satyricon

Jamar - average, he killed them in the centre, have a look at the clearances, he is nearly working on his own. Bartram - this is the answer Bailey is looking for, he has forced his way into the side and has to perform every week. He is showing he can do it. Jones had an ordinary day, but did his part. McDonald was nearly our best, would put him on part with Frawley and Grimes

The posts on this topic tick along nicely with some nicely thought out changes.....then it finally gets back to it. Bate - bash Bruce - bash Newton - bash a couple of weeks ago there were posters on here suggesting Martin was not even a footballer now everybody wants him back in, in place of Newton, Bate must be slow he did not have the speed to get to those two gimme goals, Bruce is Bruce live with it, he is not going to be dropped

Have we all checked the MFC site in the last half an hour, Bailey quoted as saying that Sylvia is still no certainty to play, my point about blowing smoke.......

Of topic Just a technical note, if you have a built in digital tuner you won't be able to do it, but if you have a set top box you can split the antenna and put one in the box and one in the tv, setting the box to S-Video or AV and the TV to TV, that way you just switch on the TV and not the box

I can't give specific examples last year was last year, have a vague memory one involved Robbo that's all, we have named 25 players, when the game starts the 4 on the bench won't necessarily be sitting there, I think you can even change the extended bench until 5pm Friday From the AFL website "Melbourne, Adelaide, the Western Bulldogs, Hawthorn, Fremantle and the Geelong Cats will name their final sides (22 plus three emergencies) from 5pm AEST on Friday" Note the word final

Sorry to correct you but we can shuffle the 25 anyway we want until 5pm Friday when we have to finalise,we did this a couple of times last year, I think Robbo went in or out and he wasn't even named in the original 25 on one occasion. Hence why I said think Bennel will end up as an emergency, and think Goodwin may not appear for the Crows

It has been around too long, it is stale and well past it's used by date....Sam Newman and Crawford should stick to Footy fundraising nights at local suburban clubs, where the audience is too drunk too care....or perhaps we should be all drunk and stoned and then watch it..the audience has moved on.....I thought the Bounce might be a good alternative...but unfortunately Rove got involved and it is puerile rubbish.......it would be better if they had a format similar to a program called Sports Soup on One (think that's what it's called..fast paced.......and the other great alternative is the Mangarook (not sure of spelling again) Footy Show......

I think there is a bit of subterfuge going on until 5pm tonight, Adelaide are going to have a reasonably big forward line, think Bennell will go from picked to emergency and Cheney will come in, think Bartram and Junior will tag team Goodwin who is under a bit of an injury cloud (if he playes at all), and Newton will stay in along with Dunn who I think will play as a floater using his size around the park

It is not all the comments I have problems with, it is "he's a spud", "he's soft", "can't kick" and when you ask why no explanation is forthcoming, I am not trying to change minds with certain posters that is a lost cause and I wouldn't waste my time, what I am looking for is measured arguements and proper discussions. Bruce has been a gteat servant to the Club over the last ten years, he is consitently been in the top ten in B&F in the last few of them, yes he makes a couple of wrong decisions or mistakes during the game.....but every athlete will with the intense pressure they are under.....I am not defending him I just don't like to see supposed supporters of the Club continually bag a player and not be willing to enter a discussion on why they think that way without resorting to what I said above......this does not necessarily include you

I honestly thought my reply was well thought out, yes they are professional athletes, but they are also human beings, would you prefer to watch a game played by robots so no mistakes are made, I am not making excuses, it just annoys me when people can sit behind a keyboard and criticise a player for perceived weaknesses when most probably the majority have never played at AFL level, yes we have all watched it and yes we can all form opinions, but unless you actually have first hand experience at that level, how do you know why a player does certain things right or wrong,. It is not the posters who can back up their reasoning I have a problem with, it is the poster who will just make a bald statement about a certain players abilities or lack of and when you ask why? the response is either abusive, condescending or they don't bother.

He needs to get nominated to do that, hasn't managed it in a losing team in the first two rounds

My point is no matter how much practice, of the twenty probably a couple will not hit the target or you will be smashed. Roger Federer practices everyday but still puts the ball into the net now and again. We can all be very good standing by ourselves handballing to a number on a wall, but when the pressure is on. How any posters can honestly say (if they have played the game), that they never missed a kick, handballed into fresh air or hospital passed.........probably only the ones that play their best games in their dreams (as we all have at one time or another) Bailey wants them to take risks, it is bloody exciting, I can live with the errors, we stuffed up a couple of times than fought to get it back, only a couple of times did it cost us.

Here is an experiment to try.....first run about 5km as flat out as you can, you can have breaks along the way, but only a maximum of twenty seconds each time.....then get in a small room and turn some noise on as loud as you can, put about three other people in the room.......then have two of your bigger friends 85-90k would be good, burst through the door into the room and run straight at you......you have to dodge them and also dodge the other three people there as well and handball the ball you have found on the floor of the room....through the open doorway into the hands of a friend you have standiing outside.......repeat twenty times in twenty minutes and see how many times you can successfully get to the friend outside

Is it on the Club website as well it is a competition to be named in the team against Brissby for members, lots of things to do on the day........a good membership initiative

If you want to see some really nasty vitriol being spat out about certain players, suggest you have a quick squiz at Demonology....there are a lot of 'keyboard heroes' who dish it out on a regular basis.......the only interesting bit it is the same players. Bruce, Bate, Batram and Newton and everybody's new favourite Jamie (Squib) Bennell......I am all for construcitve criticism, but if a poster makes a statement about a player, they need to put some reasoning behind the observation. Your last bit with the analysis is spot on.

