Maldonboy38

AFL Judd Ablett Franklin Pendlebury Cox MFC Grimes Frawley Jamar Trengove Moloney

None of us like what HWMNBN did in taking the money and running out on the club who gave him his chance. But Jeesh, we need to take some chill-pills here boys. I only listened to the Hawks v GWS game on radio and it sounded like he was in the play a fair bit and doing OK. Let it go! He is gone and he will probably be an OK footballer. Unfortunately for his sake I don't think he will reach a high level until the 5th or 6th year because he will be playing alongside other developing boys. He has basically stuffed up what could have been an elite career but he chose the $.

It is great that this is becoming more difficult the closer we get to Round 1. So here goes: B: Bartram Frawley T McDonald HB: Blease Garland Grimes C: Bail Moloney Jones HF: Green Martin Sylvia F: Pettered Clark Howe R: Jamar Trengove Magner IC: Watts, Gysberts, Bate Sub: Davey At this stage I am not fully convinced about Sellar, Couch, or Nicholson I am totally unconvinced about J MacDonald and Jamie Bennell. I am convinced that Jared Rivers will find it hard to get into our best 22 I have changed my opinion about Jack Fitzpatrick - he looked better than OK last night but couldn't find a place for him. Didn't see enough of Troy Davis or Josh Tynan to form a good opinion. Lots of others will be pushing (Tapscott, Jurrah etc...) I hope Kel Lawrence can develop as a crumbing forward - we need one desperately. Any other suggestions for this spot???

This is a really good thread and has got me thinking. Most of us would remember that period of weeks when we found out that David Neitz would have to retire due to a potentially serious neck injury. When he stepped down we had Junior McDonald, Green, Davey and Rivers. But when it came down the crunch the only person of experience, with on-field ticker and the ability to represent the club in public was Junior McDonald. What I am getting to is this: it is in the last 2 - 3 years of Neale Daniher's reign that the leadership development stalled. Once Neitz stepped away there was Junior, then a huge gap to anyone else. With all due respect to Rivers, Davey and Green none of them inspire people to follow them - at least not from the point of view od supporters. Further to this, Bailey demonstrated a mindset that he was coaching boys rather than men and so the leadership development in his years was also basically zero. And this is one of the main reasons MFC went after Neil Craig and why Todd Viney was retained - they can develop leaders. From what we see and hear about the club we now have a decent leadership development program in place and the right people to lead it through. I can't tell you my relief when Grimes was appointed Captain. I reckon he is a beauty. With him, Trengove and Jones involved we are at last on the right track after 5 years or so of leadership development stagnation. At least I hope so!

The more I reflect on the last two week's NAB cup matches the more I am convinced that clubs are using them as extended intraclub games. They practice certain things such a positioning, discipline, set-up at specific points of the ground. The Dees hugged the boundary line last weekend and I am beginning to think this was a discipline and structure test. Could they follow this instruction for a whole game? They also bombed it mercileesly into the forward 50 - did the forward players do as instructed? So I hope they practice three things against the Colliwobblers: How to bring the ball out of our defensive 50 if Pies employ the full press How to spread from a contest without leaving us exposed to the one over the back if we turn it over Our skills at full pace. Apart from this - no more injuries, please!!!

If we are talking champion players like Judd, Ablett jnr, Matthews, Hird, Voss etc.. no we do not have one on our list who is showing that kind of potential. But as has been mentioned by billy2803, the last two premiers have no had no players of that quality. However, I believe that Trengove, Gysberts and Bail have the greatest up-side, and I want to see more of Blease and Tapscott. We have ther bread-and-butter players already in Moloney, Jones and Sylvia (who should be an elite midfielder by now) but we need some class coming out of stoppages, or running the lines and breaking forward. Our desperate need is a Burgoyne/Pendlebury type player who is tallish and whose skills in traffic rarely let them down. We do not have this quality on our list currently as far as I can see. Also, Josh Tynan has shown a bit of class and courage in the intra club, then the NAB Cup. It could be 2 years away for him but he might have a touch of class. Anyone know what his disposal is like under pressure?

