nutbean

All posters have to do is read the last 2 to 3 weeks on who should be in or who should be out to realise that we no longer have a best 22 but are sitting on about a best 25 or 26, something we have not been able to say for a long time. Whoever misses out is going to be unlucky and we won't promote just because someone is playing well at Casey. We will promote and demote because it will make the Melbourne team better. Those knocking the door down at Casey will have to keep knocking until there is an obvious place for them in the team.

The last time I saw opposition getting into an injured player was when Nick Reiwoldt did his shoulder. I'm with Clint - poor form. I have no problem Bugg being a pest but pushing a hobbling player going into the arms of trainers is just not on. Got a fine and deserved it.

I like Buggs intensity, tackling but he is a little sloppy. I like him getting under the skin of opponents but the fine he copped is fair. Melee involvement is one thing and flying the flag is fine but pushing at an injured player hobbling around in the hands of trainers is not particularly tough. Do not like this one little bit.

My only comment to Viney would be to drive his hands through his chest and send him flying. If the decision is reversed I can live with that but we don't want to him suspended

I think I need to you pull you up on that one. Rance was dumb and he will get a little time but he was not thumped behind play and put into a coma.

And jack Viney was quick to fire up when Rance scones Watts for no reason.

As honest as the day is long.

I think supporters need to get their head around that this year we have moved away from being a club who each week looks to promote from the VFL to a club that has players in the VFL playing good football who have to wait their turn for an injury or any sort of form slump from a senior. In the past ANB, Michie and Grimes would probably already be playing, we would be considering Trengove and possibly even Weidman or Hulett. This season ( with the big disclaimer, that the last two weeks effort is the benchmark) we need to accept that players that are in good VFL form won't get a call up.

What if Tyson keeps improving ? Blows that little theory out of the water.

I think you have put the most salient point in this post. This discussion should not be about pace and should be about the ability to get to the right spots which is what you have witnessed. There have been many footballers who have not been blessed with pace who are valuable because they get to the right spots and on the flip side we have seen many players with pace to burn who have a penchant for getting to where the ball ain't. If Trengoves pace is adequate and he is getting to contest and letting his smarts make him a contributor then all is good.

With no insight whatsoever ( like the disclaimer ?) I would assume his resting is based on more than just Sunday - I would think they watched him closely at training to see how zippy he was etc , when they have reached this decision. I have a preference for the first two weeks Oliver playing like that for 3 weeks and then missing one than have the Oliver of last week play like that ongoing. I am not saying that he played badly last week and he had some crucial touches but he was down on his previous output and if the theory is that resting him a week will mean more games like the first few weeks then I say rest him a week and freshen him up.

most of my posts are hit and myth anyways...

Basically Petracca had not played a game since the 2014 TAC season. That is a good 18 months. Then has rehabbed but again took 2 months off without really touching a ball. Oliver had played all last season, done all preseason asked - played intraclub and games of NAB. Simply - Oliver was ahead of Petracca fitness wise allowing him to be selected straight up but we have already seen a quieter Oliver in week 4 (and now rested) and even in his first two weeks he was on limited time and tired in the last quarter of his first few games ( he actually looked the best last week in the last quarter)

Because skim milk is healthier than full cream milk.

What is that about ? Mate...you are paid a zillion dollars a year - can you not afford a mirror that would tell you that a decent hairdresser is required ?

Agree one hundred percent - which is why after 2 seasons, you do hear talk of game plan that we didn't hear for the first two season. Roos and Co have an expectation that with the talent they have assembled, the money they have spent on development coaches and pumped two years of development into players - basics should now be in place and a non negotiable. Simply Roos had no faith in the talent in the group when he arrived or the ability for them to execute the basics - hence the dramatic turnover of players. He is still preaching "we are young" and as much I don't like it, I get it. The youth have two weaknesses - the don't always execute the basics well every time, with the major problem being that under pressure ( and not having mature wise heads) they can divert from the game plan or the teachings.

