Little Goffy

O'hAilpin is a lot like Ben Holland. Only Holland is faster, more skilled and more disciplined.

Yeah, the SUPER AWESOMEST BIGGEST GAME OF ALL TIME HOOPLA HEY THERE game didn't really excite me. Didn't watch, never planned too. didn't really care about the match reports. I've also been looking at the ladder and different teams' prospects. I mostly agree with you but I don't really think Adelaide have been that impressive - all their wins have been against low-end teams or teams which were struggling to get it together at the time. Kangaroos might be the only exception, but they've been up and down a lot. don't get me wrong, they'll probably make the finals, but not in a big way. Daniel Kerr copped a new injury during the HOOPLA game. West Coast take another step down. Who gets the first tagger now for the Eagles? Stenglien? Fletcher? Josh Fraser copped a significant but not reconstruction-level ligament injury. But he's a complete [censored] who only gets a rating because he plays for the Pies, so it won't make a difference to them... Essendon seem to be going backwards so thoroughly that they could actually lose premiership points. Freo and West Coast aren't showing much. Melbourne... has been given a glimmer of hope and now that we've seen that the idea behind all those handballs was actually to release people to make effective long kicks I'm that little bit more positive. We can win a few out of the blue this year, as well as having a go when we encounter other apparent strugglers.

I do. Just a little, but I do. Hmm.... reasons for feeling positive. PJ listed to play for Sandy this week. Ditto Whelan. Cale Morton to get a week to rest his bones. Bailey will understand AAMI and have a better than average familiarity with the Crows, too. And who knows what a two-week break to think about the fact that we really can win games will do to our playing group. They might just be ready to go hard. And unrelated but still positive - people are signing up as members. The club said "sign up, you're needed" and people are bloody well signing up. Demons fans are legends. We sign up even when it's hell. Edit: Here's something else that is interesting. Adelaide wins this season have been - West Coast. (before anyone realised just how much they suck) Port Adelaide. (at the time, they sucked) Fremantle. (ahem) Carlton. (whatever) North Melbourne. (who really seemed inept last week) I'm getting the feeling a little more, now.

Easy on praising North Melbourne's marketing. About 5,000 of those memberships are 'statistically anomolous' children memberships. In other words, not a big growth in adult members, just a whole lot of people signing up their kids as official members (and dogs, and turtles). It could go either way - those kids (and dogs and turtles) could hold on and become a boosted next generation of supporters and members, or the boost could just evaporate once the membership-buying from the "fightback" has subsided. They haven't had anywhere near as much of a boost to attendences. It's a little worrying. Meanwhile, what da farkn ell is going on at the Doggies? If I'm reading that right, WE have just passed them for memberships, with one win for the season (and pre-season) compared to their loss-less run with exciting attacking football and a thrilling draw for spice. All, up, we're doing better than I'd expected, almost matching last year's membership already, and our attendences haven't been too bad (still on 30,000 average after three games, despite two low-drawing opponents, Doggies and Freo). Should look a little healthier after the Hawks game, too. Special Bonus for round 9 - neither Melbourne (playing at AAMI) nor Hawthorn (playing at Aurora) play in Melbourne the previous week, plus theres the gap for the Origin game, so a lot of people will be hungry to get to a game. Should be a good crowd. Let's hope we can put a good fight up over in Adelaide to keep the momentum going.

Neitz and Yze are Veteran Listed, and are also retiring at the end of the year, without doubt. by 2009, the following players will be eligible for veteran status to replace them - White McDonald Robertson and I think it's counted as 'starting their tenth year' so that would include Bruce Green Wheatley Whelan So whoever is still around of that list can be made a veteran status player, and half of their pay is no longer counted towards our salary cap. So... With Neitz, Yze and presumable Holland all retiring, and two of the above players gaining veteran status... And the final $200,000 attached to Travis Johnstone also expiring... (We agreed to cover some of his salary in our salary cap, for the Lions) I reckon all up we could be looking at more than a million dollar opening in our salary cap. And it's my vague understanding that we already had a fair amount of room in our cap as it was. So... Who do you want? Should be looking at Cox and Ball? (sorry, had to say that)

