MadAsHell

Pretty sure Matt Jones & Terlich are contracted. Doubtful, but we can dream!

Nope, just our clashes from 54 - 60!

So today's the day, I'm finally over what happened last sunday. Lets bring on Sunday against the cats!

They should start show replays of their matches from 1925 - 1960, bring them down a few pegs! Edit: Change 70 to 60.

Currently my thoughts for end of season: TRADE: Howe Grimes Fitzpatrick RETIRE/DELIST: Jamar McKenzie Bail Think the big turnover will come at the end of 2016. Given we're coming into a weak draft we may have the calm before the storm this year.

Expecting Neal-Bullen, Michie, Riley, Bail to come out of that Casey team, and probably Spencer also as the carry over player. Expecting big games from Kennedy-Harris, Harmes & King this week!

Must say I like this only 6 games a week thing. If only we could make them all on a Saturday afternoon at 2:10pm and have them played throughout Melbourne in the surrounding suburbs, Collingwood, South Melbourne, Fitzroy etc. That's be a nice competition!

Reckon they should just have everyone play eachother once and bring back that rivalry round so there's one team everyone plays a 2nd time makes 18 rounds. Increase the finals to 6 weeks and you've got a pretty good season of matches if you ask me.

Given what the bench is I'd go with Riley as sub, M. Jones, Spencer & Terlich as emergencies with Spencer the carry over player. I was initially calling for Michie to be dropped, but instead I reckon give him this game to rotate through midfield & half back. If he has another shocker he'll be VFL bound for the rest of the year.

1. N. Jones (skipper should get the most) 2. Hogan 3. T. McDonald 4. Vince 5. Petracca 6. Brayshaw 7. Viney 8. Tyson 9. Salem 10. Cross Is what it should be. For what it actually is i'd expect Dawes, Lumumba, Garland, Dunn, Watts and Trenners to all be up in there ahead of the kids.

Could be a chance to give him and Gus and extended break. Rest them for Geelong, give them the bye, rest them for Darwin which takes it's toll on the fitest of players and then have them return fresh as a Daisy to run out the final 9 rounds?

This doesn't suprise me, and i wont be shocked to hear Brayshaw out either. Both looked really proppy towards the end of the game. This means Howe will need to play full forward for mine and we'll just have to go with a smaller forward line.

Do we take a punt and promote White from the rookie list to play off half back? Hasn't put a foot wrong at VFL level. Because Fitz will be playing in the back 6 on Walker.

Yarran at his best v Howe at his best. Yes please! And that's no disrespect to Howe.

Howe to Richmond Richmond's first round pick to Carlton Yarran to Melbourne Done! I hope anyway.

I thought Stretch showed a bit on the weekend. Certainly looked better then he did in his first two games.

Don't think anyone said he was going to be delisted. But he's surely a player that could be used as trade bait at years end.

Given the injury news today, and the fact there's still no news of anyother rookies being elevated, i'm now going with. OUT: Grimes (inj), Pedersen (inj), Michie (was poor), Neal-Bullen (victim of lack of run) IN: Bail (need run), Dawes (for Pedersen), Fitzpatrick (cover for the cats talls), Terlich (no other half back options on the senior list) FB: Fitzpatrick, Dunn, Jetta HB: Cross, T. McDonald, Terlich C: Lumumba, Vince, Tyson HF: Watts, Dawes, Bail FF: Howe, Hogan, Garlett FOLL: Gawn, Brayshaw, N. Jones INT: Riley, Toumpas, Viney SUB: Stretch EMERG: Jamar, M. Jones, Neal-Bullen

Considering he'll be out for about 6 weeks and will then have to return via Casey, i wonder if Grimes has played his last match for Melbourne?

