain the thought of breaking his WCE contract, then that is just more evidence of why we needed an experienced coach of Roos' status. Also, James Brayshaw is a [censored] of a sore loser. Questioning why we needed the money despite our membership and stuff. Well, James, have you seen our crowds? Have you seen our performances on field? Have you noticed that other clubs (yours included, I'd bet) don't want to host us because of the poor crowd and awful spectacle? We don't need money because we're running out of it, we need money because we need to pull ourselves up from oblivion.

Well, currently Brisbane's level with Geelong...if they can miraculously keep that up, then only Carlton can take it off them. I'd like to see North make it - they're clearly the best of those teams, far superior to Carlton, and the only one I can see making a fist of their final.

I really don't see how this news can be considered anything other than positive. Whilst it is only one part of a larger puzzle, to me it's one of the largest pieces, and one off which most others can fall into place. Roos' signature may attract FAs or uncontracted players. He may help bring us quality assistant coaches. His influence on the current list will be felt immediately. We will also have the benefit for once of time - Roos having the runs on the board means we're not all going to jump up and call for him to be sacked if/when we open 2014 with losses. Stability - through Roos, Bartlett, PJ and other important acquisitions (GMFO, for example), will help this club to no end.

That article is an example of poor HUN journalism. Read the quote - Roos said 'I've said to both of them definitively that I'm not interested in doing it'. The journalist then re-worded it as 'definitively not interested'. Might sound like semantics, but they're different. What Roos actually said was that he had clearly said to the clubs that he is not interested. As we know, though, that means little from Roos given he continually says qualifying things like 'at the moment that's how I feel' and 'never say never' and all that. What the journalist made it sound like was that he is definitively not interested, full stop, no qualifications.

Is this actually a thread? I can't believe people are trying read into that comment. It's pretty standard to consider that we couldn't possibly go lower than 2013. Of course, we are Melbourne, but to a general football commentator, we're at our lowest and as such, next year should be the start of what will be a slow climb upwards.

This is the entirety of the matter. Fremantle is not trying to not win. Their motive is not to try to lose Round 23. Our motive was to try to lose certain games.

Round 23 Melbourne team B: Lynden Dunn, James Frawley, Dean Terlich HB: Jack Grimes, Tom McDonald, Colin Garland C: Jack Viney, Jack Trengove, Jimmy Toumpas HF: Matt Jones, Jack Watts, Colin Sylvia F: Dean Kent, Chris Dawes, Aaron Davey FOLL: Jake Spencer, Jordie McKenzie, Nathan Jones I/C (from): James Sellar, Luke Tapscott, Max Gawn, Jeremy Howe, Neville Jetta, Rory Taggert, Rohan Bail IN: Rohan Bail, James Sellar, Neville Jetta, Max Gawn, Rory Taggert OUT: David Rodan (knee), Cameron Pedersen NEW: Rory Taggert Let's hope for a bench of Tapscott, Gawn, Howe, Taggert.

It's not that hard to call out Hird as being an egotistical, stubborn fool. What I maintain is wrong with Caro is that she writes entirely negative, often hyperbolic material, appearing to be some sort of righteousness fighter. With Melbourne, she continually bleated about people needing to stand down or be sacked or be removed, or how that would happen. In some instances, it didn't. With Essendon she did the same, and in most cases she was right. That doesn't mean her journalism was good.