All we have seen about the Gold Coast is speculation, every Club is focused on List Management now, what if Melbourne don't see Petterd as part of the future based on Cam Scwab's matrix from the Whiteboard Wednesday, and they are looking at offloading him after he has served a purpose this season, what if Jamar is looking to go elsewhere, we don't know, the Gold Coast cannot afford to pick 22 stars and pay them the kings ransom, they will probably snare 1 marquee player 2 if they are lucky and the rest will probably be second stringers at clubs. Personally I am sure Petterd can see the light at the end of the tunnel with Melbourne, and he has a coach who is helping turn him into an oustanding medium sized forward ........give everything time...... we don't even know what the makeup of the team will be until 5pm tonight. People seem intent on driving themselves crazy with all this speculation. Wait until the end of the season, and what unfolds unfolds......I am just looking forward to the game on Sunday and seeing the same effort from the team...and will be happy with whoever Bailey and the panel pick.......

I wasn't asking for a blue I was asking you to explain your comments, if you wish to leave it that is cool with me

To look at the game another way, what we need to do is. Maxwell and Shaw provided heaps of run and carry out of Collingwood's back half - NOT Davis and Didak were a constant threat to Melbourne and scored a heap of goals between them - NOT Swann dominated in midfield and racked him a thousand possessions - NOT Cloke was a constant threat in the air and dragged down a dozen contested marks - NOT etc etc Collingwood smashed Melbourne by over 50 points as everybody expected them to - NOT That basically says that 22 Melbourne players all did the job asked of them by their much maligned coach and the game plan and match ups worked to such an extent we were bloody unlucky to lose to a top 4 rated side. If Sylvia comes in I will feel sorry for whoever he replaces after the effort they all put in on Saturday, mistakes and all, let's go back to the safety first footbally we played against Hawthorn...yeah that should work

Do we need to pay attention to your thoughts, or are we allowed to have out own opinions on how each player played on Sautrday, could you explain why Bate was rubbish, who made Bennell look good and what was wrong with Dunn's role in the game, if you read other posts you will find there is a lot of support for all three, I can only see Sylvia coming in at the moment, and who he will replace I have no idea coz I am not on the Match Committee at Melbourne

Dappa D, that is my point, there are posters on here who I think will put something just to start a fight, there are others who have studied/played/watched etc footy for over 30 years (I count myself as one of those), others who just want Melbourne to win.......as long as nobody attacks me personally I will read what they have to say, and if I think it needs a reply I will. The point re the second-tier players I have mentioned is that the Club has stated the same they need to lift. Bailey inherited them, Daniher had done the best he could, but I think the development of the younger players towards the end of his tenure was not his or his support staffs forte....I think what Bailey is saying to that group....mentioned above.is that that has changed in the last two years.....you have been helped, you need to improve etc etc........Bate has improved, Sylvia has more than improved, the others are getting there.they have to or they have no future....

Dappa, that's what makes this board/forum so interesting, and why I came back to it, everybody has an opinion and they are entitled to it, if you can put forward an argument/idea and the rationale behind it, without being rude, abusive etc that you should do. I started this topic because I personally think Bater is a very good player and thought he was being unjustly criticised in my opinion. We have two days of healthy debate......excellent.........now lets start on Michael Newton or do we need to sart anothe rtopic........again I think he is a good player.....unfortunately his period when he was supposed to be growing as player has been absolute turmoil with the club.......it is interesting that the improvement in those players.....Bate, Bartram, Jones, Dunn, Newton had stalled but is now starting to gather momentum...have no fear if Bailey thinks they have no use to Melbourne when their contract is up...they will be gone......discuss.....

It was Newton, as for Brock McLean great bloke off the field, don't care what he does now on it not a Melbourne player

This is my two bobs worth. Sylvia will be in, but not sure who he will replace. Rivers will be in, again not sure for who. These may or may not be the only changes The next cabs off the rank will be Gysberts (already named as an emergency, Blease, will be knocking the door down, Jetta once fit had a taste and wants back in, Cheney who knocks the door down constantlym and then Watts. Believe because of the physical development that Tom McNamara has shown, he is over 90k now so I believe and has grown a bit, will be developed as a backup for Warnock as our Gorilla minder, with a bit more of a skillset

I was feeling a bit down today, back at work after a good Easter break, then I read your bit about Bruce, gave me a really good laugh and cheered me up no end. Bruce played a lot of the time on Saturday on Cloke, Collingwood's midget, obviously Bailey wants to give him a nice soft job. Bruce is our Mr Fixit in the back half, coming off an interrupted pre season, finishes in the top 10 in B&F every year, obviously you can see something everybody else can't

These days it seems you have to get a heap of possessions or goals to be considered, Hanneberry with his 20 odd is this weeks nomination. I had a really good chat to Jordie at the Family Day, loves the tackling and the in and under, but wants to work on his disposal and getting goals, very very humble, wasn't sure he had done enough in the preseason to be elevated at that stage. Loves the Club who gave him a chance, had other offers (Adelaide), but was easy decision to stay. Junior (who I spoke to also) said he loved playing alongside and with him, would assume there will be quite a few opposition players panicking in the next few weeks if they hear a couple of sets of footsteps coming towards them