Sydee

Fair call - I wasn't necessarily accusing him of being complacent or lazy simply asking the question and trying to find the reason for his poor performance However If he was ill - he should not have played If any opposition player can completely shut him out of the game - that is a serious concern TMac and BB playing together the week before didn't seem to remove him from the game Maybe he did just have an off night - lets hope so - he wouldn't want to back it up again with another as there is strong competition for spots which is great for this team and something that's been missing for a very long time

Agree - he certainly was standout in terms of lack of contribution vs the Swans He has been good so far this year - if there is any real weakness in his game its lack of consistent effort/pressure when he doesn't have the ball (or at least that what it looks like) and his iffy conversion/kicking for goal The latter seems to be on track atm but his ability to drop off and not do the crucial team things is a concern - particularly after a good performance the week earlier - complacency perhaps / feeling safe in the team ?

I am disappointed they didn't change into their red socks to sing the anthem after the game :(

If Brown plays poorly for the next game or two we can and should expect him to play at Casey

Yep he has - however its a big jump from VFL to AFL as he and others have shown time and time again Ben Brown has a body of work at AFL level that quite frankly leaves Weid for dead and that is why he got the call first For the record I have always doubted the recruitment of Brown - he does in my opinion have some significant deficiencies, however despite what I think he's kicked a lot of goals for a team that was fairly average so he must be doing some things well Weid seems like a well balanced young man with a sensible head on his shoulders he knows that if he keeps performing well then his chance will come - as I said when it does its up to him to take it It may come through the lack of output from any of Brown, Tmac or Jackson or through an injury (hopefully not) If it was up to me and I had to keep one of Brown or Weid at this time it would probably be Weid - based on potential not runs on the board

We are about 1/3 the way through the H&A season He had a significant setback with injury which means he is behind others at this stage He - like everyone else he needs to earn his position - he is progressing ok and the coach has publicly stated he is an important player current/future Bottom line is that a bit of patience is required all round - he will get his chance no doubt Will he take it and lock himself into best 22 - that is the big unknown

Great news and IMHO the correct outcome - very fair player - no intent - purely accidental Fritta has become a very important player and critical that he keeps playing and remains in good form if we are to kick winning scores

Great to have Trac on board for the ride Says to me there is some real belief amongst this group of young guns Hope they can achieve great things together - will be special for everyone

Its April - yes things are going well Have we actually achieved anything like what we should be aspiring to - NO Keep the lid on until we have the job done - a premiership cup is what this group should want - anything less is a disappointment There is a long long long way to go in this season - much can change and change quickly Hope not but we need to remain fully focused on every training session, every contest, every quarter, every match till Max holds the Cup in the air

Good luck BBB - you will need to perform as others are waiting for your spot !

Charlie is a smart footballer - not a big possession player but his influence is significant - when he does get a possession it is usually constructive or leads to a scoring opportunity - rarely if ever wastes it Nice to see him finally getting some recognition

Paid up member - no email Need to upgrade my membership ?

Sorry to burst the happy / blue sky bubble But how are we spoilt with choice exactly ? Our forward line is getting the job done largely because our midfield and back six are performing well by getting repeat inside 50s and stopping the opposition from scoring Fritta - rate him highly but not a KPF TMac - looks like he has returned to some good form but even now not kicking bags of goals BBB - past performance is no guarantee of future performance - lets hope he can deliver when he finally gets his chance but totally untested in a MFC jumper at senior level yet Weid - so many divided views on whether he is the real deal - one things for sure has never consistently performed at the top level - not saying he won't or can't just hasn't done it yet M Brown - honest servant but no champion and if all the above are fit would be last in line for selection Daw - not really a forward imo In short, not sure why this would even be suggested - forget about the fact that its not possible

I thought I'd read that Goodwin has already stated that both wont play this week and that Weid was the one most likely - He said he was not wanting to make too many changes to a team that so far at least has got the job done

Blow it up - hand it to every MFC player now and let them think about how they are going to shove it down their throats this weekend They didn't look much chop round 1 against Carlton They beat Hawthorn by 29 points in round 2 - whoopee They lost to the swans round 3 - whoops They lost to PA by 2 points round 4 - decent effort that one Smashed the saints who I regard as being massively over rated They are no better than WC, WB , PA in my opinion any of those three can beat Richmond on their day If MFC are serious we need to be added to that list

Not a fan of Tex he’s the biggest peacock going around but I have to agree his kicking action is v v good

I would imagine it is reflective of clearances from centre bounces - ruck dominance if effective in getting your midfielders possession should in theory play a big part in this

Love your enthusiasm but you may need to change your name to “red and blue optimist” These guys need a good solid block of training and match sim before they even get considered

Richmond, Port, WB, WC seem to go ok without Darren Burgess Prefer to keep him but the sky is not falling if he wants to go elsewhere

It is going to be very interesting to see how BBB and the Weed (if he gets a game) perform with the new manning the mark rule Without doubt there is more space to lead into for forwards and less pressure on the player delivering inside F50 Both these factors have resulted in higher scoring and more freedom for forwards Neither BBB or Weed are contested mark beasts - they are much better on the lead and with space in front of them where they can use their speed and reach BBB in particular is arguably going to benefit more than just about any other key forward with these changes - I'm hoping so anyway

Let’s just politely agree to disagree on this topic Based on your first paragraph you probably would have sent Max packing - that would have been a mistake You also concede that LJ will probably be really good in 2 -3 years - this I agree with so why move him on now when Max may have 3 to 4 years left There are plenty of others that I would target before LJ and btw I don’t consider him as just a ruck he has the potential to be so much more than that in fact he could be a once in a generation type player - our recruiting team probably agree and that’s why he was taken with such a high pick As I’ve said before it’s great that you have an opinion on this - I hope he stays and I hope he helps us win a premiership one day Our best players will get paid handsomely - like Richmond , Geelong and previously Hawthorn during their sting years each of their better players will compromise a bit on $’s to share the ultimate success with their mates The AFL is littered with examples of players that left for big pay days that never enjoyed the ultimate success. I don’t feel Trac or Oliver are like that. Tom Scully says hi !

MD you seem to not be a LJ fan to quote you from 21 March "The only reason to play Jackson at the moment is to increase his trade value. Jackson is superfluous to need and it was a mistake to draft him. He will never be a first ruck and if he can't make this team as a forward he will be playing at Casey most of the year. We have 2 guys running around Casey that would do Jackson's job better. Majac has been doing well and Andrew Courtney is a better ruck and a better forward. The best hope is that some team sees value in Jackson and take him off our hands." That's fine you are entitled to your opinion. Any you may be right LJ may turn out to be a bust - personally I don't hold that view we can respectfully agree to disagree on that

Settle down MD I wasn't having a dig at you simply clarifying that I do not support any suggestion we trade LJ The is a long list of players who are quite well paid (I suspect) that would be higher on my list to consider trading to manage the list I'd rather note list them because that is not my role it belongs to our list managers - they know far better than me Not sure how you interpreted my comments as some sort of insult as that was certainly not intended

Assume he has signed then ?

Ah sorry MD I don't support trading LJ - please don't suggest I am in any way a fan of that strategy thank you