Vipercrunch

You forgot 5:40pm Local/NT time

If Geelong brings the same sort of pressure that they did against Collingwood, it will be the perfect preseason game for us. Really test out the new game plan and skills under real pressure. I am sure we will at times succumb to the pressure but it will really sort out the players who are ready for the real thing and those that are not. Watts is probably the most interesting player for me, as well as Hogan and both Dom's. While hoping for the best on the scoreboard of course, I don't really mind how it turns out because I am sure Roos will milk every drop of learning and development out of it. We found out a little bit about where things are headed against Richmond. We are about to find out a whole lot more.

I really can't see Clark playing ruck for long stretches of games for a very long time, if at all this year. Unless I've missed something, the times he has trained with the full group he has trained as a forward and although I'd love Dawes and Hogan plus whoever else be able to consistently kick bags, they are all a fair way back from what we saw Clark provide in 2012 before his injury. He took big marks and converted at a high percentage as well as being very dangerous when the ball hit the ground. Clark would only be played as number one ruck if: He regains full fitness and then some, The remaining tall forwards really do the business. We hope for the best but we must remember Hogan is yet to play an AFL game, Dawes has struggled with fitness, Fitz has taken some great strides but he is not yet 2012 Clark... The actual rucks are not providing what we need. They are not ruck superstars but perhaps our game plan doesn't need them to be. Halve the contest and make a path for the mids. Do we need them to get 25 possesions, and kick 3 goals a game? I'm confident Jamar, Spencer or Gawn will be able to provide enough. I just want to see Clark fully fit and playing some of the footy we saw before his injury. And with better and more frequantsupply, it will be a great show.

How Roosy manages Salem will be very interesting. He has obviously played well in both intraclub games now. Will he be held back and given a long period of development at Casey or will he be put on the big stage earlier than normal for young players under Roos? Our management of younger players in the last 5 or so years has been widely criticized, but will we as supporters be patient enough and let Roosy do it his way?

I heard somewhere on Friday night (SEN I think) that the players have taken to calling him Presta-gia-georgiou after the unfashionable but effective Pies defender.

Game is at 7.10 Local time. Foxfooty is showing it Live with several replays over the next 24 hours I bet. SEN is covering it on radio (1116 on the Melbourne dial or they have an app). I'll be listening to the first half I reckon while watching my son play cricket then hopefully getting home in time with takeaway Indian to watch the 2nd half while celebrating my daughters 9th birthday. Go Dees.

Ignore the scoreboard this week (unless we're winning of course). It's the clearance's, time in possession and inside 50 count (and differential) that will be the indicators worth watching. I can't wait.

Meditation taught by someone with a degree in "parapsychic science from the American Institute of Holistic Theology" would involve "belief". Parapsychic phenomena are described as such because they cannot be explained by science. Just like some people could have objections to participating in Christian prayer meetings and bible studies, Islamic observances or activities of any other religious nature, some people could have objections to meditation on the basis of belief systems or skeptism.

I think our forward line on Friday needs to have 2 talls close to goal for as much time as possible, so I would play Pederson at FF for he whole game and have King along side him giving Spencer a chop out in the ruck when needed. We all dream of having Clarke, Dawes and Hogan in the same team. The structure will most likely be 2 of those close to goal with the other playing CHF. We need to get a setup as close to that as possible so the mids are kicking to a structure that is familiar.

The midfield setup and rotations should be the same on Friday as they are planned to be for the rest of the year. If the plan is for Watts to rotate through the forward line during the main season, then do it on Friday night too. It is the midfield we are hoping to see the most improvement from and it is where the most change has occurred. Lets start getting it right from the get go. If our forward line isn't able to kick a winning score then so be it. We know the talent we have missing and it won't be long before Dawes and Hogan are back on the park. Midfield has to be the main focus so don't tinker with the plans just because the forward line is depleted.

Thanks for the summary Arrow. Everything Grant Thomas says is unique in the AFL world because he basically says whatever he feels like as he cares little what others think of him (most other media have plenty of conflicts of interest etc) but he also seems to be still nursing a damaged ego and it comes out in some of his comments.

