demoniac

I was sitting in the Redlegs area and he was copping a fair bit of the stock standard moronic supporter abuse so I assume that those closer to the fence were doing the same. I don't have a problem with his response. If there is one positive to come out of the Headland/Selwood incident it is that sledging both on the ground and in the stands will be policed more closely. And that as part of that comments that are disrespectful of women will be viewed in the same manner as racist remarks.

The footy field was once almost anything goes when it came to sledging. That has changed most significantly with the penalties rightfully bought in for racial abuse. Similarly the AFL is currently working with clubs to raise the level of respect for women in the largely male dominated club culture. Selwood's alleged sledge is obviously offensive and he should be suspended for it if found guilty. Sledging of that nature has absolutely no place in our great game. It is nothing other than cheap and nasty and cowardly. End of story and full stop.

I should be ashamed of myself? For stating that Melbourne needs the best Coach that we can get. And for stating that after starting with no wins from 3 losses in Daniher's 10th season he is quite clearly not the the best Coach for the job. All teams have injuries. Not all teams play like a disorganised confused rabble. We play like startled rabbits caught in car headlights playing pass the parcel with an imminently to explode nuclear bomb. This was supposed to be the year we made the Top 4 and got the double chance. More likely we will be in the Bottom 4. There are absolutely no excuses that can be made for our mediocre opening to the year. Absolutely none.

Paul Johnson showed something. He is definitely a better option down back than Holland - he is quicker, has more footy smarts and has better disposal, he needs to work on his marking but so does Benny. His effort in front of the MCC members when he chased 3 times from the half back flank to the wing without receiving any help at all from any other Melbourne players should be compulory viewing for all of them. Not up to AFL standard. White, Yze, Ferguson, Brown, Wheatley, Holland, Ward, Godfrey

Daniher should announce his resignation when it becomes mathematically impossible for us to make the 8 as per Tony Shaw's departure from Collingwood. We can then have our new coach selection process up and running so we can make an appointment as soon possible - that may be after the Grand Final if a candidate is at a club in the finals. This season was all about finishing in the top 4. Starting Zero and Three means that is but a pipe dream. Neale is by all accounts a decent and honourable man but it is clear that he is not a good coach. He must not coach Melbourne next year. 10 years is enough. We need the best Coach we can find, and it is clear that Daniher is not that Coach. At least he leaves the list in better shape than his predecessor.

The 2007 season is over. The Daniher era is over. Definite concerns over game plan, skill level, desperation and intensity. 3 goals conceded directly from clangers in the first quarter alone. Paul Johnson mounting 3 consecutive chases from the half back flank to the wing with absolutely no assistance. Disgraceful. Positives Paul Johnson showed enough to demonstrate he has the mobility to be a key defender on oppostion big units - and he is also a smart footballer with good skills. Nathan Jones' intensity. Jamar was better at centre bounces than last week and showed some signs that he can be a threat up forward. Bell runs straight and is one of the few who seems to be bale to break tackles.

Newton at least has a leap and can take a mark. For mine he should have come in. He may be capable of the clanger as well as the hanger but why not bring him in. Surely he is not that mentally feeble that a poor showing in one game will blight him for life. You never know he might actually take a few marks and kick a few goals. I watched the Sandy game last week, Holland was mediocre and Johnson was not very impressive in the ruck, in fact Neaves looked far more impressive. Johnson is athletic and has good skills and some welcome aggression but really needs to improve his ruckwork and marking. Whats Wheatley doing in the team? Lacks pace and is not that strong in the air. He is one of the players caught out by the increasing speed of the game. Sylvia is obviously sore. Remember when we were told by Neale that we were waiting to get games into players, then we'd be Premiership ready at 11 PM The games are into the players and we are still a bunch of mentally weak yo yos.

Bruce is prone to clangers. There aren't many players with as high a ball drop as Bruce. The longer the drop the more chance of deviation before it hits the boot. Stars are stats. Yes he got the ball alot but did he much of an impact on the game? No. He was free inside 50 but kicked a floater to a contest instead of having a shot - poor decision making and then poor execution. He also had kick from a mark or free kick at half back - sent a hospital pass to centre half back, ball cleared away for a Hawks shot at goal. Bruce is a good player but by competiton standards not a champion. Johno had a shocker, when he got it he held on to it for too long or missed targets. Yze was dropped because of poor form and a refusal to show a defensive side to his game.

