Young Blood

We looked slow enough today without Preuss let alone with him in the side. GWS just tear you to shreds when you turn the ball over. Hardest running side in the comp (along with collingwood). They were cleaner with possessions but where they killed us is when we turned the ball over and they worked so hard to run back through the middle and link up. They were just far too good. The inability for us to spread and run hard for each other is baffling. This team still just looks so unfit to me.

If it ever gets to full fitness our backline will be just fine in the next few seasons. B: Jetta May Hore HB: Salem Lever Hibberd Bench/swingman: Fritsch Depth: Lockhart, Petty, Omac, Frost, Wagner

Fair enough. I meant more he could become more Pendles like.... if he can stop fumbling.

Are you saying he is way off overall or just on the weekend? He might have had an off night but I think he's been one of very few who has performed consistently this season along with Salem and Oliver. He's not the cleanest player but he wins so much of the football in close and I think his kicking on both sides has continued to improve. As one commentator noted he's not wheeling around to his preferred side as much (as Viney always does) he is kicking in stride and I've been impressed with some of his left foot kicking under pressure. He's been playing on the wing and in the middle I'd imagine swapping with Jones. Pretty sure he did the same thing last year. Gus is in our best 5 players IMO. Yes he can appear slow and maybe a bit lathargic at times, its just how he moves and his body language I think. But he has terrific spacial awareness and one of those players who always has time. The game has already slowed down for him which is something that hasn't quite happened yet for Clayton who often rushes with his disposal. I think Gus is in the mold of a Pendlebry type. Not super fast or flashy but has the spatial awareness to make the right decisions often. He always keeps himself in every contest with his persistence and hunger. I hate to be that guy but the kid is 23. Is he perhaps down on confidence with ball in hand playing in a side that is struggling at the moment? sure..... But he's not way off.

He might not be carrying a defined injury but he still looks limited in his movement. Bending down to pick up the ball seems like a real task for him. Looks stiff to me. I think he's always been pretty limited in his agility and movement but he just looks not quite right to me at the moment. Thought he put himself in the right positions to mark and win the ball on the weekend but wasn't very effective when he did get it overall. That was noted last week by Goodwin hence why he didn't play for Casey or seniors on the weekend. It doesn't sound like anything serious. I think it was more a give him the week off type injury.

I haven't consulted or overseen the fitness and performance manager and their process/systems in place last off season so I'm not sure if I personally can make that assumption. Roos pointed out during On The Couch a few weeks back that the team didn't look fit. He said a really good indicator of how a clubs fitness for an upcoming season were the results from the first 4km time trial first day back after the break. He said if the times were good you knew you had a good indication that your players were well set for a good season fitness wise. I highly doubt Melbourne came back in great shape overall after the shorter break especially considering the off field surguries and delays players had. There weren't overwhelming revues of players coming back in excellent shape bar maybe Stretch, Fritsch and small handful of others.

This is so true. Every game I have watched apart from the opening quarter against Port this team has looked lacking in confidence. When you don't have confidence in you body it translates in every facet of the game. This has been most obvious when the flow of the game goes against us. Those are the moments when you back yourself and your team mates preparation and fitness to dig in and run hard for each other. That's just not happening. I don't think our depth is really poor. We just have so many players in the team each week who look off the pace due to limited preseasons and they're key players: Melksham, Jones, Petracca, Harmes, Jetta and Tom McDonald. How are you supposed to execute structures and game plan consistently when you don't have confidence in yourself and your team mates knowing that your body isn't going to hold up the way you would like across four quarters. I appreciate the club not wanting to make this an excuse but it is a fact and being brought more to the surface is helping gain better understanding of why this team is under performing.

I believe the club definitely did their due diligence with KK. Apparently a lot of his concussion problems were lingering or made worse by his neck not being right. https://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-06-13/boost-for-kolodjashnij-in-concussion-struggle. It is stated here that he would not have long term issues due them working out his neck issues causing him headaches and other concussion symptoms. You have to worry a bit as he was running around without a helmet for the few games he played this year including when he pulled up with concussion symptoms post the Essendon game.

Love hearing Bruce when say "You reckon if Melbourne can kick the next goal they'll feel like they're back in this game".,.. when we're one goal down.....

I think he could get found out as a crumbing forward with his lack of pace and closing speed. But I don't mind him spending patches down there. Why he's an effective goal kicker is he starts on the wings and floats into the forward line usually on the fat side of the ground to receive squaring kicks or he often times his run well to receive handballs from contests. Always snapping. He certainly could kick 1-2 a game if he becomes a forward half player. Sir why you littler meanie!

I echo what others have said about Josh. Had a really strong start to 2017 and has been unlucky not to play more senior games due to depth at his position. I think he's going to be important this year with Lewis potentially coming in and out (I think he will be rested). He doesn't have the experience and composure as Lewis but he does use the ball well when he's playing with confidence and competes well for his height as a third tall down back or higher HB. Can release guys like Hibberd and Jetta. I think Josh could potentially be best 22 if he can have a consistent run at it. Obviously there's guys ahead of him at his position (Hibberd, Fritsch and maybe Hore). Main thing he needs to work on still as others have noted is his one on one body work. He's decent spoiling a contest when he gets a run at it but needs to use his body better one on one.