Brad Green cops a lot of undeserved criticism. He runs hard to get into space to be an option, runs hard to get back into defence, lays the tackles and gets his share of contested possessions, often is the man delivering well into the forward 50, and kicks a proper swag of goals himself. But that's not good enough for some people. Paul Johnson I've always felt had more to him than he was showing. I've been one of many who have been stoked to see him take a step up early this year. I guess over time I've been a little bit sympathetic to Chris Johnson, though I acknowledge that he is yet to repay. Hmm... I think I see him as the next Steven Armstrong - never make in the Red & Blue because never given a sustained run, then might just make it onto a list somewhere else and play out a moderately good career (in terms of own performance - Arma got a premiership medallion for his trouble) Holland gets my support, though I don't expect to see him at the 'G very often any more. He's the Simon Godfrey of our KP players - never surrenders always has the effort. And from the person above - there are people who bag Matthew Whelan? Why? What for? Being too tough? Not giving away goals? Having great disposal and decision making? Whelan is our most valuable small defender, no doubt on it.

Hmm... when Melbourne wins it's next premiership... I'll replace "Hello" with "Melbourne Won" for a month. No exceptions. Answering the phone - "Melbourne Won" Job Interviews - "Melbourne Won" Bump into an ex-girlfirend - "Melbourne Won"

Maybe parents are holding out for a 'help your kid learn' bonus. I mean, they have the kid and get paid for that - Why should they look after it for twenty years without any cash reward? "You want me to what? Read to it? Get stuffed, where's the remote?" Anyway, the article itself is fairly poorly written - comprehension is a two-way street.

I don't think I've ever left a game, left the local club, or even switched off the radio when that was all I could get, until the last seconds have ticked over in a Melbourne game. Tough it out, people. Every extra Melbourne person who's there makes it less horrible for those who do stay. It also makes it that little sweeter to be in a crowd when we do turn it around - because you know that many of the people there with you have been though the rough stuff with you, even if you can't pinpoint the faces. (side note: S_T I think you're a legend for turning up when you knew you wouldn't get to see the game out, regardless of progress, and kids playing footy is always first priority, ay?)

Ahh.. there was a magic moment when Bruce was an elite midfielder. Those three rounds before he got his shoulder crunched and missed half a season. 8 wholly deserved brownlow votes in three games. Yet to get that form back, though really the only difference was that his disposal was that much more effective. He is a utility. He does all sorts of jobs, many of them close tagging roles, and he goes and gets the ball himself on a regular basis. He's also kicked seven goals in a game. Bruce doesn't deserve even a portion of the insane criticism he cops on here. Classic example of 'supporters' who are bigger fans of their own voice than of the club. (at least after a few beers)

A few players should become available over the long break, too. We can be looking at PJ, Whelan and Sylvia as return options. Put that together with the improving form of Frawley, Warnock and Garland and we aren't in too bad shape. I get the feeling Morton will benefit hugely from the week off. Rivers, Robertson and Moloney (for example) still have the shadow of persistent injuries or underdone preseasons on them - the week off will freshen them up a little too. We could actually find ourselves with selection headaches, with too many players pushing for a spot! I definately think the 'competitive' tag is one we can reach for, at the least.

This is revolting. There's nothing to this, it's just your standard up and go rumour mongering. Carlton aren't in need of midfielders, and have stated again and again a policy of recruiting only 24 year olds or under. Green is, as I've said before, on target for a top three in the best and fairest. He may be annoyed about not being in the leadership group (by about a 1% margin vote) but he's put in the hard work and would surely be in any such group next year (given Neitz and Yze will both be gone) and is still a moderate shot at captain. As for money - I'll re-mention Neitz and Yze retiring, and Holland, and some more of our highest payed players in the next year or two (and Johnstone already gone). We'll have salary cap space to burn (which Carlton, incidentally, definately wont) and in the meantime Green becomes eligible for Veteran status, making future payment opportunities even greater. I'd be suprised and a little horrified if any party thought that trading Green to Carlton was a good idea. Not in the interests of Carlton, Melbourne, or Brad Green. AND WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP BAGGING GREEN? FFS. People on here have very casual attitudes to our players. And then of course they cry and wail and moan and threaten to cancel their memberships when a player does get traded for a first round draft pick.(Woey, Johnstone)

