Ned

Bailey's interview on Fox today was great. It was the opposite of his deadpan press conferences. That's what I was referring to. You need to work on your grammar mate before you start taking people's opinion's to task. I'm not denying Malthouse's ability with his players. I'm just saying that I don't find him very articulate -- in fact I find it excruciating listening to him trying to make a point in an interview -- and I don't think he's that smart. Good player and coach. No genius. And let's be honest here, Luke Ball brought across a lot of the details of the forward press from the Saints. If you want to speak of intellect, speak of Ball.

I wouldn't reject it either

Couldn't agree more. Wonna is aggressive, fast and talented -- and yep, a real presence. Very surprising to hear someone suggest he be dropped.

Yep, think you may have a very good point there. There's something a bit soft in the team and maybe it is that not everyone is being picked on form.

Yes, sorry, I wasn't talking about today's effort with Watts. I think in general he's shown a lot more than Morton. Then again, people are right, Morton was damned a bit in being made the sub without match fitness.

I have seen him interviewed. That's what I'm talking about. Paul Roos and James Hird are intelligent. Mick Malthouse is a dolt.

No chief, the fact the president has to come out and say the team's effort is unacceptable suggests the coach has failed to state the obvious. When has Stynes done that before? There's a message in that, in my view. You guys clearly haven't heard Malthouse dribbling on about history. Semi-coherent drivel. Good at getting players to play for you and enforcing discipline and being intelligent are different things, in my book. But whatever. We all see things our own way.

You seriously think Malthouse is articulate? I find him a spluttering fool. I don't doubt he's a good coach, the record speaks for itself, but that doesn't make him bright. As to Bailey, did you see him interviewed?

I'd say Ricky for Morton but I think playing against a team of kids might give Morton some confidence -- same with Watts (opponents his own body size, as someone said) -- so no change for mine.

I love him. He plays the game like an animal. Sometimes he overdoes it, like yesterday, but he also shirtfronted Barry Hall, too, and no sane person does that. I'd love him in our side. Melbourne needs an animal or two who just compete fanatically.

I agree. Watts is battling with confidence. But his ability is there for all to see. At some point it will click for him and he will be a champion. But I don't see it with Morton. He always looks totally out of his depth and he doesn't demonstrate the skill Watts has (some of Watts's field kicks are just beautiful).

Bailey was pretty animated after the game. I think the word came from the top to start showing something. The club has moved to a new level and deadpanning to the press about development and so forth won't cut it. It worked for him. I rate the guy. He's intelligent and super competitive. He can also string a sentence together, unlike Malthouse.

I'll call it. I don't think he's up to it.

I remember when we nearly beat Collingwood in round 2 last year. Nick Maxwell was interviewed after the match and said something like ``good teams find a way to win even when they're playing badly." I think that happened today.

Agree, he is really coming along. My favourite part of the game was the half-time break with the pushing and shoving. Chip came in and gave it to the Lions (I liked it) and it was Stef Martin taking the lead it giving it back to them when Clarke started getting into Jamar. Melbourne need to step up and put an end to the intimidation. Stef is a massive unit and I liked seeing him stand up (as with Tapscott). I also loved Aussie's aggression. He must play every game if fit. He is a champ.

That looked like two bottom-four teams spudding it out. Morton, go back to Casey! Glad for the win though.

Guys, we're playing Brisbane, not Collingwood. I don't understand why Davey's tagger isn't catching hell from other Melbourne players -- like what Collingwood did to Jones that time last year. Everyone seems to just watch. Just a distinct lack of team support.

I'm sure we'll be hearing after the game what an underrated side Brisbane is and how they'll probably be top four... This is just disgraceful.

Exactly right. The newspapers got stuck into the Demons this morning and every media outlet was then on the phone to Melbourne for a reaction. Hence the Stynes press conference. And he was either going to reject what was written or accept it had validity. Media 101.

Couldn't agree more. That Rioli could punch one of our players and no one at least knocked him over afterwards (even with just a bump) was pathetic. I don't advocate violence but the day we beat Hawthorn will be the day when no one on the team takes a step back.

Hawthorn were devastating. I am as depressed as the next supporter but they were beating us in the first half -- just couldn't convert -- and then went nuclear to ensure that even if they missed lots they'd still kill us. That team would've beaten Collingwood today. Heads up. We're taken seriously these days and teams don't just cruise through matches against us. The march is going to be long and hard from here on. I rate Bailey.

I think the truth is that you love the game you're raised with. I've lived in Sydney for a few years and outside of the odd state of origin match have found it really hard to appreciate rugby league. What I find curious is that AFL is the sport everyone follows in my office -- Sydneysider or outsider -- and the game they want their kids to play. So there may be some truth to the AFL being superior argument. As to tomorrow, our team is a year older and a year stronger. I really want to see our big-bodied blokes impose themselves -- Moloney, Sylvia and Tapscott (love that man-child) -- and end this notion that Melbourne can just be pushed aside. We owe the Hawks some pain and it's time to start inflicting it.

Damn straight. If Melbourne REALLY come to play we can win. Teach Bruce a lesson on loyalty while we are at it.

I don't think Schwab would be embarassed as such and I think he would expect a question. I'll explain why it annoys me. He is the CEO of a club. We're members of that club. He's preaching good governance and a single-minded focus on rebuilding Melbourne and we're all on board for that. All is going rather well and one of the nice aspects of being a Melbourne supporter is that we know our club is now well run and operating in a contemporary fashion. Then it pops up that Schwab borrowed 140k for a business transaction. My immediate reaction is that no one does that in the 21st century. That's the sort of rubbish that occured in Australian management in the 1970s. I'm not accusing him of improprietary. It's just a bad look and it's silly. It jars with everything that MFC has been about in the past three years. I'm a bit of a believer in transparency, yes, and I don't know why people are getting stuck into Caroline Wilson. Any journalist worth their salt would've written that article if they'd seen that. As to me, well I don't hold office as such. But I know if I went to my employer and asked to borrow 140k they'd tell me where to go -- and I'd expect nothing less.

I'm not sure when Schwab is next in Sydney but I'll certainly be asking him about it if he meets with members.