pitmaster

Any one else enjoy Frawley copping a bath? Great to see him floundering ineffectively against Kennedy in the first and then getting clean bowled in the last. Not missing him at all.

As supporters we seem to have learnt nothing from the Essendon debacle. We cannot assume we will knock off Carlton. If we do, then I'll go nuts.

Clear holding free not paid to Pies in marking contest near goal last 20 seconds. Seriously disappointing the way the umpires "throw away the whistle" in close finishes. What? So the rules are optional now?

Must be considered if only for the hyphenated surname.

I read recently that the Hawthorn players are shown photographs of the game umpires pre-game and instructed to know their given names and to greet them by their given names pre-match. Yeah, it's a snivelling sort of thing but also indicative of their professionalism. Rioli is in a class of his own, however, and I don't see why that should be so. Hopefully he is taken out sooner rather than later in the manner he did Oliver - legally - but more thoroughly so the little jerk does not get up.

I was at the game and have not watched the replay so I don't know how bad he was, but...the fact that Murray "The Enforcer" Wiedeman's grandson is playing for Melbourne is a story the media have massively underplayed. If Mike Sheahan were still in the daily press game it would have had big coverage, but even Rohan Conolly is not old enough to get it. Murray Wiedeman was the architect of the 1958 upset when the Pies broke the Demons' run of three straight premierships. He was loathed, I mean deeply hated, by Melbourne supporters. The media have missed this story and I for one am glad Eddie is giving it some airplay. If Sam turns into a champion it will be wonderful and hilarious.

Yes the umpiring was awful - worth three goals to Hawthorn and kept them in it but their lousy kicking for goal squared that for us. For me the best of this game was to see our blokes prepared to back themselves with run (sometimes Viney overdoes it but that happens when you take a calculated risk often), shrugging tackles (Hunt in the first 1/4: sensational), breaking through their lines and hurting them physically as they have done to us. Mitchell and Lewis look finished on that showing. And then the final quarter steadying just as Rioli had set them up to run over us was brilliant. Weideman a great debut. Watts and Gawn go strength to strength. Tyson sensational. Welcome back Oliver. Patricia and Stretch, wow. The two Macs strong. Pederson very serviceable. Jones back to his tough best. I could go on but you all know it. Oh and yes, Rioli is treated like a God by the umps. He ducks his head, he tunnels people, head butts, cheats and gets frees he does not deserve. What's the chance he gets a Brownlow vote out of that when you could easily find three Demons who were better?

Oh yes it is. No medico will ever claim to identify the specific cause/causes of a specific cancer. The most that can be said is that stress may be a predisposing factor.

As the great Doug Heywood once said: "Biffen by name and Biffen by nature." And I share your sentiments, Biff. An upset win would be even better.

Some perspective on that awful performance yesterday (since I was too flat last night to comment): 1: Watts played the most decisive game of his career. 2: We won without the usual suspects - N Jones, J Viney, B Vince - leading the way. 3: Oscar Mac looked like a footballer. 4: Petracca and Stretch gave us some exciting glimpses of their abilities. 5: We won when we could easily have lost as opposed to one week earlier when we lost...blah blah blah. Against all that the most disappointing thing was that after Watts took a match saving mark with 58 seconds to go we still failed to close it out. Expecting a much improved effort against Hawthorn.

Only a rare attendee at training (second time this year), my observations may not be news to others so if I waste your time that's why. However, I gave up some time while passing Gosch's today and thought I would pass on what I could. First, I was rapt to see Salem participating in all the midfield drills and looking sharp. That's my good news. The other difference was to see skills-specific training. Other times I have watched training in Roos' time the emphasis was on moving the ball up the ground, switch plays, when to go to the corridor. This was different. This was about working on particular skills. Initially, there were multiple groups working on inside to outside football with midfielders crowding the contest for the ball and then the side that won it spreading quickly from the contest with ever longer handballs before the final player was 'released' with a 15 metre handpass and then kicked to one of his teammates who had spread sufficiently to create a marking contest. Neither Grimes nor Trengove appeared handicapped (i.e.: too slow) in the context of this. Each set up had a "winning team" who had first use of the ball and a "defending team" which was supposed to hold them up. Then they switched roles. Next, and what a relief after last week, came some serious goal kicking practice. Other times I have been to training goal kicking has been an after thought where the blokes take a ping after the serious running and other drills are done. Today the group split into two. At one end they practiced deliberate shots with the man-on-the-mark props set at five different angles and distances. At the other players practiced goal kicking on the run and inside 20 metre snapshots. The first received a handball then took a shot from 35-40 metres, then gathered a bounced ball near the goal square while running across the goal face for a quick snap. Then, they swapped ends and the deliberates went for the on the run shots etc. The only one who did not complete this was Watts who left the ground after taking part in the deliberate shots. He unwrapped a bandage from his wrist and spoke briefly to Misson. It seems had been instructed not to take part in the handball receive goal run since before they received the handball the players had to either short pass or hand pass it to the coach to begin the move. Next defenders did a spoiling drill and then spent time working on switch plays with short, 30 metre passes rather than those looping ones we see in games. The forwards - Hogan, Dawes, Petracca, Garlett - continued working on their deliberate shots. About time.

