Lord Travis

You're right, stats dont mean anything. So, stats aside, he was still one of our best last week and you dont reward players who play well by dropping them, even if there isnt a match up. Just isnt fair on the guy. I mean Carroll was shocking last week, I'd drop him ahead of Holland if we were going by form here. Or talk about form, how about the much talked about Adem Yze, or Brad Miller? Even Bate was poor last week. Infact most of the team were. Regardless of whether the Saints let Holland do as he pleased, he still did it and did it well. To drop him sends out the wrong message to the other players. Play well, and we'll drop you due to match ups, coast along on reputation and youl'll be rewarded. Shouldnt be that way. I'm off to the pub for the night to drown my sorrows, on a completely unrelated note. But poor Dutchy

What the [censored]? Holland dropped? Boy I feel sorry for him. I mean there isnt any obvious match up in defense, but that's a real slap int he face. He was one of, if not our best last week, and to be dropped so easily when someone like Yze has countless chances....just reeks of coaching panel etc playing favorites and not treating players equally and fairly. Bad outs, and probably bad Ins too this week. I feel cheated.

Thanks very much :D And yes, I do know it all B)

Can i just add, last night was not a good one for Junior. I've never seen him play so soft. He didnt tackle like the number 1 tackler in the league, that's for sure. He either didnt bother trying, or let them slip, and he also shirked a few contests noticeably. Is he injured? Or has the softness of the other senior players infected him now :S

6 - Moloney - Our best imo. Great to have him back. Missed his long kicking. He didnt blaze away with them either like he has been criticised of doing, but when he did they were spot on. Had some great long passes to neitz. There were 2 occasions where neitz marked his perfectly placed long kicks one handed and diving after a strong lead. Was relieving to see he still has the talent, and passion. Wish some others would follow his lead. At one stage he got shoved needlessly into the fence, wasnt happy, turned around and let the Sainter know it, and wound up taking on 3 of them by himself in a wrestling match. Not one team mate came to his aid Wish some others had his passion and fire! Will have a good year, and may be top 5 in our B&F if he stays fit and doesnt suffer injuries. 5 - Holland - Our only backmen not humiliated. Even though he was allowed to run around and be the loose man, he did a far better job than i thought imaginable for someone so slow who isnt the most reliable kick... 4 - Neitz - Got limited opportunities, and with the exception of one set shot he missed, did very well. 3 - Robertson - like neitz, limited opportunity, and did alright considering. Great goal before half time! 2 - Jones - Great first quarter, and tried all day. When Brock went down, Jones' stats dried up, as he didnt have ths upport and started getting crunched from all directions Love this kids heart, and hope he plays all year. 1 - White - Feel sorry for him. What a lousy match to remember as your 200th for the Dees Congrats on kicking his 100th goal in his 200th match! Did a few great things around the ground. Had a few good passes, and won a great contest near the wing in the 2nd half. He ran his guts out at the ball headed for the boundary line, was running against an obviously quicker opponent, and made the distance, threw his body at the ball, sheperding it from the opponent and taking the hit, then gathered and off he went. Fantastic to see a big man do this. I found it really inspirational, and felt sorry not many of his team mates had the same ticker on the night.

The gameplan is rubbish. Ditch it, or we will struggle to make finals this year, let alone top 4. We have the list to make top 4, don't waste the opportunity.

