Jaded No More

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.

Depending on fitness: In: Whelan, Holland, Yze Out: Ward, Bizzell, Brown I thought Bizzell was very good yesterday, but we need Holland to take Rocca. Can't think of another defender that we can afford to drop at the moment, since they all seem to have pretty good match ups. You could argue that Frawley should go instead of Bizzell, but we can't forget that this season is over and as much as we want to beat the Pies, we also need to keep developing for the future. For the first time all season, I hope we don't make wholesale changes. The team played well, and should be rewarded accordingly. A bit of stability will really help the side IMO. Match-Ups: Buckely - Carroll (run off him and expose his lack of match-fitness) Rocca- Holland Didak- Bell Cloke- Frawley (big job, but he seems capable. If all else fails, put Carroll on Cloke, and throw Bruce on Buckley). Collingwood are in great form, but they are playing as well as they possibly can. We on the other hand, have played 2 good quarters a game at most. If we actually turn up for 4 quarters, we are more than capable of beating them. On paper, we match up well, even without Rivers. Hopefully Davey pulls up as well. If not, play CJ up forward, and let Petterd play on the wing. P.S.- anyone who isn't working/ doing an exam/ lying in hospital on Monday, should have NO excuse not to turn up. Come along and show your support, because you'll hate yourself if you miss out on our annual Magpie belting.

I take it seriously because his comments were directed at me. As a supporter, and more importantly paid-up member who goes to every game and is proud to be a Melbourne supporter, I don't take kindly to being called [censored]-weak, and being categorised with those who are only Melbourne supporters because they have a red and blue sticker on their car. My original point was, that while we do have a lot of supporters by association, that is people who don't really actively support this club, we also have a lot of fans who passionately put their hearts and money on the line for this club every year. We are in the minority, and that pains me because we are a great club, with a wonderful history, and we deserve better. I know that not everyone is as passionate as I am, not everyone bleeds for this club in the same degree, but to generalise all Melbourne supporters into the one, offensive category, is just not right. There are plenty of people who do care and do love this club, and this website is the greatest example of that. We used to be THE club way before I was born, and I hope above all else, that before I die, we can restore the glory that rightfully belongs to this great club of ours.

No comment

You can be nominated two years in a row, as long you played less than 12 games in the previous year. Jones only played 8 matches last year, therefore he is still eligable. FYI, Jonesy will play his 18th career game on Monday. Gun! :D Edit: damn, someone beat me to it.

I think you need to stop giving so much credit to journalists and media commentators. After all, weren't they the ones who wrote we should trade Bruce just 24 hours before the game? weren't they the ones calling our club '[censored] weak' before the opening bounce? weren't they the ones who didn't actually know who Daniel Bell was until the game was over (and failed to give him votes!!!)? Bruce's kicking is on the wrong side of ordinary, his decision making is about the same. That is not to say that he is not a great player, and a consistent one at that. But to say you wouldn't trade him for a Brownlow winner, B&F winner and premiership captain who is also 5 years his junior, is madness. Also, you have no idea whether he is or isn't coming to Victoria. Your guess is as good as mine.

How is that different from saying "we should debut Newton" or "play the kids" or "we should kick the ball long into our forward line"? We just want what we want... and isn't it a pity we can't all get what we wish for?!

His kicking yesterday was worse than usual... although he is becoming slightly more accountable, which is nice to see. Still, the kicking is really REALLY awful stuff.

My neighbours' kids also went down today, and as avid Collingwood supporters, they just came over to tell me that 'Brock McLean is really nice'. I hope he was nice enough to convert them from the Filth to the Dees, because my brain-washing hasn't worked so far! :D

Firstly, we know as much about our players as we do about our coach of 10 years. As supporters and members, we are all entitled to give our thoughts on the coaching position, and express our desires, be it for or against Daniher. This entire website lives on the opinions of people, even if they are not always 100% in the know. As for the board's review, it will be starting as early as this week I believe, and I assure you they won't be coming to Demonland for advice :D

Ok, you just compared Belly to Brent Grgic. I can no longer take anything you say seriously. From now on, refer to my signature for my opinion on all Belly bashers.

Was fantastic to see him given a specific job, after last week when he sort of drifted in and out aimlessly. I've seen Ian 'I'm ordinary' Perrie give us a bath before, so for Frawley to hold him to one goal (until he was injured), was a damn good effort. He was then given a run with role on Edwards, who lets face it, is bloody quick and bloody smart. He couldn't hold him, but then nobody else could either. I love that he has the balls to take them on. That's always a good sign. Hopefully he continues to get a game from now on, and given some big jobs just to test him out. So far, so good. Don't forget, it is much harder to come in as a youngster and dominate when you are a KP defender. The last true KPP who debuted for us was back in 2003 (Miller and Rivers) I believe.

True, but he didn't barrack for all these clubs as a kid. Now before everyone bite my head off and say "oh, as if that makes a difference", when you are Chris Judd and you set your own terms, it matters a lot. I can assure you that he is still holds aspirations for play for his old club, even if they are in the back of his mind hidden somewhere. The bottom line is, Chris Judd will get what he wants, and if he wants to come home, I don't see why he wouldn't nominate Melbourne as one of his prefered clubs (and we'll be in a better position than most to trade, given where we are).

Thank you for the support, but I assure you I didn't ring and speak to him. If someone else did and said the same thing, well then, they are right. I actually had to turn it off, it was upsetting me that much.

We've done a good job! I feel like such a proud parent :D

He's a journalist, where else do you think he gets his material from, if not supporter sites? <_< No reply, and I doubt I'll get one. The only reason I sent him that email is because I was drunk when I read it last night he is, in fact, a Melbourne supporter... and a typical one at that!