poita

After reading the hype filled posts on Demonland re Hore over the past three months I was expecting to see a ready made role player at AFL level. Harrison Petty was thrown to the wolves last year, but at least he was 18 and still developing. Hore is 23 and was woefully out of his depth yesterday. He is not tall or strong enough to play key position and isn't mobile enough or kick well enough to play anywhere else. Sometimes there is a reason players get overlooked for five drafts in a row.

Play and win at least one final is my pass mark. I think our best side playing its best football is good enough to finish top 4 and challenge for the premiership, but you only need 1 or 2 injuries to key players to take that away.

Underwhelming team in my opinion. The first 18 basically pick themselves, but the 4 on the bench don't convince me. Definitely a weaker side than we had for most of last year, and our lack of depth (particularly in key positions and through the midfield) is a real concern. I would like to see an extra tall to provide some cover for when Max rests and Weideman rucks, or if we have an injury, or is the plan to run Max into the ground so he is cooked by finals again? Any of Wagner, Hunt and Spargo could drop out.

This season was basically over before it began with a poor performance for three quarters against Fremantle. That game was ultimately symbolic for a team that went missing for periods in most games and failed to make the most of dominant periods in others. To have not played finals for three years is bad enough, but the continued failures in big games is a real concern. Forget the conference debacle, we lost to all three teams above us, had a mediocre percentage and have nobody but ourselves to blame for not playing finals. There are three main issues with this group: 1. Too many small-medium sized goers, particularly in the midfield, who try hard but are undersized, have poor skills and make poor decisions under pressure. Smith, Phillips and Scott are all in this category, along with a bunch of lesser lights. O'Dea has the size and is a good leader, but is not a great kick. I was impressed by Gay, and Paxman is a star, but they need help. We wasted Pearce's ruck dominance this year. 2. Our forward line doesn't work. Cunningham is fantastic, but they ask too much of Hore for her size and Newman flashes in and out. Another big bodied marking option is a must for next year. The delivery doesn't help (see point 1) but the structure is wrong. 3. I'm not a fan of the coach. He has one game plan which clearly doesn't work against good sides and doesn't really suit his playing list. He doesn't shut the game down when momentum is against us, which has been an issue for three years. I would look to replace him before 2020.

The website and associated social media of the MFC are abysmal and are a poor reflection on a club that has done a lot of things right in recent years. I would visit the MFC website once a month tops which, given my obsession with this club, is just extraordinary. Surely the sponsors are unimpressed that more traffic is not being driven to the site.

We have about eight blokes who are nowhere near ready for senior football, so to have another ten on the injury list leaves us with little more than the bare minimum to pick from this week. Some of our list management and player management decisions in the past 12-18 months are mind boggling.

May is a dummy, and clearly hasn't learned from his nine previous suspensions. I would much rather he took the week now and spent some time reflecting, rather than doing something equally stupid later in the year and costing the team when it matters more. Was contact unavoidable? Possibly. Was it necessary to turn and collect a smaller player with hip and shoulder with first contact to the head? Clearly not. As much as there have been numerous other MRP decisions that are completely illogical, I don't have a problem with this one.

Great read. I still think he had something to offer this year, but don't blame him one bit for moving on.

So, before we paid a fortune to send Lever to the US he was 3-4 weeks away, now he is 3-4 months away. Sounds like money well spent. Luckily I don't rate him as highly as most around here, because that is only one more hiccup away from being season over. I'd also like to know what proportion of his time on our list has Tim Smith been fit. He seems to be good for a new injury every second months.

I wish they would just make the change and be done with it so we can stop going through the charade of having a debate about it each year. The people want a day grand final, the broadcasters want a night grand final, and we all know which of the two groups the AFL cares about. If Channel 7 wanted the game to be played at midnight in Antarctica, I'm sure the AFL would find a way to make it happen.

Despite his lack of size and speed, Spargo does most things reasonably well, but his inability to consistently kick more than 40 metres is a particular concern. I agree with PF - if he is playing regularly this year it is a sign that we haven't improved.