Whelan - a major loss Carroll - worst on ground Holland - backline's only winner Ward - usual dodgy kicking Bruce - one to forget Bell - average defensive performance Johnstone - one of best Davey - pathetic undisciplined game Green - just went along Yze - streak probably over Miller - was totally ineffective Moloney - our best player McDonald - where was tackling? Bate - poor ball handling Neitz - one of best Robertson - brief magical moments McLean - get well soon Jamar - thoroughly beaten alround Johnson - showed some promise Jones - seemed totally overwhelmed White - a decent game Bartram - was not ready First of all, our team was lazy. Our midfield was lazy. Before tonight, I thought our midfield would be our strength this year, but not anymore. We were smashed by an unfit and battered midfield in theirs. I thought we were spuppose to be fitter? Where was the chasing and 2nd efforts?! I just got home from the match, and numerous times their players broke from a pack, and instead of ours chasing they jsut stood there and watched. At one stage, MIller droped a mark, Junior layed a sofft tackle and fell over and just watched (Junior?! of all ppl!), and Travis was left to run back and forth between 3 Saints, with about 3-4 team mates jsut standing and not bothering to help the poor guy. Welcome back Moloney. I thought you were our best tonight, and it's great to see someone in our team with some form of passion for the jumper and the game. Davey was pathetic tonight. In all honesty, I couldve got more touches out there tonight. I counted 3 kicks the whole game, and he was playing on a debutant. Pathetic. Carroll was F*CKING PATHETIC tonight. Gehrig wouldve had 9-10 if he didnt kick so inaccurately. As it stands he still kicked 4.6 or something. Carroll was lazy. He turned his back to the ball numerous times, and was beaten for pace and strength at every contest. I dont remember him sucessfully spoiling a ball tonight. Me and my mates were joking how he was the new Nicholson. Difference is Nicholson wouldve spoiled a few He's lucky Rivers is injured, because I personally would drop him after tonight. Worst performance I've seen by a defender in person EVER. And I've been going to the footy for 15 years or so now. Stop this run and carry sh*t. If we cant beat an underdone Saints at OUR HOME, then its not worth pursuing. Imagine if theyd kicked accurately and Reiqolt had played. W wouldve lost by 100 points! Pathetic performance tonight, and I pray we come out and ebat the Hawks next week, or it's gonna be a long year.....

According to Fagan, Sylvia will play for Sandy next week? Read that in an article today I'm positive. He is still weeks away from AFL you would think. Still needs to complete a preseason of some form to get reasonable match fitness. Thanks all for the report.

Sylvia wont play round 1. He is the only player not to play a practice match due to injury. He still needs to complete a pre-season fitness program before he can even be considered. So he will likely not be playing until a few rounds into the season at least. Batram had his first match today in months, and from reporta played a half and did well. Doubt he will play round 1, as he isnt fit enough, but will definately be in the side after a few rounds one would think. Frawley may be injured also, as he was a late withdrawl from the match against Geelong I understand? And he would have been borderline selection anyway. Yze takes Sylvias spot. Bizzell take Frawleys spot. Pickett takes Batrams spot. Fiddle round with positioning, and that seems pretty good.

True we are a far tougher unit than I can ever remember. With Mclean, Jones, Moloney, Batram and Sylvia all running through our midfield for the next 10 years, we shouldnt have a problem with toughness for a very long time. Exciting times ahead for the MFC

Dunn has a broken jaw and is out for 2 months?? Suprised I havent heard this mentioned anywhere at all yet! Guess that settles the Miller vs Dunn argument for a few months then.... Hopefully it isnt too bad, as Dunn looked set to improve again in 2007 and make his way into our 22.

Miller will be staying at CHF for the time being. Neitz needs to play close to goals as our main target up forward, for both his sake and the teams. Dunn will take over from Miller at CHF, but for the time being Miller will stay there methinks. I want to see our mids kicking heaps of goals, West Coast style. I want them to run hard, never stop running, and kick a stack of goals. I want to see Travis, Bruce, Green, Mclean, Jones, Moloney all amongst the goals when I read the match report in the paper.

Nice article. Good to hear he has a mature head on his shoulders. Seems alot of our young brigade do Look forward to Dunn making further impact in the future.

Being picked in the 50s shouldnt have any bearing on a player. Look at Batram. In 2-3 years will we be saying "well he was a late pick, so we dont expect much of him". No. He has the talent, and we've seen that already. Same with Miller. There's a reason he was being talked up as a future captain and leader. He has had a poor year and abit, but if he gets his mind on the job at hand, regains his aggression that's disappeared, he will be fine. Wont be great, but he will do. Dunn will overtake him in the future IMO, but for now we should have Miller leading up the ground from CHF and hope he kicks a few more goals along the way. Dunn can be swapped in there in bursts, or play leading from closer to goal or further up the wing.

B: Whelan Carroll Holland HB: Bruce Rivers Bell C: Johnstone McLean Green HF: Bate Miller C.Johnson FF: Robertson Neitz Davey Foll: White McDonald Jones Int: Jamar Moloney Yze Pickett Em: Dunn, Frawley, Ward Need 3 tall backs against Saints. I've got Yze in the team, despite poor form. Pickett and Moloney both have question marks over their heads regarding fitness, but assuming they're both OK, then they walk into the team. Looking forward to the return of Brock, the emergence of Jones and CJ, and a good 2007 for the Dees :D

The obvious ones for mine are Miller, and basically the whole backline. We cant afford for them to drop off, or we're done for. A less obvious choice is Travis Johnstone. He is the one who we need to stand up consistently. Ever since he came to the Dees, I have believed that if we are to win a flag, he will lead us to it. Not as captain as such, but to stand up consistently and tear everyone apart. Most people here would say thats Brocks job now, and while he is a rising superstar and will be expected to do this in the future, Trapper is still currently the best footballer at the club, and in my opinion we cannot win a flag without him firing.

