Whispering_Jack

Last sentence states he's expressing an opinion - not a fact. It's a view that he's entitled to hold even if it's tinged with a touch of cynicism about Mitch's situation. I think it would be great if Mitch can improve to the stage where he can consider playing again. He's a listed MFC player until October so if it happens within that time frame, I can't see Ross Lyon wanting to be seen as pulling a swifty over his mate Paul Roos on an issue such as this. My view is that it won't happen anyway.

AAMI is said to be pretty much state of the art as a venue for training with an MCG sized oval at Goschs Paddock nearby. Most players are happy with the precinct as our home. Beats being rained on by possums.

My bad. 5 tackles.Apologies to Aidan. Now fixed.

THE GAME Carlton v Melbourne at MCG Saturday, April 12, 1.45pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Carlton 115 wins Melbourne 88 wins Drawn 2 At MCG Carlton 48 wins Melbourne 48 wins Past five years Carlton 5 wins Melbourne 0 wins The Coaches Malthouse 0 wins Roos 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel at 1.00 pm (live) RADIO - MMM 3AW THE BETTING Carlton to win - $1.10 Melbourne to win - $7.00 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Carlton 18.13 (121) d Melbourne 8.12 (60) at the MCG Round 6, 2013 Carlton won by 61 points against an insipid Melbourne combination for who the season had already ended at around a quarter of the way in. Dejavu anyone? THE TEAMS CARLTON B: Andrew Walker, Michael Jamison, Zach Tuohy HB: Andrejs Everitt, Sam Rowe, Dylan Buckley C: Kade Simpson, Ed Curnow, Dale Thomas HF: David Ellard, Levi Casboult, Bryce Gibbs F: Chris Yarran, Lachie Henderson, Mitch Robinson FOLL: Robert Warnock, Patrick Cripps, Marc Murphy I/C: Andrew Carrazzo, Kane Lucas, Troy Menzel, Heath Scotland EM: Tom Bell, Nick Graham, Matthew Watson IN: Levi Casboult, Patrick Cripps, Kane Lucas, Heath Scotland OUT Tom Bell, Jeff Garlett, Jarrad Waite, Simon White MELBOURNE B: Alex Georgiou, James Frawley, Lynden Dunn HB: Jack Grimes, Tom McDonald, Dean Terlich C: Jack Watts, Bernie Vince, Daniel Cross HF: Jordie McKenzie, Cameron Pedersen, Jack Viney F: Jeremy Howe, Chris Dawes, Rohan Bail FOLL: Jake Spencer, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson I/C: Dean Kent, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Michael Evans, Matt Jones EMG: Jack Trengove, Shannon Byrnes, Daniel Nicholson IN: Chris Dawes, Jordie McKenzie OUT: Shannon Byrnes, Jack Fitzpatrick MICK, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? Mick Malthouse. What have you done? I was sitting at home fully resigned to the fact that the Demons would falter again this week against the Blues as they have done against moderate opposition in St. Kilda in Round 1 and GWS Giants in Round 3 (I'm trying to erase entirely the painful fiasco of the West Coast game from the memory banks). Damn you Malthouse but by dropping two of your players who frighten me the most out of your crumbling football team, you've raised in me the faintest glimmer of hope that Melbourne might cause an upset and possibly win this week. I speak now of Jarrad Waite and Jeff Garlett, two of the Blues' most problematic thorns in Melbourne's side apart from Chris Judd who always destroys the Dees and mysteriously appears from nowhere when it comes to playing them (but looks like missing out this week). When the teams met last year, Waite put on a blinder kicking two goals on his way to snaring a Brownlow vote while Garlett was irrepressible with four goals which added to Melbourne's heartbreak because while the Demons struggled up forward the Blues' goalsneak simply couldn't miss. I still have nightmares about Garlett in the first game post 186 running 100 metres along the wing with one bounce while mesmerised umpires watched on unable to blow the whistle as another Carlton goal was set up. Now, without those two and rocked by controversy over its cantankerous coach who is almost universally disliked by the football world (and we wonder about his own charges given their performances of late), Carlton is in the sort of form that produces statistics like these weekly averages:- Disposals (319) - ranked 18 in the AFL Handballs (131) - ranked 18 in the AFL Effective kicks (114) - ranked 18 in the AFL Handball receives (99) - ranked 18 in the AFL Uncontested possessions (182) - ranked 18 in the AFL. They're that bad that there's a chance that they might make us look half presentable. With Chris Dawes returning to hopefully straighten up the forward line, the Demons might even record a season high total of eight goals which under the predicted weather conditions and based on the morale of the opposition might even be a winning score. Who knows? Melbourne by 1 point.

