PaulRB

So exciting.... yawn.

With Max back in its up to our midfield to take full advantage and to kick goals and provide repeat opportunities by locking the ball in forward. Fortunately the past weeks have shown we're spreading the goal kicking load...

Hey Satyr, how's Hogan tracking, looking, feeling?

crap.

With Maxy back giving silver service to our mids, their dominance of the Bluey may resume...?

3rd best and fairest 2016, All-Australian 2016. Brownlow Medal: 2016 votes 16; - See more at: http://www.melbournefc.com.au/player-profile/max-gawn#sthash.PU6TpIOy.dpuf

Nobody said it was easy / No one ever said it would be this hard. I'd love the wind back the clock and start again with Jack, but the current 22 are in form, in sync and would all take pride in pushing through this period. Let them push through. Jack will get his turn.

I think people are overly focused on the very small difference between a 7 day break (I.e. that Trenners is on) and a 6 day break (which a current best 22 is on)... it's 1 day FFS! And with sports scientists, masseuses, physios, blah, blah blah I'm sure it can be managed so as to have little to no impact. Specific injuries are a seperate discussion. The team has said they've prepared for this sequence of games and I assume, as a result, that we'll manage it so as to have our current best 22 on the park for each game. As we don't have the wins in the bank to "manage" players which results in anything less than our best 22.

Problem for me is that no one in the current team deserves to be dropped, and Max in is a certainty. So Jack may have to be patient.

Agree VP, TMac has certainly grown into his more versatile role of recent weeks.

Kennedy unlikely - https://thewest.com.au/sport/west-coast-forward-josh-kennedy-unlikely-to-face-melbourne-at-domain-stadium-on-saturday-night-ng-b88512211z

I'm curious as to how Bug developed the cut on his face from his encounter with The Doggies Captain, but the MRP process simply looks the other way... Did I miss something?

We're better placed to cover the loss of Jones than ever before. Max back is a good start. So Jones out - Gawn in

The irony may be missed in the ivory towers of AFL land, that at the same time their announcing a "20 per cent pay increase for players and the expansion of the clubs' salary caps", the Reserve bank notes that the rest of the community is going backwards with inflation outpacing wage growth... Maybe they could toss a bone to the supporters, and freeze increases in admission prices for the next 6 years as well?

Reminds me of Robbie, Skinny and silky, thanks for including him.

Until Hogan's back I'm happy to have Trac prowling the forward lines and providing a presence.

Ahhh Mitch, the embodiment of a false dawn. Good luck with the Mundijong Centrals.

Reckon Melksham would contest for longest kick, his deep kick, start of the third, that Watts marked in the goal square was also a 65+ metre bomb.

With Jones potentially out for a couple, Salem would be the obvious candidate to spend more time in the middle.

Figured as much. Be interesting to see whom of Tommy Mac or Pedo we persist with as back up ruck, assuming both also play. My guess would be Pedo as back up ruck, but as Tom goes back again, are we too tall down back? It seems Jack Watts' time in ruck may be over, for the moment.

Given Goodie's gone early and announced Max Gawn's return to the team for the West Coast game, what impact will a returning top class Ruckman have on a team that appear to be running well without him? I noted Jack Viney when asked, replied along the lines of "it allows us to be more proactive" in set ups. Not totally sure what that means (first touch, moving ahead of the ball, etc...), but found the smile he said it with reassuring. Thoughts?

Commentators don't like it when all their brainless stereotypical cliches are rendered useless. They're not ready for an aggressive, skilled and successful MFC. Makes their brains hurt.

Was evident when the Dogs had their tantie in the second and threw everything at us, kicked a couple, and we calmly continued with the business of spanking them...

I'm glad there was jest, and you're right about them doing so well that we have options to ease him in. Be harder when Jesse back, but Pedos is playing inspired bullish footy... it's very good.

Hilarious. You may want to listen to Jack Viney's thoughts on the value Max will bring and maybe contemplate recent hitout stats... and why they're useful.