Lucifers Hero

I totally get that each contract is different but my comments are not all guesswork. Roos said recently it takes 20% more to lure a player away from their club. But the club can't pay 'overs' like that or we would breach the salary cap very quickly. Those comments and given the club has stated a firm commitment to pay a fair contract based on its view of 'worth' then: 1) it is reasonable to conclude that Jack could get more 'on the open market' and has spurned other (possibly 20% higher) offers. 2) it is hard to imagine the club is offering Tom half another contract. I get the point you are making but a 50% lower contract offer is stretching it. The 20% differential Roos mentioned would be closer to the mark, hypothetically $500k vs $600k. (I have no idea what Tom may want, I use $500k for ease of arithmetic) I think the club is pretty good at knowing the worth of a player and would be playing fair. Its up to the player if they want to chase the extra 20% Roos was talking about.

Great to see a Dee not put off contract talks. Great to see a Dee not be in a stalemate over money! Jack seems to have accepted the club's view of what he is worth without any fuss. Hope Tom Mc is paying attention!

Clean sweep on the Coaches Votes: 9 Jack Watts (Melb) 7 Max Gawn (Melb) 7 Jesse Hogan (Melb) 5 Jack Viney (Melb) 2 Tom McDonald (Melb) And, three nominees for Team of The Week: Tom Mc Jesse Viney Maxy could have easily been a 4th but pippled by Grundy. Its great to see us featuring in the top players in voting and each week. Delighted to see Jack start to get some real recognition. Might take an interest in Brownlow night this year to see how our guys go,

Jack Viney was just on SEN. Some of his comments: - Stomach punch in games is ok - play on! Pay a few $$, so be it. - Re Darwin: Felt like a wet weather game. Need to prepare differently. Can lose a few kilos in fluid. On recovery: rehydration and diet are crucial. Team wants a reputation to be able to win anywhere, any conditions. - On coaching transition: Goodwin in control pre-season games but Roos 'the big dog' throughout the season. - Christian Petracca is his 'bestie' at the club so hangs out with him away from football. - N Jones lacks a bit of power in the boxing ring!!!! (Think he will have to answer to the Captain for that one ) Some interesting insights there. Thought he was excellent, again. Jack doesn't put a foot wrong in the media. Becoming quite adept at giving honest but non-controversial answers.

I suspect the problem isn't the $$$ per se. It is Tom's next contract relative to the rest of the team, the market value and keeping enough salary cap to pay our other up and coming players. Sometimes, the stumbling block with contracts isn't the $$$ but the composition and any performance based conditions (eg top 3 B & F, following coaches instructions, adherence to club rules, media work etc etc). Players usually want the contract $$$ guaranteed whereas clubs want a 'performance' component. It is a way to get to a contract when player and club are a fair way apart. TBH I am all for having sizeable 'performance' components in contracts, to avoid players tapering off once a big or long contract is signed. Otherwise the risk is entirely with the club whereas it should be shared and the player has some sizeable incentive to preform on and off the field.

From the guys down back: Tom Mc: “The backline did a good job...That’s something we’ve tried to work on this year, being super flexible on their (the opposition’s) main key forward or ruckman...at times, Neville Jetta is going to have to play on [Matthew] Pavlich and I’m going to have to go on [Hayden] Ballantyne...We expect that Nev will do the job on Pavlich, when he’s on him and then I’ll do it on Ballantyne, when it’s my time to go. Sometimes you get found out, but in general that flexibility allows us to help the team more often than not.” http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2016-07-10/mcdonald-praises-backlines-evolvement I guess that answers the questions on DL about why the defenders look mismatched at times. Mitch White: “[Against Freo], we were just talking really well and setting up early and it was a credit to the boys up front...hey really locked it in and put the pressure on, which helped us and allowed us to set-up really quickly.” http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2016-07-10/mitch-made-of-white-stuff Good description of 'team defence', right there. The 'Diamond Defence' is here to stay and it looks to be working better each week. I guess the leaking out back vs Ess, StK and Port was the learning 'we had to have'. We will know next Sunday.

Among his strengths is that he seems a mature young guy. eg when he kicked his first goal last week he turned and ran back to position; no fanfare, no dramatics. Quite understated; as if he was saying: there is a job to do here, lets get on with it! Looking forward to seeing an interview with him soon.

