durango

This is the best backline since the 1950's and they proved the old saying used by Norm Smith that defence saves games and attack from defence wins games.

I know that all the players who have worn the number 31 will be very proud of his efforts and Ron Barassi who I met during his coaching period at the MFC will be over the moon and loved the way the boys played and to have Fritsch play wearing a MFC jumper with his and his dads number would make all the more pleasing.

The overall improvement has happened since the club recruited Yze and Williams who have had a profound influence on the midfield and players disposal.

I remember when in 1987 we won the last game of the season at the Footscray Oval to get into the finals for the first time in 23 years and the joy of singing the clubs theme song. Now we get to sing it again but after the premiership has been won.

Unfortunately players like Laurie and Rosman have endured 2 years where they have played little football and lots of training although it did not hurt Bowey premiership player with 7 AFL games of experience which is in my opinion a credit to Williams.

It was fitting that 2 of the best players to wear the number 13 are at the club as coach and player. I have watched the growth in the midfield this year is this just coincidence that Yze is the midfield coach or has he helped players like Jackson Gawn Oliver Viney and Petracca to embrace the team aspect of job and become better as a result.

He joined the players who went too soon like Flower Stynes Wight Sylvia Gordon who put on the Melbourne Guernsey with pride but never felt the joy of a being a part of a premiership team. I am 75 and in good health and love the club spent 10 years as trainer at the club, each year we would look at the list and hope this would be our year well here it is!!! In 1984 I was a trainer with MFC and felt a apart of the reserves premiership.

I hope the next premiership is not 57 years away because I wont live to see it. I have had the great pleasure to see 7 flags in the time I have followed the team from 1952 and this team is not just good but great and hopefully they will do what the Melbourne teams of the 1950's and 1960's did to play in the finals for 11 years from 1954 to 1964 and win multiple premierships. It was fitting that they won on the ground were in 2018 their premiership hopes were dashed.

I guess it is fitting that he has endured some criticism but has improved over the last 2 years and is now the player we as supporters hoped he could become. He has played in a number of positions and has improved his goal kicking accuracy and tackling this year. He is a premiership player for the team that we as supporters love. Finally the Grand Old Flag is flying high or as Neil Daniher said the team members have earned the right to sit at the back of the bus.

I believe that player caught deliberately punching players in a Grand Final should be Red carded in the game and the team cannot replace the player and will be subjected to a 12 month ban from the game.

Most people don't remember the 1950's - 1971 the VFL consisted of the top 4 and the top team or the second team had a bye in the 1st week of the finals and if they won the 2nd semi-final they had a 2 week break to the Grand Final, like we had this year most time in the 1950's-1971. But in those days the team coming from the preliminary final had no break. Preparation is the key to playing after a break and Burgess, Goodwin, Yze and Williams have been there and done that.

At the start of the season I predicted that the team could make the finals and get to the Grand Final provided the team suffered few injuries and the core of the 22 most or all of the games with the bottom 6 ranked players making a significant improvement and contribution to the team. It has come to pass. I also said they could win the flag provided they have some luck on the day and kick straight, well tomorrow we shall see whether my prophcey will come true.

I hope that he comes to conclusion that he has to perform to earn a spot in the AFL team and you need to perform consistently week in and week out to maintain your spot because someone in the VFL is trying his guts out to get that spot. See what happened to Hunt got injured and Bowey who earned his spot was put into the team and performed to a very high level each and every week. Unfortunately we cannot play 10 extra players in the team because there is a very good depth of talent in the current squad unlike previous seasons.

In this team you are no longer given games you have to perform and earn a game which was not happening in the last 10 years. All players on the list now know that getting a game in the AFL team will be harder, Bowey earned his spot and players must continue to perform in the AFL to maintain their spots.

The Essendon football club should hang their heads in shame for 2000 grand final it was brutality of the highest order and maybe the Norm Smith Curse be inflicted on them and they have been in the wilderness for the last 21 years and long may it last.

When I was trainer at the MFC the property steward was very cost savy and used to carry lots of extra jumpers in various sizes in the 50-60 range just in case a player had the jumper torn in a tackle so 55 may have been worn during a match but not a permanent change.

The coach for Carlton is now Voss and I believe he will move heaven or earth to get Cerra because he needs to make the finals in the next 2 years and he needs the midfield cattle to get it done. Voss will try to paint a rosy picture for Cerra and pay a lot more, if Melbourne wins the Grand Final I think Cerra will chose us because our upside will be much higher with him in the side otherwise he will probably chose Carlton.

Going by the Brownlow the top 50 midfielders are the top 70 players in the league and include ruckmen and wingers?

The coach of the year should be renamed the coaching team of year because they all work together along with the players, trainers and fitness staff to get the result, as Ollie Wines said the medal is his but all the other coaches, players, trainer and fitness staff made it possible.

He has been one of the best pickups we got with a pick in the 20's and has proven to be a better player than most thought when he was drafted by the MFC. Lots of people we critical about his disposal but I think it has improved in the last 2 years and hopefully we can say he is a premiership player for the MFC in 2021 after the weekend unless there is a draw.

He has done the heavy lifting in his years at the club and the current team has been built on the shoulders of players like Jetta and Jones, unfortunately he will take no part in the Grand Final but he and Jones will be there in spirit.

I think the MFC recruiter has some sort of plan since they would not go after a player if they had no plan to recruit the player they want. I don't know the plan but Tim Lamb and co will have a plan of sorts.

I think that we are constantly reminded that we have not won a premiership for 57 years the longest wait at present in the AFL.

I think Nathan made that decision to leave for family rather than wait for the grand final team to be listed giving the coaches a clear path to selection. If he stayed I think a token game as 23rd man might have happened denying a young player the opportunity to be a part of the 23 players in a premiership team.

I think that Bradtke has had very little football in the past 2 years to prove himself and I think they will retain him if the development coach and the ruck coach believe he has an upside.