Eth

Dean Bailey on SEN saying Watts will play. Dammit

MELBOURNE v COLLINGWOOD

Melbourne

B: Clint Bartram, Matthew Warnock, James Frawley

HB: Cameron Bruce, Jared Rivers, Jack Grimes

C: Colin Sylvia, Jack Trengove, Tom Scully

HF: Neville Jetta, Matthew Bate, Lynden Dunn

F: Brad Green, Brad Miller, Aaron Davey

Foll: Mark Jamar, Brent Moloney, Jordie McKenzie

I/C (from): Colin Garland, Cale Morton, Jordan Gysberts, Nathan Jones, Jack Watts, Paul Johnson, Jamie Bennell

In: Dunn, Frawley, McKenzie

Out: McDonald, Watts, Jones

Expecting something like this

eth 38 they are only up to rd 8 in the vfl as the season started later and they had a bye only thing i agree cheney is good to and due for a game, but they are both different players, and i feel at the moment our backline is better than our forward line, by miles, making it hard for cheney.

i agree dee-luded that he has had poor body langugage but i think in recent times it has turned around, and he is really puttin in 100% in contests and also not responding negatively when mistakes up the field are made or when he makes a mistake.

the master, he runs the 100m is 10 seconds im not sure on his 20m times? and muscle wise small forwards arent really that role, i can see him roving off the packs in the future meaning bennell and jetta can play a flank/ wing role. also he is signed on til the end of next year and i agree if he doesnt start to play regular afl football he will be cut or traded, but i can see him develop into a good afl player.

Ah, didn't know that.

Still think Cheney is more likely to be picked as our small crumbing forwards are doing OK and we need a small defender to combat Collingwood's small forward line.

Hope to hear Petterd signed with the batch.

My stomach's going to drop if he's not with the next group

How about his Round 9 and 10 stats?

Personally I think Kyle Cheney's recent form is more deserving of a call up, plus we seem to have the area of small forwards covered right now.

How could any demon supporter?

But to me he doesn't count. That wasn't a normal pick; it was a monumental stuff up by CAC and then horrendous luck for the poor boy to boot.

Just think, Nicky Dal was taken with pick 13 that year

Yeah, look how well that theory worked with Brisbane and Collingwood this year.

Or rather, look at those 2 teams and the trade for experienced players that we were involved in less recently.

Or the trade with Carlton.

There is room to trade for experience, but when it involves your first round pick it is generally a bad idea.

Considering we'll end up with pick 10, 12 or 14 and we got Grimes & Gysberts around then, it is a dicey proposition.

(although we also got Dunn, Bell and Nick Smith around then, but I think the science of drafting has been honed since then)

Don't forget...

LUKE MOLAN AT PICK 9

That about covers it "Golf" but why hasn't Dunn been tried?

Perhaps he isn't keen! surely after 8 goals on saturday he might be played at full forward for a couple of quarters!

He's also averaging the most marks (6 and a half per game) for Melbourne, play him 15-25 metres out as Brad Gotch said and we might have a full forward solution.

Don't worry, Matt Rendell's just had a massive brain fart if he thinks Gold Coast/Western Sydney will together win ten flags from 2014/2015. Seriously? Melbourne will be the strongest Victorian team - no doubt. Carlton I think will be top four material. Hawthorn's got a very young team. And West Coast and Fremantle have young lists which is starting to reward the latter team.

Besides, 2024 - that's 14 years away. The draftees are 17-18 this year. 18 plus 14 is 32. A premiership team isn't made up of 32 year olds.

Why are we trading for more small players? I really don't get you guys.

Gray has resigned, and Boak...he might not even crack the best 22 with Scully, Trengove, Gysberts, McKenzie, Blease, Tapscott, Davey etc.

We need talls. Seems like you guys want smalls.

IN: Hughes, Dunn

OUT: Watts, Miller

That might work.

Jack Watts needs some more time at Casey. I hope he goes back via suspension for kicking Nick Maxwell's ass.

Just floating the thought that we're struggling at delivering the ball to about 20-40 metres out, and wondering if it's not worth throwing Watts, or even McNamara into the square where we wouldn't have to try and be so precise and could have a big unit to catch the ball? (Old school, I know)

I like Green, Sylvia, Dunn, Bate, and even occasionally Moloney from 40-50, but we're struggling to hit targets at that mid distance between there and the square. We have some big fellas in Watts, McNamara, Martin, Morton, and even Green plays above his size down there, could they be used well there?

