Jaded No More

What a surprise. He got off!

He is a good player, yes, but he also happens to have a problem with substance abuse and mixing with the wrong crowds. I definitely wouldn't want him influencing the likes of McLean, Jones, Bell, Petterd, Bate, Dunn and the list goes on... There is more to it than just being a good footballer. For the amount of money you'd have to pay him, you'd also want him to be a model citizen and not cause any turmoil. His on-field output will be very quickly canceled out by any off-field indiscretion which brings the club into disrepute. Don't forget, we haven't got the money or the power to deal with this sort of stuff the way West Coast does.

Yep, but in reality Didak's hit was a lot softer and not so far away from the play. This is why I think they will bring it up, and argue that even with his prior record, Didak should not be suspended for an incident that was a lot softer than the Goodes hit. Of course I hope he gets suspended and Collingwood bleed... but he will most definitely get off.

Junior is sloppy at times. Bell, Jones, Whelan and Sylvia would be my top 4. When they tackle you, you stay tackled!

What's going on, is Yze_Magic our new media manager? Complete spin and definitely not worth getting excited about. If the players need to believe that making the finals is still possible, in order to play well each week, that's fine. They should never give up on that, just like they should never give up on a win. But don't let that fool you. We haven't won in Adelaide for years, likewise Subiaco. That's already 2 games we are more than likely to lose, so there goes the finals fantasy. I hate media Mondays <_<

Collingwood will definitely contest, according to Footy Classifieds. Ironically, they are going to show the Goodes hit on Godders that only got him a reprimand, which we all know was a soft verdict. Regardless, he's sure to get off and be there on Monday.

You wrote the comment in August. By September, Belly was playing inspired football. Go calculate how many weeks that is! Also, not surprisingly, in March 2006, you rated him as one of our best youngsters. On September 9, 2006, you congratulated him for finally finding his feet at AFL level. So why don't you, for once, choose a position and stick with it, instead of jumping on which ever bandwagon is parked outside your house! And you really should keep pumping yourself up, since you are the only one who believes the hype.

What exactly is wrong with that? I wrote that at the same time that Jamar broke his foot and we played Freo with Nick Smith as our back-up ruckman. With PJ injured, and White struggling at the centre bounce, Jamar's good tap work was extremely important to the side and we missed him badly in that final. Also, notice that I only picked on Y_M because he is known for making premature calls and being proven completely wrong. Just thought that it would be nice for him to be made accountable for once.

They show that as always, you've jumped the gun. You made a call and was proven wrong in a matter of weeks. Of course stats don't prove everything, but they do go to show that as of the end of August 2006, Bell started playing some very good games. He was, and always has been accountable. In fact, why don't you do some of your own research to prove just how many forwards have kicked bags of goals on Belly over his entire career. Then compare that to Ward. Go on, I dare you to actually bring forwards some facts. And as far as kicking goes, Bell has gotten progressively better as his OP cleared up, while Ward gets worse with each passing game. Your comparison was flawed, and yet you refuse to admit you were wrong.

More reasons why you didn't make the right call, but jumped the gun prematurely as always (this applies to everyone who claims that Bell's game on Sunday was his first good game): - On Aug 5th, 2006 we played and lost to Carlton. Bell played up forward that day, kicking 2 behinds. - On Aug 12th, 2006 we played Sydney and lost. Bell did not play that day. - On Aug 20, 2006 we played the Roos. Bell had 12 disposals, 4 marks and 3 tackles - On Aug 26, 2006 we played Geelong. Bell had 18 disposals, 6 marks and 4 tackles - On Sep 2, 2006 we got smashed by Adelaide, yet Bell had 24 disposals and 3 tackles. We then played 2 finals, and Bell played extremely well in both games, especially against Freo when he comprehensively beat Farmer. So as far as I can tell, you were very wrong when you compared him to Ward. In fact, at around the time that you made your silly comment, Belly started to really come into his own... if only the rest of your 'spot on' calls had such a positive affect

Argh! Not at all. My friend was with Kyle (Boyd) a while ago, and I can tell you, they look and act nothing alike. Jonesy would probably make Kyle cry just by looking at him <_<

I told you why you were wrong, and you didn't even bother challenging the argument. You have been well and truly defeated.

