JJJ

Sounds like you're describing Bate's game.

Not only are those players amongst our better ones, they are actually some of our better leaders. Rivers is the General of the backline (when he plays), Mclean is one of our leaders in the midfield, Neitz, Robbo and Miller are possibly the 3 most vocal players in the group. 3 more weeks then we can all relax for a bit.....

I know youre emotional but if you ever build up the courage to view the replay you will see that he was one of a small number willing to get 'inside' the contest early. He had a lot of handballs by virtue of the fact that he was in the clinches trying to win possession. You may not be one of these posters but the amount of people with axes to grind regarding Sylvia is pretty staggering. In the eyes of some he will be forever tainted, no matter how good he may become.

Bartram - mentally needs break Bate - abysmal lateral movement Bruce - butchered the ball Buckley - proactive but flawed Carroll - awful awful awful Dunn - ineffective at best Frawley - lots to learn Green - did not lead C.Johnson - not as prolific P.Johnson - held his own Jones - wasteful and overwhelmed McDonald - tried, fundamentally flawed Maric - intangibles top notch Martin - showed some touch Morton - conditions didn't suit Sylvia - competed all night Warnock - out of depth Wheatley - game was disappointing Whelan - a shining beacon White - shouldn't have played Valenti - luck and perseverance Wonaeamirri - a disgusting game

I thought the game started at 2:30pm

I was at the Chairman's Lunch and I can honestly say that Jimmy had me ready to run through walls for the club. His passion for the club was there for all to see and I believe the difference between Jim and Paul Gardiner is Jims ability to inspire supporters. If you get a chance to listen to him talk I highly recommend it.

Overheard him at the Chairman's Lunch saying that he expects to be available for the Adelaide game. Also of note was Grimes telling the audience that he plans on playing once he is off the long term injured list in 3-4 weeks. He is an impressive kid.

You learn about your teammates when your team is crap. I think Frawley learnt something when he gave his buddies a spray.....

I want to go... and I think I will go..... getting it past the keeper may take some work, favours, begging etc.... fingers crossed

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/tabid/7415/D...px?newsid=58820 Frawley is extremely quick, has lots of physical development left in his body, knows when to run off his man and has started hitting targets at a good rate. Could be a very good player for us and I like that Bailey isnt afraid to give him big jobs. The kid can handle it.

Yeah. I usually ignore him but this one little assessment struck me as true. To strengthen your arguement against him, he went on to say that the MFC he played against were the most likely to give teammates a massive spray and were well known for it.......

I read with interest a few weeks ago where McLean said that he is working for others by blocking etc. I was glad to hear it. What disappointed me was the way Rawlings from Nth was able to hold and impede McLean when not in possession of the ball with no retribution or assistance from another MFC player. When I see players working for each other weekly I will become a believer. Yup. I wanted 2004 to be a year like this one. 2008 and 2009 will be cold and long with a bright spot appearing in 2010.

Davey wouldnt have enough value in the market to make it worth while. We have some players who I think need a change of scenery. Miller, C.Johnson, Bell, Robertson, Newton, Wheatley and Jamar all may perform at a higher level elsewhere but none would see us get anything of value in return. Its hard trading players when our team is performing at such a low level. My hope is that Bailey can turn them around a bit.

Listening to SEN last night, I was struck by some comments that Dermott made regarding our team and the standards set by out coaching staff. In a nut shell he said that our players didnt work for each other and didnt exhibit the required workrate required to be competitive. To make matters worse, Dermott suggested that the coaching staff allow the players to get away with this and that successful clubs wouldnt stand for it. It has being my belief for over 2 years that we have a playing group that will not work for each other and the results have being clear for all to see in the standings. You never see our players helping our better players break tags, run hard to create options, block for forwards, leave their own man to help out (Rivers aside), shepherd with vigour or generally give up their own game for the good of the team. I admit that occassionaly one or two of these things can be seen by our players but they dont seem to part of the make up of the psych of the team. When you add our insipid tackling you get a recipe for disaster. Is it a culture issue? Is it a coaching issue? Is it a combination of the two? It disturbs me when I think of all the little things that are seemingly overlooked by the playing group out on the field. I would hate to play in that environment. With all of this in mind I would like to see an overall improvement in our 1%'s and our sacrificial, team orientated play this week. (An attitude can change in a week) Instead of players remaining stationary after handballing to a teammate, run hard to shepherd and create another option. When you get the chance to really drive a player into the ground with a tackle, do so. Dont try and bump them, bury their faces in the turf. Hit in hard at the contest and run with a purpose to get to space, the next contest or to lay a tackle. I honestly believe if we do the little things on the field we can beat the Dockers. The style of play will take care of itself once the opposition is on the back foot and we are moving forward as a group. I would be rapt if the Dockers came out and tried to rough us up early on, I would take it as a sign of weakness. A masquerade. An admission from the Dockers that they dont want us playing the ball, trying to make us splinter.

