GawnWithTheWind

Final 22 for me will be

Outs: Weid (inj) Spargo (rested) Tyson (omitted)

Ins: Pedo (like for like), Garlett (like for like), Viney (upgrade)

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On a side note, there is no way that Rowe and Jones will be able to complete aerobically with Hogan and McDonald. If they both get moving like they have over the past 2 weeks, they will burn those two out very quickly and will be able to get on the end of a few goals. 

Outs: Stretch - Kent - Harmes

Ins: Pedo - Fritz - Lewis 

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FB: Jetta - Oscar (Joe D) - Hibberd

HB: Hunt - Lever (free him up to held O.Mac)  - Wagner (Stringer)

C : Salem - N.Jones - Vince (Tag Merrett)

HF: Trac - Hogan - Melksham

FF: Garlett - Pedo - Weid

R: Gawn - Oliver - Tyson

I: ANB (mid rotation) - Fritz (small fwd rotation) - Lewis (mid rotation) - Brayshaw (mid rotation)

The main take away from last night was an example of two teams being at either ends of the confidence spectrum.

If you asked any coach/player/informed follower about which list has more talent, majority would lean towards Melbourne. However, Richmond play with unwavering confidence and belief in their abilities... Whereas Melbourne play with disbelief in their abilities and then “try too hard” to execute and lose their natural footballing instincts and talents. Confidence allows freedom and dare.. but more importantly resilience to adversity.

How does a team and a group of individuals get confidence and belief back?  Is it the leadership groups responsibility? Or Goodwins?

Without an answer, Melbourne will quickly fall away from the race and reside in all familiar mediocrity again in 2018.

Out: Bugg, Melksham, Frost

In: Hunt, Tyson, Pedo

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FB: Hibberd - Oscar - Jetta

HB: Hunt - Lever - Vince

C: Lewis - Salem - ANB

HF: Trac - Pedo - Kent

FF: Garlett - Hogan - Fritsch

R: Gawn - Oliver - N.Jones

I: Tyson, Harmes, Wagner, Gus

E: Hannan - Melksham - Frost

If Goody is true to his mantra, picking a team on form rather than on reputation, there should be at least one change this week.

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Inform from the 22:

Wagner, Lewis, Frost, Vince, Jones, Clarry, Gawn, Trac, Kent, Hogan, Garlett, Bugg, Salem

Neither Inform/Out of form from the 22:

Oscar, Jetta, Hibberd, Lewis, Tyson, Fritsch, Harmes, 

Out of form from the 22:

Lever, Melksham, ANB, 

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Inform from Casey:

Balic (6 goals), Pedo (26 + 15 marks), Weid (5 goals), Hannan (25 + 3 goals), Brayshaw (22)

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My 22 vs Hawks:

FB: Jetta - Oscar - Hibberd

HB: Wagner - Frost - Lewis

C: Harmes - Jones - Vince

HF: Trac - Hogan - Kent

FF: Garlett - Fritsch - Bugg

R: Gawn - Clarry - Salem

Int from :Tyson, Lever, Melksham, ANB, Balic, Pedo, Weid, Hannan, Brayshaw
My choice: Tyson, Lever, Melksham, Pedo

Interesting to hear Roos defend not picking Frost, with the mention of Hibberd and Wagner playing taller than they actually are. However, I think its affecting the make up of the  rest of the back six, mostly Hunt and Lever.

Hunt needs to be one of the two out-and-out attacking defenders, and with Wagner there, it seems like he is hesitant to attack and holds back.

Lever obviously needs some confidence, and we need to do the right thing by him and play him as the 3rd tall.

Both of these things can be fixed with Frost coming in for Wagner.

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Bugg gets one more week. Remember everyone was calling for Garlett to be dropped, and he literally won the game off his own boot.

With depth, you need to string good performances in the twos together to warrant a game. You can't come straight in after 1 decent hit out... So if Bugg is poor again, Kent/Hannan could come in.

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FB: Jetta - Oscar - Hunt

HB: Hibberd - Frost - Lever

C: N.Jones - Salem - Lewis

HF: ANB - Pedo - Melksham

FF: Garlett - Hogan - Fritsch

R: Gawn - Oliver - Trac

I: Tyson - Vince - Bugg - Harmes

E: Kent - Wagner - Stretch - Brayshaw

Didn't anyone else notice we just couldn't will ourselves to get infront?

Late in the third and the whole fourth quarter, we kicked confident goals to bring it back to under 6 points. However, any forward entry or shot on goal when it was to put us in front, we choked.

Oliver, Melksham, Trac and then Gawn all choked when we needed them to step up.

No idea how to improve that... maybe some more of Mrs Roos meditation classes.

With the confirmation of injuries, potential line up for Sunday

FB: Jetta - Oscar - Hibberd

HB: Hunt - Lever - Lewis

C: ANB - N.Jones - Salem

HF: Trac - Hogan - Melksham

FF: Garlett - Pedo - Harmes

R: Gawn - Oliver - Tyson

I: Fritsch - Hannan - Vince - Brayshaw

E: Frost - Wagner - Bugg

Now that JLT is finished, we can relook at what Round 1 is shaping up to be...

My team is as follows.

