Maldonboy38

He is a star. Yes, he is so good that most of can't stand him, but he is brilliant.

I wouldn't go after him because he is only a marginal increase in the overall quality of our list. I'm much more keen to see Baker continue to develop. I know he isn't a left footer, but he is very quick and showed a heap of improvement.

I am a huge Nev fan. The very thought of seeing him in a Pies jumper, on QB, playing AGAINST us, makes me want to puke. No way, just no, no, no. He is probably unable to sustain AFL level footy for 3/4 of game, let alone 2 years, and the Pies would know that. He will struggle to get a single game with us in 2021. I'm not sure where this whisper/rumour started from but it sounds like total BS to me. We need to keep him at the club in some kind of development or leadership role - behind the scenes. Stuff the other clubs.

Yep. 1994 - the best team I've seen too. If only.... Makes me cry to look at the talent and know we got beaten by the WA State of Origin team. And we forget too easily the brilliance and leadership of Garry Lyon.

I understand the warm fuzzies that come from getting Dees ex-players involved in and around the club, especially relating diretly to football, but it doesn't necessarily mean much in the Board Room. We need CAPABLE Board-functioning people, not necessarily gun footballers. I am a HUGE fan of Brad Green, but have no idea how he will function in the administrative and business setting of an AFL club board. I remember him as a particularly inarticulate skipper and have no idea if he has any management or business experience, but he is going to need some to survive in the board room. Unlike some Demonlanders, I rate Glen Bartlett, and believe the resurrection of our club under Roos and Jackson as being in equal part due to the presence of Bartlett as president. So I will trust his judgement on this, but will also watch with a keen eye to see if Brad's appointment as board member responsible for the actual football makes any noticeable difference to the actual football itself.

There have been some carp games this year, but Lions v Tiges is a cracker. Love seeing the Tiges get rattled. Lions have absorbed the pressure, and their guns are emerging the further the games goes. Rayner, Cameron, Neale, Hipwood, McLuggage. Makes me so b****y annoyed that we are not playing finals.

I don't see any wisdom in trading him. I think his place in our best 25 is fairly solid, and the coaching group love his consistency. He isn't a player other clubs are dead hungry for (like Cameron, Saad etc...), but he isn't bad enough to delist and bring in a young bloke 2 years away from playing. We so often forget you actually need some ordinary, unnoticed foot soldiers to make up a really strong squad, and this bloke is one.

A very, very, very good footballer whose best is quickly falling behind him. His last half of this season has been poor so absolutely NO for me.

After being totally deflated when the Barasssi return did not produce success, along comes Swooper. And bugger me if he didn't put a fire in the belly of every player on the list, and the fear of death into every opposition player who dared challenge the Dees. I went to both of the finals versus Swans and North in 1987, and my abiding memory is of the crowd yelling in unison "Robiiieee" when Flower ran onto the ground against North for his first final. Sometime in the preseason, give him 2 hours with our current list. Let them catch the fire!

I'm not a fan of trading him. Like the rest of the club he had a nightmare 2019, and this year he looked slow and immobile. But his footy before that was very, very good. Do we just consign that to the basket marked "in the past" and so trade him out? I would like to see what Burgess and the medical team can do with him over the summer, because looking at him, I am convinced he is either 1)carrying a foot, ankle, knee or leg issue, or 2) has something else that is restricting his running an fitness. I remember him being one of our best runners over a number of years; let's see if we can get that back before offering to the altar of sacrifice known as the draft and trade period.

He is definitely an AFL standard ruckman, and now he is fit enough should be first ruck in a team somewhere. He would have to be considering where and how he can now make it happen. Probably Sydney or GWS but We can't give him away for some obscure third round pick, or some trade for middle second round draft position - we have to get value for him considering we have put 2 years of coaching and finances into him. I would be looking for a draft position + player trade, and the player would need to fill a specific gap in our list.

His best was as good as it gets. His worst was as bad as it gets. Much of the ordinary games in the middle he was serviceable like most other AFL players. At a club with a horrible history of stuffing up really good young footballers, this one stands out. Unforgiveable by MFC footy department at the time to play him in that QB game, when he should have spent at least 12 months (probably longer) developing. The fact he got 178 games is testament to his natural ability, resilience and perseverance. My best memory is of him having a bounce along the southern wing, and then out of nowhere lets go a 45 degree, 45 metre pass to space for Trengove to mark and goal at the Punt Rd end. Only Yze, Trav Johnstone and Watts coud kick like this. He was so frustrating to watch when going for the ball, but with ball in hand I could relax and watch with confidence in his precision. Isn't it strange that we could use a player with exactly his skill set right now!

