Blind_turn

Anyone got any idea what happened to Matthew Panos? At one stage he was considered one of the better KPP prospects in this draft.

Out: Bennell, Jetta In: Bail, Maric Reasoning: I think we should blood as many kids as possible. Give them a taste, and provided they are not completely overwhelmed, give them a minimum of two weeks. Bennell and Jetta have both had two weeks now and have shown a bit, but against the pies they struggled. They are both potentially very good, speedy players in the mould of Thomas and Campbell for the roos, but just don't have the stamina or strength yet to withstand AFL footy week in, week out. Lets not crucify them. Give them some time with the Scorps to get their confidence so they can have another crack a bit later in the year when form or injuries warrant. Given Maric has now played two games with the Scorpions and from reports is showing good form bring him in for Jetta. Small forward for small forward. When Maric played last year he showed he was up to AFL standard and I am dying to know how well he can perform with another 12 months of development in him. On Bail, I think he has earned his chance. I saw all the NAB games (barring the one in QLD) and he has a physic capable of playing senior footy, is quick, has stamina and his skills seem as good as at least half the current side. Again it is a straight swap; small defender for small defender.

Thank you Tiger for the great service you gave the club over many decades. A true legend of the Melbourne Football Club. I have a childhood memory of sitting on my Mum's knee in the offices of Bill Patterson Cheney in Ringwood while Dad and Mr Ridley discussed buying a brand spanking new Holden. I know Dad was excited about buying a new car, but I think he was even more chuffed to be dealing with a man he both admired and respected. While I was only young, and therefore didn't really understand what all the fuss was about, it was clear Tiger knew I was a young Demon and went out of his way to make me feel special. It is quite likely that it was he who sowed the seed in my mind that one day I would pull on the red and blue jumper and run out on to the MCG. Alas it was not to be - but the dream sustained me for at least twenty years. My condolences to the Ridley Family, R.I.P Tiger

Thanks Whitey and Ooze. What ever you do in the future, you will always be warmly embraced by Demon fans. You have given us all many great memories.

Thanks Sylvinator. By the time the final siren was heard today nearly all the optimism was drained out of me. But your post put a bit of perspective back on things for me and I can now face going to work next week!

Out: White, Bate, Valenti In: Jamar, Miller, Davey. I think one of our greatest problems at the moment is attempting to over engineer the transfer of play up the ground with too many hand balls. While logically we need a number structures during a game I think at certain times during the game (maybe when the high possession strategy is breaking down) we try the following: 1. Forward Structure: Play a five man forward line. Miller as a true lead up forward (because he is good at it), Sylvia to stay very much at CHF (because he has no endurance, but is a good mark for his size and will fight to keep it in), and Stef Martin to full forward with Wona and Maric tied by a twenty metre invisible rubber band to his waist. (The logic here is if the players look up and can see a big bloke who can take a mark and has crumbers at his feet - they may just kick it quickly enough to avoid a full zone defence). 2. Rolling Zone: With the exception of those five forwards, the rest of the team plays a forty metre rolling zone pretty much behind the ball. 3. Team Rules: If the ball is coming out from our last line of defence and the opposition has not had time to zone back effectively, all players are absolved of any responsibility to guarantee effective disposal. If you have possession and you can hit a target with hand or foot - great, but if not you have full licence to simply kick it up the guts before an effective opposition zone can be set. There will be no recriminations. If the ball has come from the centre line into our defence and therefore there is a greater likelihood that the opposition will have more players behind the ball we hold possession up until we can reach our half back line. We then look for an opportunity to dish off to one of the three players, namely Green, Wheatley or Buckley. Once they have the ball they are instructed to run or kick as long as possible to a player. If no option presents itself, they too have full licence to simply kick it up the guts. The whole point of this approach is to get the ball moving quicker up the ground. Sure it will come unstuck on occasions, but the more times we move it quickly, the less likely it is that our opposition will be able to effectively zone back. When you look at Geelong, or any of the other top sides they create a virtuous circle, the more they play on, the more they can play on. I know Essendon tried this tactic during the year and were criticised, but I think the football logic is sound. I reckon our defence has probably become our best attribute over the course of the year and while it undoubtably will put them under more pressure, I think they can take it. What do you reckon?

