Bring-Back-Powell

I'm more than happy for the club to wear a white clash jumper 6 times a year. But why did we go from our best ever clash jumper to our worst ever in the space of 1 year? Very disappointing outcome.

Umm Howe is a quality player who is/was chronically under valued around here as a 3rd/4th intercept defender. He had a very good season at Collingwood as that defender and finished in their top 5 in the B and F. We all thought he was a 3rd/4th forward but he was crap in that position and as a result became maligned. I believe we would've been better a side with Howe in 2016 in our back 6. Sounds like Smith could be a Jeremy Howe type defender with his leap and ability to take a mark.

If Smith can be half as good as Jeremy Howe, I think we've got a player on our hands.

He's actually a poor man's Viv Michie. If we are going down the delisted free agent road, why wouldn't we have gone for Barlow who is 3 times the player that de Boer is.

Kayne Turner from North copped a 4 week ban for drink driving so it's not out of the realms of possibility that Oliver could be on the sidelines for the start of the home and away.

I thought Garlett had a poor season by his standards. Mixed brilliant games (Richmond and Adelaide 4 goal hauls) with downright stinkers (Hawthorn and GC 0 goal 5 possesion games) and games where he was visibly disinterested (Geelong).

I'm assuming players don't get awarded brownie points for commencing training with the youngsters, otherwise the 3 players highlighted would've been there with bells on, given the poor 2016 they all had (for varying reasons)

In H's defence, wouldnt the senior players who train early with the youngsters just get a day(s) off in lieu later in the pre-season?

I hope he's finally gotten over the tragic loss of Classius Clay.

Maybe Kent's considered a fourth year player (has played 4 years since 2013) and was subsequently required to be there. And maybe Oliver and Weideman are still considered first year players.

I wonder if all the neutral supporters will get on the Demon bandwagon when we eventually make a grand final, like they did with the Dogs? I found the neutral support of the Dogs, and particularly the media love of the Dogs way over the top.

I hate 17-5 as well. I hate that you have no idea who you're playing in the last 5 weeks of the season( throughout the first 4 months) thus you can't plan possible interstate trips in August, as well as planning important family events on the calendar eg- weddings. I also think it's crap that once round 17 occurs, the 13th and even 14th placed side are automatically eliminated from finals. It's not impossible for either of those sides to make a late dash for finals under the current system. Plus the amount of garbage yawn fests that will occur in the last 5 weeks between sides that are already eliminated from finals, will be a joke.

Apologies if I sound like a dumb arse but I really don't understand your alleged homourous response to my comment that attracted 14 likes. All I said was Petracca was still on the Bingtangs (a popular Indonesian beer) while holidaying in Bali, just a couple of weeks leading into a critical pre season for Pretracca. Can someone explain?

When's the intra club game?

Be interesting to see what kind of condition Petracca comes back in. Someone in another thread said he was still on the BinTangs in Bali very recently.

I'm expecting a 3 year ban, but 100% of the term being suspended.

Poor bugger. His only 2 games were probably our two worst performances of 1990.

I wouldn't have thought he'd pass the no D...k head policy we had under Roos and presumably still have under Goodwin.

GWS at Manuka are probably even more scarier than at Spotless. The other 3 games you listed, I agree with the advantage.

Agree with that. The only genuine away interstate games we have are West Coast and Adelaide while the GWS and North games are at their part time homes. Two of our 6 interstate games are at neutral venues (NT) Carlton and St Kilda don't sell games and consequently have 6 away interstate games. St Kilda have to travel to WA and SA 4 times! That right there may cost them finals.

No home games at Etihad, but we play 4 games there, 2 more than last year. It's a good fixture on first glance. No double ups against any of the top 4.

I think we're away to Geelong at Etihad. That would be a great result. Although 2 of our first 3 games at Etihad probably not so great.

AFL website reporting that we're hosting Hawthorn in round 7 on either the Saturday or Sunday 3:20pm timeslot. A free to air game.

Not saying we'll just rock up and beat GC in Alice Springs (we all know that never works for the MFC!), but it's a hell of a lot better than playing Port there which is essentially a genuine away game given Port's massive support up there. That and they play their best footy up there for some reason. Playing GC in Alice Springs is actually a fixture win in my opinion. Let's hope the win eventuates.

Thank god we don't have to play Port in Alice Springs. That game was like a genuine away game given that the crowd was 75/25 Port's way. Playing Adelaide in Darwin is neither here or there. At least they've never played up there so it may give us an advantage. The bad news is that it's round 17 like this year so no bye either side of the game.