Whispering_Jack

April Fool's Day has come early this year. In the normal course, I would use my discretion (which I have rarely ever used around here) as a moderator to kill off this thread but what the hell, it's a quiet time of the year for news on football so I'm happy to let this run. Does anyone have anything a little more serious to discuss about the Melbourne Football Club other than an imposter masquerading as:- A Our # 1 draft pick from the 2008 National Draft, or B The bloke of the same name who has been playing good football in the ammo's but is now injured and likely to retire. Any way, an impostor's and imposter. I'll be glad when school starts at the end of the week. :D

An article on the melbournefc.com.au site tells of how Brent Moloney is on the mend and training confidently after groin and shoulder injuries have affected his performances over the past three seasons - Re-serviced Moloney running well. I never take a great deal of notice of these January puff pieces but on what I've seen of his body shape at the couple of training runs I've atttended, I must say he's put in a lot of work to get where he is now. Moloney was a strong influence in our flying start to the 2005 season but his influence petered out with injury and I also felt that he was becoming a bit one-dimensional in that he would far too often go for the long thump forward and opposition sides soon worked him out. Hopefully, with some maturity and the coaching of Dean Bailey, we'll see a more versatile Monloney and that his influence in the midfield will return. Let's face it - we've been shocking in that department lately and we need the likes of Beamer, Brock, Simon Buckley and one or two others to add to the midfield. Last year, Nathan Jones was often called on to do it all himself with the resultant decline in his output. If you're not competitive in the midfield, you'll cop big thrashings and this is exactly what happened tom us last year.

I saw Pringle today at a family function and he's touch and go to make the game. So the injury list is as follows:- Pringle (Hamstring) 1 - 2 weeks Rivvo (Knee) 4 - 6 weeks Please feel free to add to this list ...

Now let's get serious here. TIGERS ODDS-ON FOR LUXBET DEAL "It is understood Richmond has been approached by several betting companies in recent weeks and that the Tigers have exerted some pressure on the AFL so they can end their quest for a major backer." So if Richmond was approached by "several betting agencies", has Melbourne also been approached or do you need a rehabilitating drug addict on your list in order to attract these betting agencies?

My apologies. What did I say that was wrong?

Has anyone published the odds on this happening yet?

The door's open and that now gives Richmond a sponsor. Will we get a nibble from one of the other betting agencies? AFL SET TO CASH IN

It could have something to do with Barak Obama's inauguration tonight. It could have something to do with the impending start to a new footy season in a month's time or it could simply be due to the nasty cold I've had to endure over the past three or four days and nights. Last night I woke up in a cold sweat. I was slightly delerious and I'd had this dream. In my dream the Demons got off to the perfect start to the 2009 season winning a few early games and causing some shock waves throughout the football world (not to mention their own loyal supporters) who all thought that 2009 would be a repeat of 2008. But this team showed great fighting spirit, had some ups and downs and when my dream ended, they had just knocked off the old enemy Collingw&%$ in front of 87,000 fans on Queens Birthday. The last thing I remember before waking up was a radio commentator announcing that the win put us into the top four on percentage with a 7/4 record. The strange thing is that before I had the dream I was unaware as to exactly what round our QB clash was played in but I looked it up and sure enough, it's round 11. I'm kicking myself for not noticing whether or not the jumpers had a sponsor's logo and I can't remember any of the players other than Colin and Flash who were both having a field day. Where are you Sigmund Freud?

... and clearly a fight only half fought and made more difficult for lack of a sponsor. It probably sums up our plight pretty well.

Not only that but do we really need another key defender?

