pitmaster

Heh heh. Four? I wondered if you'd bite at that. Yeah nah it's only three. Good at both ends says flexibility is the attribute. Has a much better record up front than Stef. You'll need to offer examples of squibbing. I don't recall any.

The mo is no mo'.

Has three strong attributes which we lack: mongrel attitude, penetrating kick, is strong defensively and can go forward.

Really starting to appreciate this bloke's post match inventiveness with words. He doesn't rely on the old cliches much at all. This week's contribution being the 'seven day goggles' he reckons journos wear. Some of us too. I plead guilty to seven day goggles.

Ox notes that Geelong have not had lots of high draft picks but ignores their extraordinary run of cheap father-sons - so cheap the bidding system came in.

That the rules are subject to so much "interpretation" is one of the unfortunate distinguishing marks of Geischen's unhappy career as head of umpiring. Prior opportunity, when it became vogue, consisted of having a couple of steps - now anything goes, unless you're Nathan Jones or in a red and blue jumper. In the back is another troublesome one - you can make contact with the forearm but not the hands? Huh? Deliberate oob this year has become dynamite. But running more than 15 meters without bouncing is disregarded. I just wish they'd apply the rules that are there evenly. Geischen could not coach footballers and cannot coach umpires. He is there only to demonstrate AFL's jobs for mates program.

Interesting paint facing option.

To those of us in the MCC reserve he was clearly injured. Was holding his arm to protect his shoulder. Everyone around me knew he was hurt and the only expressions I heard were regret. It was not a joke he was on Ablett - he was there because of his endurance.

Glad to see this debate swing around. I rate the bloke. His history is that he got started as a recruiter for us leading into our mini-revival in the late 80s. That might be where the meddling in footy department comes from. Ben Hur is right: he gets our history in ways others do not. All footy clubs are the same in most ways, he says, but Melbourne is different because it "grew out of a ground, not a suburb". He is trying to make that point of difference, and others such as writing the rules of the game and the greater-than-most sacrifices in wartime, as points of identity that ulitimately will be selling points for the club. My only concern is that he did sign Energy Watch and they were flakey, and worse, LOOKED FLAKEY from the get-go. I am glad we have replaced it with sponsors that appear to have a stronger more substantial character to them. Extending CS' contract now gives us some much needed stablilty.

Laughable? Laughable is it? Well full marks for chutzpah, kid. Let's see their last month: they beat Richmond by 2 points (we couldn't get within nine goals); they went down to Geelong by 11 points (we were happy we kept the loss to just two figures, in fact they were five goals better than us); they lost to the Lions by 11 (that's five goals better than us); then got thumped by Sydney (even then they were five goals closer than us - bit of a pattern there, don't you think?). Two close losses, one win, and one big defeat to the premiership favourite in the same time we had four losses by an average of six goals. Keep laughing Junior.

No question. You're right about the margin. I tipped a 78 point win last week and after we kicked the first goal of the final term to lead by 54 points I reckoned I was going to look like a genius. But instead of them fading as I expected, it was us who ran out of legs. That reflects the state of the team that took the field, and losing Morton diminished our interchanges and our run _ he was in the side for his motor after all. This is part of the reason I think the critics on this side are overdoing it. When it counted we were much better than the (admittedly mediocre) opposition.

Cannot believe some of the negativity here. Yes nasher, jnrmac, stranga, maybe olddee too, this means you. Half the side missing through injury and you've also forgotten Gold Coast's pretty good form line coming into this having been competitive against some tidy opposition. We saw Tappy play his best game yet, Spencer show some promise - we lost our drive out of the middle when Sellar went in to spell him - Green hint at the possibility he could be a useful senior player next year, Sylvia continue to show what he can do, Grimes continue his form, and some very positive ball movement in the first quarter and the latter part of the second. The alternate skipper gave us some strong contested marks and Dunn some mongrel. Sure they ran out of steam - Gysberts was up and down on the spot from midway through the last quarter - but it is an underdone side. The coach has been telling us Cook can't run out a game and now we see the effect of having to put too many not quite fit enough players into the side. Hey here's a thought, maybe the coach does know what he's talking about? Wouldn't that be amazing. Just enjoy the win you ingrates and take the positives out of it the way you've had to take the positives 15 other weeks when there was no song at the end.

What'd he say about Geelong last Friday again?

Melbourne by 78pts

Tuesday night 3AW about 6.15.

