Sydee

Reflects our lack of genuine midfield depth particularly after we lost Trac Needs to be addressed and losing Nibbler doesn’t make it any easier

Let’s hope the surgery goes well for Clayton he has clearly been severely limited and visibly sore - but make no mistake he has a great deal of work in front of him to regain his status as a premier midfielder in the AFL If I was Clayton I’d be making sure those around me had my long term interest and those of the club paramount Might sound harsh but my sense is the next year or two will define this young man’s future - sliding doors moment and I hope he picks the right direction Good luck

According to wheelo ratings has his overall disposal efficiency this season as superior to JV and Clayton Oliver and only marginally below Trac He is better at hitting targets than many give him credit for - he gets lots of possessions in hotly contested situations and under pressure Significant loss imo

Laurie apparently was doing great things in this pre season in terms of endurance running I don’t think he has the same acceleration or closing speed of Nibbler but arguably he has better disposal skills Maybe this is the opening for him - it’s being forced in a way but might be the making of the young man - we can hope

Interesting take on where our game plan might be heading Because this is a thread dedicated to positive vibes I will refrain from sharing my concerns about that 2024 light in the dark sky was Caleb Windsor by the length of the Flemington straight - can we please have a few more like him this off season

Reminds me a bit of Blake Howes but a fraction taller Not sure he has the speed and elite disposal that we need but one to consider no doubt

The more I read and hear the more I sense that the club doesn’t have a no DH policy after all - or that it has been ignored for some time Either way I’m keen to see one reinstated immediately and deal with anyone who is too stupid to adhere to it

Would explain Tracs frustration imo and I don’t blame him

I get to watch a lot of the swans and imho he is the classic example of an AFL footballer that doesn’t do anything particularly well Personally don’t feel that’s a need we need to fill

Always comes across as a top bloke Hope all is well with his family Really undervalued member of this team Would be sad to see him leave and unfortunately I suspect we will not be fairly compensated The MFC has a hell of lot of work in front of it

What ? Since when does a forum specifically set up to allow supporters of the MFC to discuss issues and offer opinions get shut down because it gets a bit uncomfortable for some people? I have absolutely no doubt about certain things irrespective of whatever Tom Morris says (and btw you are welcome to have your own opinion) 1. there would be many, if not all, senior players and officials unhappy with how this season has panned out 2. I would be astonished if CP5 was not amongst those 3. I have no doubt given the circumstances that there would be internal (uncomfortable) discussions ongoing because like it or not our season is over and we have performed well below expectations 4. I have no doubt that Trac has not asked for a trade and that part of this story is either complete BS or been misinterpreted Given our season and how critical it is for us to address and reflect on this seasons failings I think this type of discussion is entirely appropriate - actually more than that it is healthy and necessary

They didn’t need any denial he requested a trade because he hasn’t requested one - is this not obvious?

Its an interesting discussion -obviously there are degrees of pain and probably even differences in pain for similar injuries and different players Because it’s one of those “no one size fits all” type things it’s challenging to get the right balance and a consistent approach We have seen Trac play through significant pain before - you only have to go back to when he had a fracture in his leg and awful bruising - play on but in hindsight it was probably a mistake I can still remember the great man Jimmy Stynes playing week after week with what most players would rightly say were serious injuries - but play on he did. Its ultimately the reason we now have mandatory time off for players sustaining concussion because the default position for almost all players is to play on regardless of injuries

Do you honestly think this statement has been released without first getting Christian to review it and be ok with the content ? I can’t see that happening tbh

Is it ? I’m looking and seeing quite few not really setting the world on fire

Not sure why it’s sensible and fairly direct Personally I’d be more shocked and disappointed if these internal hard discussions weren’t already underway Our club has a chance to continue to compete at the pointy end but not without constantly challenging what we are doing and how best to achieve success If players like Christian who seems to set very high standards are not calling for improvement again I’d be shocked Most of us fans are so why on earth would it surprise anyone that some of our leaders aren’t too

Exactly - contrast Butters and JHF with our midfield in terms of ability to hit targets with smart kicks they are light years apart Quality Mids who can get speed on the ball and kick well and find targets consistently should be our #1 priority in this pre season

Whatever but the facts are facts JVR has been thrown into ruck (so too Petty) because we have no back up ruckman worth a cracker atm - that means our KOF stocks further eroded midfield you have also forgotten about no Gus and Trac missing now since KB

Not sure our attack was the problem in 2022 or 2023 given the players available (with the obvious exception of poor accuracy in the two 2023 finals) We have gone backwards this year primarily because we lost Smith , Melk and BB can’t get on the park - add to this a weakened midfield for all the reasons we already know and there is the reason 2024 scoring has dried up

Olivers frustration? He has brought this failed season on himself has he not ? This off season will be defining for Clayton - does he want to be an elite footballer and justify the big $$$ or continue to be a major and frankly unhelpful distraction

Well I’m hoping whatever the hell is wrong can be sorted out - he is a crucial part of this clubs immediate future and along with Max and Jack he represents the very fiber of this team Is it possible he is disappointed with certain people not adhering to team / club standards and there being no real ramifications? Tbh I wouldn’t be surprised

Bit tough to blame the coach for abysmal skill execution which was primarily the cause of some finals losses If he was singularly responsible for the composition of our list that would be more reasonable - but I don’t think he is Our list needs an injection of fresh blood and lots of it - importantly we need players that can get speed on the ball, are creative and excellent kicks Easier said than done and they are hard to acquire but there is the challenge for our FD

So much to unpack there and not saying it’s all wrong but the idea of Oliver as a forward just doesn’t compute - he is or was a great extractor with brilliant handball ability but he has also always been very ordinary by foot - if he was a half decent kick he’d probably have a Brownlow around his neck

Sounded like mummy made all the decisions

Hoping it doesn’t derail on you PF 😂