DeeSpencer

I don't want to seem like a CC apologist but I believe Molan was a Daniher decision and was the all in for a flag list management decision and the poor development that followed was really a club wide problem in the late Daniher into the Bailey years. He had his fair share of reasonable selections - Frawley, Garland, Davey, Jones, Grimes. I feel others like Rivers, Miller, Sylvia, McLean and Bartram could have made it in the right sides. I might be way off the mark but to me he was an average recruiter who then brought guys into a less than average team in terms of development. I think it's a big call to link him to any ACC dealings. I wish him good luck and seeing as though Richmond seemed to find some kind of steady period under his recent direction I'm always happy for them to resume shooting themselves in the foot!

I only saw the second half. Lots of guys not out on the track then - the indigenous guys, Hogan, Viney, Toumpas, Tapscott, Bail, old Macdonald, McKenzie, Sellar, Taggert, Jamar, Gawn, Spencer and probably more. I presume most of them were off getting supplements. Only training with the goal posts, likely the point posts have been vandalised by soccer fans, they seem to enjoy things like that. Some pretty shocking kicking by almost everyone in a kick the ball out of the backline drill late. Stark (I actually dont mind the look of him and when he kicks it fluently its fine, when he sprays it its unbearable), Kent, Nicholson, Tynan, Couch all making errors. Likely some impact of long session on a warm day. Matt Jones also with some really poor misses, I'm not convinced about him. Towards the end Fitzy and Pedo had some ruck work practice. Pedo much stronger, Fitzy with extra reach. Also after the main group finished Frawley, Pedersen, Watts and Troy Davis (another who can't kick) practiced their body work in a one on one jack in the pack style drill. Got a coach to kick it up and too turns trying to mark and spoil. Frawley and Pedersen were clearly superior but when Watts trust his positioning he isn't easily overpowed. Fitzpatrick practiced kicking snaps for goal, which I guess is fair enough but I'd be worried more about him making the easy ones first. Gillies trained well. And I'm now on the Lynden Dunn bandwagon. It's hard to tell if he'll transfer it into games but at least at training he is running hard and kicking very well. In a drill designed to replicate ball movement from the backhalf he was the standout along with Watts and Strauss. Those 3 are pushing hard to secure the spots around Frawley, McDonald, Garland. Main points of session: I'm happy we will know the game plan and no doubt we look fitted and a much more balanced list but the footskills aren't going to be elite overnight. Agree about Byrnes looking handy, seems to enjoy himself out there. My only concern about Dawes would be if we have stripped him a little light to be a monster forward. That said I think he'll play up the ground and will benefit from moving well. He seemed to be everywhere there today. That said he stood out without the starting rucks or Clark or Hogan.

Dear Australia, outback Australian indigenous communities are seriously ****ed. See Liam Jurrah for another of the long list of sad stories. I don't have a clue how to fix this mess and the AFL have tried to play a small part but it doesn't seem to have worked. If anyone has any genius ideas I wish them well.

In what games? Every team has a defensive forward and therefore they need to play on someone and at times went to Watts, but I can't recall one game when Watts was causing grief to any opposition coach. He certainly wasn't with his 30 touch performance against Sydney when we lost by 100. Watts needs to step it up just to cement his spot in the side. That's the truth.

+1 to that. How can we judge how bad his knee has been? I don't think he's given it his all as last year he was losing to big Leigh Williams in the endurance running but that isn't to say his knee hasn't been very serious. We saw Bartram retire due to a degenerative knee and a host of others slow down with knee troubles. I hope he's turned the corner and got his knee up to a level that lets him compete and if the side is bettered structured this year he'll actually be able to play at the feet of big blokes (Dawes, Pedersen, Clark) and make an impact.

