Deemania since 56

When we sit down for dinner at my mother-in-law's place - we remind ourselves to say grace after the meal - as an indication of what a lousy cook she happens to be. There is perhaps one saving characteristic: she could kick for goal close-in better than Max can.

For all of their well-heralded flaws here on DL, I just find it exciting to think about both Vanders and Pedo propping up our backline defences alongside Frosty. All three are versatile, two are very mobile runners, all three can mark in packs and kick well, all three can rough up opponents, all three game styles can be supported with runners and crumbers who are less massive, We still have OMac at full back to stay in position to defend. We still have Jetta and Hibberd in position - not having to watch them run all over the place to cover as sole performers against multiple opposition forwards - weakening our deep defence line. So, for me, it's goodbye Lewis, Vince and a few newbies, hello experience and team defence, at last.

For Kent, anything is possible.

Yep, willmoy. I'd prefer the Dees' players to stay out of the media - organisations that know how to exploit 'for the glory of it'. The media and the AFL world remind me of an old joke: Q: What do sharks and lawyers have in common? A: Professional courtesy. Media personalities are leeches. It's 'mate this...' and 'mate that...' , '...now show us your dirty laundry in the spirit of good humour...or better still, let us show the viewers/listeners/readers your dirty laundry that we found!'

At that personal level, I have four MFC supporters in my family, with my wife and two of my sons avid supporters making up three members and one who would be if he was to live in Viccy more permanently. One drives to games from Sydney, my wife and I drive from Adelaide. The two of us will be at the Interstate Members function at the Sporting Globe hotel in Richmond, this coming Saturday and will be moving along to the Doggies game at the 'G soon after to bask in the glory of another win. Just love the footy. This might be my sixth trip for the year! Other than that, it's Foxtel. So it's: 1. Daddy 2. Mummy 3.Son No. 2 4. Son No. 4. As the grandchildren proliferate and grow, there's gotta be another 6 avid members on the trot to support and join the MFC. My daughter is impartial to the rough game, but her little son, at 6 months, already has the Dees' beanie and scarf, and not much choice in the matter. Another two children of mine got the Geelong bug years ago but Son No. 3 - and his sons - seem to think their dad knows everything, including all of the Cats. Never mind.

This is the long-term worry that has besieged us for so long and now it is so terribly evident as a form of manipulated earnings.

Classic, tidy up the backline, who knows what might happen? Decent fullback, CHBack able to adjust this year, another tall mobile.

This is the language that Channel 7 can understand ... well done.

Wish him all the best with this, it can be nothing else than fabulous for the MFC. Shame that it is taking so long to occur, as there have been a few losses lately where his input across a game might have otherwise been improved, made more reliable and certainly, assist the team to snatch a win. He is the driver from whom aggressive, successful football might otherwise be achieved. Mixed tense but it has been across a few weeks whilst waiting ... a stable position, role and readiness has not been given to him from the FD - and might well represent the reason for his lapse in form and impact.

That is a good way to look at it; the Bont is the go-to man, getting the Doggies out of deep 5H1T many times per game, scoring ocasionally and clearing in the midfield for fwds. Play tough, we win.

Evidence of 3 games where the end result win/loss determined by umpiring.

This clearly shows, from my interpretation of the season, that we are a truly good side getting better. If we have received the most goals from frees in the fwd50, and we have consistently lost out on poor decisions against us in the fwd50 to the distinct advantage of other teams, particularly 'big' teams, then: OVERCOMING THE PRIOR MISSED GOALS AND KICKING ONE OF THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF GOALS IN THE COMPETITION, WE ARE GOING VERY WELL. IT IS A MATTER OF HOW MANY GOALS THE UMPIRES AWARD TO OUR OPPONENTS IN ANY GAME THAT DETERMINES THE SEASON RANKING. DOMINANCE HAS TO BE COUNTERED, OVERCOME, EVENED AND BRUSHED ASIDE.

