AllenIsLord13

Impressions from a Non-Regular Attendee: - Personally, I was fine with attendance numbers. Meant we could pick seats *anywhere* at the hallowed G! Bonus - zero queues for *full-strength* beers! (cannot be understated). Plus, individual sledges from the bleaches could be heard in full - I think I single-handedly lined the coiffers of MFC for the weekend by purchasing all the merch I could muster! More badges on the Wall Of Shame/ Fame (to join Bruce, Rivers, Jurrah...welcome Davey...for 2 more games!) - no matter where I go, STILL outnumbered by Dockers supporters! (doesn't help the bridal party I was with are all Purple Army, and I was riding solo! Actually, there was 1 Hawks supporter - we hi-5'd after every goal "MERGER, YES, nah just kidding!") - but at least I had the relief, after celebrating every goal like it was the game winner, I could survey the landscape, and get at least 1 thumbs-up from a distant fellow Dee! The acual game: - I know I'm not there every week, but that bronx cheer for our first inside-50 was unbecoming...how are the boys meant to derive any confidence at all if they're being sledged by "supporters"? They showed they could match it in the 2nd qrtr - At time is seriously looked like Freo had 4 extra players out there! Still unsure how this is possible... - Jake Spencer...my god! Just hopeless - when you're outmanouvred by Zac Dawson, its time to reconsider your skillset! - Luke Tapscott = still the dumbest player in the AFL. Why not try him as a rebounding Hurn with his booming kick, as opposed to any kind of forward who has to use his brain! - glad to hear there wasn't any (significant?) booing of Watts...he's been through a lot - and at least he didn't betray us like $cully..the Club tainted him by throwing him to the wolves on debut! That being said, would be nice of him to take some ownership of the situation and decide to become a leader! - can't believe I saw Flash's last game at the G! Another JMac too! As if he's actually holding back any youngsters...shoulda kept him on - Davis...well, based on his debuts, I can say that he is definitely doing Carroll's number justice!?! Highlight- there was a chick wearing a Freo #44 jersey...and just to confirm its redundancy she had the actual name "Chricton" written on it...pretty sure he would've handed that our personally! All in all, I came in with low expectations; applied our strategy of getting "tanked"; sledged some Space Dockers; and left with all expectations met! Loved it

Thanks a lot for reply-info! very handy! May some inordinate support on the wing this weekend

Ta - doesn't general also cover directly behind goals? Where cheer squad is? usually few seats round there ya? (and would love to subject a Freo contingent to pure Hell )

Thanks fella - (I'll be bumping it meself closer to date, when there's a not-so-busy period!) Don't worry - you can always catch me on TV directly over the Deez bench at every Subi game will be bizarro world watching a Deez/Dockers match and not be in the minority! (....hopefully?!) Just concerned that Gen Admin is *only* behind the goals, or too far from action upstairs... Seats I had at 50m line (premium) were golden - as you say, 20m from bar, FULL STRENGTH [censored] (can't get it at Subi!) reload every 10 mins...needed it for that game! Cheers

Hey fellas Will be out in full force for the Aug 18 matchup against the Dockers...presumed sell-out? I'm a Western Demon, so not a regular G attendee, and am heaing over for the/ a special occasion! I'm attending with bulk group (actually, a hella hungover wedding party, predominantly Freo fans, but it just to happens the Best Man is a disciple of Lord Allen!) and wanted some advice about ticketing/ seating. Likely there'd be at least 15+ of us, but potentially, could get up to 30+ (depending on mental capacity!)... I appreciate we could just rock up and get general seating, but would that only allow us seating behind the goals/ second tier? (correct?) Also acknowledge Freo likely don't attract big crowds over there, but do you think its best to 'chance' general admission (sit anywhere?) - or organise everyone to pre-buy in bulk at a good vantage point, say, 50m line on boundary Last match I attended was Queens Bday (Philly Dee's last one!) and the 50m 'premium' tickets were awesome - but given numbers involved, dunno if I can co-ordinate that many pre-sales, etc. Any suggestions/ tips more than appreciated!! Holla! AJ4LIFE!

but he's wearing Jimmy Hird's number? Why isn't he as good as him right now???