I agree the set up looked smelly. Too quick on to it and too quickly did BM pick it up. Today I am more concerned with Paul Gardiner. What a donkey. John Meeson and Paul Johnson have both commented reasonably without showing signs of relevance deprivation. But Gardiner? As ordinary as his admin was, it at least did what it could to keep the place running. But his comments this morning are a disgrace. The only thing saving us is that four other clubs, including some very BIG ones, are also in the frame (exhibit a: the Hun this am)

On AW now - talking sanctions but saying they are impractical because Cwood, Eagles, Blues also implicated. Sheahan suggesting amnesty.

I didn't hear any of it. What did our mob do by way of countering Smith's drivel?

Extraordinary really that Sheahan and Healy, with 60 years combined media experience, could not take that interview to its logical end, the Kreuzer Cup when their "whistleblower" was uniquely placed as a d Melbourne player to comment on Carlton's Round 22 effort against his old side. That suggests rank incompetence or a set up. None of this changes anything I said earlier on this thread except it does highlight Healy's long standing antipathy to us and Sheahan's laziness.

Agree emphatically

It's arguable Hawthorn tanked in the year they picked up Franklin/Roughead. Sydney have played finals in 15 of the past 17 years (or something like that, maybe 14 0r 16 but they've never crashed)

Not sure I can argue against any of that. A rod we made for our own back. And some on this site want to do it again to get Viney cheaply! I want a club like Sydney thanks.

At the risk of being told I should be writing in some other thread - in case some administrator channels that fool umpire from Saturday with his pernickety application of the OOB rule - I want to look at the whole delisting thing from a more positive perspective. Who are the absolute keepers, and who are the good enoughs who could contribute something to a stronger side? An example of a good enough is Lynden Dunn, under appreciated on this site because he sacrifices his game to do a job and, and this is rare on our list, he has a mongrel streak, something all teams need. Absolute Keeper Defenders are Frawley, Rivers, Tom McDonald, Grimes, Nicholson (rare dash and developing), Garland. Surely no arguments here... Good Enough Defenders are Joel Mac (brings a strong body and if he looks bad at times, well so would anyone the pressure we get back there), Sellar (body and height and reads it reasonably well). Developing Defenders: Troy Davis, Tapscott Total 10 Absolute Keeper Forwards are Clark, Howe, Watts (I figure that's his ultimate destination once he learns from his time down back), Jurrah (X-Factor). Good Enough Forwards are Sylvia, Petterd and Davey (subject to fitness). Developing Forwards are Cook, Petterd. Total 9 Absolute Keeper Mids are Jones, Trengove, McKenzie Developing Mids are Blease (rare pace), Gysberts, Taggert (gotta see what he's got), Tynan (ditto Taggert), Strauss Total 8 Absolute Keeper Rucks are Jamar and Martin Developing Rucks can really only nominate Spencer who is improving Total 3 Might Have Something to Offer Still: I dunno, there's only 30 above so those who might be Good Enoughs: BAIL (have to improve disposal), MORTON (if given specific outside role), MAGNER (should be kept on since another pre-season might bring him up to Good Enough), and GREEN (subject to him wanting to go on and pulling up OK at season's end - his courage is an inspiration). So I've got to 34; Not mentioned are Moloney, Bate, Couch, Gawn, Fitzpatrick, Jetta, Bennell. That makes 41. I am not accounting for rookies other than Couch since I don't know enough about them. But really, when you allow for possible development, injury interruptions and increasing maturity, it's not that easy to cast off players. But I do think Jetta and Bennell have had enough chances as has Bate. Couch is stiff. So is Gawn. Moloney might yet stay and on Saturday's form it would not be a tragedy if he did. Morton might have had his cards marked - of those I have listed above the line, he is the most vulnerable. WHAT THIS EXERCISE SHOWS is our paucity of mids.

The biggest "cultural change" Neeld is trying to implement is to put bodies in the field that can withstand the pressure and rigours of the AFL contest. Why do we produce so many turnovers? I don't think it is that our players lack skill inherently - to be able to take the field at this level they have a high degree of skill but what robs you of skill is lack of relative strength and fatigue. Neeld is trying to address this by pushing the players to a higher level of fitness and by building bigger bodies in the gym. He also drafted stronger bodies in 2011 as a short term fix. Hopefully we start to see some dividends next year but he is trying to build from the bottom - no jokes, I know that's where we are. That is why talk of ditching the bloke is way too premature.

I was thinking the same thing. That handpass to the sniping whinger Harvey was dreadful. Another by way of an errant pass. I wonder if he needs a "rest".