Bate is the classic example of a footballer versus athlete. Paul Roos' stupid comments about the Sydney Academy delisting 16 year old kid because of aerobic capacity points straight to Matty Bate. He has a huge cumbersome turning circle, is slow off the mark and has iron hands in easy marking competitions. But when it comes to the basic skills and awareness of being a footballer I reckon Bate is above many on our list. For whatever reason Bailey did not rate him but he is too good not to be in our best 22 and he is as strong as an ox. I still cannot beleive that Lynden Dunn got played ahead of Bate last year.

It looks like bruise-free footy might be a horrible memory now but everyone please take a valium. There is no way that Neeld will fill the midfield with only grunt players. We can't fit all of Couch, Magner, Nicho, Moloney, Jones, Sylvia and Bate, into a side that also needs Trengove, Gysberts, Bail, Blease and maybe even Grimes also as a midfielder. Grunt is important, especially considering 2011 but it can never be everything. We need outside runners like Davey, Morton, Blease, Kel Lawrence. Just sit and watch the next 2 NAB Cup games and the preferred Needl team makeup will begin to emerge.

I too am a great fan of this bloke and see him as similar to Paul Williams from Collingwood/Sydney Swans. Hard as nails, poise, very quick but have to disagree with Hells Gates - his kicking is his downfall, especially at the end of one of his blistering runs. In the intra club he put three out of bounds on the full, and two of these were not under pressure. If he gets his kicking skills improved he will be an invaluable asset.

1. No injuries 2. Bringing the ball back into play after an opposition behind. 3. Who excels in our midfield (Couch, Magner, Gysberts, Moloney, Grimes, Sylvia, Bail, Petterd, Green, Grimes...) 4. Grimes leadership 5. Our forward line set up. .

I went along to the intraclub match today, and though it was very interesting to watch, it had little to say about our game plan etc... There were a lot of long bombs into the forward line - actually I only saw two forward line leads honoured for the entire time - but feel this was to practice something that was planned beforehand. Sometimes it was a long blind kick to a very packed area. It looked like there was a direct practice of pack marking and crumbing, but I could be way off. There was a lot of boundary play, and the corridor was often ignored even if two players were unattended in there. Highlights: Watts pass to Tom MacDonald, at full pace, on his left foot, across his body. BUt I agree with a note above that a few times Watts seemd to hold back. Blease was magnificent, whether running away from congestion, running through it, or breaking through the wing area. Morton was very good. Poise, control and he went in really hard at some stoppages. Looked very comfortable down back. Bloke in front of me said "Fitzpatrick looks like a young giraffe" and got a general laugh. Very accurate too! Clark's pack presence. Chucks himself at it and if he doesn't mark it, he splits the pack and creates something at ground level. Jones, Moloney, Bate, Couch, Nicholson having a red hot crack and showing stoppage toughness. Tynan. For a first run he showed intensity, ability to read the play, and could think on his feet. Lowlights Fitzpatrick injued. I think it ws his ankle but difficult to see. The amount of players who could have had a run and didn't. I know the intraclub is a part of the training program, but once again the club has missed out on an opportunity to build supporter enthusiasm.

No one can question Bartram's endeavour, application, heart, willingness and toughness. He has these qualities in spades and usually beats his opponent each week. Also, he usually is involved in a few plays that break out of our back line with linking, multiple kicks and handpasses. It is in this setting where his main deficiency is demonstrated - his kicking efficiency. It is not only about landing it on someone's chest, however he does miss easy targets when running with little or no pressure. For me, in some games, I have put his disposal into the Darren Gaspar or Ben Holland category. I simpy did not want him to get the ball because the team would run forward according to plan and his kicking would not be effective enough for that plan to work. If he gets his kicking game right, he is absolutley in our best 22. If not, he will come in and out of the team according to the opposition on any given day. .

