Bring-Back-Powell

The only silver lining is that these games won’t be on channel 7.

Yep Labor Day in VIC. Happy with this. Finally get to see a game live (touchwood) and at a proper venue.

Sneaky chance for a round 1 gig?

Brilliant post and a massive congratulations for braving the wet. I was certain that nobody would've turned up today.

I assume we have two practice matches. One where we arrange with another team - ie- North at Arden Street last year. This game would probably involve a bit of experimenting. The other being an official pre-season game, which would be the full dress rehearsal.

And this is from a guy that actually had an excellent season, and yet wants to be even better this year. Always enjoy reading his articles. Speaks honestly and steers clear from the corporate talk. Deserves to finally play in a final. Too good a player to never have featured.

The record crowd for a Melbourne V Fremantle game at the MCG is 27,000 back in 2017 when we lost a game at the death we really should've won. (2017 was certainly a year of coulda shoulda wouldas) If it's 50% capacity, and at the very least you book tickets the week they are released, I can't see anyone missing out on round1 if they make the effort to book.

Agreed. He wasn't at training on Friday just to log the pre season minutes. Trained/played where he left off from last year.

Excellent report Stinga. That's disappointing to hear that other clubs are welcoming supporters to training but not us. I assumed it was a COVID rule across the board that supporters are not allowed into training venues?? At the end of the day you can still get an ok view behind the fence but it would be nice if the club could welcome back a bit of fan engagement after the miserable 2020 in VIC.

would guess about 2,500 - 3,000.

Scully had a very good 2016 and 2017 and was nominated in the All Aust 40 squad both years. This coincided with back to back prelim finals for his club. To call him a below average played is incorrect IMO.

I think I read 50% capacity for the womens is permitted.

I prefer him up forward. One of the more natural goal kickers on the list but plays way too many quiet games as a forward.

It will be hard to see membership numbers being any good this year. Supporters of all clubs have never been so disconnected to their clubs due to COVID (and it's obviously not the clubs fault). We haven't been invited to a training session since March 2020. The bulk of the MFC members and supporters haven't been permitted to see a H&A game since the Sydney Swans disaster of August 2019. The only thing to keep us engaged is social media and pictures of the day's training session which is fine. Then there is the uncertainty of attending games this year. There's still a chance we could be shipped off to the SE Queensland hub at the drop off a hat and never to be seen from again until 2022. The borderline supporter may prefer to save their money for Foxtel or KAYO on the chance that the AFL turns into a strictly TV product as it was in 2020. And obviously, there's the regular problem of missing the finals again - for 13 of our last 14 seasons.

Surprised MFC supporters still hate him. Yes, in 2012 and 2013 I can understand the hate but surely by now he's a long forgotten former MFC player that is now at his third club and is probably near retirement.

Fair way to take the scooter from Richmond to East Cranbourne.

Surely Ticketmaster and Ticketek will waive their booking fees as a gesture of goodwill.

Is understood to be very close friends with Maynard and would love to play his footy with him.

If 25K capacity, the only people to miss out would be members that don't jump online in the first couple of days of sales. I think the record crowd at the G for a Melbourne V Freo game is 27K in 2017.

FWIW channel 7 reported last week that clubs are assuming and hoping it's 50%. They interviewed North's CEO who probably passed that info onto channel 7 news. No doubt with border closures, they'll probably throw this fixture in the bin and we'll start the season hubbing in WA before moving onto Darwin, Cairns and then settling into SE Queensland for the rest of the year.

Sorry to sound like a broken record but he didn’t play for the blue side (with numbers on their back) so either he played for the white side (no jumper numbers) or didn’t participate. Given that the white side got done by 40 odd points in a 60 minute simulation, it’s probably fair to say the entire white team struggled for any ascendancy.

I would say JJ for a possible wing option on the proviso they see him as more an outside than inside player. The non Langdon wing is wide open seeing as though they couldn’t get Isaac Smith over the line. Baker, Tomlinson, T Mac, JJ, Vanders - not particularly great options. Sparrow would’ve gotten some major minutes inside the middle had Viney elected to go to Geelong, IMO.

1) Hope you’re right with Jordon. Looked the part at training...see how he goes in the pre season games. 2) Which Smith are you referring to who was on BBB.? Joel was in rehab. 3) Would be keen on Scharanberg if we are permitted to replace Hore on the list. Too good a talent to be out of the system, albeit is terribly injury prone.

For the 45 odd minutes of match practice I saw, T Mac played the first half of the session on the wing, ie - he’d start on the wing at a centre bounce and then roam up and down the field chasing a kick. B Brown and Weid were obviously our 2 key fwds. But in the second half of the session T Mac would start as the third key fwd at a centre bounce behind Weid and Brown. However T Mac was given a licence to roam down the field while the other two big boys were more stationed inside 50. Jackson did not play the match practice and was instead running laps. On Weid, he’s going to get some great protection from BBB as he’s clearly not going to get the number 1 key defender. It really is his time to have a consistent 20-22 game season and start to really hit the scoreboard and continually take some big grabs against lesser defenders.

It wouldn’t be a rehab group in January without the regular customers in Vanders and Joel Smith.