Maldonboy38

In the past few years, the Saints have really troubled us with outside pace - especially over the back if any of our midfielders or defenders are slow in their two way running. Lewis will come back in. Even though he is not the player he was and now he makes some decision errors, he reads the game so well, is often in the right place at the right time, and is a defensive beast which we need. But he does not help the outside pace quandry. Hunt has been improving each game, but I wonder if he needs to play wing/half back to help with the defensive spread, and limit the easy one over the back? His pace will be important. Frost's pace was highlighted against Buddy and will be useful against the Saints. Do we consider Garlett and if OMac misses due to concussion, do any of the Casey defensive talls possess decent pace?

Very happy with the result. Even happier that I could watch a game without a gut-wrenching knot in my stomach due to constant dropped marks and kicking errors. I loved the grunt, the really good pressure, and the team defence. A big shout out to the back six who really stood up. To poor old Frosty who can do so much right and so much wrong in the same game - he is the one defender who Buudy will not take on to run away from. A lot to like but an imperfect game. Around the stoppages, Sydney ran and handballed their way around us far too easily for most of the game. LOVED hearing the team song.

The more I think about the game, the more I feel our main problems are twofold: 1. Poise. We get heaps of the ball, we get repeated inside 50 entries, then fold under little or no pressure. I am not expecting players to play without any errors, but more to have a consistent mindset over the ball that minimizes skill and decision making mistakes. 2. Intensity. We can't play a full quarter at the same intensity, let alone an entire game. And often we have whole quarters where every player looks like they are running through mud or jogging around.

Stop the turnovers (the perennial MFC issue since Daniher left) We are way to easy to score against. It looks like we win ball often, then simply turn it over by poor kick or dropped mark while all our players have sprinted forward of the play , leaving us exposed to pace out the back. Must have happened 20 times tonight. I am not a huge fan of dropping players because of single poor games, but Hibberd, Frost, ANB and Omac looked poor for most of the game. Kolodjashnij seemed to pep up a bit. What has happened to Nathan Jones?

What is it with un-pressured errors? Simple, uncontested marks dropped. Un-pressured kicks going sort-of near a target but never hitting. And we are getting slaughtered at the ball drop, which was our strength. Melksham, Kolodjashnij, Omac, Hibberd having absolute howlers.

Quarter 1. Gut wrenching, inadequate, sub-standard, weak in the contest, slow. Quarter 2. Intense, running in waves, hitting targets by foot, actually marking the ball. Following the Dees is always so Jekyll and Hyde. Wagners x 2 and Lockhart looking really good. Gawn decided "enough is enough" and just started chucking himself at it and gut running two ways. what a difference it makes when his mindset changes. The run-and-carry was back. My man Brayshaw - gold!

This weekend raises some interesting discussions, but for me 3 main things: 1. The general quality of football was very poor across most games, with many quarters almost unwatchable. Some atrocious kicking, dropped marks, handballs to no-one. Most games saved by some amazing end-to-end goals that were great to see, and/or some close scores at times the only point of interest. As a footy fan I found most of it fairly boring. 2. Round 1 is absolutely no indication of how this season will unfold. Dees, Eagles, Crows and Pies are nowhere near as bad as they played and we will see a pattern of gradual increase that we saw from Sydney in the Roos era, where he gave no credence to the pre-season games and started most seasons slowly, building through the home and away rounds towards finals. 3. Freo, Lions and Blues will worry a few this year.

Harmes surprised me last year - didn't have him in my best 25 at the beginning of the year. Weideman showed a bit in the finals series and I hope his improvement continues. If vandenBerg can get his kicking for goal worked out (he misses to the right a lot, missing very gettable goals) then he could be a big improver. I think this is his first season having done a full preseason so I reckon we will see a very sharp rise. The one I would love to see fulfilling his potential is Hunt. If he can add composure to his kicking, and staying in the game for longer periods, the sky is the limit. But there is a LOT of pressure on for positions in the back 6.

1. Totally ignored rubbish sports like NBA and NBL, NFL, 50 overs cricket, women's soccer, women's cricket, lame level golf (the level I play at!) and enjoyed telling all within earshot how rubbish these sports really are. 2. Watched 1 of the most sublime games of tennis ever played - Djokovic in the Aus Open final was tennis perfection. 3. Tried really hard to stay interested in the MFC and AFL websites during the pre-season, but got bored really quickly with facile, superficial, vacuous spin masquerading as football news. ... for the love of all things sacred, hurry up season 2019...

I cannot believe that any media outlet is giving airplay to Nick Riewoldt on moral/health issues in sport. Under his leadership and later captaincy, the entire St Kilda playing group was a disgrace to sport for every social-issue reason you could think of - performance enhancing drugs, illicit drugs, sexting and nude photos, sex with probably underage girls, group sex with drugged and drunken girls who might not even have been willing, the list goes on. He was an amazing footballer but has no credibility beyond football.

A natural wingman in an era when they have almost been driven out of the game by the term "midfielder". He demonstrates excellence in the four basic skills of footy - mark, kick, handball, evade - and can sustain this excellence often under pressure. And now this pre-season he has demonstrated an ability to work very, very hard on the training track. Put all this together and add emerging similarities the great R Flower; 2019 could be anything.

Spot on. In the 80's we used to drink cordial for thirst quenching! No wonder we spewed so much. I don't know about Manangatang, but I clearly remember near the end of some serious gut running during pre-season playing for Kyneton, where the coach stopped our running, and had the other players jog in a circle around me until I had finished spewing.

He will be his own man, and won't be trying to fill PJ's shoes because he can't. No CEO can be hands off and just let everything run, regardless of who he follows. His job is not to maintain things but to develop, grow and increase influence across every part of club life to the point of a Premiership. rjay got it right above - Pert's main job particular to his appointment is to get our new footy/admin home base done.