'Vibes - I think your sentiments resonate more with the longer standing supporters who were brought up when the system was one of fierce tribal loyalty and you expected your players to give all for their jumper, their coach and their teammates. These days, the players get paid so much and society is reflected not so much through debate and discussion in the traditional media but often by the instant gratification in the social media, attitudes have changed. I think the hardest thing to take for many this year was what the team's performance and attitude in the West Coast Eagles game. It was supposed to be a thing of the past and wouldn't happen under Roos.

The stats Sam Blease 2 goals 21 disposals 10 kicks 11 handballs 3 tackles 76 Dream Team Points Mitch Clisby 1 goal 29 disposals 15 kicks 14 handballs 5 marks 4 tackles 108 Dream Team Points James Harmes 14 disposals 9 kicks 5 handballs 3 marks 3 tackles 1 hit out 61 Dream Team Points Jayden Hunt 12 disposals 7 kicks 5 handballs 4 marks 43 Dream Team Points Mark Jamar 1 point 12 disposals 4 kicks 8 handballs 2 marks 3 tackles 36 hit outs 80 Dream Team Points Neville Jetta 2 goals 1 behind 23 disposals 14 kicks 9!'handballs 3 marks 3 tackles 1 hit out 61 Dream Team Points Max King 7 disposals 2 kicks 5 handballs 13 hit out 26 Dream Team Points Jordie McKenzie 1 goal 1 behind 37 disposals 14 kicks 23 handballs 7 marks 4 tackles 130 Dream Team Points Viv Michie 17 disposals 8 kicks 9 handballs 2 marks 45 Dream Team Points Daniel Nicholson 27 disposals 15 kicks 12 handballs 8 marks 90 Dream Team Points Aidan Riley 23 disposals 7 kicks 16 handballs 2 marks 5 tackles 75 Dream Team Points Christian Salem 20 disposals 12 kicks 8 handballs 5 marks 2 tackles 75 Dream Team Points Jimmy Toumpas 1 goal 1 behind 24 disposals 12 kicks 12 handballs 9 marks 89 Dream Team Points Jack Trengove 1 goal 25 disposals 6 kicks 19 handballs 7 marks 4 tackles 80 Dream Team Points

Reading the above article and Sam Lane's piece in today's Age suggests that this is not going to end soon D Day looms for Stephen Dank. If it drags on and on and on as it threatens to do ATM, I wonder what they AFL will do if, as seems highly possible ATM, Essendon is in line for a top 4 spot? I think the significant part of the first article is this: Whilst it doesn't mention AOD9604, it does cover other banned substances including TB4 which has previously been mentioned in dispatches as having been administered to Essendon players. The reason I consider this as being significant is that it suggests that the show cause relates directly to use by players and if the ADRP considers the case is strong enough then infraction notices against the players will surely follow of the users are identified. This would not have been the case if the show cause against Dank only alleged trafficking or possession of banned drugs.

We have absolutely no control over the system of draft assistance and the AFL seems to be constantly changing ground over the subject anyway. The greatest danger however, is to get too wrapped up in the concept at this early stage of the year. If we can get over our current injury cycle to our big men and Paul Roos' game plan begins to sink in, we can still show sufficient improvement as to not warrant talking about such things.

