Chook

What is it? The longer an argument lasts, the greater the chance somebody will make a reference to Hitler, right?

What would you define a tough player? List some from other clubs that are.

Yeah, we were absolutely going off. For a long time, it looked like we could go the entire game without scoring.

The great thing about that goal was the fact that regardless of how special it was, Paul Johnson didn't do a Jeff Farmer and blow his load over it. That just shows that our team realizes that individual brilliance isn't important. I was happier that High Tower didn't celebrate than I was that he kicked it at all.

I actually thought it was good. There were only two complaints. I thought Gary Ablett was given an eternity to dispose of the ball, and there was an 'in the back" not paid to Valenti when the other guy just fell right on top of him in the 3rd quarter. But other than that I thought it wasn't too bad.

No excuses! At least the weather there can be worse than it was here tonight. There's nothing that says "bottom of the ladder" more than a 100 point drubbing on a cold, rainy night.

I'm fairly certain there's at least a thousand threads like this. Having said that, Sylvia's light at the end of the tunnel is getting dimmer . . .

6 S Valenti 5 M Whelan 4 J McDonald 3 B Green 2 P Johnson 1 M Warnock

I think it would be fantastic for the Club to, on our 150th birthday, go all out for a victory against the top-of-the-ladder Cats in our only Night game of the year. Bring in Adem Yze, Ben Holland and Jeff White and possibly Nathan Carroll for their last ever games for the Melbourne Football Club. This should be their send-off. Bring in Nathan Jones only if he's played well this week at Sandringham. OUT A. Davey (Ankle) C. Garland (Hamstring) D. Bell (Omitted) S. Martin (Omitted) IN J. White A. Yze B. Holland N. Carroll That's in order of who I'd like to see play. It would be a good marketing tactic to get supporters along to one of our only blockbuster games this year. And their inclusion may give us some chance of a win, something that would give the younger guys a great boost. I'd go with three ruckmen in order to stretch Geelong's comparitively weak ruck division, while the inclusion of Yze and Holland will give us more forward firepower, something we'll need against such a fantastic back-line. Finally, Martin's been in the side for a number of weeks now and after a relatively poor week, should return to Sandringham to consolidate what he's learned. This opens up a spot for the in-form Nathan Carroll. However, I could see Bailey neglecting to include Carroll in favour of adding to our midfield depth with the inclusion of Nathan Jones. If Aaron Davey pulls up alright, as some have suggested he may, I'd consider dropping Clint Bartram and playing Brad Green loose in the backline.

Even though I think that, besides Collingwood, we match up on the Cats the best, there's almost no chance we'll win. I'm tipping the Cats by 35.

I think Colin Sylvia is only selfish because of the intense pressure he feels to live up to an arbitrary number. So what if he was a number 3 draft pick? He doesn't need to have 35 touches or 6 goals. The guy kicked 3 ripper goals, worked hard all day despite being obviously not right, and turned the ball over as much as he did only because he knew that we wouldn't win without taking risks.

Actually, I thought that one was totally right. Lynden Dunn manhandled Watson a little too much, particularly given that Wona was definitely going to get the ball.

I've decided he'll make it. One of our better players today, and when he had that set shot to put us in front, I said to myself "if he kicks it, he'll be a good player. If he doesn't then he won't." I just had that feeling about him.

Nathan Carroll - October 2009

We will smash Essendon. I cannot believe their backline - Mal Michael and Dustin Fletcher will be in a world of trouble against our smaller forwards. On top of this, the loss of Lucas (who I rate extremely highly) for the Dons will spell disaster for their forward line. I think that Jones was dropped because of his lack of pace, which could have been exploited by the Dons' speedy midfield if he'd been kept in the side. Miller's loss is pretty big, but his role can be covered well by Matthew Bate, so it should not pose a huge problem. Demons by 45 points. Colin Sylvia to kick 4 Matthew Bate to kick 3 Austin Wonaeamirri to kick 4

This is yet another reason why I have so much faith in Dean Bailey. His ability to make tough decisions is sure to set us on the right path. Cameron Bruce is now the only player in the team to have played every game this year. The fact that Jones has been dropped gives me faith that Bruce won't be given games just because of his name. I firmly believe that Bruce will also be dropped in coming weeks - and that will be good for the team. By the way, Jones got his highest ever possession count last week and was still dropped. It just goes to show that possessions mean nothing in the modern game.

Also disagree. He would be in the first 22 at every club, provided he had been there his entire career. His playing ability is not the only factor in his being selected every week. I see his situation as being comparable to that of Robert Harvey, Shannon Grant, Warren Tredrea, and so on. It's too simplistic to just drop senior players on the rationale that, if arbitrarily transplanted into another team, they wouldn't get a spot based on their playing ability. It's clear that statistics aren't the only factors influencing whether or not many veterans play each week.

I'm gonna make a bold prediction. I reckon, the Demons' next captain's name will start with "B"

Yeah, I reckon I'm driving the Miller-for-Captain bandwagon. He's consistent, passionate, charismatic and obviously well-liked around the club. Miller 4 Captain '09!!!

Nice. Who've you played on? And how'd you go?

No, Nathan "I have no leg" Brown of Richmond. I can't stand him either.

That's absolutely ridiculous! First of all, I'd like to see you "tear up" plastic. I'm pretty sure it's hard to do. Secondly, I'd much prefer Brad Green or Miller than Cameron Bruce. Totally disagree. I reckon that Paul Wheatley would be one of the few on our list that would push a contenting side to Premiership status. His unaccountable, attacking style would be highly sought after in a defensive side that views one of its weaknesses as lack of attacking ability on the rebound. But you're right. Wheaters won't play in a Premiership - unless he's traded. But that's not because he's not good enough - a view which I think is bull anyway (so many crap players have played in Premierships. Rather, it's because the players currently around him aren't good enough to compensate for his weaknesses. Paul Wheatley brings enormous benefits to his team, with obvious drawbacks that a good defensive side would be able to cover for. I also think that Paul Wheatley, Cameron Bruce and Brad Green are all highly rated outside the Demons - and that they would all fetch great prices at the right clubs. In my opinion, Wheatley at Adelaide, Bruce at Geelong, and Green at Sydney would all become All-Australians because of the way they'd play within the teams.

Totally agree with everything said. Except for one thing. We've got to give Buckley the ball at every kick-in, on the condition that he only ever plays on.

What the heck is a pashmina anyway? It sounds like something you'd eat, not something you'd wear.

It's amazing. In the space of about two days, Boomer Harvey has gone from being in my top 5 most loved non-MFC players, to just about rock bottom, in the company of Lloyd, Fevola, Hall, Franklin and Goodes. What a tool. Play the game, buddy.