pantaloons

Absolute corruption in the highest and a complete injustice. May the maggots responsible do their knees next week and rot in hell.

I like it a lot. However, I think the rain will keep 75,764 people away, giving us a crowd of 17,236.

Hopefully another 12 seasons. We can pack our bags and join the PNGAFL if he retires any time soon and without a proper replacement. We've got to do all within our power to keep him on the list.

The trumpet segment worked much better this week than last week's overly scrpited rendition on the ground.

Ronnie Burns is not worthy of sniffing Adem Yze's jockstrap.

Indeed. It would take balls to perform a solo in front of 38,000. I think the trumpeter has been dudded as much as everyone.

As if the on-field woes of the Melbourne Football Club are not enough at the moment, the complete indignity of the club procuring a lone trumpeter to play the club's song 20 minutes before the bounce was introduced yesterday. I realise there are more pressing matters to blow one's stack about at the moment, like Melbourne's plague of an injury list, the side's woeful form, and Channel Seven's insistence on playing five replays of a goal before going to an ad break on Friday night football (completely unrelated I know but flaming irritating), but this was particularly soul destroying. I've seen some truly ordinary on-field efforts before, but never before had I actually been embarrassed to be a Melbourne supporter than before yesterday's game. Nothing against the trumpeter himself, I'm sure he's a lovely bloke, but if there was a cringe-o-meter on the scoreboard when Melbourne's initiative was announced before the crowd, I think it would have exploded. Unless the poor trumpeter is accompanied by about 20 mates with trombones and suzaphones next week and is regaled in full marching paraphernalia, then I'll be opting to arrive at home games at 2pm in future. I think I misheard the announcer as I was reaching for a blunt instrument to poke into my ear, but did he say that the trumpeter would make an reappearance to play the song before the final siren if Melbourne has the game in hand? I assume such an unsporting gesture would not be the case, but others around me thought that's what he said. In any event, if anyone from the Melbourne Football Club hears my tiny, insignificant plea, for the sake of the dignity of Melbourne supporters everywhere, and the good of the membership tally, please put a big fat mute in the trumpet.

I watched on forlorn as James McDonald handballed to his teammate in front of the interchange bench in the last quarter and did not even think to shepherd his teammate from his nearby opponent, nor did he chase afterwards to help. That effort from our king of one percenters and captain for the day exemplified the indiviual tripe that has been served up from the team in the first three rounds. Seeing players mown down from behind because their teammate two metres away didn't think it was important to talk to him, or watching Ben Holland run around like a baby giraffe after three opponents because no teammate would come to his aid - just terrible signs of 22 individuals not prepared to do the dirty work required to win football matches.

I tipped Hawthorn last week and I've gone with Geelong this week, but only after some deliberation. There are a few reasons why I think this will be a much closer game than many pundits will think. If the team this week can't respond as if their lives depend on it then a few of them might like to choose another profession. I think we'll see a much harder and daring Melbourne this week. I think we'll also present the difficulty of unpredictability for Geelong on Sunday. Also, the mental ineptitude of the Melbourne team is matched only by Geelong, and I'm hoping there has been some bathwater drinking down at sleepy hollow this week after a win over last year's wooden spooners. Having said that, looking at our team on paper, a complete shellacking could be on the cards. For the endeavour I expect to see from us, it won't do us much good if we continue to dispose of the football as we've done in the first two rounds.

1. The NHL playoffs started today and the NBA's are not far away. These ought to help me take my mind off the hellpit that is season 2007.

Thanks Mick. Is the exact monetary figure raised by memberships released in the end of season annual reports? Given that we've got these new MCC/MFC membership options, and teams like Hawthorn have memberships for animals, plants and minerals, the dollar figure becomes an important one.

Apologies for being trite, but it looks like its actually the second time we've cracked the 25,000 mark. Year Members Finishing position² 1998 17,870 4th 1999 19,713 14th 2000 18,227 2nd 2001 22,940 11th 2002 20,152 6th 2003 20,555 14th 2004 25,252 5th 2005 24,220 7th 2006 24,698 6th 2007

"Witch hunt" is a term I think I used here last year to describe the Yze-bashing that has gone on here for some time. It's become popular to slag the bloke off to the point where he has become Melbourne's equivalent of Simon Crawshay, and anyone who disagrees is deemed to be a moron. It has been an impressive snowball effect. Last week, Yze was poor, very poor. So poor in fact, that he was probably only about our 5th or 6th best player on a night of comical ineptitude. Looking at the ins and outs, I'd say this is one of the poorer week of team losses and gains we've had for quite some time. If Yze comes back from Sandy a better player then that's great, and I understand that's what a lot of people on here are on about and that's fine. Just don't expect me to join in the Yze-slogathon any time soon. I think his 258 games have earnt him that courtesy from me at the very least.

