Jaded No More

I think it's fair to say Juice is out of contention for this one

Bruce had his usual game, lots of uncontested possession, horribly ineffective handballs, ran hard all day long and hit the target on most occasions by foot. Was he worst on ground? Absolutely not. Was he in our best players? Absolutely not. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. On the field he is a decidedly average leader, but he does work hard and runs all day and for that he deserves credit. His skills are average at best, which to me is the most worrying part. When your captain is not hitting targets consistently, what hope have you got? IMO he hasn't really adapted very well to the new game plan, of the senior players only Green and Wheatley have, which is why they are still getting a game and White and Yze etc... aren't.

Newton has ability, absolutely no doubt about it. What Newton doesn't have is the attitude to make it at this level, as far as I can see anyways. Above the shoulders he is weak, he has clear selfish tendencies and he doesn't work hard enough. The contrast between Miller and Newton is huge. Newton has more natural talent, but Miller works incredibly hard and puts in all game long even when the delivery is crap and the ball is not coming his way. That's why Miller will still be playing into his late 20's, but Newton probably won't make it beyond next season... and I desperately wish he would.

Love Jones' attitude and application, but he plays beyond his limitations and he let frustration get the better of him today. Got into a niggle with an opposition player where he lost his concentration, then tried to prove himself by taking off too early after a mark and stuffing up the kick. He has got to learn to play within his limitations, he is not quick enough to break a pack and evade a tackle, he just isn't. As for Valenti, I like him because he's a smart footballer. He understands the play, and that's something you can never teach a player. Also I have yet to see any evidence to suggest his body will stop him from becoming a decent player at this level. He may be small (so is Sam Mitchell), but he has good core strength and he can more than hold his own in a tackle.

There are moments in football that just bring you pure joy... Davey running towards an open goal, Rivers in full flight () and when a stupid opposition player tries to run through Whelan. :D

Add Warnock to that as well. The backline was the only part of the ground where we played consistently well for 4 quarters, and that's despite the collective age of our defenders being 14. To keep the Dogs to under 100 points is excellent, especially at the Dome.

Not to mention your endless crusades against Miller, and the pathetic way in which you attacked him at every opportunity last year. Get over yourself, everyone else has.

People are underestimating the performances of Garland and Warnock (and Bell who played on Johnson for a period of time). Their direct opponents in Brad Johnson and Robert Murphy, kicked a grand total of ZERO goals between them. Given how good these two players are, it is a fantastic result and both players need to be congratulated. Garland is a serious talent and Warnock is coming along very nicely.

Our kick-in strategy should involve HITTING A TARGET! I know it's awesome that Wheatley can kick a ball 200 meters, but it's not so awesome when he fluffs the kick and allows the Dogs a clear run at goal. His poor kicking cost us at least 2 goals today.

When have you ever been right about a Melbourne player ever? Go back to abusing Brad Miller and telling us what a poor option Jack Watts is

Bell was excellent on Brad Johnson in the midfield, and provided some good bursts from the backline. But don't let your hatred get in the way of facts now Morton gets to all the right positions, then he is ignored by his teammates who suffer from tunnel vision. Martin was great, and was extremely unlucky with the free paid against him. His composure really impressed me.

Wheatley- king of turnovers. I know you can kick it 100meters, I'm even impressed, but seriously if you can't hit a target you are useless. Thought Miller and Newton were victims of incredibly poor delivery, especially Miller who works incredibly hard all day. In the last, when we finally kicked to advantage Miller took some excellent marks and kicked truly. Newton took some good marks, but some of his goal attempts were selfish. Martin impressed me greatly.

Welcome to the AFL, a multi-million dollar organisation run by ass-clowns on crack.

We'll lose by around 40. I'm dragging my dad against his will. He really doesn't want to go as the game is at the TD, but it's easier to just go than have me to deal with telling him he's a bad Melbourne supporter . I predict many supporters will feel the same and we'll struggle to get 500 of us there.

The event discussed in this thread is not really aimed at most of us who post here. It's an event to target very influential, well-off supporters who can afford to spend a minimum of $6000 in a night. Most of us can't, and the new board is well aware of that, which is why fund raising efforts for the masses will be a lot more simplistic.

Because they won a premiership without a decent forward, but now they are 15th having lost their two best midfielders.

Bell > Bode

So do I, but I gave it to my cousin to play with (hoping he grows up into a proud Melbourne supporter) and he chewed on it and now Teddy doesn't sing anymore That'll teach me giving precious expensive memorabilia to a 10 months old who passes the time by chewing remote controls.

You must have me confused with Ben Holland

I swear if Newton comes out and kicks 6 on Sunday I'll sell all my shoes and donate the money to the club

I'm gonna donate a quarter of my tax return. I have no idea what that will amount to, but I'd say at least $150.

Perfect I'll be watching Newton intently, as the last time I saw him in a senior match he disappointed and angered me greatly with his selfish attitude and weak skills. Looking forward to him proving me wrong!

Both the GC and Sydney teams are going to be devoid of any passion or history, and will be nothing more than a soulless organisation that means nothing to nobody. Thus far, all interstate teams have grown from a local state club with passionate supporters and proud traditions. The club that didn't (Brisbane Bears), ended up merging with a Victorian team. You can only manufacture support to a certain level, beyond that a club built on loads of money and talent stolen from existing clubs is going to struggle to ever truly be a respected part of the competition. Who the hell is going to support these clubs? People in Sydney who have interest in football have the Swans, and even during their recent successes they have struggled with memberships and attendance. Brisbane has one of the lowest membership figures in the AFL, and that's despite being more successful than any other club over the past decade. I understand that the growth of the GC is a major factor in the development of these new teams, but most people moving to the GC are previous residents of Australia who, in all likelihood, already have a football team. Sure they might go to a few games, starved of football action, but they will never truly support the club if their alliances are with another team. This is why a Tasmanian team is a far more sustainable idea, but heck, there's not money in Tasmania so it doesn't matter

Gotta love taking the credit for something you didn't do Nugget Jones was the one who came up with the idea, I just agreed that it was great.

I will, in 8 weeks time when I finally get to quit. I might just snow the entire place in Melbourne flyers