Lord Travis

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.

It's a pretty safe bet he'll be with us next year. Has been great at Sandy, and will start getting a shot at AFL level next year I think. With Neitz retiring in a year or two, Newton is the best and most logical replacement long term. Hopefully he will be eased into the team while Neitz is still around, so he can teach him, mentor him, etc. He'll be staying with us, unless he gets selfish and decides some like the Hawks will give him a game now instead of waiting for a position with us. But that seems highly unlikely IMO.