Without question Sylvia has been a better performer this year and it’s primarily due to him getting a fair run with injury. Focusing on the No.12 may make some feel better, but it is not anywhere near the root cause of our "uncompetitiveness" for long periods in a game. Last night was a brutal example. Let’s face it, it was boys against men. If you put Sylvia in the Geelong side I'm sure your perspective on his contribution and relative value would be markedly different. Like everyone, I was gutted last night and spent most of the evening either groaning or shivering (or both!). But with a new day, brings new hope and a little more perspective. It is very hard to play in a team where nearly all the players are 5% to 10% below AFL standard. Surely we have all seen it time and time again this season. We get the ball and the first disposal is either not the best option, not executed quickly enough or executed badly. That places the next possession under pressure, leading to an even less effective disposal after that. Guess what, we look like a rabble, we either cough it up or kick it straight to the opposition. We can blame the players, we can blame the coaches, but it is what it is. For the time being we have no choice but to play boys against men. But there is hope. Skinny young boys inevitably get bigger and stronger and with a summer of honing skills and decision making the team will be more competitive next year. I’m not saying that all of this group will make it. In fact I have serious question marks on a number of them. But the No. 12 is not one of them.

First let me say that I have followed the Demons all my life. One of my earliest memories was being thrown in the air by my Dad on the terraces under the old Southern Stand when Hassa Mann took a great mark deep in the last quarter to hold out Footscray on a cold and rainy winters day. The thing that makes footy such a great game and a lifetime passion for so many of us is the tribalism of following one team all our lives. We build year upon year fond memories of great wins and couragest losses, players who we pin all our hopes on and an unyielding belief that even if we are struggling at the moment, "there are a couple of skinny boys in the twos that are going to be world beaters when they get a couple of pre-seasons under their belt". When clubs fiddle with any of their long held traditions or symbols they run a tremendous risk of weakening the fabric that binds supporters to their team in good times and bad. I hope the Gardiner administration considered all this when they dropped the Demon last year. I for one was initially bemused, dissappointed and felt a little disenfranchised. But after reading the arguments for the move conveyed on Demonland and Demonology (by the way, the only effective source of real news I have about the club) I was more sanguine about the decision. In these days of political correctness and cultural sensitivities it shouldn't come as a surprise to any of us. But the solution the Board and adminstration came up with was in my opinion, while stylish, incredibly boring and uninspiring. Just at a time when we are rightly being accused of being the blandest club in the AFL (remember Demetriou's question: What does the Melbourne Football Club stand for?) we come up with the red v on blue. Great colours, but unlikely to inspire swarms of nine year olds to turn up to Auskick in a Melbourne jumper! Is this is the best we can come up with? We simply have to do better. These are desparate times, we need to do a lot of things very well - in a hurry. If Jim Stynes wants to reinstate the Demon - fine. It has served us well over a long period and if it helps us play with a little more passion and makes our supporters yell a little louder then I'm all for it. But I want to float an idea that I think is an important first and symbolic step in reinvigorating our brand in the long term. A long, long time ago I understand the Demon replaced the Fuschia as Melbourne's mascot. With hindsight, I think that was a very good decision, it was right for the times and it created an exciting new image for the club. My guess is (that along with Melbourne being a dominate club for long periods in the first two thirds of the twentieth century) the Demon captured the imagination of a lot of kids who liked the idea of wearing the read and the blue and running around the backyard kicking and marking the ball like a Demon. But as I said times have changed. Why not take a risk and change our mascot to the: Melbourne "Fire" I think it is a natural evolution of the traditional demon symbol and therefore reduces the risk of alientating supporters who feel a strong attachment to the Demon. But it is modern, it conjures up energy, fear, excitement and a whole range of other connations that can be used in marketing the club across the full spectrum of the market. What do you reckon?

