Deeoldfart

6. Vince 5. Gawn 4. Watts 3. Jones 2. Dunn 1. Viney Great team effort, and another half dozen could easily have figured in the votes.

6. Viney 5. Gawn 4. Howe 3. Jones 2. Dunn 1. Cross

Straight line Earl, but being a Dees member, I sometimes feel like I've been driving around in ever-decreasing circles for a decade. Hopefully the Saints make it our first back-to-back win for eons!

Canberra Redleg. Last game I attended at the G was vs the Bullies, so maybe my being there will be a good omen ........ but on the other hand, the closest we have been in the previous 5 years was the draw against the Swans in R1 2011.

Fantastic to see so many Melbourne listed players pulling on the Casey jumper in the back half of the season. Lots of interest in this game, esp. King, Hunt, Salem, JKH, Toump and any youngsters who may drop back from the Dees extended bench

Enjoy the long (700 kms) drive home a whole lot more.

I'm driving 1400 km to see us win, so nothing less than a win is acceptable. Dees by a couple of goals, I reckon

I agree Al, and it's comforting to know that our current recruiting team have shown themselves to be good judges, and will have these criteria front and centre.

I guess it depends on where you are coming from Ron. I really like Garlo, and think he's been a very 'solid citizen' of the Melbourne Footy Club over some really tough times. Does that make him a quality player? ........ not by my preferred definition. In describing players as 'quality', I immediately think of match-winning qualities, and I just don't see them in Garlo. There are dozens of 'solid citizens' on every list (all teams needs them!), but without a healthy serve of players with match-winning qualities, teams are going nowhere in today's competition ........ and Melbourne has fewer match-winners than most. If Garlo leaves as a RFA, I will be among the first to acknowledge his good service, and to wish him well at his new club. I will also be looking forward to the prospect of adding potential match-winning qualities to our very meagre list. Of course there are no guarantees in recruiting, but we desperately need to do everything possible to raise the bar! In summary: "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got".

I'll was shattered the day Norm was sacked, but not for one second did I think we would still be stuck on twelve 50 years later. Bloody hell!

I doubt it, but if they do, rest assured that keyboards will be melting around the Demonland fraternity.

6 - Hogan: His 4 goals won us the game. Outstanding for a young KPF in his first season. 5 - Cross: Just pipped by Hogan for top votes imo. Leadership and courage personified! 4 - Gawn: His contested marking and 'one percenters' typify how he's improving as a player. 3 - Howe: Best game for the year (luckily Roos played him to preserve his trade value) 2 - Jetta: Back to his hard / reliable best. 1 - Garland: Good dedenders' game. Marked (or mostly) spoiled everything in his area.

When you are a Melbourne supporter, any win is a good win! It's only the top handful of teams that have the luxury of an occasional 'bad win'.

What's with all the pessimism? I have a gut feeling we will win, ........... but I should acknowledge that 'blind faith' ensures that my tipping form is always very closely aligned to Melbourne's w/l record.

Agree with all that Wise. Being an 'interstater' I've never seen him play, but from the snippets I've heard since he was drafted, he's a tantalizing prospect. Quick, good hands and a lovely kick, but doesn't seem to get a whole lot of the ball .... that's about all I've heard. Can anyone closer to the action fill in some gaps? Is he still very slightly built? Does he read the play well, and get to the right spots? What is his pressure like? Have most of his recent goals been as a crumber or long shots?

... and ditto for Hunt. Thanks KC, as always.

If we don't beat the Bears, I will start a new thread titled "If we beat the Saints, I will ......." in the hope that it will inject a hint of positiveness into Demonland for the following week. We will need it!

I really like Col Garland. He's been a very 'solid citizen' of our Club through an extremely tough era, and in my eyes, he's still a 'best 22' player. However, this is surely not the point. If we want to improve as a team we need to raise the bar! Inevitably, some of today's 'solid citizens' will need to make way for players who bring (or have clear potential to bring), more to the team. There's an important part of me that says we should remain loyal to 'solid citizens' like Col, and another part that screams for team success. For me, in this scenario, team success beats loyalty every day of the week!

I've been in the 'clutches' of the Melbourne Football Club for all of my life, and I can't escape that, but bloody Hell, there are times when I wish I could!!

Posted 11 July 2015 - 03:23 PM 6. Gawn 5. Vince 4. N. Jones 3. vandenBerg 2. Watts 1. Dunn

Spot on mono ........ we are expecting significant snowfalls on the weekend.

Exactly what we need at Melbourne, and an important ingredient for long-term success. Give me those with a great work ethic ahead of the lazier types with god-given talent every day of the week.

Correct.

Be bitterly disappointed, and reluctantly accept that the road ahead might be even longer than it currently looks .... and that's a bloody long way!

Agree completely. Everything I've heard from those inside the Club is that he's a great listener, and works extremely hard on any aspects of his game that require attention. That's a great attitude to have, and I'm thrilled for the kid ...... even more so given that he's been a Demon from birth.