by Whispering Jack When St. Kilda drafted Luke Ball with the second selection in the 2001 AFL National Draft, it was understood that the young midfielder would see very little senior football action in what should have been his debut season at the club because of final year secondary school studies. The same occurred with Hawthorn's Xavier Ellis when he was drafted a few years later. I was thinking about this as I watched Jack Watts go through training with the Demons at Casey Fields this morning. Even taking into account the fact that he has a teenager's body, it's hard not to picture him as a permanent fixture in the Melbourne side this year based on the little I have seen of him since Watts was drafted in late November. He moves beautifully, has great pace and awareness, can kick the pill accurately and over long distances and he looks happy and right at home in this environment. The problem is that I suspect he will have to commit himself to a number of games for Brighton Grammar but that this will not hurt his career in the long term. We don't need a repeat of the scenario where Collingwood overworked Josh Fraser early in his development years and held back his career. For all that, the situation regarding his availability to play for Melbourne will be a talking point well into the 2009 season although given his circumstances, l don't quite understand how Betstar could have possibly installed Watts as the favourite for this year's Rising Star award. At the other end of the scale, Russell Robertson cut a lonely figure for a while as players like Sam Blease, Ricky Petterd, Addam Maric, John Meesen and Brent Moloney who were doing rehab work were able to join in some training drills. Poor Robbo was confined to light work and did little other than kick the ball a bit as he waits on scar tissue from the injury to heal. The hope is that he will be ready for the opening round but that might be wishful thinking although he's such a great bloke to have around the club with his enthusiasm and drive. As far as I know, he's not in any reality television shows this year which could be a bonus later on . The good news is that Jared Rivers is over his groin and joined in most of the training drills. Not only that he's making an impact on the club's emerging tall defenders department with his great skill and football know how. There will certainly be some keen jostling for positions among Colin Garland, Matthew Warnock and the rapidly improving James Frawley who appears to be bigger, stronger and more balanced this year. This seems to have had a positive effect on his confidence levels and he is doing things at training that we've never seen before - like taking opponents on and backing his judgement. It's little wonder that he's being touted as one of the big improvers at the club. Of the forwards, Brad Miller looks imposing, Michael Newton has bulked up a bit too and Colin Sylvia is relishing the opportunity to be fit and able to train at full pace during a pre-season. Hopefully, this will translate on the playing into the same sort of season that Travis Johnstone had in 2002 after he was finally able to take part in a full pre-season programme. I haven't factored Watts into this group but if he gets his opportunity, then the Demon attack will have far more potency than it has had for a couple of seasons. Of the newcomers, I was again impressed by James Strauss and his disposal skills and with Bunbury pair Jamie Bennell and Neville Jetta. These guys are fitting in well and I expect them to play a role during the NAB Cup series. Hopefully, they might have the same sort of impact that North Melbourne gained a couple of seasons ago with the arrival of unheralded pair Lindsay Thomas and Campbell who between them are always good for a few goals every week. I was also keen on seeing the club's Pre Season Draft pick Liam Jurrah. He's tall (but probably somewhere between the 188cm and 193 cm reported) and spindly, moves nicely and I suspect that he has a bag of tricks up his sleeve. Austin Wonaeamirri was there beside him at times as if to signal that the young man from Central Australia has it within him to follow the Tiwi Islander's example from 2008. Jurrah will need time to adapt to city life but he has already spent some time here when he played with Collingwood's VFL team last year. Meanwhile Aussie's body shape is looking positively chiselled showing the benefits of a full pre-season's conditioning and Aaron Davey is looking fit and sharp after a couple of lean, injury affected seasons. These guys are going to be a real handful for opposition defences this year. But if you're looking at areas where the club can really show some improvement this year, then look no further than the midfield where Scott West has taken charge and is introducing some interesting drills. With the likes of Brock McLean and Brent Moloney back in harness joining a stronger looking Nathan Jones to add some more grunt and Simon Buckley who looks bigger, quicker and a more balanced player, Lynden Dunn doing the run with, James McDonald adding the experience combined with the strong indigenous flavour, this division could surprise by moving out of the third world as far as midfields go and changing the club's fortunes for 2009. That's how things look at the end of the first week in January. It's still probably a month before they go around in any meaningful sort of practice match and more before the team takes on Hawthorn in the first NAB Cup game in Launceston. It will be another month and beyond that before we can ascertain the level of improvement we can really expect from this new look Demon squad. Photos generously provided by George from Demonology.

1. Maric had a hip op at the end of last season. 2. Not sure if he's put on weight but he looks more powerful. I also suspect that Bails and West have been working on his decision-making and disposal of the ball. In the past he's been guilty of sometimes hanging onto the ball far too long. Today he was looking a lot more slick and decisive with his ball movement. This change could be the making of Jones as a more complete footballer and I hope that others who go to future training runs can check this out to see if it's continuing to happen.

