optimus_grimes

Off field problems aside, we need a midfield so badly. We can't win a clearance. I'm reserving judgement on the backs who get shelled every week and have no one to kick it to and the forwards who see a footy twice a quarter flying over their heads. We need to do everything we possibly can to attract some elite ball winners in the middle. Problem is why would you come? We have no appeal to blokes who want success unless you can sell it to a few all at once. How much room do we have in our cap to throw some money at two or three guys? Otherwise we are left with trying to draft and develop them. This scares me. Even if we do somehow draft well and by some miracle develop them well, we're looking down the barrel of another 2 years+ of getting bashed every week.

x 2. Only blokes who went hard at the footy once today. When the footy miraculously made it into our forward 50, davey was the only bloke who made any attempt to keep it there. Watch him nev and tapscott, learn something ffs

Here's a stat Most high contact frees for since 2009: J.Selwood 133 A.Selwood 104 A.Swallow 67 B.McGlynn 64 S.Selwood 63 L.Shuey 63

Dees by 13 points. Matt jones BOG and Howe to kick 5. Carn boys

We'd still have 22 witches hat in Melbourne guernseys except one would be doing a hell of a palm tree impersonation.

Yeah I get over once or twice a year. At least for QB game and hopefully catch one either side. It'd just be nice to be able to use those tickets to take family or friends along to those games. Cheers mate

I'll renew my membership this week. Back in Perth after 4 years overseas. I just wish the club did a specialised interstate package. Works out better value grabbing an armchair membership and buying tickets. I know it gives you access to 5 home games, it's just a pity it's not more flexible. A package that offered say 4 tickets that could be redeemed for any game in Melbourne would be better value for money.

Best thread ever. Not just for the great Brian wilsonesque fan participation but for the stupid replies. Comparing the rigours of afl footy to our serving in Iraq. Ha! Why doesn't usain bolt have a beard? He runs. Air resistance buddy. In a sport where everyone shaves down and cathy wore a bodysuit. Ha! If you're dad doesn't have a beard you've got two mums

I'm gonna back him to come good. He may not but I'll give him a couple more games. Most blokes in the league would look like a crab in our back line at the moment. We're leaderless down there and everywhere else. All game I was looking at fletcher thinking how much we needed an old head there, or in fact anywhere in the whole damn team. Melbourne hasnt had a genuine superstar for the group to look upto in a long time. Someone who oozes professionalism and makes the boys stand taller alongside them. We're just so soft at the footy. It's painful to watch.

Mckenzie in if fit, rodan out Send all the boys back out for redemption, don't let them hide. If their confidence is shot only way out of it is to get back out there. Weeks a long time in footy they say. Put in a solid effort and actually beat west coast and see the confidence flow back through the squad. Sylvia and davey through the middle and let's win a clearance. I don't want the few older guys we have hiding in a forward pocket. Show the young kids the way or go play for casey. Can't really get that stuck into the back line for getting constantly shelled for two weeks. Unfair to call for gillies head. Problem is not winning clearances and not competing in the middle of the park.

Ah that's why I keep coming back... Keep smiling boys and girls. Can't get worse can it?

Neeld backed his players to turn it around last night. He wanted to believe last week was a blip. He wanted to believe the boys would come out and play for him, play for the jumper. They didn't. They were outclassed by a slick bombers outfit who weren't challenged by us at all. Sacking neeld won't help. He prepared the boys, put them out and they turned in another weak effort. They let him down massively. What I don't understand is why we didn't try and change it up in the middle. You can believe in the boys but there has to come to a point when you acknowledge things are not working. We couldn't win a clearance to save our lives last night. That's why we lost. The boys in the back line didn't stand a chance. Footy is a simple game when you break it down. Win the footy. Why can't jamar just thump the ball forwards. Get the ball moving in the right direction. Why not throw Sylvia in the middle and make him win the footy, throw garland in the middle to win the footy, Clark into the ruck. I'm no coach and maybe you've just gotta let them get belted to work out who's up for the fight and who needs to be shown the door. Neeld wants to be at the footy club, he wants success for our club and sadly I can't say that about all the boys out on that field. Why get rid of one of the few who actually care.

huuuge fan of gys. loving picking him up for my dreamteam this week. kid can find a footy. trengove, scully and gys and we havent even seen tapscott yet. i love this club

cats kicking with a two goal breeze.

gysberts is chopping, come on son. love our youngsters.

agreed. but it has finally made me upgrade scull to either nicky dal or coon when i can decide which one and bring the gys onto the bench alongside trengove who gets a rest. upgrading jordie the other week was a godsend too or i would've been proper screwed. Welcome to the noahs gysberts. chop it up. The young boys will need the rest after the heat. thankyou you bailey for choosing gysberts over dunn who would've been the expected inclusion to chase gazza round. Bails is all about getting experience into our young kids. how some of you fail to see this is beyond me.

The days of two specialist ruckmen are over. One is enough in any side. With the amount of interchanges and the speed of the game, it's all about having run in the side. Kreuzer and niknat will be invaluable to their teams in this respect. Ruckman need to be mobile in todays game and having spencer in the side last week would have been a mistake and bails couldnt move miller from the goals. Sylvia rucking was an attempt to have an extra runner on the ground which almost back fired. Bails rolled the dice and it came off just. I'm glad he had the balls to do it. Going forward, Stef martin is the type of player you want to be playing that backup role but it really doesnt matter. I can actually see someone like morton or another forward stepping into this role when we have some more height in the forward line. All the other teams will go this way eventually. Numbers are equal on the ground so in theory it doesnt matter if you lose the ruck. Sure forward momentum helps but is not worth anything if you dont have the talent on the ground as we've seen in freo's case for the last few years. Jamar is a monster and i cant express how impressed i've been with the big russian this year.

serious work? you've got to be kidding. I picked jack, only because tom's got big ears. The best part of the whole thing is we havent even seen tapscott yet. He's the one I'm really excited about. The teams that overlooked luke will be kicking themselves. God i love having so much talent at Melbourne. So much ball winning talent and run. Exciting times ahead at MFC.

I love cale, which is quite awkward considering he is good mates with my younger sister. She is mates with both of the boys mentioned and i know which one I'd choose everytime in regard to onfield and off field matters. Cale is a model professional and in my opinion, the future captain of this footy club. West coast supporters over here, and i have many mates who are, often talk of him as the one that got away. Whilst that may be harsh on masten, who i believe will turn into a good footballer, he is quite simply not in cale's class. Did i mention i love cale?

Seriuosly a few of you need to get your heads checked out. Great win by the boys. kept fighting back although dead on their feet.

GET IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

get behind the boys you douchebags. stop turning on them, are you all west coast supporters? shameful. they're young and running on empty. come on boys 5big last 5 mins

alright who bagged motlop earlier? own up hahaha. god i hate motlop

please melbourne do it. come on boys. get back on top. beat your opponent