Older demon

La Dee I am so glad you mentioned this as I was invited to a book launch a few years ago of a biography about Harry Graham "The Little Dasher". It isn't an easy read as it is a sad story with a very unhappy ending for such a talented sportsman. The launch was held at the MCG library and there were a few MFC and Melbourne district club champions in attendance. The dinner later on was a school boy dream. The author Ron Cardwell his team along with special guests from the launch. Graeme (Beetle) Watson, Paul Sheehan, Peter Bedford and Keith Stackpole were fascinating to talk to. Watson played for both MFC & MCC, Victoria and Australiawhich is a fair C.V. Sadly he has since passed as did Tangles Walker, (who had the same C.V.) years ago. The book is pictured below and I got it signed by the boys.

In slow mo I don't think nk Sparrow connected with Rich's head but he threw his head back and staged for a free.In the third quarter when Tom cleanly out marked Rich he was indicating to the ump Tom held his arm. Brisbane are a slow ageing team that stall when the pace is on. Just like Geelong did to them last year and the same the year before in the finals. A lot of old blokes in that team

Some great suggestions. I think depending on the length of the extension the AFL should make next weekend a bye round for everyone. Latest is the virus has a site in Anglesea and up north into southern NSW. I fear it will get worse before it improves which is what has been shown overseas in winter.

HS has us taking Stengle and Riley Knight both Adelaide cast offs. Cannot see that happening

THe 30 max limit will also affect us and training numbers.

Every list has its deficiencies and ours is no exception. We currently have three long term injuries with Tomlinson being a big loss. There is an opportunity to add 2 backups in the mid season draft. We have Jones & Jetta who are both in the twilight of their careers, Jetta more so and I suspect he will struggle to retain his spot. We are relying on Picket, Jackson, Rivers and Jordan to play at a high level every week. For goodness sake they are in the first & second years. Their contribution is enormous and they are in front of a few seasoned other players. They will be inconsistent. We have Bowey and Laurie who will need time to develop. Rather than bu position look art our core and their leadership and talent. Max, Clarrie, Trac, Salem, Lever and May are the elite. The support group of Gus, Hibberd, Fritsch, TMac, Melk, Weid, Brown1 & 2 is where the difference will come. How do our bottom six rate? This is where the difference is and where flags are won.

I think this exactly what Melbourne are thinking and remember pre season the invited Kye Declase from Werribee to train with us. Most likely on Mark Williams advice and may still take him in the mid season draft.

I note that Melk was off for the last part of the quarter getting his ankle strapped and he may not come up next week. How can anyone here ignore Fritch, he is currently a liability? He doesn't chase or tackle and of late isn't marking. Sadly Never is finding the pace too quick and the game has passed him by. So outs from those 3 Let's see who stands up tomorrow. I hope Salem was precautionary soreness and he returns. There is enough marking power up forward so Fritch can go to Casey and bring in Sparrow, at least he puts his body on the line and contributes. Not sure about Melk, hope Viney returns soon.

I hate losing by a point but if Goody thinks we will learn I would like to point out 1. We missed 2 set shots from Weid and TMac Adelaide nailed their shots and were very accurate. Again inaccurate kicking hurts us. 2 They got 2 goals from soft frees in front of goal and one from a deliberate out of bounds call. Easy for an umpire to call early in the game but totally gutless when you ignore one in the last minute 3 Fritch tries a dribble goal when he burned Trac who was next to him. Fritch is selfish 4 Early on the quick hands of the crows smalls, McKay and Laird broke open and red;eased the ball. We need to be better than that to lock that down. 5 Nev was not a good choice to replace Salem and sadly he is cooked and the game is too quick for him 6. Fritch is a down hill skier who is a liability if tough games because he will not chase and does not tackle and is selfish ( I may have already said that) 7. We went long and bombed which didn't really work unlike the Crows who played keepings off, applied immense pressure and tackled like there was no tomorrow. They played man on man all night. We can learn from that These are all things that can be corrected and it was what we produce in the next fortnight that will tell how far we have come.

When I read the book I was stunned at how it all developed and how MFC used to be the family club. All the stuff that Hawthorn started doing when they became a power. I still ask how did we get it so wrong. Of interest these days is if you were to ask Ronald Dale about his move to Carlton he has stated that in retrospect it was an error. I didn't like the role Jim Cardwell appeared to have played in all this, if what is said in the book is true Maybe now after all this years we are on the verge of something big. Roos said it would take 5 year and we are finally getting there, maybe Yze is the talisman coming back from Hawthorn..

This shows the value of developing our kids at VFL level and blooding them when ready. From the time Junior presented him with his jumper and the way he performed in his first game I knew we had a solid mid. Great result and great numbers in the midfield.

Well said. I thought the umpiring was awful. It is apparent over all rounds that this weeks umpires directive is to NOT pay free kicks. They let so much go. I suspect number 7, Jeff Dalgleish, the man with the booming voice, was the senior umpire as he overrode or stepped in on a few non decisions. They refused to pay incorrect disposal all knight and throwing was allowed. The worst of the night, was when Papley ran into the protected area and was a metre behind our man how wasn't that paid. I would love to hear the review session with the umpires this week. My son was at the Kangas game and Zurhar had a shot from 50 out that missed and went out of bounds. Umpire Margetts paid deliberate. So it wasn't just our game that was putrid.

