Deemania since 56

Great analysis, thank you.

Agreed, all absolute cow tish. Hogan has a head on his shoulders and it tells him to do as he is doing. It keeps him sane and to a large extent, low-profile in comparison to some egomaniacs only just nearing his aptitudes on the football field. We see a little frustration from him at times and for realistic reasons concerning 'team' but more frequently, tremendous smiles and motivation for the Demons and himself to continue along winning pathways. He is the epitome of all things good in football, with loyalty to the Club not discounted. He will retire in years to come as a Demon with a fantastic career in evidence. As we improve as a linking, team-oriented group of players with commensurate success ever-increasing Hogan, too, will contiuously improve and receive immense reward for his efforts in this regard. He is the new breed of footballing pros: skilled, improving, team-centred, successful and importantly, winning.

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.....................)

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.

It would be nice to be considered (the MFC) as the destination team of choice for players of a particular calibre.

Start a new topic? Lewis for 2IC to the Head Coach? Lewis retires, takes on a senior coaching role with Dees? Lewis oversights Dees' game day tactics?

Oops, it's not the spelling, it's the dreaded 'g-skip' eyesight problem again, affecting finger accuracy on this cheap Chinese-made laptop computer. I suffer from this affliction as well. That, combined with arthritis, is another insurmountable barrier to spell-check activation at times. Sorry.

It means, Skuit, that the writer of the said piece was temporarily suffering from a case of the dreaded 'sticky finger syndrome' whilst using a keyboard (an alien device not half as utilitarian as pen and paper) to inform your good self - and all others using this disseminative form of communication - a particular thought of some widespread, supported interest. The transgression did not deter from the essential meaning or clarity of the said missive and so, most would ignore the occurrence as if to sympathise with the presence of the aforementioned affliction, and simply categorise its occurrence as just another cursed exemplar of the many trajedies of this modern life. Here's one for you that I hope you will find amusing, at least: How do you use the word 'and' five times in succession? A signwriter was working on a pub, out the front. The publican came out to inspect his work - but that work was not yet fully completed. The publican read, in beautiful lettering: 'Bull and Bush Hotel'. He was not very happy with the spacing of the sign. He told the signwriter that there needed to be more space between 'Bull' and 'and' and 'and' and 'Bush'.

There is something interesting in that discussion on Hurley. Very interesting. Almost a left-wing conversation.

Strongly agree with this for Fritsch - who must be developed at this point as an outside mid, for Hannan who is great at the crumbs and has most pre-requisites; both need to be developed according to their roles and this should be the focus of the FD in such development. At the moment, and in past weeks, both are playing multiple roles a gap-fillers all on a hope and a prayer. Moving Hogan from deep forward during a game has created such a gap.

My mate, talking footy, recommends such a trade of TMac at that price - $900K. Quickly, he added: 'Why not trade OMac alongside his big brother, both fetching $900 001?'

Wingmen are fleet-footed with pace and will be needed to take a contested mark, regularly; those with 'spring' from their running attributes and flexibility do well. Wingmen need a little height with their speed to prevent marks (clear) and to take contested marks on many occasions. Fritsch is ideal in both categories but just a little underdeveloped, physically. This is overcome by judicious weight training off-season, and in most cases, is relatively easier to achieve some bulk and greater strength for tackling. Jones is too short although he has some pace but recovered from bursts rather slowly last season and more slowly this season due to age. His tendency is to bomb into the forward line and this just cannot be permitted. Jones is a good foot-passer when intended yet only uses this skill rarely. ANB would be regarded as too small, as well, yet he is an excellent fitness model for the role. His passing skills are not always under control and his ball possession reliability is suspect. Stretch has most of the desired attributes whilst still a smaller player. HIs game needs to be settled for its development and he would need considerable attention to develop his marking, spring and foot-passing skills. Baker seems to have the goods for a wingman but there is a need to take him aside to develop his kicking, foot passing and linkage from areas in close to the 40-50m range, heads-up to a space/running teammate, making his own pace to receive. His improvement in this regard is the easiest to achieve. Perhaps a haircut might help, as well, just so that he can see where he might be going. NB: Hannan and Wagner have also been considered in this comment. In a nutshell, for me, it would be Fritsch and Stretch as the two wingmen for the MFC, with assistance from Baker and ANB, and perhaps Hannan and Wagner. I call them 'wingmen' but I think 'outside mids'.

I'd like Fritsch to be developed into a winger/outside mid; he'd need a little more muscle and would have to work on maintaining or increasing speed to the possession but he does have all the attributes of a great wingman and reads the game very well. Then, who needs Gaff/Sloane/other takers? That way we can invest big-time on two backmen of note and another forward.

They do in my football team - one to speak to the hard of hearing and the other to posit good habits under the threat of eternal wickedness . Ask a silly question, get a stupid and meaningless answer.

I'd like to see Jetta and Hibberd play the orchestral conductor role in the backline instead of Jordan Lewis. Hell, those guys are inspirational most games and know what and how it is done.

Some really good common sense in these ideas that make logical sense, almost across the board. What you are suggesting already looks like increases in drivers towards faster, productive and efficient play and it could be more widespread, thus reducing our slumps and recovery issues. Nice work!

Vince is not as lethal as he was and is noticeably slowing to be at the contest. Lewis is just slow but has great kicking skills and heads up to find 'local' opportunities in other players. Lewis skirts the contact or hangs outside, too. Yet his game was good against Port, not great, but good. A firmer opposition will completely negate him, now. Both need to be at Casey and one week at a time, create space for younger animals to move up to the ones. Petty, Frost, Baker and Stretch come to mind in those positions occupied by Vince and Lewis but there are others. With Lever gone, Frost might be a great support in the back pocket to assist OMac and simultaneously release Hibberd and Jetta for some downfield backline magic; Petty is possibly a good stand-in at CHB in that scenario; Baker has pace and could use it on the wing or just outside the midfield if moving into position; Stretch needs confidence and ball winning determination and he, too, could run out the ball from the HBFlank to wing - he certainly could set up some action for the talented Fritsch or even Petracca if he wanted the ball. For me, Vince and Lewis have been handy but it was always going to be a short-term arrangement.

This really is a valid point; original tennant stuff so easily overlooked with the incursive co-tenancy offered to other clubs and interests, far from the interests of the MCC and the MFC combined. However, the lure of a new purpose-built facility for MFC only is attractive and would overcome the problems associated with maintaining or modernising the current facilities within the MCG itself.

Second efforts are pretty essential in football. Why not in recruiting?

Perhaps. But a great summation of the 'news' from you, UF.

Ripe pickings all around, I'd say.

What is the frigging difference between an 'accumulator' and a 'ball winner'? Ball winners get the ball, thus accumulating possessions. Accumulators read the play well and regularly get themselves into ball winning positions, and thus increase their number of possessions. Is there something that we need to learn?

Youngsters with talent grow up and then hell breaks loose on the field. We have a great list. Culture and hunger are missing but these are bubbling now more than the recent (20 years) past.

That is a fair offer - if he can provide a positive response that would be great. He is, however, NOT a midfielder. He is a flanker - the space suits his run and carry, and his passing skills with an occasional drift into the goals for scoring.