praha

I guess he kind of makes a point.

Not sure what they'd do with Medallion Club. Can't just tell members that it's no longer valid, and you can't just give them AFL Gold membership seeing as there's a long wait list. I suspect medallion club members will be put onto AFL Members wait list and their Medallion membership doubles as AFL Silver. Then once they become Gold, their Medallion Club is stopped. Probably the only way to phase it out.

Didn't mind Jordie but unfortunately wasn't AFL standard. Wasn't much else to choose from in that Draft, though, and we ended up with Garlett anyway.

Jones turns it over a bit, too. His delivery isn't great sometimes but he'll get better. Hoping he turns into our Hodge. Mods: please merge my last two posts. Sorry for the double-up.

Prime is generally 27-28. If he keeps getting better he'll be an absolute star by then.

Jesus. Div 2. Suspect he'll double as player-coach in some way. They'll be paying him fair quid. AFL players in the amateurs earn good coin, more than they ever could playing VFL exclusively without being on an AFL list.

At the time he didn't fit in. Maybe he needed to be knocked down to rise up. Hardly a mistake. Hawthorn's played in 5 Grand Finals 8 years and won 4 flags.

I think he still has a role to play. Jayden Hunt filled in his role nicely and is smarter and more refined with the ball. Not sure where he fits in, but he is kind of a "downhill skier" player in that his style doesn't really work in a team that has few options and one-way running, as was the case in 2015. I think he's a "cherry on top" kind of guy that is going to standout as either part of the problem or a key component when the team is playing poorly or well, respectively. As per my above comment, Pies fans loved him until Collingwood started its slide. He was pivotal from 2007-2011 when they were playing Finals and had a strong spine. Once the wheels started falling off, he was found out. If he has support around him, his horse-like running and booming kick is useful when we're going well. We now have a hard-working forward line (at times) that can benefit from those quick entries. Pretty much every Premiership-winning team of the past decade has had a player of H's style.

Agree with your post except the bolded part. Why?

Had a good year. Watts and the likes of Kent, Garlett, Petracca, and Gawns going forward more often makes his tally look worse than it was, really. Poor last month but still a B+ for me. His ability to get involved without hitting the scoreboard is enough to tell me he is going to be a star. His performance against Freo (still kicked 4.2) was sublime. He's the real "package" in the league.

The players get a pass. They won the club's first flag in 60 years and probably won one of the most memorable fairytale flags ever. Club's fault and probably should have pushed back Mad Monday a day, but really, it's not the end of the word. And let's not pretend like most diehard Dogs fans in Ballarat wouldn't have been in Melbourne for the celebrations anyway.

Depression can change a person. That's an old cliche but it's the reality. Drugs, alcohol amplify the problem and sometimes fuel it or wake it up. I had a mate that I travelled with who randomly had a nervous break down while on holiday in Europe. We were in the hotel room and he just lost it. Never took drugs but was on the drink a lot and something twitched. I say that he left a bit of his old self in that room that night. He was never the same. In Lyon's case it's clear that his mental state either drove him to make bad choices, or came out from hiding as a product of bad decisions. One thing's for certain is that once that happens you, you can manage it that little bit better and know what and when to avoid to triggers. You can't all the time but you're in a position of control and believe it or not, but sometimes you need to hit rock bottom before you can rise. You could argue that a guy like Lyon, he is a smart guy and everything he did, maybe it was beneath him. Maybe he has an opportunity now to do something good. Maybe that means coming back to the club. His mistakes in the past, perhaps his decision making was clouded because he thought he could do no wrong. If you think you're invincible, you get complacent. Maybe it's a little selfish, but perhaps his downfall is the best thing for him and the MFC. Maybe he can come back now and really do some good. But I believe it's too late. Maybe.

Called it that it would be sorted before trade period. Was confident the club would have traded him if he didn't re-sign before that period. Zero chance they would have gone into 2017 without having him sign an extension.

How long until he puts off contract negotiations?