Look, I'm all for positivity (am still rating Watts over NicNat!), but where is the consistency? (presuming Schwab has had the longest tenure over the last decade/ debacle!) First we make Yze, White, Robertson, McDonald retire = no spots for over 30s! So we stock up on youngsters… Gysberts, Moloney, Martin, Morton… They’ve all had some *great* games/ signs of promise during those years (but possibly just ingrained in a losing culture, fall off!) - especially liked Martin's breakout year as backup for Jamar I appreciate the inevitable pump-up of the incomings, but let's also take an objective/ devil's advocate look: Pederson (can’t get a game at North), Rodan (WE GAVE UP DRAFT PICK FOR A GUY ABOUT TO BE DELISTED!!), Dawes (hmm, jury’s out – could be damaged goods!), Byrnes (couldn’t even beat out a damaged Wozi for a spot!) Um, much rather prefer Geelongs tactics: ie steal one of best CHB’s in the business (Rivers), and a ruckman who would’ve had the starting job at any other club (McIntosh)!! anyways, just an opinion, based upon years of wild optimism tempered by shattered reality dreams!

averaging nearly 20 disposals, 4 tackles...obviously not up to scratch http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/pc-melbourne-demons--shane-valenti Year Team Games Kicks Handballs Disposals Marks Goals Behinds Tackles Hitouts Frees For Frees Ag. Brownlow 2009 Melbourne 6 11.5 7.7 19.2 4.2 0.3 0.2 4.3 0 0.5 0.8 0.17 2008 Melbourne 9 9.4 7.7 17.1 4.6 0.3 0.3 3.3 0 1.4 0.8 Career 15 10.3 7.7 17.9 4.4 0.3 0.3 3.7 0 1.1 0.8 0.07 Career Highlights 30 disps (17 kicks 13 hballs), 7 marks, 5 tackles and a goal in Rd 20 63-pt win over Fremantle at the MCG (16 Aug 2009)

i think that articles premise is a tad flawed in that recruiting was nowhere near the same standards of precision, even as recent as 2003 (let alone 1997, where you were probably picked on ability to rebound on a Sunday after finishing a keg post-victory) Given that we are now staring down the barrel of a 0-11 start, 2013 and multiple picks (plus Viney) is pretty much a lone bright spot at present! I also agree you need a culture of winning and strength, as we havent finished higher than 12th in past 5 years! Davey used to be AllStar... *he* should be the McLeod of our team, but the complete dearth of wins means its too hard for new blood to exert much influence given it is a team game... What concerns me about our recent picks: compare us with Richmond... you can rattle off Martin, Deledio & Cotchin as potential superstars no matter how the club was performing... Who are our Core 3 Superstars??? Trengove? (10 possns) Jones? (punching well above his weight) Watts? (inconsistent) Moloney? (disappears often)...even $cully is still not living up to expectations... By weight of stats, its bloody Magner! Reminds of when Valenti came in, dominated, delisted..wtf! You need a core of Potential Superstars to get anywhere...Carlton being perfect example (Judd, Murphy, Gibbs) as you could swap our next 15 with them and it would be as successful! Where Art Our Big Three???

