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OK, our forward line was dysfunctional at times, I get it... Bate deserves an extended run at FF, it will make him a better fwd in a few years when JW is the man. I think they all deserve to play Rd 2. Maybe Morton didn't throw his body around enough... If we bring back Sylvia for doing little for Casey, what message are we sending to the important stuff between his ears. He is a great talent, but our future success is aided by a motivated Colin Sylvia for the next 5 years, not by a two goal effort in a gallant loss to Collingwood. Make him earn it, Newton too. No change.

Thanks Redleg, we all love stories like that. That is the pleasure from this season, and next; watching these talented young Demons play, fail, learn, develop, and make their mark for the club. It was a delight watching Garland, Buckley, Martin, Morton, and Wonaeamirri last year, as it will be to watch Cheney, Petterd, Spencer, Frawley, Maric, Grimes, and, maybe, Jurrah this year.

Precise disposal is the immediate future of the game, as illustrated by Hawthorn, Geelong, and the Bulldogs. Indiscriminate kicks to the top of the square are extremely effective if you have someone to bring it to ground and rovers to clean up the resulting mess. Let's look at the talls. You can put it on Miller's head, but I believe he is better creating a target across HF and handing it off to running player (with a better kick). It isn't Bate's strength. He is better on a lead. It isn't Newton's either. He is a flanker in a FF's body. He is ahead of where he was last year but he still has his awful moments. As evidenced by his inconsistent, to put it mildly, match against the Bulldogs. It is something we can implement with PJ, when he isn't rucking. Which shouldn't be long. It would be suicide for Green to be treated this way if he were playing out of the square. Now let's look at the smalls. Davey is very good at this, but is increasingly being pushed up the ground. I prefer him giving the kick to the forwards as he is a beautiful kick. Jetta is a kid who got the pill, which is the hardest part, but did little with it. Wonna is fantastic at the base of a pack but is injured at the moment. Petterd is a very smart player but could hardly be considered a FP capable of what Wonna does. The same goes for Sylvia, who doesn't have the same defensive qualities as Petterd. We just don't have the cattle to attack the square, and in some cases it would be suicide. Backlines set up for the long kick to the square and we would be playing into their hands. We need to perfect our run-and-carry, bring it through the guts, give it to someone who can kick properly and deliver it to a leading Bate, Green, Robertson, or Miller in an open forwardline. That's how we should try to kick enough goals to win a game.

RR, I usually find your posts sensible but this is clearly a sub-editorial mistake made by some kid put in charge as papers look to cut costs. A really pointless and, at times, spiteful thread. Deletion time, to save embarrassment.

Nugget Jones, come on down! Seriously, CS, I forgot about the GP. And, you must be bored...

Yeah, no individual is to blame. It was Bailey's fault... 1.Bate has played one game at FF. One effing game! 2.Delivery to the forwards was where we let ourselves down, maybe the are too precise and should attack the square. 3.Buckley on Scarlett? Struggling to recall that one, also struggling to recall how that match-up would inspire a 20 goal loss. Scarlett kick 9 that day? But it's good you didn't blame Buckley. We don't want to single anyone out for blame... It was Bailey's fault...

I shouldn't need to point out the problem with that bolded sentence. Miller and Bate are playing CHF (hardest position on the ground) and FF (second hardest) in the worst team in the comp. Why don't those who are so abhorred by their performance go down to training this week and let their feelings known and give their advice directly to Bailey and co. Rivers? Martin? They'd be right to laugh at you. We have nothing but time to give these guys, until Jurrah and Watts are ready to go. Why not give them a chance to prove a few wrong?

The draw will never be even, it's just the quirks of our great game. And QB is will be a big game, more so when we are a better team in a few years.

I believe Bailey and Prendergast have. And Geelong did, as did Hawthorn, the Bulldogs, Adelaide... Strauss, Blease, Maric, Grimes, Morton, Bennell, and Cheney look to be excellent kicks from what I have seen. All play in positions vital to execute the run-and-carry style - HBF, wing, or centre. Moloney, Jones, and McLean can adapt. When these quicker boys with skills come in they will take the positions of Bruce, Green, and Macca. So if these three can adapt they can all play in the one midfield to give us first use. They had 18 clearances on Sunday between them, very impressive.

For various reasons we only had 40 inside 50's and we want to get rid of our FF and CHF. Both competed, and failed on many occasions. But the service was seldom to the advantage, and just plain seldom...

Well that's it isn't it? Hawthorn, Geelong, Bulldogs drafted for skills and they play a run-and-carry style (similar to Bailey's) that requires a high degree of handballing skill, precise kicking, and excellent vision. If you have plodders, they are not going to take you to the promised land so why accomodate them by changing your gameplan to suit them. Moloney struggled with it in games last year, but, if yesterday was any indication, has adapted quickly (20 handballs out of 29 touches). We have some good players that need to do the same, or wait for Maric, Bail, Blease, Strauss, Grimes, or Valenti to take their place. And BTW, who wants to to watch a game of keepings off along the boundary line that Collingwood played the last couple of years and reverted to when their run-and-carry failed against Adelaide. Awful footy.

No need for a stab. Bruce played on Wells. Buckley was rotated through the backline, but Laidley kept bringing him deep to expose him.