He is well good enough to be our 2nd wing, across the ground from Langdon. Would only take him if North paid half his ridiculous salary. Also, it sounds like Shaw has made a number of player blunders this year trying to establish himself coaching a list he knows needs to be turned over, so Polec wanting out of North might be a reasonable response. The issue that rings alarm bells for me, is this would be his 4th club. Sounds a bit Mitch Clark-ish to me; a very talented footballer whose approach to team sport is too mercenary. There are others I would pursue before him.

No way get rid of Fritsch. Fix his kicking and he is a nightmare for backmen. Remember Petracca's set shots early in his career? Bad kicking is fixable. Footy smarts is almost unteachable.

My 55+ years of supporting Melbourne, all in one quarter. Stuff me that was gut wrenching. And Jake Leve might have just earned his salary - great last quarter.

Every year, I end up with post-of-the-year. I now have it. This is pure gold. For me and my household, this nickname will now stick (unless he fixes his goal kicking).

Love watching this - to see us playing with movement, hitting targets, almost everyone contributing. But Essendon are dreadful. Neeld-esque. Some of their chasing and defensive efforts are embarrassing. We really can't take too much from this game so far. But I m loving it. Dees thriving. Bombers annihilated.

We are playing all over Essendon. We can't finish some really good passages of play. The last handball in the chain being unnecessary and error riddled, is absolutely killing us.

Our last 2 games were losses because of intensity and effort. I can't see what has changed just because our President had a crack publicly, we are trying different players, and an Age journo has done a trifling fluff piece about power plays behind the scenes. We will probably win well this week, then get thrashed next week. This is Melbourne way. I have spoken. (kudos to the Mandalorian!)

Right on, Mazer. I turned the game off at half time - unwatchable. Defensive strategy has totally overwhelmed the essential attacking nature of our great game. We now have endless faff-minutes, where teams kick in a semi circle across half back like soccer, hockey etc... trying to find or set up a pathway through a crowded midfield which in turn, becomes a crowded forward line. 20 players around the ball, tackle after tackle and the main excitment from commentators seems to be about how great pressure is!! It is supposed to be the skills of our game that is great, not tackles and defensive networks. And to cap it off, the power forwards are continually blocked from running at the ball by defenders with no eye for the ball, allowing a third player up to intercept. People keep celebrating Rance, Lever, Vlastuin, Allir etc... The only reason they take so many intercept marks is because Dixon, Ben Brown, Hawkins, Kennedy etc... are strategically blocked from the play. That game between Tiges and Cats should have been a belter, and it was a boring drudge. If the current emphasis, rules, and state of play continues, the Tiges will win 5 flags with their current list and coach, but the journey there for the average fan will be as dull as bat poo.

In my 5 decades of following the Dees, the only time I felt confident about our mental state was with Northey as coach. I have been on a psychological roller coaster ever since. Even though Balme had us playing great footy, and Daniher was an inspiring and natural leader, there has been a continuing underbelly of mental fragility. And it is not only about players and lists, but from Presidents, CEO's and administrations. But in regards to games, we have a 30-40 year habit or working bloody hard to get ourselves into finals contention, only to mentally disintegrate against very weak opponents. And it has never been worse, than in the years after we sacked Dean Bailey. Even Paul roos couldn't fully get us to overcome it. And I'm sick and tired of it to the Nth degree.

Midfielder - I'd take Yze Or Trav Johnstone. Football perfection watching them kick. Power Forward - I'd take the Ox. I know his knees let him down, but talk about someone to take a match by the scruff of the neck and rag-dolling the carp out of his opponents. And because I'm really annoyed at everything Melbourne just at the moment, I'll take Ray Biffin and Rodney Grinter to dish out some pain to anyone who gets too close, with special regard for Essendon and Collingwood.

From that first handball by Petracca I had a very bad feeling in my gut. And then Viney (Ithink) got caught with the ball trying to evade a tackle. I turned to my 25 year old Dees-mad daughter and we both said "Oh no, it's this again". And so went the evening. I shoud be used to this feeling, but I'm not. ruins the rest of my week/weekend.

How predictable. Poor opponent, finals on the line, everything to play for. No energy, no passion, lifeless, heartless, dumb. Even if we win from here, there are alarm bells everywhere.

How different is it to read this, compared to the Pies, Tigers and Hawks fan sites? Most of it is reasonable, considered and articulate. I wonder how we stack up?