Dr. Gonzo

And yet I don't think we've lost to them since 2014.

Is he envious of the facilities players at other clubs have access to or is it a non-factor for him? What is the biggest difference between Selwyn Griffiths program and that of Darren Burgess? Please thank him for bringing a level of competitiveness and ruthlessness I had been waiting for for decades at the club. He is easily the best full back the club has had in the modern era.

$36 for a Junior membership until midnight tonight, now is the time to sign up those nieces/nephews whose parents had the temerity to let them barrack for another side/who are unaffiliated/who are Melbourne supporters but not members. Get cracking, it could be the difference between luring a lifelong fan or letting them off the hook.

The cheer when he gets his first touch in a fortnight against the Hawks will be spine tingling. Absolutely stoked with this, the club is so well run these days, it's a credit to the culture that has been built over the last 10 years. The horror of the Neeld/Schwab era feels like a lifetime ago. It's so great being able to support the club and worry about nothing else but the wins/losses knowing things are being managed well behind the scenes.

In our losses (and the first half against Richmond) opposition mids seemed to sit outside our mids, waiting for us to get first possession and then scragging/tackling us to cough it up and ultimately lose the clearance. With such prolific ball winners like Oliver, Trac and Viney whose instinct is to get first hands on the footy what can we do to combat that when we come up against the better teams? We dont want to give up front position at the contest but we don't want to be sitting ducks either so how do we maximise the talent we have in the middle? I have no doubt we will see similar tactics used when we come up against the Pies, Saints, Crows and Cats.

It will be interesting to see how this works out in NY - Jets have obviously gone all-in for a ring while they have Gardner, Wilson, Hall etc on rookie contracts. And why not, they haven't had a competent QB let alone a championship calibre QB for a long long time despite multiple goes at the top end of the draft. We didn't give up too much for Rodgers all things considered but if it doesn't work out and he's retired in 12 months Joe Douglas and Saleh will be out the door. Our weakness is still our o-line I think and with a veteran QB that never bodes well so hopefully Rodgers doesn't get belted from pillar to post and has time to make his throws. We don't want him getting hit and we don't want him scrambling otherwise it may be a short honeymoon period. But at the end of the day if the Jets can get to the playoffs it will be a success the bar is that low - 13 years and counting since I cemented my allegiance to the Ryan/Sanchez rollercoaster with that divisional playoff win in Foxboro and 13 years and counting since they've been back to the playoffs. One thing is for sure Rodgers will at least be able to make those checkdown/slant routes that Zach Wilson just couldn't seem to master. Seeing how he goes twice a year against a Belichick defense will be interesting too, if we can sweep the Pats that would be almost worth it.

Well let's hope so 😁🛫

We played it perfectly. This is exactly how you treat games against inferior oppo - come out breathing fire and put your foot to the throat in the first quarter. Go into quarter time 40 points up and the lower team drops their heads and thinks it's all too hard. Then you just keep grinding them away for the next quarter and a bit until they will completely and you run over the top in the last with some cheap goals. This is the level of performance I want to see against the Suns, Hawks and Freo over the next month. Not saying we have to win by 15 goals plus but we should be putting these sides away early and giving us plenty of junktime late in games to keep our legs fresh.

Not only that, but for JVR's development I think we need another mature key forward to take the heat off him be it Brown or McDonald.

As Trac said after the game it's about standards and behaviours and reinforcing good habits. Mooney and Brereton both said after the game our list should have at least 1 and probably 2 more flags in it and Mooney said Petracca had made similar comments to him at the Fox Footy launch earlier in the year (they know we have the list and the time to win is now). So it comes with the territory, you have these ultra competitors they never want to give an inch. It's like the stories about Barassi as a player, he hated losing whether it be on the field or playing table tennis with teammates in the change rooms. May hates losing and that means losing a contest not just a game - so conceding three goals in a row to get the margin under 100 would've annoyed him which I think is a great mentality for a pro footballer to have.

Must've signed his contract already 😜

You're dreaming, more like 30k-ish I think.

If Freo get within 5 goals today it will be a miracle. Came out and tried for 3 or 4 minutes before Lions took control.

I agree it shouldn't be personal and like I said I wish him no ill will. I just don't think I've seen that level of criticism other than towards his game (or decision making) - I also don't think he's the kind of guy to take anything the media has to say too seriously.

He is a professional sportsman on almost a mil a year. It comes with the territory, it's not bullying FFS. I don't wish him any ill will but he will face public scrutiny.

It was Scully

@FearTheBeard you seem to be in the know about all the seating/ticketing arrangements at the G so thought I'd ask. Which areas in the Northern Stand level M are generally MFC Members reserved seat areas and which are reserved bays for MFC GA Members (do these even exist anymore)? I am an AFL Member with MFC club support but want to sit in the Northern Stand on Saturday night against the Kangas because I'm sick of being surrounded by opposition supporters or sitting in a sparsely populated bay. Is there an area on ground level in the Northern Stand I can get into as a GA Melbourne member? I know I could sit behind the goals where the cheer squad is but I prefer the wing rather than behind the goals. Cheers

Nah

True, when was the last time we played them at the G though? Seems to always be Docklands or Tassie. Docklands feels like a basketball game half the time the G is a bit different for a younger team.

JHF has been pretty good in just his 2nd season (1st in a proper environment). Usually I would say you need to spread your picks but you also don't win flags without high end talent that comes from top 3-5 draft picks. Most teams have to bottom out after a flag tilt or get gifted academy picks but we have the opportunity to get a top end talent to start preparing for 5 years time when Trac and Oliver are finishing up. If you could do it this year I would (assuming Reid is worth it - I don't know anything about him but I trust JT).

Your faith in the AFL and consultancy firms in general seems quite naive. Of course they outsource the decision making process so it can be seen to be transparent but they also set the frames of reference and have ongoing communications around preferred selection criteria etc so the consulting firm knows the answer the ones that pay the bills wants. Dillon may prove to be the ideal candidate for the AFL based on their criteria but it doesn't mean he is the best available candidate for the game as a whole. It comes down to what is more important, growing the bottom line or the integrity of the competition and governor of the sport. I'm sure I know what their answer would be but it differs to mine. And it's not about another white male. I would have preferred Brendon Gale for example as I think he has the integrity and has lived outside the walls of the AFL Commission/Executive long enough to bring a broader perspective.

Exactly, it is taking an act of desperation, something that has been routinely lauded for 150 years and turning it into a free against. His intent wasn't to put the ball out of bounds, his intent was to deny his opponent possession.

Hallucinogens help cut through the BS but I understand they're not for everyone

Problem is they review every decision, not every non-decision. So they won't look at the non-decision not to pay a 50m penalty to ANB after he was tackled after taking a mark for example.