Prof

IN Bate, MacDonald, Sylvia OUT Warnock, Newton, Bail Makes no sense to give Brad a farewell game.

Captain: B Green Vice Captains: B Moloney, A Davey

Absolutely. Miller's papers have been signed.

OFF Miller, Bell, Tom M McDonald will be given the option to decide for himself. I spoke to Bruce's parents recently. They say he loves the R&B. Definitely wants to stay. Bate may consider an offer from GC. (I think it unlikely that they will be interested.)

Strong sides must have a significant number of players performing well at their affiliated club. If they perform well and consistently, they should be promoted. If you don't want to play them, don't keep them on the list. Miller is not good enough to play AFL football but is certainly good enough to play well at VFL level. He will always be knocking on the door. Pencil him in for next week.

I think Godfrey plays out at Nth. Ringwood He did last year.

Sacre bleu! Some of these selection suggestions are very curious. I am very unimpressed that some people wish to drop Junior, Bail or Jones. In my opinion, Trengove & Moloney (if fit) come in. Possible outs: Wonna, LJ, Bennell

Win 3 of 4 we probably finish 8th and play Freo. in Perth. Win 4 of 4 we probably finish 7th and play the Hawks on the 'G. Prospects? .v. Tigers Good .v. Hawks Better than most people think .v. Port Unlikely .v. North Good We are a chance!

Sometimes you find 'trouble' but never buy it. Aker was a great footballer but ...

If Peter is Jewish, then their tradition is to bury their dead before the next sunset. RIP Peter. Thank you for your passion. A really sad day.

I like it! I'm so old I was at the '64 GF. You'd better order 2 copies. GASP! (By the way, we are a LONG way off being a genuinely good side. We have a number of players who arguably are not good enough to play in a good to very good side: Warnock, Bartram, Rivers, Miller, Dunn, ...) Please bring in: Gysberts, Cheney, Junior

Melbourne kick ins are surely going to consign me to an early grave. Our set ups are generally predictable and non-innovative. Our execution is often somewhere from poor to average. Garland is NOT a good option to kick the ball in. He lacks initiative and vision. I've said it before ... watch the successful opposition sides and start copying them.

A handy Demaon line-up: B: Rollinsen, Johnston, Ingason HB: Loveit, Harderman, Sulliven C: Elves, Man, Dickson HF: Lion, Schwatz, Burke F: Dittrich, Jackervich, Pettard R: Stines, Barasi, Callary IC: Heely, Wonamerri, Trengrove, G. Osburn Coach: John Northee

GC will clearly be interested in Petterd. Equally clear is that they will be able to offer him more than we can. It will simply come down to whether Ricky goes for the money or stays with the club he 'loves'. The fact that no contract progress has been reported despite being sidelined for 6 or 7 weeks is not a good sign. There is no doubt that the odds are firming that Ricky will leave. As Richard Bolt says in a 'Man for all Seasons', "Every man has his price".

Gysberts definitely stays in. Based on QB, Miller stays in. Sylvia has no right to be an automatic inclusion. Junior definitely returns if fit. I don't like dropping Watts then resting him for the week, so leave him in. McKenzie or Jetta would be stiff, but one might have to give way for Junior.

Jimmy is in huge trouble. We are all hoping for a miracle - and that's exactly what he needs. I suspect he knows that. No man on earth deserves a better outcome than the one Jimmy is facing.

All demon supporters wish the WW all the best. The main aim is for the WW to come off at the end of the game uninjured! I'm sure a certain former player (number 11) will be watching with interest.

What a significant day! Forget slack Jack Clennett! This was Robbie Flower's first game! By the way, I think you'll find the player that kicked a bag for the Dees was Glenn Swan (8 goals from memory).

I'm really glad I started this thread. Thank you to all the contributors. It's refreshing to have related issues to debate other than the current ones. I felt bad last Monday seeing Dicko on the 'G. (I left him out of my team.) I also enjoyed seeing John Lord on the ground. Can anyone confirm his nickname ... was it 'DANGA' ? I remember seeing on a banner (in about 1964!) and always wondered what its significance was. I can still remember Lordy religiuosly using a drop kick when kicking for goal. By the way, did anyone sit up in the "Old Grey Smith" stand? Loved racing up and down the wooden stairs at the back of the stand.

