Arsene Wenger

Good to have Strauss back. If he can work his way into becoming a regular in the 22, we'll be going places. Conversely, if he is gifted a place in the 22, we'll be going nowhere.

I was at the 186 game and I was actually buoyed after the final siren. I knew it'd be the catalyst for change. Change that we needed, but would come with a requisite amount of pain that we were previously unwilling to endure.

Sorry, didn't mean it like that. It's taken something like this to make me realise I was being a bit snobbish, and that I should make the effort in future. As we all should. I now actually appreciate the fact that you call in.

No credit for me - it should all go to Chris Connolly, Jack Watts, Don McLardy and Russell Howcroft. Also Colin Garland spoke very impressively. You can see why he's part of the leadership group.

Anyone go? Anything to report?

He did. 2 disposals in 40% game time. A bit of work to do for Bleasey.

Without doubt. Would be a massive get for us. Better than Caddy or Gaff in my eyes.

Interesting listening to Cam Mooney talk about Jonathon Brown's injury on SEN today. I'm paraphrasing, but I think it's pretty close. He said at Geelong "we always thought nobody trains as hard as Geelong, but one thing we had as rule was 'no 3rd man up in a contest at training' cos it's just too dangerous. And it looks like that's what Goose Maguire has done here." Sounds like a sensible rule, considering the photos of Grimes' shoulder injury. Looks like Davis was 3rd man up, causing the injury as he collided with Grimes. Obviously these things are accidents, but they can be mostly avoided with common sense. Anyone got Neeld's email?

The most interesting things I heard last night were from Chris Connolly, Jack Watts and Russell Howcroft. Watts talked of the impact of Mitch Clark being there and providing an example of how a tall forward should play and more importantly train. MC has a good pedigree, being an understudy to J Brown for most of his career. Watts also spoke of being pushed hard by the coaches and having more expected of him, but that it was good and he appreciated it. Reading between the lines, it's something that wasn't done enough (or in an effective way) during Bailey's reign. Jack singled out Neil Craig for always being there on the sidelines, yelling, on your back, pushing, pushing, pushing. And that at the end of the session, NC is always there, coming over to have a 20 min chat, and going to pains to explain why he pushes and prods them like that, what he is trying to achieve, and what they should be trying to get out of it. We are lucky to have Craig. Chris Connolly mentioned the Future Fund itself, and growing the group, as one day we will be pushing the club forward in an off-field sense. We need to promote the quality of these events, which have been great so far (and continue to get better), and if we can grow the group to be 4 times the size, it will go a long way to make us one of the power clubs. Actually I think Don McLardy said a fair bit of this. But what Connolly did say was that he had spoken to guys like Brad Green and Cameron Bruce, life members, guys who had played the majority of their careers at the club - it was now their responsibility to do whatever, go away to another club for 5-6 years if they want, but come back to the club and work towards building into a power club.\ That responsibility to put back into the club, like those before them that set the foundations so they could have a decent career. And I guess it's not unlike our responsibility as supporters, especially when it comes to a "junior-coterie" group like the Future Fund. Finally Russell Howcroft told of what he had learnt temporarily working on AM talkback radio for the last 6 weeks. If you have a topic, and nobody is calling up to talk about it, you're failing as a talback radio presenter, and won't be on the air for much longer. And what's one thing MFC supporters generally don't do? - call up talkback radio to talk about their team. So to trace that back, radio stations won't talk about MFC because we're not a "sexy" club that will generate a decent response, like a Collingwood or Essendon. Personally, I've always listened to some extent, but thought that to call up was mostly the domain of idiots and those with too much time on their hands. And it's kinda true. But it doesn't matter how stupid you or your point are to the presenter - they just need something to keep people talking. And talking about MFC, keeping the brand ever-present, is good for the club. I had always thought to myself - as a supporter, what can I actually do to grow the popularity and strength of the club? Beyond pushing acquaintances who I know support the club to buy a membership, what can I actually do besides pour my money into it? Will this is one way, with really minimal effort - call up the radio shows. SEN, 3AW, MMM... Get on the air, get passionate, and it becomes infectious. It'll have a snowball effect. Hell, even if it's the same 10 blokes calling up, sounding like idiots, as long as they are filling the airwaves with MFC, talking about Watts' potential, Morton's skinny arms, Sylvia's guns, Blease's pace... I guess it's all about promoting the MFC brand - about brand awareness, and the increase in supporters and interest in MFC will come from there, and eventually it will become self-fulfilling. There is only so much the club can do, and we all as supporters have a responsibility to work towards a stronger MFC. A bit rambly cos I'm tired, but you get the picture.

I think the eventual effect this will have, is shortening playing lists in the AFL. Less players = more money per player, without an increase in the total money given to players. The AFL will be looking at ways to cut the player wage bill, after the CBA negotiations and clubs struggling financially. I'm not a fan of it at all - our list has been built for the game the way it is now. This could be like when our dominant ruckman had his leaping advantage stolen by a reactionary rule change, and we suffered as a result.

Bartram is from Barwon Heads and the 2 clubs have a fierce rivalry. Drawing a long and misguided bow there between Bartram and Neeld.

It's all about usurpage. The young-to-middle band need to become the middle-to-senior band. Then we'll be on the right track.

our own baggy green... We'll start a trend with this.

WOW.

Yep, Watts said as much himself. Although, I heard Malthouse talking about him on 3AW last night, and he said he'd play him at CHB - I think there was some merit in the idea, maybe more if we didn't already have Garland and Frawley. MM was talking purely in terms of developing Watts, from what I can gather.

Interesting to hear Watts talk. Reading between the lines of what he said, the coaches weren't hard on him enough last year, didn't expect as much as they maybe should have, and his development was hampered somewhat by not having a decent tall forward to learn from. I should have been taking notes, but the beers were free...

He is a good mark, and not many people would know/remember, but Blease had the equal 3rd highest standing vertical when at draft camp (70cm, equal with Watts, to Naitanui's 78cm). Athletically gifted in more ways than just his running.

I don't agree. He has deceptive pace. And Bartel is not taggable either - he just has had the luxury of letting others be the star while he has expertly filled roles for the cats. When he has needed to, he has been the star and is not tagged out of games. I see Trengove as being very similar. Guess it depends on your definition of "taggable" though. Do you think Lenny Hayes is taggable?

I was very pleased, but i'll still be spending £100mil in the next transfer window. Promise.

One sequence epitomised Joel Mac in the 2nd game on Saturday. Granted the conditions were greasy, but he dropped an absolute sitter, then fought like hell to get it back, and broke away with the footy, bombed it forward, and in the end I think it may have led to Sylvia's goal. Problem is, he shouldn't have dropped the mark in the first place.

I haven't signed up yet. Doesn't mean I won't. Just other things to spend my money on at the moment.

Watts could be a taller Pendlebury, but I don't think the footy dept will develop him to be that.

Yet still, Collingwood struggled to do it well until Eddie came along...

Completely agree, provided we can get one. You need the midfield to get the ball to the tall forwards, and the tall forwards to crash packs and bring the ball to ground, and provide your crumbers with the oportunity to crumb and get goals. You can't put the cart before the horse. Yet I'd still take Cyril Rioli any day over Rhys Palmer.

In the 2012 draft, we'll have access to top notch crumbing forwards in Dayle Garlett or Ben Kennedy, maybe both. Possible solution if we dont trade all the compo picks.