monoccular

After today's events, there will be even more pressure on him - it will be a great test of his character and of his and the club's leadership qualities. I have a feeling that he will do well, with things to prove, though may be physically underdone.

One area of concern is that presumably Clark will have to perform ruck duties to relieve TMR......who will be our big, tough, strong, aggressive target up forward when he is doing that? Could we possibly be so old fashioned as to 'rest' the ruckman deep in the forward line - after all it worked pretty well for old uncle Norm, with Big Bob Johnson !! Realistically Martin wasn't going to come straight back in after injury time off. Does any one know if he (and Sellar and Fitz for that matter) are in the Casey line up (assuming I think that the byes don't start until next weekend??) ??

I agree - the "Selwood Slide" is gamesmanship, bordering on cheating, but the head first dive into an opponent's body, or worse his legs, is just foolhardy and reckless, and should be penalised but I am not sure under which current rule.

Cale v Cyril bothers me a whole lot more

Healeys? Greg certainly had the club loyalty, heart and toughness; Gerard, who started with us had the silk (and the Brownlow).

IF he was interested, he would be a massive acquisition. Could I go as far as saying a club saving one?

I was thinking exactly the same thing, old dee.Gys would be the only one I would at this stage have in my top 25.

We will win because IF our players are - tough - uncompromising - disciplined - united

Neeld inherited an unfit dysfunctional group / mob of players who were very short on discipline and accountability. Sure the free running style sometimes came off and was exciting but probably never destined to get above mid table. Anyone remember Balme as coach? He let them do more or less as they liked, it seemed. And we had a pretty good list then to work with. Exciting at times but also very unpredictable under pressure from a well drilled defensive team. We should all hope MN's (certainly less visually appealing) more accountable plan will get us further. Far far too soon to judge Neeld - it will take another full preseason of Misson's slave driving to be able to make that call.

It is interesting to contemplate that were the internet and such sites as this around in 1953, around this time, would the punters be calling for the sacking of that useless incompetent coach, Norm Smith, and the trading (or delisting then) of those hopeless youngsters like Barassi, Adams, Dixon, Rowarth,Tassie Johnson, Thorogood, Tunbridge (an awful kick) etc etc? Just something to think about. Then fast forward 2 years, 3 years, 4,5,6,7,8,9, 10, 11 years and the smug ones there would have seen it all developing - again in retrospect! So why wait till the end of the year to sack Neeld - after all, he has achieved absolutely nothing apparently, and while we are at it get rid of Missen too - he has been too hard on the poor darlings (sorry to use that word as it excites some here) and they are a bit tired. Say sorry and bring back Bailey and his fitness team (assuming he had one).

And drafting is such an exact science, isn't it. So easy that anyone can do it, especially in retrospect. One could also ask of course how Tippet and Robinson would have 'developed' in our club. But being right is much more fun ? ;-)( ?

......and 59 & 60 too.

......and though I don't have the exact detail of ladder position, MFC were in the doldrums circa 1953, appointed a hard nut as coach, then played in the next 7 GFs with 5 wins, in an unprecedented and unrepeated period of absolute dominance!!! PS: Checked - second last, 3 wins for the season 1953 - runners up in 54 and premiers 55,56,57,59,60

I presume that you are speaking tongue in cheek, or are you Bluey from Demonology in disguise?

Overall I like it. Strauss remains, in my mind, a "hopeful", and Sheehan and Cook surely even more speculative. I personally look forward to Tom McDonald at CHF, but IF, and that is a big IF, all those develop as best hoped then we could be getting somewhere good!

Is any team "in the window" going to pay big bucks for a midfielder who doesn't show up against top teams? Goo luck to him.

.......well, it was as pi55weak as an AFL decision.So, he gets in effect 2 weeks for head high charge breaking an opponent's jaw; like 66% of a Jack Trengove tackle following which the 'victim', allegedly concussed, went out and kicked a bag of goals? Einstein's theory of relativity is certainly easier to understand that that of AFL and VFL tribunals.

I didn't see the game - but i am pleased to see that Tom McD is again seen by many as doing well. QUESTION: Does anyone feel that he is ready to be moved forward yet, or should he probably play even most of this season at CHB?? He seems to me to have the physique and the aggression to fill our long under performed CHF role.

Some days they take the consequence into account: other ties they don't, at least the AFL tribunal / MRP. I am not so sure regarding the VFL. I do seem to remember some p'weak penalty dished out in the last year or so to someone who intentionally severely injured one of our Casey players.

I understood - don't have the stats - that we were doing reasonably well on hard ball (may be wrong) but weren't getting enough "receives" which will (hopefully) grow from the former.A process in evolution.

Check the guy's name out -- presumably some relic of the Roman Empire, and may therefore also remember MFC's glory days. And, next year he may choose to change it ti Dee-Viney.

Yes Referred straight to the tribunal usually means that they 'view it seriously' though the inconsistencies are so gross that anything at all could happen, or nothing.

...and in fact at the very same ground. Was it a fist or elbow? He would have played very few games in this era of video review and MRP.

Courageous, attacking, positive and one thing we desperately lack especially in some of our other our higher picks incl JW, JT, CS and others, AGGRESSION!!! Already a favourite after half a game of VFL, and nearly aa year out from pulling on the R&B.

I wasn't referring to the journey, more the difficulty in getting into the bloody stadium!!!