Whispering_Jack

"Interchange (from) Matthew Bate Nathan Carroll Aaron Davey Mark Jamar Cale Morton Matthew Whelan Adem Yze" - MFC v RFC

Four of the players selected on the interchange bench for Melbourne aren't named in the Sandringham side. That could suggest that Carroll, Jamar and Whelan will be travelling down to Casey Fields on Saturday?

Hey Bazza, Re: Marric "The task is to convert him from a clever forward pocket into a dangerous, elite midfielder "

What makes you think this is his destiny? Wasn't he recruited as a clever small forward?

Clever small forwards are a dime a dozen these days. Dangerous elite midfielders are what make your side in modern football.

Most will be happy to support him if he can deliver what he's promised.

That's self-evident. What we want to know ATM is what he's promising.

I must admit that I'm really coming around to rating her very highly as a football journalist. She gets her facts right most of the time and, although I sometimes don't like what she's saying, she usually has solid grounds for reaching her viewpoints. That's a refreshing change from some of the so-called journalists working in her industry.

Looks like a real valuable keepsake and an interesting read despite the inevitable controversy about the selection of the heroes.

Finally, there is some recognition of the fact that Juice is injured:

Aaron Davey (hamstring) test

James Frawley (shoulder) test

Jack Grimes (back) 3-4 weeks

Brent Moloney (shoulder) TBA

Michael Newton (hamstring) test

Jared Rivers (groin) TBA

Russell Robertson (Achilles) season

also disagree on Morton. Won the ball in more damaging positions today but his disposal was poor. Kids are always going to be up and down in their first year to say he is going backwards is a tad harsh.

Morton's game was certainly not his best but we have to remember that young players thrive on confidence and unfortunately for Cale he messed up a few of his early kicks and I think that hurt him. He's not going backwards but rather he's going forward at a very slow pace which is what you can expect from a kid in a team that's under the pump. He did enough nice things to show he's on his way and his disposal is usually pretty good. I have no doubt that by the end of next year, he'll already be an influential player at the club.

So what were the great announcements?

I don't think it was really a night for announcements but rather to celebrate the heroes of the past and present. I reckon however, that there might be some announcements of importance to come over the next few weeks. Don't ask me what they are, I'm just a snow bunny like most Melbourne fans.

great night. Expect some of the speeches were taped and could be on the MFC website.

There might have to be some dubbing of expletives here and there to cater for some sensibilities but yes, it was a great night, the speeches were fantastic, especially Garry Lyon, Chris Connolly and Jimmy Stynes.

Congratulations to the MFC and all those who took part in the night and in the organisation. It showed that we can get things right!

PS: apologies for not wearing the black tie mandated on the invitation which I didn't see until yesterday afternoon. Still, I managed to wear the alternative strip which was a red and blue tie with a touch of silver thrown in!

They are on 1611 AM Melbourne this week - or if you aren't in Melbourne on www.radio1611.com.au

Coverage starts at 1pm and the bounce is at 2pm

I HOPE there are no technical problems for the Sunday team this week (I'm told the problem has been fixed - but I've heard that one before too many times in this industry!!!)

Good calling and please keep on plugging Demonland

Are you still on 40 second delay?

Huh, I thought Jackovich was excluded due to a minimum game requirement, yet we've (deservedly) included 33-gamer Harold Ball. <_<

The minimum criteria for selection were explained at the start of the evening. Generally, they were that a player had to play 100 games or thereabouts but exceptional circumstances were applied where players' careers were curtailed by war. Harold Ball was one such player. He was a member of the club's 1939 and 1940 premiership teams and then, like many of the young men of his time, went off to serve his country in a war where he made the ultimate sacrifice of his life. One of the most moving aspects of the Heroes event last night was the tribute to our fallen who included Keith "Bluey" Truscott, Syd Anderson, Ron Barassi Senior and Harold Ball. There's no question that he was a hero of the club (see A NEW DEAL ).

FWIW, if I had the privilege of being on the selection committee I would have argued that you could also extend the exceptional circumstances categories to include outstanding players whose careers were curtailed by injury. Jakovitch was clearly one such player and there's no doubt in my mind that, but for his back injury, he would have been the first Demon to kick 100 goals in a season and, but for the spate of injuries suffered at the club in the period 1994-7, we might have even won a flag during that time. Unfortunately, in any such process, there are always going to be anomalies.

Wow.

I am utterly disgusted at this list

Cameron Bruce?

Lets look at Bruces career achievements -

0 Best and fairests

0 All Australian selections

4,783,200 clangers

Absolutely disgusting, and Allen Jakovich should be completely gutted at this joke of a list.

I want to say that while checking the facts about Harold Ball I googled his name and the Melbourne Football Club and the first item that came up was the article from Demonland that I referenced above. I was surprised but extremely proud and overwhelmed at the fact that that such a result could be associated with this site.

By the same token, I'm thoroughly disgusted that the likes of YM use this forum to constantly carp and snipe about a player like Cameron Bruce whose form might be down a bit recently but who has done enough in the opinion of many others who I hold much more highly, to deserve the tag "hero" at this club. It's one thing to fairly criticise players from the anonymity of a keyboard (and we support your right to do so around here) but the constant belittling of players who work their bums off for this club is getting beyond a joke.

As a poster YM, you can be amusing some times, but on this subject, you have demonstarted absolutely no understanding of what it means to be a hero, so why don't you just cool it because you're totally out of your depth.

I was thinking along the lines of what Casey Scorp said, that St.Kilda may not push through as much with Frankston and try to redevelop TBO a bit more, despite the current issues with land size.

