Lord Nev

Again with the personal stuff. Why? If you have a personal problem with me (someone on the internet you've never met) you're welcome to message me to work it out, but this forum is for talking footy, and that's what I'm here for.

Yep, agree with that. I've not made any argument trying to say we should have kept him and he was in great form, just that I think some take the criticism too far (typical of internet forums though I guess), and fail to take into account the context of the team, the need of balance on game day and the blokes circumstances.

No, you literally just somehow wrote down all the pieces but then failed to put them together. Nothing to do with me. CS? And there you go again, talking about Jeff's finishing and outside skill; yet somehow not 'recognizing the faults' of the team and how those things are related. I've never met you, so I'm not sure why you're grasping for personal assessments. The coach? The coach who is the most under pressure senior coach in the league this year? The coach who has been widely recognized as being too obsessed with the contest and crowding the ball? The coach who oversaw us chasing any good quality outside player/finisher available in the trade/draft period because he's clearly recognized he's got the balance wrong? Are we talking about the same coach?

Amazing you can't put the pieces together when they're all there in front of you.

That's not what was being said at all. Worth taking the time to understand the point if you're going to have a crack I reckon.

Just my opinion, but I think us fans (and our coaches) got a bit over-obsessed with hard at it, inside types for a few years. We love the bash and crash, the toughness, especially when you follow a team that has been beaten up and been 'bruise free' for so long, and so when we have a player that doesn't play that way we can be over-critical of that aspect of their game without realizing how much we need a mixture of players to be successful.

Oh, wasn't directed at you at all mate, or anyone specifically really, just a general comment, your observation was fair enough.

The problem is, Bennell isn't officially an MFC player at this stage, so to use him for media coverage and fan engagement would be seen as exploitative. You can't really benefit from someone who is not on your payroll. As for Jackson (and any other first year players) it could be that the club is trying to minimize the pressure and exposure on them. They're 18 year old kids after all, and if you read through the recent article by Jackson you get an insight into how intense the experience is right from the start. MFC of all places have learned the hard way about not diffusing the expectations on young players. In saying that, 100% agree they need to do more with the rest. It's the characters that get the kids in. They all love Maxy, he has some personality, some defining traits, but aside from him it's all a bit vanilla as far as what we see. Even doing something like giving Trac a GoPro for a week (maybe at Maroochydore?) would be a start. He's a big personality as well, so he's another one the kids could get around. It's a tough balance, and the weird bit is the actual quality of our content and visual identity has drastically improved over the last 5 years, but more innovation is needed for sure.

Yeah I'm not trying to imply he was fantastic or his effort was consistent (was anyone's last year?), but I just think criticism of Jeff is sometimes over the top, and comments like 'lost his appetite' seem strange to me when it's about a player who lead our tackles inside 50 and our average goals; both things we were in desperate need of in 2019. Plus, as others have mentioned; injury and personal circumstances had a big impact on him in his last couple of years so I guess that's why I feel the need to comment sometimes.

Lead our tackles inside 50 for 2015, 2017, 2018 & 2019. 2nd in 2016.

We have two spots anyway don't we? One already empty and another made available due to the Nietschke injury?

You may hear just as much along these lines as you do about the coach if the year doesn't go well.

I'm not saying you're wrong mate, just trying to clarify. FWIW I do have concerns about certain things in non-playing/coaching departments, hence why I was pushing for more information. Cheers.

So is this opinion or fact then?

Can you elaborate on this at all?

That would make a lot more sense!

vandenBerg will be 28 at the start of the season.

I'm a fan of Sparrow. My opinion is that he will grow into a burst half forward role, a little like Kent used to play for us, and eventually down the track may play some inside mid also (fair way down the track that is). Once he gets his tank up to be able to do it through a whole game we'll start to see the burst he can put on which is a real asset combined with his aggression.

Maybe that's what they're saying? "To hell and back.... to hell again."

Great insight into the whirlwind that these young blokes go through, as well the maturity and professionalism of Luke himself. "We were also fortunate enough to hear from (former Port Adelaide and Carlton ruckman) Matthew Lobbe, (former Fremantle and Gold Coast midfielder) Michael Barlow and (former Victorian and Australian cricketer) Bobby Quiney on their different pathways and athlete journeys. The stories and insights they shared with us put into perspective the journey we’re about to embark on. Our careers won’t always go according to plan and, for some others, their first year might not be as successful as they had hoped, but I think it’s about making sure that you’re working hard, embracing the challenge and utilising the resources around you. Hopefully I’ll be able to apply the lessons they spoke about to my own life and career." Jackson ready to embrace the challenge

Really good from Zurich. Zurich to match players’ donation to bushfire crisis

Consistency. In team lineup (as much as possible), game plan, effort, energy and performance.

New Era on board. Seems like some innovative thinking and a good get with a quality company. Melbourne partners with New Era

Not entirely true mate. Be careful what you read these days. It states pretty clearly on Celeste Barber's page where the donations are heading, but on top of that Shane Fitzimmons (RFS Commissioner) has already stated that due to the size of the fund they will distribute the funds. There's more complicated explanations, but they are able to do that, so some funds may go to victims, some to other states etc etc. Hopefully one of the things that is learned throughout this is about the mass misinformation going on in social media as well as mainstream media so often and without consequence.

The city is a city. The council is people.