I think that Maclean, Jones, Sylvia, Bate and Dunn have the games to become the genuine quality players we have lacked. Rivers too. Its a fair question posed though. Certainly luck is an issue with the years in which you have high picks but the Lions certainly seem to be rebuilding with some high picks but also some good mid range gets.

Of the cuff - and with acknowledgment that a change of coach may result in improved performances from some players. I may be being negative but I see another season slippng away and am beginning to doubt that the Daniher /Cameron era is going to lead to a flag. Rucks White is a 195cm Follower. Relies on his leap against his taller opponents, leap has diminished with age and has also being impacted by the centre circle. Can't mark overhead and just isn't a physical player. Neaves is the best tap ruckman at the club, can take an overhead mark and has good disposal - needs to bulk up more but I'd play him this week. Jamar seems ineffective in the ruck but can mark overhead and is an accurate shot at goal. I'd play him at FF this week with Neaves as the second ruck. Johnson needs to improve both his ruckwork and marking but is very athletic for a big unit and is also a nice kick. Midfield/Utilities We lack pace and class - there are no Judds, Deledios or Kerrs or etc in our team. Obviously we need Maclean, Jones and Sylvia to be injury free as a starting point as as they look like better players than their senior teammates. Maclean and Jones are tough inside players and Sylivia is that but quicker and with the ability to go forward. Moloney is quick, physical and a good kick but is coming back after missing most of last season with OP. McDonald was All Australian last year but is hardly a player who gets tagged. Bruce and Johnstone go missing too often and are clanger prone. Green is not quick enough to be a receiver and is never going to be an inside midfielder. Pickett has had his traditionally unprofessional preparation and once again won't reach an acceptable standard of fitness till Round 6. Bartram is quick and smart but is injured again. Bell and C Johnson are quick and can use the ball. Bell is obviously ahead of C Johnson in development but both are key because of their pace. Bate has had an indifferent start to the season but showed much promise last year. Ward is quick but his disposal is erratic. Wheatley is at the crossroads, plays small for his height and there must be doubts over his abilities to adapt the ever quicker pace of the game. Godders has nice hands but his kicking is erratic and his decision making slow. Nathan Brown always gives 100% but never really hurts a team with his disposal. Forwards Neitz and Robbo are coming to the end. Miller played better today but is a hard working leading centre half forward rather than an inside 50 target. Davey is out of form but we know his speed, talent and defensive pressure. What is coming through in key forwards? Dunn is one obvious shining light, leads and marks well and is a good kick. Newton shapes as an enigmatic roaming forward but is he ready for AFL?, Garland showed some promising signs but will need more time to develop. Yze has skill but has been allowed to get away with no defensice side to his game for too long. Defence Rivers is a quality player a la Sean Wellman though is not strong enough to play as a true key defender. Carroll is honest and can be creative. Whelan is a good small defender. Holland is an inconsistent mark and has poor disposal. Coming through as key defenders are, well that'd be James Frawley, and um that'd be it. There is Ferguson but he is still reed thin and his disposal for Sandy against the Cats was not great. Still he should have played ahead of Wheatley and shoulds come in to match up on one of the Cat's Tall Forwards. .....a team for a couple of years in the future B Whelan Frawley Bartram HB Bell Rivers C Johnson C Sylivia Mclean Bate HF Newton Miller Bruce F Green Dunn Davey R Neaves Jones Moloney I/C Johnstone Pettard Jamar ?

We lose games like today's game because our senior players go missing, in essence we are a team devoid of genuine quality. We have talented senior players such as Bruce and Johnstone but they lack the consistency that players of genuine quality possess - Johno barely touched the ball today, Bruce racked up the possessions but didn't do much with them, note his passing instead of having a shot at goal when clear and inside 50 or his hospital pass from a free/mark from half back to centre half back which resulted in a Hawks shot at goal. It was telling that our midfield general today was a second year player in Nathan Jones. Bate had the fumbles today but still did some good things. He did seem to run out of gas so his endurance base has to be questioned. With Neita and Robbo out I can't see that next week is the time to drop him, he can take a mark and kick a long goal - as he did do today. If Bate had a shocker what of Brad Green. Not quick, can't get his own ball, plays as a receiver - and his disposal today was poor for a 150 game player with his supposed kicking skills. I am coming to the view that Green is a forward, I don't think he is quick enough to play the receiver role and he certainly is not capable of playing as an inside midfielder. For mine Green is a very disappointing player - he really has not developed into the genuine quality player most of us thought he would. He is one of Jack Dyer's 'good ordinairy footballers'. Maybe a return to the forward line in Robbo and Neita's abscence is the go.

