Nasher

Let's not get too carried away. As recently as this week I saw someone on here refer to a Lynden Dunne.

Jones, Garland, daylight.

Excuse me? I didn't say it surprises me, I said it angers me. I don't appreciate being told I need to get out more. How would you know?

Presumably "monitored" just means someone was "keeping an eye" on him and not much more than that.

This makes me so angry. It embarrasses and shames me that in 2014, there's still idiots out there with this pathetic attitude that is about 50 years out of date. ^ As ingeniokinetikey said, well done to the Bulldogs administration for their response.

More interesting than a typo is that one coach thought Howe was BOG and the other thought he was second best. That wasn't reflected in the voting for the Demonland POTY votes. If anyone can be bothered, it would be an interesting exercise to compare the coaches votes with the Brownlow votes and the Demonland votes at the end of the year. It would demonstrate the real difference in perspective between the fans, the umpires and the coaches.

Well done MFC for making the right decision. The risk of lengthening the penalty of our structurally most important player far outweighed the benefits of an in-principle challenge.

Recognising that you will fight a losing battle is not laying down, it's being pragmatic. What will your reaction be if the club fights it and the one week becomes two? You might say "well done MFC, at least you tried to fight on principle". I would be absolutely livid and would curse the club for making such an obviously stupid decision.

He's only going to serve one week. You blokes who want to take it to the tribunal must want him to serve the whole two, because that's the only outcome that will come of challenging.

I don't. That guy had a habit of flinching. Absolutely love the new Dunn.

Which part of the classification do you disagree with? If you take it to the tribunal, you will have to challenge one or more of the aspects of the classification. We would just be asking for the 1 week to become 2. If we challenge and lose (and we will lose, if we challenge), that is when I'll be absolutely livid. The fact that they got the Deledio one wrong doesn't make this one wrong. Intentional or not, it should not be okay for a player's arm to make contact with a player's face to the point where he is dazed. An action does not have to be malicious or "dirty" for it to also be wrong.

As happy with this outcome as you can be with your most important player getting rubbed out. I feared the worst. I agree with DA, take it and run.

Exactly what I was thinking too. Time together and games together. Fringe players will come and go, but we have the nucleus of a decent side I think.

Probably my favourite thing is the anticipation of the coming game. I can't wait. The previous years left me feeling sick at the idea of watching, then spending game day wondering why I was yet again torturing myself by watching for the nth week in a row. I reckon there's a good chance we'll drop the ball a couple more times this year as we did against GWS, and looking at the draw there's a good possibility of a belting or two if we happen to drop it on the wrong day. I've seen enough this year though to know that even if that does happen, it *is* just temporary, we *are* getting better, and that we finally have the right leadership to get us where we want to be. Just having the light at the end of the tunnel has rejuvenated my will to support this team.

I would never prioritise anything over the birth of my child, so I wouldn't expect a footballer to either if he didn't want to. It's a very personal thing; plenty of players would choose footy, but I respect Jonesy if he doesn't; I wouldn't either no matter how much I was paid. Didn't Darren Jolly threaten to sit out a Grand Final if it clashed with the birth of a child some years ago?

Can't remember any MFC players doing it. Not that it matters; there doesn't need to be a 'precedent'.

McDonald's use of the ball is what is currently standing between he and being an A grade defender. He only needs to get it up to "adequate" and I'll be happy. And it doesn't necessarily mean improving his actual skill, which I would expect would be easier said than done, just through choosing better options. Clint Bartram was a good example of a player with ordinary disposal who learned to play within his own limitations.

This is a revelation a number of posters on here have had in recent weeks. I think it's a Demonland first, for the membership to collectively agree that the coach may know more than us.

Don't soft out us master - name which one? Your options are Dunn, Howe, Garland, McDonald, Grimes and Terlich. The former 4 are untouchable at this stage I think. I know many would choose Terlich, but I just can't see it happening. Grimes could potentially move in to the middle. By the same token if we decide that there's no scope for moving a defender, then one of the little forwards would have to make way (Salem or Toumpas) and we'd have a very top heavy forward line with Dawes, Gawn, Frawley and Pedersen with JKH and one of Salem or Toumpas. The defender conundrum makes Jetta a problem too. If we want to play Frawley as a defender, we've already got one too many defenders as it is. As I think this through I'd be inclined not to pick Jetta and play Garland as a small along with Grimes and Terlich. In: Frawley Out: Salem (/Dawes)

Reprimand and miss a week through the carry over points for mine. I'll be really disappointed if he gets a week, and shattered if he gets two.

I credit him mostly for perseverance, considering Howe was nothing short of awful early in the season. It must be great being a player knowing that once you get in the side, the coach backs you, and if one thing isn't working he'll try another. Being dropped seems to be a last resort.

Jones is okay, I guess.

Five genuine AFL quality midfielders, three of whom last year weren't on the list, and one of whom was just a pup. Amazing what difference some really intelligent recruiting *and* player development makes.

h_h's thoughts don't lead from one to another, they're just random, unrelated occurrences. Don't bother trying to hold him to account, it's pointless. I'd still have hugged him if he'd had the audacity to be nearby after the win, though.

I also trust him to win the ball. Doesn't matter if it's inside or out, he puts himself in the right place. On current output I'd trade pick 2 for Tyson alone. The fact that we ended up with Salem as well is nothing short of exceptional. So happy.