I'm sorry, I refuse to get into the pick 1 hype. People love calling Natanui a freak and pointing out his phenomenal leap and intense play, but there's also plenty of comments about relatively mediocre essential skills and footy smarts. Pick 2 is presumed to be this Daniel Rich guy, declared an out-and-out gun midfielder by all who have anything to say on him. Not one comment about a flaw. Flawless? I'd be ok with that. Who will be there at picks 3, 4, 5, 6...? They're hardly going to be pathetic duds, are they? What do we know about guys like Hurley, Yarran, Swift, Lynch? There's even supposed to be a guy at Sandy Dragons (I love backyard recruiting) who has been mumbled about as a top ten. Keep those wins coming. I'd even celebrate the 5th. Realistically, what we need is an across the board 5-10% improvement in kicking and handballing efficency and team coordination. Draft picks don't get you that. Hard work can, and for a little flash moment on Sunday, it did.

Rivers had two spoils inside defensive 50 before he had a posession. Frawley is Mr. Disciplined, if you ask me, and will have a career full of low-possession high value games.

Ahhh... but we may yet not have the choice... I'd settle for a gun midfielder, as opposed to a wooden spoon and a gun Ruckman. Who knows where we'll finish - our formline is ahead of a few teams, and will stay that way for at least two weeks! Could they have time the who? vs where? super-game round any better for us?

Phew, I can just barely say I didn't - My pre-game blurb was that both of these players were on their last chance and had to step up. So frankly, I take full credit for their subsequent valuable performances.

What a stupid piece of #^#%. A wonder which proud and long-standing hsitory he hangs his hat on, Fitzroy or the Brisbane Bears? I had to contend with a little collection off idiot Brisbane supporters when I was watching at the local club. They actually went to the trouble of coming over multiple times to give the 'gee it looks like good snow today, what are you doing here" line. Best part was they kept doing it to some friends of mine who had only started coming along recently and don't know the background, so they just thought it was some kind of weirdo convention. A side thought, Brisbane are ROO TED. Gold Coast will have dibs on young Queensland talent for a couple of years. Black, Bradshaw, Notting, Lappin, Beau McDonald and Luke Power aren't getting younger, neither is Travis Johnstone! They could find themselves in every bit the mess we are now - they are at about where we were towards the end of 06 - competitive now but teetering on the edge. Travis Johnstone will be their Byron Pickett. But we'll get through before these draft concessions to the new teams come in. Brisbane will sit smack in the middle. Another side note - Brisbane, with a whole state to themsleves, huge AFL promotions investment, competitive concessions which no doubt played a part in three premierships... they still have less members than the cranky old Demons! They'll be in strife when the Gold Coast comes into existence.

It's a strange thought - If we can beat the Dockers on Sunday... We'll be doing just as well as the WA teams combined. (discounting their game against eachother) I like the thought that we actually might need to not improve at all if we are going to hold on to the wooden spoon. A bit of a surge to climb out of the bottom four is conceivable... Essendon are going backwards and injury ravaged. We would only need one of Richmond, Port or Carlton tol fall apart and we might just have a goal to aim for. I'd take pick five. I really would. I'm a little annoyed by all this pick one as the marketing saviour. Cale Morton is Gold, and he was pick 4. It'd be worth it to have an advertising campaign for next year where the players stare down a wooden spoon and then smash it to pieces, revealing a new dawn and new strength. It'd also entrench us as the club that definately, definately didn't tank.

Judd will be forever tainted by a little edge of 'mercenary' in his reputation. We'll look back in years to come and think it was just bizarre that a player could shop around for clubs, have them spread their legs for him to take a look, and even get his current club to only deal with the one he selected to go to.

