FarNorthernD

You are paraphrasing what James McDonald said a few years ago in that if he was winning the Bluey then we were not going to be a top side. I would agree if you had of used Daniel Cross as your example but Jones is more than capable of being the top ranked player in a finals side

For some reason i sort of hope Frawley has signed a contract with the Bombers

Damn you Hogan. You've renewed my belief in him again

I'll declare my bias up front, I have a lot of man love for Mitch Clark. I don't understand how anybody could rationally think Mitch is not worthy of pick 10. This is what we would get IF he decides to pull on the boots again AND the Club believes he is physically and mentally up to the task A player the current Melbourne coach believed was the best player on the list. Known leadership qualities Whilst having lost conditioning this year he has many pre-seasons already under his belt, another 6 months of training to come and has apparently been under the guidance of Melbourne fitness staff since he 'retired'. He would make an immediate impact A passionate Melbourne man A forward who would gift Dawes the second or third best tall opposition back and take significant pressure from Hogan to step up on debut, and most importantly A player who can mark and kick goals A fully fit Mitch Clark is a hugely valuable commodity. As for his value to Freo, you could argue they may get 40 games or they may get 80 or perhaps none. But I would say that they would be a way better chance for a flag or two over the next few years with Mitch in the side than whatever player pops up at this years draft at No.10 One thing we can agree on Watts Jurrah Dunn is that Demonland never fails to amaze

I live in hope no matter how remote

Thanks Pitmaster. Very much appreciate the report. Interesting to hear that Roos thinks there is still a fair bit of upside in Howe

Given Jack signed a contract with us last year (and many of us were having nasty thoughts about him because he didn't sign early enough for our liking) how many Clubs do you think will be willing to pick up the rather extravagent pay packet he is no doubt on? We are going to either have to trade him for a second rounder and supplement his income at another club or we can trust Roos to work a way through the mess Jack is in. At the moment almost every player, including Jack, expects to fail. The problem with missing 2m handballs, shots directly in front from just outside the goal square and falling over randomly is above the shoulders not due to skill. We can have the best pre-season ever but if the mental issues aren't addressed then we are doomed to fail again and again

You are funny Budgie but if you want to troll you need to make it a bit less obvious

Really? So when Jack is delivering them lace out to a forward in a finals side and we are all sitting at home watching it on the TV wishing Melbourne were playing finals you don't think this may generate some discussion.

Never a truer word spoken Goffy There is a difference between a wayward talent and just plain wayward. As an experienced player, in Mitch we would be importing the same unprofessional, leadership free drongo we have been trying to eradicate from the club Nope nope nope

This won't be popular but Neita wasn't too flash under pressure either. 30 points up (or down) he could slot them from the 50m boundary line. But when we were needing a real Captains goal he was often found wanting.

Once every season or two for the past forty years, i convince my self that the umpiring I am watching is so poor, so inconsistent and so blatantly against Melbourne that when I wake up the next morning there will be headlines in all the papers screaming for the umpires heads and a public apology from the AFL for completely rorting the MFC. For good measure they have gone back through past games and awarded us points retrospectively.........But then sometimes I also realise for every perfectly reasonable and obvious free a Melbourne player is paid there is someone else in the crowd that thought it was a twiggy touchwood 50/50 free that shouldn't have been paid at all. Umpires can't win and never will. Even if all three have a blinder and umpire the perfect game one set of supporter (but probably both) will feel hardly done by. We need to encourage more umpires through the system but really who wants that level of abuse in their lives.

Fundraising calls are often out sourced. I used to but those $100 raffle tickets each year and whilst the sales people flogging the ticket had the Melbourne patter they weren't employed by the club Perhaps the guy you spoke to just thought that Roos had signed for the extra year but then maybe he really has in which case I'll start celebrating heavily

I must admit I didn't realise how good he was going to be. He makes his wage by his on field stuff alone but his real value, I believe, has been as a role model. We have had a serious vacuum in leadership over the past decade and Daniel is an example for not only the younger players to follow but a template for our current leaders. His preparation and dedication are second to none and apparently is a fine human being as well. I can understand why the Bulldogs let him go but they pretty much gave us their version of Junior McDonald.

I am a fan of Chip but given some incremental improvement in McDonald's disposal and Jesse tracking how the Club expect him to, if you had to lose one then No.8 would be the first out the door.

You summed it up for me there Bob. I can have diametrically opposed views on Tom from one game to another. Hell sometimes within the same passage of play I can go from wild enthusiasm for his defence work to abject despair over his disposal. But let's face it we all knew that when he went down against Riewoldt in round 1 that it was probably going to be game changing. We would have won that match if he didn't get injured. If his kicking was even a 7/10 then you could comfortably assume he would be a fair shot at AA CHB for the next half decade. The MFC will be desperate to get his signature but hopefully Tom can spend less time in the offseason gut running and more spent on honing his disposal

I met one of the Swans academy coaches yesterday who is mates with Roos and who spoke to him a week or so ago. I asked him if, given recent results, if Roos was still happy taking up the MFC coaching reins. He said that Paul is a "coaching fiend" and loves being a coach. We spoke briefly about Frawley and he had no idea if he was going to stay or not but said that free agency favoured the stronger clubs and the weaker clubs were always going to pay over the odds to keep or attract players Re Hogan. As just a football supporter without any great industry knowledge I have more concerns about Hogan than most here particularly regarding his marking and kicking. The Swans academy coach however believes the Club has huge faith in Jesse and getting his signature on the two year extension is a key plank in the rebuild. They have very high hopes for him I know there is nothing new here but I found it interesting to talk from someone close to Roos and thought some others here may find the same

And Alberto Contador, a bloke who has lost a Tour de France win a few years ago after being found guilty of doping, is one of the favourites for this years event.

Watching the Freo game yesterday one of the few players that gave me hope for the future was this bloke. Yes, I know he only got the ball 11 times and his disposal wasn't brilliant at 55% but he has something about him. He's quick, loves to run, loves to kick a goal, possesses a raking left foot and has toughness to go with the skills. I know I'm going early on a bloke who has only payed 21 games but I think he has the skills and temperament that would thrive under finals pressure. Either way I know I become less of a morose bastard when the footy is in Dean's hands

Yes, the question now is not if he will stay but if we want him to. He had a shocker and to rub salt into the wound his 19 year old, first year player kicks the winning goal on him

Yes it is a wierd world. Barry was the add on in the Hogan deal. Given the relative profile of each of those players it is astounding that Dom debuts before Jesse. But Dom does have some Rolls Royce smoothness about him and if he continues to develop could almost become as big a Demon faithful favourite as Jesse. Good luck to him

So I wonder if anyone at all thought you were referring to Grimes?

Surely not too difficult a task Goffy. Do you have to look further than our opponents of last week?

Not a JKH fan?

Not too many years later the "Bears" went onto three peat. We got the beginning of a fab 4 and a young Jono Brown sitting on the sidelines at the moment. I'll take that analogy