HF: Byrnes Dawes Howe FF: Davey Clark Pedersen Int: Tapscott Wing: Blease Midfielders capable of resting forward: Sylvia, Rodan To me as above is ideal but all of it depends on Blease, Tapscott, Byrnes and Howe proving capable of playing periods on the wing at which time Sylvia and Rodan can rest forward. The benefit of the scheme is it allows the guys who do the bulk of the midfield work (Jones, Grimes, McKenzie) and the young guys (Viney and Toumpas) more time on the bench. Rohan Bail gets left out due to his lack of class and finishing but if any of the above aren't up to scratch I think we'd find him back in the team. The other interesting ones I've left out of the forward/midfield mix are Matt Jones, Taggert, Jetta and Barry for varying reasons. I'm not convinced about Jetta in the backline but the club seem to want to persist with it. Train him with the forwards and I think you'll find him right up their in this mix of players. It's funny how we've gone full circle on the mid sized marking targets, not too long ago we had them everywhere (Robbo, Green, Dunn, Bate, Petterd, Jurrah) and now we've only got Howe left in that spot. Tapscott and Sylvia are both strong in the air as well. It's important to have enough forwards who can keep defenders honest both in the air and on the ground and not just be defensive.

1. Should find a list of Casey players on their website. Id say at best 5 Casey guys play but throw in injuries and the number is back to 11. Neeld said last year players will play at the level needed so don't be surprised to see guys In the Casey reserves if battling!2. The coach (welsh) is in charge of the players come game day however the players primary employer is MFC so overall they take priority. In the past the vfl coaches have had official roles within MFC but if that's not the case then they still have an unofficial role. These days the line coach and line development coach go and see casey games when possible and that lets them provide a constant message. The alignments in general and very fluid bit like inc!!!

Gillies was more the backup for Lonergan at full back than a Rivers type and he's big without being massive. Here I see him playing a back up to Frawley role. His kicking makes him a better deep defender than an up the ground type. He could also fill in for McDonald at CHB if needed though. He's a reasonably athlete and a competitor. He needs a full season of AFL in the next 1-2 years before we can really tell if he'll make it but he might not get those opportunities unless he's playing to the best of his ability. I do prefer the ball use of Watts/Dunn/Garland as the remaining tall options but Neeld might implement a structure with multiple tall defenders. Collingwood did that with playing Reid, Brown, Tarrant, Maxwell, O'Brien even Toovey isn't short at times. If you have big blokes who can kick and move like small blokes then you might play them as your smalls. We've seen Garland and Frawley take the small forwards in the last 2 years at times despite their height.

What about getting on the front foot. We admit to attempting to focus resources away from winning and towards development and admit that this was a wrong move. The AFL then hit us with a very light punishment. I'd agree to that on the 1 massive condition: Hawthorn/Richmond/Collingwood/Carlton even West Coast all do the same. The AFL provide proper rules as to what is and what isn't illegal and we all go forth. Seeing as though someone brought Lance Armstrong into this conversation I'd rather be someone who gets a small wrap over the knuckles now that the guy who holds out forever and then gets burnt badly (and deservedly).

Now that I agree with!

I can see fan's point, Port is probably the only club who rivals us for a very poor midfield. Boak is their standout, Gray is perennially injured and they relied of someone like Ebert to come across as a depth player from West Coast and a prime mover. I'd say Rodan became established but then he had more knee injuries, so when he came back he wasn't entrenched. He then followed that with some standout games (generally against lesser opposition like us) and other games when he'd barely touch it and his man would get 38 touches. He has to show he can be a team player defensive and still play with flair. I'm happy for him to be the designated attacking player at a stoppage but around the ground he has to be a team work horse. I wonder how his fitness is. He never appeared fully fit at Port and I wonder how he's going here. Anyone know how he went at our most recent time trial?

Yep he's got to get to Perth or Adelaide and even then clubs outside the state he's playing in will be very suspicious I'd suspect. Matt Rendell said it horribly wrong but the underlying thinking was somewhat correct. It seems at the moment the only indigenous guys getting drafted have already lived away from home (like a Dom Barry) or grow up in very mainstream families in a big city. I don't think taking all the promising kids when they are 14 or 15 and sending them to boarding schools is necessarily the right answer, you'll crush some of them who don't have the personalities for it regardless of whether its a school like Scotch College or Clontarf or Dandenong Sec.