How was Nev's pace?

Matt Burgan's article on the club website about how Jesse Hogan aims for sooner than later return. In view of the controversy surrounding the length of time it's taking injured players to get on the park, it's a bit of a brave call by Hogan but this is exactly what we want from our players - bravery!

That's good to hear (er ... read) OD. Some of the past versions of the VFL report have been rather flowery pieces that tended to gild the lilly a bit so you were never quite sure. I've been impressed with Nev Jetta for quite some time and really hope that he can find his way back onto the senior list. He might have to wait until after mid season when I think you can elevate a rookie without putting someone on the LTI list.

The Melbourne Football Club website has posted development coach Brad Miller's VFL Player Review

The Melbourne Football Club website has posted development coach Brad Miller's VFL Player Review

C & B is kidding himself if he claims knowledge about mental illness. I do charity work for an organisation that looks after, helps feed, find housing and jobs for those unfortunate enough to suffer depression and other mental illness like schizophrenia. It's only when you witness the hardship such people endure and how lonely some of them are, that you can really appreciate that above all else, the well being of the person is paramount. I'm proud of my club for the way it's dealing with this and the other ordeals besetting us at the moment and in the recent past. I don't feel let down by Mitch Clark's honest and elegant exit as a Demon who "will always consider myself a Melbourne player and a Melbourne person." Disappointed that we won't see him taking those big grabs or kicking goals for us but far more disappointed for Mitch and the pain of his ordeal. As for clowns like C & B, he proves only that the buffoon is often the best benchmark against which we can judge civilized human behaviour by comparison with the garbage he's been spouting above. Any more and he'll be facing a long holiday from this site.

I'm one of Max's sponsors and I like the fact that he coaches the Ormond Under 16's for who my son played (quite a few years ago now). He still treasures his brown and light blue jumper (yes, it's ugly) although he spent most of his junior and all of his senior career in red white and black apart from that year with the 16's when his own club couldn't field a side in his age group. It looks like they narrowly won their opening game of the season so congratulations Max and the boys.

Has Troy Menzel got one yet?

Officially - Chris Dawes (calf) – available Colin Garland (ankle) – available Max Gawn (hamstring) – test Jesse Hogan (back) – 4-5 weeks Viv Michie (jaw) – 4-6 weeks James Strauss (foot) – available Luke Tapscott (hamstring) – 1 week With Max Gawn a possibility to return, that makes four blokes who could be available to play for Casey against Geelong. Almost worth the drive to the Fields. And they're far more definitive about Jesse Hogan - instead of TBA, he's now a 4 - 5 week proposition which makes his back marginally better than Viv Michie's jaw.

I wish Mitch all the best in his recovery and well in his retirement. To think he had four goals up in the first quarter of the last game he started as a healthy player ... he still gave his best, tried his hardest and risked life and limb for the club. The final sentence in the article in the OP sums him up.

Mixed him up with the Matt Jones who just won the Houston Open golf.

Leaving aside that three matches in is too early to judge, do they think the deal was a straight swap - Tyson for pick 2 or did they allow for the fact that we got Salem in the deal and gave away pick 20?

A ring in or someone wearing the wrong jumper? http://www.foxsportspulse.com/round_info.cgi?a=MATCH&fixture=124157864&c=0-118-0-294689-0&pool=1%C2%A0

Absolutely not. If we get 10 goals up at half time over those [censored]s from Carlton then I want to go for a 20 goal win.

And the last of pen pictures from the 2014 draft

What do you want the MCC to do? Send us their tallest pace bowlers to stand in the key forward positions?

Under any honest system you don't get penalised for the same thing twice. Perhaps that's why the AFL made up the bull[censored] about us having the ability to bounce back properly. It was purely because of pressure from other clubs, most of them led by hypocrites who went on a junket with Vlad to work out ways of evening up the system. More bull [censored].