Nope and Nope. Pick 1 and the freshly anointed Bluey Truscott Trophy winner, for an erratic, mature-age adolescent and a slightly lower draft pick, plus a vague unreliable later pick? not worth it for us, Nope. Fevola is worth a lot to Carlton, beyond his playing contribution (which is immense given that key talls are in short supply) he is one of the faces of the club - despite or even because of his erratic behaviour. Controversy = Cash, as some hack promotions guy from the USA likes to say. Not worth it for Carlton, Nope.

Yeah, I don't mind the China idea in theory but it doesn't seem to be developed well at all, to be frank. Seems to be a pet project rather than a strategic imperative. If we were serious, the emphasis would be on making 'visiting a game of Australian Football' as much a stock part of the Australian tourism message as 'hug a koala', 'get stung by a bluebottle' and 'accidently choke down a blowfly'. We want 'China' coming to Melbourne games, not Melbourne skipping along around China.

I think I'm experiencing my first ever actual, real-life denial reflex. Are the AFL seriously talking about closing off the top 15 of the draft to all but the new clubs? That is insane. And would be totally unacceptable. I thought it was more along the lines of a priority pick 'zone' selection. The new Gold Coast team and the new Sydney team each get up to 15 picks at the start of the draft to select players from within their state or designated recruiting zone. NOT from the entire AFL junior pool. They also can select players in a similar zone-draft arrangement before the new AFL level team enters the competition - these players would play in the respective state competitions as a single team (it has already been discussed that they might be under the coaching of Michael Voss in the Gold Coast case) and there could even be an element of players been traded to the new club, to play in this 'warm-up' squad - essentially a reserves/junior side gets created and filled in advance of the full-blown AFL side. With the zone restriction in place, it's no so bad and makes sense. But seriously... 15 top picks in one squad, drawing on the whole AFL talent pool? So perhaps Hodge, Ball, Judd, Bartel & Dal Santo in one go? No, it'd be too much. Especially combined with the salary cap benefit. Too much.

Yeah, just a little relocation. I think it'd be great if we could move interstate at the exact moment when we've secured first-class training facilities at a brilliant central location, after twenty or thirty years of searching. I also think moving temporarily to a new area would really inspire loyalty and interest - nothing like saying 'we're just here til we have your money and then we're going back home again' to bring in the crowds. And I think temporary flipping back and forward is the exact plan that the AFL would want to see when it's trying to build strong internal rivalries and tap into local identity in the northern states. So they'll definately support it. And it won't at all [censored] off all of our players, staff, coaches, and fans in Melbourne, to the point where they'll either overthrow the club leadership or simply get the hell away from us and never accept our return. Let this one go, it's no good. Kudos to Dalrot for spotting the previous attempt. And I have a serious problem with the blatant attempt to put words in the mouth of our club CEO. That is simply unethical.

EXACTLY! The way you get the club promoted and build up support and memberships is by getting the members involved. Every extra story they can tell about how good the Melbourne Football Club is (and that is still the Demons) is another impression made on a bystander. It also builds up a more resilient attachment to the club - people will keep coming during tough times (eg. now), and keep talking about their club positively, if they have the bond of having being involved.

I agree 100%, and love the dart idea too. I was as surprised as anyone to see Warnock saddle up for the Brisbane game, and then happily surprised to see him put in a solid game. A few people seem to have missed the fact that Bate has been carefully managed back from injury (hamstring, right?). I dunno about anyone else but I'm happy to see that. It's always bugged me when players get thrown back into the top level before they're 100%. Surely he's ready now though, after two weeks working back through Sandy. Having Whelan back in will help. Omissions are harder. I think Bartram does need a Sandy run, though I'm sure he'll be back soon enough. Morton may well be getting fatigued - I'd be comfortable with giving him a week or two at Sandy, just to help him understand that he really is at an elite level already. I'm leaning towards dropping Robertson. I've only seen 'moments' where he's kept his feet and chased and so on. It's been just enough to make me pause and think he might be about to turn things around. But then it's the same deal again the next week. Miller has to have an impact. Now. I'm giving him this game against Freo and if he still hasn't shown up properly then he's dropped and will be a 'reserve' for the rest of the year or until he can really shape up his form. Whelan for Bartram, Bate for Robertson and perhaps Buckley for Morton.