Short is back in vogue to a degree. The way AFL has changed is if you have top line speed, agility and ability to be powerful then playing as a small forward or midfielder makes height not so relevant. I'd expect it to cost him top 10 but not much difference after that. AFL clearance midfielders are becoming like high repetition NFL running backs with a power element to their game. You can either take the Josh Kennedy/Jobe Watson method of using your frame and size to bustle or you can use the Sam Mitchell technique of brilliant in close movement to get in and out before anyone touches you, of course you still have to be incredible strong and brave.

For mine Gillies doesn't have the class with his ball use to be a 3rd tall. I think we will prefer Garland, Watts, Dunn and Joel Macdonald is those roles. Where Gillies and Sellar come in are back ups for Frawley and McDonald. Now ideally I'd only want to play Frawley and McDonald and have someone like Garland or Watts occupy the 3rd tall role but when we come up against teams with 3 big fellas up forward we might need either Sellar or Gillies in the team as well. Consider North with Petrie (Frawley), Hansen (McDonald) and Tarrant. Who do you want on Tarrant do you want to expose him to a smaller Dunn, Watts or Garland or do you want another big body back there. Considering Garland usually plays tall and McDonald and Frawley offer versatility to play smaller I think unless Watts can actually play as a big defender (more so than a flanker) that we will see Gillies and Sellar having big opportunities.

Please show me any regular season AFL game where he started as a key forward? Or even spent more than 5 minutes up forward. I think he's done both preseasons before this one as a forward but come the games be it at Casey or for Melbourne he's been down back. I'm happy for him to be down back but I agree we should always keep our options open. Let's see if he can start to judge the ball and use his body to get more marks. If your CHB is taking marks its often a sign that they could make it more as a forward.

No he isn't. Cox, Naitanui, Sam Jacobs all better tap ruckman. They have much better ability at hitting the ball in different directions and with disguises. Jamar has been very one dimensional down to Moloney. Good teams figured that out after 2010. As for our year in 2010 I agree we played an exciting brand of footy and hey we could have even stuck with Bailey and stuck with that game plan but 2011 was so far removed from a decent year which threw all that out the window didn't it!

We beat a lot of bad teams in 2010 and hung our hat on our performances against the pies. I also think a lot of the guys who played well in 2010 did so playing on their own terms. Whilst you have to have individual style I think Neeld's vision of team first football needed to happen. I hope 2013 can be a better year for the russian. The back up from Pedersen or even Clark at times (once he's back to full fitness) should help protect the Russian. However he lost his marking to a degree last year. Now he'll never be a huge contributor around the ground but if he can take a few grabs and get involved that way it makes him more than just a hit out man. I'm still not sold on Spencer but he should be at the stage where due to his size and AFL experience he'll be almost too good for the VFL so I hope he can push Jamar along. Same for Gawn in the second half of the year.

Vince did nothing for the Packers leaky defense today and now my bears aren't in the play offs so you can stuff it! Oh and don't think NFL professionalism is that great by the way. I read an article the other day that said most players go out and get hammered on a Friday night because they have all of Saturday off before playing on Sunday. That only works if you are Dane Swan in the AFL.

I'd rate our defence as about 10-14th for the 2013 season but with a lot of potential. It's not unreasonable to say Frawley and McDonald become a really good tall pairing with Sellar, Davis and Gillies fighting for spots, then Garland, Watts and Dunn all could be very handy players on potential and our small defenders with the likes of Strauss and Nicholson could really show something. I certainly think if you put Grimes on a HBF as a rock of the defence its almost instantly a much improved quality defence. Our midfield is still going to battle but should be much improved as a unit. I think we've got a group now that could almost be elite if things go to plan but is still so inexperienced. Whether we've got the 12th best midfield or 17th best depends a lot on Jones, McKenzie and Sylvia. If those 3 play consistently at their best it really means Trengove, Viney, Toumpas and others can contribute. If Rodan plays top line footy then we'll really become a good unit quicker than expected. The forward line certainly has the talent and structure to be good enough already. We just needs games together for Clark, Dawes, Pedersen and a mixture of smalls like Blease, Bail, Byrnes, Tapscott and even Davey.

