Dappa Dan

Oh no...

This thread has been a good laugh... In almost every case people are calling to trade absolutely every one of our senior players. And these are the people who whinge week-in-week-out about our lack of on-field leadership. If we had it the childish whiners' way, the entire list would be made up of players 23 and younger, with maybe one or two in their mid-to-late twenties. And the MAJORITY of the list would be between 18 and 21... You think we went badly these last few weeks? We'll go even worse if we have it your way... You lot have to grow up and realise that the club can only delist and replace so many players... We had a list that was held together by duct tape at the end of Daniher's reign. Bailey came in and had at least 20 players that needed to go, or that were nearly gone because of age. What would you prefer he do? get rid of ALL of them, recruit maybe 10 players and have a list with 30 blokes plus a few rookies? Grow up you lot. Stop your whinging. We are [censored]. Get over it.

Nice work mate... I heard from ology that it was quiet. But that's only to be expected. I think I might dawdle in to the next one myself...

That's the biggest and most emotional news I've seen on us all year. Probably since Danners leaving... Neitz was my first favourite player and the first I met in person. The fact that he has only 9 round at best in the re and blue is a huge thing...

Valenti is the popular choice, but I wouldn't put it past the club to say that they may bring in like for like... Newton is gone for a match, PJ is hurt, Neitz gaawn, Meesen and Holland have had injury, Bate isn't right yet apparently... We have Robbo hitting some form and working hard, Miller was operating slightly better, but musn't go to the square, as he'll return to his diabolical worst... and that's it really. Bringing in Zomer won't fix it... but at least there's room for a tall in the side. There isn't room for a guy who is identical to Jones... Having said that, I don't want it to happen or think it will. If we brought in Valenti, I can see him averaging 20 touches a week and giving the rising star a shake. Get him in ASAP I say...

I find it interesting that a reason has finally come up for why he's been playing badly. Maybe the Neitz haters will calm down now...

Yes. The skill level was dreadful. But what was it like in weeks gone by? Would it be fair to say it was worse? The skill level yesterday was an improvement. Not a huge one, and they were still worse than my grandma, but it was still an improvement... So what should Bailey say? We were atrocious. Our skills are awful.... No. He MUST say something positive where possible, without sugarcoating. And I reckon that's what he did. Rounds 1-4 we had the skills of a VFL seconds side. Now we have the skills of a crappy VFL firsts side.

HA! Well done. Yes I meant Cale. Absolutely. When I said I was disappointed, I meant disappointed for myself that I didn't get to see what everyone was talking about. I said quiet game, only because that was what it was. I think he probably still played really well for someone so raw, and compare to other first, second and third gamers, he was certainly a long way from being a bad player... Which puts Jamar's effort in a different light.

I think there's actually some inequity there... You're absolutely right. SOMEHOW we always get the cop-out years when it comes to drafting. Look at Collingwood. They have the profile to say to the quieter clubs that someone like Tarrant is a star worth a first round pick. Then they end up offloading trash, and ending up with 2 selections in the second superdraft. If it was US trying to offload Tarrant we would have gotten a late second rounder. The rich get richer. And the richer will probably get Rich this year too.... :D