by Whispering Jack When St. Kilda drafted Luke Ball with the second selection in the 2001 AFL National Draft, it was understood that the young midfielder would see very little senior football action in what should have been his debut season at the club because of final year secondary school studies. The same occurred with Hawthorn's Xavier Ellis when he was drafted a few years later. I was thinking about this as I watched Jack Watts go through training with the Demons at Casey Fields this morning. Even taking into account the fact that he has a teenager's body, it's hard not to picture him as a permanent fixture in the Melbourne side this year based on the little I have seen of him since Watts was drafted in late November. He moves beautifully, has great pace and awareness, can kick the pill accurately and over long distances and he looks happy and right at home in this environment. The problem is that I suspect he will have to commit himself to a number of games for Brighton Grammar but that this will not hurt his career in the long term. We don't need a repeat of the scenario where Collingwood overworked Josh Fraser early in his development years and held back his career. For all that, the situation regarding his availability to play for Melbourne will be a talking point well into the 2009 season although given his circumstances, l don't quite understand how Betstar could have possibly installed Watts as the favourite for this year's Rising Star award. At the other end of the scale, Russell Robertson cut a lonely figure for a while as players like Sam Blease, Ricky Petterd, Addam Maric, John Meesen and Brent Moloney who were doing rehab work were able to join in some training drills. Poor Robbo was confined to light work and did little other than kick the ball a bit as he waits on scar tissue from the injury to heal. The hope is that he will be ready for the opening round but that might be wishful thinking although he's such a great bloke to have around the club with his enthusiasm and drive. As far as I know, he's not in any reality television shows this year which could be a bonus later on . The good news is that Jared Rivers is over his groin and joined in most of the training drills. Not only that he's making an impact on the club's emerging tall defenders department with his great skill and football know how. There will certainly be some keen jostling for positions among Colin Garland, Matthew Warnock and the rapidly improving James Frawley who appears to be bigger, stronger and more balanced this year. This seems to have had a positive effect on his confidence levels and he is doing things at training that we've never seen before - like taking opponents on and backing his judgement. It's little wonder that he's being touted as one of the big improvers at the club. Of the forwards, Brad Miller looks imposing, Michael Newton has bulked up a bit too and Colin Sylvia is relishing the opportunity to be fit and able to train at full pace during a pre-season. Hopefully, this will translate on the playing into the same sort of season that Travis Johnstone had in 2002 after he was finally able to take part in a full pre-season programme. I haven't factored Watts into this group but if he gets his opportunity, then the Demon attack will have far more potency than it has had for a couple of seasons. Of the newcomers, I was again impressed by James Strauss and his disposal skills and with Bunbury pair Jamie Bennell and Neville Jetta. These guys are fitting in well and I expect them to play a role during the NAB Cup series. Hopefully, they might have the same sort of impact that North Melbourne gained a couple of seasons ago with the arrival of unheralded pair Lindsay Thomas and Campbell who between them are always good for a few goals every week. I was also keen on seeing the club's Pre Season Draft pick Liam Jurrah. He's tall (but probably somewhere between the 188cm and 193 cm reported) and spindly, moves nicely and I suspect that he has a bag of tricks up his sleeve. Austin Wonaeamirri was there beside him at times as if to signal that the young man from Central Australia has it within him to follow the Tiwi Islander's example from 2008. Jurrah will need time to adapt to city life but he has already spent some time here when he played with Collingwood's VFL team last year. Meanwhile Aussie's body shape is looking positively chiselled showing the benefits of a full pre-season's conditioning and Aaron Davey is looking fit and sharp after a couple of lean, injury affected seasons. These guys are going to be a real handful for opposition defences this year. But if you're looking at areas where the club can really show some improvement this year, then look no further than the midfield where Scott West has taken charge and is introducing some interesting drills. With the likes of Brock McLean and Brent Moloney back in harness joining a stronger looking Nathan Jones to add some more grunt and Simon Buckley who looks bigger, quicker and a more balanced player, Lynden Dunn doing the run with, James McDonald adding the experience combined with the strong indigenous flavour, this division could surprise by moving out of the third world as far as midfields go and changing the club's fortunes for 2009. That's how things look at the end of the first week in January. It's still probably a month before they go around in any meaningful sort of practice match and more before the team takes on Hawthorn in the first NAB Cup game in Launceston. It will be another month and beyond that before we can ascertain the level of improvement we can really expect from this new look Demon squad. Photos generously provided by George from Demonology

I was there as well and conditions for training were great. I took some photos on my iphone but they're third rate (as compared to second rate when I use a normal camera) so I'm looking forward to your pics and video. I'll do a proper report later (lunch, then work beckons). There is one on Demonology and George from over there will also post a report and photos (he's got a fair dinkum camera). Just briefly: Jack Watts is growing on me. The kid goes all right. James Frawley and Simon Buckley are looking like big improvers and I have this feeling that Colin Sylvia is going to have a break out season. It was my first live viewing of Liam Jurrah and he's light and thin, has good height (but probably between the 188cm and 193 cm reported) and will probably take a bit of time to adapt to the rigours of AFL football. About John Meesen - unless he's severely restricted by injury I agree with Nick48 on 'ology: we must all be missing something. The Russian (with a very short haircut) did him like a dinner in ruck drills.

