Nasher

You're *this* close to making me watch the whole game again purely to account for every one of his possessions. Please don't make me do it.

Yes, but that's a totally unrealistic number. I guarantee the number that went to the opposition was absolutely nowhere near 21. More like 3 or 4.

Top 5? On course to win it I think.

I love it how every week, someone says this as if it's a new thing. He's now played more games back this year than he has forward. 8 weeks ago called, it wants its comment back.

I don't think that lessens my point any.

I don't reckon this is a factor in selection - otherwise why would Matt Jones ever get a game? Harmes works his backside off, he's tough as nails, and he's an above average contested mark. I think so long as he is bringing those aspects (which he did), he'll be in. As much as Harmes really does make me want to cry with his ball use, generally I think Roos accepts a few skill errors when the player is otherwise clearly doing most things right. I'm yet to see a player dropped this year when they've turned it over a few times when they were otherwise good. Don't reckon it will start this week.

Now that I've calmed down a bit I'm quite happy to just take the win and move on. I felt totally sapped after the game. It almost felt like a loss. However, I'd prefer to be crap and win than the reverse of totally outplaying them and losing, like last week. The footy gods smiled on us this week with GC being the opposition we brought this against. Talk about dodging a bullet.

The Dawes bias is just getting silly now.

6. Hercules Watts - and thank godfor him. 5. Tyson 4. McDonald O 3. Vanders 2. Frost 1. Stretch

I refuse to look. Even I felt like having a big old sook about everything today, so I hate to think how the match day thread regulars went.

Nah - was worse than that today. Worst game in the red and blue by far. Hardly touched it and wasted it so many times.

Four points. Watts. *MEMORY ERASED*

Vanders redeemed himself late in the Q after a putrid start to the game. This is why coaches pick good players, even if they're out of form. You never know when they'll suddenly click.

That last 5 minutes of cohesion was very welcome after what has to be one of the worst halves of football I've seen all year. It's definitely been a race to the bottom so far. Brayshaw and Petracca looking in really good nick. Hopefully after this game I can update my avatar with a pic with both of them in footy jumpers, finally.

Got a spring in my step, tempered by that slightly nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach that only a Melbourne supporter would have when looking at this game on paper. No excuses for not smashing this rabble today. Contested possession is our strength and they don't have a midfield. Get the job done boys.

Haha, mate, did you think I was WYL or something? I didn't need you to explain to me that you weren't suggesting Michie is an unrequited star - I know things aren't black and white. I doubt our views on Michie as a player are very far apart at all. I just think if I were selecting the side and it was my ass on the line, I'd have a hard time selecting a player I didn't rate over a player I did. Good players are always allowed time to find their form in the firsts if the coaches think the upside justifies the risk. It's easy to argue when it's a player like vandenBerg who seems to be getting the armchair ride, but what if it was, say, Viney who had had a horror stretch of 5 games? I think you'd agree that it'd ridiculous to drop Viney and select Michie instead - this obviously hurts the team in the long run. Where each player fits in on that spectrum (refer Roos "margin for error" comments) becomes very subjective of course, and we could argue about that endlessly.

Yep. Considering that early last season he was overweight and barely on the draft radar, and lost the weight by basically stopping eating - it's understandable that he's well behind the pace in the fitness stakes. This is where Misson will really earn his pay over the next few years. Oliver is probably the most exciting prospect on the list, with some strong competition. Waiting for him to get to AFL standard conditioning is going to be like counting down Christmas from February when you're 5. Please let him come back near it in season 2017! If he gets injured this pre-season, I am in danger of actual tears.

Yep - as I said in a previous thread, there won't be a lot of time in between him sitting down with Goodwin who will say "thanks for trying, good luck after footy" and winning the Casey B&F, which he should do by the sounds. I know you (and others such as P-Man) believe he's been hard done by; I just think he's an unfortunate victim of the harsh reality of professional sport: if those behind the steering wheel don't believe in you, you won't get a lot chance to prove them wrong, and failure becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. There are only 22 places in the team and they're always going to pick the team they think is best, that's their job at the end of the day. Either way, there's not much justice in the world for players like Michie. Best of luck to him. Edit: and for what it's worth, he's got some pretty good company in that boat with two former MFC captains.

It's rhetoric that the so many supporters live by, that senior coaches haven't lived by in years. Seconds form is but one input in to selection; the coaches don't just put a list from best to worst VFL form and select from the top down. Neil Craig shattered the illusion of "rewarding seconds form" when James Magner had a 50 touch VFL game, was already a promoted rookie, and still wasn't picked. Roos made a comment about Grimes saying he had "no margin for error" - that says to me they won't pick Grimes unless he is at absolute 100% form and fitness. Obviously he feels vB has a much greater margin for error. The coaches pick what they think is the strongest side - if they feel an underdone and in poor form vB is more likely to contribute to the team than Grimes or whoever, I'll just have to take their word for it. They are far more qualified to judge and it's their backsides on the line, not mine.

It says "we think he is a better player than you". Harsh reality of professional sport: some players are better than others, and selection will sometimes be accordingly biased.

Key forward, with underdeveloped body, tires as season goes on. Everyone panic!

Reminds me of the conversation Cam Pedersen apparently had with Todd Viney after the first year of his three year contract, where the intimation was that his contract wouldn't save him if his second year looked like his first.

So hard to fathom why you'd do that (edit: bite someone, not call your son Myke, though that is hard to fathom too). Definitely deserves the book thrown - not cool. Haven't seen Oliver that angry before. Not much hint of the laughing kid from the country. Reckon he'll be a pretty scary unit when he has shed the baby face.

Heh, that was the first thing I thought too. Epic logic jump.

Which are the hardest ones and most important ones to get right though, surely. Those picks are where recruiters really earn their coin I would have thought.