DeeSpencer

I was pleased to here Roos talk about the room for development but also how Clarry has won over his team mates by playing the right way. That would make me feel pretty chuffed as a young fella. You can see why Roos is well known as a players coach, he's been frustrated over the last two years but think his care for his players in genuine.

I think Vince will. Which should mean Vince, Garland, Tom McDonald, Jetta as experienced players. Are they a great group with ball in hand or under pressure skill wise? Probably not. But they don't have an excuse to not be well set up and to help Oscar and Salem get in position.

Out of his depth in NAB 1. Took the week off and really wasn't that bad against the Saints was he? Outmarked by Bruce at one stage but Bruce is one of the best marking forwards in the league so that's not a surprise. It's a difficult one because there's no way he spoils, marks or even kicks as well as Dunn at his best. But he might cover the ground much better, run in attack better and make a couple of spoils or grabs that Dunn never would due to extra height. Plus he can probably player a higher % TOG as well. Sounds like a cop out and a bit of trying to talk myself in to it but I think his benefit to the team will be more in little things that are hard for us to spot. Or he could just play a blinder!

GWS have 3 talls, one each, doesn't really matter. But I expect Garland to sit deepest and control the backline and Tom McDonald to be up the ground. I don't think Bugg will tag Shaw, I reckon we trust a half forward in Harmes or Kent or even Matt Jones with that job. But for the sake of ball movement I think Jones will be on one wing and Bugg will be running along the other as well as taking a turn at half back.

FB: Jetta Garland Oscar Mc HB: Vince Tom Mc Salem C: M Jones Jones Bugg HF: Vanders Watts Kent FF: Pedersen Hogan Garlett Foll: Gawn Viney Tyson Int: Oliver Harmes Kennedy Frost I think that's a truer representation of how the team will line up. Vince and Jones will swap back and on the ball. Bugg will rotate to half back, Harmes will come to wing or forward. Kent will have a few minutes on the wing. Frost might ruck and/or will come on forward for Pedersen to ruck or to spell Hogan. Kennedy will come on forward. Vanders will go up to the middle or a wing. Oliver will play forward and in the middle. There's a lot of speed and run, pretty much everyone besides Pedersen who will play forward of centre has speed and we have increased endurance in the backline group, which means run to cover off defensively and run the other way to get some quick rebound. I'd love a class user on the outside and a bit more experience in each zone of the ground but we can't be negative about this team. Carlton are showing tonight what you can do playing as a side and I like that this is pretty much the side that took on the Saints - Grimes replaced Matt Jones at 1/4 time and Wagner is out for Vanders. We ran that game out strongly playing the style of footy we wanted to play. Time to back it up.

They played on each other in Rd 23 last year. What happened then?

I like bold calls. But they do make me nervous. Oscar v Dunn: I can approve. I like the focus on zone defending and the role Oscar can have it that. And the need for regeneration in our backline. I do wonder how close Garland was to missing out as well though. No Lumumba: Matt Jones and Harmes instead to provide wing cover. Bugg plays back. I can understand it. Pedersen: Need the big body against Mumford. I get it. And the marking forward is a positive. Brayshaw out I understand. Oliver, Harmes and Vanders have the match fitness advantage. Frost in I get as well, although he needs to step up. If there was one change I'd make it would probably be putting Vanders forward and chucking Stretch in on a wing to give us the extra run.

I like bold calls. But they do make me nervous. Oscar v Dunn: I can approve. I like the focus on zone defending and the role Oscar can have it that. And the need for regeneration in our backline. I do wonder how close Garland was to missing out as well though. No Lumumba: Matt Jones and Harmes instead to provide wing cover. Bugg plays back. I can understand it. Pedersen: Need the big body against Mumford. I get it. And the marking forward is a positive. Brayshaw out I understand. Oliver, Harmes and Vanders have the match fitness advantage. Frost in I get as well, although he needs to step up. If there was one change I'd make it would probably be putting Vanders forward and chucking Stretch in on a wing to give us the extra run.

