Older demon

I have stated this before Hoges is left handed but right footed and that is why the weird ball drop. As a right handed left footer I can attest to the difficulty using you non dominant hand to drop the ball on your foot. Nick Riewoldt was the same and early in his career he had similar problems kicking for goal, but he got better with experience. I found that I could become pretty good on my right foot because I could control the ball drop better and maybe Hogan can kick in play on his left. He is a pretty good kick in field play.

Hogan has a lot of improvement still in him and every other club would offer a trade for him. Talk of trade is nonsense as we don't have enough A listers or key position players now. We need to replace Jones, Vince and Lewis in the next 2 years as well as a backup for Max. Trading Hogan out for their replacements will yield nothing. Gaff is a RFA and will come to us if the Eagles don't match his offer.

Hunt has re-injured his ankle and in extreme doubt and Hogan will have his injured foot scanned. If fit, Melksham and Hibberd return JKH is doing his role and was far from our worst on the weekend. Depending on injuries Hunt, Hogam out Pederson omitted for Melksham, Hibberd and Weid the only additional option is replace Spargo with Kent or Bugg (both in best for Casey)

In fairness to Garry I heard him last week concede that he and the selection panel made a massive error in the appointment of Neeld. he wont get involved in that end of things again. The onus is on Goodwin to analyse his coaching and develop and change if not he will fail. Clarkson has reinvented himself many time, changed the team playing style and at the end of every season head O.S. to look at trends and plays in all other sports and applies them to AFL. Lyon is correct atm we are not a top 8 team, will not make the finals and cannot beat a top 8 team. The hurdle as Goody describes it is a massive insurmountable mountain.

A lot has been said about Harmes post match interview but I believe it stems from the coach. Goodwins presser left me flat. "We will get over this hurdle" seriously. MFC have not beaten a final 8 team all year and we play 2nd and 3rd in the next 2 weeks. I hope internally they are more realistic and planning their September break. So they are being positive for the press but the stats don't lie and we will not beat West Coast or GWS and the season will end the same as last year. MFC cannot be trusted, believe they are better than they are in reality and have a long way to go to get near the best and the sooner the coach admits that the better. He has to acknowledge that his game style is too easy to score against or if it is the players who cannot execute that style they need to go.

Brayshaw Harmes Salem Oliver Frost Tyson Trouble was our bottom 6 were wasteful, inaccurate and beaten bu a hunfrier team.

On what has been a very emotional day I have to admit for the first time this club has hurt me to the core. Started at 9 am volunteering for BCNA day and honouring 3 close family and friends lost to breast cancer. You hope your team will put in and give you a lift, but no they just don't have it. They don't have the right stuff. Sydney were 2 rotations down from early on and played with resilience, toughness and structure. We butcher it and find yet another way to lose a game we should win. It is not the loss that guts me it is the way we lose. Clearly we have talent but we are not a team. Individuals do flashy stuff but we find a way to lose and have done so against every top 8 team this year and this is why we are not a top 8 team. Sydney were out on their feet in the last 20 minutes yet still held on while we kicked it out on the full, couldn't kick 30 metres and continually hit opposition targets when streaming forward (Nathan Jones I am calling you out here). I know you shouldn't write when upset but gees this club is hard to support..............

Ironic that he plays his 100th, gets dropped next week and suffers a career threatening injury. I sincerely hope he is still around the club nexxt year even if it is only at Casey. Thank you Bernie for your service

The article in todays Age was superb. I was at the game where Mathews hit Neil and it was a cold blooded thug act. I remember Neil as a junior doc in his early days and he hated Mathews with a passion for what he did. I believe Neil played 7 games for the D's but had a distinguished career in the amateurs and is a top bloke and was a great paediatric surgeon. I also believe his family would host MFC players. My old coach at Caulfield Stewie Trott was another who told a tale how he was knocked out by Mathews at Moorabin one day or who can forget Mathews taking Barry Cable out with an elbow in a state game . For anyone who reckons Mathews got as much as he recieved I can only remember once when someone cleaned Mathews up, a Collingwood player. As far as I am concerned the ledger of hits is that Mathews hit far more then he ever got and certainly did more damage to others than he received

Jane told me and her source, very close to the horses mouth and 100% credable. Max doing everything possible to get himself up for the game.