So are you saying that we should have picked better players with the picks we had the last three years or that we should have traded picks/players to get higher picks to get better talent? Firstly any picks above 30 are a gamble really. But these picks also usually take longer to develop as they have more floors to their game. Guys like Harmes, Hunt (2013), ANB, O.Mac (2014) all mostly picks 40+ have taken time to develop and carve out a role. So I would be giving these guys some time before judging them too quickly. Of course there's always two or more low picks that don't work out, but this is the case for every club. If you're complaining about the lack of high picks well we haven't had much to trade for them lately. Because we've played pretty well the last few years we haven't been given higher picks and the picks in the 20's we've used for trades. Maybe a bottom four finish will do the trick for the talent you're after.

Jesus. Maybe we should send Nev forward....

It's not abnormal for a player coming from a club with lower standards of training/fitness to rock up out of shape. I've seen those reports and believe that he'd be fairly disappointed that he wasn't starting at a level that would prepare him better for the season. But where are the reports that he wasn't enthusiastic about coming to Melbourne? Is that because there were rumours that Collingwood were keen to get him? Don't know if that necessarily means we were his last pathway out. Unless you've had discussions with him or have him quoting as such? He's played half a game or so. Guess we'll see how interested he is in playing good football when he's on the ground. '

Sounds to me like he is stating "Its a massive challenge away from home in a hostile environment".

I know this takes our two fastest players out of the team but I don't think it's really a priority considering we are too slow overall as a team this year. I think the idea is to control the contest and not let other teams get on the outside. It's going to be do or die a bit this year. Out: Hunt, Frost, Wagner In: Wagner/Lewis, May, Stretch I agree with others if Viney isn't fit bringing in Stretch makes sense. The problem with Viney is still that he doesn't play other positions effectively. I noticed on the weekend that Oliver either didn't spend or hardly spent time in the forward line. This might have been because Viney had to rest more so Oliver had to play more in the middle but its still a concern with Viney especially if he can't rest in the forward line for example. Sounds like Lewis might be available but if not I think Goodwin likes Wagner. At his best he competes well in the air for his size and has decent foot skills. When he plays with intensity I think he can be very serviceable across half back. He frees up Jetta and Hibberd to play other roles and be more attacking because he can play on third talls or smalls. I'd like to see KK and Preuss come in but I think/hope we've learnt our lesson from last week bringing players back that might be underdone. Especially early in the season it just can't happen. When the fatigue kicks in for that last quarter you need your fittest players.

Agree can't see them wavering much from what you've got there. Apart from no Hannan or Tyson this is pretty much the team we won two finals with last season. It may not be the fittest but its a proven side. I look forward to seeing KK, Hunt, Garlett, Stretch and the new young kids battle down at Casey for a spot

A very important resigning for a very important player

I definitely think Hogan should eventually be a better all round FF then McDonald. At the moment McDonald beats him in accuracy and consistency but Hogan has quite a bit more to his game that he will continue to develop. Hogans agility and ability to win the ball around the contest is better. Tom still struggles with kicking anything thats not a straight line. I agree with others this means very little at the moment. Will be interesting to see how Jesse develops out west. Tom at the moment is a more consistent and effective forward to me.

WO SMITH!

AVB looks in ripping condition. Bursting out of packs using his body. He's going to really add some oomf to our midfield this year

I'd imagine you would want both starting in the middle. I don't think Harmes will start off tagging every game. It might be a matter of seeing how much we can win the ball early and how damaging their best mid is before sending him in. Viney seems like the only one who will spend 90%+ game time in the middle as he's not as effective elsewhere as Gus and Oliver. Oliver and Gus will rotate with Harmes, Trac, Jones, ANB, Vanders all spending some time in the middle. I think we'll see less of Salem in the middle then last year and same for KK as well with both playing predominantly high HB/Wing.

Your idea non-existent depth at the midfield position seems to go against the trend of everyone believing we are top 3 for midfield depth in the competition. I don't think that's as much to do with who can fill midfield roles from Casey as it is who can fill those roles within our best 22. Ie if one of Oliver, Brayshaw and Viney were to go down with injury you would see the likes of Jones, Petracca, Salem, ANB, Harmes, AVB spend a greater amount of time in the middle. Those second tier midfielders (who I think are very strong) would slide in to more time in the middle with the likes of Wagner, Fritsch, J.Smith, Stretch and other solid fringe filling in other areas. I do agree with you about tall forward depth. You have to wonder if Tmac and Weid were to get injured if we would potentially swing another backman forward. I think Lever would be best suited to this. Other more shaky options being Frost and J.Smith but I think a forward line with Tim Smith/Lever and a resting ruckman, while not ideal would be serviceable. With that being said I can see Melbourne trying to play more mid sized forwards next year anyway to try to really push Petracca's effectiveness and continue Melkshams along with Fritsch and Hannan.

I can't see Frost playing further up the ground. Yes he is quick over 50-100m but he's buggered everytime he does so. Hence why he plays predominantly within back 50m. He would need to really build up his endurance to play wing. Like Tom Mcdonald his straight line kicking is good which he can get away with as a backman but would need to really change his style to be more dynamic with his disposal.

Didn't know he had that height. Makes him our tallest midfielder. Long strides, good length in marking contests. He seems to run and really good pace over 100m. Can't wait to see him really improving our run and spread on the wings which we badly need.