Deeoldfart

Great work Andy. Everyone is full of admiration for Neville .........a podcast not to be missed!!

The wash-up of 2017 hit all of us a cruel blow, but surely it's now time to embrace the very real excitement that 2018 holds. Iam, and I'm loving it. Bring it on!

A long, looong time ago (only the oldies will remember these times), when you could take almost anything you wanted into the MCG, a few Melbourne mates and I found ourselves sitting behind a large group of Geelong supporters, many of whom were equipped with large navy and white floggers, and bells that were so big that you needed two hands to ring them. The game was a close one, and some not so friendly rivalry developed between the Cats fans and us Dees. Every time that Geelong scored a goal, we had to put up with floggers being waved in our faces, and the clanging of these enormous bells in our ears. As you can imagine, this became very tiresome as they continued to score and keep pace with the Dees, who were close to invincible way back then. Anyway, after yet another Geelong goal, it got the better of me, and I told the old biddy in front of me to take her so-and-so cow bell back to the paddocks around Kardinia Park where she belonged. Next minute she and her even older female companion were belting me around the ears with their blue and white umbrellas. It seemed like a harmless 'footy' comment at the time, but it did teach me to keep my mouth shut, rather than engage with passionate supporters of rival clubs (especially when I'm outnumbered). IIRC, the Dees ended up winning, so I had the last laugh.

Gus will always wear a helmet 'cos his mum said so!

Nothing of substance re contract talks, in fact the 'bumper payday' refers to the prospect of a large pay rise should he continue to make a success of his move up forward ....... which in turn suggests later rather than sooner in the year. Speculation by the writer.

We did suffer 'heart' problems though!

No doubt. The legend will live as long as the game itself. Happy 82nd RDB!

Maybe not quite as 'marketable' as Max and Trac, but I'd like to throw Jayden Hunt's name into the ring. He's widely recognised for his headband and dash on the field, but his 'Shirley Temple' good looks, impish smile and a 'way out' sense of humour also attract plenty of attention. And to top it all off, we Demonlanders sponsor him!

Well you run a great forum, that's a damn good start!

I gave my nod to Max, but I acknowledge that I was watching the game vs North, but had at least half an eye on the bigger picture. IMO a fit and firing Max will have a greater impact on our season results than any other player on our list (valuable as many of the others might be). He is a major point of difference between us and every other club in the competition, and to see him throwing his weight around, directing traffic, and clearly outpointing a significant rival with his tap work, was sensational and a very positive omen for what lies ahead in 2018. He's back!

Thanks for that.. I've heard nothing about the injury, other than a brief comment from Goody in his post match presser where he said Nev should be right for JLT2.. Obviously nothing too serious.

Neville?

Exactly Wise. I'd much prefer to have half a dozen players of Nibbler's ilk on our list than 2 or 3 superstars. They are harder for the opposition to cover, and they are often less likely to drop their heads when the chips are down. The type of players that typify the culture we are trying to build, and the type of players who reflect the 'winning habits' that Goody frequently talks about.. The recipe s coming together!

Nah mate. I'm waiting for a Flag, so probably some time later this year for me ......... that's on the assumption that they will do it for a wrinkled old fart like me. Most likely require a general anaesthetic.

Centre square: Gawn taps to Harmes: goal. Sublime! If that's a sign of things to come ......

Class on every line and had the game on our terms most of the time. Very, very hard not to be excited right now. Time to sign up for those who have been holding back!

At long last something approaching real footy is only a few hours away, and I can't wait to see if all the positive track reports stand up to scrutiny under match conditions with real opposition. Go Dees!

Human 'wrecking ball'. A mouth watering prospect, and Ican't wait.. Might need to move him up a grade so he doesn't hurt the opposition, I reckon. ?

I've seen this written elsewhere HaH, and I find the suggestion of blackmail disturbing. What convinced you that it is 100% fact (?); or is it just speculation?

Fair point Jack, but I'll be watching tonight because I'm a 'one eyed demon', and therefore keen to get a glimpse of how some of our skills, and the youngsters are tracking at this time of the year. I won't be watching to see a 'spectacle'. It's very unlikely that I'll watch any X game where Melbourne is not participating, but on the other hand, I expect to watch all of the JLT games live.

Like everyone around here, I'm very keen to see all of them, but I nominated Spargs, simply because he was our first pick in the draft. I'm loving the snippets I'm reading on all of them in the media and in training reports etc. Our list seems to be in excellent shape right now (depth, spread, age and ability) and I can't wait for the real stuff to start, when we'll find out with a bit more certainty.

MFC Women. Simple reason: the 2018 AFLW season concludes before the 2018 AFL season.

................ and her disposal is second to none!

Great step up in standard, with good skills on display compared to last year. Eminently "watchable', and the score-line was pretty damn good too! Go Dees!

Time we had a post camp injury update from Misso, with some direct questioning from Burgs. Did Jack suffer a setback at the camp? What is the realistic timeframe for his return?