I have really enjoyed all the uploaded youtube videos of some great footy memories. As I was watching a few I noticed a certain B Wilson flash through the footage and wondered what Dees people think of him all these years later? I remember so well the year he won the Brownlow medal - the channel 7 commentators were a little bit dumbfounded as it was a complete surprise to most footy watchers. A few of mates bagged me at the time that such a "nobody" could win the greatest individual prize available in footy. As I watched those youtube clips I was reminded that he was a bit slow, but he was amazing at getting to where the ball was. His reading of the play seemed as good as any others at the time. I always thought he was better than a one year wonder and that he was an important part of what happened under John Northey, but he rarely gets mentioned in the same breath as Stynes, Lyon, Greg Healey, Grinter, Sean Wight etc... So, how do you remember him? .

Has to be out of Grimes, Watts and Trengove. I choose Trengove. If you put a scale together of every skill and quality required of every footballer, regardless of position or size, Trengove would rate very highly in every category. I see him as a cross between Bartel and Gibbs. Smokey: Jordan Gysberts. He just keeps getting to where the ball is. A few more kgs and a bit more aerobic capacity and the sky is the limit. .

On the afternnon of the last home and away round of '987 I was driving to Stawell from Maldon with my parents, who were about to meet my then girlfriends' parents for the first time. Mum is a mental Dees fan and remembers the glory days of the late forties through to sixties. We were going nuts inside the car listening to ABC radio, who were constantly crossing to the other grounds for scores. I almost drove off the road when we realised Hawthorn had won. As for John Northey, totally agree. By far the best Dees coach in my living memory. If only the club had been more functional we could have been anything in hte late 80's. He introduced a new crop of players and he could get the best out of all comers. He could really give a spray and had a constant mongrel streak in everyhing he did. I like to think what he could have achieved with the 1994 team? I went to the Dees v Swans final that year at the MCG and couldn't speak for three days after. Still the best footy day of my life. Unfortunately, '87 also included a certain 15 metre penalty... .

Working your backside off is not of the highest importance when talking leadership. We would be stupid to think that anyone at an AFL club gets through a season without working their backside off. Bartram as a leader is mystifying because few of us have ever seen him influence his team mates for the betterment of the team. Is he tough? Bloody oath he is. Disciplined and ever ready - yes. But not once have I heard a team mate or coach speak of his influence among the team. That is why I question his place in the leaderhip team. As far as Clark goes, this is a complete unknown and he may be a natural leader. But I cannot believe that in 4.5 months over summer preseason that he has demonstraed more leadership ability than Rivers, Davey, Moloney and Green. If Neeld and the coaches want a fresh start, a clean slate etc... then they are on the right track with Trengove and Grimes whose leadership credentials have followed them throughout their football from juniors through to AFL. But to move players aside who have built up strong leaedrship qualitites over a 5 - 8 year period says either their leadership was based on the fact that there was no-one else, or their leadership failed. I find it implausible that the coaches cannot find leadership qualities in one of Rivers, Green, or Davey at a level to include them in the leadership group. As ar as Moloney goes, good leaders are those who have shown character through diversity. Moloney handled his very low-level drinking misdemeanour with strength and honesty. For mine this adds to his leadership quality rather than detracting from it. He was never going to be our skipper, but for mine he is required in an ongoing leadership role in our club.

The co-captains idea is one I am not a fan of, but considering the long, dark tunnel the MFC is emerging from, this is the exact right way to go. These two boys are natural leaders and in our top 10 players. I am less convinved about the assistant leaders. Bartram as a leader? I have never heard nor seen any evidence of this. Clark?. He hasn't even played a game with us.

