Whispering_Jack

James Hird: That was my understanding of what a waiver meant.

Peter Fitzsimons writes a mean column in the Sydney Morning Herald and I only just caught up with his piece in today's edition which starts off with a tribute to our up and coming young tennis stars Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis (he could have also included Ash Barty too) - THE FITZ FILES Fitz finishes off with this well placed whack at the golden haired boy -

I know he did it in the white ball game and that doesn't necessarily translate into test success but last night's effort must strengthen Faulkner's claims for South Africa. I think he should be right there for the next time that Watson's calf or hammy inevitably twinges of strains.

Let's not knock Romsey which was in Melbourne's old country zone and spawned player John Reid who played for us briefly in the early 70s before crossing to his father's old club Footscray. Reid's younger brother, Bruce, was an even better player who Melbourne sought keenly in the mid 70s. Bruce Jr. eventually was cleared to play for the Bulldogs and ended up at Carlton and played over 100 games in total.His sons are Ben Reid (Collingwood) and Sam Reid (Sydney) which goes to show that we should have treated Romsey with a lot more respect and simply refused to let the Reids out of grasp all those years ago as it would have given us a couple of ready made key position players under the father/son rule as well no doubt, as a herd of alpacas.

Glad to hear you're treatment's going well. Let's hope the Dees lead you all the way to a full recovery.

Port did have a great start last year (assisted by playing MFC and GWS in the two opening rounds). They went on to win their first five games before losing the next five and then fronted up for a second time against GWS to go 6/5 at the halfway mark. They then went on to chalk up some wins against top sides like the Swans and Collingwood which by all reports were on the back of the team's good form and confidence levels.Another good example but in reverse would be the way the English cricketers had the confidence knocked out of them early in the series. Look at the way they've been travelling since the start of the tour and the first test in Brisbane which coincided with draft day in November.

The whole concept lacks class. I don't mind running down players who leave us in the manner that say, Scully did but the Grgics and Mortons of this world served the club as best they could whilst they were with us. In Brent's case he was likened to Gary Lyon early in his career and was pilloried by some simply because it turned out that he was never going to fulfill the expectations people had of him. It's totally unfair and unnecessary.

I share your optimism but have to disagree with you about the first 5 games. It's vital after what's happened in our recent past that we get off to a good start. Early wins breed confidence and with that comes momentum and once young teams learn how to win, it removes all the self-doubt among individuals and within the team. I think we need early wins to help get us out of the rut.

If insurance companies are so concerned with the profile of bikies then they should ask the question on the application and accompany it with a statement of policy that they will not accept any claims from people who belong to that class. In that event, Mr. Tukel could then have gone to a different insurance company and entered into a contract which would have seen that he was properly covered. Our society is governed by laws and a contract should be a contract. To preclude someone because he or she comes from a particular group is wrong, especially when that fact isn't disclosed at the time of entering into the agreement.

I understand that a prominent Melbourne supporter is also returning to the jurisdiction at the weekend.

Well, if the bloke's a Demon fan then he should win. It's outrageous that an insurance policy should be void simply because an owner's a bikie. Next thing you know, they'll be refusing cover for toothless Collingwood fans

Some critics were saying that Watts would never make it. They're the ones who I was suggesting he would prove wrong if the new look Watts succeeded in the midfield under Roos.

Another week of summer training beckons but this time it's back to the big city action and close to the epicentre of world sport around Melbourne Park and more specifically for us, Goschs Paddock. Still, it won't be easy topping the past week; foggy conditions greeting the players at Cranbourne on at the start of a week of scorching heat, a refrigerated truck at a training session on a day when nobody was quite sure where or when it was taking place, a couple of minor injuries at training, a missing coach (reports put him anywhere between Africa and Hawaii) and a bit of hype about a #1 draft pick whose ascendency to the top has been a long time coming and about who there is renewed hope - Demons' Jack Watts ready to take on elite And ... as the playing group builds up to full fitness with those NAB matches around the corner, one of our main concerns is always the health and well-being of the playing list so I've compiled this list of players who reports have indicated were missing from training since the new year return or had injuries during training (some appear to be minor). Those players have asterisks next to their names and the injury if known is in brackets:- 1. Jesse Hogan * (jarred knee) 2. Nathan Jones 3. Christian Salem * (ill) 4. Jack Watts 5. Jimmy Toumpas 6. Chris Dawes * (recovering from knee surgery) 7. Jack Viney * (hip - but trained 20.1.14 & apparently concussed) 8. James Frawley 9. Jack Trengove 10. Shannon Byrnes 11. Mitch Clark * (foot/hamstring) 12. Dom Tyson 13. Jordie McKenzie 14. Lynden Dunn 15. Mitch Clisby * (?) 16. Dean Kent * (patellar tendinitis) 17. Sam Blease 18. Daniel Cross * (nose) 19. James Strauss 20. Colin Garland 21. Cameron Pedersen 22. Viv Michie 23. Bernie Vince * (? but trained 20.1.14) 24. Jay Kennedy-Harris 25. Tom McDonald 26. Daniel Nicholson 27. Aidan Riley * (fractured right fibula) 28. 29. Jayden Hunt 30. 31. Jack Grimes 32. Michael Evans * (bumped into #7 at training 20.1.14) 33. Dom Barry 34. 35. Luke Tapscott 36. 37. Max Gawn * (hamstring) 38. Jeremy Howe 39. 40. Mark Jamar * (hamstring) 41. Alex Georgiou 42. Jake Spencer 43. James Harmes 44. Rohan Bail 45. Matt Jones * (calf) 46. Dean Terlich 47. Max King 48. Jack Fitzpatrick * (?) 49. 50. Maia Westrupp [if anyone can help clarify the nature of the unknown injuries please let me know and I'll update the list] If anyone's thinking "why us" let's not forget that while it's not ideal for players to have restricted pre seasons, none of those injuries appear likely to derail anyone's season at this stage, some players are on specially formulated modified programmes that should have them back at their peak at the start of the season and every club has them anyway. In the past week, we've learned of fairly serious injuries to Nathan van Berlo, Zac Clarke, Tom Bellchambers, Steven Motlop and now Lewis Jetta.

