Go the Biff

Would be a great pick up for us. Better than anyone else wev'e got from the West Coke Eagles.

You'd have to find him first. Apparently he's buggered off up the coast & they're not expecting him back anytime soon.

Now, I dislike it when posters are needlessly and pointlessly negative, but....

If you're going to bottom out, make it a Gibbs, Gumbleton, Leuenberger, Selwood year.... Or a Hodge, Ball, Judd year.

Early dispatches suggest this is a BAD year to finish last. From what I can glean, Cotchin and Kreuzer are the certainties, then after that it drops off significantly.

A good point I'm surprised hasn't been made before Dappa (not that I've read anyway). If you read enough on here you'll find cases mounted for all of Ward, Brown, Yze, Ferguson, Holland, Godfrey, Bizzell, Warnock, Neville, Wheatley, Pickett, Miller etc to be given the arse come season's end (contractual status notwithstanding). The problem with that is that numerically, you have to replace what you delete. The deepest analysis on doing that is "draft kids". Your early dispatches & Jaded's suggestion that this is not a deep draft are key points. Some who are on shaky ground on our list may well find their careers extended by a year based on our recruiting staff's assessment of not only this draft, but of the the next couple as well. They may decide that this is not the draft you want to use six or seven picks in and be stuck with youngsters picked on spec tied to the club on mandatory two year contracts.

Someone posted in a thread yesterday (cbf checking back) and used chess as an analogy. In some cases, the appropriate strategy is to hang on to some of your pawns in order to use them to greater effect later in the game.

This is from my timwe watching footy (started when I was a young kid in the mid-late 80's), what my memory permits anyway

B - Grinter Hughes Yeats

HB - A.Johnson Ingerson Wight

C - Tingay B.Lovett Flower

HF - Lyon Schwarz Robertson

F - Farmer Neitz Jakovich

R - Stynes Viney Gr.Healy

I/C - O'Dwyer G.Lovett Yze Woewodin

Unlucky - Bennett , Johnstone, White, Rhode, Prymke, Lovell, S.Febey

Discuss

Good topic. I'm a fair bit older than you YM but I'll try to restrict my selections to the era that you'd be familiar with

B Wight Hughes A. Johnson

HB B. Lovett Neitz Grinter

C Tingay Wilson Flower

HF Lyon Schwarz Robertson

F Farmer Jakovich G. Healy

R Stynes Viney Johnstone

Int White Spalding Yze Greg Healy

A few unlucky but I picked the interchange on the basis that firstly, you need a second ruck. Agree with the poster who said White was better than O'Dwyer. Strawbs could mark & ruck but his kicking skills would make Wardy look like Darren Jarman. Yze & Spalding get the nod as they could play both ends & in Yze's case, go into the midfield. Sugar (& Trapper's) selection highlight the fact that we haven't had a rover since Henry Coles.

Would have liked a better full back but Hughes would get a fair bit of support from Wight. Thought Ingo was terrific for Melbourne but Danny shaded him. I also moved Neitz to CHB which allowed the traitorous Healy into a forward pocket where he kicked over 70 goals in successive seasons. Were you around to see him play for Melbourne ?

Sounds like you've been comparatively lucky. You missed the 70's & early 80's. By those standards, 2007 would be a good year !

I'd rather chase the athletes in the States. Some of the athletes playing college ball over there have the height of Dean Cox and the agility of Andrew Mcleod.

We went to the States. Same time as the Irish experiment that gave us Earley, Stynes, Wight. We brought back a 16 - 17yo kid (Glen Ryan I think his name was) who was supposed to be a gun across a number of U.S. sports. Saw him interviewed on World of Sport & that was the last I ever heard or saw of him.

What I want to know is, if Riley was such a clear candidate for a senior coaching job, why, in all the years he's been an assistant, hasn't he been mentioned when a coach has been sacked? Unlike Harvey, Sumich, Ratten...

Surely if he's going to be a coach one day, people would have looked at him before...

That said, if he wins games, shows what you want, I'm not going to get caught up in "reputation."

Possibly because he's not an ex-AFL player. Harvey, Ratten etc had distinguished playing records which had already placed them squarely in the public eye. Riley by comparison has long flown under the radar - low enough to get gravel rash.

Similarly, how many journo's were pumping up Neil Craig for the same jobs before he claimed the gig at the Crows ?

Rogue:

The tall is for Carrol if he doesn't come up. Ferguson used to play back- we need to see what he can do in the last few weeks. Yes hopefully Warnock and Garland will soon get a shot as well.

Seen enough of Ferg. Rather invest the game time in your other options Warnock (contracted next year) or Garland (development).

Miller should definitely play. If he's not on Brown then he should be the one to drop into the hole, blocking Brown's leads. You can knock his skill set but Miller does not lack courage.

No point bringing Clogs back this week Brown would just get on his bike & play up the ground where Clogs is less (than) effective.

Not as much fun as being there when he & Danny Hughes would regularly try to throw each other over the fence into the crowd. Certainly put on a show those two but there were times when I genuinely feared for the safety of those sitting in the front row !

