FarNorthernD

I have been watching Melbourne play since the late 70’s. Over that time I have watched maybe 500 matches involving us and have honestly believed we got the better of the umpiring on maybe half a dozen times. This obviously can’t be right. I consider myself to be relatively level headed but I must a significant bias. Sometimes I’ve woken up after a match and fully expected to find headlines screaming for a Royal Commission into how shafted by the umpires the Dees were the day before. Nothing. Umpiring is an impossible job and I reckon it has got harder over the years. They have to strip the rules back to the basics to make it less subjective (as someone else on here has suggested).

No idea what he is like as a person but his record is impressive As a player won the Carlton B & F in a Flag year Was generally regarded as a big loss when he left us as our midfield coach Shafted at Carlton as Senior Coach, taking them to finals after becoming coach from the sacked Denis Pagan. Finished with a winning record (60-59-1) something you’d imagine the current Carlton coach would kill for. Was assistant coach during the Hawthorn three peat and the current mini rebuild. Personally i I would love to have him back to the club.

Nice bit of good news. Thanks

Spargo may not be overly speedy or athletic but he is a proper footballer who gets the game. If they could measure such things I bet they would find he is about the quickest decision maker at the club. 200 game and premiership player

Yes a combination of not being quite as good as he was and playing a different role due to being overtaken by other mids. He would be the 4th best centre square mid now? Nathan came 2nd in the 2016 B & F. Will be interesting to see where he ends up this year Useless fact but did anyone know that Alistair Clarkson came 2nd in the 1996 B & F behind Jim Stynes? I don’t remember him being even remotely that good

I think he is a great player. If the Gaff deal didn’t eventuate I’d take Beams in a heartbeat

I agree. I think we will eith lose by a relatively small margin or win big. Semi confident (allowing for my MFCSS) of the latter

I believe you. Just didn’t think he had the form. One things is for sure anybody getting a game at this time of the year will be giving it their all. This could be a great team to be part of. Don’t let the opportunity slip

To be fair I don’t think the Lever to Melbourne thing last year was exactly a secret nor our interest in Gaff to be playing in the red and blue next year. Both have been telegraphed

That’s tragic And such a random stat that if the media get a hold of it that may prove they read Demonland

Sounds like the Hunger Games. Hopefully Gil will wear a white rose

I don’t follow the Eagles closely. Is he actually as important to them as Oliver to us? If so my desire to have him in red and blue next year just cranked up a couple of notches.

That’s wild isn’t it. In 2013 Obama had only just started his second term and the world was yet to hear of Trump. Gillard, Rudd and Abbot were our Prime Ministers. It seems a long time ago. Good luck to Nathan. A study in perseverance

I don’t think there is any chance at all of Hunt playing AFL footy this weekend.

But one of those four is called Daisy

Collingwood liked to call itself the biggest sporting club in the land. 5th biggest now, so thats good news

Don’t we have the Crows second round pick (25) coming back to us too?

A friend who barracks for the Tigers said that the only downside of barracking for them now than five years ago is the huge crowd that’s at each match these days and having to plan ahead. Each game is an event. No more just rocking up at the last moment

Frosty V Buddy in two weeks time. The startled stallion V the lame legend.

Sort of agree. It is a relatively pointless to worry about but after years of our club being either irrelevant or a joke it is brilliant to now have players seriously in contention for individual awards; Brownlow, AA, Coaches award. Hopefully a Norm Smith or two

And Adelaide’s 2nd round pick back to us is looking better with every one of their losses

Jones is a natural born inside mid and the Club will pull out all stops to find another role for him but when he is no longer in the best 4 mids he is going to struggle. A bit similar but not quite as dire for Nathan as the position Tyson has found himself in; right at home in the middle but a liability elsewhere and on the edge of our best 22.

My dearest football wish is for the Dees to get on a roll and kick the Eagles out of 2nd spot at the end of Rnd 23 preferably on percentage by about a goal. My 2nd dearest footy wish is for Ess to miss finals.

AFL.com article has Dangerfield overtaking Martin as the Leagues best player over a two year period mainly due to Martin going backwards. But they go onto to say.. "Looking at this season only, the best midfielder in the AFL is young Melbourne bull Clayton Oliver. Not only does he rank second among players in his position for average contested possessions (16.9), he is also fourth for average pressure points (61.5)." So is Oliver currently the best player in the comp? It would seem so.

Smith is sort of the mini me version of Frost - some athletic abilities that few possess but it’s edge-of-your-seat time when he has the ball in hand. If he could sort out his disposal skills he could be fantastic. Big if though