I went to the game, and have only just gotten back into the country. Like you I saw some fair to good games from a few guys. - Green went pretty well. - Robbo had a dip. - Bruce was frustrating at times, but was busy. - First time seeing Wonna. He didn't do a whole lot, and made skill and choice errors, but there were patches where he looked like a future AFL player. - Davey not at his best, but had some cameos. - Sylvia. I haven't seen him play 4 quarters, much less 4 good quarters, much less 4 quarters playing up 2 ends of the ground. He's not a born defender, but he won his match-up. Didn't look anything near as controlled and confident and Rivers, but by gee he had his touches and went at it for the 120 minutes. That alone is as pleasing as anything. Then when he went forward he played... like a forward. Always looked to lay it off instead of having tough shots. It wasn't his fault he didn't have the options, and he's a good kick, so I was happy for him to take the shots. ANd when he entered 50, he was damaging. He even kicked it so nicely Jamar marked it. - Brock had a game where he out-possessed Judd, playing on him all day. yes, he wasn't anywhere near as damaging, but I think given he found that kind of form, he might just have learned a thing or two. - Whelan. Even some skill problems, decision making errors and that incident with Feva didn't effect me. We need him and it's good he's back. - Wheatley. He's usually a perennial passenger, and today was probably no dfferent. But we hung onto him because he can deliver the pill, and when absolutely fit, he's of some use in an AFL side. He butchered it slightly less than everyone else, but the encouraging thing is he's moving well, running to contests and providing something entering and rebounding from the fifties... He didn't star by any means, but he's in the shape he needs to be to return to the important player he was a few years ago. Everything's in place for him. - Bartram. It may have ben the opposition, but he looked like he'd regained some of his tenacity and running power, as well as his ability to burst through tackles. A confidence builder. - Frawley. Again, it may have only been Carlton, but he did enough not to get dropped. Which is important. - Jones. Maybe not dazzling, but consistent. Which is a rarity in this team. - Neitz. The silver lining is we can see someone else for a few weeks. The negatives: - First time I saw him and wanted to see more. I'm not writing him off by any stretch, but I was disappointed to see a quiet game. I've heard so much. - Beamer. Not convinced about him. Was slow to contests, didn't chase. Somehow was up there on the poss list and should pay next week, but I want to see him chase more. - Jamar. One of the worst players I've ever seen. Just get rid of him. He's had long enough. Winning the taps doesn't mean anything if you can't pick up the basics. Was a loose player in the end and that suited the Blues just fine. Please just delist him. Now. - Dunn. Was busy in patches but I wanted to see much more. As a team we were woeful. Unbelievably bad skills from players who are quite skilled normally. This is Bailey's job, he says he's doing something about it. Let's hope he is. Our handballing dreadful, kicking not so great (improved though), and goal-kicking diabolical. We are miles off it, and whatever good things we can take out of it are shadowed by the fact that they are still an average side.

Ox carries on as much about the Hawks as his former club. But yeah, I have no complaints about ANYONE trying to get behind the club. It seems he, Gary and Jim - three former team-mates - are the only ones really in the papers.

It's logic like this that makes me fear for MFC... Ever heard of London Football Club? The logic that there must always be a Melbourne is garbage. Most supporters of other clubs are sticking their boots in to the Roos, Demons and Dogs. They want those teams moved or gone so that they can have a bigger piece of the pie, and so that they won't fear for themselves in the low years that inevitably come every so often. I think the malaise shown by us as a group of supporters has this thinking at least partly to blame...

Hang on a sec. Warnock? He went so badly at Sandy that they said he was out of form on the "In the Fringes" section of Inside Footy... Why is he an AFL footballer? Jeez we've got to get rid of this half-dozen sandy seconds players we have going round for us.

No Maric? Probably makes SOME sense, given Aussie and Aaron's srong showings... If Beamer doesn't get a go we're doing something drastically wrong.

You do speak some crap. Don't go spoiling the entertainment we get from your posts by going and taking yourself too seriously. You have opinions. So does everyone. You think Sylvia is a gun. I don't. I think Bruce goes alright. You don't. You think Wonna and Morton are future superstars. I think only that they could be, just like every other maybe superstar we've had. I can agree with some... maybe even the majority of what you say. But to come on and be ABSOLUTE about 12 players on the list, then say this: "Now love me or hate me, everything I say is true. if you dont agree with the above, you should toughen up or find another sport to follow." Y_M, mate, this is where you cross the line you flirt with oh-so delicately. I don't let ANYONE tell me how to support my club. If I was to take ANY MFC fan, or lander/ologist seriously, the first thing I would look for is not to be convinced by a few paragraphs that their passion is misdirected. Even moreso than this, I look at people like you who bark instructions at everyone and can't help but be convinced you are the opposite of a die-hard fan. We're in a fair pile of [censored]. This is true... But I LOVE getting on here and seeing guys like dazzler get hopelessly positive about MFC. If it weren't for people like him, we'd ALL sound like you... And as colourful as the language would be, it would be downright depressing. We've all got our opinions Y_M. Give everyone a break and stop forcing yours down our throats. Just for a little while. The population on here triples in the low times. Why not come back in a few years when we're dominating and set some new posting records eh?

