Its Time for Another

This is a fantastic position to be in for now. We are very lucky the training and admin facilities hadn’t started or it would be looking a bit different. I’m grateful we’re where we are right now and I’ll be grateful when we have the facilities when we can afford them post Covid. Pert and his team clearly have worked miracles to be in this position this year. Over to you Goody. Bring the wins. Save the Club.

They have an excellent system around contests so they can whisk the ball away to players standing outside the contest. A few weeks ago we were all stacks on the mill in the contest and I wouldn't have given us much of a chance. The last three or so games and especially last week we've really started to keep a structure out of the contest. If we do that I fancy our chances. If we don't we'll be playing into their hands. Feels like as big of a game as we've had in quite a while. Wouldn't have been if we'd lost last week. Go Dees!!

I really hope Goody has the team fired up to jump in and get around Maxy if they target him again like they did all game last year. It was a real low point seeing no one going in to fly the flag around him.

I think it was O Mac who said in his post game video that they are used to living there from doing the pre season camps up there the past couple of years. It's apartment accomodation rather than hotel rooms so maybe that suits them better. I'm guessing it's also a lot more effective for distancing staying away from all the other teams at the cost of an extra hours driving once a week or however often games are going to be. I assume also has the benefit of no limitations on access to the training grounds and facilities they use with the added benefits of not needing to share them with other teams.

I think Charlie Spargo is in one of the photos the Club just posted of the first training session up there so looks like they aren't isolated from the rest of the group.

I wonder if in order to fit all games in they will still have teams fly in and out of NSW. Hope Dees come back to Sydney. What a joy being able to go to the last two weeks has been up here. As many games as they played up here in more than 10 years.

Very interesting question willmoy. I thought there was a lot of body language going off during the game that you don't pick up on TV. I was particularly pleased to be there for that reason. My take on his body language for what it's worth was that he wasn't attacking contests going for his marks like I saw him do in his first couple of seasons. His body language said to me that in his head he isn't entirely confident in his own ability at the moment. He wasn't taking aggressive grabs his hands were quite flat and thus he dropped a few he used to hold. He also struggles a bit when other players are in the drop zone. I don't think he's using his body enough at the moment to push them out of the way so he can put himself in the best spot. It's easier said than done but it has to happen to be an effective forward. But in my view, again for what it's worth I thought you could physically see his body language and confidence starting to come back after he held those two excellent contested marks. He's certainly got the package. I really felt his body language told a lot that his problem is above the shoulders. I also didn't realise it's 12 mths since he's played in the firsts. 12 months!! And we all get stuck into him so much. I really hope they give him a good 4 or 5 games now no matter what the output. On body language. In the first quarter it really felt like all the players were very tentative and scared to make mistakes. This was actually mentioned by Goody in the post game pressie. He said they were being too cautious and he had to get them to take the game on. They noticeably did that as soon as they came out in the second quarter. It was interesting seeing the game day vid on the Club website with Goody's pre game address to players where he said I won't send out a message for your execution just take the game on. That's exactly what didn't happen in the first quarter. So really interesting to witness the body language and psychology live. I really like what I saw of Goody's game day addresses. The most inspiring I've seen him.

I was lucky enough to go to the game. Interesting how good Weid looks when teammates honour his leads and actually kick the ball to the right spot in front of him.

I switched to Kayo last month. If you have internet from Telstra you can get 12mths of Kayo for $15 a month. I've been very impressed so far. Picture quality is very good. Love the fact you don't have to record anything they have. It's always immediately available. Some good tools like Match Highlights so you can use the toolbar to go to each goal scored etc. Can go straight in and watch from live or from the start. Only minor issue is that the streaming rate means that some movement like the ball through the air has minor microsecond drop outs so it looks like its pulsing. I've got used to that now and hardly notice it.

I think the relevant comparison is Young v Rivers not Jackson. I looked at the comparison a few weeks ago and Rivera had more disposals at much higher. DE than Young. A good HBF isn’t worth nearly as much as what Jackson will bring if he delivers. Rivers doesn’t have to be as good as Young, just nearly, for this to be a win win. So far he’s looking as good. Rivers is the key to the success of the decision to pick Jackson and to trade for Norths picks.

I agreed with your first two points at the time they were made but you've missed my point which is that all these decisions were largely based on the gamble that Weid had come of age as a key forward. Hogan could therefore go and be replaced with a backman not a forward. That was the gamble. Weid not even being able to get a game has a domino effect on a series of list management decisions.

