Older demon

There are a lot of talls playing and the conditions will be wet on Sunday

Just looked at the Casey team and it is seriously tall to the point that it looks slow. Half forward line of Frost, Oscar and Max King. Dawes on half back flank, Weideman up forward and Spencer rucking that makes 6 talls to play in the wet on Sunday. I know that won't play where selected but selection is baffling and no Jones again and not on the injured list??.

Thanks NB awesome deal. Runners, training top, wind cheater and rain top what a deal.

Couldn't agree more. This has Essendon and Daniher written all over it again. IMO we are 1 tall short and I expect we will not win. Can only hope Oscar is primed to come in and I cannot understand why Harmes is selected after his efforts (or lack thereof last week) and ANB cannot get a game. And while I think of it who will give Max a chop out? Is Jack going to play CHF and rotate with Jessie? while Pederson rucks.

Thanks for the info. I was particularly unhappy with Harmes especially his 2nd efforts, in the 2nd quarter Garlett kicked wide for Harmes to make space and mark. He fell over in the contest and stayed there and didn't even get up and chase or contest. It looked bad and I expect him to have a rest this week.

Wagner has played 4 games, Hunt 3, Petracca 1 with Harmes having played 14 and if Oliver comes in he has played 4. That we could beat Pies and Tigers with so many rookies speaks volumes for the rest of the team with so much inexperience. Roos is still building and developing the list and Hunt and Wagner down back didn't have great games. We need everybody contributing and the Saints were quick and hot on their home turf and ran us ragged. Petracca wil stay, I didn't like some of the efforts Harmes put in and due to his lack of chase I expect him to get a rest and maybe Hunt goes back. Frost stays and he would be a potential matchup on Lynch if Macca struggles. Keep the changes to a minimum especially if Salem is sidelined.

My concern is that although the Saints are fast they still have lots of talls even if Riewoldt doesn't play. WE made the mistake against Essendon of going too short and paid for it. Frost and Pederson are necessary and the only real ruck backup for Max. IMO they stay in. Hunt has surprised me with his ability to get to a contest and compete when the opposition appears to be clear and Wagner is so balanced and assured, both should stay. With Trac in, like for like, I think Harmes has a rest and Oliver in for Angus who struggled last week unless their are injuries as suggested to Salem.

Gawn has shown how important the ruck is so moving on we lost Mitch King to what looks like an ACL. No Spencer so does Max king get rookie upgraded? Are we still a little short in some key areas?

I cannot help but think this match was lost on Thursday night when we went with a small backline. Oscar out and Frosty omitted. Daniher was a handful last year and had he kicked straight it would have been a bigger loss. last week I thought Lobb showed up the backline last week with his marking so we clearly didn't learn and have a tall to guard a 6 foot 10 target. The smaller backline was supposed to generate more run but clearly this didn't work and despite the criticism Lumumba tried to generate run by running and carrying. No one appeared to stream out of our backline and when we did we turned it over. The mid field was smashed and Zaharakis, Goddard, Merret and in the last quarter Cooney looked a class above us with only Jones and Bernie getting near it. Oliver was too rushed, Angus off the pace and Viney unsighted. Who was supposed to pick up Merret? Parish and Ashby knocked up getting kicks and we could not stick a tackle. No respect was paid to Tipungwuti who continually broke tackles and ran the ball out the backline and he only his second game. Who was his opponent Worsfold comprehensively out coached our team. The switch of play across half back rarely was stopped and easy ball came out followed with a long bomb to the goalsquare where Daniher dominated. He took 15 marks for goodness sake. We butchered the ball and certainly didn't cope with the pressure, close in tackling and harassing by the opposition. We turned it over way too much to even consider being competitive. We just played dumb football and made too many poor decisions or took the wrong option A real backward step.

In fairness to Jack, the coaching staff told me that there was an illness in the family that meant he couldn't be there. Estimated 4000 there one of the biggest turn outs ever.

t the final training session the players when mingling spoke of the camp. 11 hours of training woken up at 2 am 4 am etc all to challenge their mental and physical capabilities. Then on last friday the day after they get back they have a hard high intensity training session in the heat

OK with me

So as we are seeing this week there is still room to move on AFL club lists and some players who couldn't find homes in trade week are now deleted free agents (DFA). It was noted today that Jamar is still to declare his hand and may nominate as a DFA. I wonder if there is still movement on the MFC list as Harmes, Michie and Hunt are still OOC. Wasn't it around this time last year that Barry announced his retirement, as did Evans with 1 year still on his contract. Thus freeing up 2 spaces? I cannot see us going to the draft with 4 picks and 1 rookie and is it possible that there will be an exchange of rookie spots or an existing contracted player will be delisted and the re rookied? The club has continued to surprise us is there more to come???

My conspiracy theory is that in dealing with GCS we get the gun midfielder this draft i.e. Parish and then are less inclined to raid them next season for Prestia or O'Meara. They also get our first rounder next year. According to SEN MFC may also use 3 to bid for Mills knowing that we won't get him but it does make Swans use most of their picks to get the points so that they get him. Maybe a gentleman agreement with GWS that we don't bid for their academy kids and get Bugg cheap. This bidding process has added another layer of complexity to drafting and having enough points for academy of father son picks.

