Whispering_Jack

Just landed at Tullamarine and am standing two feet away from the great man waiting for baggage. On past experience that means I'll be here another hour. Wife and I were in row 4 - the soccer players nowhere to be seen. Postscript: yep - just announced that Qantas apologise for some stuff up with baggage handling equipment.

I'm flying back home and there's a few great Melbourne players on our flight. Harry Kewell and Archie Thompson for starters!!!

I got it.

There was plenty to be pleased about on an evening played under shocking conditions. I thought both results could have gone either way but in reality, the results were pretty meaningless. I think the highlight for me was Aaron Davey in the first game showing that he isn't finished and that he hasn't lost his skills. He's still got a way to go but that was encouraging. Jack Grimes put in a few cameos that demonstrated how much we missed him after his injury last year. The class he showed at the end was worth hanging around a raindrenched Carrara for most of the day. The debutants all did well and one wonders how the Saints let James Magner slip under their noses. I like Tynan and Couch too but they could still be a way off and Clark is looking like a huge plus. Jack Fitzpatrick went fine in the ruck and given that Max Gawn and Jake Spencer are both on the LTI it's handy to know we have Jack on the list. Matthew Bate might well have reinvented himself as a midfielder. We still lack a class gamebreaking midfielder but the conditions on the evening didn't help our quest to unearth one. Gary Ablett Junior was the one class midfielder to stand out on the night. As AOB and others have stated, there's a new game plan at play here and it's going to take time for it to be perfected. Some might not be happy to have gone 1:1 with two of last year's lowly teams but that's not the point of these games. I think we're definitely moving in the right direction.

And we will be so much better at it without the out of bounds rule that applies to this competition.

James Frawley captaining a very inexperienced squad for game 1 v Suns.

Rain has stopped but not sure how long.

The great Ronald Dale Barassi has finally entered the room to thunderous applause. Actually, that could have been the thunder in the background.

I'm at the Queensland Demons pre game function at the Emerald Lakes Golf Club and it's absolutely torrential here. Chris Connolly reckons its as bad as the night we played the Brisbane Lions in Cairns a few years ago. There are plenty of water hazards on the golf course and one of the greens is about to go under. Fortunately, no golfers out there. I can't see it easing before the game starts but miracles do happen.

Room for one or two as I know of a couple of late drop outs. If you're in Surfers Paradise you might want to pick up a poncho with hood. It was the pivotal purchase of my trip @ $2.00. Not that I went in there but the place is opposite Condom Kingdom on the Gold Coast Highway. Fitting that you buy raincoats at a place right opposite that establishment

It's still drizzling here on the Coast. One thing I've noticed is that there's absolutely no sign around here that the NAB Cup games are on at the local stadium. I suspect we're going to struggle to beat the low attendance figure from last weekend's matches at Bleaktown.

You can add to Trengove and Jurrah, the likes of Morton, McKenzie, Blease, Tapscott, Jetta and Strauss which gives you eight players who would be in our best side or contenders at least while a few in the squad are coming back from injury so they wouldn't be expected to be at their best. I'm also not including our two tallest players who are both LTI's but are only ruck depth ATM. All in all we have at least half a dozen first choice players out this week. I suppose our opponents are in the same boat.

I wonder if there's anything in the rumour as to what Melbourne was going to get in the trade? Hurley, Ryder, young Heppell?

