drdrake

The reason for that is if he is in our most important/top 10 players we are having a very bad year. His role is important and he does it well but we need the players with more ability to fill our top 10.

My top 10 are based on the 10 most important players to the MFC, the 10 players that we need firing to have any chance of making the finals Sylvia Jurrah Grimes Frawley Davey Green Jamar Aussie Garland Watts

I think the initial post raised the best point, we need to get the ball in the hands of the players who use it well. Around the stoppages we need the ball in Sylvia, Davey, Trengove's hands not Moloney and Jones and even McKenzie. Last year I got the feeling that oppositions where happy to allow Jamar to tap it to Moloney as they know what he will do with it and they are even more happy to allow Jones to get it as they know he tries to be superman and it will be either another stoppage or holding the ball. We need to create space for our good ball users around the stoppages, Jamar has the ability to put the footy in a certain place on regular occasion we need these Moloney and Jones to block and position themselves to protect the space for our good ball users. West Coast did this for Judd, Kerr and Cousins, Geelong do it. Out of defense Grimes gets his kicks to deep and does a great job but it doesn't set up attack, we need Grimes getting the ball of half back not deep in our defense. The problem then is Bartram, MacDonald, Rivers can't be caught with the footy deep in our defense. We need someone with better footskills to be back there with Grimes. We get stuck with ball to deep in our defensive 50m. When we get stuck on the boundary we get beaten badly, we need to get better at controlling the footy around the boundary line. I would think that our scoring percentage per inside 50m would be one of the highest in the AFL, this highlghts if we can get it in more often we will win more games.

I think we will line up as follows Backs Bartram, Garland, MacDonald, Rivers, Grimes, Bennell Mids Sylvia, Scully, Trengove, Davey, Moloney, Jamar Forwards Watts, Jurrah, Petterd, Dunn, Green, Maric Bench Jones, Jetta, Martin Sub Aussie I have a feeling that Aussie may be the wild card, I can't find a spot for Bate, I just think the Sydney defenders will run off him all day.

Could he be round 1 Super sub?

It's funny how some judge very quickly. What if the football department has instructed Strauss that he has to learn to defend. As a junior he would of attacked and run free, the club wants him as a medium size defender and they tell him mate we know you have skill but you need to learn how to stand a man. Then you can learn when to stand your man or attack of him. Sometimes you have to go to the extreme to learn a new skill

I was a redleg and like a few about 5 years ago changes to Trident, I hated the Hassett Room and the southern stand. Love the Trident seats find it a little bit younger than the Redlegs, good bar behind us and the Presidents Lunch is next to us so you often catch up with Players past and current, Staff and Coaches.

Firstly Jetta and Aussie are totally different players. Assuming no more injuries next week we line up Bartram Garland MacDonald Grimes Rivers Bennell Scully Sylvia Davey Petterd Watts Dunn Green Jurrah Maric Jamar Moloney Trengove Martin Jetta Jones Sub Bail Best 22 Bartram Frawley Garland Grimes Rivers Bennell Scully Sylvia Davey Petterd Watts Dunn Green Jurrah Maric Jamar Moloney Trengove Campbell, McKenzie, Gysberts Sub Morton Other players in the mix for best 22 Backs MacDonald Mids/Bench Jones, Jetta, Bail Small Forwards Aussie Ruck Martin, Spencer

I posted that up the top, you have to understand some on this site want to rush the development of our young players. It was common sense for Sam have a good hit out and gain confidence at a lower level. It will be the same with Tapscott he will go back to Casey next week get another run and hopefully come round 4 or 5 both Sam and Luke have the form to force there way into the team.

Yesterday was a chance to rest some players limit game time of certain players, allow some young blood some experience and some fringe players stake there claim for round one. I got what I expected and I'm rapt for Jetta, most have sterotyped him as a small forward, but he wasn't drafted for a small forward he is a midfielder. I think with McKenzie out we will see an opportunity for Jetta in the midfield and in the three games of preseason he is a certain starter for round 1. Whilst most around him couldn't hit a target his kicking yesterday was great, his tackles are hard and stick. Next week will field our best available 26 and it will be a very tuff game in Tassie.

Maybe the club thought that it would be better for Sam to have a full run at Casey this week, he had his taste in Adelaide now it is time for him to build some form against lesser opposition get his confidence up playing well and hoepfully he can continue this into the start of the VFL season and press for AFL selection. Tapscott will be the same a taste tomorrow more than likely back to Casey next week.