Like Deevoted, I attended training and saw about 1½ hours of it. After some warm ups and run-throughs, they split into two groups. 1 - the main group did some short leading and running with handballing that you see at any suburban club but one thing was interesting. One of the assistant line coaches gave instructions before this drill, saying he wanted to see the players changing pace. So, when they led, or marked, or gave off they then had to alter their pace. I am guessing this has to do with unpredictability around packs but am unsure. 2 - the rehab group that consisted of McKenzie, Tappy, Evans, Spencer, Jurrah, Bartram and Clark. They did some enclosed handball drills. I am not sure why Bartram was with this group but considering his promotion to the leadership group it may have been more about that. After this the main group did some kicking, and then a drill using the whole ground. Basically, the backs kicked one short pass, then a long one onto the wing where the player calling for it was running with the flight of the ball, who then played on and was encouraged by team mates to run as far as he could before delivering to a leading forward. The skills were very sharp and I saw most players do the drill twice, and a few three times. It was great to see and would have functioned at about 90% effectiveness. However, Davey, Fitzpatrick and Bail all used the ball badly. Davey was heavily strapped and left the field soon after with a definite limp. He looks a long way from match fitness to me. After this, some payers went inside and the rest split into two teams and played a full ground match simulation. However, Neeld was in control and at certain times he would stop the play and say "back pocket stoppage" or "kick-in from goals" or something similar. If it was not perfect, he made then do it again. At stoppages there were specific instructions about positioning and they had to be followed. Everyone was accountable. When the forwards were trying to hold it inside the attacking 50, there were instructions about a ring of players making a horseshoe shape about 40m away from the ball to hold the ball in. Bennell was definitely doing a tagging job. He had touch on Trengove for most of the match and was annoying the tripe out of him. I can understand the bigger recruited bodies of Magner, Sellar, Couch etc ... but during the match-play simulation, these players were overshadowed by the ability of Trengove, Gysberts, Bennell and even Morton to actually read the play and get to where to where the ball was. It will be interesting to see whether Neeld prefers the big bodies or the ball skills players. A few times at the centre bounces only one man went up, but when it was fully competitive, Jamar slaughtered all comers. His tap work was a delight, and Moloney just seems to know where it is going when Jamar is rucking. Gotta love the way Jones trains. He must be a coach's dream. He has two switches - off or on - and when he crosses the white line he switches into gear. I put Nicholson in this same category. He trains at full intensity. Bennell was very clean by hand and foot, as was Lynden Dunn. I agree with Deevoted - fitness should not be an issue this year. Every pre-season is hard work but there has been a real edge this year in comparison to the last three.

I will go along to training this morning - Casey Fields is only 20 minutes from my home. I will type a report later in the day.

Can't resist posting in this thread. The ride in 1987 was the most anxous, thrilling ride and I still say we would have beaten the Blues on GF day. 1994. Best Melbourne side I have seen. Young Shwarz and Neitz, Lyon, Tingay, Jimmy, Brett Lovett, Febeys, and the mercurial Jakovich. When we were "on" no one could get it out of our hands. You know that dreadful constant feeling you have as a Dees follower - that we can stuff up any game even if we are 6 goals up? I did not have that feeling in '94. 2002 - Semi final night against Crows. The best football I have ever seen, but it only went for 2.5 quarters. Oh the pain. 2004. Top of the ladder and then... oh well. .