A little anecdote from Monday's training that I omitted to mention concerning Watts. The story goes that his mother and Jayden Hunt's mother are golfing partners so it was interesting to see the two sons pitted against each other at one point during training. Watts won the contest but I was really wondering if they spent any time discussing their mums' golf handicaps Well, I thought it was funny anyway.

Well, whatdoya know?

It's easy.Since the end of the 2013 season, we've undergone massive changes in our coaching structure and from the senior coach down the changes are significant and will affect the way we train and play, structures, strategies, player and team confidence, mindset etc. We've also turned over close to ¼ of our list and most think the net result is a better list with some much needed added class and experience in the midfield. We can also expect improvement from the young blokes (Viney, Toumpas and Hogan who didn't play last year) and some significant key position talls coming back from injury. There's a fair bit of evidence there to suggest we can expect some change and improvement.

I suspect however, that in the case of this subject, it might be the other way around and that the ASADA investigation is being constrained by the ongoing ACC investigation which is looking into the importation and trafficking of illegal drugs. This is a multi-million dollar industry enmeshed deeply with organised crime and a matter of priority for the government. It's been said that these investigations led to the unveiling of the supplements programmes at clubs in both the NRL and the AFL, with Stephen Dank involved with clubs in both competitions. I think the legal and evidentiary complexities involved are the reasons for what appear to be unreasonable delays in the ASADA final reports. It seems as if this has been going on forever and while you can't rule out attempts at government interference, I'm not sure that politics is behind the delays and it goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) that the AFL and Demetriou are not powerful enough to sweep this under the carpet.

It's hard to tell whether Watts was the victim of the hype and the way he was brought into the team or whether he suffered from being in a poor side without the leadership and experience around him. We also don't know what transpired when it came to making that decision to stay but I'm glad that he did. Watching him train yesterday, I was wondering whether we were about to witness a sea change with his attitude to the workload he's faced under the new coaching regime at the club. Will it translate into the player we expected to see when he was first drafted? There were signs during the course of the drills that he's on his way. He competed hard and won more than his share of one on one contests and that's what you'd expect from one who is, after all, one of the most skillful and talented members of the list. But what happens on the training track doesn't necessarily translate into championship football under the pressure of match conditions. The best individual efforts I've seen at this sort of training were from Colin Sylvia in his early days and Tom Scully about three years ago when he blitzed in a session at Casey Fields. Neither of them has to date been able to replicate what I saw in a whole game, let alone over a season or longer. Having said that, he looks in good nick and, if played on a wing, could create havoc if he's capable of running out full games at the intensity that position demands these days. He'll out mark his opponents and if he has hunger for the ball will be good at ground level, linking up and, with his good disposal and decision making and ability to read the play, could be a damaging player. A lot of ifs there but, under a new coaching regimen and with better players around him in the midfield, I'd give him a good chance of proving the critics wrong.

With Lindsay Fox as Prince for life and building a private swimming pool on crown land adjacent to the royal palace. All hail, Prince Lindsay!!! Come to think of it we could do with some hail right now.

In most sports it's dangerous to be making predictions several months ahead but News Limited's illustrious but apparently anonymous team of sports writers have done just that. They seem to have little faith in Paul Roos or his ability as a coach to lift the Dees off the floor - Predictions of first five AFL rounds good news for Hawks, Eagles but Collingwood in trouble This is their predicted ladder after five rounds - PREDICTED LADDER AFTER ROUND 5 5-0 Hawthorn 5-0 Sydney 4-1 West Coast 4-1 North Melbourne 4-1 Richmond 4-1 Geelong 3-2 Fremantle 3-2 Carlton -------------------- 2-3 Adelaide 2-3 Essendon 2-3 Port Adelaide 2-3 Gold Coast 2-3 St Kilda 1-4 Collingwood 1-4 W Bulldogs 1-4 GWS 0-5 Melbourne 0-5 Brisbane Lions The "staff writers'" comments - These people are brave in attempting the exercise (especially in their assessment of Collingwood) but I do suspect it might come back to bite them on the backside and they could well end up writing in the social pages instead of about sports. It will be worth keeping an eye on this as the season starts unfolding.

