BDA

Sorry to hear you wasted your morning. I know we're living in the time of Covid and our expectations have to be tempered but surely the club can advise of training times. Its not too much to ask

Cripps and Oliver comparable AA selection wise but as i said Cripps has taken a lot of punishment over his career. I wouldn;t be surprised if he's bandaged up like a war casuality at pre season Carlton training. Trac hands down over Walsh (but Walsh is young so may improve). Viney/Brayshaw over Williams for mine.

Nah. Cripps is very good but battered and beaten-up, Walsh's disposal is very suspect and Williams barely played midfield. Clarry, Trac and Viney have their measure i reckon.

Gawn contract talks have begun. No talks yet with Oliver. Name checked Carlton (no other) as a potential suitor. No mention of Petracca's contract. "Melbourne has kicked off contract discussions with free agent Max Gawn but is yet to make any progress on a bumper deal for star midfielder Clayton Oliver. For the sake of everyone at Melbourne, including coach Simon Goodwin, a quick start to the year will smooth tensions and ensure the job of locking away stars like Oliver is much easier. Clubs like Carlton still have significant salary cap space and the desire to bring in strong midfielders in the mould of Zach Merrett or Oliver to help Patrick Cripps and Sam Walsh."

Welcome Deevotee and excellent first post The Bentleigh valuation should have been performed by a qualified valuer who also must be independent of the board i.e can’t be one of the board’s mates. EY as auditor would have to satisfy themselves on this point. I think the financial investment has been converted to cash to cover costs and repay some debt. If you look at the cash flow statement it gives a sense of how monies have been applied during the year. I’d be interested to know what the leading financial indicators are looking like such as: · 2021 membership retention rates · Sponsors locked in · Cash-burn which wasn’t too bad to end of October but I note significant job-keeper receipts of $3.4m during the last FY. That tap will soon be turned off leaving a big hole to fill. I don’t want to end up in a situation where we have to tap the AFL for funds. Most importantly for me I want to know where we are at with the home base project. Getting agreement from all stakeholder for an MGC precinct site (Goosh’s I reckon) will be difficult. Bartlett and the board have hitched their wagon to the MGC site and if there isn’t movement soon then questions need to asked. The state government are throwing money around like confetti at the moment and here we are still looking for a site. No confirmed sod turning plans in the next 6-12 months and Bartlett and his board will be in trouble. Having said all that I’m not too concerned about the stage managed election process. It happens all the time. My view is it’s best to let this board finish what they started however time is running out. And as for Peter my advice is if at first you don’t succeed try again. Put together a ticket, start getting his message out there and be ready for another tilt next year.

Proof, if proof were needed, that steps must be taken to reign in the power of the Tech giants. Organisations who had been impacted by the Facebook news ban include: · The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne · MS Australia · Kids Cancer Project I don’t use Facebook very often but I’ve deleted the app and will never use it again. I would encourage everyone else to do the same.

i think he has 4 AA's

Agree. In addition Maxy can't lead, isn't particularly fast so his opponent would run off him all day and his kicking for goal is iffy. Much better to have him drop back to help out defensively where his marking ability is best utilised.

I haven't been over to Footscray in ages. Looking forward to it. Not an easy game by any means but i think we have the forward power to overwhelm the Doggies. Go Dees.

We’ll need tall targets to try to perfect our system. We’re not expecting BB to be out for long and hopefully Weid can get back round 8 or so, so no sense going too left field structure wise. More time for Petracca for sure plus decent delivery and hitting targets would make a big difference.

Plus he has currency. Plenty of teams are short inside mids, Carlton for example. He’s worth a late first early second rounder. I trust our recruitment team to convert a pick into a good player, perhaps a young key defender with an eye to May’s replacement?

Respect. My nephews are special needs. Their carers and educators are amazing people. Not many have the passion, aptitude or temperament to work in this area so hats off to you ANB. I hope you have a long and rewarding career.

HQ is a drain on resources for very little obvious value. An elitist organisation the sucks up all the money for the benefit of the few at the expense of the many. When covid hit a lot of the make work HQ roles were done away with. You wouldn’t have noticed. And no harm that some of the bloated coaching set-ups got pruned either. I don’t want to appear unsympathetic as real people have lost jobs but I just don’t think it’s the best use of limited funds supporting these roles. Women’s game shows that honest endeavour, commitment and playing for the guernsey is what its all about. And they’re not paid a whole lot. I don’t blame players for seeking top dollar, i would do the same, but are million dollar contracts for some players a better use of funds compared to investing that money in the local community clubs and underage comps? Grass roots is the life blood. That’s were funds should be used. On facilities for the volunteers and supporters and coaching for the youngsters. Its absolutely no surprise that HQ and ALFPA have looked after each other while those on the outside have been left to fend for themselves. Rant over.

Awful news. She'll be devastated.

Dreadful news. That's her third ACL so I fear this will end her career.

One man's trash is another man's treasure

People aren’t interested in community clubs anymore. Church attendance, volunteering all in decline. People don’t have time given work and family commitments. The younger cohort are happy to engage via social media, facebook and the like. I’d love a social club and would definitely head a long for beers but financially it would do well to breakeven.

I’m not saying its right but its not unusual for an incumbent board to run a process like this. Now that the election has passed do you intend to contact Peter again to get some more background details and whether he intends to form a ticket for a proper challenge next year. If he wants another run he needs to start getting his message out now.

I'm of the same view. Bartlett has made some bullish comments about the new home project so if there isn't substantial progress made in the next 12 months on this front i'll be advocating for a spill. As for the home, either get the MGC precinct project off the ground or except reality, stop wasting time and find a different location (Port Melbourne for mine)

Eddie Betts is worth a look so I’ll watch the first episode. Not sure about the rest of them. If AFL sanctioned can’t see it being anything other than bland and inoffensive.

I read a good description of Spurs and Mourinho recently as "Jurassic Park the Bus" ?

Notwithstanding Eddie isn’t there anymore Collingwood are still a powerful club and wouldn’t surprise me if they continue get favourable treatment.

I understand you were pointing out the coaching adaptability and innovative thinking. Petracca would be a Pep type of player alright. Can’t think of too many more on our list though.

Pep invented the “false nine” or strikerless formation at Barcelona when he moved Messi from the right to the centre. Spain have used it to good effect as well as they typically have a dearth of quality strikers but plenty of excellent midfielders. For the system to work it requires players who can learn and switch between systems easily. This requires a level of intelligence which not all players possess. Pep is very particular about the type of player he buys. They must have this dexterity, able to change roles seamlessly. It requires intense coaching as well. The key is constant movement, one touch pass and go football. The opposition is bamboozled not knowing whether to stay or go with opponents. To apply in an AFL context, you would need a team of forward and midfield hybrid players who constantly rotate. You’d need a radical list overall, no more KPF’s. Can’t ever see it happening. Definitely not at Melbourne. It would require a level of team cohesion, disciple and kicking skills far beyond the capabilities of our group. And coach. Perhaps if Richmond lose Reiwoldt and Lynch Hardwick might try something similar.

Hang in there UK D. Israel is the most advanced of any nation in its vaccine roll-out. Positive early signs there regarding reduction in transmission and severity of infection. Hopefully light at the end of the tunnel.