I'm not a big fan of changes for the sake of changes. Maric would be closest, but he only played 3 qtrs for Casey and with our apparent fading out problem... Maybe Newton. Valenti is still a rookie. Bail needs to earn a call-up. As for the suggestions... Frawley - Was fantastic, really great game, strong and willing. Ridiculous suggestion to drop the bloke. Bennell - Don't like elevation for only one game, he was servicable and small backs are gold for us at the moment, we need to get Buckley on a wing. Jetta - Same here, one game then dropped? Needs to learn to kick to space rather than trying to be so precise. Bruce - Not his best but more willing than usual and that was pleasing. Morton - Touch of the TJ's with Cale, sometimes he looks like he isn't doing anything while he is doing something but he was poor. Probably closest to be dropped. Davey - First 45 minutes were great and desperate, immaculate skills. Picked up a knock and that was that. Johnson - Get serious. Bate - Huge fan of Bate, didn't demand those kicking to him to give it to his advantage. Sounds counter-intuitive but if he wants to be FF he needs to be more petulant and tell his young (and old) teammates when they screw up the delvery to him. Kick it to the space he can run into FCS! Give him 6 weeks at FF, we've got the time... Only in I can see would be Bail for Morton.

It probably is good considering we rocked up exams last year and didn't get any right, and were laughed out of the exam room by 100 point-ing students. Baby steps, people.

They're fit. But with 12 players 21 or younger and Rivers, Moloney, and McLean coming back after a long time out we are going to have fade-outs. Really great to see Rivers running around but Moloney was fantastic, and McLean was quiet and still had 7 clearances. Good signs.

Maybe you should IM your message to Clint. Because that passage makes you seem arrogant and patronising. Just a thought. BTW, Laidley is a better coach than Bailey. Right now, that's the truth. What he has done with that list is phenomenal. Bailey will get better as the team develops, his matchday coaching matters for very little at the moment because it's the difference between a 6 goal loss and a 4 goal loss.

It's the first round in a year that is going to be a hard slog. And Buckley should be thrown by the wayside? It's going to be another long year, but some of you blokes are just going to make it harder on yourselves with this nonsense. So take your whinging elsewhere. BTW, Buckley had to go back with Wheatley and Whelan out, and Batram on Harvey.

I wouldn't say you're negative, but sometimes you need to include a qualifying statement, 'cause you can be mono-syllabic on occasion. And on value Garland (Pick 46) might be better than Morton (Pick 4). But on a straight up-and-down measurement you are probably right - Morton above Garland. But, sh!t, Garland is a beauty... (Can't believe he's the same bloke I wrote off a year ago)

I'm somewhat uneasy about trashing Richmond and Cameron. Their senior players didn't turn up on the night and we're having a go at the bloke in charge of recruitment? It' all a good laugh until we get smashed in Rd 4. Make no mistake Dees fans, we are every bit the favorite to finish 16th. And until a good showing on Sunday (hopefully), we have nothing to hang our hats on.

You must be easily shocked. Moloney is in the leadership group, drew even in the clinches against the bulldogs, and led the 'white' midfield (which was dominated by our young midfielders) in the intra-club game. Considering this thread has been dominated by talk of a talented and mis-guided Colin Sylvia, it can be lost on people that while he may be more talented a player than someone like Brent Moloney, he doesn't give as much and will never be as important to the MFC. They both have been frustrated by injuries over the last 3 years and they both haven't completed pre-season training until this year. But only one of them is a leader of men, only one of them has finished in the top 5 in the B+F, and only one of them is playing for Melbourne on the weekend.

I think they will line up slightly differently, but that's a given. B: Scott McMahon, Michael Firrito, Lachlan Hansen F: Ricky Petterd, Matthew Bate, Paul Johnson HB: Leigh Harding, Josh Gibson, Daniel Pratt HF: Aaron Davey, Brad Miller, Cale Morton C: Andrew Swallow, Adam Simpson, Liam Anthony C: Brent Moloney, Cameron Bruce, Brad Green HF: Ed Lower, Drew Petrie, Lindsay Thomas HB: Jared Rivers, Matt Warnock, Colin Garland F: Matt Campbell, David Hale, Brent Harvey B: Kyle Cheney, Stefan Martin, Clint Batram Foll: Hamish McIntosh, Daniel Wells, Brady Rawlings Foll: Jake Spencer, James McDonald, Brock McLean I/C (from): Sam Power, Jack Ziebell, Gavin Urquhart, Josh Smith I/C (from): James Frawley, Nathan Jones, Simon Buckley, Neville Jetta. E: Daniel Harris, Scott Thompson, Nathan Grima. E: Jamie Bennell, John Meesen, Lynden Dunn. Good luck to Junior and Batram, I reckon we can win this game.

Keep Petrie to a couple and we will win this. Harvey and Wells are a danger but I just changed my tip. Melbourne by a couple of goals.

Hopefully, this will be rectified when we move back under the umbrella of the MCC.

He was a hungry and angry Demon... Just like the rest of us.

I agree that the $50 MFC/MCC membership is too low to ensure the future of the club. But what it does do is get these people on the books so that they can be contacted in the future and coaxed into the $160 MFC/MCC membership or the full membership once their finances allow it.