Earlier this evening the following incident alert was posted:- I'm glad I picked Wednesday as the day for my visit to Casey Fields and not tomorrow. The club website is still announcing that training is on at 9.30am. Tomorrow's top temperature is predicted to be 44 again and, knowing the ground, there will probably be a hot northerly causing some havoc with the training drills. A perfect test for the lads, no doubt if they go ahead with training (I'd start it an hour or even more earlier but what do I know?) ... anyway, I won't be there. Hopefully, someone hardy local Demonlanders will manage to get there and have the strength to report on proceedings. POST SCRIPT: The venue has been changed on the club website to Gosch's Paddock. Good luck if you intended on going to training.

I saw Maia at training yesterday and I was surprised how well he went. By that, I mean that I was expecting him to be well below rookie standard but he's not. He's quite an athlete and he has some skills.I think he should be good to get his fair share of games at Casey seniors this year whereas he was a long way off being even development league standard last year.

Monday February 3 Annual General Meeting Members Dining Room, MCG, 6:30pm Friday February 14 Round 1 NAB Challenge Richmond v Melbourne Etihad Stadium, 7:10pm Sunday February 16 Family Day Luna Park, St Kilda Thursday February 27 Community Camp Alice Springs Friday February 28 Round 2 NAB Challenge Melbourne v Geelong TIO Traeger Park, Alice Springs, 5:40pm Saturday March 8 Practice Match & Casey Family Day Melbourne v Hawthorn Casey Fields

The drive to Casey Fields is always interesting. If you haven't been there for a few months, you're immediately struck by the amount of new residential building happening which is of course, one of the main reasons the Melbourne Football Club is out there in the first place. This is one of the fastest growing residential regions in the country and over time, it's hoped that the club will benefit from that growth and develop a much healthier supporter base than it has at present. But all that is of no effect unless the club prospers and grows on the field and that's what I was looking for as I made the trip down the freeway to Cranbourne. I wasn't expecting too much with the temperatures edging towards the low forties and the flies congregating around the small but hardy group of supporters who braved the oppressive conditions. This was compounded by the non appearance of the bulk of the club's talls who are suffering various ailments, none of which are said to be long term in nature. Missing were Mark Jamar, Max Gawn, Mitch Clark, Chris Dawes, Jack Fitzpatrick and Jesse Hogan. That left us to concentrate on a pre season training session in the heat involving many of the club's midfielders which is the area that has caused us so much distress in recent years. Even then we didn't see Bernie Vince or Aidan Riley and Jack Viney turned up but I didn't see him on the track. Even the coach is far away in Africa and we're less than a month away from the start of what used to be the NAB Cup. However, there was enough on display to suggest that the emphasis in off season recruiting on the midfield will pay off. That is not to say that from hereon in the Demons will be elite in that division but rather, that they will be competitive and will perform like the bulk of the midfields in the competition and not resemble a bunch of fugitives from Madame Tussaud's waxworks. This is what I took from training and from what I have seen of the influx of players into the club through trades and the draft. Dom Tyson looks all class, Viv Michie looms as a surprise packet, Daniel Cross has class and experience and we know what (the admittedly absent) Bernie Vince can do. Jack Watts is a classy mover and disposes of the ball well. Jimmy Toumpas looks as if he's going to step up in a big way and we have high hopes for Jack Viney, Sam Blease and a resurgent Jack Trengove minus the burden of the captaincy. Then there's one who impressed me this morning - Michael Evans who deserves a break from injury looks fit and solid and could be a bit of a surprise packet. This will all add quality to our 2013 midfield of one, namely Nathan Jones. The way they trained and ran in the heat was impressive. There were a couple of little blokes who could also surprise by adding pace and skill to the set up in Dom Barry and Jay Kennedy-Harris. And if these changes made by the new coach bring result in a more solid, efficient and reliable engine room, imagine how much this is going to be appreciated by the overworked defence of the past and how the forward line (currently all in rehab apart from Jeremy Howe) will benefit in terms of greater opportunities for scoring. Of course, all this is written in mid January, a traditional time for rose coloured glasses and things could well change dramatically over the coming months but I think we're on the up and up. I remember sitting high up in the gods in our round three match against Richmond two years ago and, realising that our static midfield was bereft of any run and spread, knew we were in a spot of bother. Now, I know that we will no longer be wax figures in the most important part of the ground and that is where I see our improvement in the months ahead.

The player to who I spoke didn't say but I'll try to find out.I think Fitzy had some hamstring issues last year and those things sometimes have a habit of coming back in the form of twinges and the like ... but that's only a guess. The diabetic suggestion is also plausible.