Maldonboy38

1. Young 2. Pickett 3. I-haven't-paid-enough-attention-and-I-am-lost-in-the-ridiculous-swamp-of rumour-and-guesstimating-on-AFL-website-,MFC-website-and-Demonland.

Every Premiership Coach since Denis Pagan has been overseas to see other sports, to learn from their leaders, and get insights in attack and defence outside the AFL perspective. Modern AFL defence is based on soccer, basketball and hockey zone defenses which came via Parkin, Roos, Wallace etc... There is always lots to learn if you have the desire to grow and change. Apart from that, the trip might also be a great opportunity for Goodwin and Richo to work out how they will work with each other.

This is a good, strong decision from the club and it goes well beyond kicking improvement(which is desperately needed!) He has a footy brain and ability to actually communicate what he knows. He showed it on the ground under pressure (until his last few weeks anyway) and now has time to plan, develop and implement an entire kicking program. Articulate footballers are few and far between so well done the people who convinced him and signed him. He has a physical presence based on a mindset that wants to dominate and destroy his opponents. At Hawthorn and a couple of times at the Dees this mindset crossed the line into thuggery which I don't like, but in the main I hope he is also able to demonstrate to the other players how to be mentally strong and physically imposing as well as how to kick.

Very enticing but no from me. His skill and speed come with serious baggage.

It's not the people WITH the best technique/mental strength that we need, but the people who can COMMUNICATE these things. Great technique - Wayne Carey, Jason Dunstall, Barry Hall, Jack Reiwoldt, Jack Watts. But can they convey it to to others who are struggling, or who are very young? If Yze has achieved this at Hawthorn then he has some credits in the bank. Are there others we know of who have made a significant impact at a club, and the difference has translated onto the scoreboard?

I thought the pic was spot on and funny, even if my gut was twisting on the inside as I laughed and I wanted to swear like Amon Buchanan in the GWS coaching box. Kids in the room helped me hold my tongue.

I really want this bloke back at the Dees in some capacity. I rate him very highly. He was Cotchin-like in his behind the scenes work and standards while skipper at MFC. A dysfunctional club didn't help but he came through and never altered his professionalism and output. His 2nd season had me thinking "300 game champion right here"! Assistant coach? Player development role? Player or Coach Liaison between Casey and MFC. Just get him back and don't lose him again.

He is a brilliant player whose flaws sometime outweigh his brilliance. Improve his tank and ball use and he slides straight into the A grade category. His turnovers kill me but I love watching him. One thing is for sure - he is one of a maybe 5 players who stood up in 2019. He is part of our solution, not part of the problem and I celebrate him for that.

I would be furious to lose Brayshaw. Yes, he had a poor season but he is the kind of player any club should fight to keep. Go hard for Langdon who has lots of qualities we need but let's not tangle Brayshaw in the trade.

In every sport, it is the goal-scorers, the finishers who are the hardest to find. In 2019, our goal scoring was one of our main issues. We were atrocious. Surely we would consider him. Our main needs are for a pacy small forward and for Weed to develop, but there can be no harm in adding Jenkins at the right price.

Going into 2019 season I actually felt optimistic and hopeful for the first time since Daniher left, only to have it violently deflated. Even by round 6 I was thinking "it will turn soon, it will turn soon", like some wearied battle cry from some arrogant military leader refusing to admit the truth. So I refuse to engage in hope across the summer break. Apart from hope, my thinking about 2020 is as follows: I will renew my membership as usual because that is not dependent on performance. The club is its people and I am one of these. I am red and blue for life. The Club is in very good shape. Members, finances, personnel, vision, sponsors etc... Our list is strong, but we need some outside pace, and some elite kicking skills. Leadership needs a slap across the face and a boot up the a**e, but I believe Viney should retain the sole captaincy. He does need media training I remain a fan of Goodwin. Apart from easy goals against us on turnovers, his gameplan works. Our skills inefficiency is what kills it and makes it look as though it is not working. Skills training and 4-quarter fitness have to be the empahses on the preseason. Really. really disappointing how atrocious these 2 things have been this year. Most importantly, the HEART of the playing group has to alter. A hunger, a fierceness, a drive of some other kind has to emerge. Think of Hodge, Selwood, Barassi, Whitten, Voss - the heart of a lion. Not sure where this comes from for the Dees but we will be Preliminary finalists at our best unless this quality overtakes all else in the playing list. So now I am saving for a nice bottle of 15yo The Dalmore Scotch, to watch some cricket sipping a wee dram or two, and watch another team (not and never mine!) win the AFL premiership. 2019 - you can bugger off.

Huge yes from me. One of my favourite ever players from opposition clubs. Because of all the Buddy, Lewis, Hodge, Mitchell conversations, Roughy's actual supreme football ability gets underscored. My question would be - can he communicate what he knows? Can he influence Petracca, Weideman, Hannan etc... in forward craft? Great players don't always perform in roles where character and communication are required, but if there is even a sniff of potential with Roughy, go get him.

70% Yes. He plays with intensity, he can evade a tackle, and more importantly can actually hit a target by hand and foot. And from all reports is a wonderful influence on younger players behind the scenes. He has his flaws - both football and personal - but he has qualities we need.