He was on Sydney's list and has some senior experience playing 2 games for Sydney in 2019. Taken at pick 50 in 2018 draft

No I don't think we lack dept. I know Thursday's VFL game was a doddle by Sparrow and harmed got leather poisoning from racking up possessions. Don't forget that often Picket starts a game in the middle. Chandler is another small who can play midfield and Lockhart will be a welcome return from injury. I hope as he keeps improving that Bedford will be a midfielder as well.. Remember we also have 2 spare spots in the midseason draft we can fill.

I know a member of the umpiring panel and the clubs are getting smarter. I was told that after round 3 Brisbane asked the umpires for feedback on who at their club has been giving lip as they want to stop it. The umpires have spent many hours at all clubs pre season working with clubs educating them about the new man on the mark rule. My contact has been at MFC practise a few times and was happy to tell me that they we are one of the better clubs when it comes to respecting umpires. It annoys me that Geelong and Richmond players are always putting their arms up and appealing for cheap frees. It came as no surprise to me when I asked about Selwood that he is one of the worst.

I like it that we aren't throwing young players into the mix too early. Jordan played 2 seasons of VFL, and I hope Toby is given time to develop. One of the secrets to Hawthorns success over the years has been the time playing in the 2's developing, maturing and developing some consistency. Kozzie and Jackson are out of this world to come in and achieve what they have so quickly. No need to burn them early as we have done in the past

My daughter got 2 visitors tickets on level 4 for her mum and step dad but that was at 91.15 and the site was as busy as I have ever seen. The website was tricky as the visitors drop down didn' t appear until she register herself for a ticket. Then she had to put name and mobile number to each individual ticket. Even if we go to increased capacity we will be linking name and mobile to a ticket for quite a while

Mitch Brown can play both forward and back and I believe at some stage today he swapped with Petty in the second quarter when we were under the pump. Weid can come in for Petty. I would be wary of Fritta with a busted hand and May with a fracture around his eye playing. On todays form Bedford may be a chance but the Box Hill opposition wasn't much. Richmond game will be a huge pressure game. Keep the changes to a minimum

Very impressed with Bedford today. Playing a rovers game, quick as, crumbing and kicking well. I didn't realise he had this much skill.

First off thank you SWYL for sharing the article. It is horrifying to read and made me angry as I remember the Saints disco those years and there was certainly a drinking culture but Rod's secret made him a time bomb waiting to explode. I am pleased to read that he is getting it together. As for the abusers, they are scum and filth. I survived a good catholic upbringing completely oblivious to the perversions of christian brothers. My younger brother however saw first hand the practised grooming and abuse and even stood up to defend the weakest in the class, which got him expelled. My father could never understand how one son had no issue and the other told stories of abuse. I suspect even if Rod had told someone no-one would believe him. My late father eventually apologised when it all came out for not trusting his son. I cannot imagine what that sort of thing does to your soul and the need to be constantly numb with alcohol and drugs. I too remember this games with MFC and Rod was a gun. On a lighter note his brother Chris gets a mention and he is a very accomplished bowler, I wonder if they ever have a game together!

I am surprised at the lack of love for Sparrow and as none of us know what role the coaches have for him. But for me he chases, tackles gets hard balls and puts in. He is way ahead of melksham in that regard. Let meek, Hibberd and others earn their way into the team with form in the VFL. Until then they replace injured or clearly out of form players and after 3 rounds we ar playing as a team. Another tall up forward maybe

I thought the turning point in the second quarter came when we were 16 points down and Max moved forward and Jackson went into the ruck. The rookie rucks had little impact but Saints couldn't rove to Max and his presence up forward changed the dynamic. Re rookie ruckman I have seen in the last 2 weeks they lean in to him great a contest and try to nullify his taps conceding they wont beat him. Different situation against an attacking ruck opposition who is trying to get first hand on the ball. Agree Max does better against the better rucks as it is a contest not a rookie trying to smother him.

That is disappointing as I never received that email. None else get ignored?

I remember Sellars in his playing days and off field as the party boy. I suspect his memory has been affected and he doesn't remember. The successful Carlton team of his day were an outstanding group of talented footballers but they played it pretty hard of the field. Wayne Johnson, Val Perovic, Maclure and co could out drink and out party anybody ( I remember at the Bears, Caulfield VFA, sunday night session the Carlton boys were there). So what standards is Maclure talking about? They never won practise games, weren't the hardest trainers but they did have enormous belief and a winning culture. A culture assisted by a very large cheque book. If Carlton had a deficiency they went out and bought the player. Remember how Kernahan, Bradley and Motley all joined Carlton at the same time. The introduction of salary caps, accountability and their own and salary cap rorts have seen Carlton slip. Yes they had a winning culture and expected to win but they also had the cattle and the money. Ask who changed the culture at Richmond? Was it the players or did Dimma convince them that his style of footy would bring success with all making a contribution. Read the book Red Fox, this concept is nothing new as this is the spirit Norm Smith instilled in the players who just like Richmond years later committed to a team game. MFC also had a seriously talented group of young men led by harassing and tutored by Smith It took Thompson 8 years at Geelong to mould the team and game style to win flags. Max is doing everything he can and this week I was pleased to read that the team have decided they need to be more selfless and I believe you have to fail a few times before you reach that state. The great coaches do it but it takes time and we are all impatient. Northey had it instilled with a team that wasn't over talented. The only thing Maclure got right is that it starts with the coaches and players but I don't believe we have a soft culture and I certainly don't believe that our players don't go out with a fierce desire. Maybe we don't have enough talent or class in the right places.

We have lost another soldier on the weekend with yea another ACL. Sorry for poor Aaronbut does this mean there is now a 4 th vacancy due to a long term in jury?