Deetective Sgt. Taggert

Thanks for the insights. I sometime wonder what it would be like if a team was established in Darwin in the AFL and it was mostly made up of indigenous players. It would be a tought road trip I would think for the Vic teams, but they would probably also struggle a bit in the cold of Melbourne But you can imagine such a team could totally change the complexion of the game.

Yeah I just watched some of the round 1 game and in the first quarter there were a number of occasions when Melb was not awarded free kicks for holding the ball and while it hardly influenced the result the boys were having a real crack at the start and its those little things that can slow the momentum down when you aren't getting rewarded for effort. But I expect they have learned from that throughout the year and will hopefully keep the pressure and tackling up

I just watched some of the reply of the first quarter of round 1 and the boys were having a decent crack and weren't completely being smashed from the outset thats for sure. Most of the hawthorn goals came from bad turnovers. I'd like to think that our boys are playing with a lot more skill and confidence at this stage of the season and although turnovers are still an issue they seem to be less often. Probably most different will be the forward line set up which is looking far different and more potent that round one (Jake Spencer as a forward target!?) although hawks were also down a few players. I think we should be in with a real chance if the guys are on song but would be pleasantly surprised (and thrilled!) if we did manage to get over the line as I think our form has probably tapered off a little, i.e. second half of Brissy game and arguably for most of the Richmond match bar some patches and the the last quarter. Nevertheless, exciting times to be a Demon fan regardless of the result, and even if we don't make the finals I'd be stoked if we could knock of Port to put to sleep the AAMI stadium hoodoo (even better if Tapscott debuts in from of his home state and rubs it in their faces with a fine performance) and smash North at the 'G to avenge for their habit of beating up on bottom eight sides while almost always getting spanked by the top eight teams (Carlton and Freo excepted - but they have shown to be soft at times this season so wouldn't consider either to be big scalps and at least we have gone close with Collingwood twice and the Doggies and had a chance of upsetting Freo at Subi)

I would be very surprised if a MFC player confided his true feelings to someone in a chance meeting...

Yeah I remember that post you made and I guess I was trying to highlight that it seems as those he is at least beginning to feel more comfortable and confident playing at this level and less of a boy amongst men So given that is the the case you would be expecting that assuming a solid and interrupted pre-season that 2011 is most likley to be the year the Jack Watts stamps himself on the game.

Just watched the post match interview with Watts with Matt Burgan. Was the first time i've seen him speak and he sounded like a guy with leadership potential, as Slyvia mentioned in an article the other day. Moreover, he sounded like he finally feels like he actually is an AFL player and is earning his spot which no doubt helps his confidence. Was also great to him say how much he is enjoying his time with the club and sounds like he feels much more as one of the boys now. But yeah, there are still plenty of areas of his game he'll need to work on to retain his spot in the side, especially heading into next year when there will be more forwards vying for spots in the 22, and just like Morton he could easily lose his spot if he doesn't make progress. The growing strength of our list should be a postiive thing if it starts to really force players to hone their skills in all areas and not just rely on their natural potential or previous good performances.

Tapscott to debut! He's big enough to take 'em on, and I hear he can play some good footy too...

Yeah, all good points. We've seen that the players are expected to do a lot more to get selected this season and given he's already had significant exposure at this level, he doens't fall into the category of 'getting games into the kids' anymore so he along with others such as Warnock, Jetta, Cheney. Maric will need to work hard to reclaim their spots. In Morton's case he's got such natural abilities that is shouldn't take too much time you would think to build up the elements of his game the coaches want him to work on.

Based on a couple of player reviews posted by the club on the MFC website it would seem he is being dropped for not doing enough defensively. I agree though I really want to see him out there and would be concerned if hes was becoming disillusioned as plenty of other clubs would be more than happy to make him an offer...

He showed great awareness in the last quarter when he ran back towards goal and turned around at just the right time to mark and then went back and kicked the goal. It was a pretty easy shot on goal, but given it was a pretty high intensity game and the game was still well and truly in the balance at that stage I thought he showed good poise to slot it through. He also was patient waiting for an forward 50 option then hit Dunn on the chest right in the goal square so had a role in at least two goals in the last quarter. Was a shame his last goal was wrongly disallowed. Sure, there were a couple of times when he could have attacked the ball harder to win it but I fully expect that will come with time, more confidence and a bigger body to throw around.

