Generation dee

Yeah righto mate, just pointing out his improvement.

One player who is definitely still not getting the recognition he deserves is Matt Jones. The work he has done to go from frustrating turnover king to dependable and reliable contributor is a credit to himself and the coaches. For the record, he's averaging 20 touches, 3 tackles, 5 score involvements, 2 rebound 50s and 2 inside 50s at 75% disposal efficiency. Terrific numbers for a wingman/flanker. People still calling for him to get dropped need to see that he is not the same player of years gone by, but he is also in very comsistent form.

Wagner and hunt are so composed under pressure. Hunt definitely showed why he's been persisted with. Does jack viney remind anyone else of Ben cousins? Gut runs and gets to so many contests, is hard at it and has really cleaned up his disposal. Really like our defence without garland. Big shout out to pederson and frost, maybe the stats won't show it but I thought they were very impressive today with their competing and efforts. Pedersons run and effort on the stroke of 3/4 time was terrific

Have you thought about asking jack out?

Watts, gawn, dawes, brayshaw, Riley, grimes, Mcdonald, Mckenzie, Jones, Spencer, Vince and Toumpas were there. A few others as well. All were very well behaved, enjoying a drink but nothing dangerous that I saw. Good lads, except for 1 of the delisted players who I found to be an arrogant flogface

G Sorry for the typoday all. This is a very drunken message from bali. But I will tell you what I heard tonight. Ollie wines had his heart set on coming to Melbourne. Todd viney rang him 2 days our from the draft to tell him we were not going to pick him. Basically was told we wanted to pick him but we're not sure if we could let Toumpas slide. Ollie was gutted at the time amd for 18 months after. He won't leave port for anyone now as in his words it turned out for the best for him. I can not answer if it was Todd or neeld who said let him slide, my understanding is it was neeld as Todd called Ollie to tell him prior to the draft. The rumour out of port adelaide is they do not expect Hamish hartlett to play there in 2016. He didn't turn up for the footy trip, apparently we offered a huge deal amd if it isn't us, it is sydney. Ollie knows Jimmy Toumpas from underage level and he said Jimmy will be a seasoned afl player. As much as he initially hated not being picked by us, he understands that politics played there part, but I gathered that he won't leave port adelaide period. To.orrow the melbourne players arrive, Sorry for typo. I'm drunk. But that's all I can give for now

As for my latest danger field news, have still got nothing. He is keeping it very close to his chest and I would say by the time I get back from Asia, he will already have announced his decision.

Currently in bali and by chance met up with Ollie and a few other port lads. Really nice guy, very humble young lad. Meeting up with him again tomorrow as well as a few melbourne boys, lll see if he is keen to move back to Melbourne any time soon

*ever.

Yeah, amd I've said as much over the last 12 months.

Without wanting to get anyone's hopes up too much, he has decided where he will be playing next year. The only thing I can say, he won't tell me where ... now I know that sounds pretty tame, but if he was going to stay in adelaide, he would have said. Despite speculation, Hawthorn were not a factor. I believe the Melbourne offer was huge, and dwarfed the offer from Geelong. I genuinely believe it's very likely he could be at Melbourne next year. If he isn't, then don't blame anyone at the club for lack of effort.

As long as we go after Barry Stoneham too.

Club captain, 3 time best and fairest winner playing his 200th this weekend. Has been a heart and soul leader over the past few years, often surrounded by kids, delisted rejects from other clubs or players ready to check out for another club. Obviously hasn't had his best few games for the club, but he has played 199 out of a possible 204 in that time which shows just how much representing this club means to him. Really hope that the players can put in a big effort for him this weekend and cause a major boilover. Cheers Jonesy and all the best to your next 200 (hopefully).

In all honesty, how would you know what is going on? Because you don't pick the Herald sun up and see on the back page "Dees offer treloar 5mil"? Is that what you base it off?

Posted last year in this thread, pat was unbelievably close to accepting a deal put forward by melbourne. So much so that I quoted him at being above 90% to join. The thing that kept him at adelaide was an honest meeting with phil walsh in the days leading up to trade week that addressed pat's issues with the leadership at the club from board level, as well as the former coaching staff interaction with senior players. I would have assumed pat was a certainty to stay after talking to him earlier in the year, but the tragic passing of phil has put doubt in his mind about staying again. Very tough environment to be around still and a lot of trauma with him along with other players as you'd expect. I can't really add what he is thinking as of today, but I do know that he hasn't made his mind up either way. I was last meant to have a coffee with him after the gee long game but that weekend was thrown into chaos with phils passing. I'll add more if I know, but what I can tell you is melbourne have been very proactive to him and his management, Paul roos especially.