The below was devised as I am a hapless Deez supporter surrounded by bandwagon drug-addled Eagles fans in WA... and attempts to remedy the eternal query... Watts or NicNat? ie Should Deez have taken NicNat/ Why didn't they/ What were WCE options/ How it shaped our future... Synopsis: - WCE would NEVER have taken Watts as they had a massive glut of key forwards at the time (Lynch, Graham, Edwards, Kennedy, McKinley, Jones, Hansen) - MELB had a massive hole at the key position area, and had no immediate need for a raw ruckman (ie CHF = Neitz, Robertson, Miller, Holland, Dunn) - In saying that, in my opinion, Melbourne made a MASSIVE mistake in retiring Jeff White who was in career best form. Even though his retirement allowed Jamar to blossom, it was a massive step backwards as we STILL don't have a reliable 2nd ruck to this day. Paul Johnson (a WCE reject!) was the 2nd options at the time....; - NicNat has ONLY prospered as he has been allowed to flourish behind the BEST ruckman in the comp. He has a millionth of the pressure Watts has to perform at his position. - At the end of the day, in 2008, WCE were 2 years removed from a PREMIERSHIP! They still have premiership players to this day! Against that, Demons finished 5th, and have NEVER finished higher than 12th after that year! How could ANY player "thrive" in that environment? - To wit, if WCE took Watts, he would be The New Age Hansen - a capable back-up playing on winning teams. - If Melbourne took NicNat, as at 2012 he would STILL be a "raw talent" averaging 10 hitouts, but less than 5 possessions per game, and more renowned for his hairstyle and dating Lara Bingle... - Somwhat of a moot point, as WCE intended to take Rich if they didn't take NicNat... - Conclusion: WCE's winning culture enabled the ultimate fruition of NicNat. Melbourne/ Bailey's rebuilding plan set the club/ Watts back uncalculable years in maturation... Watts needed a Neitz to teach him... instead, he saw capable senior leaders, ala Robbo, Yze, White shown the door, leaving a #1 pick who was still playing against HIGH-SCHOOLERS (Note: NicNat was playing WAFL with ADULTS, AND was a year older) to lead a team of rabble into a new era???? WTF DID THEY THINK WOULD HAPPEN!!! Ultimately, I think both teams made the right draft pick...its just the rest of the list management which proved to be heavily deficient! Too-early retirements, bad picks elsewhere.... Example - how's Lucas Cook travelling...compared to Jack "Everyone Knew Who He Was" Darling!!! The Stats! Watt if… 2008 Draft (ie 2009 onwards) #1 Jack Watts (Melbourne) – March 1991 #2 Nic Natinui (West Coast) – May 1990 Years preceding West Coast, 2006 (Premiers!), 2007 (5th, lost Judd, gained Kennedy, Masten & Notte), 2008 (15th), 2009 (11th), 2010 (16th), 2011 (4th) Melbourne, 2006 (5th), 2007 (14th), 2008 (16th), 2009 (16th), 2010 (12th), 2011 (13th) 2005 (WCE) [Tyson Stenglein; Jaymie Graham; Mark LeCras; Aaron Edwards; Matt Rosa; Mitch Moron; Shannon Hurn; Matt Priddis] (Melb) [Clint Bartram; Matthew Warnock; Matthew Bate; Lynden Dunn; Nathan Jones] 2006 (WCE) Mitch Brown (16), Eric MacKenzie (29) [ben McKinley; Will Schofield] (Melb) James Frawley (12), Ricky Petterd (30), Colin Garland (46) [Michael Newton; Simon Buckley] 2007 (WCE) Chris Masten (3), Brad Ebert (13), Tony Notte (20), Scott Selwood (22) [Matt Spanger; Josh Kennedy; Beau Wilkes] (Melb) Cale Morton (4), Jack Grimes (14), Addam Maric (21) [stefan Martin] IF Melbourne had taken Natinui #1 in 2008: they already had Jamar (2006, 23yo: He averaged 10 hit-outs and 4 disposals and kicked 10 goals and 2 behinds for the complete season; 2008: Jamar played 14 games and averaged 8 disposals and 19 hit-outs and kicked 4 goals. He ranked 9th in hit-outs per game; 2010: averaging 29 hit-outs, 12 disposals and three contested marks per game, with four goals over the first seven rounds All-Australian) and Jeff White (age 31, 2004 AllAustralian, 2005 facial injury. 2005/06 3rd highest hitouts, 2007 career high 18.5 disposals, Dean Bailey replaces with Jamar) Paul Johnson (2005-2010); Stefan Martin (2008) West Coast takes Watts?: Already had Lynch (2002); McDougall (2002-2006); Staker (2003); Hansen (2004); Graham (2005); Edwards (2005); Jones (2007); McKinley (2007); Kennedy (2008); Spangher (2008); Wilkes (2008); Notte (2008) = buried! Natinui highest career hitouts = 457 in 2011 White = from 2004-2007 never lower than 461, highest 532 2006 Jamar = 643 in 2010 (first full season) Watts Scouting Report An athletic, strong marking tall forward with pace who is an excellent shot on goal, Watts was a Vic Metro U18 Representative in 2008, winning the Larke Medal and All-Australian honours. Strong-marking forward who oozes talent with his ground-breaking pace and his exceptional ability to read the play. The reliable kick for goal was a standout at the U18 championships and a member of Vic Metro’s winning team, earning All-Australian honours and the Larke Medal. Still playing for his school in 2009! Natinui Rising Star nomination 2010! Ruckman who can do it all. Outstanding athlete, with admirable vertical leap and serious pace. Tackling is also a strength. Dual U18 All-Australian. “We’re really pleased to have Nick at the club. How much he plays next year will depend on his preparation and his form ... it is a step up and we will manage him through that.” Club 2009 Plays WAFL

