Webber

Howe is a frustrating type. We love him for his skills obviously, and he's quick, courageous and now kicks a good set shot. He significantly lacks physical presence though, and gets pushed off the ball, past the ball and is shepherded/obstructed from the ball way too easily. It's not about absolute strength he lacks, it's about how well he imposes what he does have, and the physical teams just lock him out of the game. Unless he grows this part of his repertoire, he will continue to be that spectacular but bit-part player.

Eminence........... prepare to have your character built some more. Your mettle will be tested, your hackles raised, and your sanity questioned. Yeehaaaaaa.....

Thought provoking OP, and it's interesting to see the current 'equalisation' agenda, which would be the no.1 story at the moment if not for the Bombers debacle. It's really more of a re-equalisation, as the draft and salary cap were the initial pillars. Essentially the AFL has a hard task ahead, with the competing principles of allowing the lesser clubs revenue raising opportunities (prime time tv) with commercial maximisation (Collingwood v Hawthorn the optimum prime time coupling). TV is king, not so much as the NRL, where nobody goes to the games, but the major fixturing driver nonetheless. There is a catch 22 in that in NOT fixturing the lesser clubs in prime time, regardless of on field success, their supporter growth potential is limited. But in order to justify equalisation measures, they MUST look to grow support. There is an absolute advantage to the non-Melbourne clubs which must be addressed on field as well as off. Geelong has a ridiculously gifted armchair ride season after season. Their own stadium, with 90% + parochial support, a geographical supporter base, no 'derbies' to even out the support, a la WA and SA clubs, and NO games there against the power clubs. The MFC are now and have always suffered from not having 'territory', and thus an identifiable community. We are a figurehead club, and the establishment club, and whilst that sounds nice, it's a bloody albatross, and it's time the AFL woke up to that.

I think it's known to everyone, us as supporters, the media, and undoubtedly the players, that this is GWS' best chance for a win this year. They kicked us around for 3 quarters at our home earlier this year, and will use that as evidence and motivation. Make no mistake, this is the Giants biggest game for the year. Our team knows it, and how we respond will reveal just how damaged we really are. If we're all honest, our psychological form this year would suggest we will crumble like the crumbliest of things.

Swallow's ridiculous protection from the umpires is enjoyed by only a few players in the AFL, and stands in stark contrast to the hammering that Nathan Jones gets without an ounce of attention from the maggots. It was woefully on display on Saturday. Jeremy Howe is consistently blocked from the marking contest illegally, and by rights should get a stream of free kicks. It's not a righteous world however, and he needs more strategy to get past it and more awareness and willingness from his teammates to help.

Eye of the beholder.......and all that. ;-)

Removing the metal is optional, based on whether it is problematic. Richo's may well have been known to cause issue, so requiring removal. Different surgeons, different methods, but before anybody starts questioning MC's surgeon, there is nothing to question. He's as good as it gets.

The simple, and unfortunately unsatisfying answer is that in these situations, as with all orthopaedics, there is never any guarantee. I know that won't satisfy you b59, but that's the logic of it. Every case is different, but the odds are heavily stacked in Mitch's favour. Just on the footwear issue, and the spate of foot related problems at MFC, the latter is coincidence, and we see them happen at other clubs. The former will be no different than any club. Footwear was not the cause of MC's injury.

I imagine they have a plan to get him settled to be available for full pre-season. That will be the reason for wiping the possibility of return this season.

Just one of those things. There's no reason to remove the metal fixateurs unless they create a problem, and there's no actual probability they will. If it isn't causing a problem, then don't intervene. I had a patient who just "didn't like the idea" of metal in his leg, despite full function (surf, snowboard), so had it removed, developed an infection in the bone as an unfortunate result of the removal, and spent the next 18 months out of action. In MC's case, he rehabbed well and was all good, so the fact he subsequently got some irritation is just what can POTENTIALLY happen. Not botched or bungled, just life. I have no idea of the stats, and it would be fraught with analytical complexities based on the definition of full recovery, due to differing expectations through the populous. For example, a recent patient is a musician, who likes running. He had a Lisfranc fracture/dislocation, and can run again. Could he sprint/jump repeatedly? Don't know, cos it's not part of his life, so he won't be doing that. A more relevant study would be AFL/VFL players who've had Lisfranc, but it would be a smallish group.