The Club is actually OK. Anyone who can read and understand business matters can see that since the PJ, Bartlett and Roos appointments the MFC has been on a gradual and steady increase, everywhere from Membership to Sponsorship. Like Geelong did in 2006 and Richmond repeatedly in 2012-2016, we have had an under-performing shocker of a season, but only in relation to the actual football being played. I am basically really pleased with the club. My seething disappointment and disillusionment is focused solely on the lack of game-day intensity from a very good senior list. Mahoney has been a very stable hub around which a lot of things have changed, and I give him and the club credit for that. But there is something not right within the Football Department, Coaching and Playing ranks. Is it confidence, is it a breakdown in internal relationships, is it poor leadership... what is it? A full review must take place, and again, from a business perspective, Mahoney cannot review his own department given the context of the 2019 season. But let's not highlight him within this football mess when the review hasn't got any legs yet.

I am usually not a fan of past players filling football department roles, and the MFC has an atrocious record as an "old boys club". But from everything we can glean from footy on TV and the broader media, Yze is simply very good at what he does. So let's go and get him.

Yes, but no problem if we let him slide by. In recent years we have recruited Daniel Cross and Jordan Lewis. Both of these have been very positive recruits, so another of the same quality might be required seeing that Lewis is retiring.

I am from a long line of Melbourne-loving ancestors, and grew up after Bluey was finishing his footy at the Dees. The collision was part of my family's folklore, with family members wincing when they recalled the actual sound of the collision between Healey and Bluey, but loving the fact that Tiger Ridley snuck a goal in all the confusion, that finished the game. 6 premierships. I am yet to see 1. Sympathy and respect to the extended Adams family.

We have to play Hore, Petty, Baker, Dunkley and Preuss. They will definitely be at the club next year and need a run of games. If Lever plays, May stays down back. These two plus Jetta and Hibberd need to play alongside each other to develop the connection that has been missing so much. Omac. I passionately defended him about 2 years ago here on DL, saying wait until he has developed to 70 games. I waited. His development has taken a massive step back this year. No more games but keep unless another tall back develops. Long term, I am not hugely impressed by the Wagner boys, so don't mind if they are dropped. And I actually think we a real good chance against the June premiers Collingwood.

Aaah Melbourne, your consistency is ... humiliating.

Sounds like a great appointment. But we have had a lot of "great appointments" - PJ, Glen Bartlett, Roos, Goodwin, Viney as captain, Lever, May ... the list continues. And yet, here we are, sitting 17th on the ladder. This year's pre-season was the big killer for me. Totally stuffed up our season. I know lots of players needed surgery, but to have 17 players not ready by the time the NAB cup (or whatever it was called this year) came around was a shipwreck. If this new fitness fella can be part of renewed matrix, whereby our fitness, medical, sport science, allied health and coaching staff can unite on a pre-season plan that prepares us well for season 2020 - then I might applaud.

Return to the Holding the Ball rule. If you are caught with it - free kick against you regardless of prior opportunity or any other bulldust open to interpretation. Yes, that means you can bounce it, drop it, tap it on in front of you, but not throw it. Most of us older blokes will think of Kevin Bartlett. This means you have to think before you tackle.

I was at the game but got home very late after V-Line decided to go 3kmh through Sunbury and Gisborne. As a supporter, there were very few moments when I was up out of my seat yelling and barracking. It wasn't a very appealing match, and Collingwood have n othing to cheer about. They won off our boot.. Three things dominated Melbourne's loss: Woeful kicking and handballing, often under no immediate pressure, often to stationary targets not expecting the ball. Case in point - late in the last quarter when the game was over, a free Dees player handballed to a free Jones on the far wing, both players 5-10 metres clear of any opponent, and the handball missed Jones by 5-7 metres. Very little movement forward of centre. If we did kick it well, it was to a stationary target, and the Pies backs just floated across to spoil or outmark. I will give some kudos to Weideman who moved well inside F50 after half time. Goal kicking. Not just set shots, but 25m out, roving packs and stoppages and constantly missing the target. I am not a fan of dropping people very week, but 3 clear outs after the QB clash. I hate to say it but Garlett was soft and didn't enter the fray on an umber of occasions when he should have. Spargo ( I have been a bit of a fan) was shown up as having limited impact in clinch moments around goal, and Wagner whose limitations were on show. Not sure how the injury situation is, but would love to have Preuss, Jetta and Lockhart come in.

Love him or hate him, Ablett junior is the best footballer I have seen. That was a roving masterclass last night. At 35, his positioning, pace around the packs and pure skill are simply a pleasure to watch. It's not a wonder that Miers is so good at "front-and-centre"; he only has to follow Ablett around and learn. Pity I loathe the team he plays for so much.

Three combined things; 1. Technique. A lot of players don't have great technique, but their natural eye-hand co-ordination covers for it. Think of James Hird's poor technique, yet he was a wonderful kick. Petracca in particular has a very high ball drop. TMac's is actually ok. Hunt's is poor etc... Whoever is our current goal kicking coach or adviser needs to be replaced because the message is not getting through. Some great explayers with great technique are Barry Hall, Jason Dunstall, Wayne Carey, Matty Lloyd. 2. Routine. Practice the goal kicking routine so much you don't have to think about it. Have a look at Jack Reiwoldt - 3 steps and kick while moving in a direct line to the target, every time. Great to watch. 3. Exhaustion. Our preseason of surgeries and late returns has cost us big time, as has a further poor injury record this year. Strange thing is though that we are missing easy set shots early in games when exhaustion is not yet a factor. If any one of the three above are missing, it is easy to overthink the kick and stuff it up. Welcome to MFC 2019.

I'm glad Ablett got off last week's. For mine it was a free kick and 50m penalty, a small fine at worst. But I have no idea how he got off this one. Atrocious.