I had never heard of him before drafting him, but looking at his size, assets and body-readiness, I really like his addition to our squad. I can see him getting a game sooner than expected.

This.

Petracca is a natural ball-sport player: basketball, footy etc... come easy to him because his instincts and reactions are amazing. He has all the skills, great vision, incredible eye-hand co-ordination. His goal kicking is probably a mental thing and when he gets it right, look out. I also think he has trained very hard since being at the Dees. I remember the photos from his first training sessions when he realised how far he had to go to work alongside Nathan Jones and Bernie Vince. Like Max, I don't reckon he has to work harder, he has to work smarter, and change the way he trains. Less gym, more longer distance running, rowing, boxing. I have to admit to being a fan, and his 2018 season was very, very good. His influence and goal assists were breathtaking at times. Even if he doesn't improve any further he is a wonderful footballer and I love what he brings. However, with his skills and smarts he could become anything. If he can train smarter, change his body shape slightly, run more, then the sky is the limit.

No, but up until 2018 I was often a bored member. It is widely known that the conversation about the "benefits of losing" took place. Anyway, back to Colin Sylvia...

I still rate him as one of a handful of MFC players I have seen in 50 years, who had every skill. I actually put him in the Dusty Martin class. Power footballer, amazing skills, awareness, competitive. Could grab a game and tear it apart in a 10 minute burst. Unfortunately, he rarely put it all together. His mind wandered during games, and off the field. Very, very sad ending. And Cranky, we did tank, and for more than one game. There was a conversation at Board level initiated by Chris Connolly about "the benefits of losing". May you rest now Col, more than you did during your 20's.

Our playing leadership is in great shape with Viney, Jones, Lewis and Gawn holding official positions, and the likes of Jetta, TMac, Lever, May also likely to be on-field for a large percentage of time. And I am happy for any of these blokes to be in the official leadership group. It seems more about finding reasons for some of them NOT to be in the official leadership group. Perhaps the other considerations for leadership are being focused on, the off-field stuff. The media loves the Jones story - playing for so long at a poor dysfunctional club, declining offers to join other clubs on a bigger salary, and leading the team onto the field for 2018 finals. His media work during the finals campaign was outstanding. The only other media performers we have are Gawn and Lewis. This was very, very good exposure for our club and sponsors. Lever approaching fans at a club function - we supporters love that stuff. I had a long conversation with Nev Jetta at a Casey open day just after he had shoulder surgery. We chatted about life, the universe and football for about 15 minutes, and he seemed relaxed and comfortable doing it. Jack Trengove was known among the group for his work of caring for those injured or struggling with personal issues. No-one outside the inner sanctum sees this but he was chosen as captain by his peers and this was one of the main reasons. My leadership group would be Captains - Jack Viney & Nathan Jones VC's - Max Gawn, Jake Lever

His forward play is very very good and he has some rare goal-awareness abilities. But his contested game and defensive run are nowhere near AFL standard. Absolute no from me.

Sorry everyone, but I actually don't see too much favour coming our way. Yes, we play one of the best game styles of anyone - maybe even the best. We have personalities like Gawn and Petracca, and great stories like Nathan Jones. Finals campaign 2018 showed a massive ( and growing) supporter base. But the AFL and Channel 7 are obsessed with a small group of teams, a handful of their preferred stars, and money from advertising on Friday and Saturday nights. They have never got past the 1970's power teams on TV - Collingwood, Carlton and Richmond, and then they added Essendon and later Hawthorn. Everything - and I mean everything - revolves around the AFL promoting these teams with their (supposed) massive followings and the money that follows them. Traditionally, MFC, Saints, Port, Bulldogs, Dockers & Lions are at best 2nd or 3rd considerations in all things AFL. We will get a game versus Freo in Perth before round 5. Channel 7 will gush all over this. We will get 2 - 3 Friday night games but maybe only one against a blockbuster club. And the AFL simply do not care about our NT initiative, it is fully empowered by MFC. We have been lucky to get Adelaide involved this year but after that flogging I can't see them signing up again. Probably Suns, Port or North in NT. I simply do not trust the AFL with fixturing. Even the Eagles will get no favours - while Collingwood will be polished and primed. I would love to be wrong.

Something that has emerged at MFC over the past 2-3 years is a real honesty about our trading and drafting. Although Viney, Mahoney and Taylor do not say a lot publicly, you can take as gospel the things they do say. They got exactly what they wanted during the trade period - 3 needs filled with the players they wanted. 7 vacancies left. Picks 23 & 28 will be drafted players. I see a midfielder and a tall. Up to 3 of our rookies upgraded - possibly Maynard, T Smith, Keilty. 2 vacant list spots - possibly a mature player out of contract and a project player.

Test cricket just around the corner - tick. A struggling Australia is a breath of fresh air. We will see some young stars emerge and the death of the nasty bogan culture that has dominated Australian cricket since Lillee and marsh. A-League - tick. It is finally producing world class football and 1 or 2 games per week are actually watchable. EPL - tick. Except that you have to watch it via Optus. Massive fail. Basketball of any kind - simply a boring sport. Only thing going for it is watching the athleticism of freaks like LeBron James. Golf - No. Apart from those days of 42 degrees where even golf is better than trying to breathe outside. Horse racing - No. C grade celebrities talking vacuously about their new dress, suit or "fascinator" interspersed with gambling adds and inane sub-commentary, followed up by 3 minutes of watching horses flogged to death. Local sport - yes. Find a tree at your local A grade matches, take an esky and some nibbles. VERY enjoyable.

No. After further thought... absolutely no.

Don't like this idea at all. Really disruptive to the state leagues, and could lead to some very bad list management decisions based on possible short term gains rather than a long, thought out planned process.