Rogue

Given Malthouse's attitude, I can't bear to think of the complaining from him if he coached Melbourne.

I imagine many (most?) people turn up less than 30 minutes before a game. On the odd occassion I've been that early, it's been very empty relative to 2:10. Now that's controversial.

I posted up Newton's goals p/game not so long ago, and I think his tackling and pressure is much improved on some of the efforts earlier in his career.

He was definitely in our better players. It's seeing guys like him develop that makes going to the games worthwhile when you're a struggling side.

Two can play at that: 'Last I saw they only awarded the premiership to the team who won the grand final, not the team who got the biggest crowds!!! All other measurements may make you feel hot a[nd] fuzzy but ... big deal!' PS. I'm happy to engage in debate if it's somewhat sensible.

'We'? All of those apply to every team's supporters (AFL or otherwise). Regardless, 72,000 is unrealistic.

It's the same for every other team/sport, so get used to it. All teams have crowds/membership that increases when the team is successful - it's entertainment and people think other stuff is more entertaining than watching your team get smashed. I have no idea why Melbourne's own supporters want to push the line that we have supporters and less keen than that of other teams, particularly given that: - We smashed our membership record after finishing on the bottom (and heading to another wooden spoon)! - Our supporter base has been tipping in an amazing and perhaps unprecedented amount of cash from the rank and file towards demolishing our debt (how much did those loyal and rabid fans at the Saints, Bulldogs and Richmond raise in their SOS-style campaigns?)! - Oh, and while we have a smaller supporter base than some other AFL Clubs, we get a higher percentage of those supporters signing up as members (Roy Morgan Research). By the way, restaurants are also quieter if the weather's cold and wet. Those weak eaters.

We need that? Why? You know that a figure of 72,000+ would have put this game in the top 10 as far as crowd numbers for a H&A match in 2009, right? Based on 2009 figures, that's 6K more than Collingwood v Hawthorn, 8K more than Geelong v Hawthorn, 10K more than Melbourne v Collingwood (all at the 'G). Anything over 55,000 would be a brilliant result, given that the only game in 2009 that was over 55,000 and didn't include one of Collingwood, Essendon or Carlton was the much-anticipated round 17 Geelong v Hawthorn game. Excluding our games versus Collingwood and Essendon, our biggest crowd in 2009 was under 41K, and that was an away game versus Richmond (39K versus Richmond at 'home').

Gold. Yes.

That's that then. Has he also said this group of players will win a flag? If so, we can quit worrying On a serious note, there a bunch of mids I'd rank ahead of McKenzie at the moment, but I haven't seen much of him. I also don't necessarily see all the work that goes on within a stoppage, so if he's going to be an inside player maybe his strengths are less obvious than some others. I've heard he's a nice guy and the fact that he agreed to stay on the rookie list so we could have another pick in the national draft was impressive, so it's good that he's being given the opportunity to earn a senior spot for 2011. If one of Newton or Hughes plays good footy with Casey I wouldn't be surprised if they also got some AFL games, given our forward line.

This seems akin to complaining about the poor quality of a suit after you pop it in the washing machine.

It's good to know I'm not alone :D I wish every player that asked to be traded gave us $10K before he left.

What I like about the 'just kick it' call is that it's often yelled out when there's no suitable option to kick to further afield - something the ball-carrier has clearly been able to notice.

Anyway, if we're going to have someone 'on' Hodge I'd like it to be someone that can present when we have the footy. If Hodge isn't accountable then we can go through his man.

General admission tickets are $21.70 (adult) at the MCG: http://www.mcg.org.au/Events/Tickets/Ticket%20Prices%20and%20On-sale%20Dates.aspx You can pre-book Etihad Stadium GA tickets for $23.75 (adult), and I believe they're a little cheaper at the gate on the night. I'm not sure where you got the idea that GA tickets cost $30, but you should be pleasantly surprised to find they don't.

I agree - 2011 a realistic goal. Is the phrase 'you can only go to the well so many times'? I'm not sure if it is, but I'm sure you understand what I'm saying.

From the article: It is...

I'm sure they're also discouraged from listening to what the crowd yells out from the boundary, what fans chat to them about and what is discussed on radio, etc.

Personally, I don't see a need for the split.

I think he's suggesting that the 'value' of the year won't be measured in wins. IMO, if you want a simplistic measure of progress, percentage is more helpful than wins at this stage. I think percentage gives you a better idea of how competitive we've been over the course of the season.

Firstly, I don't know why you'd bet on Melbourne beating Hawthorn/any other quite decent team - it's probable we'll lose and thus you'll get nothing, regardless of how 'good' the odds are. However, this comment probably betrays the fact that I'm not a gambling man $4.80 does seems enticing, but I still think we're likely to lose. Weird.

I think it's the former

Exactly. Robbie57, how's an 18 y/o Riewoldt going to fare against a 25 y/o version of himself? Sure, belief's important, but no matter how much belief I'd had I'd have never beaten Ali. Enforcer, I agree with the gist of your comments - this thread reminds me of something you might write after watching 'Remember the Titans' or 'Mighty Ducks' etc. No direspect meant to you, Robbie57, and welcome to Demonland.

The Vics are in with a good show - the percentage of Shield finals won by the home team in recent times must be very high. I think plenty of employers would allow you some time off when in the midst of a relationship breakdown, particularly if you're working overseas at the time.

^ This. Plenty of people won't bother signing up until they go to a game, and I'm sure many aren't even thinking about it yet, given there are still a couple of weeks to go until the start of the season.