OK - here goes, in chronological order because rating them against each other is too hard: Gary Hardeman. Still the best CHB I have seen, including Glen Jakovich. Strong, skilful and a great mark. Came 2nd in the Brownlow in 74 to Keith Greg. I went to bed crying. Stan Alves. This bloke was an absolute gun. Skills, poise and never-say-die. Robbie Flower. Every skill in an era when most players were single side players; untackle-able and could get round anyone, Glorious mark, courage to burn and the shining light during the horrible 1970's. Garry Lyon. SUperstar and next to Fevola, the best long kick for goal I have seen. Inspirational leader. Brett Lovett. Unsung stalwart who never lost his cool, was tough as badly cooked beef, had great vision, and was the launching pad of many forward thrusts in thre 80's. Stephen Tingay. Oh, what could have been. Seriously could have bee anything. Injuries killed his career. David Schwarz. Was the equal to Carey in many respects. Probably the most dominat Melbourne player in my memory. When he was on, no-one could stop him. Match winner, goal kicker, physically dominat, and mentally aggressive. Allan Jakovich. Give this man half a brain and get him fit, and we would have won a GF in the early 90's. He was incredible. Jeff Farmer. What do you say about this bloke? Absolutely scintillating, quick as lightening, a great mark with a touch of mongrel. Jack Trengove. I put him in because the current list deserves one current player. You will notice in my list above the absence of midfielders. Trengove is class and skill and coud easily become a Melbourne great. Hard to leave out Rod Grinter and Ray Biffin but there is only 10 spots. .

The oval was in magnificent condition - even, firm and a good, deep green. Last year same time it was in horrible condition with the middle section roped off due to flood damage. I left my money in the car and adults had to pay for snags so I didn't get one. Kids got one free and my boys devoured them so they must have been OK. .

i just posted a thread "Casey Demons Christmas Party".

I took my boys along to this today, and I have to say it was a really good event. Congrats to the Casey Demons people who made the event feet like a local club function but with access to AFL players. The players were doing match simulation again, in a now very familiar format to what I have seen at other practices. There were 26 players on the track split into 2 teams, including many of the rookies. It was a fairly heavy session, and on this occasion there were some significant tackling and physical pressure being applied. After this they peeled off into groups doing contested marking, goal kicking and some stoppage set plays. While that was happening, over on the far side of the ground there was jumping castle for young kids, free show bags with a drink and a sausage included, as well as a bloke with a microphone interviewing people. I would estimate about 600 people, but it was really hard to judge with people moving in groups all the time. 2 of the 3 club mascots were moving through the crowd having photos taken with the kids and giving high-fives. Heaps of kids were kicking footies. The highlight by far was that once training concluded, all the players (with the exception of poor Max Gawn who injured his knee) came over to the crowd and stayed for half hour or more, having photos taken, signing posters and guernseys and mixing with the fans. Jordie McKenzie, Brad Green and Colin Sylvia were very chatty and these three stood out as far as being bright and engaging. Jordie stood in the one place for the entire time, and was having some good conversations with heaps of kids and adults. Brad Green was magnificent and was still smiling for photos at the end of a long period of time. It was the most accessible experience that I have with the Dees since going to the MCG for a MFC family day in 1973 and being in awe of Robbie Flower, Paul Callery and Ray Biffin! I had a really good chat with Nev Jetta. He has had major shoulder surgery and has had an extra pieace of bone joined to his shoulder joint so it stops popping out. He has a huge scar behind his shoulder. He has been able to do a lot of the running, but no arm or body work with his right arm at all. It looks about half the size of his left arm and he said all the boys were ribbing him for having a stick for a right arm. I reckon he is a long way behind the most of the team in terms of readiness. Jack Watts was a magnet for all the young kids and a heap of teenage girls, and even a few mums were hanging around him. But he was great with the kids. He is just so natural in chatting and laughing. The really young kids (2 - 5) just loved being around him. Almost as much as the teenage girls. They train for one more week, and then are having almost two weeks off, and come January, almost all the players will be in full training. It is likely Tappy, Jetta, Spencer, Cook, possibly Gawn, will continue to be part of a prolonged rehab group but the rest will be in full training. Go Dees.

I was right near Gawn when it happened. He came down from a contested mark - which he won - and seemed OK for a couple of seconds. Then he grimaced, grabbed hs knee and tried to run. He then fell to the ground in some pain. It did not look good and was definitely in the same knee he has heavily strapped. Mitch Clark and another player helped him up, but by then hte trainers arrived and he was led from the field supported by two of them, not putting any weight on his leg.