And other teams in or near the 8 need to beat Port to drop them down several rungs, if not out of the 8. Fanciful?

We are stoking the fires for that to occur, it just takes a little time.

We know, but moving forward in a successful culture still needs to take place and at the moment, Petracca, for example, could be moved forward in quite a few regards.

There are a couple of players in the wings of abeyance that soon may be ready to contribute to our run for the finals. As there is space on our AFL listing (perhaps at this stage, Lewis, Bernie - sob - , Smith), I am champing at the bit to see a return of Vandenberg, Dean Kent and Hunt with perhaps a 'permanent' bench-man, Pedersen. We could be using the bench more fortuitously where the likes of Petracca (down on form but potent), ANB (down on form but prodigal), Keilty (up on form but untried), Spargo (down on form but enthusiastically quick) could all come in, including momentary trials of Baker for the wings. I'd also rate Frosty as our best 'rest of season' CHBack whose running and clearing could augment that of what we have and what could come off the bench for instant 'drive' and aggression.

Absolutely! Your emphasis on 'separation' of players up forward is so terribly important not only to create targets but to provide mulitiple options from where scoring shots can be taken.

He has gone way downhill since appearing on the Footy Show with mindless Sam and Creepy Eddie. He is immature and considers himself 'a cut above' whilst producing nothing exceptional for so long - a typical case of ego-mania - when potential is not released from hard work and training, and purposeful execution on the field. A hard and severe Casey workout is required to quell his impressions of grandeur for a firm focus on fitness, core skills improvements and his role for the team. Disappointing season that so easily could be rectified - and in a very short period of time.

It is all cloak and dagger-based deceit, for the 'big clubs', 'of the big clubs' and to appease 'the big clubs'. The Essendrug coach has this week met with the AFL to discuss the disparity and differentials in the umpires' free kick and 50m penalty record tallies experienced by Essendrug in its match against the forerunner of the 'big clubs' and this time, notably and specifically the Filth. This is something that we have been concerned about for years at the MFC - yet nothing is done. The only thing that got him an audience with the 'holier than thou AFL' was the fact that he pre-stated that there might be something in the application of football rules that his players '...didn't understand...', clever but shifting the core purpose to being a 'player shortcoming' when clearly, it was not.

For a while there, Jordie was my hero....wish he went on with it all.

And these are on the walls and kept in sacrosanct retainers at our home ground, the MCG, because of the links of football and cricket seasons since its inception.

Good concepts and reasons. Well done.

You got that wrong, LH. Terribly wrong and moreso because it is a frequent, week-to-week outcome right across the ground. The first rule of umpiring is: ' IF IT'S A 30 (OTHER TEAM) TO 70 (MFC) OR HIGHER, (MFC) CALL, PENALISE MELBOURNE. FURTHERMORE, IF THE MFC ARE GOING TO SCORE FROM THE DECISION, IT IS MANDATORILY A PENALTY AGAINST THE MFC.' You should have checked with Razor Ray before this post, as he would have put you right. Any doubts, ring Gil for a confirmation. Now, the second rule of umpiring is: ????????? (Fill this space.....................)

Bringing the bacon home for Geelong at Geelong before the Geelong spectators breathing the heavy Geelong air against the MFC will be one of the key achievements of the White Brethren on the day, almost as important as an actual finals match held at the Geelong venue - worth millions to the AFL for Geelong to be in a finals-dominant position at the end of the home-and-away series.

Fully agree on Jayden Hunt - maybe he can develop some more skills for this role in the next few weeks/months. He does need to be able to apply his speed with a change of direction. In a straight line, he's very fast. A capacity to weave reliably, to blind turn or to combine 'eyes up' scanning to teammates with that speed would be phenomenally potent.Could be the next Stan Alves if that was the case and located on the wing with 2-way running from HBF to HFF or spots in-between. He already has Alves' kicking aptitudes and grunt speed.