DeeSpencer

It will be a cold day in hell before I look forward to a drive to Casey to watch us play an intestate team (and get smashed) rather than go the G. I truly hope we can improve and get crowd numbers around 25k or more to even or lowest drawing games so that we can have them all at the G.

I'd use Frawley in that role at first, maybe try Pedersen if it's not working out. The blues are likely to use Rowe or Casboult as the second ruck. Whoever goes head to head with them is unlikely to lose much and if it's a wet low scoring game there wont be many crucial centre bounces that don't involve Spencer. The reason not for Pedersen is because I'd leave him and let him settle in to full back for a second week. I'd be keen on Frawley because Dawes and Dunn should be the main forward targets so the point of getting Frawley away from the backline is to let him attack the ball and create some play. The ruck would be a perfect place for him to try that.

You like Nicholson's disposal? You really are a sucker for punishment! Wet weather footy, hard physical stuff, it really is a day for Watts to hang out on a wing and watch the minutes go past. I hope we see something different from him.

I'd go with: FB: Georgiou Pedersen Grimes HB: Terlich McDonald Howe C: Watts N. Jones Cross HF: Viney Dawes Vince FF: Frawley Dunn Bail Foll: Spencer McKenzie Tyson Int: Evans, JKH, M Jones S: Kent I'd be wary of the weather. If Carlton look to take out one of Rowe or Casboult as a late change I'd think of doing the same and consider one of the emergencies in and either Pedo or Georgiou to sit the game out. Frawley to back up ruck I say. Give it a try. If it's not working put Pedersen in and Frawley back to full back.

Thing is he's allowed to look like a VFL player, he hasn't played enough AFL games yet to be expected to look a cut above. All signs point that as he regains his fitness he'll start racking up touches like 30+ a week easily which means the more times he gets it the more practice he'll have of doing something with it. I'd be looking just as much at his skills and athleticism. But his athleticism is likely to improve with a preseason where he can actually run as well. Anything we get from Riley this year is a bonus. Anything we get full stop is pretty good considering he was a free pick up.

Jamar hasn't taken those marks since 2011. The difference compared to Spencer is at least he gets his hands on them to start. Then again Spencer has better speed and follow up work so no ones perfect.

Moloney [censored] on a bar Davey finished last in time trial and was soft as butter on field Trengove and Grimes were better footballers than Garland and Jones at the start of 2012 Rivers gave up whenever it got hard Chip Frawley derrr Clark was new on the scene from Brisbane I'm hoping Grimes gets back to form soon. That he is still co captain tells me he wasn't the worst choice in 2012. Trengove was way too young but then again leaving Grimes by himself would've been silly as well. Grimes and Moloney was probably the right call but Neeld couldn't make Moloney captain based on what Moloney dished out in 2012 - petulant sulking football when asked to modify his one dimensional game.

My thoughts are that we do need to continue to be on the look out for a suitable facility that we can call our own. One that we own the asset and has all our staff together and preferably a place for members as well. In the mean time I think AAMI is great for our players and I don't know what if anything we really lose separating footy with admin. If I was a billionaire I'd build a Fed Square style development over the railway lines and Brunton Ave from Exhibition St extension until the MCG and put a training oval in next to the cricket nets with MFC facilities in the southern stand expanded outwards to the training oval. Expanded demon shop, special social area for post games, facilities for all staff and facilities for all the players all at the MFC. Alas I am not a billionaire.

FB: Georgiou Pedersen Clisby HB: Grimes McDonald Howe C: Evans N. Jones Cross HF: Vince Dawes Bail FF: Kent Dunn Frawley Foll: Spencer McKenzie Tyson Int: Watts Viney M. Jones S: Byrnes Out: JHK (full game in VFL), Fitzpatrick, Terlich In: McKenzie, Dawes, Clisby

Whelan was a beauty. Neitz was good but he was a lead and mark full forward, he simply didn't have the opportunities to make a statement. James McDonald was the classic unassuming tough as old boots guy. But for everyone like him there were plenty of Yze's, Green's, Bruce's etc.

I'd offer Jake Spencer a two year contract extension if he uses the first bounce as an opportunity to run through Warnock and uses the first possible occasion to put Bryce Gibbs into the third row of the crowd. That might wake a few others up. Next step after that is to target Mitch Robinson and wipe the smirk of his ugly head. It's about time we stop being insipid and if that means going way too far the other way first then so be it.

I remember last year Warnock beat Spencer against Carlton. Spencer was rubbish against Mumford but had been ok before that. If he is ever going to be an AFL ruck he has to beat Warnock this week. But yes it's unlikely to be the defining match up for the game but it's one match up we have to win if we are to get anywhere in this game.

Right now: Ruck: Warnock > Spencer 2nd ruck: Rowe is no worse than Fitzpatrick Tall forwards: Henderson and Waite > Frawley and Dunn +/- Dawes Tall defenders: Jamison and White no worse than Pedersen, McDonald Half back flank: Simpson and Walker better than Grimes and Terlich Small forwards: Garlett and Menzel better than what we role out But in none of those areas (maybe HBF) are they head and shoulders above what we have. And main midfield mix: Murphy - Jones Thomas - Vince Carrazzo - Cross Gibbs - Tyson Curnow - McKenzie Robinson - Viney Yarran - Watts Bell - Evans If the thread is about future talent then yeah I think if we finally start to develop kids and a team our future should trend up, Carlton's will trend down. But in terms of talent 22 v 22 this weekend they have us covered. But it's not by a significant margin and every player should feel comfortable they can beat their individual opponent.