demonland: sounding more and more like demonology every day.

I'm gonna go general here... I could be specific but no-one will resurrect this thread... The players are mostly mediocre in 2008. We have some classy old performers who are now too old to make a meaningful tilt at anything. We have a group of youngsters that would be a sensational group to occupy the 6th-22nd most important places on the list. We have the youth to make a good solid list, but not the top-tier players. Not even one. Not yet. Morton maybe, McLean and Jones possibly.... But not those top 6 dangerous types that Neitz, Robbo, White, Yze and others USED to be 5 years ago.

As one of his most vocal fans last year, I thought I'd start this thread on a positive note. Sort of as a pre-emptive strike against his detractors. I'm a bit concerned for him. I always thought he was better than the manic depressives on here had thought at first, and last year went a fair way to prove he wasn't that bad. But how good is he? From memory he had at least 1 good pre-season game... How has he been since? He got towelled yesterday by a guy he should have been able to curtail at least a bit. I'm interested to hear peoples' thoughts. I realise his disposal wasn't up to his usually solid standards, but other than that?

Brock. 22 touches to half time and smashing them in the contested possessions rankings. Making fools out of some demonlanders... as if that was hard given some of the tripe offered up on here against some of our players lately. Do it again, make it a 44 possy match (20 contested).

I'd recruit Waters in a second... but your point is interesting RR.

Don, you're my new hero.

I would argue the opposite here. He's got an enormous engine usually. Runs al day long, and is surprisingly quick. Outran Acker last year, which takes some doing even when he's injured. PJ's kick is also better than you suggest. Yes his goalkicking could improve, but over his time at MFC from what I've seen it's a strength. He gets fair distance too without being a 55 metre specialist. His form as he kicks is better than Robbo, who in recent years has been startlingly accurate. PJ is one of those development players who had so many unearthed treasures, but a couple of chronic weaknesses that kept him from showing his strengths. Namely overhead stuff, including tapwork, along with his decision making. It seems he's still a long way from making those areas strengths, but as long as he can keep them from crippling his confidence, his size, engine, kicking boot, and general heart will shine through. Most of all I just like that he has a dip, and has zero arrogance.

BD, Good on you mate... Unlike the masses on this site, I have been picking the demons for another terrible year. At best I thought we could do marginally better than last season, but basically, not to expect too much in the way of premiership points. Even with that said, I've been disappointed with what I've seen, but not so much that I'll become like Tigers supporters, who - as the adage goes on these sites - eat their own. We've had a few years of better than average footy, and now we're suffering. I'll still buy my membership, turn up, cheer, and be as positive as reality will allow, because let's face it, the club needs it more than ever. What I suggest you do is read some of the ridiculousness on here and 'ology as garbage, written predominantly from people who realise there is zero accountability on these sites. They're getting their rocks off, nothing more. Those of us who think 'land and 'oogy count as more than cheap entertainment put more thought into our systematic abuse. And you'll find that few if any at all of THOSE people are calling for DB's head...

Yes and no. I like the idea of both of them resting in defence, though I guess given our form defence would be the LAST place you'd send a player to rest.

I still don't see why people look upon the Hawks Dees merger talk as a merger... It was a takeover. They would have died, Melbourne would still have lived on... THAT'S why the vote went through. Had it been the Hawthorn demons, their members would have voted for it and ours against. Simple really.