Watched most of the game on the ABC. Johnson really needs to improve his ruckwork and marking. Yes he is an impressively athletic big unit with good disposal skills and aggression but his ruckwork and marking are not yet at AFL standard. I was more impressed by Neaves' ruck work, marking, and he also kicked well. Newton does look like an enigmatic talent, capable of the spectacular and the clanger. More a roaming half forward than a key position player. Pickett is predictably unfit at his stage of the year. Still 3 -4 weeks away from AFL if Neale is fair dinkum. Sylvia played a full game, marked strongly, moved freely and looks ready to come back in. Garland just looks like a guy with a footy brain along with some talent. Good to see him and Pettard straight into Sandy Firsts. Pettard is another one who looks like he has a footy brain to go with his skills. Ran hard and competed in the air well. Buckley looks to have the speed and the skill to be an AFL player but just needs more composure. May get a go this year given our need for pace. Holland was poor. Dropped marks and kicked poorly. Ferguson was better than Holland, took some saving marks but also used ball poorly and is still reed thin. Was impressed by Tomi Johnson. there is not much of him but he a very smart player. With the increased pace of the game pacy smalls are back in vogue. A definite chance to be rookied by an AFL club in 08. Yze didn't drop his bundle, played well but then a player of his talent should play well at VFL level. A serial offender when it comes to not running hard, lacking desperation/intensity so not sure if 1 week demotion is enough. Warnock spent almost a half on the bench. Has pace but maybe not other tools requird at AFL level.

As anyone who has experience of a family member or friend with a mental illness it is a damn hard road to be on. It can be a long road just to find the right medical profesional and the right drug treatment - some sufferers never do. Those that do often have to live with quite difficult side affects from the medication. Indeed Hay's manner during the interview may have been effected by the medications he is being prescribed. Good luck to Johny Hay. And not so good luck to North for trying to renegoatiate his contract, everyone else knew Hay had significant issues when they traded for him, even if the particulars were not known.

A pyschologist to be bought in to address the players on the topic - "You are not playing pass the parcel with an atomic bomb". As for changes replacements will be needed for Maclean and possibly Whelan for starters. Then where do you start given the insipid mediocrity of Friday night. I can't see the logic in blaming the young players in the team when Cameron Bruce is repeatedly beaten by Jason Blake and othe notables such as Johnstone, Yze, White and Mcdonald have shockers. Unfortunately you can't drop them all! Can't see the point in dropping Bartram, particularly with Whelan likely to be missing. Miller was horribly out of sorts but then again the delivery to him was awful. Maybe a spell at Sandy might give him back some confidence. Dunn is still out injured so he can't play at CHF. I'd go for Paul Johnson, a genuine big unit, athletic and has good skills but needs to improve his marking. Could he also play down back ahead of Benny Holland, too often the opposition allows Benny to get free because they know he won't hurt them by hand or foot. They couldn't do the same to Johnson. With Rivers would add class to defence. Not sure about Bizzel and Brown. I would have thought Bizz's chance would have been this week with Rivers missing. Played his best footy as an undersized CHB, not sure he is mobile enough for a flank given the increased speed of the game. Brown's disposal and use is ordinary. Outs: Maclean (inj). Whelan (inj/sus?), Miller, Holland In: Rivers, Johnson, Pickett (if fit), ?

Kirk was born in 25/10/1976 and made his debut in 1999 so he would have made his debut at age 22 and a half. Miller turned all of 23 on 6/7/06. Methinks Kirk is a good example of why Miller should be retained. What was your view on Lewis Roberts - Thompson (who turns 23 in a month) last year?

I vote for Miller and Dunn. Miller showed some signs today. I think that with his fitness and confidence back he can play an impotant role as a leading centre half forward. As Garry Lyon said he is the sort of player who needs to be at or near peek fitness to play well, with OP in the pre season. Is way to early to write Miller off. Happy to have Dunn working in behind him and wider.