Jaded No More

I'm still recovering from that comment. Care to tell us why the hell you think he was WOG? For me it's quite simple, are Maric and Aussie fit? If the answer is yes, I would take out Buckley (go learn to be accountable at Casey!) and probably Jetta (thought Bennell coped with the intensity and pace a lot better than Jetta did, even though he is less physically developed). You could argue that these two boys need to develop a bit more at Casey, or you could argue that they'll never learn at VFL level what is truly required of them, and that AFL game time is the best way to fast track their development (given that we're pretty ordinary anyway, and you may as well develop them now). Would love to bring in Martin as well, but maybe a few weeks learning the game as a forward at Casey will help us more in the long term. Sylvia needs to dominate at VFL level. He does NOT deserve an automatic start.

Miller can contest and bring ball to ground, and take good strong marks. Who else in our forward line can do that right now? Name one player you'd have replacing Miller, before saying "he can go". If he had two other strong forwards around him, he'd be an excellent 3rd tall. He doesn't, but at least I know that he'll make a contest every time, giving the occasional crumber (when they make it back in time ) a chance.

Grazman is right. It doesn't matter where you play these days, accountability is not an option, it's a must Maybe Bailey is trying to instill that accountability into him by playing him in the backline?

Plus what do you expect our forwards to do when their direct opponent is pushing up the ground? They have to make them accountable. So when you don't win enough clear ball at the centre bounce and you don't have a forward who commands enough respect to drag one or two defenders out of the game and into the square, that's what you are left with.

Well that only took one round. A new Demonland record?

Harsh and ridiculous! :angry: Firstly, it is not his job to kick 50m goals, even our so called forwards can't do that. Secondly, he runs ALL DAY long and has not slowed down as the years have gone on. Finally, he is the one player that you know will give you 140% every single time he is out there. He throws himself around the packs, and courage alone will get him picked every single week. Trash talking our captain and it's only Round 1. FFS!

I like that someone else actually rates shut-down defenders enough to give them top votes. Warnock has gone from "who the hell is that" to "how the hell do I get this dude off my arse"!

Given that I'm slightly obsessed with him and his injury-prone body, I watched him closely today. He wasn't brilliant, no, but when you look at the replay (not sure why you would, but if you do :D), you'll see that he did a few things that screamed 'Rivers'. Inspector Gadget arms, suicidal marking and spoiling attempts, getting to the right place at the right time. I just feel so much more confident when he's out there, and I think the other defenders do too. He is basically a freak in the way he reads the play, and I hope like hell that he can keep that body of his going, because I think a few of us have forgotten just how good he really is when he's up and going. Rivers and McLean up and running together makes us 20-30% better.

Davey hasn't used his pace to our advantage in 2 years. Moving him into the midfield was a mistake in my opinion. He was the most damaging small forward going around, and now he can hardly get a touch.

Bartram shut down Harvey pretty effectively, and given that Harvey generally rips us apart, that's a victory in my eyes. Also there was a period of time where Bartram was on the end of 3 terrible kicks that floated over his head or out of bounds. IMO he's far better in that tagging position than Dunn.

When is the last time Davey was really on? He has been really disappointing for a really long time now. Just fails to influence the game, gives away messy free kicks and is shut down too easily. Disappointing. Bate is Bate, horrible below the knees, slow as anything, can't mark one on one. McLean doesn't seem fit, he spent a fair bit of time on the bench and looked stuffed when he came off. Simpson did a good job running him around. Hopefully as his fitness improves so will his output. He's not someone that I worry about because you just know he'll come good, but I do worry that when he's not on we really struggle. PJ was horrendous, and Buckley needs to get the hell out of the backline. There were still plenty of positives though. Petterd was excellent up forward. Love love love him in that position. Bennell's game is underrated. He did some really clever things under pressure and held his own in one-on-one contests. Jetta can win the ball, now he just needs to take a deep breath before dishing it off. The ideas are good, execution not so much. Jones' disposal has improved out of sight. West will be great for his career IMO. Cheney was fantastic, Rivers did some things that only Rivers can do (and didn't die in the process), and Warnock is just so safe.

