Jaded No More

It is the only way to keep your stars without wrecking your salary cap It is definitely a risk worth taking. Even if they sit out one year of an 8 year contract, the savings made by giving these guys long term deals is still enormous and allows you to pay other important players.

Similar story for me; except it was 1999 and it was Robbo, Ooze and Woey

I think I spotted Chandler in one of the clips the club posted today. Good to see him back on board!

We need to move on from being near the MCG. We can continue to stomp our feet and demand a home base near the G for another 40 years, or we can get on with it and finally get a homebase in Caulfield.

Middle of nowhere? Wow

Sorry, are you annoyed about the sub situation from the semi finals? I couldn’t tell. It’s the first time you’ve ever mentioned it.

Does anyone know why Chandler hasn't been to training yet? Or why Salem is in rehab again? Paging @WalkingCivilWar and @Dannyz with the good juice

Sparrow is a totally different player to JJ. He is much more dynamic, much more damaging with his ball use, and has a good burst of speed. JJ lacks those things, which made him surplus to our needs. Accumulating possessions in our midfield is not a valued skill when you have the likes of Clarry and Viney getting 30+ touches a week every week. I wish JJ the absolute best at Sydney. He is a lovely, hard working kid and I totally get why he left.

Fitness has never been an issue for Clarry. His hamstring aside, which we all now know took 3 months to heal thanks to another non related issue, he has been the model of physical resilience. No idea why anyone would question that now. He’s missed many early pre season sessions with off season surgeries, and never missed a beat in the season proper. He has had a minor knee procedure so was obviously limited to what he could do in terms of endurance training during the off season. I have no doubt he will be back to his peak fitness soon.

This. Stop making it out like they’re friends or that Maynard is anything but a dirty thug.

Gus is obviously in a "no contact" group, which is totally fair. Why risk him getting even the smallest head knock in December? Very good news that he is there and running. Nobody planning on retiring would volunteer to do a time trial in 29 degrees. Right? What is the deal with Salem? Hopefully no more thyroid issues and just precaution.

Remember when champion data ranked our midfield bottom 4 at the start of the 2021 season? Good times were had by all 🙄😂

I hate him too. But when you want a stupid smug face his always nails the vibe

And people think he won't nominate under F/S. Laughable! We can change this thread to "Welcome to Demonland Kalani White"

So basically post the Christmas break, which is pretty good. Shouldn't impact his season. Yes he had a minor knee operation Langdon is one of the fittest guys in the team. He is also someone who very much values and needs his time away from footy. Mental recovery is just as important for this guys as physical recovery.

Is Petty in a moonboot? Is Fritta there?

100% he will choose Melbourne. He is a die hard Melbourne man like his dad.

Literally 16 other clubs would LOVE to hold up this 'mediocre cup' for ongoing success of its men's and women's program, as well as a million dollar cheque. Every year only one team wins the flag. Does that make the other 17 clubs irrelevant? Their progress or success unworthy? Our men's side won a flag 2 years ago, and our women's a year ago. We are a strong club with strong performing teams and we have to stop minimising their success, just because they haven't been able to claim the ultimate prize again. Winning is hard enough, winning back to back is even harder. I still remember the days when our season was over before it started. We were a laughing stock. And yet some are still not satisfied with how far we've come since.

One of the biggest 'learnings' from 2022 was that we didn't give players outside of the current best 22 enough exposure at senior level. In 2023 we learnt that McVee and JVR are going to be mainstays and have long careers in the AFL. We also saw enough from Woey Jnr to suggest he has good attributes, and likewise Laurie. Howe would have debuted if not for injuries. It is important that no matter where you are in the cycle, you continue to push to develop your younger group. In 2024 I want to see more of Turner, Howe and potentially give the new draftees a little taste. I would hope Chandler can continue to impress, and Laurie is given more chances, as his greatest strength being ball use, is one of our biggest issues. Our window is certainly not coming to a close anytime soon. The biggest issue we will face is replacing May. Gawn is irreplaceable, but likewise you can absolutely win a flag without a gun ruck. Many big bodied average rucks have won their teams flags. Just look at this year. But the core of our group, are still in their prime or yet to hit their prime. While we have the likes of Trac, Clarry and Lever, we will continue to be a very strong contender, so long as we continue to push and develop the other players around them.

Is Marley one of the twins? Or is he older than the twins?

Amazing report thanks! A couple of questions 1- was Petty training at all? Moon boot? Anything of note? 2- is Fritta expected to do most of pre season? Do you know what the foot issue is?

Surprised the media didn’t say our culture is terrible because our vice captain didn’t turn up early to pre season either 🙄 We all know Viney is an unfit slacker 😂

Better to go out in straight sets with a million dollars than in straight sets without any money

Excellent to hear that he’s running even if he was limping after. I expected him to still be in a moonboot so to be running pre Christmas is brilliant news.

Petty is definitely there according to Melbourne's social media posts