Thanks JJJ. Hope to make it out there myself on Friday. There's a few missing - Junior, Wheats, the Russian, Wheels and Valenti that come to mind. But having been to a few of these training sessions I know how easy it is to miss somebody. Cheers!

Tingles, The game is being replayed on one of the Fox Sports channels on Sunday 4 January 2009 at 2am.

The story so far of Liam Jurrah has been interesting and, like all true Demons, I'm hoping that it's only going to get better and that his career is a long and successful one for the MFC and for him as a player. I've been reading about his on field exploits and his history with Collingwood through Rupert Betheras who visited Jurrah's community a couple of years ago and was instrumental in organising a trip to Melbourne and the Lexus Centre which ultimately led to his being invited to play with the Magpies' VFL side for a few games in early 2008. Apparently, Jurrah lived in Melbourne with a member of one of Collingwood's supporter groups for several months and was acclimatising well when he returned home to be with a dying friend. It seems to me that it would make sense that one of the things the club could do would be to make contact with the person Jurrah lived with to gain some insights into how we can help his smooth transition into the Melbourne environment. I would imagine that there's going to be some expense involved as there would be for any recruit taken from interstate. If that expense is incurred in the cause of carrying out a valuable social and cultural function as well as rewarding us with a stream of talented players and strong community support for our club, then it will be money well spent.

Best: Hawthorn (the second time) Comeback v Freo Round 7 Brisbane Lions at the G Worst: Hawthorn Round 1 Bulldogs Round 2 Richmond Round 22

The article is really quite revealing about the player, the coach and the club. I think all have to work a lot harder at getting things right in the future but it really confirms that Melbourne in 2009 wasn't the right place for CJ. We should learn the lessons of this story well but, at the same time, let's move on.

The years pass and despite that, it's a numbing experience just to think of that Boxing Day four years ago when the ocean took so many people away including many of our own. Troy Broadbridge was one of those special people, a player who was a friend of every fan and a nice bloke. That doesn't make the passing of time any easier but we won't forget. I wrote a piece when Troy died called "Across the Universe with Troy", partly inspired by the Lennon/McCartney classic. By co-incidence Fox Showtime is screening a film with that title tonight. It's little things like that which remind us. Rest In Peace.

I've just noticed that Colin Wisbey has posted this message on Extreme Black and White -

There's no real scientific approach to drafting. In the end, we're always dealing with subjective decisions. What might be good in one recruiter's eyes might be average to another. As to Wisbey's omission of Sam Blease from his top 40, I think he gives a clue as to why in this statement about the 'touted' draftees who didn't make his list being either dodgy decision makers or those for whom he "struggled to identify an AFL role they might be capable of 'owning'". In the case of Blease, it's possible to adopt such a view with a player who is a lightly built bottom ager. I happen to have a different position with Blease in that he's just one of the types Melbourne is looking for and he fits the style of play Dean Bailey is seeking to develop at the club. He's not going to be a perfect fit for all clubs just as Blight who Wisbey surprisingly rated highly (and who went to Collingwood) wouldn't be in most people's top 40 and who indeed. did not get drafted in the top 40. In drafting, it's often a case of horses for courses and I somehow doubt that Wisbey had the Demons' specific recruiting criteria at the back of his mind when he made his assessments. From the moment I saw Blease at Telstra Dome v WA 18's, I had him in my top 10 for this draft because he addressed more than one major need for the club. And, as many of the experts (but not Wisbey) said, he ticked a lot of important boxes. This kid might take some time but I reckon he's going to be something special if properly developed by the club and when he matures as a player. Wisbey also left out a couple of first rounders in Lewis Johnston and Phil Davis. I don't know enough about Davis but Johnston ticks all the boxes for me and he did for the Swans as well.

Short memory Rhino? This time last year, every day was Groundhog Day as we read of the exploits of a certain group of Melbourne players travelling through Europe and then running amok on our roads when they returned. Why, only as recently as Mad Monday ...

I understand that the Vanderlay family is not amused at this state of affairs. They claim that young Art took the rap for others and that he was framed. His story was that he thought the getaway car he was driving was a hearse belonging to a well know family of Melbourne funeral directors and that he was acting in the course of a legitimate delivery for them (albeit that 3.00am is an usual time to be moving corpses around suburban Melbourne). They also want it known that Ricky Nixon is not Art’s manager and that latex is not usually associated with substance abuse. Hopefully, Vanderlay will be rookie listed as a mature age rookie when he becomes eligible for parole in 2015.

Two possible reasons: 1. The club or the players want to market the video and/or send it to the members and fans, 2. The Commonwealth Censor has decided it's a bit too cheeky for public consumption! Merry Christmas to all!