Why? When was Watts a top 5 trainer and runner at the club? When did Watts really put his body on the line like Trenners? When did Watts last get suspended for tackling too hard? When did Watts be a vocal leader on and off the field? Dawes for sure, but please tell me how on earth Watts deserves to be in the leadership group just cause Trengove is captain. I'm not Watts bashing here, but people near to observe games, training sessions and coaches speaking and think about Watts. If your local footy club was Melbourne would you vote Watts into your footy club?

So why is Nick Maxwell a premiership captain and Dayne Swan not in the leadership group. Will you see Alex Fasolo in the Collingwood leadership group anytime soon, he's one of Collingwoods brightest young talent,what about future star talent Dayle Garlett? Clear as day Watts was dropped last year and then after an injury played poorly both in form and spirit in the last rounds of the year. He's part of the future of the club but he isn't "the future". If he was pick 80 and played a few average years as a forward with some class then moved behind the ball and barely set the world on fire you wouldn't dare suggest him for the leadership group. Why does the number have to be 7? Is that law? We are still short on genuine leadership and the best leaders are respected players. I agree Macdonald is only depth but even if he is playing most of the year at Casey why can't he be in the leadership group? He plays hard footy, trains hard and is respected. Isn't that setting an example for the other players. Neeld went for a young leadership group but he picked guys who were ready. Watts is a long way from ready to lead other players.

Watts? Come on guys last year he was still shirking contests every now and then. He's still miles away. Grimes and Trengove obviously Jones and Clark based on form Frawley Jamar Possibly one of Dawes, Garland or a surprise inclusion like Joel Macdonald who lacks some talent but is properly a respected older type these days or Jordie McKenzie

Blease - Body and mind at AFL level Grimes - (touch wood) his fitness should be at record level Clark - just getting him back playing is enough for me Toumpas - when did we last get a real class player Pedersen - I think he'll be a real bargain and fan favourite the way he plays tough footy One of Terlich, Jones or Crisp - 3 mature ages, I hope one can make impact like Magner Lastly I really hoping Gillies can be something. I like Tom McDonald but I think we've put a lot of pressure on him and by default Frawley to be the main men down back. They won't have the wise head of Rivers to help out. I wonder if Gillies could be something. His kicking might always be a bit off but physically I expect him to be very ready. I want to see Watts nail the 3rd tall spot, but I wonder if either a Sellar or Gillies could push for best 22 as well.

I would be none too impressed if we took another VFL inside midfielder. We've already got Magner, Couch and M Jones, if we go for another one they'll be 4th in line for only one spot in the team unless they are versatile. I'm still keen on outside types and particularly a small forward.

There are so many different options. Say we want to really beef up our backline we might move Grimes back to a half back flank and maybe Toumpas there as well to settle him into AFL. That then creates spots for the midfield and guys like Magner and Jones become important. Or we might go the other way and leave Grimes in the midfield and see if we can get Viney and Toumpas playing midfield minutes from the start. Then all of a sudden there will be good opportunities for Terlich to play back. Personally I'm not sure why Terlich couldn't play on a wing if he has the fitness. It might be easier than having to defend a dangerous forward. If he can accumulate and use the footy I don't see why he can't play on a wing. I'm expecting both of these mature age guys to take half a season to learn our game plan and also adapt to being AFL footballers. They may be ready to go but they still haven't been there before. I'm not sure there has ever been a club as unsettled in regard to best 22 as Melbourne. Sure we've got the big men sorted to a degree but there is probably a core of about 12 positions filled and 10 left up to grabs for whoever can step up and take them. This includes a chunk of midfield along with small defender small forwards.