The Jacks

This kind of stuff is ridiculous. Sylvia is employed to help us win games of football. Not sure what this incident has to do with winning games of football, particularly in 2012

What about racial abuse, if it is the name of winning is that ok too?

Depends what you mean by "ok"...

I wouldn't racially abuse someone on a footy field, nor would I talk about raping a player's mother. Neither are nice things to say. But if it's on a football field and it's something said between players it's just one of those things that can, will and does happen.

You're a [censored] if you do it but they don't hand out four points for being nice, do they?

I think abuse is abuse. You can draw lines between talk of raping a player's mother, killing someone, and racial abuse if you want.

If you were a player would you be looking for a slightly bigger piece of the pie given all the circumstances? I certainly would be.

Have any of you ever asked for a pay rise? Doesn't sound like it...

Lost all respect for Leigh Matthews when as 16 year old i went to Princess Park to see us play the Hawks and Steve Smith (in a master move from Barass - i think he was coaching) was giving him an absolute bath. The ball 30 metres away, Smith had thumped the ball away from Matthews for the umpteenth time and LM round armed him knocking him out. He had no chance, never saw it coming and had to be carried from the ground.

Couldn't beat him fairly so king hit him. Don't believe the rubbish about the era etc etc. Dog's act pure and simple. Never saw Robbie do anything remotely similar (or Keith Greig, Wilson, Brian Wood, Greg Wells and any number of other top players)

Sounds like exactly the type of bloke we need involved with our club. Will do anything, absolutely anything to win, and has unbelievable talent. A modern Leigh Matthews is exactly what we need in players and coach. Maybe Leigh Matthews himself still has it in him?

Perhaps complaining to the umpire and dobbing an opposition player in for saying something mean about your mum will get us to a flag...

You guys are embarrassing. Explain to me logically why you feel so much hatred for Scully?

I will boo the kid and try to put him off his game to gain an advantage when he eventually comes to play us at the MCG (probably Docklands...), because I feel that is what home fans should do.

It's like appealing to the umpire for a free-kick that probably isn't there: I'm happy for fans to make a noise and put pressure on the ump, but you need to get over it quickly and not be so angry.

Why would Scully show as much loyalty to the club as a supporter would? Fans have a life long investment in the club and have a genuine relationship that will probably last until they die. Scully wasn't a Melbourne fan as a kid and has only spent two years at the club. He's just been offered a huge salary increase and a long term contract that is probably twice as good as any other player of his age would be able to get.

I would find it odd if Scully stayed at Melbourne. It would have been nice, but very unlikely.

Time to grow up and move on. Quickly.

My team, by the way:

FB: Birchall Scarlett Gibson

HB: Kelly Fisher Thomas

C: DalSanto Mitchell Judd

HF: Swan Cloke Murphy

FF: Milne Franklin Petrie

R: Cox Goodes Pendlebury

INT: Thompson Ablett Selwood Goldstein

nah, not enough games from him

Jamar played one or two good games all year.

What has a betting market got to do with who coaches us? Someone care to explain the link?

Huddles or "clusters" of players can still be employed effectively against zones, not just man-on-man. If you bring a cluster of say 6 players into one back pocket, hit a short target, work the ball through that part of the zone with run and carry, then hopefully break over the top of the zone with the next kick.

I have also seen him play some unbelievably bad games too where he leans on the goal posts and looks into the crowd. We have had players like that in the past at the MFC who were there because of "media hype" as much as anything else....Jacko, Phil Carmen, Crosswell.....a home to finish out their careers (in the case of Jacko he did have immense talent but would have been a huge handfull!!!).

Brendan had a career at AFL level, but he blew it....and i don't think it would be a great move to have him play at Full Forward for the MFC....I like Jeremy Howe getting games.

He could kick a ton for us one day.

If Fevola was playing for Melbourne next year who gets dropped??

Just playing young blokes in the hope that they will eventually be good enough isn't "good enough". What people fail to realise is that Howe will never kick 100 goals in a season, and it takes a rare talent to even get close to that.

People talk about blokes kicking 3 or 4 goals every week. You know who has averaged 3 or 4 goals every week this year? Franklin maybe, that's about it!

I'm not suggesting that if we signed Fevola it would go perfectly or even work out in the end, but it's just ridiculous that this is the only game on the planet that would have no professional team interested in a player as talented as Fevola.

He was a selfish player who was a bad influence on the kids in the team (particularly at Carlton). If he didn't have a negative effect on the playing group do you really think the Blues & Lions would have ditched him?

You and I have no way of ever knowing what kind of influence Fevola had on other Carlton players. I assume you are judging Fevola on a few incidents that were all over the TV, papers and radio when the guy did what almost every other footballer has done and will do, he just caught in the act.

There is almost no doubt that Fevola is of below average intelligence and has made some bad decisions in his life. But you know what, I've seen him play some unbelievably good football that can help his side win games. That's the part I'm interested in.

By the way, why would we ever take up a trade with an opposition club if the club clearly is happy to move that player on? There must be a reason, eh?

Leadership. Development.

Fev would not offer either, he's a boofhead bogan who has already struck out at 2 clubs. It's irrelevant because we wouldn't be stupid enough to take him anyway. If we did we would deserve everything we got when it inevitably went pear-shaped.

What actually went pear-shaped at Carlton and Brisbane? I'm talking on the field, not some made up rubbish that is hand-fed to you by football "reporters". I'm talking about the stuff that wins and loses you games of football.

