Jaded No More

That last super goal was touch and go. Probably just on the siren. In the end we shouldn't have ever let that happen. We are far too loose, and our centre square set ups are, for lack of a better word, idiotic. That is not the players' fault, but then again it is they who are out there and they need to take control and man up as required. Sandilands was always going to smash us in the ruck, but there is no reason why we should let him tap the ball to free players. Jurrah has been disappointing. He doesn't strike me as someone who would let the hype go to his head, but he seems more casual than he should be. It was always going to be harder for him this season, with defenders cracking down on him and not giving him much space. He has to adjust to that and quickly! On a positive note, both Scully and Trengove seem to fit right in. Trengove's tap to Maric for the set up of the Miller goal was brilliant, and showed his great awareness. And as the commentators noted, Scully is almost too quick and smart for his teammates. He is operating one step ahead of them. Again, it's the decision making moreso than the skills which are killing us. We look nervous when we have the ball, almost scared to make mistakes which puts us under enormous pressure. Hopefully we've shaken off those pre-season cobwebs and we start to look a little more alive in the second quarter.

Ah, it's not our day. Jurrah dropping sitters, 9 pointers allowed to be kicked after the siren... Let's just get away from this game with no injuries and move on.

For goodness sake, it's the first quarter of the NAB Cup. We're not going to start this suicide crap all over again, are we? We were never going to improve out of sight in one season. It's going to be a slow process, so enjoy the ride and stop with the panic. I almost forgot how painful this place is whenever we play poorly!

Watching this quarter was like banging my head against the wall.... painful and pointless. On the bright side, Scully's hands are bloody amazing!!!

We haven't even played yet. While it's great to know that a win means we get to play North in Melbourne (albeit at the craphole that is Etihad), I think we should wait to see how we go tonight. I wouldn't be surprised if we lost to be honest.

I've looked everywhere... where have these rumours come from? Jones Twittered this in the morning: What has happened since this morning that will make Jurrah have to pull out of the game?

Well said. McLean was a good clubman and did a lot for Melbourne when he was with us. While I don't wish anyone in a Carlton jumper anything short of a miserable career, I think some people here are being very harsh on him. He wanted to go, sure, but it doesn't seem we tried all that hard to make him stay, and we got a good deal out of his departure. It would be terrible if, like with Thompson, people begrudge him and start vicious threads about him for the next 5 years.

I would think that if we could promote another rookie apart form McKenzie, it would be Hughes. This would be his last year on the rookie list and so he has to try and prove what he can do at senior level, so that we know whether he is worth placing on our senior list in 2011, or whether he should be let go. With Newton we already know what we're getting, and lets be honest, placing him on the rookie list was a last resort measure to get around his existing contract and clear spaces for draft picks.

Doubt the club would have told the media Scully was playing, if he wasn't. The people who work at AFL.com are lazy. They should have coached us last year when we were desperately trying to lose.

Very rarely you read a football story which genuinely makes you believe that some footballers still feel strong loyalty to their club, the jumper they are wearing, and their teammates, and not just money. This is one of those stories. Jordie is now automatically someone you just want to see succeed and have a long career. What a great kid!

A minor setback in Tapscott's long career. Get it right early and avoid having this issue repeat itself over and over again.

I didn't watch the game, as I have no interest in seeing McLean in a Carlton jumper, but I got this text from my best friend who is a life long Carlton member: "Colgate (her clever nickname for him), has done absolutely nothing tonight. Thanks for nothing [censored]" I wrote back "suck on it, and thanks for pick 11" B)

sounds like an extra curricular activity was involved. Poor kid has much to learn if that's how he's getting himself injured...

Putting the kids issue aside, why is 8:30 considered prime time TV, but when footy is televised at this time it's terrible? Sure, I don't want to go to the footy at 8:30 on a Sunday night, but televised from WA it's actually a rather convenient time and a great way to end the weekend.

but...but...OMG we're all going to die... hang on, what are we talking about again? Seriously, why are Melbourne supporters so hysterical when it comes to injuries? Football is a very physically demanding game and players thrown into a full time regime after coming out of high school could very well go into some sort of physical shock and suffer injuries. It is not the end of the world. I bet 80% of people who post here have injured themselves during a gym session (or while out on the [censored]). It happens, bodies break and bodies mend. Only when the words 'hot' and 'spot' are used in the same sentence, and spoken of not in relation to anything sexual, then it's time to panic.

It seems it's no longer necessary, and thank goodness for that. Might start a Garland one, to help him along Spot on. A good player is a good player regardless of the way footy is played. Rivers, injury free and back to his old form is easily in our top 18 and makes us a much better team.

Brilliant news about Garland. He is in my top 5 most important players at the club. Cheers for the report!

I have a sample and the badge actually looks much better in real life If you are wondering, it is made of metal and is embossed with the red and navy Ds... Very swanky

While I completely understand that legally we need to watch what we say (and agree with your actions to delete the posts in question), I think Lovett is one guy who doesn't deserve our protection. If he is found guilty, the wrath of a few Melbourne supporters should be the very least of his problems, and I hope like hell that for once the AFL doesn't sweep this under the carpet or tries to protect the player from his legal and social responsibility to society. Footballer or not, anyone who assaults or rapes a woman should rot in jail.

You get Barrack Obama to Australia, you don't want his lasting impression of the country being that of feral Collingwood supporters. At least at our game he'll be surrounded by civilized, intellectual human beings possessing all of their teeth. Plus if he's going to visit our great city, and view our great game, it is only fitting that he comes to watch the Melbourne Football Club, inventor of Australian Rules Football.

So you think Watts doesn't already know that? or that he isn't already doing everything in his power to improve and progress? He has plenty of good role models around him already to learn from regarding work ethic. He doesn't need to be taking lessons from Naitanui, or feeling pressured by his progress. The only person Watts is competing with is himself.

I'll stop being mean when you stop polluting my brain. I wasted a whole minute reading and then fighting the urge to reply to this nonsense, only to fail and spend another minute trying to control just how mean I was going to be to you.

You should have stayed away. Now my IQ has to drop everytime I come online. Also I hear they have treatment for prematurity these days...

Why? They are completely different players at completely different stages of development. Watts is not in competition with Naitanui, and should feel absolutely no pressure to draw comparisons. I loath these stupid, irrelevant comparisons.

Thank you all for the reports. Personally I'm amazed Scully is even able to play a full match after fracturing his patella late last year. He would have lost plenty of muscle and strength in his leg (about 4cm in the first week alone!), and obviously had a modified pre-season. That he has kept up his endurance and fitness to such a level is a credit to his work ethic. Shame Watts didn't play, but if I hear one more person making comparisons to Naitanui I'll scream.