Bring-Back-Powell

They got 60K to both of their 2018 finals.

Lucky boy. Hopefully you'll get the round 22 2018 experience as opposed to the 2018 prelim version.

Pert strongly hinted May will miss round 1, on SEN yesterday. The other 1 or 2 might be Petty, AVB, and Hannan. Preuss is an obvious out but I don't think he would've been selected in a 32 degree day anyway. Hopefully T Mac is right to go for round 1. He IS our most important player in the side as demonstrated by us going 0-7 in his absence, and the sole reason we beat Carlton last year. It's critical they manage him correctly through to round 1.

Yes. 4:40pm on Fox Footy.

Just my opinion but I think he survives if we win as little as 9 or 10 games and finish as low as 13th. Sadly, it's an improvement on 2019 and he'll still have 2 years left on his contract.

Yes you are spot on. A loss to Geelong in 2005.

I agree with Lloyd Chistmas above, It would mean so much if we can get a win on Saturday. Sounds like Adelaide are near full strength while we'll have as many as 9 missing from our potential best 22 if we go ultra conservative.

A lot of people liken Melbourne's 2019 to Richmond of 2016 and Geelong of 2006. I reckon we were nothing like either of those sides. Richmond won 8 games and beat the sides they were supposed to beat below them, and had a win over a grand finalist in Sydney. They disgraced themselves in the final round, but 8 wins is a ton better than 5. Geelong won 10.5 games had a percentage of 100, thrashed bottom teams, and beat 4 top eight sides that year. We on the other hand won a lousy 5 games, and none of those wins we were convincing aside from perhaps the Sydney win. On a side note, we haven't played finals in an odd year since 1991.

Oh for goodness sake.

So Jade Gresham's (0 All Australians and 0 B&F's) a better player than All Australian and 2 time best and fairest winner Clayton Oliver. Seems logical.

They're simply practice matches with a naming right and are televised on Foxtel. Certainly no trophy involved.

Oliver didn't even get selected for the VIC's?? Or am I overrating Oliver?

I'm wondering what the point of this fixture this, unless it's actually Casey Demons V Essendon's VFL side. There will be bugger all MFC players (due to injuries) aside from a couple of kids and perhaps a Tomlinson and Spargo who've been in rehab for a chunk of pre season.

Gary Pert more or less suggested that May misses round 1, but they're hopeful he'll return in the early part of the season. Hopefully we can get 18 consecutive games out of him this year, otherwise this trade is looking disastrous.

I’m not even sure he’ll play. He’s spent almost the entire pre season in rehab, aside from the last 3 or so weeks. Whether that’s enough to get a game??

They ought to cancel the Essendon hitout as we're running our of players: Here is the side for Saturday if we go ultra conservative and disregard players who are either currently injured, in rehab or have been in rehab for a large part of pre season: B Jetta O Mac Hibberd HB Harmes Lever Salem C Langdon Petracca Jones HF Hunt Weed ANB F Fristch Brown Pickett FOLL Jackson Oliver Viney INT J Wagner Hore Lockhart Sparrow Jordan Bedford Rivers is literally the one and only player I couldn't sneak in. But could put him in for one of the others on the bench. Unavailable - T Mac, Gawn, Brayshaw, Tomlinson, Preuss, Spargo, Hannan, Melksham, Petty, J Smith, VDB, May, Neita, Chandler and who ever else I've overlooked.

T Mac in the rehab group .... https://www.afl.com.au/news/374096/big-demons-forward-joins-all-australian-ruckman-in-rehab-group We might be making an early claim on the Mitch Brown insurance policy this weekend.

And hopefully all OK with T Mac. The most recent training report indicated he rolled his ankle and didn't complete training. (unless you believe the Friday training report when Lever kicked 6 on Weideman, and T Mac kicked 3 sausages in match sim)

I'd say it's his personality - but yeah, he wouldn't be the most trustworthy bloke going around given his history. I know words aren't everything but when he said he had to leave his brother's house on GF day and cried after seeing his ex GC mates win a flag at Richmond while he didn't have a contract, it probably spoke volumes on how much he wants this second chance. Would really like to hear that he's doing something more than light jogging before I can picture him an MFC jumper this year.

According to Dal Santo and other gutsy media pundits, the 8 won’t change despite at least 2 changes every year since the final 8 was introduced in 1994 North, Hawthorn and Port to replace Essendon and 2 other clubs that cop significant injuries. And yes it could be Richmond who couldn’t cover for their injuries at one stage mid season (losing to Geelong by 75 during their worst plight)

It was round 20 1990. We also beat them by 2 points in round 8 1989 over there but there was no such controversy or carry on in that game.

It's our board that was extremely generous in giving him a 3 year extension despite no evidence that we would have a back to back finals campaign. Therefore, Goodwin is as safe as houses if he has a mediocre 8 win season, IMO due to his multiple year contract. Another 4 or 5 win season might change the landscape.

Agree with that. Not too many coaches get a 2 year apprenticeship with the promise of the full time gig. He'll survive with 8 wins though. Too many years left on his contract and it would be an improvement on last year (sadly).

Add Hawthorn to the possible ins. Can see them making top 6.

The first two are bloody tough but the draw opens up a bit between rounds 3-11 as six of those games involve non 2019 finalists and another against Essendon who I don't rate this year. We just need to keep our percentage intact after round 2 with two close losses and then launch from round 3 onwards.