I was also strongly of this view, however, Rivers looks likely to turn this thinking on it's head. He was a potential top 10 pick before he got glandular fever over his last junior pre season. I've watched Young closely so far this season and I don't think we've missed much be getting Rivers. The bonus is we also get Jackson. Unfortunately the List Managers and recruiters have been gambling the last couple of years and those gambles so far have mostly blown up in their faces. First gamble was at the end of 2018 that Weid had proved enough that he was coming of age. Second gamble was on the basis of that virtually pushing Hogan out of the door. Third gamble on the back of that was getting in a key back in May instead of a key forward in King. None of those gambles would have looked bad if Weid had come on. Weid can't get a game now and T Mac has vanished since the end of 2018. Now the one gamble led to potentially three failed gambles. They've now gone and taken a very big gamble on Jackson. They might be right. They might also be wrong. He had very limited exposure as a key forward and is very raw in that position especially compared to the Kings. He's also very raw as a ruckman and short for a ruckman. Time will tell.

Would love to at least know who of the injured players pre shut down are doing the full training in the main group and are looking fit enough to be picked for the next game. If all players are fit enough with possible exception of Bennell and possibly Hannan, will be really interested to see what the team will be.

Exactly. I'd be very confident if he stays Melbourne he stays at Essendon. He stated his desire to move to Sydney was to get away from the pressure of the Melbourne footy fish bowl. Personally I wouldn't go near him. We're not a team that can afford another trading disaster. He's incredibly injury prone and at his best one of the worst kicks for goal I've seen. When he gets everything right he looks great but that's only happened a couple of times in his career. Too risky for MFC and almost certainly wouldn't come to us anyway.

T Mac's form is a mystery. Does anyone know anything about what's going on with him. From memory he had both ankles operated on at the end of 2018 and was clearly hampered last year and lost form. He looked woefully out of form in round 1. From what I could tell he seemed to have lost pace so that the defenders were easily all over him every time he was going for the ball. Maybe the break will have helped him to get his body right and get some pace back if that is the issue. Otherwise he appears to be following on being really badly out of form following on from last year. If he comes back in form it will make all the difference having one KPF instead of none like round 1.

Plus Melksham who missed most of last year. Fritsch who hasn't been able to play there consistently. AVB if he ever gets back on the park. Hannan after missing over a year. Mind you none of them are KPF's.

If we are successful in getting him over his injuries like Hawks did with Burgoyne it might open the door to very talented injured players choosing to come to us because of the quality of our medical department.

Oi! Let's not waste energy on a discussion of all the theoretical ways me might lose. I'd rather focus on the thought of a positive demonstration of the "Melbourne style of play" and a thumping win. Even if this is the definition of insanity. I'll only start using up negative energy slitting my wrists if we actually lose.

Spargo 173cm. Kossi 170cm. Kossi first game Champion data stats. 11 disposals, Below Average. Goals 2 Elite. A portent of what's to come. Mind you there was nothing wrong with his running power from one end of Optus to the other on a couple of occasions. Anthony MCDONALD-TIPUNGWUTI another contender at 171cm. HIs stats game 1. 11 disposals. Goals "0". Go Kossie.

I have no idea what this Zurich Tiny Team is. Did they put something on the Club website explaining what it is? I never saw it. Am I the only one that doesn't know what this is? Could someone explain it please? Thanks.

There won't be any practice matches. Probably other than intraclub. But if they have the extended benches that are being talked about it wouldn't surprise me if they took the risk if he's fully fit in every other way. They could bring him on for short bursts. Like 7 minutes a quarter and it would be a win. Get dragged as soon as he kicks the required couple of goals a quarter.

I'm not sure with our culture and player development at that time and all his off field issues that we wouldn't have stuffed Martin up. Doubt three rebuilds later he would be the player he is now if we'd recruited him.

SWYL wow. Just saw you list Norm Smith as one of your favourite players. I assume that's because you saw him and given his last game for us was in the 1948 Premiership that must make you one of the oldest on here. I would love to have done that. In the Red Fox there were a lot of quotes from him on leading patterns in the forward line and sacrificing himself as a decoy FF so others could be uncontested targets. A few lessons there for some of our "elite" players nowadays. A lot has changed in our great game but a lot of fundamentals have stayed the same.

There’s some talk of having extended benches if they do the carnival format. This would be perfect for him.

I often wonder whether letters like this get written for the players. Not much doubt Maxy wrote this one. He’s become an exceptional communicator. Uses great humour but it’s not just a joke it has a real point to it. Those are two great examples that really do show he understands what we’ve been through. His B&F speech last year was the best speech in the Club I’ve ever heard. It embraced every aspect of the club so comprehensively with humour, humility, knowledge. Who the Club is and his part in it. Past players, current players, coaches, supporters. Brilliant. Can even play a bit.