Give it a rest mate he's not the only one who is soft at our club. Rudeboy is giving us information that no one is privy to.. He's learning a lot more then the average 17 year old is learning.

Go play football in the bush and your toughness would get you no where. He kicked 40 goals. His job is to kick goals and to continually learn which he is doing. When was the last time a player at Melbourne kicked 81 goals in 35 games? Every game bar 3 he a kicked a goal.

I'm happy that Rudeboy shares this information with us, it's very nice of him and it adds to this forum.

But I don't understand your "17 year old" comparison. What are you trying to say?

What has this got to do with playing football in the bush? Jurrah has unbelievable talent and I just want him to have it drilled into him over and over and over that his talent will get him 40 goals a year, and that's it. If he could turn himself into a more valuable player he could kick another 10 goals a year himself, make the team 2 goals better every week, and we'd be loving him even more.

Jurrah has the ability to kick 3 or 4 goals in any given game. He can kick goals from nothing and his opponent can do almost everything right and Jurrah will still kick a goal or two. It's the fact that in many of those 35 games Jurrah has contributed very little to the side other than kick 2 ro 3 goals.

With the little he contributes you almost need Jurrah to kick 4 to call it a "break even" game from him, and that's not good enough, because he doesn't do that every week.

It's not like we've got 22 blokes that all deserve a spot in the team each week. Why do we have to choose between these two. I'd have both playing!

The guy is as soft as butter. If he had a little more determination to win the footy, chase after blokes, tackle them and actually put his body in the opposition's path instead of getting out of the way the guy could be anything.

Jurrah has talent most footballers would die for, but he's missing the most important attribute a GOOD footballer needs, he doesn't "have a go".

It isn't just that.

If you are not contributing to a the MFC winning a flag then I don't want you.

Contribution can be subjective.

I wanted us to do a u-turn on JMac when Bruce did a runner. He won't be around for a flag but he will positively affect those that would be around.

Kane Cornes might be worth pursuing. Simon Black. Luke Power.

Fevola will not bring that to the MFC.

What is "that", then?

I just don't understand the mind set that we only play blokes who will be around when we (apparently inevitably) win the flag.

I don't think I am an idiot for thinking Fevola would be seen as deadwood inside of three years.

I want to win a flag.

Fevola does not a flag bring.

I happen to think we're unlikely to win a flag while any of our current players are still playing in the AFL. Would I then be justified in sacking the lot of them and starting over with 18 year olds like the Gold Coast/Western Sydney, but without all the AFL concessions? Or is it a little less black & white than that?

Nope.

Across at least the last 2 years we have had one of the best conversion rates in the league for Goals per Inside 50.

That is not our issue; our issue is getting the supply into our forward 50 - Fevola will not help that.

Except, granted, when we are on a fast break after a turn over because we might have a target to kick to for a change (we know fev wont bother running around outside 50 regardless of the state of play) But still no.

If you're sitting back soaking up pressure, your opposition has 60% of the play with most of it being played in your defensive half, and you are essentially playing "on the counter attack", you are bound to have less inside 50s (and genuine goal kicking opportunities) but perhaps a better chance of converting those opportunities when the ball does go inside 50.

I hate how much time is given to "off-field" issues (aka "not football") at football clubs. If a guy like Fev rocks up to training when he's supposed to and performs in games when he is supposed to, getting drunk occasionally and making a fool of himself isn't that big a deal.

The guy is a fool, don't be surprised when he acts like one. The guys is also a gun full forward, don't be surprised when he plays like one.

Carlton tore us a new one playing this "double huddle" a month or so ago. A few other teams have been doing this from kick-ins. No idea who's idea it is, but it can work well.

My guess is the Gold Coast would be the perfect team to try this against. The entire game seemed a bit like a training drill, which I have no problem with. Tried a few things out, still got a win.

2012 can't come soon enough!

Nice. Not "amazing", but nice

Yep, there's teams lining up on Swan st now to trade for soft players.

High currency, they have.

Honestly...

And the majority of players begin soft, until they learn to be hard and courageous.

Voss and Buckley are examples.

Not suggesting we trade the 'soft' players I mentioned. The issue I have is giving them games when they continue to play the same way. Don't give them a game until they change. New players don't get a game till they are willing to "put their head over the footy and step into it"

If we're looking at trading players or players we should get rid of, it should be those that aren't hard enough or tough enough to give a consistently hard effort at the ball.

Players like Bennell, Morton and Maric.

What we need is a bit of the Sydney Swans. new players come in there and know what is expected of them if they are to get an game. Like that [censored] ad, "nothing soft gets through". Make that the starting point.

Petterd has a fair bit of skill, the ability to pull of the spectacular out of nothing, and has a big dip. Therefore, I like him.

Was planning on it, but due to a lack of funds, neine.

Sign up as a member with you first pay cheque of 2012, mate.

I'll be there but find it weird how so many of my mates I usually go with just lose interest when we aren't playing well. I obviously understand the excitement when we're winning and playing well, but I don't go to see us win, I go to enjoy watching us play. Winning is always better but just change teams and support whoever is looking like a chance for flag each year if that's what you're after.

Grimey needs to focus on getting the park for 20 games a season.

JT for me.

How about 5 in a row. Then 10 in a season. In 2014 he can aim at playing 20 games. If he does that again in 2015, he might be in line for the captaincy in 2016.

I voted for Moloney, but this is worrying, given there is no obvious choice.