Yep, it's still persistently coming down and I'm glad I didn't go to training. I came up with summer gear only and it looks like I'll be giving the local economy a much-needed boost tomorrow morning by hitting the shops to buy some protective gear against the predicted monsoonal conditions. The car I drove today had squeaky windscreen wipers. Does anyone have a quick fix? It's bloody irritating especially when it happens in a place where it's not supposed to rain. If I see another of those Queensland beautiful one day, perfect the next ads, I'll be ill! Going to the Queensland Demons lunch and understand that some of my absolute childhood heroes are going to be there. Ronald Dale Barassi who is THE club legend, Laurie Mithen who wasn't far behind him in our glory days and Johnny Townsend who came along in 1962 and was a brilliant rover in our last premiership side. I know a lot of people here don't have a great interest in the club's history. This is a great pity - perhaps due to the lack of success we've been having lately. The above trio are to me like Demon royalty. I look forward to being in the same building with them tomorrow. About tomorrow's games? Well, we don't have anywhere near our best side on paper but I reckon they'll do well. Results don't mean much at this time of year and judging by results so far the format doesn't lend itself well towards the team that follows up playing the second on end. Still, we've trained hard and we have some new talent on display - five new faces wearing the colours for the first time - Clark, Sellar, Tynan and two rookies in Magner and Couch. Jack Grimes makes his debut as skipper. If this weather keeps up it should suit the bigger bodies and we've got a few.

I was being a bit liberal about the policies in that video so there's no need to labour the point or get green with envy or you might find yourself left in the lurch or even thrown right out of the country. Just keep the politics out of it.

Ah well ... I just read on Twitter that training's been brought forward half an hour because of the weather which means I have no hope of getting there to see much training. End result. I'll stay indoors and hope someone else braves it out there and reports here later on. I hope it improves tomorrow as otherwise, the games will be absolute shockers.

Having Todd Viney in the recruiter's driving seat will give us the opportunity to do a Phil Scully in reverse. Since young Jack's involvement in football will be somewhat limited in 2012 and he's played with and against many of the players in the talent pool that's going to form the basis for the most selections, it will be the son who will have all of the direct inside knowledge on the ability and character of the players. Don't forget that Jack played in SA in 2010 (Under 16 national champs) and TAC Cup and the Vic Metro team in 2011. Todd would have seen a fair bit of the action and what he's missed would have been seen by Barry Prendergast's able assistants who remain as support staff. If they missed anything they can always revert to this thread which I started whilst warming the chair for the next appointment - An aid to recruiting. Today's story about poaching the Collingwood recruiting bloke shows that we're active in filling the breach and gives me much more confidence that we're far more active in improving the club than some might have us think.

Thanks heaps Mega - OK if I make the donation to the Queensland Demons? Cheers, Jack

I appreciate that some around here frown on political discussion on this thread but with the Gillard/Rudd battle coming up on Monday I think this becomes appropriate in the circumstances:-

Supermercado at his best -

I have a couple of late extras who want to come. Any chance Deb?

Bobby, Bobby ... I'm both surprised and disappointed that someone who has as their forum name that of a player from the era of the great Norm Smith, could take that sort of an attitude. If there is one thing that Melbourne has lacked in the makeup of its coaches since Norm left was the ability to instil and exert proper discipline in the team (Northey was the only one who came close IMO). The excuse was always that times have changed and you can't treat young people the way they used to ... The truth is that strong teams have always been built on tight discipline and if Mark Neeld is going to succeed as a coach, the team must have discipline. All power to him. The result of the decisions to discipline Colin Sylvia and now Sam Blease will be felt in the future and that the players will develop great respect for what the coaches are seeking to achieve at the club which is to be successful. That's what this is about

I don't think the daughter's tall enough to make it in AFL football.

I arrived on the Gold Coast yesterday after experiencing several weeks of mostly sunny weather in Melbourne and whilst there was a bit of sun around yesterday, today's weather and that predicted for the next few days is pretty ominous. Rain, shower and possible thunder storms. Predicted maximum temperature for the day of the game is 26. The decision to come up was a bit last minute and I'm hoping to catch up with some of the Queensland Demons for that pre game lunch if spots are still available and (with the consent of she who must be obeyed) get off to training tomorrow if somebody could please advise the time and I assume the venue is Metricon Stadium. (Thanks in advance) Report and possible pictures will be forthcoming if I make it there.

If his knee explodes or the old man bursts like a balloon after feasting on Chiko Rolls and dim sims, we'll allow new threads to open because such things are matters of public interest but, at some stage we have to let go.