Jaded No More

I'm pretty sure they said Petterd and that he had his ankle re-strapped. This is a joke. We look like under 9's.

Early final- margin predictions: 99 points.

Well, this is officially the worst quarter I have ever seen this team play. Now let me put this to you, Daniher drops Warnock and Holland and brings in Ferguson. Ferguson can only play on one type of player, Hunter, and even then, he struggles. So when Ferguson gets smashed from the first bounce, and so does Carroll, we are left with no alternatives and we can't shuffle the backline. If Holland played, he could take Lynch and equal him in strength, and Carroll could play on Hunter. What was the logic behind bringing in Ferguson out of nowhere, I don't know. He was never an AFL player, and this should be his last game in a Melbourne jumper. Of course, this is hardly the reason we are getting smashed. The fact that we can't win a clearances, man-up or hit a target is the real reason. May god have mercy on us.... this is going to end in tears.

Actually, most experts agree that we are the best side to ever go 0-7. Nobody rates us as being equal to Richmond, or deserving of a bottom 2 spot. The thing is, if we do finish bottom 4, earn a good draft pick (or Judd) and then rise again next year, the joke will be on everyone else.

Just watching the pre-game show on Foxtel, and there are no changes to the selected 22. Petterd, Wheels, Cox and Fletcher will all play.

We won't be able to determine who is a better play for a few years yet, but one thing is certain, the only reason Alwyn is playing AFL is because of his brother. He is a 22 year old second round draft pick, which is rare. If our footy club didn't take a chance on Davey, and he didn't burst onto the scene with his pace and his defensive pressure, nobody would look twice at Alwyn.

If we beat Collingwood, Richmond, Essendon and Carlton I'll be thrilled. The other games are 50-50 at best, and the result will once again depend on the length of our injury list.

I'm disgustingly confident.... ..... so expect to lose by 10 goals

Frawley will debut next. The fact that Rivers is injured and that we are now resorting to playing Ferguson at CHB is enough of an indication that we are desperate for another decent key defender. I wouldn't be surprised if he debuts next week, should Rivers be unavailable for selection again.

Thanks for the reports everyone. Glad to hear Robbo and Pickett played well, although what do you expected, they are far too good for this level. Very worried about Brock still limping... surely not! Newton swearing at an experienced senior player is not great but it shows passion, and he clearly has enough talent to play AFL. Hopefully he gets himself mentally right as well, because that is just as important as having the right skills. I'm confident he'll play a few AFL games this year, and hopefully we sign him up for another 2 years before the season is finished.

*Sigh* Another week without McLean Great news for Petterd, while Warnock is pretty stiff considering his replacement is Ferguson!

That is a completely different issue, and has nothing to do with injury management. For what it's worth, I agree. Our depth is as shallow as a kiddie pool. Whelan and Wheatley obviously passed fitness tests and were therefore deemed ready to play. If we had a full list to choose from, they may have been rested and the club wouldn't have bothered with a fitness test.

Not so sure that West Coast fit this theory. They've had Fletcher and Cox out this year, and now Embley is out for 6. And if you want to talk about crap managment, how about Ben Cousins spending the year in rehab after years of drug abuse? We have been fairly lucky with injuries in the past 6 or so years. We've had very few long-term injuries like knee reconstructions, and such. There are a number of players in our side who are injury prone, like Whelan, but we are hardly alone in this. To the club's credit, Travis Johnstone has been on the field consistently for the past 3 years, after having many injury problems early on in his career. Bell and Miller have recovered from OP, Junior came back from a knee reconstruction bigger and better, and White no longer has shin problems. We have managed a lot of our players quite well IMO. Some players' bodies are weaker and more injury prone. McLean's latest injury was a freak one and completely unrelated to his soft-tissue problems, and this is Rivers' first ever soft tissue problem. Also, for those who claim Whelan and Wheatley shouldn't have played a few weeks ago, please go back and look at our injury list. We were running out of options and had little choice but to play them. IMO, we are very cautious with our players. We don't often rush our better players back from injury, and you only have to look at this week's Sandringham team for proof.

Agreed, which is why, if they decide the keep him and he decided to stay, it will have to be as our senior coach and he will need to have the same power that he does now. Anything else would be an insult. I wouldn't mind if Voss was his assistant, giving us the option of him one day becoming our senior coach, that is all.

He was dropped in 2002, I think it was. He went back to Sandy and took an absolute screamer (and dominated) and was back in the side a couple of weeks later. Sandy will smash Williamstown going by that side. Damn work, I would have loved to go down and watch! <_<

Bryon and Robbo at Sandy. How much will the mighty Zebras win by this week?

Ch. 10 Embley out for 6 with a knee.

Embley out for West Coast, but Cox and Fletcher rushed back into the side.

Also, McLean + Jones for the return of Heffernan If I could choose anyone to come to Melbourne, I'd go with Jonathan Brown, but that is probably because he is my favourite player (outside of Melbourne). I am well aware that his body is suspect, and that Pavlich is a better long-term investment. Oh, the thought of Jonathan Brown in a Melbourne jumper is spine-tingling

Yeah, I saw that AFTER I posted, and edited my post accordingly. I should really learn to read properly

I'm pretty sure the club will go after him for an assistant coaching position. I wouldn't be opposed to having him as an assistant coach under Daniher for a couple of years, then give him the senior coaching title. I'd rather a completely new coaching panel, but if the club and Daniher decide to stay, I hope that new assistants are introduced.

I would rather give Warnock another week, than watch Ferguson perform the same old tricks. Great to see Brocky... hopefully he plays. And Ricky named as soon as he is fit, the boy has certainly made an impression. Don't think they should risk Wheels, and I'm glad they are giving Beamer a break. Bench IMO will be: PJ, Jones, McLean, Petterd. P.S.- What is going on with Jared??

He'll make it, but probably not in red & blue... I'm completely perplexed by the lack of confidence shown in him. Yes, he has previously just gone at senior level, but why does he deserve less leniency and patience than the rest of the side? Why does Ward get one week off, then straight back into the side, but CJ gets extended periods at Sandy, where he almost always plays well. I'd be very disappointed if we don't see him play consistently for the rest of the season, and he would be better off asking for a trade if that was the case.

No point in trying new things, if they will only disrupt our structure. Rivers is our best defender, period. We will achieve nothing by taking him out of the backline, where he is so good and very much needed. Apart from Dunn on the wing, which I think is a good move, and PJ being given time to prove he should be on our list next year, I would really love to see Bell released into the midfield when Whelan and Bartram return. Not fussed if he plays on the wing, or as a tagger, but I think it's time to unleash Belly :D Would also love to see CJ given game time on the wing or half-forward line... hell, give him game time in the ruck for all I care, I just want him to prove that he has what it takes!

Actually, Dees189277 was trying to get confirmation regarding a rumour that was posted on Demonology, and I locked the thread because it was unsubstantiated, and defamatory. Btw, the rumour was that Pickett has been sacked, which he hasn't, so it was proved to be incorrect.