Whispering_Jack

Can we start the countdown to the national draft now?

Stats from the game:- Dom Barry 1 behind 11 disposals 4 kicks 7 handballs 3 marks 2 tackles 44 Dream Team Points Sam Blease 1 goal 22 disposals 18 kicks 4 handballs 2 marks 1 tackle 77 Dream Team Points Mitch Clisby 1 behind 18 disposals 8 kicks 10 handballs 6 marks 2 tackles 72 Dream Team Points Michael Evans 15 disposals 7 kicks 8 handballs 4 marks 4 tackles 59 Dream Team Points James Harmes 1 goal 1 behind 17 disposals 10 kicks 7 handballs 4 marks 7 tackles 77 Dream Team Points Alexis Georgiou 12 disposals 8 kicks 4 handballs 6 marks 1 tackles 54 Dream Team Points Jay Kennedy-Harris 1 behind 25 disposals 15 kicks 10 handballs 3 marks 4 tackles 87 Dream Team Points Max King 8 disposals 3 kicks 5 handballs 4 marks 1 tackles 15 hit outs 50 Dream Team Points Jordie McKenzie 1 goal 1 behind 27 disposals 12 kicks 15 handballs 3 marks 3 tackles 91 Dream Team Points Dan Nicholson 15 disposals 10 kicks 5 handballs 4 marks 2 tackles 62 Dream Team Points Aidan Riley 39 disposals 16 kicks 23 handballs 3 marks 10 tackles 142 Dream Team Points James Strauss 17 disposals 11 kicks 6 handballs 6 marks 3 tackles 75 Dream Team Points Luke Tapscott 1 behind 1 disposal 1 kick 1 mark 2 tackles 15 Dream Team Points (injured in first quarter) Dean Terlich 23 disposals 15 kicks 8 handballs 4 marks 5 tackles 1 hit out Dream 92 Team Points Jimmy Toumpas 20 disposals 13 kicks 7 handballs 2 marks 2 tackles 82 Dream Team Points When a team with 15 AFL listed players gets beaten by a stand alone side composed of many local players and few with any meaningful experience at AFL clubs to speak of, then you know something's wrong. Expect a large number of the AFL listed players to be clearing out their lockers very soon. It also says a lot about the club's lack of depth.

Busy yesterday but I've just read this piece by Patrick Smith who I believe is best at distilling through the spin about the ASADA/Cronulla decision and its implications for Essendon. Our athletes and swimmers are correctly stunned at what's happened but one should never be surprised at what power and political influence can achieve. Nevertheless, we are looking at a lengthy period during which we are going to be on the nose in the eyes of the sporting world as a consequence of the Cronulla decision. Everyone’s a dope when an ill-equipped authority meets two inadequately prepared codes

Max told me last week that he was also coming home via the red eye to coach his Ormond Under 16's in the grand final today. Good luck and let's hope the success rubs off on the club next year.

I believe it was reported elsewhere that he was feeling sore after his first game last week and the club decided not to risk him. It's going to be interesting to see what happens at Casey today because with all of our big blokes in the Melbourne team and no Jesse Hogan in today's team, they're going to be undermanned. I can just see KC complaining about the team going sideways all day. It will be interesting to see their score.

Tired? Yesterday, we had more possessions, more hit outs, won at the stoppages and had either the equal of or better than WCE except from the umpiring decisions. We even had them on effiency (79% to 78%) rate except inside our forward 50. Where we were beaten was in our running, particularly both ways. The question is whether we were trained to be able to run like the other clubs do this year or is it a programme by which Roos intends to develop the team in stages with defensive play coming first and the other things to follow. Either way, there are a number of personnel at the club who need to be replaced for various reasons.

Can't fit in a trip to the snow OD?

ENYAW. If the comment was not made in the context of your race or heritage then I don't see how it could have been a racial comment. However, if you are offended by a comment, you should bring it to the moderators' attention immediately and not several months later when it can't be dealt with as effectively due to the elapsing of time. We have a code of conduct and expect all posters to adhere to it but we can't pick up everything. Thanks.