Carlton will tank now. 14th on the ladder and one game ahead of GCS with the same %. No point winning more to get to 10th or 11th for draft pick 9/8 when they can let GCS go past them and have pick 4!! They have already won 6 games more than anyone thought they would. Cue will go in the rack and hello pick 4.

That 132 % the Eagles have is worth another game so we are really 3 games away. I would prefer to see them win; North drop to 8th. We will still be 3 games from North but there would be a wicked pleasure of seeing another miserable Scott coach this weekend. And North will have an away Elimination Final probably vs WCE at Subiaco...

So last night was an audition in front of Ross, then. Seriously, if you are going to post that at least give some indication of source, otherwise it is trolling! No need for names, positions but some indication of reliability please!

LOL, bb My high school end of year bash was at the Espy with Shirley Bassey the star performer. She called for a volunteer to sit on the stool next to her while she sang 'Big Spender'. One of my class mates obliged. When she did her hip flick, he and the stool went flying. It was hysterical and to this day gives me a great laugh. Dawson went flying last night, just as easily as my inebriated class mate. Dawson was equally hysterical!!

Rotation for 6 weeks after the bye was/is essential for the 6 day breaks, 3 i/state games and manage our kids. So some players will be rested next week and then called back to go West for WCE the following week. I think next week's match will be very different to rnd 6: Hickey caught Max by surprise last time. Maxy will have a QB Collingwood type game when he decided to take down their 3 pronged 'giant' rucks, single handed. Proud man, our Max. Hickey won't get the better of Max, this time. It was Petracca's first game - has a better feel for the game now Wagner and Hunt had had only a couple of senior games - smarter players now. Oliver didn't play and comes in fresh as a daisy. Wagner also comes in fresh. Ditto other possible inclusions such as ANB, Bugg... Frost will play back rather than forward - help stop the leaking of goals out the back which cost us numerous goals last time Jesse loves to kick a bag at ES We have 10 more games experience with our game plan and defence Since the Port game we have stemmed leaking easy goals out the back. Jeffy is due to kick a few...owes the team. Acres will be stopped!! Bugg recall?? They are the team with the 6 day break. Vand in this time so will help stop the ball getting out the back. Yes, we will be a lot better prepared. Both in player selection and in game tactics. We will be 'fresh' and we will win.

Flanagan's challenge: "In the past, if I had written something like this, the Dees would respond by notching up some ignominious defeat – like losing to lowly Freo in Darwin on Saturday. Right about now, that also has to change". The team delivered!

And their was no sulking and he made more 'second efforts'. Showing growth and maturity as a 'team' player. Loved the 'Shirley Bassey' type move where a gentle flick of his hips nudged his op (Dawson?) out of the contest to take an easy mark!

Matty has been selected to play every game for which he has been fit for this year. Just because Bugg was omitted this week is no reason to compare them; they are not easily interchangeable as they play quite different roles. Bugg is our Hayden Balllantyne - be a pest, rough them up, get in their face and generally make life hard for the op player. Requires sacrificing his own game. Matt plays a more attacking/link man role. It is not either/or as they both have a role and Buggs selection will sometimes depend on match-ups.

There is sweet irony at work here! It seems there were clandestine draft dealings attempted between 'Grubby' Allen and Collingwood over the Treloar trade last year. The idea apparently was to get Treloar to Pies for their 2015 1st round draft pick and guarantee himself a nice little job at the Pies. http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-season-2016-gws-versus-collingwood--the-new-kids-on-the-block-against-a-football-powerhouse-20160708-gq1tg7.html When the tiges found out they called 'foul' and went to the top, David Matthews. He made Collingwood sweeten the deal and get two 1st round picks. This is where the irony comes in: There are two Father/Sons in this years draft: son of past Captain Gavin Brown and son of star Peter Daicos. Brown is said to be high up in the order with Daicos not too far behind. The 2016 top 10 pick they used for Treloar would come in handy, eh! If the new rule comes in they will find it difficult to trade up and to get in enough points to get both players! They may have to trade their 1st round 2017 pick. Its like using a credit card to pay the mortgage!

Gil's mantra: Eddie has to be obeyed!!

