JTR

For anyone without Foxtel, I recorded the audio from 360 on my phone and uploaded here: https://www.mediafire.com/?nsgng603ss1p69k

~7mb file

"could the Demons be about to lure some Giamts superstars back home"

"Extraordinary contract demands" are what they just said in the last promo.....

Uber Alex Georgiou ‏@UberAGeorgiou Jul 10

So I wasn't picked this week. Makes it kind of an awkward time to be releasing this special edition guernsey #ohwell pic.twitter.com/mUygRowKaG

Good value Georgiou, if anyone is on Twitter and wants a laugh.

Love Hogan at 1:30 in this new video on the website...

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/video/2014-06-25/demon-chef-episode-1

I dont know how else to describe it, but to me McDonald seems to have these "zone out" moments when he is running with the ball in hand.

Obvious handball and kicking options are available for for whatever he misses them and just runs at half pace directly towards an opponent.

He doesn't even seem to be aware of the opponent until he is being tacked by him.

Sometimes I wonder if he is actually awake.

There was a segment on SEN a few weeks back where they were looking at some new champion data stat that rated kickers.

Ratings were based on the difficulty of the kick, length of the kick, kicking efficiency, pressure/no pressure... etc

They read out the top two players from every club, and none of them were players you'd expect.

Maxwell was one of the two for Collingwood.

One of our two was Georgiou!

I've just had my Mum over from NZ, for her annual round of family visits.

Slowly but surely I have been chipping away at her, and with the exception of All Black games I have turned her completely off Rugby and on to the AFL and the mighty Dees!

Anyway, her trip this time was from Saturday 7th - Monday 16th (today) and was to be split between me in Melbourne and her sister in Sydney.

Usually she goes to the sisters first and then comes down to me, in which case she would have missed the QB game, but seen the Bombers game.

This time though she did it in reverse and came to my place first, saw the QB game, then spent yesterday in Sydney getting text updates from me with the scores from the Bombers game.

Needless to say, she is a little disappointed

Anyone hear the post game interview with Ballantyne on SEN?

Was asked about Sylvia.

Don't recall his exact words, but he said something along the lines of him always getting on Sylvia's case at training and giving him a hard time, and so it is good to see him play well.

For anyone thinking of driving, I have called to double check and was told all car parks are open.

Thought with the wet weather all week they might be closed....

Watching the replay from last year really highlights the improvement in the team

http://www.afl.com.au/video/smart-replay?round=CD_R201301411&matchId=CD_M20130141106

This is the team we went with this time last year.

So if you compare to the team for Monday:

OUT:

Blease, Trengove, Sylvia, Kent, Fitzpatrick, Rodan, Davey, Evans, Tapscott

IN:

Jetta, Grimes, Cross, Tyson, Vince, Bail, Frawley, Viney, Gawn, JKH, Riley, Salem

2013 centre line: Trengove, Sylvia, Kent

2014 centre line: Cross, Tyson, Vince

Ok thanks for that. I wasn't aware there was a GA with reserved seats so guess that explains my confusion with the $8.50.

Cheers

Hmmm, I notice here...

http://comps.ticketek.com.au/pdf/MCG_VariablePricing.pdf

... that the Richmind game was also a "B game" and for that I just walked straight in with my card.

So, I dunno now...

I see the game is listed as a "B game" under this new pricing structure thing.

For adult members it has the following prices:

CAT 1 - $39.00

CAT 2 - $34.00

CAT 3 - $24.00

CAT 4 - $14.00

CAT 5 - $9.00

GA - $8.50

I have a GA membership.

Does this mean I wont be able to walk into the ground with my card as usual, but will instead have to go to the ticket window and pay $8.50 ?

http://www.mcg.org.au/Events/Upcoming%20Events/Event%20Details.aspx?eid=585e96e5-482a-406e-90ef-5194cfed79bb

Edit - forgot to add link.

does anyone think theres any chance at all he may have a change of heart one day and come back and play footy with us

I would say change of head space/improvement in health... etc rather than change of heart, but yes, the irrationally optimistic part of me has let the possibility enter my head.

This post by Mitch on twitter just contributes to the (most likely misguided) optimism...

Mitch Clark ‏@MitchClark11 May 18

6am start at the gym. Time to get fit again. Thank you to everyone who has wrote to me. I can't thank you all enough

As does Nathan Jones on Talking Footy last night being asked about that very tweet saying that the club would love to have him back playing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lynsu7ZaduE

Only 4 months ago....

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/melbourne/news/2014-04-08/clark-announces-his-retirement

:-(

WHAT A JOKE!

Worst idea to raise money for the club.

I liked the idea at first.

Now though, whenever I see it promoted I just cringe.

Most recently at 3/4 time last week when the promo popped up on the MCG big screen's..... *facepalm*

Yeah there were 4 posters today.

The one in the middle of the paper had Bombers on one side and North on the other.

The other (not in the centre as mentioned) has us on one side and Geelong on the other.

Rohan Bail gets the "silly look on my face" award this year.

I often miss out on getting it as I dont buy the paper every day.

So, thought I'd be pro-active this year and call the HS, to see when exactly ours would be featuring so I could make a point of getting the paper. They told me it'd be this coming Thursday (20th)

Just thought I'd pass on incase anyone else is interested....

That's how I read it too...

"MITCH Clark has been granted personal leave from the Melbourne Football Club due to health reasons.

All the best Mitch.

Schneider ruled out for round one.

"PAUL Roos' successor as Melbourne coach will be in place by the end of this season, chief executive Peter Jackson says"

- Damian Barrett

I dont think that is what Peter Jackson said at all.

He said:

"I don't want to put pressure on Roosy or start getting into some public debate about will be here for two or three years, I just want him to be really happy about the decision he's made coming to work each day and knowing he's done the right thing. If we do that for most of this year I think the rest will take care of itself."

Then later, when asked about timeframes...etc, he said:

"We would want to understand who's in that role towards the end of this football season, absolutely,"

I don't see any specific mention of a successor in there.

Does anyone else read those quotes and think the entire conversation is about Roos himself?

Clearly Roos is a lot more immersed in the role than he was a few short months ago.

Maybe if he is really enjoying it and the team starts having a bit of success, he'd be open to staying beyong the three years?

Surely Jackon would be in his ear.

Or am I reading it all wrong?

Me too! Just came here to say the same thing. Early this year!

I went down to training today, and have in a few seasons gone past.

One thing that stuck me almost immediately was how hands-on and involved Roos is. He was running the drills, he was giving the instructions and telling them what he wanted them to do. During one simple drill where they were running back and forth picking up a loose ball and handballing it off he stopped them all, told them a more effective technique, physically demonstrated it, then had them start again. "Much better" came the call not long after. Saw that happen several times in numerous drills. I don't recall seeing Neeld EVER get involved in anything like that. He tended to stand back and watch everything while the assistants ran the drills.

Re the laps they were doing, Tom McDonald smashed them as usual.

At the other end of the field, Maia Westrupp was struggling. In the time it took McDonald to do three full laps of the oval, Westrupp managed just over two. The next slowest was Fitzy who was about half a lap ahead.

I was watching Clark pretty closely most of the time and like Ruffles mentioned earlier, he looks fine. Running well and kicking great of both feet.