Watts could get some much needed confidence from a few shots at close range.

Rivers could even play around half forward to utilise his marking, as he's mostly struggling down back with the modern style of short possession game.

Thoughts?

Chuck Watts in the square to play alongside Green, Sylvia and Dun who will also float in the 50, and move Garland and Morton in there too. Bate should float around 50.

Sylvia?

He'd be a test.

How will our defensive match ups play out for the game?

I accused the coaching staff last year of tanking early, by the fact they started Frawley on Lockyer, while Cloke ran up to the HF/Wing and continually marked whilst Rivers was on him, and of course Dick destroyed us as well.

I think if Frawley plays he must go to Cloke. He has been their most dangerous forward this year, and when he is up and about so are the Pies. If Rivers goes to him again, and like against the Eagles with Kennedy, we will get torced again.

It may be negative, but i would just about advocate trying to get Rivers playing as a loose man in defence from the start of the game, as i don't really see an appropraite match up for him, unless Fraser or Jolly starts down there.

Grimes can play on either Medhurst or Davis, with Bruce going to the other, and Warnock gets Brown or Dawes.

Didak is a worry, as Junior and Jones may have taken him. I have called for a Daniel Bell recall for this role as he as been playing it at Casey, and as he has played as a defender, he can handle himself when Didak goes forward.

So...

Warnock takes Fraser/Jolly/Dawes/Brown. Basically the key forward playing down there.

Rivers to take another key, otherwise play loose

Frawley takes Cloke

Bruce takes Medhurst

CHENEY takes Davis - should get called up this week

Grimes takes Didak

Sound good?

MELBOURNE

James Frawley (back) test

Nathan Jones (hamstring) test

James McDonald (hamstring) test

Sam Blease (leg) 2 weeks

Liam Jurrah (shoulder) 3 weeks

Jake Spencer (knee) 3 weeks

Rohan Bail (cheekbone) 3-4 weeks

Luke Tapscott (hip) 4 weeks

Max Gawn (knee) 5 weeks

John Meesen (ankle) indefinite

Ricky Petterd (shoulder) season

Hope that Frawley, Jones and McDonald will be right for Queen's Birthday. Good to see Blease down to 2 weeks away and Fitzpatrick not on there anymore :D

Moloney's more of an off-field captain, his decision making isn't as good as it could be on-field. So how about Junior as captain in 2011 (considering he doesn't retire), then Green, Moloney, Davey, Grimes, Bruce and Frawley as vice-captains/the rest of the leadership group? Miller will be gone, and Rivers...I have a feeling he may be snapped up by the Gold Coast.

I like the look of that list and adding Grimes and Frawley will just boost their confidence.

Brad Green looks the most leader-ish out on the field.

But Junior hasn't retired yet.

The few times we have started well this year we have gone on to win or lose (Filth, Dogs)

Oh really.

Well, whenever we've had a great start we've gone on to be competitive throughout the rest of the game. (Collingwood, Bulldogs, Brisbane, Richmond) But the other times? It's taken us until the second half to get to our best, and by that time we're just trying to catch up. Something needs to be said to the players about this D:

Future is not looking to good for young Blease, My gut tells me we have wasted a top 20 pick. I honestly don't think the kid will play a senior game for Melbourne. I think if we do re sign him it will be on one year contracts.

Always a bit of pessimism on Demonland, isn't there...

That's our clash jumper this year. No predominant red jumper or anything.

If you ask me every team should have a mainly white clash jumper with the team logo across the front (e.g. Doggies, Freo, Brisbane, St Kilda and now Melbourne). That includes you Essendon and Collingwood

Spot on "Inner Demon"

Jack should be playing for casey this weekend, his spot goes to Dunn who kicked 8 last week and will not intimidated by pie thugs.

Personally I'd like to see Jack play and get suspended for beating Nick Maxwell up

....err what was the name of that tall forward everybody wanted to draft on here with pick 11??????????

Some Adelaide player who apparently is struggling in the SANFL

Nice bet.

no worries.

i hope he over comes these little injuries and also gets a run in the casey firsts soon

Screw that, give him AFL experience. The sooner we have a key forward the better