Hannabal

Has Rivers lost his marking abiltiy ?

The guy is a dud. Fools gold if ever I've seen one.

Don't think he's up to it. But you and others will disagree.

Good game from Col. Bailey spoke of him taking the game on and kicking goals pre-match. Unfortunately he's still very poor in close. When in the clinches he doesn't have clean disposal which is what makes the best in the game stand out. Still, it was an improved performance. Though nothing to get carried away by. It should be the norm. In fact, I'd expect better as the norm.

Great post. Jones has improved tremendously this year and I hope he gets the plaudits he deserves.

Poor example. He was injured.

Soft at the Dees too. Well known. Often discussed. Got it ?

Yes he did. I called him soft 2 years ago. He also played plenty of games at Sandy.

Congratulations ! You've joined the top ten funniest posts ever at Demonland.

Wow

Chinese whispers. If I recall correctly Robertson said that Jurrah reminds him of Buddy and that he really hopes he stays at the MFC. He said he was 6'3", can run, jump, and can take a big mark, but he then tried to play the comparison down. It was the interviewers who leapt on it and in a jocular fashion used the term "Saviour", not Robertson. Either way, it was good to hear his enthusiasm.

There was one way...

I never barracked for them during the alignment, although I preferred a victory for obvious reasons. I couldn't care how they travel this year and won't take an interest in their matches.

We need a good ruckman amongst many things. But at what cost ? I'd never use pick 1 on a ruckman. They're just too subjective and even if the return ends up being high it takes a long time to cash in your chips. You talk of the next Cox and it's worth noting that he was a rookie. As was Jolly. How many ruckmen have gone pick 1 in the draft ? The ones that spring to mind are Matthew Kreuzer, Josh Fraser, Michael Gardiner and Jeff White. The jury is still out on Kreuzer, but I doubt he'll be the best of his draft, and 'no thanks' to the others. Not for pick 1 anyway. Cox and Hille dominated last year, but their teams came bottom 4. I rate Tyrone Vickery, but he's currently playing for Coburg seconds. It's a long haul for a skinny young ruck. Hawthorn won a flag with a basic ruck duo, but at least they competed. And that's the key. We lack genuine class where the game is won - the midfield. It's our most pressing need now that Watts is developing.

I can't stand Russell and have no doubt that he has no regard whatsoever for the MFC. He was a crap 50 game footballer that got lucky in the media through an untimely death. He's also a South Australian with a chip on his shoulder. Most South Australians don't like 10 clubs in Victoria, so it's only natural that our club would be on his radar. Unfortunately, we as a club give ammunition to pricks like Russell. Hopefully that's started to change. That said, he didn't offend me with his commentary on Sunday. He was more balanced than I expected.

I voted 'unsure' cos how the hell would anyone outside the club know ? Those that want to have faith in the coach will find reason to and those with little faith will try and justify why. I can see definite improvements in this year's game plan, the club as a whole seems united, and our best pure talent, which includes: Watts, Grimes, Garland, Blease, Strauss, and Aussie, are yet to impact the side. It's hard to be definitive either way, but I see little reason to not have a modicum of faith in the direction Bailey is heading.

I know it's easy because you're a Melbourne supporter but don't always equate 'inside' with being slow. We don't have an elite midfielder and we desperately need a few. Scully would be right at the top of our wishlist.

I've seen Scully a few times and he looks great - smooth and makes the right decisions. He'd be plug and play. And without exageration, he'd already be in our best side. You'd be looking at a Rich/Palmer scenario.

And as ridiculous as it is you're entitled to it. Robert Flower played 272 games. He played in 1981 when we won one game. He played in arguably the worst era through the 70's and 80's that this club has ever had, but he said recently that there was never an occasion when he ran onto the ground that he didn't expect to win. I'm sure they know the challenge before them, but I'm equally certain that every player and coach expects to win. They shouldn't be at the club if they don't.

You are joking right ? Their goal should be nothing other than a victory.

Jeez mate, you don't know me too well. That said, I already regret banging away on the computer (as I am now) on a player the calibre of Bartram.

Now only a female could have posted such tripe.

Bartram has some pace where Godfrey didn't. But the modern game cannot withstand players that have such poor skill level. More than ever goals come from turnovers and opposition mistakes. Bartram wouldn't come close to making it in Geelong's, or Hawthorn's, side and we need to aspire to have such quality in our team. Yes, presently there's a place for him. But he's just keeping the seat warm.

I disagree. The game has gone past purely negating players and that's all Bartram can or ever will be. He's a liability with the ball in his hands. I like Bartram and his heart, but I respected Simon Godfrey also and there's no place for that type of player in modern footy.

For some time I've been concerned by Mclean. He's no better than he was 4 years ago and arguably worse due to the change in the style of game. He's just so sloooooow. He's also not nearly as tough as most supporters maintain or (myself included) once thought. When he's caught at a stoppage he usually coughs the ball up, or turns the next contest into a 50/50 - or worse. His skills under pressure are ordinary. When the best midfielders are caught, even under extreme pressure, they manage to get a clean handball away to a teammate, but McLean can't manage this effectively. Talk about slow twitch fibres. He's underdone and I no longer expect a star, nor him to reach Selwood's level - which is extremely disappointing, but I know he's better than what he's currently giving. I said preseason that he was a good/ordinary footballer. He hope he gets back to that level.