FarNorthernD

It was a brilliant few weeks. Even being able to pick up the papers on a Friday morning and look at the selected side in finals format with all the heights, weights, games played and finals played (0) next to the players names was a huge thrill. The amount of time I must have wasted working out average heights and weights and match-ups and then secondary match-ups and doing my own rankings of players on both sides. No matter how I finessed the numbers I couldn't see a Melbourne victory but win we did. The sum total of that team was far greater than the parts it was made of. Gives me hope for the rest of this year

Alice Springs forecast for Saturday - 22 degrees, light wind, 5% chance of rain and, if I'm reading it right, 33% humidity. Perfect footy weather. Wish I was going to be there

And Ablett has earned every cent he has been paid. There can't have been that many people who believed he would actually get better without having the likes of Ling, Bartell, Kelly playing second fiddle for him. You could make a reasonable argument that he has been underpaid. As for Scully it must be difficult for him to walk around the club with head held high

At some time during that era Mick Malthouse, who was Footscray's coach, said during a TV interview that he doubted Melbourne supporters knew the way to the Western Oval. Well we found our way there that day and let Mick know we were there. The poor bugger and his coaching staff of one or two were perched on a raised wooden platform up a set of vertical metal steps on the wing in the outer. I can't guarantee it was that day but after a Demon win he was coming down the stairs and a mate yelled "yeah we know how to get here Mick. You just drive to sh!tsville and keep going". Happy days. Back on topic, I can see some similarities between the 87 side and the current one although I think the 87 side was seen to be underperforming earlier in the season. Having said that both coaches are/were brilliant at getting the best out the men under their control

Yes I understand how it works and it does explain (sort of) why Shannon Byrnes is rated higher than Dom no matter how plainly ridiculous that is. I think where we get our knickers in a knot is when Nathan Jones who has consistently been very good for at least the last two seasons is listed as the 110th player and has Alex Rance listed above him at 109.

There are some anomalies to say the least Whilst Nate is rated at 110, Alex Rance is 109 Jack Viney is 382 whilst Jack Grimes is 249 and my personal favourite Shannon Bynes 249 > Dom Tyson 417

Just watched the game again and Cam was sensational all game but particularly in the last when the pressure was truly on His stats 12 possesions 8 marks 8 tackles 81% efficiency 123 sc points which was 2nd most for the club only behind Watts That is an amazing transformation. I keep thinking of Jamar's comment where he says 'the coaching staff treat them like men'. Cam and many others are certainly playing like men

You could be on to something here and it would explain why he wants to keep his identity a secret

I assume they will want to keep to the now standard set-up. Tommy to start on Vickery and Dunn to stand Riewoldt

How he finds room and time in the middle of packs has got me stuffed. Too late to find room on the Tyson bandwagon?

Would be good if we didn't give up the first goal of every qtr

Would still like to hear your views Rod. Nothing better to read on a training report page than a training report.

I feel a little bit taller this week and a bit more proud to announce myself as a Demon supporter. Firstly, winning in Adelaide, as all AFL supporters know, is never an easy assignment and Secondly, the endless replays of Viney playing hard, tough, full paced footy and coming up with possession at the end of it. Now that is the type of footy I want the rest of the football world to associate with a Red and Blue jumper

JFK's spin, baulk, accelerate and goal Jamars mark 1 metre out Racing around my lounge room with fists in the air when the siren went

You think we got shafted. There should be a royal commission to how the Bulldogs just got treated. Weird

And it just makes sense. If you are playing with the same blokes each week you will build trust, repetition becomes your friend and you play with the confidence that if you make a mistake you won't be immediately dropped to Casey

Ro was very good today. He ran all day as we know he can, was hard at the ball and his disposal was generally good. 21disposals, 9 contested possessions, 5 tackles and a goal. Probably his best game for the club

Well whatever the truth to this is his price went up this afternoon After only a couple of games he is already in the group of only four or five players in the team that I feel that we will win the ball when it goes into his area He isn't the quickest over 20m but I doubt if there is a player in the league who has a faster first three steps

Westrupp mystery injury?

No change No Casey player putting hand up and Roos would rather keep same side playing

Whilst it wasn't Georgiou's best game, there is a lot to like about his attitude. Love the way he stood up to the $10m man. No backward steps, no beg your pardons. Alex didn't give a stuff Lance is a superstar and he was pick 347. The glamour boy dives like a soccer player, lies on the ground until he realises he ain't getting a free then jumps up and carries on like the overpaid prat he is. Franklin should be suspended for bringing the game into disrepute. Georgiou joins Cross, Viney and Jones in my list of players who I don't need to worry about if they will give their all on the footy field

Roos getting stuck into Howe and Watts

Pedersons improvement this year gives me hope for Watts

Fixed

Not much help for Jake in the ruck but he should be able to break even or beat Nichols. Conversely there is a lot of run in that Melbourne side. Clearances are the key. If we let their midfield dominate we will lose. Hopefully we can maintain our confidence and trust, spread when we have the ball and keep lots of defensive pressure on them as they come out of our forward 50. If we can do these things and not turn the ball over form kick-outs we will win. Easy PS Shame Kent not playing. So which Warnock brother will be considered the better footballer at the end of their careers? I hope Matthew gets to 100 games (currently on 81)