Jared Rivers... Fully game... No broken bones... Victory! Now we just need to get Brock and Rivers playing well together. Petterd was excellent up forward, and the first gamers really impressed. Is it too early to ask for Watts to get a game? :D

If Martin becomes half as good as Richo, I think we'll all be thrilled!

Good move! If we can develop Martin into a multi-dimensional tall (hopefully we'll have more success than we did with Miller <_< ), it will help us cover a multitude of deficiencies while still ensuring that Martin doesn't miss out on senior game time due to team balance issues. His kicking seems to be the only skill that he lacks as a forward, however goal kicking is probably one of the most fixable qualities in a player. His size, strength and marking ability are natural attributes that will most likely serve him well. Besides, he learnt to be a defender in what, 8 weeks? Give him another 4 and he'll win the Coleman

When your midfield contains the likes of Mitchell, Ablett and/or Judd, the rucking division becomes less important. When your midfield is one-dimensional, slow and generally struggles to win clearances, your ruckmen can be your most important asset.

Thanks. Such a shame for Aussie to have a delay-start given how much hard work he put into his body over the summer. Still, it gives both Jetta and Bennell a fantastic opportunity to gain some experience. I doubt both would play if Aussie was fit. Grimes being 2 weeks away sounds very optimistic.

Should we be worried that Aussie is not playing?

Exactly. Given the choice, I'd have Simmonds on our list over Meesen and Jamar. He might be at the end of his career, but he can actually ruck and have an impact around the ground. Snake > half of Melbourne's ruck stocks Sad but true.

That makes sense. Production runs off-shore, especially for smaller quantities, are generally around 8 weeks plus freight time. Obviously the jumpers are pre-made and just need to have the sponsorship logos attached to them, hence why 6 weeks seems reasonable. The polos however generally have the sponsorship appliqués sewed on, and they themselves need to be embroidered so that will take significantly longer. It's a shame because we're missing out on 6-8 weeks of merchandise revenue.

That sounds great and I hope it happens. Fantastic to see Bailey putting faith into the kids from day one, as opposed to rolling them out when the season is already dead and buried. I can see the argument for leaving Martin out, but I worry that we're putting all our eggs in the one basket with Warnock. If he can't hold Hale, our next best option is Rivers, which would rob us of serious counter-attack options.

That sounds a lot dirtier than it probably should

A note to Mitch Morton, Please feel free to leave the rabble that is the Richmond Football Club behind, and join your brother at Melbourne. We have an awesome power point presentation to show you when you're ready :D

Ugh, not only are they terrible, but they are letting the scum from Carlton smash them. Same old Richmond really, their best players in Richo and Brown are getting none of it because their midfield is crap, and their backline is so bad our forwards might even kick 100 against them. Now poor Benny has gone and done a hammy. Oh dear!

How a Melbourne supporter could advocate the relocation or extinction of another football club is beyond me. I would never ever wish this sort of thing on any club... except Carlton, who as far as I'm concerned should be wiped off the face of the planet. Whether or not North can continue to exist in this current environment, I'm not sure, but I hope they do. Knowing what it feels like to have your own club under threat, I can't imagine how hard it must be for North supporters, who despite relatively recent successes are still struggling for members and money. I also refuse to believe that our future existence depends on the failure of other clubs.

Jones, unless he is under an injury cloud, is a definite in. Leaving 3 extra spots. No Meesen- obvious reasons Dunn- Bartram can play on Diver Harvey both when he's in the midfield and down back Yes Martin- can take any of McIntosh, Hale or Petrie and deserves his spot Jetta- why the hell not, his body is more developed than Bennell's as well Cheney- deserves a spot on his pre-season form, more developed than Bennell at this stage So that means the interchange should read: Jones, Martin, Jetta, Cheney, rounding up what is a very nice team indeed. Oh and please let us not cry over the exclusion of Sylvia. He was ordinary in all but one of the pre-season matches, plus he broke team rules. Deserves to earn his spot like everyone else. P.S.- RIVERS!!!!