Depends on the wearer.....

It may be just you, chook! The foot is a brilliant combination of flexibility when required, and utter rigidity when being pushed off from. Bear in mind that in sprinting it takes 4 to 5 times the body weight in load at push off, and as such must be a completely rigid lever, then softens when not under load to allow conformation to uneven surfaces......bloody miraculous kit it is!

As I've stated before, Clarke's Lisfranc injury was a dislocation, not involving a fracture, which statistically makes it very likely he'll play again, for years in fact. Yes, Richo had the same injury. No, Egan's was completely different. Obviously, MC is having some irritation when he pushes weight bearing, which given the time left in the season, doesn't allow him enough time to get match fit once he gets back to full weight bearing, i.e sprinting. This is NOT about instability of the foot structure, just the irritable tissues involved in the area, which makes it very frustrating. Sometimes it just needs time to settle, and given his ongoing value to the club in the coming years when we are better, why risk perpetuating that irritation or have him underdone for a few dead rubber games at the end of this year? If football clubs indulged in some of the impetuous impatient rejections of common sense that some on here have, half the players we see out there would've been cut loose a while ago! See you next year Mitch.

This. They will hammer us flat.

Could try it, but the footy gods would know my heart wasn't in it.....

Maldon boy, as someone else who was conceived the year of our last premiership, I have occasional moments of horrible imagining that it was my entry into the world that cursed the club. Many thanks to you for allowing me now to share that burden ;-)

The reality is that all this emotional and time investment in a miserable losing team, where there is seldom any joy, only STRENGTHENS our resolve. Otherwise, what is all that investment for? It's brutally ironic that the worse things get as a Dees supporter, the less option there is to stop caring, as the sense of waste would be just too overwhelming. It's NOT an option. One day, Sisyphus adorned in his Red and Blue scarf will roll that boulder to the top of the hill, stand atop it, shout to the world "all good things come to the Dees who wait" then fall to his knees weeping with joy.

The AFL talks about equalisation, and in every respect as far as they are concerned it has to do with revenues and resources. This is the easy stuff for them to get right, they just need to dish it out where it's needed. IMO, the biggest point of inequality outside of this, and almost never talked about, is the gift of home ground advantage to select clubs. Geelong are the most disproportionately coddled club in the competition. They received a mountain of state and federal funding for the refurb of Kardinia Park, a ground which they get to play on in 50% of their games. A ground that has peculiarities of shape, and a crowd which probably has less opposition supporters there even than the West or SA teams. The influence on the psychology of the umpires and players is unquestioned. The other Melbourne clubs are by contrast playing in three circumstances ..... Neutrality ( against other Vics), gross disadvantage ( against interstate or Geelong away), mild to moderate advantage (interstate's at home). As a relative minnow when it comes to crowd attendances, we seldom play Geelong away from their home ground. For the past few decades, the MFC has had the poorest home ground advantage of all clubs, excepting arguably Richmond and North Melbourne, and it is only logical that this impacts on our win/loss ratio, as it does the other way for Geelong.

Jones slow??????Matt Jones not quick????? Odd!

You may be right about his influence around the club, and with the young ruckmen. He is a good tap ruckman, or at least provides a negating influence at the ruck. He is however effectively non existent in general play. The stats are unarguable in this respect, and as such is a huge liability, considering the influence of Gawn and Spencer in general play. The sums just don't add up when considering keeping Jamar as a player. His worth is negligible.

Could Fitz become the tallest wingman ever seen. He's got all the attributes.

Totally agree. His quality for his age at that ridiculous height, is very rare. He is going to be an enormous part of MFC going forward ( injuries and jumping ship not withstanding!)

Pretty sure he's in the top 5 in the AFL for inside 50's this year. A good midfield to bounce off(at MFC or otherwise), and the consistency of effort and work rate we've seen from him this year would make him very damaging. Seems his head might finally be right, and the past is just that. Based on this year, it's very hard to argue we shouldn't try to keep him.

Nonsense

If he's tackled before the ball comes back to him, then it's a free kick for holding the ball.