Well Travis is magical

Cheers for the update george. That was quick! And yes, that is Buckley in blue #3 in the first clip. Looks like he is quite good in traffic. I always thought he was a very outside player. Perhaps with the bulk he has added the last few months, he is now becoming more confident and developing an inside game? All I know is he is looking better and better. Will hopefully be a mover this year! Moloney is also looking fit. Cant wait to see his passion for the jumper out there again :D

1. Melbourne - contenders or pretenders? barring horrible injury, contenders. 2. (a) Where will the Demons finish after 22 rounds? 4th (B) Where will the Demons finish after the finals? runners up in grand final 3. What will our season highlight be? not fading at the business end of the season for once 4. Will the Demons beat the Eagles at Subiaco? no 5. Who is our best Brownlow chance? Travis Johnstone. always our highest vote getter, even when not playing incredibly well, and currently at 201/1... get on him! 6. After a loss do you take (a) a Bex Powder or ( a Panadol? i kill a man and never speak of it again 7. Your back page headline prediction. Johnstone joins the elite 8. Will the Demons re-sign Neale Daniher? yes 9. Who will be the first AFL coach to be sacked? Mark Thompson 10. Which Demons will make All Australian? Johnstone, Bruce, Davey 11. Would you be happy if we won the NAB Cup? yes 12. Our biggest victory and against who? 94 points against Carlton 13. Will Carlton go the Trifecta? No 14. Our win loss ratio? 16-6 15. Will Mark Jamar have a stellar season? not stellar, but solid in the ruck 16. Will Sandringham make it a 4peat? yes 17. Will Eddie discard the Versace and defect to Peter Jackson? no hahaha 18. Who will be the MFC's first debutant for 2007? Ricky Petterd 19. First MFC player reported and suspended? Matty Whelan for an awesome spear tackle that gets him done for 1-2 weeks 20. Goal prediction tally - Neitz - 64 Robertson - 46 Flash - 34

I think Moloneys best position is in the centre, right in the guts. Most people have listed Mclean there, but I'd prefer Brock to be on the ball, always at the contest, where ever it may be. Who else would you rather be in the centre? Miller is at CHF, because that's where we need him, and that's when we play our best footy. He gives us a lead up target to aim for, and while he doesn't kick enough goals, he is the best option there at the moment. While I think Dunn is the better player, and will claim the spot in the future, he is still too undeveloped to hold down such a key role at this stage, and that's why I'd play Miller there, and let Dunn continue to develop, bulk up, and then fight for the spot.

Great to hear Beamer got through a full training session at full pace! If he is fit for next season, we're one step closer to a flag IMO. Add him into that great midfield balance from last season, with continued development from McLean, Jones, Bate, Sylvia, Bell, Batram etc and we truly will have a formidable midfield rotation

B: Whelan Carroll Bell HB: Green Rivers Bartram C: Johnstone Moloney Bate HF: Pickett Miller Bruce F: Davey Neitz Robertson R: White Mclean McDonald I: Jamar Jones Sylvia Yze Holland, Dunn, CJ, PJ, Ward, Bizzell all pushing for selection also, depending on injuries, form, and match ups. Also, anyone who doesnt have Yze in their team has no credibility posting on this site. He may have put in some soft performances in the last 2 years, but he's also one of the most skilled players in our side, and wins many matches off his own boot year after year. Unless he finally succumbs to injury, he is in the team. End of story.

Get well soon Hards

Agreed. He hasn't shown he can ruck at all yet, where as Jamar produced some fine tap work this year. PJ looks like he could wind up more a forward than a ruckman. Time will tell.

Dunn will be the long term option, but leading into finals you have to pick Miller, purely on body size. Dunn is too mature and his body would not stand up to the physical pressure of playing at CHF at 19 and under 10 games of AFL footy! Miller has been alot better today today, which is a good sign.