Read Jane02's comment on page 1 her source is impeccable, Max injured his calf last Sunday. Someone also posted, Jan Phelan at AFL tweeted mentioning a sore calf so her source is pretty good too. Cannot say more

Sorry guys Jane02 is right on the money as is Jan Phelan, definitely not a light load week.

Not sure with Nic Nat but Lever re injured the knee previously operate on. This link to a YouTube video explains why it takes 10 months min to heal and strengthen

He can take as long as he likes. The disturbing trend this season has been the repeat ACL injuries. Scharenberg is now in for his 3rd ACL and I doubt there is any hamstring tendon left to use as a graft. Nic Nat for a 2nd time and all to simple leg movements not unlike Lever. I am surprised there hasn't been a greater deveopment with the carbon fibre grafts given there have been so many repeat ACL injuries

I am not sure any AFL player is soft but Tex is directing his enegy in the wrong direction. Footage and commentary from "On the Couch" tonight, Tex showed trying to bully and get stuck into Max with in your face finger pointing, bumping and shaping up especially when they were 20 points up. As Roos said Max ignored it all and calmly went about his business getting 66 hit outs and another BOG while Walker was huffing and puffing and going nowhere. He didn't fire a shot in the grand final and has been below par this season

Note ANB scored a vote from one of the coaches on saturday night. Obviously a different opinion to some on this topic.

Jamie still works out at the same gym and he coaches a local VAFA team. He is still in top nick and kills the rowing machine but I suspect his footy career has left him with some dogey knees and playing footy would not appeal. he did pull on the boots a few years ago whencoaching at St Bedes Mentone when al their ruckmen were injured. He couldn't walk for a week.

A lot will depend on the weather in my opinion. The Crows play tall with McGovern in and Tex, Lynch and Jenkins but Collingwood smashed them earlier with fast movement and handball on a wet night highlighting how top heavy that combo is. I want MFC to play our brand and not bring blokes in to cover their height. Let them make changes to try and cover our guns.

WEll they have thrown bucket loads of cash at everyone else why not Angus he is in brilliant form.

Don't expect the ruck bloodbath predicted. I expect Stanley to contest the bounce and throw ins and jump into Max constantly and Blicavs to hadow Max wherever he goes around the ground. Henderson, Kolodjasnij and Stewart will take on Tommy and Jess. All coaches agree that Scott is the hardest tactcian to take on. I hope Jennings and Goody have plotted a surprise for him as he set the win up in round 1 with their first half tactics that blew our defence away. Bernie named as rover suggests he will be tagging someone and I hope it is Danger and he gets right in his face, legally of course.

I hope they return Bernie to a run with role. Either Danger or Selwood with Bernie in their back pocket all day. He did get under the skin of a few last year. I still like Wagner in for Hibberd despite misgivings he may not have Hibberds skill but he knows the role he has to play and causes minimal disruption. 2 years ago the Dogs ket replacing their gun payers with role players who performed their job and got them to a G.F. This is as much about replacing like with like in a role and team structure and game plan. Sydney do it better than anyone. Someone gets injured and the replacement may not star but know and fill their role. Hanneberry, Jack, McVeigh & Grundy all missed last week but who would know. They stuck to their game plan and the ins played their role.

Aaron Hall of Gold Coast, quick outside mide who will be a lot cheaper. Weideman is being groomed as the 2nd ruck. Dalhaus doesn't impress and I think Gaff and McGovern will be too expensive. The loss of Naitanui complicates things as now they need Lycett more than Gaff or McGovern. They may be less inclined to stick with Gaff

1. Max Gawn 2. Angus Brayshaw dead heat Clayton Oliver 4. Jesse Hogan 2. Jake Melksham 1. Christian Salem

There is a lot that can happen in the next 7 weeks but a quick look at the ladder predictor makes me believe it will com down (like last year) to the last game against GWS. The draw they had gives them 2 points we tend to overlook when the wins column shows up. I suspect it will be the same scenariuo as last year, must win last game at the G to sneak into the 8 and rely on other teams to win. I don't feel confident against the Cats at GMBH, I cannot remember the last time we beat the Swans and Eagles at home with all their forwards back. No easy and maybe 9th again

6. Oliver 5. Brayshaw 4. Gawn 3. Salem 2. Fritch 1. Petracca Apologies to Viney, Harmes & Stretch