How are their games similar? Belly is accountable, Ward isn't Belly can hit a target, Ward can't Belly can play small or tall, Ward can't play tall Belly is probably the best tackler in the team, Ward isn't Ward attacks the game a lot more than Belly at this stage, and he can afford to, because he knows that when he leaves his man open in the backline, that Belly will be there to cover for him. The call was idiotic then, and it is still idiotic now. Admit defeat and move on.

Beautiful work as always Old! :D I especially love this quote. Y_M jumping the gun yet again, and being well and truly wrong!

Well if Collingwood contest and he gets off, I'll look forward to Belly tearing him a new one. Bring it on you filthy Magpies! :D

The guy on the left is apperantly called Nathan Jones too

Don't think we'll see him before the mid-season break, even if his problem really is hamstring/back related. Why would you risk him now, when he can have 2 full weeks of extra recovery under his belt instead? This is the same reason why I don't think we'll see Buckley this week.

He is getting there slowly. His work around the ground is very good, and as you might be aware, he is really a small kid trapped in the body of a giant, in that he is much better below his knees than above his head. He needs to work on his rucking though, no question about that. Currently he is winning the position of second ruckman though. Question for you about Jones, I heard that he has only become an inside midfielder when he arrived at Melbourne (amazing really, considering how good he is at it!). What position did he play while at school, and also, how would you rate his leadership skills?

Welcome Daniel, and don't worry, we don't disagree. We love Jonesy, but we want to get him and Brock a playmate :D How about instead of writing who you would trade for Judd, let us shorten the list by writing who you WOULDN'T trade for Judd.

I'd be shattered if Bell left us... but I can't say that Bell for Judd is something I wouldn't consider. It's JUDD!!! Also, West Coast owe Chris Judd a little bit more respect than to say "screw you, go play for Richmond". Besides, you don't let the best player in the competition go for nothing. Nick Stevens is hardly Chris Judd.

Agreed. He has great pace, and he gathers the ball nicely, but his disposal is not acceptable. He might carry the ball 70m+, but the ball is then brought back in under 20 seconds.

The club won't trade McLean, and I've been down this path with someone else already... you trade McLean for Judd, and you're still down a quality midfielder. The idea is not to trade the same type of players, otherwise you achieve nothing. McLean is only 21, so to trade a 21 year old who is well on his way to becoming a star, would be madness, even if Judd is on offer. Having said that, I'd trade anyone but McLean or Rivers for Judd.

Love it! That's going straight into my signature.

I naturally agree with everything else you said, but I have to make one point, defender don't get enough recognition for their importance to a side. If Belly is in the top 5 in our B&F every year from now on, it means he is significantly impacting the results of games, and that is what good defenders do. The more he starts to get comfortable and attack the game, the more valuable he'll become. Would you say the same thing about Rivers? Would it be a worry if he finished top 5 in our B&F because he's a defender? Belly could very well become as important to our side as Chad Cornes is to Port Adelaide, even if he isn't of the same quality (and he might be). People should kiss the feet of every good defender we find. They are the most under-valued players in any side, but they also have the hardest job each week. Also, Belly has played about 18 good games out of 38. That's a great return for a kid.

I'll say it for the third time, we do have a LOT of supporters by association, rather than active supporters. But at the same time, there are also plenty of us who contribute to this club and do not deserve to be called [censored]-weak. BT said it again and again that ALL Melbourne supporters and indeed the entire club is [censored]-weak. That hurt me, because I don't consider myself, or any of the other Melbourne supporters I know, to be [censored]-weak. Likewise, to call a club which has won 12 premierships, and has actually started this competition [censored]-weak, is a disgrace and shows a clear disregard for the history of the game. As for the second part of your post, this is not about idolising players. This is about loving something and being passionate about an organisation that brings you joy and excitement. It's about belonging to something that makes you happy. Players come and go, but true Melbourne supporters stick with the club no matter who is playing. Every once in a while, you'll get a great player who just embodies what your club is all about, people like Norm Smith, Robbie Flower, David Neitz, and they become forever entangled with the club that you adore. But individuals don't make a club, just like individual people who are poor supporters, don't make our club weak. Football is very similar to religion, it isn't always tengible, but it's there and it pulls at your heart strings and affects you in ways that a lot of other things don't. Not everyone feels this way though, and for some people this is just a game, and that's fine too.