From what I've seen of Gorringe, and I'll admit it isn't heaps. He seems an aggresive style ruckman who'll really smash in at the ruck contest, and he's still yet to fully develop. He can also take a mark. Not saying I'd bring him in as our number 1 ruck, but I wouldn't mind bringing him in for competition with Gawn. Spencer doesn't inspire me with confidence as our back up to Gawn going forward. As for Plowman, I see him in a different light to both Frost & Oscar. I see both them as genuine key position defenders, and when fit I'd have Frost in the 22 with T. Mac, Dunn & Garland. Plowman is more in the Sam Fisher type mould where he'd be playing on a third tall rather then one of the two keys, and he's a guy who's hands it'd be good to get the ball into when coming out of defence. But I'm happy to draft one of those positions & trade in the other. Will be another interesting off season.

True, you rarely do. Unless your our opponents from last night who only had three on their injury list. Those 9 I've mentioned may not have done much, but in all likelyhood they would have contributed more then say: Michie, Neal-Bullen, Stretch, Riley, Pedersen, Gawn, Grimes contributed. And that's not having a shot at those guys, just stating the obvious. If players not being available isn't such a big deal, then why is it always a big story if a player is reported in a Prelim final and you see appeals lodged so the likes of Hall, Dunkley, Cloke, Rocca etc are available for the next match? Because the teams better off with a player in their best 22 playing then if they weren't. That's why. And Gold Coast were tipped to challenge for finals. Things change. How would St Kilda have gone last night with another 6 players out? In all likelyhood, we may have seen a different result. As for the players mentioned, only two carry weight in Jamar & Dawes. JT was dropped a year ago just before his injury was diagnosed. Think we now know why he was so down on form. And think you'll find JKH was injured, not dropped. Also we've had a decade of shocking drafting and have only started to get it right from the 2012 draft onwards. It will take awhile, but at least we've got a young core to build around now.

Spot on! I've now come to the view that we may just look for an outside mid with pace = Yarran And one of either a young ruckman = Gorringe Or a young third tall rebounding defender for post Dunn/Garland = Plowman Get Yarran & one of the other two, then go to the draft. Howe, Grimes, Fitzpatrick for trade. Starting to warm to the idea of holding onto Toumpas & Watts.

It's frightening isn't it, yet haven't heard much made of it in the media. FB: Dunn, T. McDonald, Jetta HB: Garland, Frost, Lumumba C: Vandenberg, Vince, Tyson HF: Trengove, Dawes, Kent FF: Howe, Hogan, Garlett FOLL: Jamar, Cross, N. Jones INT: Brayshaw, Petracca, Salem, Viney EMERG: Kennedy-Harris, Toumpas, Watts Entire half forward line out. No wonder we couldn't get it out of our back line in the final term. At least the injuries have allowed the likes of Toumpas & Watts to find form.

He's completely turned around our ability to score from stoppages. Been a huge jump in the two weeks since he's been in the side!

Watts was one of our best last night. After his dropped mark against Collingwood I thought he was very good also, and I thought he was one of our best in Round 1 v Gold Coast. He's our best users of the footy and from all reports is an absolute great bloke who loves the club, Roos, McCartney & Goodwin. The issue we face with Jack is his form fluctuations, and the fact that if we keep him, he's a free agent at the end of 2016 and if he were to walk we may loose him for less then we could get for him if we were to trade him at the end of this year? The other problem I think is that to me, I think he & Howe are competing for the one spot, the third tall forward who's also agile enough to push up the ground, but can still take a mark and kick a goal. Howe certainly a better contested mark and goal kicker. Watts is a much better user of the footy and over the last two weeks has shown an ability to win his own ball at times in the middle. Both can push up onto a wing or half back, so which way do we go? I don't have the answers. Howe could get us more in a trade this year. But he's one of the few highlight reels the club has, especially with young fans, and as our midfield gets better, he could really prosper from better supply. But same could be said for Watts. So for me it's one or the other. If Howe signs on the dotted line soon, then I think we should trade Watts. If we trade Howe out I hope we keep Jack and back him in all the way!