Whispering_Jack

B: Strauss Georgiou Clisby HB: Godfrey Panozza Hillard C: Nicholson Morris Evans HF: Blease Smith Salem F: Best Davis Rutherford FOLL: Fitzpatrick Terlich Harmes I/C (from) Carr* Corrigan Jackson King Lang Petropoulos Rennie Scott Symons I can only see one senior listed player as definites at the club next year from this team (Harmes and KIng are rookies). The others are outside at best.

Like Sid

Big Cannon a draft delight

The Melbourne juggernaut was stopped in its tracks in front of 70,385 fans on Saturday 8th August, 1964 when the team lost to Essendon by two points in an thrilling game at the MCG. The a Demons led all day but were held goalless in an absorbing final term. Melbourne 2.2.14 5.5.35 7.6.48 7.6.48 Essendon 1.2.8 2.5.17 5.9.39 6.14.50 THE TEAM B: Neil Crompton Bernie Massey Bob "Tassie" Johnson HB: Tony Anderson Don Williams Brian Leahy C: Brian Dixon "Hassa" Mann Graeme Watson HF: Bryan Kenneally Ray Groom Barrie Vagg F: Graeme Jacobs Barry Bourke Frank "Bluey" Adams FOLL: Graham Wise Ron Barassi John Townsend 19/20: Ken Emselle Peter McLean Goals Graeme Jacobs, Hassa Mann 3, Graeme Watson Best "Hassa" Mann Brian Dixon Frank "Bluey" Adams Don Williams Ron Barassi Graeme Jacobs Melbourne coasted through the first half and appeared on top in all departments and when Hassa Mann goaled twice early in the third quarter, the game seemed over with the Demons holding a 31 point lead. However, they stopped dead in their tracks from that point onwards, allowing the Bombers to score three goals into a strengthening wind and draw to within 11 points at the last break. That wind turned into a swirling gale at the end and Essendon did all the attacking to score an upset victory. It was an unhappy finish to the match for skipper Ron Barassi in his milestone 200th game. Little did we know that he would play only four more for the club.

Any talk of offloading Max Gawn is nonsensical. Our #1 ruckman is reaching the end of his career. Spencer has missed most of this year with injury and we have little else in the way of ruck stocks. I will say however, that if Max is played predominantly as a forward/ruckman against Hawthorn tomorrow then don't expect too much because the ball won't be getting down there too often.

Well and truly stamped and marked along with most of the MFC players picked in the Casey team for tomorrow. Roos has flagged that if players haven't got the basic skill sets to play at the elite level then they're going to be shipped out. I think the clean out at year's end is going to be viscious.

Every year, starting at around this time, the number of MFC players at Casey starts to dwindle. Fortunately, this year the Scorpions won't make the finals so they don't have to worry about stuffing the club up when the VFL finals come around.

It's not just barracudas that I don't like Bob. I don't like anything fishy such as the activity of one particular poster who visits here infrequently but came out of the woodwork last night and quoted part of a post of mine but deliberately falsified the words which completely changed the context of what I'd written. That sort of thing is about as craven and as low as one can go and reminiscent of the dirty tricks campaigns carried out from time to time by shonky politicians (and given the location of one of his IP addresses I don't think that's entirely a co-incidence). The upshot is that this poster and his IP now have a life ban and I assume that explains your reference to "Barracudas" Back on topic, I've had a busy week so I only caught up with Caro's performance on FC last night and it confirmed that she continues to be a real piece of work who continues to apply double standards for different clubs. During the segment in which she slammed Melbourne for tanking five years ago she mentioned that like us, Carlton had also tanked. This is what she said in her execrable Demons: shock & awful article. "The Demons and their more rabid supporters keep banging on about the fact that everyone was doing it. No other club seems to have done it quite like this, though, and if Carlton is guilty then the current mood of the AFL indicates that club, too, will be forensically examined and punished." (my emphasis) Carlton haven't been "forensically examined and punished" and despite her role as chief football writer of the Age, she's not even suggested since that this should happen. Now that she agrees the Blues did tank why does she remain silent?

Not my area of expertise but I would imagine that you would have to apply a strong case for public interest to allow the confidence of the informant to be overruled.Perhaps Redleg might wish to have a go. He deals with evidentiary matters every day of his working life.

An article on draft prospect Angus Brayshaw who played his junior footy in the South Metro Junior Football League with Hampton Rovers.

Even allowing for the sarcasm it's an interesting point to raise. I doubt that James is skint so it raises inferences of some form of asset protection, but who knows?