Second and third quarters were as good a football as we have played at times. They are a good team and whilst they aren't with the best in the league, they still have enough class to beat us. Disappointing, and the bitter taste of that first quarter will overshadow the positives. As it should, need four quarter efforts to compete with top 8 teams. Hogan and dawes working together was a highlight but Jeff garlett really wants to pull his finger out. Not enough influence.

Playing like demons!!!!!

Probably not relevant, but he did kick close to 100 goals playing for edenhope/apsley in his last year there before heading to north Ballarat. As a 16 year old playing u/17s. I think he is too hard on himself which is hindering his ability to do the basics right now. He looks a little lost. Whilst he is a very confident young man, he isn't arrogant. But I think his drop in form has been due to putting too much pressure on himself. Playing Brisbane next week, I'd bring in Fitzpatrick to play full back, and use tom on the wing or up forward. Let him get a free run and find his MOJO again. Unfortunately dawes just can not offer enough and I've made excuses for him every year, but it's just not worthwhile having him in the team anymore.

I just want to share my experience with Phil to you all. Growing up like many young men, it was always my dream to play afl. So when I got invited to Glenelg u/17 as a 15 year old, I was absolutely stoked. My first season was spread between living in south east south australia and heading to adelaide. My second season was interrupted by issues at home and Glenelg didn't really see a future for me however port adelaide did. As I was now nearly 17 I was in the u/19 squad and the then port adelaide afl midfield coach was in charge of our first session. I remember thinking that I didn't belong at this level but after our initial training and subsequent meeting, Phil told me I had all the attributes to be a solid league footballer. As the season wore on Phil could see issues at home or outside of football were taking their toll and consequently harming my output. The term father figure gets thrown around far too often these days, but that was exactly what Phil was. Half way through year 12 when it became too much and I dropped out on top of a knee injury, Phil drove with me back to the south east to my family home to sit down with my parents to see what we could do to turn my life around. Without going into too much detail, Phil would continue to have a mentoring role with me for a full season after, often calling me after a game to touch base, or see if I'd survived the weekend binge. Words can't describe the pain I feel today. I haven't spoken to Phil for close to 5 years except for a text to congratulate him on taking over the adelaide , but I'll never forget his influence on me as a teenager going through some turbulent times. The world has lost a great, caring and genuine man today and IL never be able to thank him enough for his time in my life. I know that I'm just one of many young players that he had this effect on and I can only imagine the pain that others, be it afl or never-weres like me are also going through. RIP Phil. THE world has lost a great person today.

Could not have put it better myself OD

Well the Herald Sun just put a line through Harley Bennel for everyone bar Essen Don and West Coast.

It's naive to think the gcs are the only team with these issues. Sure they might be around the lights on the coast and the parties, but to think it's limited to just them is just ignorant. A few seasons back, a friend of mine from a successful opposition club invited me out, and some of the things I saw, whilst not surprising around the 18 - 25 year old demographic, for professional athletes in public during the season was incomprehensible to me. Either the afl fabricates the amount of positive tests, or there are not anywhere near as many tests as what are mentioned in the media I don't know, but that night wasn't a one off and it's astounding to think players could do it and get away with it.

I agree. I think roos has rightly copped his whack for a few times he has been slow to respond in the coaches box. That said, I think he deserves a lot of credit along with the rest of the coaching staff, for some particular moves he has made this year. Cross going to half back and peeling off to get in front of opposition key forwards has allowed Howe to return forward. Using viney in key tagging roles, Vince also shutting down the best opposition midfielders while being potent offensively as well. There have been some moves he has made that haven't gotten the amount of praise they deserve as well, watts taking Taylor last week amd catching him in no man's land allowing us even numbers across our forward line among others. A large majority of players have shown significant improvement when they have come in, and whilst the depth players still have their brain fades, they still come in and play their roles which keeps our structures similar week in and week out. I'm genuinely excited by the second half of the season as the players look to be starting to understand what role is needed by them on any particular day, and for the first time in a long time there seems genuine cohesion between defence and attack.

Should roos and Goodwin go and pick the elite top level talent off the elite top level talent growing tree that grows in the gardens at elite top level talent street, in elite top level talentville?

Along with the top temperature forecast to be a balmy 12 degrees? It's games like this I dislike being a melbourne supporter. Geelong in geelong, wa teams in wa, sydney in sydney, playing any of Collingwood, hawthorn, port GWS and even st. Kilda. At least 10 games a year that melbourne go into and as supporters we know they won't even give a yelp, or if they do, be completely outclassed for a "honorable" 12 goal loss. taking into account geelong's injuries, our injuries, the location, our inability to get within a roar of geelong in the last 8 years and hopefully the coaches motivating the players in a different manner this week, a 6 goal loss looks about the best outcome. Hopefully we keep the young guys in to keep adapting to the pace. Last week's game was very quick and even players like Dunn amd Jones were cramping, so expect AND and stretch to be better for the experience. I just can not find any motivation for this game at all. Still flat after last weekend.