During a conversation on SEN this morning about the twitter rant from James Hird's PR man against Paul Little, Andy Maher quickly mentioned that Grant Thomas had a decent whack at Paul Roos. Anyone able to shed some light on what was said for those not using Twitter?

And that's how you keep the post count ticking over. Garbage like that.

I think it is worth picking the best squad available (as long as they are fit and ready). Not so we win games and improve membership etc but so that the standard of earning games is established. Better teams than us can gift games to players during the preseason, but I think for this first game especially we should play the best side possible. Later on players may need to be "managed" but for this one, I don't want anything other than the players who are deemed by the selection panel to have earned their spot.

So can anyone enlighten me what the real difference between an NAB Challenge game (18 games in 18 days, no ladder, finals or a "Winner" from what I can see) and the round of practice games that start straight after? Are the rules different (super goals etc) for the NAB Challenge?

Why does anyone care? It's just a fluff piece to fill up some AFL inches. Why do people get so tied up in knots about someone else's opinion of their side?

Mark Jamar - All Australian 2010.....

I thought the draft was tomorrow night?

I have to comment about some of the posts re: honorable losses. Honorable losses are fine as long as they are treated as steps in the right direction along the way to the final destination (winning a premiership) and not the final destination itself. I think Hawthorn and Collingwood would have considered many losses "honorable" as they progressed from wooden spooners to contenders and then finally premiers. A team has to view every result (win and loss) with respect to where they are and where their opposition is. Some wins will be poor wins, while some losses will be good (or honorable). Any aspiring Top 4 side last season would have considered any win over us of less than 30 points as a poor result. If we lose to Hawthorn next year by less than 4 goals I will be happy for Paul Roos to call it an honorable loss as long as he doesn't then resign and consider his job done. Bring on some honorable losses in 2014!!! Not as good as wins, but they will still be tangible evidence of improvement and steps in the right direction.

He, like the host KB and the rest of the terribad journos from The Australian that frequent KB's show are just your run of the mill "shock jocks". Will say anything to upset people enough so they call in. If they were on the internet they would be called trolls, and there is a reason people say 'DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS'. I very, very rarely listen to SEN between 9 and 12.

I want Freo to win in a close one. Always nice to see a club that hasn't had any recent success get one. My main hope the umpiring is good.

Although I would have enjoyed hearing other clubs complain, I am not overly upset about this. The AFL have come to our aid in how they dealt with us over the tanking saga and with the financial help out. I think we do have enough talent on our list already and we have Roos here to have a decent crack at developing that talent correctly. Our future success didn't depend on a PP this year.

IMO, the OP is building a list of posters who will be reminded about this thread if things go south under Roos and they attack him or the club. For the record, IMO Roos = Choco = Eade. I would hire whichever one was the most interested in coaching the MFC and was the most driven to reach the ultimate success. Choco had a wonderful period of sucess at Port, without the full support of the club and sponsors. Eade was sucessful (although no flags) at WB , a club with skinny resources like us. If we get Roos, and he comes with some key personal from Sydney (I heard a development guy and Kenellay could be part of it) then I will be happy, but will remember it comes with no gaurantees of success.

Bomberblitz is a hoot. I wonder which forum Essendon supporters with brains use...

A few weeks ago I was scathing at Jack's performance against GWS (the thread was later deleted). I have tempered a little bit since then and my opinion follows. He should leave. He is not as good as he should be. BUT... I do not blame him for wanting to leave. I do not blame him for not being as good as he should. AND... I would wish him all the best at another club (be easier if it wasn't a club I detest...) and hope he turns into a very, very good AFL player. Basically the MFC stuffed this kid up. Too much pressure. Used him as a marketing tool. Pathertic development. We didn't want to play good football (tanked) just when he should have been learning what the AFL was all about. He owes us nothing. If he decides to stay then great. I really hope we get the right FD in place to help him reach his potential. He he leaves, then I will hold no anomosity towards him.