Bloody good full forward Taylor was - played most of his career on a bung kee as well.

not in defence of anyone... but that really was a crappy effort on Brocky's part ... ( the goal square incident )..

Agreed - but worse was Carroll's half-arsed attempt to shepherd for him. Had Nathan put on a half decent block rather than throwing out a token elbow, we'd have had a 2 on 1 and a good chance to clear the ball

I believe we have three men with Melbourne close to their hearts who should immediately be given the job of reviewing prospective coaches:-

2. GERARD HEALY- ditto.

Wouldn't let him in the front door. His colours are red & white.

funny...sems most overlooked the most interesting ( to me ) aspect of that article.

...."We have never traded away a first-round draft pick in Neale's (Daniher) tenure, that has always been a long-term projection of his."

Asked if that would change if Judd was available, Gardner said: "Probably...."

I am the only one who reads into that.. we either...'won't be doing things Neals's way any more' ..or maybe 'Neale isnt relevent in 2008'

just a thought.

Think you're reading way too much into that - possibly seeing what you want to see. There have not been too many times when the best player in the caper has been available over Daniher's tenure (not that Judd's necessarily going to be available - this is media / message board fuelled conjecture). If the best player in the caper is available, your usual rules go out the window. Hence Gardner's "Probably" response.

That's my take anyway.

i like the trumpet guy, and that red and blue mow hawk guy who is he id be interested i see him everywhere on tv a lot....

The mohawk guy is Angelo. Hails from down the peninsula if I recall correctly. Mad Demon fan - he was "the face of Demonology" last year. He agreed to having a pic of him with the red & blue mohawk on the home page there. Doesn't post much but when he first got on last year his username "The Mohawk" sort of gave up his ID straight away.

Love it when he gets shown on TV - he is the opposite of the stereotype that we're depicted by. I'd like to see someone tell him that he's a Range Roving snow bunny !

Except I'm not a [censored] weak supporter, I buy a membership every year, I go to every single game played in Victoria, and I bleed for and with this club. So why was I so upset? Because the moron who was saying all this stuff, was not entirely wrong.

Those supporters who call themselves supporters because they drive around with a Melbourne sticker on their car, or because they turn up to the Queen's Birthday match once a year, don't deserve to associate with those of us who care so deeply about this club, and who will do anything to see this club where to belongs, on top.

WE, while in the minority, are passionate. We ARE Melbourne, because we love this club even when they lose, even when they struggle, even when everyone is telling us that we are [censored] weak, and that nobody cares about our club.

Guess what, I care, and so do all the Melbourne supporters I know, and everyone who has come and gone and posted on this website.

GO MELBOURNE!!!

Good girl Jaded.

Don't ban yourself for swearing

Don't modify your post

Don't delete the thread

Sticky it !

This whole issue is a real worry. Even more so when you think about the fact that we have just signed up to a deal that will see us training on a rectangle 'pitch' no more that 100mtrs long.

Do some homework chief - the move to the Olympic Park precinct does not include us training on a soccer pitch.

even better, if he is not scoring with the glamours, hopefully he goes and find a girl whos quick and strong...better for the genes...

After all the criticism Godfrey has copped I find it strange that people are planning a breeding program to produce another one ! I have been a critic, in fact I remain one as he has a number of weaknesses outside his kicking. Last week I went through our list with the red pen, working out who I'd give the flick to if I had my way. I retired quite a few ! Got to Godfrey & thought no - on this season to date, you deserve to keep your spot on the list, ahead of a numbeer of more celebrated & decorated team-mates..

Godders has been ineffectual as a tagger for a few years now.........until the last two weeks. While he could run with a player all day, he would get killed by his target's speed off the mark, particularly at stoppages. His work in the last fortnight has been outstanding - he had Goodes blanketed well before Goodes got hurt. Not sure what he's doing differently - will have to look at the tapes. Perhaps he's setting up to block his target coming out with a clearance rather than standing shoulder to shoulder & getting burnt off. Whatever it is, it is working & let's hope he keeps it up. His 100th game should be celebrated - I suspect the milestone will mean more to Simon than it has to many others.

Bored at work today which lead me to look up various things on Wikipedia including the Melbourne Football Club. The website provides quite a good history of our club.

Couldn't help but laugh at the 2007 section though:

2007 is shaping up as a poor season for the Demons, with Melbourne losing its first four matches. It has been widely tipped that Daniher's contract will not be renewed at the end of the season. The Demons have suffered numerous injuries and their fate appears to rest with highly skilled players like Nathan Carroll (the outstanding fullback of the competition), Daniel Ward (who is known for his pin-point accuracy in passing the ball by foot), perpetual Brownlow medal contender, Nathan D. Brown (one of the fastest players in the competition), the "Coleman-esque" goal-scoring sensation, Lynden Dunn, and Mark Jamar, the tap-ruckman extraordinaire (who recorded an unbelievable ONE whole hit-out in Melbourne's round 6, 2007 match against the Sydney Swans).