This bloke has been found out. Too inconsistent and lacking concentration on the main object of the game, to win the ball and use it well. Too much energy expended on tough guy routines. Not a reliable kick. The fact even the Tiges are thinking of getting rid of him having indulged him for so long says all we need to know. Stay well away.

Good on you for supporting the club so strongly then. I am a bit the same...an MCC member and I go whenever I am in the state and occasionally make it to interstate games, but the four memberships I buy for family members are effectively donations since the rest of the family are MCC too...but my "donations" don't go to the expense of Trident memberships. You have my R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

inept handball is not the issue. We are trying to develop a fast Adelaide Crows style game which is demanding of hand passing accuracy under pressure and takes time to get right and involves mistakes inevitably. I am putting today down to a Darwin high temperature high humidity hangover. Robbie is right. This was lost partly at selection - not enough fresh legs and too few 'ins'. But I am really sick of losing to those frauds.

Balme was lazy. Had the good fortune to have Schwarz at his emerging best and a list that was finals-hardened thanks to Northey who achieved an enormous amount with sub-standard facilities. Northey's team were honest, blue collar battlers with a smattering of excellence and never gave up. Balme's teams drifted. Daniher was sensational for a while but became too wedded to certain players and neglected list revival. I put Northey at the top, followed by Neale not far behind. Roos is very important though his record will not approach the other two. There's no question our recruiting has been better under Roos also, so his influence will be prolonged. We had high draft picks and blew them before - our use of high picks has been markedly improved and I disagree, some credit there goes to Roos for laying down the sort of characters - competitors foremost - that he wanted drafted.

You haven't been paying attention - there are no subs any more.

I think the real villain in this story is Howe's manager, Ben Niall. Niall apparently touted Howe about during the year and while at the end of the season he said the published $600,000 asking price was BS there was plenty of talk during the year that's what Niall was asking. Did he get into Howe's ear early? Niall has a track record of his (small number of) clients changing clubs, and the word among a group of Demons supporters who claim to know something about it is that Howe was told he should punt for a club that would be playing finals (ha ha). Niall also talked up Howe wanting a fixed position as a wing-half forward, not a defender (double ha ha). Howe is paying for it and I wonder if he thinks he has been poorly advised.

I take the point that his tackling can lack urgency but it's time people got over the fact he was a number one draft pick. He is an integral part of the side right now, adds real class, is one of the best users of the ball we have, is incredibly skilled below his knees and would have more score assists than any of our players. And besides that, has had a more productive career than Kreuzer or Gibbs who have been subjected to nothing like the same scrutiny.

So that's three umpiring blues confirmed from that game and every one went against us: the free in front of goal to the head ducking squib, Bernie's report and 50 metre penalty, and the non-report on the gutless Ceglar. God I hope we do them in the return match.

Worse yet, tonight Bombers get their right whack, which we should have

There's optimism and then there is the foolhardy nonsense that Dees2014 started in the thread about how many Hoges was going to kick. Like Leoncelli I thought we were vulnerable to a mental lapse this week. I am surprised that so many are surprised.

As a full MCC-MFC member I am entitled to nominate a junior member so PM me if you have an under-15 year old who wants a free junior membership.

Really slumming it now.

When he came to us the word from Brisbane was that he was physically fragile. Proved correct.

Just in case we won and so I could celebrate in the Long Room after the great victory, I bought a tie as I walked into the 'G for the 1988 Grand Final. Haven't worn the damn thing yet.