I may be old school but when i watch a game I think to win it is a combination of 90% basics and 10% game plan. First basic - you need talent - Matt Jones best on the wing against Brad Hills best on wing and we come out second. Whatever talent you have , you need to bring your best each game for 4 quarters ( unless you are vastly superior to another team and then you see a team cruise to win at half pace) Second basic - you need to work hard and keep moving. Hard running pure and simple - whether you are a lumbering ruckman making space to take a mark like Gawn or Watts who is running up and down from full forward to the half back flank. Defend well and spread well. Hard work. Third basic - do the basics well - kick and handball efficiently ( crucial in todays game - turn it over and you die) , mark, spoil, tackle, block As mindnumbingly simple the above may be you need all of this or no matter what your game plan is or how good it is - it falls apart if you don't do the above. With the above operating comes confidence. When you overlay a game plan (which must be understood by all) and you execute the basics, you then can also execute the basics to a plan and that can be potent when the basics are going well and the plan is good. I don't believe we lose because our game plan is wrong - we lose because we don't execute the basics. The game plan doesn't work if the basics are missing. There is a reason that Roos basically said he wasn't that interested about an intricate game plan in the early days - that's because we couldn't even execute the basic fundamentals. Over the last 3 years we have rarely lost because of game plan - we have lost because of the basics.

I can see the pre Anzac Day, night match against Richmond also becoming "an institution".

desperate times, desperate measures. I am not so sure he won't play. To Richmond, is a half fit Deledio better than anything they have in the VFL ? I don't know. The difference between Richmond and Melbourne is that I ( we ) desperately want us to win - Richmond basically have to win. For this reason we absolutely have to be switched on as I fully expect Richmond to come out firing. I fully believe that if we come out switched on, we are a better team than Richmond and will win. (what I like is that we are in a different head space than previous coaching eras - previously Petracca and maybe even Trengove would have already been playing and hobbling Gartlett would have probably played last week - that's because we would have had no alternatives. Even playing Brayshaw three weeks ago was old time thinking and Roos came straight out and said afterwards that it was a mistake)

In your wildest dreams, if the match committee think they have the next boy wonder on their hands, do you think they would not be playing him to teach him a lesson for something that happened almost 3 months ago ?

I agree with Saber - Gartlett and Deledio are completely different situations - Garlett has the preaseason and season games in his legs to get through a game - the problem is his ankle, whether it has recovered. Deledio's issue is match fitness - all the running in the world doesn't get you match ready. If he is not match ready today he won't be any fitter Sunday night. Gartlett's ankle in 3 days can look a lot better than today. IMO there are only two reasons to select Deledio and they know the answer already - they will either role the dice and play him or have no intention of playing him and it is a ruse to disrupt our planning ( I think these little subterfuges are silly as coaching panels prepare for all scenario's when an opposition player is suspect). There is only one reason I believe we have selected Gartlett - they believe his ankle is good enough now and will improve further in 3 days to allow him play.

What about the explanation given that if Jeffy doesn't get up the Petracca was a chance to debut. I suspect Garland was not in the best 3 in the VFL but was the best tall and therefore he was named as emergency in case something happens to a tall. I suspect that ANB was named as he was the best midfielder in VFL and therefore if a midfielder goes out before Sunday he would get the call up. I suspect that Petracca was named in the event that Gartlett doesn't play, ( more than suspect - Roos, Mahoney have almost said as much) Whilst we may not at the emergencies all that closely I am positive the match committee does. It is not about feelings - it is about what is best for team. They then go to match day and leave out a couple of the emergencies out of the Casey game the night before in case of last minute problems and I suspect on Saturday night that Petracca will play but ANB won't as they will want to get another week of match conditions into Petracca whereas ANB can afford to miss.

especially Saty

agreed - but is there a more fun pastime than taking a swipe at an entire generation ( you young whippersnapper)

I am not sure where I read it, but apparently Petracca has been inundating Roos with text messages that he is ready to go ! And I didn't read too much into the picture of Garland and Petracca - I sorta read that in 18 years time we are going to have a father son selection that is a powerhouse and explosive, can on the odd occasion take a good intercept mark and is prone to the odd brainfade in the back half of the ground ( too far ?)