TGR

Umm...can you pull up the thread where he interviewed Leigh Matthews after Jack's first game; like Andrew Bolt would interview Julia Gillard. Don't forget what Matthews said. "I don't see anything in him that warrants being a number 1 selection"...or words to that effect. Gotta hand it to H though, he did lose complete faith in Watts before many of us...particularly me. I want to put $5 on the possibility Jack has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I want to also buy all the NikNat shares that people don't want.

You are right, Viney is usually good with his disposal. But Viney (like Garland) is one of a few to break a line. He will give a Dustin Martin fend-off and take them on. It is this attempt to break a line that actually creates overlap. We have so many introverted non-line-breakers, that we make it so easy to defend us when we are trying to attack. Many supporters/media will hang their hat on Viney's disposal efficiency of 55%. I will look at this workrate and courage to take on the tackler and break a line and draw more opponents to him.

Cross is on target for our B&F. Junior didn't get top 10 GWS playing with 18 year olds for memory. From an on-field-viewpoint, we "missed" Junior because we were so deplorable; and the past looked better than present and future. From a pure playing point of view, it was time for Junior to go when we told him father time was up.

"Jack....Jack.....Jack" At least twice gave him a bake.

Luke Darcy - Didn't like aggression (when we were into Buddy early in the game. Thought we were going to waken the monster) Luke Darcy - Loved our aggression (and in-your-face approach in the 2nd quarter)

He might not penetrate, but Viney aint no Cale Morton with ball in hand. Expect his kicking efficiency stats to steadily rise. His fundamentals are OK, so no need to chuck a tanty over it. They guy works hardest for his size and age. Work-rate, tackling, fighting, 2nd-effort, 3rd-effort, another tackle, and we wonder why he struggles a tiny bit? His a kid. His tank is 70% of what it will be. His knackered when he finally gets it. As Roos said, 16 are doing the work for 22. Viney is doing the work for 2.

Vince and the Jones boys had 100 possessions between them apparently? Not many cheapies or one-twos in that lot at all, but my question is how many of them are truly effective and advance the team cause. Are these 100 worth 60? I watch the game, and then see that stats...and something doesn't fit. Someone here said Dom Tyson had 16, and N Jones had 33. I don't think the latter was double the player. I'd rather Cross, Tyson and Viney getting in 80 times; rather than Vince and the Jones boys getting it 100 times. I reckon they 'create'. They (Tyson & Cross) draw players rather than wait for teammates to lead. Cross gets full value for every possession. Tyson is silk; and Viney at least busts a gut breaking a line.

Give me his flaws anyday.

Agree 99%. I'd rather fumbly Frawley fumble in attacking 50, than our defensive 50

Daniel Cross - Does not waste a possession. Sums it up in a heartbeat. Knows his limitations. Huge workrate. Jack Viney - Must embarrass some older 'leaders' at this club. Is an absolute bulldog. Workrate, effort, guts, take them on. Pleasure to watch. Jamar - Needs to clunk a few. Hopefully will warm into it, but a good start first up. Rohan Bail - Casey bound. JW - Ditto Georgiou - Bit of mongrel and serviceable Vince - Needs to have more influence with less possessions. Tom Mc - Building into a solid bookend. Dom Tyson - Silk JKH - a player. Not blistering, but makes up for it with a bit of inside ability Dawes - love his leadership and workrate and effort. M Jones - OK tonight but needs more tricks Byrnes - good finisher, but horrible handball turnover in the 3rd. Salem and JKH should squeeze him to pension day. Pedo - I have been a knocker, but serviceable, and puts his body on the line. JW - all at sea when opposition have the ball. Can't bee-line to a player that is likely to get the next possession. No real bonefide attempt at smothering. Dunn - flourishing under Roos all year. Jetta - doing more than I thought he could ever do. Howe - much better than his output. Grimes - blah

We were all salivating after Cale Morton's first few games. But I'm joining the queue with the salivation on this guy. Tyson plus Salem should equal Kelly...hopefully. But we need to overturn our list as quick as we can, and there is no better way than getting 2 great players (incl. possible star); for a potential probable star...

