binman

An excellent point time re hanballs. There should be no argument about the need to be able to use both hands equally well.

Im not a big soccer fan but from the little i know a player who cant move naturally from left foot to right foot (not kicking on goals only but passing and controlling the ball) willl never make it to the top flight. Never. The same is true in basketball, though of course they only do lay ups with the np. A key difference i supect is that afl players need to be much fitter than top flight soccer players so have much less time available to commit to skills. Not sure about basketball but the nba players play so many games that i doubt tbey can physically do as much in season physical training and so probably do mainly skills and run plays between games

Amazing Messi 42 Right Foot Goals

From the site i linked above an fascinating excerpt from a book from a surprising author. the xcerpt is about the demons of 1965 (though the book is not about the dees). here is a very prescient quote from the excerpt : 'In spite of Smithy’s great record they’ll give him the La Fontaine treatment as soon as he shows signs of going soft and they have been grooming Noel McMahen for emergencies and protege Ron Barassi is another with his eyes on a coaching future. Still, I wonder if Barassi is Melbourne material. He is outspoken and impulsive and not the diplomat that fiery Norm is and I think Melbourne officials want a diplomat.' Can you guess the author?

In looking around about the Redlegs i stumbled on this brilliant website. Worth a look if you a footy history fan: http://australianfootball.com/

I don't think he will

Wiki also said the stingrays was born out of the ashes of dandeong who went broke winning a flag (after years in the wilderness) in 1991 captain coached bt tony elshaugh

Redlegs according to wikipwdia wj

Just googled dandenong vfa. I was right about colours. I had forgotten their nickname was redlegs. Which is funny because thats what i call the demons (i thought mainly because i supported norwood but this might have also influenced me)

I love the idea of tbe casey demons. Good points kc. Id add casey mught also get some new supporters from the mfc base. Great to see the red and dark blue back. As a kid i loved the vfa. I followed port but used to like watching dandenong who wore the red and dark blue (i think - my memory is a bit dusty)

Brayshaw is brilliant on his non preferred side. Like Sam Mitchell it is hard to tell the difference and like Mitchell, though not s often, he suses his left when a right foot kick is an option.

Jeez that's a strong reaction. Saying he Misson has worked his magic over 3 years does not mean only on the players at the club 3 years ago. Every player in those 3 years has reapped the benfit of Missos program. How many are still on the list from two years ago? I don't know but i'd reckon half and probably 80% from one year ago. All of these players will have derived great benefit from Missons fitness program and in turn the club has derived great benefit. Saty didn't say the only reason where we are tat is because of Misson but there's no doubt he has played a big role. The fact that he and Mahoney are the only two coaches who have kept their positions should give you an idea of the esteem he is held in at the MFC.

I think that is a good point saty. We can now reap the benefits of the program Misson has put in place, not least being able to get going earlier in the pre season on footy stuff as opposed to having to build base fitness. The other point is as you suggest our list is getting older and so stronger boys to men. By the by we are also reaping the benefit of players like hunt and omac getting 20 odd games of afl footy. Add in that it looks like vanders and Jones will get a full preseason (and hopefully Salem and Brayshaw for that matter, though my point is Vanders and Jones are both strong bodied older players), we have some new mid twenty robust players in hibberd and melksham, mckenna is no longer a teenager, Hannan is early 20s (albeit pretty slight at this stage) and two of our rookies are not teenagers and it all augurs well for a team that might finally make Neeld's dream of the hardest team to play against a reality

Yep. I think it probably is. So can posters leave it there please. Things have been going along nicely in the training threads. Hats off to the moderators for their decision to stop derailment. Lets make there job easier and leave chat about chub a lub choo choo out of training threads

Great work Drunkn. I hate the scarfs. Haven't bothered to pick one up for three years. Useless. I would much rather a cap. I collected scarfs with the idea of sewing them together for a blanket as i saw a scarf blanket at the footy and thought what a brilliant idea. And useful. I even bought a bunch that were in an op shop. Had them in a garbage bag. Which someone threw out. That was the end of my scarf adventure.

Agree Cards. There have been a number of really smart decisions made since PJ came on board. Keeping Crossy at the club being one terrific example.

I remain hopeful Garland can bounce back and become a regular best 22. At his best he has much to offer. I assume the club think this also as otherwise they would have let him go. Something was not quite right last year, no idea what but he strikes me as someone who can lose confidence and when he does finds it hard to get it back. That said he is going to find it very hard to break back into the back line with Hibberd and Melksham coing into the side and Wagner in favor.

A pessimist who is always right is a realist

I do

Agree. i would say this is potentially the most talented list at the mfc for 50 years, surpassing the team of the early 90s. I think all the players yoy mentioned are potential a graders (with max there and lewis fir that matter and jack v not far off). Oliver is def another with that potential. i dont think kent will get there but that's ok. Great teams have a core of a graders, at least one or two absolute stars (and i think max, trac and hogan will fill this bill), very strong mid field and alot of very good depth players (and almost no players not up to afl)

Great stuff drunkn. you have become the most liked dl poster ever. when dec gets his crack at afl level dl should coordinate a celebration at the game - perhaps a limited edition kiel tee shirt

A fair call i reckon. I didn't read either of your posts as being critical of past players. The positive vibe - dare i say it, the love - at the club is palpable at the moment - many track watchers have commented on how connected and team focused every one is - which is precisely the culture that Roos set out to establish. It would be completely logical for the club to be in a better place to give back to the community than 2 or 3 years ago where angst was the overwhelming vibe.Think of a dysfunctional workplace you might have been involved in and compare it to a more positive one. Which was better placed to make a positive contribution to the community

Great insights saty. i prefer when you dont argue foe arguments sake. How is salem looking? if he stays fit he will almost be like a seasoned new recruit.

Max is a real character with a terrific sense of humour. Often this combination can disguise other, less obvious personality traits. With Maxy you could miss how driven and competitive he is (DL posters probably don't though). And his garrulousness can disguise a real seriousness. To this end I found this article really interesting: http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2016-12-03/big-raps-from-gawn-help-filipovic I wasn't aware until i read here on DL a few days ago that he was interested in coaching and certainly wasn't aware he had volunteered his time to coach juniors at Ormond. Or for that matter that he started working at Sandringham Dragons. Given he is still young and it is years before he retires i find it fascinating he has taken on these roles. And well too given what WJ said about his coaching skills at his grandson under 12 training and if the incisive comments in the article are any guide (eg advice on starting and end point at throw ins). Impressive stuff. Fascinating also that he ensured Taylor was aware of his views on Flip Another thing on his role with Flip. I mentioned that it was great for team morale that two boys from Casey were joining the team. Well how good would it be for a young fella new to the club to have a personal relationship withe one of the most popular blokes at the club.

I really like our late draft and rookie picks in terms of them all having terrific up side. Joel Smith , Keilty, Maynard and Hannon all have plenty of scope for improvement and Filipovic is just stating his footy life. Interestingly 3 of these players have all played high level basketball.