Just wanted to say one thing about depression. We obviously don't know all it's secrets but there is definitely some biochemical effect involved in some cases. 10, 20, 50 years from now we might know all about it and point straight to a simple chemical imbalance, I hope so. But until then the lack of knowledge fuels the 'mentally weak' and 'soft' brigade. But I just wanted to say is we know Mitch had at least 2 operations on his foot right - the initial one and the removal of the screw. If you google you can find plenty of evidence showing that general anaesthetics can lead to depression. Not saying that's the case here but it's food for thought for anyone stupid enough to consider the nature of depression.

See I don't understand that. He may want to be away from football when he was getting paid and try as his might couldn't perform due to illness and injury. But I'm really hoping that he sees the club now as a place where his friends play and where he can get support. It's all dependant on what Mitch and those advising him suggest. But I'd be making the offer for sure. Instead of hey Mitch will give you an 200k pay out for the rest of the year that you'll feel horribly guilty about accepting we could say ok we will give you 150k and you can come take semi-professional photos of trainings etc here and there are make the difference plus it will help you set up your post footy career.

Would love Walker. And don't want to count our chickens on Dawes and Hogan. But I can't see Walker, Dawes, Hogan all working anyway. We should go after a decent ruck/forward to replace Clark presuming by the end of this year we haven't seen improvement from Gawn or Fitzy. I'd focus still on midfielders and try and find a bargain buy back up forward or forward/2nd ruck and head to the draft. The presumed number 1 draft pick is a tall forward who can ruck at around the 200cm mark. Would be a good Clark replacement.

- Mitch likes photography and is still tweeting about shooting weddings etc - People complain about lack of photos of trainings/games to the club website - He'll need work - We're providing him some payout and offering support - He's well liked and respected around the club Is this too hopefully and too soon or is this a good idea in how to embrace the supporting culture that MFC wants to stand for? I would hope that the powers that be at least consider it. Even if it wasn't on an ongoing basis it would be nice to get him down to take a few special shots at a training in a few weeks/months time that could go on the club website as well as his personal website. Thoughts?

It would be a tremendously brave thing to do but I think it would help. Mental illness is obviously different but if it were a physical illness he'd have a media conference, explain some feelings, probably be incredibly emotional but everyone would support him. That's what Jim did. And if we can start viewing depression as a blameless illness like cancer we'd be better off If people on demonland can't even come to grips with this decision how can the rest of the community?

In contrast to the above this is a shot at Clark - I wonder if he could've braved a media conference and delivered some words and emotion for all us. And to the club - a hasty press conference from Josh Mahoney seemed a bit light weight for our highest paid and arguably best player retiring at 26. I would've preferred Roos or Jackson as well and as I said above Clark. I understand this is a sensitive time for him but I think he missed an opportunity to help himself and for the club to close a significant chapter in a bold way.

This is not a shot at Mitch or MFC But: I'd like someone to say that Clark is retiring as it's what he wants or has been advised to do to overcome his depression Andrew Robb the federal trade minister had depression, stayed in politics and now just inked a trade deal with Japan It's wrong to assume depression itself is a career ending injury however it has been viewed that way in this case. The other thing is often the best way to overcome depression is to continue in work even in reduced capacity to create routine etc. Players retiring through depression boosts the profile of the illness, but players stepping away or modified duties before returning to full AFL is what would really help.

I don't mind that as long as somehow we can scrape together a team that's competitive enough to allow development. We can't cop 100 point hidings and not win games all year which is our current state. No one seems to get any better. McDonald, Garland, Dunn would be the core of the defense and probably supported by either Pedersen or Georgiou. That's not hopeless. But it's not as good as Frawley in there. My biggest concern is not that Frawley leaves on field it's that we've shown further inability to get anyone to stay loyal and once again had a good player walk out. I don't know how that effects the remaining playing group. By the way Roos' time at Sydney he was much better at developing a team from 22 able mature bodies than developing young players.

Well that's just great injury news isn't it.

I think we should inquire about Bomber as some form of consultant for 2015. He seems destined to walk away from Essendon. Hird will coach, Craig as director of coaching, Goodwin as senior assistant (an option to take the successor role at MFC). Bomber really has no role and being at the club would only cause them trouble. I'm not sure where we'd put Bomber but maybe just a part time one day a week maybe as a quality control coach to work with Roos. Come to main training and just review the training as an outsider it would be worth so much. He doesn't want to work full time I don't think so don't make him.

Maybe we should follow the bulldogs of 2013 approach. Step 1 just win contested ball. Don't even worry about anything else. Name the 22 best contested ball players in the team. Once that's been achieved only then bring in the running players

I believe Fitzy went a lot closer to quarter time in round 1 and then in round 2 he didn't last too long in to the third quarter. In fairness to him he played 1 overall game in the first 2 weeks. Then last week it was pouring with rain. The GWS version of him (Giles) had plenty more hit outs but had all of 8 touches and no scores despite playing on Pedersen. I don't expect much from him but it's almost to the stage with replacements that he may as well stay in. He takes the second ruck job and therefore gives Spencer a chop out and a tall defender stands him letting the other forwards - Frawley and Dunn possibly getting smaller defenders. I would be tempted to bring in another small (there are no other talls) but if we bring in guys like Clisby, McKenzle and Blease who else do you bring in? Nicholson? A reprieve to either Toumpas, Trengove or Michie before they've earned it? I'd monitor him at training and if he's training hard and looking more competent in basic skills then I'd probably give him another shot. He does have some talent and it would be nice to get his season on track now rather than having him back in the VFL and no second ruck/forward option. With Pedersen down back the question would be what to do with the second ruck spot anyway if it's not Fitzpatrick. Personally I'd go back to a Neil Craig tactic and try Watts in the ruck for 5 minutes a quarter