Demon17

Good comment. Compared to the garbage/bias you read on other club sites this is reasonably balanced without the emotion either. Some comments actually reflect demonland comments during the season.

Great call. Could be our biggest risk and needs attention in selection. Tyson worked well as an extractor on Friday but was on the wing at a couple of centre bounces. He and Jones can't play that role next week. Need a fast stopper here.

Agree. I will be staggrted if viney plays a substantial midfield role. A few minutes and stoppages here and there. Its performing too well to disturb.

Any way to get finals experience into Oliver, Brayshaw, Gawn etc is worth while no matter how it plays out. And based on narrow losses recently to Port and Cats I am a believer that a first final in Melbourne from 8th is winnable ( if Viney is back would help ). In the absence of a home game this weekend I WILL be attending the Pies/Port game and I WILL be cheering the home team - and closely monitoring Jack Watts efforts just for interest.

No way does Port win either of their next 2, Pies and Bombers. Champion data also forecasts this. Melb , even losing next 2, end up 8th on %. And this will be clear on the Friday night of Rd 23 when Bombers play Port. So if Port DOES win, then at least its still up to club to beat GWS.

Good predictions but I don't agree on cats/hawks and we will know more after Saturday, but I see the Hawks as greatly underrated, and the opposite for the Cats. Both forms lines have plusses and minuses but Hawks have the defence, attack and midfield to beat the cats.

And the Eagles game is at the new Optus Stadium which is the exact dimensions as the G, so no surprises like the old WA ground which was narrow. Should be helpful

Jake lever???????

Its called relevancy deprivation for Boomer. Trying to build any profile when not a serious journalist (I'm looking at you Kane Cornes) is the textbook approach to build post game career. Too many ex players by far. Ex champ Jimmy Bartel is the worst. No idea on interviewing and getting info we don't already know. Just a head on the screen with nothing better to offer now retired.

I would be mortified if the Lever-less defence also had Lewis out. Maturity and a cool head needed and given his limitations sometimes Lewis does that role very well. Same for Bernie. They will help the transition with Oscar this year and one or both should be mandatory at present. Lever BTW seems to becoming a Ch 7 darling and was great with Daisy on their Sunday show today. Future skipper for sure.

Anywhere from 9th to 6th. But I used the points predictor with some confidence based on when we win , we win big (9 goals plus. Thus the prediction of 119% could be low and I think 125% will be closer giving some insurance at the end. Sunday will tell if the team is still on that track regarding crushing the poorer opposition.

People forget the Pies were absolutely taken to the cleaners by the Cats only a few weeks ago No goals in a half or something close to it.

Bingo.

The AFL site says a new ladder predictor is to be relaesd by end of this month (June) I agree on Pies. I think they are the team in real danger of missing 8. I have them on 11 firm wins and every other match a tough one. If they make it they will fully deserve. Personally, I was pleased North got up. I think Dees will make it, but my nightmare is meeting Hawks in first final. North helped to keep them out by their win against the Dogs.

Flat track bullies is a cheap and lazy cliche by media and posters on here.. The evidence in 2017 was that This team by and large beat Adelaide in Adelaide last year and eagles in Perth . Not much has changed team wise except for Hogan being available and Gawn in better form since then in terms of team membership and mindset and the team has arguably improved. Last night is being hailed as the great Friday night game of the year and Melbourne lost no respect ( so says Gerard Whately) had the Cats beaten in Rd 1 and flogged last year's Grand finalist only a few weeks ago. The game is more complex than a slogan.

FWIT I thought I would add that after last night, and the Inside 50's, I am confident the forward issues can be fixed and we have huge upcoming % builders for next 3 weeks. I think this will be important also as well as point obviously.

Bartlett actually said: "... PROCESS has been going for quite a few weeks..." Not that Pert applied a few weeks ago. Didn't say "..short time...". Just that he achieved a lot in his time there, which he did, especially with where the Board wants to take the club. Very little discussion on it, except Bartlett refereed , as SF says, a non-leaking Board. As if to say the ' experts' were bind sided by appointment and a bit miffed they were not in the loop - that's you Damien Barrett.(who has no idea IMO) What does concern me is the constant sniping by John Rothfield on the non-transparency of the process. Dr. Turf needs to understand its confidentiality that' s most important and on Monday's Footy Classified, Chris Judd gave an excellent summary of his well sourced knowledge of what happened. Worth a listen, taking it up to Barrett.

Really good post. The fugazi will be coming from media and others who have no experience and or idea how CEO's are appointed under these circumstances, and the probity issues required. FUGAZI !!!!!!!!!!!!! Move on .

Last week I may have imagined this but I believed we saw the first good signs of Lever and OMac playing very complimentary sides to their games on Sunday, along with Hibberd being their go - to player in a tight situation. Time will tell but quietly confident the team has close to a finals standard defence now in the making.

yes it does. and I agree, but the issue for me is the " what if..." The club clearly have a strong view on list quality which I agree with. No finals next year will be a bigger disaster than 2017

And the sky might fall too. Confusing post. We have a great list , and strong backlines win flags, but "...if we finish bottom 4..."

A really sensible post and an insight into Mahoney's thinking. As said earlier, they are backing in the talent there now, topping up, allowing Tom Mac flexibility and saying again - destination club.. This stat from MikeAlpha says we have pro rata 4 times as many good Under 22's than we should on average. Mission accomplished. Beating yourselves up over picks or whatever is meaningless and not how business gets done in real life. A key message there I reckon.

Thanks Stingray. Hibberd is a great ball distributor in defence allowing the not so good kicks to do their thing , but he provides great outlet, like Salem. Watching him end to end at Adelaide last week was insightful. Huge pick up by Goodwin.

I don't understand why Hibberd doesn't just take Essendon to court and have his contract terminated for the Bombers negligence and lack of Duty of Care to him as an employee.? And seek the court to order his costs payable by Bombers while he's at it. No brainer.

Good Post. Its about club success over here as he has stated etc. I am more rapt now with jack's re-signing this week and the team the recruiters have built. Give me a strong midfield any day. Hogan can be replaced and won't win us the flag. That's the mid fields job. This Sunday could be our watershed game!