Deeoldfart

The worst part of it is that he got away with wasting his talent for years while at Melbourne.

Who says the inability to recruit and develop decent footballers makes my team the laughing stock of the AFL? Not me ..... well not any longer anyway!

6. N. Jones - started his career as an ok footballer, and has improved year-on-year ever since. Superb game, superb leader. 5. vandenBerg - smart, with an outstanding work ethic and is as hard as nails. He belongs!!! 4. Vince - another top game after practically zero pre-season. 3. Hogan - the football world is starting to take notice. Nothing more needs to be said! 2. Garland - back to the form of a couple of years ago ..... and that's pretty damn good! 1. Jamar - another contract please.

I would strongly prefer that we invest our hard earned in a young 'up and comer' from the likes of GWS or GCS than go for Murphy. Invest for the future, not for the present.

I like tomorrow's team, especially given the forecast weather conditions. JKH as sub, I reckon.

Any indication that they were working on Hogan's run-up TDI? ............ and what about Garlett ...... any set-shot work?

I'd like to believe that rpfc. I'm not 100% convinced, but it was either a very good piece of play or a very lucky one. Jack Watts is a Melbourne player, so I prefer to give him the benefit of the doubt ........... but if he played for another team, I'm not quite so sure.

Like most of us, I think Frosty has a heap of upside. I reckon he is one of about a dozen or so current players who will form the nucleus of a pretty decent MFC team within the next few years. At this stage it's about getting games / experience into players of his ilk, so his injury could prove very untimely if he is sidelined for an extended period. Let's hope that 4 to 6 weeks is all that it takes.

That's drawing a very long bow Rusty. My comment about what I saw in in the second half clearly related to selections for next week, not about "what we will get out of the current list this season".

Based on what I saw (most of the second half), nobody really put their hand up and demanded to be picked for the Dees against the Tiggs.. Casey's bigger bodies and fitness were decisive towards the end. Fitz looked like he could be a useful backup as a defender, and Stretcher shows promise.

Fair point but different context. I was referring to the discipline Bernie showed in curbing Dangerfield's influence for 98% of the match.

Tons of kudos to Tommy, Bernie and Nev for getting under the skins of the Crows' three key play-makers, and severely limiting their impact.

Tomorrow arvo at Casey Fields shapes as crucial. There are 4 or 5 'possibles' but who will put their hand up? A perfect opportunity for someone who wants it badly enough to make the most of this opportunity. I'll be watching with interest. Edit: punctuation

6. Tom McDonald - continued his rise (Walker was gifted his goals). 5. Bernie Vince - outstanding discipline, aggression and effort (especially given zilch pre-season). 4. 'H' Lumumba - prolific ball winner and used it well in the conditions. 3. Nev Jetta - again had Betts measure 2. Nathan Jones - another 'heart & soul' game under duress. 1. Col Garland - disciplined and approaching form of a few years ago.

If we can maintain that level of four quarter intensity and effort for the remainder of the season, and improve our composure and accuracy in front of goal, we will win as many games as we lose. A handful of players had games they would prefer to forget, but that happens most games. The onus is on those players to turn things around next week. I'm very disappointed that we lost, but not disheartened.

I was feeling more than slightly morbid about our chances until I read this thread, but the optimism shining through in some of the posts has lifted my spirits to some extent. What a wonderful place this is ...........sometimes!

Tom's last line spoil on Tomlinson was executed to perfection. They just don't come any better! Rd 2: McDonald's superb last-line spoil

Someone asked in the (Friday) training thread whether Nathan Jones had trained. I thought it was a bit of a strange question at the time. Maybe not quite so strange now. Any clues anyone?

Another tough job this week, but sadly, for a very different reason. 6. Tom McDonald - emerging AA defender based on first two rounds of the season 5. Jack Viney - our best mid by a fair margin today 4. Chris Salem - cool under pressure, even when the avalanche was happening. Will be a beauty. 3. Jesse Hogan - another reason why today was not all gloom and doom. 2. Daniel Cross - old workhorse who worked his backside off 1. Ben Newton - best of the rest

Just returned from a 6 km walk in a (fruitless) attempt to ease the nervous tension. I reckon it will be close, but my gut feeling, based on the vibe at training yesterday arvo, is that our boys are really up for this one. Just break even around the stoppages, and play with the same application and work rate as last week, and we will win. Off to the ground shortly, and totally pumped.

Should have mentioned that Vanders had his own personal cheer squad to welcome him back to Manuka (mostly former Ainslie team-mates I suspect). He seemed really excited and lapped up the attention.

JKH. Didn't notice either of the others.

Yep.

The ground looks in good nick. I expected it to be heavier after 63mm of rain in Canberra on Monday/Tuesday. The centre square was still covered today, so not sure what it will be like tomorrow. The weather forecast is perfect ... 22 degrees, patchy cloud and light winds. As Jako said, not a lot to report from a training perspective. Just an extremely light session to loosen up after the travel and get a feel for the ground. The only structured component was a series of stretches conducted by Misso. Nonetheless, I got the impression that the players were really up for tomorrow. Lots of banter, back slapping and high fives, and the skills (about 15% intensity) were crisp and clean (as you would hope). I tried to keep an eye on Vince and Dawes, and didn't see any fumbles or dropped marks. Dawes set shots from 40 to 50 metres were spot on most of the time. H looked fantastic in everything he did .... so sharp. Crossy (as expected) was the last one to leave the track. Some solid tackling, one-on-one with Goody, who still has good evasive skills. The players were very friendly and spent lots of time lining up for photos and autographs sought by the Demon faithful. Well done MFC!

No probs with the temp.at Manuka ......... the result will ensure that we Demonlanders have a warm inner glow.