Deemania since 56

Dominated the crowd numbers last week against Geelong, as well. It's been two decades, I'd reckon, since there were so many red 'n blue people in one place! Have a great night, McQ. A really great night. McAvaney from Ch 7 just tipped the Dees to win the flag - nice person to have onboard for the finals series.

After Harmes they will go ... anything to earn a free kick. It will be a 'free kick in front of goal' kind of game for the Hawks, and will include the umpires going 'missing' for observed illegal tackles and tripping of MFC players if we get ahead of them on the scoreboard. We will win this game but we must simultaneously realise that we are not supposed to win this game.

Seen too many great fullbacks and CHbacks at Melbourne over the years and won't pointlessly list them, however, I have never been impressed with OMac. For example, Brown leads well and early for nearly every possession; any idiot can watch him but OMac seemed to forget that at critical moments, trailing by metres as if he was trying. He marks well sometimes, he kicks reasonably well but not well enough for a fullback. He does not have real rebound that is consistent across a game. He is out-manoeuvred regularly with one simple bump and he does not learn from these; prepare for these, avoid these, with any real effect, even after his somewhat improved physical development that is still too little for a fullback. He is seriously slow and could better utilise the strengths of his teammates in the deep back region - but seldom does. Frosty is already far better but more suited to a HBFlank, himself, or even as a backpocket rebounding tall. May from GCS, perhaps. Another role for recruiting Preuss from North? Sure could be as he has these credentials, and more.

...and kick straight.

Half of Clarkson's genius is to have good relationships with the umpires. His team benefits from influential decisions across a game and when the heat is on, allowing him to make and encourage plays that might otherwise be penalised - particularly holding and pushing - and like behaviours from opposition sides are seldom tolerated. It is as if Whoreform have a one-way street for the game - particularly in big games - so acts of recklessness or forgetfulness by the MFC must be contained. We have the personnel to achieve this. Just the same, I'd like to see a few key Squarks' big men run into Vanders and limp off into the distance somewhat retarded.

With so many errant misses at goal against Geelong last week, and with a kicking practice focus at training yesterday, you'd have to think that accuracy, eyes-up delivery and good snaps will be strongly in mind against the Whoreform team - and it will need to be - as another great surprise to an overconfident opposition. Really, we could have won by ten goals last week such was the inaccuracy. So this week, if we get a 50 per cent increase in scoring accuracy, it could be a Dees win by 43-50 points!

It took Tyson almost a full three quarters to warm up, to play with resolve and accuracy; he did just a few good things across the match - hardly enough to risk playing him - and his fourth quarter was merely 'reasonable'. Bring in someone else......

In years to come, I'd like to see the vintage video/film of the MFC's previous finals successes and particularly, this week's thumping of Whoreform, in coherence on any comparison with those 'beaut games of the past and hence, opt for a themic consistency with the same, traditional strip of the glory days ... Other than a distracting, optical dissimilarity, it would help to remind me of the hard-earned great days of the MFC carried into a present day revival.

Got'cha, Skuit ... understand your points much better. I am not sure that we disagree, all seems in cohesive thoughts. Thanks for the revision of my own thoughts. Carna Dees!

I know you are correct.

It is not the number of frees that invokes the criticism, it is when, where and why a handful of frees are gifted to enact, sustain and facilitate a winning outcome at the detriment of another team.

Been more than noticeable for two years ... structured and manufactured outcomes with umpire selection and no doubt, instructions to a set result. This is going to be another of these to now wreck the momentum and co-ordination that the MFC have proven in recent games, to end their season due to the possible maximisation of gate receipts in the next finals round with a Hawthorn win this week. If it re-appears, Goody must take the team off the field and 50,000 Dees supporters will be in support providing the evidence of the corruption. Nicholls is the worst choice - with obvious evidence from a higher calling to prejudice our game.

We need a little off-season coaching to some internal talent to change their respective roles in games and thus, improve skillsets and conventional responsibilities in a team of the century (MFC). With this in mind for some of our great youngsters, it leaves us in the desirable position to focus on only two draftings/free agents: 1. Gaff, still worth the hunt for our needs; and 2. Preuss, could be anything we want in a big fella with mobile skills, agility and a far Ken big kick, both feet.

Nah, Carlton or Collingwood - there is something about his worthiness in this - he'd suit their game plans and attitudes.