If Dawes is on the table may i suggest that Jess is going to move out to CHF in stages starting next year. As his tank increases I just cannot see him staying put in the goal square. Already this year he has moved up the field and as a junior played CHB. He is mobile and good below his knees and delivers the ball well. All assumptions I have read so far having playing full forward and I suspect he is more in the Jonathan Brown mould. My question is who will hold down full forward or rotate with Jessie? Stringer and Gunston both showed the value of a quick marking forward in an open forward line.

Colin is a quality person committed to the MFC and for that I applaud him. Leadership comes in many forms and he has bucked the system that says anyone putting of contract negotiations to seasons end is gone. I hope he has a fantastic season next year and there after to silence his critics.

For those who didn't watch Bounce last night on Fox can I inform you our club won 2 awards, the "Dribble kick of the year" and the "Don't come Monday" formerly coach killers. Hardly awards of distinction and if you haven't already guessed a very contrite Chris Dawes won dribbler of the year for his shocker against St Kilda. To his credit he was upset and embarrassed. So much so Dunstal didn't give it to him or the Dunce hat as Dawes took it on the chin. Worse was to come with poor Jack Fitzpatrick getting the "DCM" award for his through the legs tunnel against the Pies. This time Frawley had foot in mouth as he didn't realise that Jack had been delisted and was dropped and hadn't played since that faux pas. Lets hope we never see another MFC player awards for such stupidity. Jack did say he was hoping to get picked up by another club.

My son is a Kangas supporter (My late fathers fault) but he has no time for Bastinac. He believes Bastinac turns it over too much and the difference between he and Higgins is huge in skill. He isn't quick and in a team that has Ziebel, Cunnington and Swallow they already have enough of that type of player. We need pace and ball skills so I doubt Bastinac is a good fit. Irony here is that he was Scully's best mate and considered not far behind him in the under 18's and a similar style of player. I seem to remember Bastinac joking about the difference in contracts between Scully and himself and who was the more productive player. My son feared that GWS would poach him as well but has now gone cold on him as better young players have been recruited i.e. Taylor Garner. I am inclined to agree and suggest we look elsewhere.

Forgot to mention the 4 delisted are now"Delisted free agents "and can move freely to any other club wishing to pick them up. Still out of contract besides Howe are Garland (RFA) so we can match any offer he fields, Toumpas, Pederson, Michie and Hunt. One can only assume that contract negotiations are ongoing and that these players still have currency and tradeability, but can be delisted at the second list lodgement.

Easy to see why Essendon never seem to be able to get trades done, much like Collingwood they are so un reasonable. Wouldn't it be funny if GWS trade Treloar to the Tigers because the Pies cannot offer up a reasonable trade???

First and foremost my thanks to the players for their contribution and having played AFL footy. Reality is this is only the first round list submissions will be made a various times. This list was simple they were all out of contract and haven't been offered a new one. Howe is the exception as he is out of contract but does not yet appear to have been offered one????? Theoretically any of the 4 could be re listed as a rookie (highly unlikely). This is a similar picture to last year and none of us saw Pickles and Dom retire. Then there are those who may get traded if another club shows interest. Early days....

All I have heard this week is that MFC would be mad to get rid of Watts and Howe (AFL 360 Maclure & King and in one paper). At delisting time expect those without currency and out of contract who will not be offered new contracts i.e. Bail, Riley, McKenzie and maybe Terlich as well as the retirees Cross & Jamar, maybe even Hunt onto rookie list to a total of 6 and of. Roos said the other night uncontracted players like Howe can still be negotiating until end of October and of course Garland is a free agent. Any movement of contracted players is a bit more complicated and there are those who want to leave like those at GWS and GC who want to leave and those who don't want to leave like Jack who openly states he wants to stay. When did Beams move on from Collingwood? It was really late. I don't expect any major changes at the first announcement and no real surprises

The other rumour at the B&F was that garland was about to re sign a contract and stay. Too many whispers, and being put up for trade and actually leaving is entirely different just ask Jack Trengove.

Club B&F's are different from media and Brownlow awards and the way votes are allocated. What I remember from last night is coaches vote and the maximum a player can get in a game is 40 votes, and the scale is from 1 to 10. Only players who deserve votes get them i.e. in some of the rounds where we got flogged on 3 players got votes whilst in another game I thought I counted 10 players who got votes. Coaches see the game differently to us and rank players on roles, performance etc. From Roos speech and promise to the players and supporters he rates contested ball and being competitive highly. I am sure Peter Jackson said that it will be 2017 before we see the team introduce the attacking premiership winning game style but I may have mis interpreted his words.

Roos promise to supporters last night was that the team will be full of competitors next year. Jackson said 2016 is still about winning hard ball and being competitive. Hogan, Viney types and I can see Jack being in trouble as he I don't think he fits the mould of that competitive animal.