Jaded No More

I haven't seen any evidence to suggest that PJ is actually a good AFL ruckman. Until such time, the choice is obvious.

Argh... my eyes! Brad Miller and Tom Cruise should not be mentioned in the same sentence. One is a nutcase with "little man" syndrome, the other is a mildly-fantastic footballer

Well, we rookied Van Shiek... he couldn't be worse

Haha, that's brilliant. Melbourne players themselves couldn't have done that better. And just how tall is the guy playing ruck, and can we rookie him?

Well, you've kicked more goals than Bartram has in his entire career

Well done guys! A perfect 2 from 2. P.S.- Cactus, you look like Bartram's twin in that picture

It's because they are too good to be hanging out with average footballers Seriously though, I don't think you're right. I've seen Brock hanging around some of the younger crowd that live in my area.

I'm going with Jamar. He is my adopted player for 2007. More game time, with prolonged stints up forward and an increase in confidence, means Jamar will no longer be just the back-up. Also, I have a gut feeling that Jared Rivers is about to really come of age. He has been solid since the start, but he has now graduated from the "School of Insane Bravery", and I expect big things from him. Oh, and if McLean remains injury free....

Oi, there's nothing wrong with Brighton... plenty of MFC boys live there too <_<

I wonder if he knows what that word means... LifeTimeDee, I agree with your sentiments, but just remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder

I think I should be editor :D It's the off-season... we get desperate. Haha, Yze_Magic. I hope for Judd's sake he never encounters you outside a football field.

Half Moon is one of the most footballer-infested places on earth. But let me get this straight, Chris Judd was there, and yet you feel the need to tell us about Danny Hughes? I have made it my mission that if I ever meet Judd (sadly, I only ever meet really dud footballers), I will definitely buy him enough drinks to make him talk honestly about a possible return to Melbourne

I saw Ashley Hansen before... not much to report there, except that he was having a sook (surprise surprise) to his mummy Exciting chestnut, demon_magik?

I was very excited to hear about the appointment, until I read the opinions on here. While I'm positive the club is aware of any past problems Babijczuk's style may have caused, I guess you can never really estimate the impact of his work. Overall it sounds like a very positive and proactive move to get our list moving faster. Hopefully it brings about more success than injuries.

It's a lot easier to go from an ordinary team, to a good team than many think. The hardest part is going from a good team, to a premiership team. The first 90% does not separate you from the rest of the competition. It's that last 10% that is the most difficult to obtain and implement. We're a good team, but we need to take that one final step towards becoming a premiership team. Whether Daniher is the man for the job, we'll know soon enough.

Travis Johnstone may be a very talent user of the ball, but he is disgraceful at clearing the ball out of the backline. He stuffs up more than anyone else when taking the kick-ins.

LRT is a less talented version of Ryan Ferguson. At least Ferguson has courage by the bucket-loads and can kick the ball. One bad season from Miller, due mainly to injury, is no reason to pack his bags and send him away. He has done more than Sylvia (number 3 pick) and Bell (number 15 pick). Patience is a virtue nobody seems to have anymore.

Neita wouldn't get a game for them either, and he is an excellent captain. If LRT can win a flag as a defender, so can Miller.

He is also 22, has struggled with injuries all year and is being played all over the place. I agree that he isn't as skilled as Dunn, although I disagree that he isn't a good mark. Do you think he has a future in the backline?

A bit premature when you consider that he barely played half a game at CHF after a long stint in the VFL. He did what he usually does, ran hard, marked and made his opponent earn his kicks. Dunny needs to develop a mean streak, he is not strong or hard enough to play finals as a CHF just yet. It will come, and when it does Miller will take over from Dutchy in the backline. It seems like a good long-term solution.

Who says we can't have both? Dunn is not strong enough to play as a CHF at this stage. But he can be more than handy as a third tall. Miller can then take the CHF role, lead further up the ground or even help out in the backline if needed. IMO it is not a case of either or, because in the long term both will be part of our best 22. With Neita and Holland both coming to the end of their careers, we need to develop both these guys, it's that simple.

How did this thread turn into Miller bashing? Gees, I really didn't see that coming

I know it's wishful thinking on my behalf, but we've stuck with him for this long, and it seems like a real shame if we let him go just as he stops getting himself injured. Another solid pre-season, and you just never know. Neither Dutchy nor Neita are getting any younger. Not saying that Smith will be taking Dutchy's role in the backline, but he could fill a target up forward, if/when Miller establishes himself as the third tall down back. With Dunn playing as third tall.

I'll have both of them ahead of Nicho thanks! We have nothing to lose by retaining 426. He costs us very little, helps Sandy win games, and is insurance should one of our talls go down. He can ruck a little and play up forward. He also has the potential to become something... anything. At 22, he is ahead of Nicho and Bizzell, but lucky for Bizz he's still under contract. And please don't compare him to Henneman, one is crap, the other constantly injured.

Jamar ahead of PJ easily. His ruckwork is excellent, and he can take an overhead mark. I like Johnson, but I think he is more of a forward who can ruck, than a ruckman who can go forward. And even as a forward, he is questionable because he can't actually mark very well. Jamar is miles ahead at the moment, which is unlucky for PJ because he showed a lot before his injury. Not gonna start the Miller argument yet again, but there is definitely room for both he and Dunn in the side. Dunn is a baby, and his form is likely to drop. Not sure how he will handle finals either, given his body shape and the fact that he isn't overly aggressive. Miller gives us the flexibility that a Dunn-Holland combination won't. As for the backline, very hard but I went Whelan, CJ and Wheatley. It is rare to play a team who has two excellent small forwards, and no current team who looks like a premiership threat has two. Whelan is without a doubt the number 1 small-man stopper we have, but I think Wheatley is also more than capable of doing a job on a small or a tall. I like CJ's rebounds and he is a beautiful kick, plus we need to get some games into him before Brown calls it a day. More than anything, those three are accountable, whereas Ward and Brown are very loose.