True although look at the Doggies in 2014. Won 7 games, scraped home twice against Melbourne who finished equal last. They could very well have only won 3-4 games if not for some very lucky wins and goals against us, Richmond and the Pies. Our 2016 has been weird, but so were 2014 and 2015. in 2014 we led in the last quarter in 10 games, but only won 4. In 2015 we once again finished the season poorly. In 2016 we had our highest win tally in a decade but you could argue it was still an underachieving year considering the losses to Essendon, St Kilda x2 and Carlton. Do we win those types of games in 2017? Natural progression and improvement of the list suggests yes. At this stage we are actually ahead of where the Bulldogs were in 2014, and they were tipped for the spoon by some commentators in 2015. My point being that on any given day, any team can beat any other team, regardless of ladder position. It's simply a case of believing and knowing you can win, which this team still struggles with. The Bulldogs were not a very good side in 2014 and they won a flag in 2016. We have had an above-average year and probably should have made the finals if not for some brain fades here and there. The Dogs were much further away than a few brain fades in 2014. I wouldn't bet on Melbourne making the finals in 2017 but if they don't, I think it's a massive , HUGE failure by the team's leaders and the coaching department.

Collingwood has moved from Collingwood, up the road to Jolimont. They celebrated at AAMI Park and Gosch's. I don't see why we couldn't claim this prime real estate as our own, but in standard Melbourne fashion we've let Collingwood dominate and take over what is in a way our "spiritual" home: that is, the MCG and its surrounding area. You can ship us off and try to build some sort of family culture in Toorak and the like, but the reality is that our "home" is the MCG. We are unique in that while other teams are born out of suburbs and/or cities, we've actually been born out of a stadium. Some may see this as a bad thing, but few sporting clubs in the world have as romantic an affiliation with a stadium as we do the MCG. There is no other home for us. Collingwood's home will always be Vic Park, Carlton's Princes Park, Essendon Windy Hill and so on and so on. We should embrace Melbourne and the city a little more. I see that Jackson and Co are doing this, bundled with some slow infiltration of south-eastern suburbs. But our home is the MCG. I suspect that if we win the flag, our Sunday Family Day could very well be at AAMI Park. But our home is the MCG. And it's so special that if its number one resident can't celebrate on it.

Bit tough. Dees still had a lot of ego that didn't buy into Roos, and depth that struggled at AFL level. We were and still are coming from much further back than the Dogs were. Roos was extremely diplomatic. He kept his cards close to his chest. Bevvy is emotional and a good people person. So is Roos, but they're two totally different personalities. Beveridge is more like Clarkson. Roos is just Roos.

Our problem has always been that we seem to start a rebuild at the wrong time. In 2008, we were going the all-youth route ala Hawthorn 2008. We've tried the running offensive game while the likes of Geelong, Sydney and Collingwood perfected the defensive game. We've gone the hardball route while teams like Hawthorn win flags with the outside runner and pressure, and few contested possessions (compared to opponents). The Bulldogs won this year by playing FOOTBALL. Playing games on their terms, and forcing teams into their own style: causing turnovers, and punishing them in transition. I do think we're "coming good" at the right time: our best looks as good (if not arguably better than the Dogs), but we're still unaccountable. We need to innovate and play games on our terms. Comparing to premiership winning teams is futile, because those teams are always unique in how they win. This Bulldogs squad is a lot like Sydney of 2005. But NOW, we need to find a way to create our own style, because we're still coming from so far back.

No doubt.

I'm happy because it's a big "STICK IT UP EM!" moment. But I'm depressed as [censored].

Yeah, it feels like a fairytale. Like it's not real. I do believe our script is just as if not better...but whether or not it ever comes to fruition.

What...

I think a Melbourne flag would feel different for Melbourne fans than a Dogs flag feels to Dogs fans. For us, it would be vindication. "We're back where we belong!" There's more tradition there. For the Dogs, it's more like, "WE'VE DONE IT!" Both are I imagine would be a feeling of relief. Am I making sense or am I way too drunk for my own good?

I feel weird, and have all week. When the Saints were in the GF, I didn't like it. I hated them. I hate them. I didnt want them to win. I admittedly preferred a Pies and Cats victory. But the Bulldogs...I loved that they were in it, and I loved that they won. But... I'm sad. Does anyone else feel the same way?

I see what you mean, but "expansion" is a modern term generally referred to the expansion of the league outside of the traditional heartland. Bulldogs I consider a traditional club, not "foundation", but still in the same league as all other VFL teams. It's a lot different to GWS.