I think St.Kilda has got the much better end of the deal in this four way exchange, and that's nothing against the Scorpians. We're moving out of an area where we have a genuine historical link, being our old Zone, and where we get a pretty decent percentage of our supporters from, to a "growth corridor" with no links past or present to the footy club.

If we can make inroads into the community then it may work, but I'm not convinced this is a step in the right direction for us.

Hards, I attend quite a few Sandringham games and it is a convenient location for me to travel to from where I live but the Casey option will be far superior in so many aspects. The Casey ground is AFL sized and ground size has been a major bugbear as far as the MFC at TBO has been concered. As part of a Casey deal I believe that the club will get a real property asset, superior facilities and a possible boutique stadium where the less attractive games against interstate games could be played that will turn an actual profit instead of the loss or break even we make these days with such fixtures (this becomes more important than ever with the introduction of 2 new clubs).

We will, in all likelihood, negotiate team colours and an identity incorporating our traditional red and blue colurs which will help in developing an identity in a young, fast growing residential area where we can establish new ties with the young families that are moving out there in their droves.

Consider this: the three fastest growing population centres in the country are:

1. The Gold Coast

2. The West of Sydney and

3. The SE corridor of metropolitan Melbourne beyond the City of Greater Dandenong through the City of Casey and the Shire of Cardinia out towards Gippsland.

In three year's time the AFL will have a presence in all three places and Melbourne will be in place to take advantage of a whole generation of football fans growing up in region 3. If it's done properly, this development could certainly make the Melbourne of the future. As much as I've enjoyed our association with the Zebras, it's time to move on to bigger and better things for the sake of our future.

Yep, that second 'a' will get ya

Wonaeamirri played for Norwood last year. You'd think their website would get it right.

I've seen Farmer playing for the Tiwi Bombers and he's very small.

WTF are you on about sunshine?

It has to be Cam Bruce making the top 150 surely!

I read the report on Demonology and it's actually very clever and not altogether far off the mark.

We need to cut the coach some slack given the problems he has faced in his initial season but I think he should be on top of his match ups and issues such as the accountability of defenders. For us to give a virtually free rein on occasion to the likes of Schneider and Milne is something that the coach must bear the responsibility for such things. It's also an indictment on the club that Sam Fisher and Jason Gram could play a full game and say they didn't know who their opponents were. Even those at the club who are happy to keep losing simply to pick up a #1 draft selection can't be too happy about some of the things that are happening at the moment.

Who will be out the door at seasons end?

Nick Sautner

Zomer hasn't even played a senior game for Sandringham.

If it's true that the AFL will reduce the assistance funding it gives the club then we should be demanding that we get treated as an equal member of the competition in all other aspects - espescially in regard to fixturing.

It's simply outrageous that a club like Collingwood gets the lion's share of attractive fixtures that give it enormous advantages over other clubs in terms of the ability to attract crowds and sponsorships as well as in terms of its ability to win games by having to travel less to interstate venues and never to a ground like Skilled Stadium. If we're going to be stuck on a playing mode that means we play mostly on Sunday afternoons and rarely on the lucrative Friday night and Saturday evening circuit then surely we're entitled to substantial compensation from the body which devises this unfair and inequitable playing schedule?

Sorry to have to tell you YM, but Bruce WILL be in the top 150 and deservedly so. Incidently, does anyone on this forum happen to know who the selectors are for our top 150?

Whilst I disagree with Y_M's comments about other players who might or might not make the 150, I would be surprised if Jakovich missed out unless the criteria for selection precluded it. So unless we're aware of the basis of selection for the list of 150 it's premature to whinge about who did and who did not make it.

I'm priviledged to be going to the night and await the naming of the 150 with great anticipation. Hopefully, the evening will be a success both as an event and financially, that it marks the turnaround from the past year and a half of disappointments and that we're well on the way to producing the next 50 heroes of the MFC.

Anyone else do it ?

My 3 year old grandson received an email invitation to take part in the survey. He hasn't taken up the option yet but I'm sure he will consider it as soon as he learns to read.

Tim Forsyth is 35, and he hasn't properly competed since we last made a Premiership, don't think he'll fit the youth policy.

Natanui cleared Fiji's Beijing qualifying height for the Olympics last year of over 2 metres, at a SCHOOL athletics meet!! So he's the next best thing Eastie haha

Just to get things in perspective, clearing two metres wouldn't get you far at the Olympics either. The great Bulgarian high jumper Stefka Kostadinova holds the women's world record at 2.09m !

Ben is out of the team because of his shoulder injury. He wasn't dropped.

Quite right Bobby. In fact I wouldn't even be surprised if the club snuck in another forward onto the emergency list just in case Robbo doesn't come up for tomorrow's game.

I believe that a similar thing was done earlier this year although not with great effect or impact.

Twins with the same first name?

Reminds of a show that was on years ago...

"This is my brother Daryl, and my other brother Daryl..."

Fixed - it should have read Shane Tregear and Chris Waller.

What were the 'extraordinary circumstances' surrounding Ackland's striking report?

Apparently Acker took a spectacular mark but on coming down threw the football allegedly at Biddlecombe and was reported. No result yet from the tribunal.

There was one thing missing for Neita's last hurrah and that was our fans. I reckon we were outnumbered by 10,000. I'm aware that the Hawks are winning and we're not but it was a disappointing crowd to farewell our great leader.

Don't worry Sydney, they'll all be back on the bandwagon as soon as we start stringing together some wins.

Hurley no 18 Vic Metro has sensational foot skills played at full back and I didn't see his opponents get a kick. Has leader written all over him didn't get a lot of it but when he did was composed and hit targets

I saw him today and if Naitanui and Rich are ahead of him for picks 1 & 2 in the draft they must be damn good. Watts has something special about him and Blease has the pace that I'd like to see added to our midfield.