Maldonboy38

Annoyed. This training was scheduled for Casey Fields only 15 mins from my place. Checked website this morning and it is now at Gosch's Paddock. Hope it goes well for those who can make it.

Roos has stated that it is highly unlikely that any of the recent draftees will play much senior footy, and I am convinced that none of them will play round 1. Now delistings, trades and draft are complete I can see round 1 being something like: Backs: Frawley, Garland, McDonald, Grimes Mids: Gawn, N Jones, Trengove, Tyson, Vince, Cross, Watts, Blease, Evans, Viney Forward: Clark, Hogan, Dawes, Howe Int: Fitzpatrick McKenzie Clisby Sub: Toumpas

GWS recruiting looks like it is specific and focused, but deeply flawed. The only reason I can think of to stockpile so many KPF's, is that they know they are going to lose one/two in a year or two, or they believe one/two aren't going to make it at AFL level. I am unsure about contracts, but I reckon they will release Patton at the end of 2014.

I live out near Casey Fields and let me tell you all the great reasons for the MFC training out here .......... Ummmmmm............ no, can't think of anything. Berwick is nice, Narre Warren North is lovely. But Cranbourne and Hampton Park would make Pia Miller look ugly. Actually I can think of two reasons: 1. I can get to see heaps of pre-season training up close and personal 2. There are heaps of new homes, and many immigrant families who are yet to establish AFL allegiance. The Dees could easily get 8000+members out here if they put the work in, Success on the field would help.

Trengove is my first choice, Blease a close second.

They give me hope, but nothing more. They both have an amazing track record but so did Barassi, so did Ridley and Skilton. MFC is a tough gig. I hold any passion in reserve for now.

Get rid of the collar. Get rid of the stars. Keep the emblem, but place it on the lower front, right or left, of the jumper. The clash jumper we have now is an absolute cracker and the best of any team in the AFL except Freo. Surely MFC know you can actually employ colour consultants (sounds like a [censored] of a job but these people really do exist) to match a blood red with navy blue that won't look pink-ish on the whote clash strip?

Scharenberg. It is unlikely that he will be available at 9 though.

This is all starting to feel very, very strong. I will wait and see how it translates onto the field, but our great club no longer feels like a rabble. It is beginning to feel professional, tight, focused and low key with no star ex-players hanging around. Only one step to go for the whole structure to be in place - the lead assistant who will take over from Roos. At this stage I have a sneaky suspicion it might end up being Rawlings. But for today, our jumper is set for 2014 and I feel good. Well done Bartlett, Jackson and Roos.

I had a long chat to him 2 years ago at a family day at Casey. I had a soft spot for him after this and loved his physicality for a small bloke. Injuries cruelled him and we never got to see a fit and firing Nev. I hope he gets another go somewhere but I doubt it.

Lack of pace is a concern, and he will have to earn his place. But I can't agree with your conclusion that he will struggle to find a position in our best team. There is a touch of class about him, and Roos has already said he is a great decision maker.

"Elite runner" "Elite kick" (I have posted this horrible phrase twice - as punishment I imposed the cone of shame on myself for 1 day) Blease is "blowing up during preseason running" Gawn, Tapscott, Grimes "doing laps with the rehab group" "love the way he goes about it" But my all-time most hated phrase in footy: ..."the boys". Don't know why it gets under my skin but it reminds me of the time when "man" or "bloke" was being replaced with "guy". Do all players have media training that demands of them the use of the collective noun "the boys" whenever they are referring to the team or the list? "The boys did well on the track" "The boys worked really hard" "Credit to the boys".

It is a very different looking midfield from last year and there will definitely be pressure on every position. The in-an-unders, the quick-hands, the outside-runners, the tackler-taggers - we now have multiple options in each of these categories. Probably only N Jones and Tyson are walk up starts. Possibly Watts and Trengove. But I agree with Jumbo Returns above - there are no runs on the board at all yet. We can see a recruiting strategy emerging, but both Bailey and Neeld also had a recruiting strategy and they both took us nowhere. We have a very different looking spread of midfield players but we haven't seen most of them at training, haven't seen a practice match, and haven't seen them in a game yet. Riley is the N Jones type of player Roos loves: McKenzie, Nicholson, Terlich, Jetta are in a similar mold but not all of them can get a game - these players have physical aggression and a dogged spirit. Don't be surprised to see Riley cement a place in the 22 once his leg is healed.

A great article on MFC website interviewing Col Garland. The more I hear from him the more I am impressed. I am seriously thinking he should be considered as captain. He isn't just playing for the Dees he loves the club and wants the club to succeed more than personal success. He has worked through his low confidence and lack of vocal input, and now when he is interviewed I love what he has to say. Consider him for captain? Thoughts?