I think it is fair to say that even at this early stage we are unlikely to make a run for the eight so what harm will a Neitz send off game do. An even more important argument though is the issue of cultivating the right sort of culture and values for the footy club. We should send off all our players with as much dignity and appreciation as possible. If we want Melbourne Football Club to be around for another 150 years we should be looking for every opportunity to enhance the pride, value and honour of wearing the red and blue. Pause for a moment and consider how that may have helped just a little through the Chris Judd saga, if MFC, if nothing else, was known among all the clubs to be the best at revering their past players. If we fail to send off one of the undisputed champions of the club, how far are we along the path to a truly great club with a fiercely proud and strong culture?

I felt a bit uncomfortable for Chris, but to his eternal credit he got out there knowing full well that after being whipped four weeks in a row it was going to be a very tough gig. He spoke honestly and with passion and called on all Melbourne fans to support the team by making as much noise as possible. The whole idea of the General Manager of Football talking directly to the fans before the game, then introducing a recorded message from the senior coach and then interviewing one of our assistant coaches should be applauded, not ridiculed. If this is to become a regular feature at home games it would set a new standard among AFL clubs for direct and meaningful engagement with fans before the game. If your a Melbourne supporter and are interested enough to go along to the occasional game, hearing this sort of communication from people in the inner sanctum just before the first bounce could well tip you across the line into become a member. All of us, in the many years we have followed Melbourne can remember times when the team was travelling really well and we rolled up to the game full of anticipation, hungry for information about how the players were feeling, what had been the focus at training during the week and what the coaches would be asking for in terms of strategies. Even if they really tell us nothing of substance, it is a much better build up to the moment the team runs out on the ground than with all due respect to Paul Kelly, some dated tune, or even worse, a series of ads from Toyota, GIO or Westpac. I can't believe even cocky Essendon, arrogant Carlton and dumb as dog do Collingwood supporters would not look on with some envy that their club didn't give them the same sense of inclusiveness. Good on yeah Chris. You judge a person's character by how they conduct themselves in the tough times. From up in the stands, some day in the future I will look down on you as you have thousands of adoring Melbourne members hanging off every word you say and smile quietly to myself. In that moment, the joy for me will be that much greater as I remember the dark days of 2008.

I'm an MCC member and I buy a full MFC membership each year to support the club. I continue to rack my brain thinking of cost effective ways the club can entice all those Melbourne MCC members to buy a membership each year, but to be honest, to date I have not been able to come up with a sensible proposition. Speaking personally, the attraction for me is a sense of belonging, to feel part of the club in some way. In recent years there have been some good initiatives. The members email for one, and up until this year, the members scarf with the current year on it where real attractions for me. But maybe because of the high turnover in the administration, those constructive innovations have either lost momentum or disappeared. Sending emails is so cheap, but they are a very effective way to build a more personal connection with members and prospective members. I note last weeks members email was redesigned and a little more comprehensive - this is a step in the right direction. As for the scarf, I miss it, I had grand visions of building a lasting collection of each years scarves and displaying them at home and passing them down to my grand children. Unfortunately that dream has been given the Kyber by this years tie. I don't want to sound petulant, but I wear a tie every day of the working week, I hate them, I want to go to the footy with a scarf that shows everyone I'm a Melbourne member - and proud of it! I see a lot of dedicated Melbourne fans each week in the MCC area, but they all seem a little disenfranchised from the core group of Melbourne fans outside the MCC section. At the end of the day, the secret lies in somehow making them feel wanted, if that can be done I'm sure a greater proportion of them will feel the urge to put their hands in the their pockets in December each year and sign up for the Mighty Dees!