Its ridiculous... Can someone explain how MAGNER, a man who has played all of 5 games with our club, be a leading possession getter consistently every week??? Jones used to be a bonafide scrum ball hack, and now he is our best on field?!? Sylvia - sure, needs some time back, but seriously...bottom 4 possn getters? WTF IS GOING ON?!?????? Why do we just switch off for entire quarters??? Clark boots 3, that's enough..we'll declare now... Same with last quarter v Saints...in the name of Jim, how do you register ZERO for an entire quarter??? Surely game plans don't impact that much on individual talent! Trengove, Grimes, Sylvia, Moloney, Howe, even Davey are ALL better players than most of Carlton's midfield... Karmichael Hunt has a better possn average than half our team... this is illogical! PLEASE EXPLAIN!!!!

Yea, see i kinda recall reading about 248 rumours on this very site about "Lyon spoke to Scully", "Frawley said Scully was locked in", "Trengove said he's best mates and so is Blease" and blah blah blah! So then i heard the rumours about Lyon - "end of an era", "he has the same management as Gary Lyon", "what an opportunity for a quality list, looking for a veteran seasoned coach!" Then i hear the rumours about Malthouse - "locked in, that's why Scully's staying", "he likes our list" EVERY SINGLE RUMOUR HAS PROVEN TO BE WRONG! i have no faith whatsoever that anything will go right for us until at least 2013, when O'Meara & Viney are playing... (and Malthouse finishes his sabbatical) No doubt we'll have Peter Rhodes next year!

we've all wanted Gary to contribute in a meaningful way for some time - hell he was part of the committee that appointed Bails! (in fact, could be the ONLY public contribution he has made to the Football Club structure) But you just can't expect to say "never wanna be on the board/ i hate the politics" on one hand - but then swan in as De Facto President, calling shots at the club, on the other! He obviously has a massive sway at the club even now (he has the Prez's ear!), so how does it help the Football Department who slavishly work on a strategy which has a long term view on the club, when Gary just rocks in on a Saturday and throws his $0.02 cents in! What sort of weight should be given to his opinion when he himself keeps himself at arms length from the day-to-day running of the place? He's either all in (on board) and involved, or all out... how can he say he wants out of the politics when he's already a part of it!

Agreed - young spirited side, best of which is that they don't carry the "taint" of having an embedded culture of losing, which means they start afresh from here on in!! i predict me getting shizenfacened, as part of My First Evers: - Walk To The G - Queens Bday Match - Deez At The G(!!) - full strength beer at an AFL match!! - sitting in Block M9 - full costume of a Wrestling Icon! (more to come...) no Swan, Jolly, Beams, Thomas - Chipper & Rivers best tall back combo in the league right now - Moloney/ Scully/ Trenners = best young midfield in the comp right now! It Be On! Deez by 19!!

Philly Dee Bailey = Billy Dee Bailey-Williams = what, y'all never heard of the Millenium Falcon coupled with "Easy Lover" and "Chinese Walls"??