If Adem Yze is dropped, there should be 18 others going to Sandy with him. In my opinion, only Holland, Robertson and Neitz could hold their heads high on a night when most embarrassed the guernsey. On a separate note, ex-Demon Nathan Bassett will test the tribunal's consistency on a late hit delivered on Leroy Jetta. It's really a crapshoot at the tribunal these days, so who knows.

I'm always up for a good dose of maggot-bashing, but in this case surely Shannon Grant has to bear the burden of costing his team the match. I doubt very much whether Grant is sitting at home right now thinking "I can't believe the white maggot only sent me to kick from 11 metres out rather than two." He'll be livid with himself for costing his team the game and blowing a golden opportunity for a rare 2007 win and a bright spot in what shapes as a disastrous year for the club. Sure, the umpire made a mistake, but his miss was unforgivable - its almost harder to miss from there than to score a goal. If you can do the impossible and hit the post from 11 metres out, he may have slammed the ball into the man on the mark from two paces.

Being down to 20 men a quarter of the way through the game didn't help with the rotations. You're just robbed of options.

I'm sorry to hear that, TonyMelb. That's terribly sad news. My sincere condolences.

10/10. I have already set aside money for Grand Final tickets and premiership memorabilia.

"Brock was fairly handy last year" He sure was, and it was very exciting to see. Johnstone however, has had a number of quality performances. His game in the 2002 Semi against Adelaide when he almost single-handedly dragged us to victory was one of the best finals performances I've seen. In his next final, the 2004 elimination against Essendon, he dragged us back from the mire to lead us just shy of victory again. Had he a little more support from his teammates we would have won both. He was also recognised as one of our best in the 2000 GF massacre. Johnstone can be labelled may things, good and bad. Finals under-achiever isn't one of them in my opinion. "I loved Brock's game against the Saints last year. A couple more of those performances will really put him in the top shelf." Indeed. Hopefully he can sustain the form he showed in that great display. If there was any doubt as to his ability before that night, its gone now. Other teams will be giving him plenty of attention in Septembers to come.

"The issue now is whether Brad Green, Travis Johnstone, Jeff White and Adem Yze can do it when it counts." I don't know if I've seen a better finals player at the MFC this decade than Travis Johnstone.

Apologies if this has been answered elsewhere on this site, but are practice games subjected to the same zany rules (ie. 9-pointers) as the NAB cup, or will we get a more realistic match simulation?

Normally, I would say Sylvia, but I'll say Godfrey in this instance with my Kevin Sheedy hat on. Pre-game, Neale instructs Godfrey that the Grand Final is to be his last career game, and that his sole task is to knock opposition players out all game. With no send off rule, he could have the opposition without a bench at 1/4 time, and potentially down to 10 men at 3/4 time, thus delivering the Demons their first premiership in 43 years, becoming an instant hero among the Melbourne faithful, and basking in the glory of his match-winning performance from his cell over the next 10 years.

1. West Coast - Will finsh 19-3 2. Sydney - Last crack at a flag with this team 3. Fremantle - Tarrant to have his best season in years, playing up the ground 4. Melbourne - Must grab flag chance in 07 or 08 with Neitz still playing 5. St. Kilda - Time taken to adjust to new coach, Hayes to ease back into the action, and the ruck situation still not solved 6. Geelong - Must and will bounce back 7. Western Bulldogs - overrated midget brigade 8. Adelaide - No ruck depth, most of their good players are over 30 Rest: Hawthorn looks to have the brightest future, ahead of Port Adelaide. Richmond will find ways to fail. Collingwood will take a back step in 2007, while Carlton, Essendon, Brisbane and the Kangaroos are still years away.

I was born in 78 so didn't see Laurie Fowler play. Can someone enlighten me as to what sort of player he was? I find it interesting that someone who I've heard so little about won three b &f's while Robbie Flower incredibly won only one. As for Schwarz's side, it would be reasonably close, with his glaring omission obvious. The forward line is a ripper but the rest of the ground is a bit sad. I would have given Jeff White a spot on the bench.

I don't think Brad Miller would be overly happy with that comparison!