FB: Jetta - Oscar - Hibberd

HB: Lewis - Lever - Hunt

C: Harmes - Oliver - ANB

HF: Trac - TMac - Melksham

FF: Garlett - Hogan - Fritch

R: Gawn - Tyson - Salem

I: N.Jones - Vince - Hannan - Brayshaw

E: Pedo - Bugg - Wagner - Frost

Unlucky: Stretch - Maynard

Injured: Viney

Judging on the back of today’s performance, my opinion of the team in round 1 is shaping up to be..

FB: Hibberd - O-Mac - Jetta

HB: Lewis - Lever - Hunt

C: Salem - Viney - Harmes

HF: ANB - Hogan - Melksham

FF: Fritch - TMac - Garlett

R: Gawn - Trac - Oliver

I: Tyson - Chunk - Vince - Hannan 

E: Bugg - Brayshaw - Pedo

I've been trying to keep away from the dees for the early part of the preseason.. but at a high level, this is incredibly disappointing to hear.

Mental toughness and mental resilience is pretty much what seperate good players from great. All players in the AFL system can play football at a very good level, but the mental application of the skill into the game separates players and teams from the rest. The mental dedication to keep pushing and keep working can be the difference in a season..

I was really happy to hear they were being put out of their comfort zone and mentally tested. Not for the fitness/aerobic benefits, but the fact they would start to learn with the right mental application they could push themselves past where they thought they couldn't...

To hear they opted out of this challenge seems to show they aren't ready to give their all to find their edge.. find what seperates them from the rest of the comp. It seems again they are happy to believe it will be handed to them, like they are owed something...

This is the strongest indication of this preseason so far on what to expect from Melbourne in 2018. Fkn Melbourne ey?

FB: Jetta - Frost - Lever

HB: Hunt - Oscar - Hibberd

C: Lewis - Viney - Gus

HF: ANB - Hogan - Trac

FF: Garlett - T-Mac - Pedo

R: Gawn - N.Jones - Oliver

I: Harmes - Melksham - Tyson - Salem

E: Vince - Hannan - Weideman

Next in line to come in with injuries: Maynard, Stretch, J.Smith, Vanders, Bugg

That's a pretty solid unit of 30.

Without Jack, if you look at our best 22, there are very few players who don't consistently do the non-negotiable (tackling and ruthless competitiveness being the main ones).

Hogan and Oscar may be the only two who you would question 100% commitment to tackling, everyone else has competitiveness and tackling as number one priority.

Pretty clear what Goodwin wants.

I follow a few of the fitness staff on instagram, more so for training tips and to get an insight into how AFL athletes prepare than to peer into what the dees players are doing.

However, this morning one of them had Spencer, Trengove and watts in the Instagram story.

Good to see Watts in there working in his off-season, bad to see him just doing bicep curls. Curls will only help him look better in his shorts rather than becoming a better AFL athlete. Maybe I missed all of the functional stuff he did prior... but he looked pretty keen on making the guns bigger.

We grossly overvalue draft picks in the AFL. You go into the draft with normally less than a 50% draft of turning a first round pick into a 150 game player, let alone a superstar.

We have essentially bet against the draft, and secured a guaranteed young talented player who will impact games automatically.

It's a smart trade, and a huge win for our club.

Love it.

Welcome Jake!

if we do end up lifting the cup, it'll be such a shame to not have Jack there.

He's been through so much with us.

I'd trade Weid for the Pies first round pick in a heartbeat.

Are there any articles/info out there saying he is actually interested in a trade back to Melbourne? They are losing Priddis and Mitchell this year, so I doubt they'd be keen to lose all of their midfield in one year...

Rumour has it that he is damaged goods, comes with a raft of 'off field antics' and is just slightly more intelligent that J.Carlisle so he has avoided putting too much in his snap-chat stories.

If we got him, we would be going backwards in our plan of getting the right type of footballers into our club.

Whitfield is a lock for the hawks. He's a melbourne boy and will ask for a trade to the hawks in the next month.

Delist:

- Lumumba

- Hulett

- White

- Trengove

- Kennedy

Trade Bait (but keep if no good offers):

- Watts

- Frost

- Tyson

- Spencer

- Kent

- Harmes

- Stretch

- vandenBerg

- Vince

- JKH

- Wagner

8 minutes ago, beelzebub said:

I am fully aware of their " thankyou campaign"  . Some folk might have called it a BIG SELL... Is that just too cynical ? Quite frankly thats just a commercial opportunity. Its how organisations work. Dont get me wrong...i call neither foul nor wrong.

I did note who you thanked. Actually i took more and an interested note of who you didn't.

Mine's probably a far more mercenary view than yours. Mine's born out of decades of durge dressed up as effort.

Those that you note are for mine doing no more than honouring their opportunities. They are btw handsomely rewarded for the privilege. I don't decry them that, if they are true to the deal. But is a job. It's their job and choice. Well done to those that did put in.

It doesn't warrant imho a thankyou.

Valid response, and you're welcome to have your opinion on my post.

For a response to you, my thank you comes from the past 11 years mostly, where that list over those 11 years would have been much, much shorter.

The easiest thing for the club to do would be continue to be mediocre, the select few I called out did not choose the easy option. The rest (bar Jetta who should have been mentioned) may have chosen the easier option.

Seb Ross over Oliver is an absolute joke.

5 minutes ago, beelzebub said:

They should be thanking me and you and the other bloke and her and her sister. 

Bloody hell theyre supposedly a professional commercial proposition.

One that just [censored] up again. And we should thank THEM ??

Golly

The club spent a month thanking the supporters. 

Did you not notice I am not thanking 35 or so players for their performance, just a special few...