The best thing to come out of that interview was Roos' understanding of what percentage represents. There is no fuss, just simply spoken truths.

Does anybody really care about a bunch of over-exposed voyeurs, who hide behind journalism "privilege" arguing among themselves about who is whose mate, and who can wee higher up the wall??? We have no choice but to listen to some of them because the conduits (modern reporting media) are the only ones allowed decent access, but do we really want to know anything at all about their allegiances or bickering? In the words of the constable at a crime scene: "move along, nothing to see here".

This is where we do agree RR. In both cases, Neeld and Watters did poorly in the man management area. This surprises me a lot considering how many of the players coached by Malthouse say he is a leader of men who helps create good people, not just good footballers. I can't help but think that however good Mathouse is as a coach who coaches players, he is poor at developing strong assistants who can become quality senior coaches. Buckley and Brad Scott might prove my insights to be wrong, but so far the evidence suggests I may be right and may one day prove it.

Malthouse's record as a coach is impressive, and his autocratic style works well for him. But it is not a developmental model. His task was winning games and he did this consistently. The development of the players and the club was the realm of Eddie, Eade, Richardson etc... One of the outcomes of this style is a real void when the Malthouse kind of leader leaves. Just look at Man United in the EPL now Alex Ferguson has left. Collingwood are very fortunate to have Buckley but I think he is going to be in the same Mould as Malthouse. Neeld and Watters both have the Malthouse style, without the demonstrated winning percentage behind him.

Taggert who was recently delisted, or Addison from the Bulldogs. Both have been in the system, have AFL ready bodies, and there is no orientation or development phase required.

This really annoys me. Watters goes on a radio program with the clear and full agreement of club officials, and while he is there, all the strings are pulled together behind his back to form the rope to then hang the poor bugger!!! Absolute disgrace. And a reminder to Chris Pelchen - you are employed to work with the club UNDER the authority of the senior coach, not as an equal point of reference. I hate the AFL at times like this. I know it is a "fully professional environment" but so are the places most of us work at. If you are going to sack someone, have the guts to look them in the eye and tell them clearly and kindly what those reasons are. The Saints leadership culture = horrible The Saints coaching choices and development = horrible Board-Coach relationships = horrible (think of Blight, Thomas, now Watters) Interesting that another Pies coach is sacked with a horrible winning percentage. Perhaps the best thing the Pies did was to move Malthouse on. But there is good news for us. Brisbane, Essendon and the Saints look all set for a season of [censored] and the spotlight is off the Dees.

Did anyone else on here play in the Bendigo Football League, Maryborough-Castlemaine League, or the Horsham District League? In each of these Leagues there was always one poor sod who should have played AFL: Shane Muir from Kyneton. Unstoppable gun who was considered too short. He is still the best country footballer I played with. Brian Kelly from Maldon. Best mark pound-for-pound I have ever seen. Roger Clinton from Gerang-Kiata. Amazing physique and attack on the footy but a fair dinkum psychopath. Nutcase.

Just responding to a request made above. After the past 7 years, anticipation gilded with hope is always better then bitter and despairing reflection.

I actually admire what Watters is doing a the Saints. The leadership culture at that club has been abysmal for a decade - they would have won a flag or two if they have stopped all the drinking, whoring, texting, and other rubbish that wasn't only tolerated it was promoted. Ross Lyon aimed for the stars on the back of Grant Thomas' recruiting but failed to develop much young talent. He is doing the same now at Freo on the back of Mark Harvey's recruiting. The Saints need kids with talent and character, and Watters is undertaking this task at a very quick rate. Their stars are guns, but aging guns. Therefore, if we can break even in the middle we win the match. Play Gawn in the ruck, and run Fitzy through the ruck off the bench. Jordie to stifle Stevens. Set N Jones, Trengove, Viney, Tyson and Toumpas to make sure disposals, tackles, inside 50's from the 2 midfields are about even. Fit and firing Dawes, Hogan and Clark will be far too much for the Saints defense. McDonald to run all night with Riewoldt Blease and Watts to play wide in the run-and-carry roles With this set up, the odds are in our favour. But I will be very, very nervous. Round 1 has been a nightmare for 8 years!

I might be the odd one out, but I reckon this kid had immense talent. He had sure hands in close, and could think in a pack. It was the MFC that killed him due to a horrible fitness program, and even worse player development culture. Yes, he was skinny, but it cannot be the single reason for not making it at AFL level. Perhaps his mental application was not up to it. o it. But I saw him at training one day at Casey and he was keeping up with the others, running with the others, and didn't seem to have any down side except for his size.

I was at school with Con Gorozidis - he was 2 years ahead of me. You are right, at 15 he was an absolute superstar - nothing he couldn't do. Problem was he didn't get any taller after 16 and was easily pushed around by the growing stature in the 80's. Had every skill in buckets, though.