Scrap it, play 3 scheduled practise matches in the lead up to the season. These can still be televised.

They take the posts down every day, you often find we train in the morning at AAMI with the AFL goals set up, as soon as we walk off they take our goals down and set up for the Storm.

As stated before I agree, why would you put Scully in front of the wolves leading into his first pre-season match. The media is only interested in one thing from Scully and they will keep asking the same question just changing the words slightly to try and catch him out. And what does Melbourne have to gain, a little extra coverage in a nothing week, do we look like pin heads and stipulate to the media "Tom is here to talk about tomorrows game and not his contract if you keep asking him the interview is over" No party has anything to gain from this media conference unless there is something to announce.

The club would have a targeted game time per player for preseason, our key players don't need 4 games leading into the season. You will not see Green, Sylvia, Jurrah, Davey, Jamar, Rivers, Garland, Trengove and Grimes expect Watts and Moloney to be subbed of at Half time. These guys only need 1 more run before the season starts it is a very long year you need to manage your players.

Healy is correct and the football departmant are aware of this, the issue again is we have two high draft picks that have been on our list for three years that are earmarked for the back half. Both Blease and Strauss need to be injected into our defensive half this year, the both have the speed and skill that we need down back. Our back 6 have been under that much pressure over the past 4 seasons that all they have been able to do is defend. Our zone is OK we just turned the footy over last week and didn't work hard defensively. We are not good enough just yet to beat teams when we don't play well. You also can't conceed 52 free kicks in a game and expect to win. Not to concerned about this, you win more of the footy midfield your back 6 look like stars, you get smashed in the midfield your back 6 look extremely bad.

The club and Tom know that if he has a press conference he will be drilled about GWS, no one is interested in a press conference about Melbourne playing Brisbane. He will be pounded, you can't put him in front of the media to say what has already been said, the media will go after you harder. The club is either using this whilst we can to get extra media coverage even if it turns out to be a conference about nothing, or we are set to announce something. Scully, his management and the MFC would all have to agree for him to face the media, I can't think why all three parties would agree to a media conference unless it is to announce something, no one would allow a 19 yo to face the media and to cop the intense questioning which will happen.

Col Sylvia. It could go the other way as well they might tell the club he can't keep lying to his team mates and he has signed with GWS

We do, but the MCC own it not us.

If we look into one of the 1200 posts on this topic someone mentioned that MFC had created the rumour and will come out and sign him before the season. All about building the Hype into 2011 and 40,000 members. Far fetched more than likely Tom has said I have had a gut full of this media speculation get the deal done so I can concentrate on my footy and not have every person ask this same question.

What about the MacDonald half switch in the last quarter Grimes 30m clear on the opposite side of the ground easy pass plays on changes his mind decides not to switch a get tackled holding the ball directly in front 25m out, this was the start of his worst 10 minutes of footy he has ever played

With every negative comes a positive especially with AFL this time of the year. Next week we will get to see a stack of young players taking the field, I hope we get to see this either at Visy Park or Casey. With two games left in the preseason this third week is an ideal time to rest several players I wouldn't expect to see Jurrah, Green, Davey, Sylvia, Garland, Jamar, Trengove, Grimes and Rivers. In their place I am hoping to see Scully, Cook, Gawn, Aussie, McDonald, Blease, Gysberts, Tapscott, Petterd, if they are all available I would love to see us line up as Bartram Warnock Blease Strauss MacDonald Bail Bennell Scully Jetta Dunn Bate Petterd Tapscott Cook Aussie Spencer Jones Gysberts Moloney McDonald Gawn Howe Evans Maric Subs Watts Martin Sub Gawn and Bate or Dunn of at half time

It would have been hard to pick our best players, the Journo would of grabbed the Stats 18 touches ok add him in. Moloney and Jones need to lose the Superman attitude and become in and under players that dish the ball out and not take on the world.

We have a key backman on our list that IMO is better then Warnock but we are trying to make him a ruck. Stef Martin is best suited as a key defender. We need Campbell fit or Max Gawn to find some very good form. I actually thought Spencers Ruck work was OK.

the close tag on Davey, not once did someone try the create a good block for him. On our clearances we don't seem to have any statagy to try and create space, if we have a good tap ruckman which we have we should be able to work together to create a path for someone to use. Blocking/sheparding doesn't exist around stoppages for us.