Maldonboy38

Play form players - Jetta, Terlich, Evans Tell Jamar not to tap the ball only one metre away from his feet. Give it a belt wide of the congestion and let Toumpas, Sylvia etc.. to run on to it. When we have the ball, run and be creative. Run, run, run, run, run.

Sellar. We need to keep him for backup, but I prefer Spencer, Gawn and even Fitzy ahead of him Gillies. One of our worst drafts in recent years, and that is saying a lot Pedersen. I just cannot see his worth.

As I have posted elsewhere, there are definite parallels between the position of the MFC 2013 - with Sydney 1980 and Fitzroy 1996. All the good administration, strong board, successful marketing etc... is all for nothing if the team can't play AFL standard footy. Fitzroy had Roos, Pert, Rendell, Wilson, Quinlan etc... in the period leading up to their demise - but they could not pull it together. Sydney had Round, Browning, the Morwoods - but could not pull it together. I will not jump off Melbourne - ever. But if we do not start to win, and become a successful game-day team I genuinely fear for our future.

How can we adequately express our rage to the leaders of our club? At AGM's we have our questions disallowed, restricted, or the question time limited. If we phone or email the club we get the automatic response of "yes the club is hurting but we need all our supporters to pull together". Journalists, Commentators, news reporters, web-site coordinators - they all get a forum to express ideas and emotions to the club. What is ours?

OUT: Pedersen. I have said it all preseason - he is a spud and not AFL standard. Gillies - is it possible to recruit this poorly? Nicho - Can. Not. Kick. Tappy. I have been gunning for his inclusion all preseason. He was atrocious today. Watts. The easiest position on the ground to play and accumulate free possessions, and he gets two kicks. I have been a strong and stalwart defender of Jack, but his intensity, heart and focus were embarrassing - for him and the jumper. He must be dropped. The playing staff cannot tolerate this soft, passionless footy. Midfield coaches. How bad are we? VERY LUCKY: Sellar. In certain situations, we probably need him McKenzie. We have no-one else who can stifle Watson Sylvia. IN: Dawes Terlich Jetta. Cannot believe his exclusion for round 1 Davey Tom McDonald

I would love this, but it won't achieve anything apart from allowing me and many others to vent their spleen. I want something to CHANGE. I want to players to play with some ticker. I want evidence that Neeld's coaching is going to be effective. Players like Sylvia, Tapscott and Watts to be dropped. I am a fan of all three but they represent the heart of the matter - no ticker. And please, for the love of all things good and true, never play Gillies or Pedersen again.

Cue Greg Denham

I still have my members scarf and members card. I will support and bleed red and blue until I die. I will stick as fat as I can. But I feel gutted today. Devastated. Again. I wonder if a heap of us should turn up to the next open training session and let the players and coaches know how we feel? Emails to the club, donations to debt demolition, participation in club functions and family days is the support we have given and will give. But how do we express a mixture of emotional numbness, devastation and rage? Would it make the players and coaches play and coach better? I don't know how to express to the club the emotions I am feeling, but I don't just want to type into an internet forum. The club needs to know how it feels for us.

Grimes had a go and got the ball. Half the time, it seemed that if he had some help and some players around him showing energy he might have been able to give it to someone who was moving. He is a bloody good leader surrounded by lifeless corpses - I reckon he can hold his head up.

Since the day Bailey was appointed as coach I have seen no rise or fall in our attitude or performance. We have stagnated in a rotten position where there is no inspiration, no flair, no guts, no mongrel and no coordinated approach to playing hard and winning. We are simply not winners. We might win the occasional game but there is never any feel of excelling. There is a rule of nature that applies to all of life - either grow or die. We have stagnated therefore we are still dying. I have a rally bad feeling about where this could lead.

I agree heart beats true. Where do we go from here? What can Neeld say, do, change? What will spark us? How can a group of players serve that up after a tough preseason? Can we shrink any further?

I have four kids. I was working this arvo, but when I got home the kids were doing other stuff but had the computer on and getting score updates, laughing at the Melbourne result. Laughing!! They are all members - paid up and proud - but I have no chance of getting them to any games this year. They are not turning into supporters, they just "go for Melbourne but have no interest". The MFC is robbing me of a whole lot at the moment.