On Stevie J: I'ts time for zone defending people. Garland, Jetta, Dunn deep. Salem, Vince, McDonald and either Bugg or Lumumba, plus maybe a few minutes of Nath Jones at half back. Let Stevie J chase them around as we win the ball back. He'll need close checking at stoppages where he can still be dangerous, and smart on field communicating for when he goes in to the midfield then ducks out the back. Otherwise, we'll have to hurt him the other way just as much as worrying about stopping him. Dev Smith's my greater concern because he's quick and fit. Along with Palmer niggling away at either Salem or Vince they get a lot of work rate out of those 2 smalls. Hopefully we've got the run in the legs to counter.

Clarry is good to go. Can't wait to see him play.

Turned 30 in the off season. About to enter the 3rd year of his 3 year deal with us, although I thought it had 4th year option maybe? Signing him up for 2017 is important and he's probably good enough to go to 2018 if we get a team friendly deal. I think how he translates his play to half back will determine his value in the future. If he can settle there he can probably play for quite a while longer. I hope so anyway. Glad someone wants to earn the Melksham money!

Coniglio isn't light. And the last time he tagged Nath Jones he smashed him. We aren't physically smashing them in the middle, too many big boys on either side. What we need to do is pressure them all over the ground in to mistakes and then cut them apart going the other way. I love that we have some big bodies all over the ground but it's modern footy and time to be a modern team. I want to see Melbourne players intercept marking and running through in waves and then GWS players going backwards due to forward pressure. That will excite me.

Who gives a [censored]? Way way way past time to move on people.

Dawes and Spencer doing boxing and crunches. Otherwise as far as I could tell it was a full squad for a pretty standard session. The ball was moving nicely in the shorter drills that they were doing. The 10 v 8 full ground match simulations were a bit scrappy but not too bad. I thought Clarry looked a bit weary in the legs early on but when the match sim started he was bobbing up regularly. Hard to know whether our forward pressure was really good or if our backline was making mistakes but I think moving the ball out under pressure will still be our biggest weakness. Switches, quick ball movement and 'changing the angle' remain the focus to get out of the backline. Lumumba came sprinting out from half back to a high kick to the wing, timed his intercept perfectly, stuck the mark and ran off forward, dishing off to Kent who nailed the goal. It certainly reminded me of his athletic ability and talent, so hopefully he shows more of it this year.

No idea what is and isn't available to purchase but: Level 2 Olympic stand closest to the wing for optimal viewing pleasure. A little height makes it easier to follow play and not too far back as to be missing the atmosphere and action. Level 1 Olympic stand right down the front if you want to get the kids (presuming they are part of the family) right up close to AFL footballers, especially near the Melbourne bench. The viewing isn't as good down there (hard to see what's happening on the far wing and not as easy to track ball movement) but the atmosphere might be slightly better. Not usually too much sun around in the middle of winter but yeah definitely more Melbourne fans and more comfortable if there is sun on the Northern side than Southern side. The Ponsford stand is definitely the Collingwood stand. Sitting with our cheersquad can be fun but for a one off first time at the G you'd be selling yourself short to watch the game from behind the goals. Similarly the front few rows of the top deck aren't too bad but it's not great having kids up there (just seems a long way from the game for them and a lot of stairs/take the lifts, same for oldies) and if you're willing to spend a little more then first or 2nd level will likely be worth it.

Viney, Jones, Tyson. They need to be getting 80+ disposals between them, using them well, covering the ground in attack and defending and stopping the 3 best midfielders from the other side. They'll have help from a heap of players in the rotation but if we are to afford the luxury of Vince back, Vanders forward and not overdoing young mids it will probably be these 3 doing it. Click the box in the top left of the quote and then hit delete. Will get rid of it. Bug with the new site.

Shhhh don't tell anyone!

Not sure that's right. We have the full compliment of 40 senior players so don't get a rookie upgrade at the start of the year. Just the Melksham one. And the mid year upgrade. Either way, why would we upgrade anyone until they are in the best 22? For now we sit back and wait. If any of the 4 are due to be picked in the team then we upgrade them.