Start by observing successful oppositions and copying some of their strategies. For example: C'wood!!

I remember Bobby McKenzie's son, also named Bobby. Played in numbers 50 then 2. (1971 to 1973 or there abouts). Half forward flanker or wingman. Clever, but a bit of a dodgy kick!

I watched Don Williams from 1964 to 1966. He was a real dasher. His nick name was 'train'. Sad that he is no longer with us. I might have seen Geoff Tunbridge play once or twice. I really can't remember him.

My favourite memory of B. Vagg was in 1968. We were playing Hawthorn at the MCG. It was unbelievably wet so I sat up the top of the southern stand directly behind the punt road goal. We were behind all day including about 5 goals in arrears at 3 quarter time. We started catching up during the final quarter. With less than 10 seconds to go, B. Vagg picked the ball up on the half forward line, about 35 metres out. He turned around and kicked it on his left foot. As the ball sailed towards the punt road goal, the siren sounded. Straight through the centre! The Demons won by 4 points.

I first started going to the footy regularly in 1961. Melbourne were the only side that played at the MCG (not the 'G in those days), Ronald Dale was captain and Norm Smith coach. Many greats were very near the end of their careers. Ian Thorogood, Bluey Adams, Laurie Mithen etc. This is my best team from the last 50 years. Some explanation will be required. B: A Johnson, Tassie Johnson, A Ingerson HB: B Lovett, D Neitz, G Hardeman C: S Alves, H Mann, S Tingay HF: R Flower, D Schwarz, Gerard Healy F: G Lyon, A Jackovich, J Farmer R: J Stynes, R Barassi, T Viney Inter: G Wells, C Ditterich, J McDonald, B Bourke A Johnson was a highly skilled, very attacking, long kicking player. Other great back pocket players include: F Davis and L Fowler. Fowler, Ditterich and Viney rank as the three toughest Demons I have watched. Tassie Johnson was the quintessential fullback. Highly skilled, composed and a great kick. Other handy ones include: R Biffin and D Hughes Anthony Ingerson was sensational for us around 1998 to 2000. This position was the hardest to decide. Brett Lovett was a wonderful half back flanker. Smart, creative and brilliant with his hands. David Neitz was a natural at CHB. Tall, tough, attacking and a thumping kick. A better CHB than FF. Gary Hardeman was the CHB in our team of the century. He could just as easily star on the flank. Fast, attacking, fabulous in the air. He could also kick 60 metres on his left foot. I desperately need to include 3 wingers. So, the best (RF) will play on the half forward line. If you're not happy, view a tape of the 1987 finals series. Stan Alves was a standout player and leader for a decade. Fast, skillful, passionate. Hassa Mann What a player! Experts rate him as very good. What a joke. He was much better than this. Hassa was top shelf. Stephen Tingay A great player. Super skilled on both sides of his body. Now for the forwards... Robbie Flower was simply the best Melbourne player I have seen. Sublime skills. When injury free, no one ever nailed him. David Schwarz would have been scary but for 3 knee recos. Even so he was still very good. Gerard Healy was a very good player who became an outstanding one at the Swans. Clever, creative and damaging. Garry Lyon A superb player. Very competitive, great kick, genuine leader. Allen Jackovich Freakish skills, magnificent kick, capable of kicking 6+ goals on a regular basis. Jim Stynes What more needs to be said. Ron Barassi I only watched him play for 4 years, but that was long enough. The most fierce competitor I have ever seen. Todd Viney Tough, super fit and consistent. On the pine: G Wells Ball magnet, great mark for his size. C Ditterich Aggressive, athletic. A real protector. I actually watched his famous first game at Junction Oval (1963) J McDonald His last 5 or 6 years have been nothing short of inspirational. B Bourke A bit of a favourite of mine. Could literally play anywhere. Skillful, fast, smart and courageous. Took a telling mark in the the defensive goalsquare with about a minute to play in the '64 grand final. Coach Norm Smith No surprises there! Stiff to miss out: B Dixon Super competitive, great mark. His best footy was mainly behind him when I watched him in action. F Davis Courageous, skillfull and reliable. L Fowler Super tough, aggressive. A Yze At his peak he was a genuine game breaker. S Febey Reliable, consistent. R Robertson Very effective as second string key forward. Hope this is of interest!