1. Grimes 2. Viney The rest of the votes go to us Dees supporters who keep barracking and supporting for no return. Nothing. Zilch.

Devastated. Is that performance redeemable in any way? Range Rover - I hate to say it - but I agree with you. I have horrible feelings akin to South Melbourne 1980 and Fitzroy 1996. WE seem to have OK administrators, good marketing adn management, etc... But we simply cannot play AFL standard football. At the Commencement dinner, Mark Neeld said "we are building something special". Bulldust. We are fading away into irrelevancy and obscurity. I really am sick and tired of this. I will hold onto my scarf and membership but I can't emotionally buy in. This one really hurts.

It is worse than round 1 2012 because "the boys" trained their backsides off for 5 months according to certain principles, structures etc... and then played with no urgency or intensity at all. So many times the commentators called "the Melbourne players stayed off and the Port player took the ball uncontested". Since Neeld was appointed, I have stayed committed to the view that I would review him as a coach at round 11 2013. It is only round 1 but he is beginning to look shaky. Can he game day coach? Can he inspire? No signs of this yet after two preseasons.

There's a pig at full forward - Sandy Roberts

The only one I really struggle with is Nicholson instead of Jetta. Excluding injuries, Dawes, Trengove and McDonald should come back in next week. Probably means Gillies,Matt Jones and Pedersen/Sellar will make way for them.

We have Dawes, Trengove, McDonald and Gawn all to come back from injury, and they will all probably move into the 22 during this season. We have Davey, Evans, Terlich, Strauss and Jetta who will also press for selection - actually they already have done so via the preseason. I also believe that Tynan and Taggert will improve vastly this year. At last some genuine selection dilemmas. It has been a while.

The speculation from media "experts", including past players and coaches who should know better, is driving me nuts. I know they have to do tipping but some of the reasons or insights being given are pathetic. As for Maclure - I put him in the Ashley Hansen category. He was a below average player in an outstanding team, and now has the bragging rights as if actually contributed to any of Carlton's success!! I place him only 1cm below Greg Denham when commenting on the Dees. I agree with dazzledavey36 - Maclure is the biggest [censored] ever. I love the ABC commentary and game discussion but Maclure almost makes me switch off.

Definitely Gawn. This boy has both size and talent - if he can work through injuries. Don't be fooled by the amicable personality and the goofy grin. He is a strong mark and not a bad kick (forgetting his first ever shot on goal!!!). Spencer is the no. 2 at the moment, but I reckon we will recruit another ruckman at the end of this season.

You may have noticed at training that part of the warm up is standing 15m apart and kicking from a standing position. Then move apart to 25m, and then to about 40 m.This is about ball drop and leg action technique. You can definitely alter your technique through repetitive new muscle-memory drills. I agree about Davis, Bail, Nicho, Joel Mac have to work extra hard because their natural efficiency stats come from a poor base. Young Viney is another candidate. However, I agree with a post above about natural hand-eye coordination. Hird was an outstanding kick and yet had one of those "both-hands-off the-ball-and-let-it-drop" kind of actions. His hand-eye coordination was exceptional. If you want a training manual for a kicking action, look at Fevola, Barry Hall, Ablett snr and jnr, Leigh MAtthews, Carey, and of course Robbie.

I discovered Monday that I cannot go due to work commitments. Devastated. My kids particularly unhappy, as we had slotted this is as one of the important ones for 2013. Can't get to a TV or computer until about 4pm.

I am in the car every Friday when Greg Denham talks to KB. I had to turn it off and listen to ABC classic FM instead - that's how bad it became. I wonder if some Melbourne official stole his play lunch at Kinder: he is embarrassing in his vitriolic hatred of the Dees. Mitch Robinson - surely a man that ugly has already been hit in the head a few times. Scully. I know lots of people change clubs, but the total lack of integrity by him and his dad is a new low point in the modern era. Buckley did the same thing to Brisbane.

Feels like deja vu all over again.

Well I really enjoyed it. Adelaide's van Berlo saying "you are the reason cave men carved into walls" is actually funny. Gary Ablett in the surf Well done. Corny - you bet. But who gives a rat's toss-bag.