Watts2Casey. "A good Brighton Grammar Footballer" on his epitaph. I rated him for so long; but when intensity and workrate is VAFA level, Roos has no choice. He doesn't even take them on, with the predictable get ball, stop and check to give off at the back. Guess what, not even a shepherd after the handball. Casey shouldn't even be a week either.

Who said this, the Malaysian investigators? Can't see how everybody in the game can have bad days: Demetriou laughing at a dwarf with burnt crackling. Roos's self-described deplorable coaching effort against West Coast Essendon players against St.Kilda MFC list for a decade But medical staff can't? I have them, and so do all of them. On the Wednesday before the Geelong NAB challenge game, I witnessed and reported this... Posted 26 February 2014 - 01:20 PM Pedo did his left hamstring (grade 1) and shouldn't play Friday. Hogan right low-back-buttock soreness, but continued on modified. After I typed this Pedo was named in the side, so clubs tell you what they want you to hear. Hogan didn't even return to full training drills in public for memory. If he got the knee in the back in the game, it was extremely coincidental. I will give a small benefit of the large doubt. I am sure behind closed doors they are regretting the decision to play him. Medical staff had a bad day, and probably got one wrong. On the other hand, I thought Dawes selection against Carlton might have been premature. There you go, they got one right that we take for granted and don't dedicate a thread on. But that comes with the territory.

This guy is maligned by MFC supporters to a degree that surprised me. I have defended Watts over the journey, but my will is weakening. I have always thought that Watts-the-midfielder was ambitious, because he will never have the tenacity and love of the contest. I think Roos fell in love with the Mundy/Fyfe tall mids and thought Watts could emulate them. He will either be: A hit-up forward with a good conversion. A floaty winger that we use (with Howe) for the get-out kick when we exit D50 A backman that will be better than Frawley Trade-bait to a decent side The MFC has a history of drafting boys you want your daughter to marry, rather than those you want to go to war with.

Thought that we just couldn't get it out of D50 with any confidence or purpose. Roos' move to make Howe the target out of D50 was a good one. Our outlet kick needs to be to a mobile and contested marking option; and Howe fit that bill. Watts need to suggest "kick it to me" as well. Dawes does a heap of running off the ball. Got to persist with JKH, as he is lively and doesn't squib it either (3rd Q contest CHB). How Jetta gets a gig ahead of Blease is a big concern for Blease.

Good points. The long-kick (+/- play on) should be the 8-9 out of 10 kick. Problem for us is that every 10 kicks we are going there. Predictability is OK, but it just gives them the idea to hold wider. The odd kick up the middle will actually make it easier when we do go with the typical kick long and wide; as the opposition will be more alert to protecting the corridor.

The Friday-Night-Football-Macaffer-Effect Watch Ablett play for frees in the 1st. Should get a few.

I'm sure many Hawthorn supporters said similar things about Allan Joyce in 1988 & 1991 Have you watched Essendon between March-May over the past 3 years? This is groundhog season. Then you top-up with Goddard, then Chapman. Their recruiting has been pretty good; they have topped up for the window they in; they enjoy the luxury of the most expensive assistant coaches in the league (Thompson, now Craig). According to Wilson, Lloyd and Co. Thompson was a rambling wreck in August last year. He also left Geelong deceptively when this was totally and utterly avoidable; when the coaching caper "got too much". It is easy to be jocular when the sun is shining and your team is winning.