Losing Garland will hurt the most. He has been a real team player and tried hard to adjust to the new regime. He seemed to be doing well with Roos but I wonder whether this year Goodwin is having a greater say in selections - I doubt he would have known he would be at Casey when he signed his 3 year contract last year. He could have gone last year to a club of his choice, as an FA but stuck with us. He would have been in demand! It saddens me greatly, that he now falls into the 'trade bait' category or is destined to see his contract out in the reserves/depth as others go past him. And who can forget his response to Frawley winning his first premiership; something like '...I would love to win one but if not with Melbourne, it won't mean anything'. That really tugged at the heartstrings. I understand there is no room for emotion anymore and the game and the club has changed but it feels like abandoning a life long friend who has stood by me through thick and thin. I would rather help him go somewhere else than watch him wallow at Casey so if there is no future for Garland at Melbourne, I hope he requests a trade and we readily let him go.

Good, then hope that both Scott brothers are eliminated in week one of the finals!

Agreed. It enabled us to get Weideman knowing there would be few of his type in this draft and would probably be gone before our 1st pick. Our round 1 pick trading with GCS and GWS seems more of a masterstroke each day as the AFL now want to close the 'loophole' that allows Academy and F/S clubs to trade down picks to accumulate 'draft points' http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-07-08/afl-looks-to-block-complex-draft-loophole (obviously Eddie has been agitating again!!). The AFL had better decide this quickly as clubs would already be doing draft deals talking trades. Such a rule change makes it harder for us (and other clubs) to find a 1st round pick should we need one for a trade eg Prestia/Hurley etc. And, clubs won't be so quick to trade out of the following years 1st round knowing it will be harder to get back into it. But like all rules someone will find a way to exploit them!! At least, last year we made hay while the sun shone

Here is an article by Martin Flanagan. http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-season-2016-melbourne-finally-give-fans-something-to-cheer-about-20160708-gq1drn.html where he talks up the team and where it is at. Nonetheless, he lays down a challenge of sorts: "In the past, if I had written something like this, the Dees would respond by notching up some ignominious defeat – like losing to lowly Freo in Darwin on Saturday. Right about now, that also has to change." Have to agree with that conclusion!! My favourite line was this: '... it is necessary to mention young backman Jayden Hunt. Slim and fearless with a head of blond curls, he comes out of defence like an arrow fired at a target behind the goals." Delightful prose. Re Hunt - I am so glad we resigned him before the rest of the world discovered we had him

Looks like Capt Jones agrees with you Chris. MFC twitter: Jones: some of the boys will wear sweat bands - there is a lot of sweat from playing up here Also from Ross Lyon: ...but more so the humidity — it will be quite slippery. Both teams preparing for humid, sweaty conditions. They are certainly not helpful for our ball handling which is still suspect especially hasty, poorly judged handballs.

There was an article on mfc website last year where Roos said everyone played 'individual' football when he arrived and he noted Grimes and Jones. They were both interested in individual stats implying not playing teamwork on the field. Jones responded in Roos 1st year and was made sole captain. One can only assume that Grimes didn't respond, lost the captaincy and asked to work out his issues in the reserves. Jones recently acknowledged his 'individual' performance (pre Roos) as that is all he could control when there was so much going on off field. Worked very hard at being a good team player and leader, I can understand Jack feeling badly done by in losing the captaincy and feeling put out about playing reserves. He is a proud man with whom the 'demotions' would not sit well. Perhaps it was his own ego feeling bruised. To blame his non-selection on Roos' ego is just so far fetched to be downright silly. I think we can all see the reasons Jack (and other pre Roos) players have missed senior selection. It will be interesting to see if he plays 'individual' football or plays the 'way the coaches want', in the next few games or if he goes back to old ways. Will also be interested to see how he plays the 'team defence' game style...his first time in the seniors since we've played this way. Hope DL give him a few weeks before criticising as he will find the tempo faster than from Casey and if he plays wing or forward will need time to slot in with other players and style of play. For Jack it won't be about possessions/tackles or other individual stats - it will be all about his contribution to team defence, team play and unselfish football.

I thought Mitchell clipped Ebert on the side of the head before pushing his shoulder down. Mitchell's jump and arm movement show he never had any intention of going for the ball - he takes his hand from under Ebert's arm then over it to hit him on the head. Deliberate for mine. I really disliked commentators quickly and repeatedly saying 'nothing in it' as Ebert was writhing in pain. Obviously keen to do their bit to 'whitewash' the hit (and a hit it clearly was) so he isn't cited. Hope the MRP look at it closely. Very tired of their sniper tactics and their smug coach.

I thought it was Hawks and Cats. Hmmm, think it still is Hawks and Cats. Hate to say it we haven't achieved anything, yet. Heaps of potential; more than most but no runs on the board. Yep, Hawks and Cats are still the Vic destination clubs.