3 sides with win totals that we are after this year, last year: GWS - 11 wins - lost to West Coast by 87 points (and beat Hawthorn the next week) Coll - 10 wins - lost to Richmond by 91 points Port - 12 wins - lost to the Dogs by 64 points Every chance we have at least one if not more really bad games. It could come as early as this week against a red hot GWS whilst we just don't adapt to the increased pressure of the regular season. We've been poor in the first half against Port, the first quarter v Saints and the entire game against the Dogs. Holding our nerve in the first quarter when pressure is highest will be vital. I'd settle for a 1 point QT lead right now if you offered it to me because it means we are in the game against the Giants and we can build from there. I think we've got enough skill and experience to be in the game every week and if we are being out classed and the margin blows out late I can understand that. I'd be really annoyed if we just aren't in the contest though. Which means both in terms of physicality at the contest and the mental and physical strength to apply our game style. Time will tell with other sides but based on last year Hawthorn and West Coast were the only sides with scoring power, ball movement and enough grunt to legitimately blow sides away. More than 1 very bad day against any other side would be very sad.

Coincidental? Not at all. It's how News have cleverly diversified their business. A fox commentator will say something, a HS print journo will follow it up. I mean the Roos PR piece was probably planned ahead of time, but the questioning is set up. Roos' whole mantra is team based. He'll be keen this year to spread credit to Macca, Rawlings, Matthews and himself as well as Goodwin. He needs those other coaches on board to stay with Goodwin to help him out, and he doesn't want Goodwin getting overexposed now. It's the same thing he says about our young players, but with regard to coaches. Team work, high standards, continuity etc.

Both. King Goodwin sounds nice to me.

By the way, Jack Viney did a handstand and walk today. Did a back flip the other week. I get the feeling he enjoys the gymnastics that the boys did.

Dunn and Lumumba were off the track by this stage. I think one of them, or even Oscar McDonald, will take his spot. His 2nd half was very solid against the Saints, but his first half was simply bad. Soccer term. Left footer on the right side and vice versa. Possibly signals an attempt to play more corridor football, or could be just a coincidence.

A bit of that. A bit of he'll be gone by that time anyway. And a lot of let's get some bums on seats for round 1 and get the players making this a rivalry. No idea of we will win on Saturday, but I bet there will be some fierceness at the contest.

Swung past at about 10:30 for an hour. The Casey group were just milling around having a bit of a laugh whilst the rest trained. Looks like they had done some light stuff and a few of them did goal kicking before heading off. Someone else will know more I'm sure. Dunn, Brayshaw, Weideman etc. Not sure if I saw Lumumba. Dawes was doing running with Crossy and other support staff. Sprints and jogs. Ben Newton was wearing the training jumper not singlet which usually means participation at some stage with the main group. Can't recall see Spencer, ANB or Trenners. Anyway, the main group were broken up in to smaller groups including Macca taking Salem, Wagner, Tyson, Matt Jones and Oliver for a kicking drill. Forwards practising some goal kicking. Other mids working on ground balls and so on. All pretty standard stuff. Of note to me was towards the end of the session Goodwin assembled 18 players to form a team and run through some game scenarios to make sure they had positioning and game plan set up. That team was Forwards: Hogan, Frost, Watts, Kent, Garlett, Ben Kennedy Mids: Gawn Tyson Viney Jones, Wings; Matt Jones, Bugg Backs: Garland, T Mc, Wagner, Jetta, Salem, Vince By this stage of course the Casey guys had left and Pedersen had left as well. Harmes and Grimes grabbed green bibs to be token defenders. Vanders, Oliver, Petracca and a couple of others watched from the sidelines. Might only be of interest to me and/or a coincidence but Matt Jones and Bugg were both playing as inverted wingers. They did a few around the ground stoppages and then set up a 3 points up with 30 seconds scenario. Hogan went as the 7th defender to CHB. Watts came up as an extra midfielder covering the far side of the ground. Gawn was very defensive with his taps. The kicks all stayed boundary side and after Frost marked in a pocket then centred the ball Gawn was vocally saying "should just take the shot Frosty". Vanders did some contested marking with Rawlings and handballing after the training finished. He appeared good to go. Jones did fast hands work with Macca. Ben Kennedy did extra ground balls. Salem and Viney had shots for goal. And Hogan and Kent took turns kicking to each other on the lead. Jesse still dropped one or two and wasn't happy but otherwise most stuck. Kent's kicking was mostly great but he just slices them every now and then. Just has to keep being balanced over the ball. Hogan kicking to a lead is a thing of beauty.