I'm pretty sure we were told the same things about Viney this time last year.

Terrible news, hopefully he can come back bigger and better next season. Why does it take three days for this news to be released? If it was an open session there would be posts on Demonland within a couple of minutes. What if it was a big name player, eg Tom Mitchell at Hawthorn? This club has to get much, much better at keeping members informed.

If the powers that be decide that Jones is not the best person to be captain, I'll be disappointed but so be it if it brings us closer to a premiership. There is no way he won't be firmly in best 22 at year end, even though this seems to be the prevailing view around here. That said, I firmly disagree that Viney, either outright or as co-captain, is the answer. The guy has barely played in the past year and a half, and should be allowed to get his body right. We know he'll lead with a title or without, but it is more important that he is playing at the highest level possible. If Gawn or McDonald are added to the mix, that is fine with me.

When I go the home page I see most recent posts in all forums, so isn't the real issue where your bookmark points? I'd be happy for AFLW to be in the main board, particularly at this time of the year when we are starved of actual games to talk about.

Pretty good result for the MFC - you don't really want players on the fringe of AFL selection having a bye that early in the season, so it will be good to have a game for them to play that week.

I welcome anything the club does to promote itself in the Casey region, but once again they ignore the fact that most of their members work. They would get a much better response holding this event on the weekend.

Thank you for organising again. My team is PC Demons, coach = Peter.

So another comparison website a la Energy Watch & iSelect? Compare the Market, and we have to become the Melbourne Meerkats?

If it is for kids, why are they playing on a Friday night? Surely it would be better on a Saturday afternoon / evening. Also, who's excited to see what Patrick Dangerfield wears as he enters the stadium? https://www.afl.com.au/news/2019-02-08/bring-on-the-bling-open-dress-code-for-aflx-stars

10,000 at Casey??? Does that include people stuck in their cars because the approach roads and car park can't handle more than 500 cars?

I know we have a 24 hour news cycle and way too many wannabe journalists trying to eke out a living, but this obsession that society has with being offended by every little thing that is said and done by consenting adults in private simply astounds me. Jack is a silly boy for letting himself be filmed but beyond that, who cares? He is enjoying himself, in the off season, out of the country and no laws have been broken. Port are entitled to be disgruntled about the impact on their image, but Koch is the last person who can complain about having private acts splashed across the media - he has made a career out of doing it to others. Yes, Jack is a supremely talented footballer who may look back on his career as a waste, but that is his cross to bear. He has been paid extremely well to do something he enjoys for over a decade, has lived a life that most of us can only dream of, and has plenty of options post-football. Good luck to him.

I didn't see yesterday's game, but have seen this side play plenty of times previously. It sounds as though we are still 100% focused on playing attacking, free flowing football, which is good to watch and fine to a point, but you need to be able to lock the game down at times. You really should win being 2+ goals in front at 3 quarter time in AFLW. I'm really unconvinced about Stinear as a coach, and his ability to manage the flow of games. I was amazed at the lack of height amongst our draftees this year, and clearly the ongoing issues with our defence haven't improved through natural development either. It sounds as though disposal hasn't improved either, but this will be an issue for most sides beyond the top 5-6 players.

Only the AFL would think it good practice to run the flagship female competition of a winter sport in the hottest part of the day through the hottest part of the year. Whilst some of the players would be considered elite athletes, a number are very young or in lesser condition. Surely there are OH&S issues in play here. I was at Casey Fields for a kids clinic a couple of weeks ago on a mid-20s day and it was seriously hot there. There is no shade and most likely no breeze. It will be a furnace on Sunday. Good luck to the players and those who are keen enough to attend.

It is really disappointing that the club can't keep its members informed on events such as this. Was the game promoted at all? A decent match report is also not too much to ask for. Hopefully the standard of coverage lifts before the season commences. Thank you as always to members who report impartially on training sessions and practice matches.