Whats the contract status of Travis Boak? Bailey knows him and he is a gun. If he is out of contract at seasons end we should contact his manager and push our case strongly. The chances are he wouldnt leave Port for nothing but I would rather we tried for bigger fish than Warnock. If we were to acquire Boak and draft Rich or Naita we would have an excellent on ball nucleus with a balance of size, speed and hardness.

Anybody who watched Sandy in 2003 knew Rivers was made of the right stuff. His 3 'gimme' games meant very little as his body was brutally underdeveloped. Garland has better physical attributes but neither the class nor the nous of Rivers. He could follow the learning curve of Broady, who played a limited amount of Junior footy.

We were. I read with disappointment before the game that White and Jamar were selected to play but I didnt see them.

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/tabid/7415/D...px?newsid=58259 People around here are very critical of Col. Sometimes he deserved it, but make no mistake, not being able to train and do the required work in the pre-season is a massive road block to becoming a good player. I hope he stays fit and focussed and continues to improve.

Sylvia has a lot to learn as a defender but his application and commitment was outstanding. You could see when he was caught out of position a couple of times yesterday he wasnt sure what to do, with experience and training this could be remedied. Whem we were playing well, his run off half back and excellent disposal was very important. His workrate as a forward was also very good. McLean was excellent. No midfielder in the comp will be able to run with Judd and come out trumps. He would have learnt a lot and I think he will build on this as the season progresses. Frawley was often involved with our most direct and daring passages of play inthe 1st half. He's stronger than he looks, extremely quick and loves to take on his opponent. Not sure what position he will fill in the long run but he looks the goods. Loved his work on Fev. Dunn. Early on he was used as a lead up forward and I though played well. As Carlton got on top he tended to drift so far back that he was rendered useless as a release man. People may be frustrated with him but I believe he will be just as frustrated. Green and Robbo. Effort. Effort. Effort. Green should try to avoid handballing at all costs but he played 4 qtrs. Robbo was always outnumbered and only hit the deck a couple of times..... an improvement. Rivers. He's awesome. The lack of talk between he and Green aside (which lead to a goal) he generally helps others, negates his direct opponent and provides voice and direction in the back half. Wona. 7 tackles. Can be a bit messy but he is pretty raw. Negatives. Jamar. Signed a 2 year deal last season.... Jones. We are burning him out. Neitz. I hope he can play soon. Newton is no replacement. Moloney. I see people are stating that he deosnt chase. This is untrue. He cant. He tried to chase but is too slow. White. Cheap possessions in the back half and taps to Judd and Co. mean nothing. Kruiser's 2nd efforts and general workrate should have embarrassed White. Itr wont of course, he plays for pay day. Sooner rather than later I hope to see Bate, Buckley, P Johnson, Petterd, Maric, Meesen and Martin play and send us in the right direction. I guess thats a positive.

Meh... all that garbage surrounding McLean doesnt bother me. So what if he is a bogan? He is easily our best player. Ling and Rawlings holding onto him at all times over the past 2 weeks shows what the opposition thinks. He works hard, is vocal and the players respect him. What more do you want? Jones has being asked to do too much. To me he is a natural runner who should be a link man who can win his own ball. Rivers has the game and the class to be captain. He at least should be a Vice Captain. Shattered groin or not.....

yippeeeeee

For God's sake everybody should try and get to the game. I sat in the Olympic stand last week and was surrounded by utterly useless and voiceless North Melbourne supporters. They are among the most insipid supporters in the league. We can't let ourselves go down that path. It's time for the players to show a bit of ticker from the get go and it's time for the Melbourne supporters to show a bit of loyalty and make themselves known. The club is in desperate need of money and support from it's followers. Instead of throwing grenades from afar why don't you attend the game and support the team vocally. While you're there, go down to the Demon Shop and buy your loved one a scarf, jumper, collar or a jacket. People who pot the club on public forums but won't support the club, either financially or by attending games are shallow and only interested in their own personal glory.

There were 2 incidents that drew some abuse from Rivers. There was one where Mooney (I think it was him) used White to block Rivers because he wasnt looking. It was bloody awful. Rivers turned and gave it to him. the 2nd incident was when Hawkins took the screamer in the pocket. Rivers was marking his man as the geelong player was lining up while White was byhimself at the top of the square. He should have being on the line just in case the kick was off. The kick was off, Rivers recognised that fact early and ran back hard but couldnt get into the contest. White never moved. Rivers turned and screamed and pointed at the goal line. White also didnt contest a Mooney mark when he had best position. But that was at the other end of the ground so I didnt see how Rivers reacted. I know how I did however. Effin ballistic.......

Lyon in 87 was awesome for a kid. Physically more ready than Morton though. Not old enough to remember Healy's 1st season but just to hear/read his name makes my blood boil.

Im of the understanding that he was so far behind in terms of fitness that he will need multiple 'full preseasons' to make up for it. My expectations for him this year weren't high. He needs to improve most aspects of his game as well as stay fit so he can roll into next season and build. You should forget about his draft position, its no longer relevant to him as a player. He has being ravaged by injuries and we as a club drafted him knowing that.....