He would be the furthest thing from my mind at recruitment time. His traitorous greed exceeds his loyalties. He is also like that on the few occasions where he took possession of the football. Some prospect. Even before he left the MFC, he was overvalued, overpaid, underperforming and unwanted. Glad he made it elsewhere for his own sanity.

All pertinently true, Skuit. You'd think that point 1, point 2, point 3, point 4 could be easily and quickly and widely recognised by a skilled FD with amendments and immediate development or strategies applied. Are we locked into a FD and coaching staff that live in a world of denial? If we see these issues for the finals, why can the FD not see these and respond? I see point 5 as being more complex, multidimensional and 'risk-vulnerable' but for other virtues, almost tolerable (eg: Vanders might be a little slow but his play slows all competitors in contact with him; Jones is slowing noticeably but runs to space well to 2nd-play the moment, usually effectively; Tyson just needs to be dropped; Lewis is slow, too, but strategically justified in current weeks of his performances).

Still plays as if he is continuously rushed - needs a cooler head to exploit his assets.

It is all tongue-in-cheek; what the media have to say about the Dees is already known by the supporters and even-minded football followers supporting other clubs. The story of the finals in reality is still the Toiges. However, the passing bandwagon suggests that newspapers, viewers and listeners can be sucked in by extending the alleged interest into a team that is still not fully confirmed in its place. How do we feel about media profits being assisted by such attention on the Dees? IMO that it stinks a little and sensationalises much of the preparation and readiness assessments of the Club, its support bases and core media reporting. Believing is seeing, not hype-ing the season culmination. Still, that said, it is somewhat new territory for us all - and is therefore exciting but it takes a cool head to remain realistic and more accurately focused.

Professional evaluation of self and direction, as one of many thoughts no doubt passing through his mind and his ongoing preparation across the seasons. At least he was honest about it in discussion, on reflection and no doubt, at the time, possibly all the time. Jones is a driven man; he weighed up his loyalties, his commitments and endeavours which display a truly great strength of character. For him, most probably, it was a case of '...this is not all about me (so often the trend in the past couple of decades), this is about what I can achieve for the MFC in partnership with my changing guard of compatriots...' He deserves and earns great praise for this stance against the odds and the convenience of an alternative course of action for which he has always been most qualified. Gets my vote for a very worthwhile human and leader/motivator. Onyer, Jonesy!

Sounds like another 'decoy' in operational pre-game mode. If there was a problem, even a niggle, he would not be asked to achieve that workload; it's like owning a GTHO - go fast on the track, not the backstreets of Collingwood.

IMO Whoreform did play their best brand in the first half against the Tiges, and that was based upon their physical capacity to play against a 'running' team using teamwork patterns relatively well. This means to me that the Whorkes have few fresh legs at this stage of the season - and sides seem to temper the impact of their runners across a game. Whilst there are exceptions, singular contributions don't win finals - team momentum breaks down. These are things/observations that the Dees are continuously displaying with noted improvements in the last few games, even in shut-downs where occasional lapses have stretched across a game. I'd reckon we will smash them after half time, too.

Bluddoath! Back to his best from training well over summer. It adds that speed dynamic and we all know that his skills can be modified for greater effect (in a very short period of time) as we are now witnessing what a good club we are at '...developing our talents to achieve success...'

This may be a very good thing. He seems to have more capacity to 2nd ruck for Gawny than do Filopic and King; additionally, he is very big, strong and threatening, and as such, very mobile, changes direction well (agile) and can read the plays for positioning. Got a good set of hands, too, marking comfortably about 10 feet in the air, perhaps more, from limited leaps - so suffers from long-arm syndrome, which is really handy when developed as a defender and rebounder. On that point, he could be a key defender and/or forward quite easily, has the years in him to be trained to such an effect and is nowhere as 'gawky' as Gawn was at the same level of development. Kicks a mile or two, as well, and snaps the goals if free. Yeah, like him in so many ways. This is a Club/destination thing, not another '...don't want to play second fiddle...' type of option. Get used to it - we are a destination club. Get him!

Joel the mole Smith in, then? Saw Hibbs grab at a knee cap area in the Geelong match but seemed to be OK after seconds of recovery. Hope he is OK for the game this week - Mr very handy Take no Sheete.

I just want to see Vanders go seriously through a couple of highlighted Hawk players on the day - take possession and play on....