Next week I suggest: Backs: P.Wheatley, N.Carroll, Bartram Half backs: D.Bell, Rivers, Dunn Centreline: Morton, B.McLean, Davey Half forwards: C.Bruce, B.Miller, Green Forwards: Holland, D.Neitz, R.Robertson Followers: J.White, Moloney, N.Jones Interchange: P.Johnson, Garland, McDonald, Buckley In: Bartram, Rivers, Holland, Dunn Out: Petterd, Yze, Newton, Weetra All four ins played for Sandy today and early reports said they played alright. At this stage I assume Bate will still be out with a hammy and Sylvia was at the MCG today so I suspect he is under an injury cloud. As for the outs: Yze - You are an experienced AFL footballer and you are in the leadership group. Last year I was willing to cut you some slack because of injury, but today, logic suggests you would have gone into the game as physically fresh as you are ever likely to be playing footy at your age. I don't expect you to set the world on fire, but other than waving your arms around you showed very little in the way of leadership. If we are going to get beaten like that then we may as well give a young bloke some experience. Newton - Ben Holland has about a third of your natural physical ability but he gives his all. Like Yze, go back to Sandy and earn your place back in the side. If you want to know where you are falling down - one word - toughness. Petterd - You have real footy ability and nous, but you got your pants pulled down today and with the players returning next week you too will have to fight your way back through Sandy. Weetra - A very good first up effort in my books. I don't underestimate how hard it would be to play well in your first game in a side that got so badly beaten. But again the return of some players means you have to make way. You showed enough today to hold your head up high and you now have a taste of AFL footy. Play really well at Sandy and demand a spot back in the team.

Here is how I think the teams will line up: Robertson 187 Neitz 191 Bruce 190 Murphy 189 Croad 190 Gilham 192 Weetra 184 Newton 193 Yze 187 Osbourne 178 Birchall 193 Guerra 182 Davey 177 McLean 184 Green 184 Ladson 179 Bateman 175 Young 189 Frawley 193 Miller 194 Petterd 185 Boyle 194 Franklin 196 Dew 183 Bell 186 Carroll 191 Buckley 190 Williams 180 Roughead 193 Rioli 177 White 195 McDonald 180 Jones 180 Campbell 199 Sewell 181 Mitchell 179 Johnson 199 Moloney 182 Taylor 200 Tuck 188 Wheatley 189 Garland 191 Ellis 187 J.Morton 191 Some observations: While both sides have significant players out, I don't think there will be a much better time to play Hawthorn than this Sunday. I think playing Bruce in the forward line for a considerable period of the match is important because it commits the Hawks to play a tall like Gilham on him. This potentially frees up Robertson to get their fourth best "tall". Yze could be quite potent as he is likely to have a height advantage over Guerra or Osbourne. Because I rate Osbourne, I hope the match ups go this way, I'm willing to sacrifice Weetra in his first game to let Yze potentially beat a Guerra. If the centreline matchups go this way I think we have more class. Just as Melbourne can stretch the Hawks defense, the Hawks will test out backline talls and therefore that is why I think Frawley, Garland and Wheatley have to be in the side at the expense of either Bode or Morton. I have put Wheatley on the bench purely on the basis of his restricted pre-season and I would not be surprised if he does not play at all. If so in comes Bode. Cale's time will come. If Bell is cut up by Williams given that Williams is very very smart and Bell is very, very .............. (It's too early in the season to be canning players) I think Buckley or Wheatley are the obvious choices - either way, if it happens I would make the move early because Bell is a confidence player and can still be a very good attacking half back if he does not become too introspective. Mitchell is a champion, but Jones is a great competitor - I expect both to deliver. As I said there will never be a better time to play the Hawks than this week. I think the Hawks start logical favourites, but don't write off the Dees just yet. We can win! We can win. (At least thats what I will be saying to myself up until the final siren this Sunday.

Thanks Peter for all your hard work and dedication to the Melbourne Football Club.

Ok, we got spanked by the reigning premiers, but on the bright side: 1. we gave a lot of kids a taste of AFL footy, 2. Valenti can get the footy, and 3. a 17yr old named McNamara looks like he has some real footy nous and at 190cm he's worth putting in the cellar!