With top spot and a place in the second semi final assured, the Demons travelled out to the Western Oval for the final home and away round on 22 August, 1964. Earlier in the season, they had easily disposed of the Bulldogs but to say that in the circumstances, the team took things somewhat casually this time, would be an understatement. Melbourne 1.4.10 2.6.18 4.13.37 4.14.38 Footscray 3.0.18 6.1.37 7.1.43 12.6.78 Goals John Townsend 2 Rob Foster Graeme Jacobs THE TEAM B: Neil Crompton Bernie Massey Bob "Tassie" Johnson HB: Peter McLean Don Williams Frank Davis C: Brian Dixon "Hassa" Mann Frank "Bluey" Adams HF: Bryan Kenneally Rob Foster Barrie Vagg F: Graeme Jacobs Barry Bourke Ken Emselle FOLL: Graham Wise Ron Barassi John Townsend 19/20: Jim Leitch Graeme Watson Goals John Townsend 2 Brian Dixon Graeme Jacobs Best Brian Dixon Graeme Jacobs John Townsend Frank "Bluey" Adams "Hassa" Mann Peter McLean The Demons brought in tall forward Rob Foster who scored a goal on debut but otherwise, it was a dismal day in front of the 20,553 fans crammed into the ground. From the outset, it was going to be a tough day in difficult conditions with the accurate Dogs leading the visitors who struggled to hit the target up forward. By the final break Melbourne had double the number of scoring shots but trailed by a goal. Footscray ran out the game with the aid of the breeze to win by 40 points against a team that clearly had its mind on other things.

I hope someone hangs around to catch Roosy's presser because I really would like to know why he selected the side they way he did with all those talls in the forward line.

Could someone please sever the link to our server and put Demonland down for the rest of the weekend? Please.

Well, I was proved wrong with my less than 5 goals prediction. I think we might have them a bit rattled.

Also we're not going to kick 5 goals today, are we?

According to the AFL APP Frees 21 to 9. Happens every single time we play them over there.

Not the one who played for St. Kilda and was stitched up for doping but a Coburg player who might be a rookie possibility. Playing against Casey Scorps tomorrow. He missed out in 2012, but two years on Coburgs Adam Saad is again in the frame for this years AFL Draft

It's going to be a long, long day ... and the misery and the pain is likely to continue. Can we beat Carlton's 5.7.37 from last night? Can we avoid a 100 pointer? Will our five ruckman policy pay off? All these and more questions will be answered by the end of the day.

Redleg. You're way out of line suggesting we seek compensation because a player might want out as a result of free agency opportunities. I'm all for obtaining draft assistance this year because the AFL rules cater for this and we comply with the criteria but the compo for FA is the draft selection you get if you lose the player and there's a formula for that within the rules. Beyond that there should be no compensation. If you believe your FA isn't playing with the right attitude because he has a foot halfway out the door then the answer is to pick your players better in the first place, create a proper environment for them and then develop them properly.

We got Dom Tyson and Bernie Vince at the end of last year and we will have $'s to spend on players coming on to our list.Port did well to lift itself up by the bootstraps. It was a combination of many things including good recruiting, administration, player development, a top fitness coach, hard work and luck. The stars aligned for them in that regard and I hope they do well. Having said that, we nearly beat them a month ago and I expect we will have a much better list at our disposal next year.

I have never been a fan of bringing in Jesse Hogan to play a cameo game for Melbourne in the final round of the season. It smacks very much of pumping up one's prized recruit purely for the purposes of PR and self-promotion which is exactly what the club was accused of when it pushed up Jack Watts for that Queens Birthday debut five years ago. Hogan was out of action for months before his rusty comeback in the VFL last week and I really see no useful purpose in him being out there at the moment. By way of a warning: Collingwood played its final round fixture for 2014 last night and it appears that Matthew Scharenberg has suffered yet another injury ~ Matthew Scharenberg to undergo scans as Collingwood sweats on his health after leg injury The Pies' other first round pick from last year, Nathan Freeman, hasn't played an AFL game this year, having succumbed to a series of hamstring injuries. These blokes will all come good eventually but the best thing for them at this stage is to wrap them up in cotton wool and bring them out when the pre season starts.

Despite denials by ASADA of back room deals offered to Essendon players, the story won't go away. Greg Baum of the Age isn't impressed ~ Bans bargains, bans going cheap

They're so bad tonight I reckon even we could beat them score five or so goals against them.

Preview

You would first have to accept that we are the SS Minnow. Firstly, it might well look, sound and feel that way today but it won't always be the case. Secondly, Mitch has always sounded like an insightful person of integrity. It might be naieve of me but I don't see him in the same class as Tom Scully.

It sounded somewhat strange that a new offer would be made at this time given that Middleton J has not delivered his judgement in the Federal Court but then everything about this sorry saga has sounded strange.

The pressure on the players is back on ~ ASADA tables offer to AFL for Essendon players to accept six month bans.