I was a bit nervous at three quarter time given that we had not made the most of our chances in the third term and were coming back from an interstate trip, so stoked we got over the line and comfortably in the end. To me next week really is our elimination final because the stakes are so high for both clubs. Round 22 could also be a mini elimination final so regardless of whether we make the finals or not I think the younger players should get some valuable experience playing in cut throats games. I think we need to get another big contingency to the game next week to support the guys!

You'd think the outside chance of a finals appearance would be enough motivation to get them going, but apparently they are not talking finals so I guess they'll need to find some other motivation

Yeah I was playing with the ladder predictor and assuming all the results went the way I guessed, the outcome of the hawthorn and melbourne game next week would mean the winner would end up in 6th place and the loser in 9th place at the end of the year. That relies on Melbounre winning all its other games. If we beat Hawthorn but lose one of the other games we could end up on equal points with Hawthorn so it would come down to percentage. Given thats the case next week is really Melbourne bet chance to influence its chances of the finals and I hope Sydney thrashes Hawthron now becuase it will help drag down their percentage (unless by some miracel they get up to win whcih would still be good for us). If we beat Hawthorn then I think we would be a far more credible claim to a spot in the eight

The only consolation may be that if Hawks play this bad next week we'll be in with a chance to beat them which would keep our finals chance alive, but we'll have to win all our remaingin games now you would think to get in...

Freo has caught up a bit now wihtin 11 points, but Sydney is thrashing Hawthorn in the Second. Will need a big turnaround to get the result we are hoping for

The only issue I have with us pushing for the finals is that it may mean a few younger guys don't get a run. Would love to see Tapscott and Gysberts back before the end of the year, but I get I'm just being impatient - I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty of them in years to come I guess I'm just used to trying to be excited about prospective future stars rather than actually winning games and finals etc., but that's not surprising given thats what the club has been asking us to do for the last few years.

Yeah, very surprising. I would have thought Bate would have been ahead of Miller for a recall. Morton seems highly likely to be dropped given that his defence pressure was brought up as an issue in the match review. Trengove would seem like a direct swap for Morton, not sure who'll be out for Moloney but good to see both back in.

When the captain is fit and ready to play he must be selected. Don't think it really anything against Maric, someone had to go, he'll get more chances I would think, even if he has to wait till next year.

Thanks guys. The club has responded and is helping with this. Another reason to love this great club!

Thanks for the tip. I'll see how it goes

Hey everyone, My grandad, an avid Melbourne supporter since returning from national service in WWII is turning 90 this weekend! I'm trying to arrange for the MFC to send him a card/letter to wish him well (ideally signed by Jimmy) on his birthday. He's blind and quite deaf so I thought this was the best gift he could organise for him and I know he would be very chuffed. I sent the club an email through the [email protected] last week (and a follow up email yesterday) but have yet to hear anything from them. Was just wondering if anyone knew of a better way to contact the club, or who would be the best person in the club to contact about this. Thanks a million p.s drop me an email at [email protected] if you prefer

When you look at each game in isolation you can really see the inconsistency of our performances this year, which is not surprising for a young side. But its fair to say that the last 4 weeks, starting from the collingwood match there has been an upwards trajectory culminating in the fantastic win last week. Hopefully the boys can maintain an upwards trend for the rest of the season, whether it means winnings games or just more quarters doesn't really matter to me. Perhaps Bailey should consider Hardwick's approach of telling his team to forget about the previous 9 (?) losses and pretending the season starts now

Total fluff piece. Nothing more, nothing less

Haha, yeah its good to remember that Slyvia is only 24 and had plenty of great footy left! I feel he is the kind of guy who could be very influential in a grand final and would love him to be demon for life...is a bit of a late-ish bloomer but certainly seems on track to become a much better player than Mclean ever is/was...

Yeah fair comment. I remember people starting making ridiculous predictions after we beat the lions in round 5 about us making top 4 this year! I also remember Melbourne getting postive wraps in the Media a few years back and then getting thumped the following week (Port Adelaide thrashing us by 70 odd in 2004 or 2005 after we'd had a great run rings a bell)