Ollie fan

Personally, I love tight defensive footy. Goalfests bore me. Collingwood are ok to watch but mostly because so many games are close, come-from-behind matches - which makes you ask: Why do they get behind? Melbourne plays a hard, defensive game with the capacity to score very quickly at times. I love it unless we lose!

Why oh why do we have to have this moan in every thread, no matter what the subject? Does your brain not have room for a different thought?

It is a terrible idea. Once again, the supporters are completely ignored. We like to support a team AND OUR PLAYERS! To think that we barrack for them one week and literally the next week are barracking against them: It is ridiculous.

Surely Hore is a replacement for Hibbo? Putting May into the forward line would be absolutely robbing Peter to pay Paul. He is the best full back in the league.

I think the recruitment of Daniel Cross showed the value and importance of good role models.

To me, as much or more than recruiting is player development. We had a number of really good players come in during the dark years but there wasn't the training/ support/role models/ whatever, and they just didn't kick on. It is totally different now and I think Roos was instrumental in that. Good recruits are given body development, excellent role models, and time to develop. That also encourages them to stay.

According to the AFL website, it happened at the end of a 1 hour match sim, in a marking contest.

Was this your opinion at the time the contracts were signed, or is it just your opinion now? We all love the benefit of hindsight!

All of which is true, plus they probably also had a role to play in playing at Casey and teaching the young forwards/rucks there, as well as being ready to play in the firsts if necessary - which strikes me as forward/strategic thinking.

And it's not just us, by the way. How would Brisbane go if Joe Daniher went down? That would leave them with just Hipwood as a KPF. Collingwood have already lost McStay and would be in trouble if Mihocek gets injured. Etc etc etc

Last year we drafted Jefferson. This year we traded for Fullarton. There are only a finite number of list spots. We still have Petty, JVR, and we do still have TMac and BBB. I don't know how more bullish we can be. As for rucks, no one can replace Gawn. It would have been nice to keep Grundy but clearly it wasn't working out for him sitting at Casey, and both he and Gawn function best when rucking virtually all day. We have two project players learning the trade. Unfortunately, Fullarton, who was clearly brought in for precisely this purpose, is now injured: one of those things that happens but which has had ramifications.

At the start of pre season, our potential KPFs were TMac, Brown, Petty, JVR, and Fullarton. Now it seems clear TMac is being set for defence - no doubt as a backup if May should get an injury; Brown and Fullarton are injured, and it is hard to know where Petty is in terms of likelihood to play. It is a bit worrying.

Is this serious? I am astounded! Look at the people named: Dusty would be questioned ad nauseam about his father, and JDG and Clarry would be hounded about off-field issues - who could blame them for avoiding the media!!!! And the AFL wants to fine them for wanting to keep private things private??!!!! They should consult a good sports lawyer - this is not acceptable.

Reading the last few posts takes me back to the days of Saturday afternoon in the outer - I know they are gone for ever but they were great days. And who of those who lived through it can forget the excitement of the last H and A game in 1987? - watching the game but with transistor radio in one ear to see whether we could get there.....

Incredible what he does for a 193cm player. Obviously, tape measures aren't everything - as JVR has shown and will continue to show. Just a magnificent defender - Melbourne have actually been blessed with full backs over the years, and he is top of the tree.

"Super professional, excellent tank, preparedness to work hard, disciplined, lacks X factor" - are you talking about Taj or his dad? What I am trying to say is: that is exactly what his dad was like, and he won a Brownlow......

It is very clear from that brief interview that the club sees him playing forward

Are you seriously saying that when Yze devised strategies of the "Viney goes to block Bont while Trac moves to the right...etc etc" (whichI assume is what the midfield coach does), Goodwin would override him? Are you seriously saying that? If that were the case, no assistant in the league would work with him; no player would want to play under him - and yet the players have consistently signed long term contracts, people like McQualter come to work with him - and also, Richardson would let that happen? Please, tell me you were joking.

You are clearly changing your own narrative here. In the second quote what you are implying is that Yze should have been the coach, not an assistant - but that was not what you earlier said. But then again almost all of what you have said in this thread is rubbish. And BTW, if Yze - great bloke, great player as he may be- was so good, given that he was the midfield coach of one of the greatest midfield combinations ever, why did we often get beaten out of the centre?

Completely agree with everything Macca has written in this thread. Yes, we lost in the last two years. But people seem to forget that there are 17 other teams on the competition and some of them have pretty good lists too - in fact, most commentators see Brisbane as having the best list, and how many cups have they won with it? There is so much luck and fate involved - just ask Stephen Milne (for those who remember 2010). With a good stable board and good recruiting we can stay in contention for many years. And i firmly believe that this is our year (although very distressed by this mornings news that Clarry is not back!).

He is always a good writer, but I agree, he didn't take into account with Max, the effect of injury and sharing ruck duties in 2023. But ultimately, he concludes what I think we all know: we CAN do it, the question is whether we WILL.

I'm glad You were able to predict that Petty, Fritsch, Brown and Melksham would all be injured, that we would kick horribly for goal, that Brayshaw would be smashed in a shocking incident and that JVR would be suspended for the second final, because without all of these occurrences happening we would NOT have exited in straight sets. Nostradamus: move over!!

Well, after a few weeks of total, well, boredom on this site, haven't things hotted up quickly in this thread? For some years, IMV people have rated out list really highly -as they should - but have forgotten that a couple of other teams had good lists as well. I think ours stacks up against anyone's. McQualter will be a great addition. Our forward line has dramatically improved thanks to some more recruiting brilliance. I am immensely confident. And to be honest, I would hate to go into a football season with anything but confidence and optimism.

The lack of development of his body, especially compared to eg Taj W, makes me wonder if he really understands what is required.

Petracca has improved every year and has come back to training looking extraordinary. With him, Viney, Sparrow and (we hope) Gus, our midfield will be fine. Max is still going strong and we might blood some backup this year. Our defence is the best in the league although I agree, May is getting on, unfortunately. Our forward line is immensely improved on paper at least and if Fritta is fit and firing, and if we can get Petty back relatively soon, I see us having a great year. And if Clarry is in there, and I hope for his sake as much as ours that he is, we will be almost unbeatable IMV.