It's time for us to turn our minds away from the hum drum of drug scandals, litigation and club politics. We need to focus on REAL ESTATE ~ James Hird to sell Toorak mansion

You think that was a bite? Heaven help the nearest victim if I ever really sharpen the fangs Agreed with the sentiment about it being a stumble by Roos.

Without wanting to get further involved in this discussion here and only for the sake of accuracy, Paul's board actually exited almost exactly 6 years ago. This is nothing specific about Paul or his board but the rot really started setting in at least two years before that and by 2007 when we lost a swag of games early, it was his board that finally sacked Neale Daniher so rather than "putting a line through" my theory you've actually confirmed it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't this time frame also co-incide with Barry Prendergast's first draft for the club (and wasn't that a disaster?).

I could spend all day debunking this extraordinary piece of balderdash but I won't waste anybody's time. It's a topic that's been aired here many times before and we all have our opinions. I'll stick to the one I expressed above and leave it at that.

Let’s not kid ourselves. While Schwab, Connolly and Stynes might not have been perfect, our major issues began well before they arrived on the scene at a time when we were broke, had a team of dud players, a recruiting team that didn’t have a clue and hadn’t struck gold since the turn of the century and we haven’t had a coach capable of producing a premiership team in all that time. That’s all water under the bridge now but the fact is that while I still have faith in Paul Roos we’re not showing anywhere near the progress most of us had hoped for on the field. I attribute it to pathetic recruiting and player development in the decade 2002-2012 more than anything else and all those involved from top to bottom in that time are in their own way responsible for where we’re at right now, and not just a few individuals who are convenient objects of scapegoating.

Match Stats Dom Barry 18 disposals 7 kicks 11 handballs 1 mark 2 tackles 54 Dream Team Points Matt Clisby 25 disposals 12 kicks 13 handballs 2 marks 4 tackles 79 Dream Team Points Michael Evans 12 disposals 6 kicks 6 handballs 1 mark 6 tackles 51 Dream Team Points Jack Fitzpatrick 3 goals 3 behinds 13 disposals 11 kicks 2 handballs 6 marks 3 tackles 18 hit outs 106 Dream Team Points Max Gawn 3 goals 1 behind 18 disposals 12 kicks 6 handballs 8 marks 3 tackles 57 hit outs Dream Team Points Alexis Georgiou 14 disposals 8 kicks 6 handballs 3 marks 1 tackle 50 Dream Team Points James Harmes 1 behind 22 disposals 10 kicks 12 handballs 2 marks 3 tackles 59 Dream Team Points Matt Jones 1 goal 1 behind disposals 14 kicks 13 handballs 6 marks 4 tackles 101 Dream Team Points Viv Michie 1 behind 27 disposals 17 kicks 10 handballs 1 mark 2 tackles 81 Dream Team Points Dan Nicholson 15 disposals 9 kicks 6 handballs 5 marks 6 tackles 73 Dream Team Points Christian Salem 1 goal 8 disposals 5 kicks 3 handballs 2 marks 4 tackles 49 Dream Team Points James Strauss 20 disposals 13 kicks 7 handballs 2 marks 2 tackles 68 Dream Team Points Player report

Fact of the matter is that if it's accepted by the football world that we were tanking back in 2009 then what we're doing now is exactly the same thing. The same inexplicable things that were happening then are happening now - in fact I saw officials looking ashen faced and how is it possible that so many first round picks have been languishing in the VFL? You can't make this stuff up surely?

I think you might be surprised about what happens once our players have the system drilled into them over a couple of seasons with some refinement, player development and a specific plan for recruiting by the Roos crew.

It's been more or less seven years since we last won a home and away game at Etihad Stadium although I think it might have been called something else then. At least today, I reckon the roof might be open and the players may not remember that it's the place where they've stuffed up on numerous occasions. Actually, when I think about it we should have won twice there this year. The first time we were decimated of ruckmen and key forwards, lost two players early and kicked 10 behinds in a row and the second time, the result could have gone either way after we suffered some early lapses. We want 100 minutes (or however many there are in a game these days) to win it today.

Privacy laws prevent me from divulging the identity of the poster but Dazzle ... he's a regular helper at our inter forum games. Also very rich because those money bags contained a lot of $100 & $50 notes

What we saw last night from Sydney is what I expect to see from Melbourne in 2016. Hard, unrelenting two way running and a tremendous defence. The Swans and the Hawks look light years ahead of the rest.

Match Preview

Ironical really given that when we did play him in the magoos after he served a 3 week suspension back in 2009 we were accused of tanking.

Could have fooled me.