binman

blimey i have never seen so many smiles. Who is that guy who look like Hogan, the one that's smiling like a Cheshire cat in every shot?

Looks like i didn't win the prize to attend the launch and sit with the players

I really like how you edited your post for spelling and deliberately misspelt spelling. At least i hope it was deliberate. Note: the quote is IRW not ProDee (he would neither make a joke or misspell a word). Weird stuff happening on DL

He is the lead singer of Rose Tattoo

What's also funny is i posted that without seeing Jnrmacs post above listing the 15 doggie players (i promise)

Had to laugh when i read this comment below the article from a Kosta. I can only assume Kosta is a regular Demonland poster: Gawn overtake Goldstein? Melb make finals? What a joke. They were getting smashed by Port for half the game until they ran out of legs because they capped their interchange to 90 and Melbourne went all out and had 50 more interchanges. Yes, 50. Pathetic. Then they got smashed for 3 quarters against a Dogs side without every single player from their TOP 15 FROM THEIR BNF. Yes, all 15. Pathetic. Are you getting commission for selling Melbourne memberships or something?

Unless you suffer from confirmation bias.

Classic Melbourne? I wish classic Melbourne meant switching off, kicking four goals seven to a solitary point in the last quarter, taking the intensity up a couple of levels and coming from 3 goals down to win by two. We can only dream that becomes classic Melbourne. I have to say Bombay my definition of disappointing is different to yours.

I 100% agree. And i have little doubt the club have made it clear where they stand. Being dropped in round 23 and his subsequent comments about the need to become more competitive is proof of that. As you say (and for what its worth Jack also) he started well enough but needs to stay at that level.

"But with the way Melbourne are looking at the moment, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else to be honest." Fellow forward Jesse Hogan has delayed contract talks with Melbourne until the end of 2016, despite two-years still left to run on his current deal. Watts was unsure whether he too would join Hogan in holding off negotiations but said his immediate priority was focusing on his on-field performances. "I haven't really thought about that to be honest," he said. "I'll let it play out. I wouldn't mind playing some reasonable footy first and then speak to the club and get something sorted hopefully." - See more at: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-03-08/demon-watts-to-look-at-free-agency-options#sthash.KnAa9res.dpuf

But BB surely you concede that in all likelihood his coaches are directing him to take risks? Because if they're not he is regularly refusing to follow directions (ie not to take risks) and therefore would be dragged or dropped. If the coaches think the risks outweigh the rewards then they would tell him to handball more and not try marginal kicks. And i'm sure TMac would comply with that directive. Roos is a premiership coach and Goodwin seems to know what he is about so if they want TMac to continue to take risks with his kicks and be agressive that is more than good enough for me. That said i respect your right to have an opposing view. Perhaps email Roosy and let him know it.

Stevethemanjordan i agree that he needs to improve his kicking and that there will be times his poor disposal will cost us. I get it. Some might argue that he should be more circumspect and not take risks with his kicking (handball more!). But clearly the coaches demand he take risks, in fact as one of our most prolific ball winners down back it is critical he does so if we are any hope of attacking from the back line and moving the ball quickly. I have no doubt he is under coaches order to go for those risky kicks, no doubt. So the more he practices them under match like condition (ie a NAB cup game) the better he will get at them. But what is your proposed solution Steve? Or do you just want to let people know how you feel about his kicking?

This for me crystallizes the discussion around Tom. I have no problems with critiquing players but some of the comments in this thread knocking TMac are just plain silly, in particular the first one. The name of the thread set the tone IMO, i mean he needs to take a good look at himself? Please. BB you imply that if he fails to fix his disposal that like Rivers and Frawley you be'd be happy to see him go. That's crazy talk. As if we can afford to lose a key defender about to enter the prime of his career. Like Rivers and Frawley TMac would walk into a top 4 side average disposal skills or not. There is no doubt he shanked some kicks but he wasn't alone there, with both sides coughing the ball up and both missing shots from direct in front. The gola Tyson kicked form the boundary came from one of the biggest shanks on the full you will see. As WW said at the ground it was a very, very tricky wind that was strong to one end and swirled around quite a bit I watched the replay last night and the commentators were clueless about the effect of the wind. Like a golfer with a poor technique TMac has a suspect technique that is exposed in the wind. Does that mean he shouldn't go for marginal kicks in a NAB game. Of course not and id be shocked if the coaches would accept him doing so. Watching the replay reminded me that he actually hit a a number of long crosses that set up attacking plays from the backline, which of course is what we need him to do. As some have noted (including Tony Shaw on the commentary) half way through last season he ws looking like being selected for the AA team. If he can play to that level all this season then he is a huge chance of being an AA. Yet some would apparently be happy to see him go? Crazy. Fortunately the club won't see it that way and will move heaven and earth to resign him.

Indeed. In the last quarter we kicked 4.7. Several of those points were pretty easy misses including a shocker from Kennedy. Could (should?) have easily kicked 6 or 7. Doggies on the other hand could barely get it forward. By the end of that quarter we were smashing them.

An excellent summary of the game.

Could not agree more WW. My thoughts exactly and reflect those i made to my mate at the game. A good win. Coincidentally enough i also went and must have been not far away if you were on the fence as i was on the hill at the at the Sydney end at about the 30 metre mark. Funnily enough i was also with my son. Watts and Garlett were both right in front of me when they kicked those goals. Both brilliant shots as was Tyson's from the much the same spot as Wattsy's. Watts was fantastic today and behind Gawn our best player. He worked his arse off. Not much is being mad of the fact that despite the difficulty of kicking against the wind we kept one of the most free flowing sides in the AFL goalless in two quarters. Not that that we scored 3 goals against the same wind, with one being a brilliant coast to coast goal with two spectacular bits of play from Jetts and Kent.

The point is though that it was a practice game. Which means practicing the plays you will rely on in the season proper. If winning was all then sure Tmac perhaps should have avoided low percentage kicks but it wasn't. As waynewusell notes he held his own and in particular was impressive when the ball was in the air.

I agree. His technique is shocking, with his high ball drop (same goes for Grimes) and poor technique will always be exposed in windy conditions especially when trying to pin point a pass to cross. And yes he his kicking was poor. I reckon he cost us 3 goals in a 6 or 7 minutes in the first. But he also saved at least 3 with canny body positioning and cleaver spoils. Far from our worse.

What a load of bollocks.

Well i'm not sure what they were saying on fox as i was at the game but yes it was really windy, not super strong but it went straight down the ground on what was a suburban ground with zero structures to block the wind (the tiny stand was on a wing). We did very, very well to score 3 goals against the wind and in some respects i reckon the coaches of both teams would be annoyed to have to pay a practice game in conditions they would never ply a game in. Made basic things like cross ing the ball or weighting passes very tricky. We were a monty to win once we kicked the first in the last as they couldn't get it forward.

Vince Jones in for dees. Not sure about about that selection. Good muso, not sure how good at footy he is.

I want to see trac in the side round one. He is a gun with a body ready for afl. He'll learn more in the afl than the vfl.

I find the knocks on Garland bemusing. I can see his limitations but he is very consistent, gells well with the other regular defenders (which is critical) and can cover both tallish and smaller types. A lock for best 22

I agree with this. I'd add that the club has made clear the plan is to play best side but use the extended bench and no interchange cap to manage load and injuries that might be fatigue related (eg gawn being off the ground for most of the last quarter - which BTW makes the win all the more meritorious). Changing this strategy now would impact on their planning too much. Besides I'm going and want to see our best players!