At least they got the Daniher contract part right. Is anyone at Demonland responsible for the section?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne_Foo...Partial_revival

Looks like Yze_Magic is doing some of his best work on Wikis as well as match predictions on Demonland. Tipping he did it in the latter half of a week !

Beamer has every right to be disgusted and furious.

I still get shitty every time I see Bartel get the footy. Lying little [censored].

No. Jolly wanted to be No 1 ruckman. In 2004 White was the AA ruckman. When White's fitness faltered toward the end of 2004, Jolly had his chance and his efforts were appalling such that he was dropped and finished the 2004 uear where a raw Jamar was chosen ahead of him. Jolly spat it and wanted a chance to be the No 1 ruckman elsewhere and had spat the dummy. So should MFC have held him for a further year and then let him walk for nothing or seek to get value for him.

True, true & true again. Our footy club may have made some blues but it annoys the hell out of me when posters use their version of this trade to whack the club over the head. Thanks Rhino, it amazes me how the circumstances of Jolly's departure are revised by those using 20/20 hindsight when assessing his value. Particularly that fella on the other forum. Jolly also gave me a couple of my most cringe-worthy moments as a Demon fan. After coming off second best in a contest with Richmond's Greg Stafford he dead-set piked the next two centre bounce duels against ol' Elbows. Sh@t himself. It was embarrassing to watch.

He may have a flag but Jason Ball got it for him. Jolly remains what he has always been - a very good # 2 ruckman. Those who think otherwise & point to hitout statistics need only review Darren's finals campaigns. That's not to say he can't improve - he has had plenty of good teachers along the way & in Everitt he has another. But why was Everitt recruited (rhetorical question folks) ?

Look at the options Ward had to kick to.

He was one of the few players who was actually trying to create some drive forward with his pace and long kicking.

Have a look at his second quarter. I like Wardy but he killed us, missing targets & getting caught out on the rebound. Momentum-snuffing stuff that. I'd have hoped one of the younger brigade had consigned Wardy to a future at Sandy by now. His run is great & he can get plenty of it but couldn't hit a cow's arse with a banjo. Although he did give us a false dawn in the first quarter with a nice pass resulting in a goal. Quickly rediscovered his level though.

On the votes - I'd probably echo Lord Travis. Tough to find 6 on a disappointing night.

The game in the midfield is becoming more & more like ice-hockey where you put a group on for a set amount of time & they go flat out while they're on. Off they come & their replacements go out & do the same thing until the next rotation. Sydney tonight being a good example. The old days where you could stand & watch the action upfield with your hands on your hips & sucking in air are gone. Perpetual motion now.

So why would there be a lack of grounds to play on? Will the heat effect the pitches THAT badly will it?

Not so much the heat Dappa as the drought & associated water restrictions. Councils, towns, municipalities etc can't water their grounds. These are the days where the threat of litigation & public liability insurance premiums have a massive bearing on how you run your sporting facilities. You can't afford to allow participants on facilities that could be deemed to be unsafe. Most clubs in my area (east of Melbourne) aren't allowed to train on their grounds. I believe the Diamond Valley League have already deferred their season opening to May.

The situation in much of country Victoria must be dire.

anyone remember Trevor Spencer or Andy Goodwin donning the red and Blue?

Trevor Spencer always gave the impression he had talent ...... but that was about it as far as results went. He just looked like he could take a game by the throat but never did.

Andy Goodwin is still going around - captain-coach of Mooroolbark where he is much loved but equally despised by most other clubs in his division of the EFL. Andy still has the occasional visit to the tribunal but I think his reputation is worse than his record. I believe he recently played in a Richmond corporate game where ex-players play alongside some of the club's sponsors. It's supposed to be a light-hearted exercise but apparently Goodwin's competitive instincts were still well-honed.

You have to admire Goodwin - never the most talented of players but gave everything he had whenever he went out to represent his club albeit occasionally going over the edge. If I recall correctly, he suffers from the additional handicap of being a Pom.

While we're playing this game mickey17seddon, do you remember Big Darryl Cox ? Another "couldabeen" we picked up from Fitzroy.

not when he was younger. saw a game on fox a couple of months ago and he dominated. could not miss a mark.

The first quarter of the "merger match" under lights - outstanding vision & hands. Can you believe how quickly those years have passed.

Now, if you were not of the Demon persuasion, that miss the other night where Neiter got sconned must have been absolutely hysterical.

Would love to see M. Lloyd replicate that

Which Jacko do you mean - Alan or Mark?

Alan was sort of OK, Mark was a joke!

Jokes don't kick 80 plus goals a season, not to mention the bags that G. Healy skived in the pocket alongside him. Jackson had his limitations but don't ever kid yourself into thinking he couldn't play.

Other disappointments - Spud Dullard. Bobby Skilton once said that Spud could have been the best CHF in the league if he'd actually applied himself on the training track.

Stephen Bickford - just looked a footballer. Had balance, time, poise - everything but the footy

Paul O'Brien - through no fault of his own. Was blossoming as a footballer & looked like being anything until his knee went. Effectively ended his career

Glenn McLean - for pissing off to Collingwood