Fact of the matter is that Paul Roos has Sydney-fied Melbourne. That means that the assistant coach must have a strong Sydney connection to continue the path to the holy grail. Kirk has been raised time and time again on these boards by smart people. You have to then wonder why Melbourne was eager to sign Stuart Dew 6 months ago? Why Kirk wasn't top of the list then? Don't be surprised if the candidate comes from within (Allison, Mathews etc..) Amazing how the footy public rate coaches. My best picks are the ones that did bloody well with average lists. Bomber Thompson has the footy world fooled IMO. Did nothing until Wells and father-sons gave him a maturing side. He left Geelong, and they aint missing him even though the glory days are long gone. And this Essendon list aint bad. I think it has won 90% of its first 8 rounds in the past 3 years. If the Sydneyfication of Melbourne didn't eventuate, my choice for an assistant-come-coach is Matthew Lloyd. Honest, strong-mind and is happy to walk against the "Hird".

Jon "Agro the puppet" Ralph puts Daniel Cross (HUN) in the top 3 free trades at the moment. I reckon Cross has been the best as we speak. Dal Santo is a receiver who has been up-and-down; while Chapman has been a good finisher. Thomas, Sylvia, and Franklin will get better, but Cross has been unbelievable.

I am both a Physiotherapist and a Podiatrist with post-grad in the former.

There are some extreme views either way on this thread; with the truth more likely to be somewhere in the middle. I was at training before the Geelong NAB challenge game and reported on here that Hogan had back issues (right sided for memory). Lets do the sums. He was clearly affected by a back problem; he is super young and talented; and the NAB challenge is nothing. He should not have played; irrespective of what the scan was to later show. In relation to foot problems, no practitioner at MFC is negligent or ignorant; but that doesn't guarantee a knowledge void somewhere in the chain. Our physiotherapists are top notch, but physiotherapists spend hardly any time studying the foot and its pathologies etc... Physiotherapists think that they can apply pure physio principles to the foot, but that is only a small part of the picture. Apparently, our podiatrists are only part-time if that; but even podiatrists can sometimes be over-focussed on the insole and brand of the boot; and tutting at WAGs who wear high heels. Then you get to the Foot Specialists, like Blakney, Bedi, & Schneider et al.. They are great foot surgeons, and Melbourne (the city) is lucky to have a number of foot surgeons to choose from. However, what the mug punter and even some health people don't realise is that their knowledge is really about surgery only. They have no idea about when rehab must take on a different approach other than 'textbook'. So during a rehab process when things aren't going too well, the surgeon is invariably guided by scans (nothing is wrong until radiologically depicted) or the black-and-white need to have another go at surgery. Actually, we get the extremes right. When something clearly needs rest, we give it. When the accelerator needs to be pressed with rehab, its all guns blazing. What is a lot more difficult to nail is the in-between; what slight pains can we ignore, and which ones must we respect.

You are talking about a kid who has played less than 10 games, who has been thrown to the wolves in the hardest position physically on the ground. Very game when our ruck stocks are pretty average at best. Buckley's decision to get rid of Jolly and have faith in Grundy is short-term teething, long-term gain. Melbourne had a chance to follow a similar brave path, but invariably went for "the best team on paper for now". You will eat your words about Grundy.

How would have this benefited Jeremy Cameron, or Jonno Brown? Don't think this should be a blueprint, other to say that players have to be adaptable. The point is, it is refreshing that we finally have a coach who is pragmatic with his multi-dimensional-mobile talls. Welcome to modern football.

2 points JKH put on a beautiful block that allowed Dawes an uncontested mark. Mark Murphy is the worst captain in league footy since Richard Vandenburg. So lets just settle down before getting too excited about the peformance of Jones. How Brereton listed Murphy as an A+ grader on Fox last night is beyond me. Actually, I'm surprised Roos paid Murphy the complement of allowing our midfielder follow Murphy forward. Jones is playing good footy. At the moment he seems to be sticking it up people like me who thought he wasn't captain material. But for goodness sakes, lets not RobboIZE our thoughts by concluding after one frigging game. That is for simpletons like Robbo, not for the likes of Stephen Waugh who famously said "never get excited after one win, and don't get too down after one loss"; or Matthews who said "It is never as good as it seems, nor is it bad as it seems". Robbo shouldn't be quoted in footy discussion boards. Otherwise, it opens the floodgates for any of us to quote any drunken slob at 3am Sunday morning.