Jerry Lundergard

It is a ridiculous longshot, but i did take the $261 they were offering for Grimes for a top 3 finish in the Brownlow.

This is so f***ing ordinary by the Demons! If champion data take stats for dropped marks, we may have set a new record tonight. Starting with Jurrah it has spread through the team like a disease tonight. We win no clean ball from stoppgages. Our skills and decision making are terrible. It's going to be another long year Demonlanders. Let the venting begin.

I was super impressed with Jordies work in the midfield yesterday, and would have him pushing for selection in the opening round of the season. The Age referred to him as an upgraded rookie, does that mean he is ready to roll out? Or do we have to place someone on the long term IL? Or have i missed someone being on it already?

Plenty of love for Sylvia and Grimes amongst the Demonland faithful.

Does anyone remember the Saints game on the Gold Coast when Maric played? I certainly do because it had one of my most memorable plays from a Demon for last season. The ball was in dispute on the wing, and Maric slid in low and hard for the ball and gathered it whilst taking out the legs of the Saints opponent and then quickly getting to his feet to dispose of the ball. It may not sound that memorable, but it was absolutely beautiful to watch, and epitomizes to me how i would like our team to play in the future, and how others teams ahead of us play already. It may have only been a small snap shot but it was enough for me, along with him outmuscling Baker in the F50 for a mark and goal, to tell me he is a player of the future.

I would be surprised if Crawf has been out to watch Melbourne train more than once for a full session over the preseason. I certainly wouldn't expect that he has driven out to Casey, so i am not taking to much notice of his claims. For instance, he watches the Demons train for an hour and on this day there may be a few players who are a bit off with their skills, so he automatically assumes we are still poor. Conversley, if goes to watch the Bulldogs train and sees the same thing, he would dismiss it as the Dogs having an off day because he knows already the are a highly skilled team.

Matty Stokes you are a naughty boy!

The word on the street is Gysberts could be a NAB cup bolter........

2010 Ladder position and record: 11th / 8wins 14losses B & F Winner: Brent Moloney Most Brownlow Votes: Jack Grimes Most Rising Star Votes: Jack Trengove Most Improved: Jack Grimes Our 5 most important players at the end of the season will be: Sylvia, Grimes, Frawley, Jurrah and Morton. 2010 Premier: Bulldogs Wooden Spoon: Tigers Brownlow: Ablett Coleman: Tippett

Not sure if anyone else caught this, but when Greg Denham(The Australian) was talking to KB on his SEN show on Friday morning and the Demons were brought up, Denham stated that "we will talk about Melbourne next week, there are a few rumblings going on there" or something to that effect. Anyone know what he may have been referring to?

Wow! So that's how the Rising Star works. If you play for the Pies and finish high up in the votes, it means you will turn out to be a handy player. Thanks for that wonderful insight.

Actually, although the roster sizes are different and there is a lottery for the first 3 picks amongst the 16 teams that didn't make the playoffs, the NBA with is drafting system and salary cap is the most comparable league anywhere in the world to the AFL. There many examples of drafting blunders, tragedies and excellence just like there has been in the AFL, and stories of players drafted to once non relevant teams, that have changed the fortunes for those franchises, perhaps forever. Jordan and Duncan and two that spring to mind immediately. It may be harder for one player to have influence over an AFL club like it is possible in basketball, but the likes of Judd, Reiwoldt, Voss and Hird are some players that i believe helped raise their teams level of excellence that might not have been possible had they not been drafted to their respective clubs.

I posted this in the other sports section, but i will post it here too and see how it goes. There are many similarities between being a Bucks fan and a Demos fan, take these opening lines from Frank Madden on his blog Brewhoop after Milwaukees game against the warriors last night, do they sound familiar? My twenty years as a Bucks fan have been, at least superficially, a disappointment. Too many 50-loss seasons ending in mid-April. Disappointing draft picks and bloated contracts. "Stars" that don't shine as bright as every other team's stars. Coaches that talk a good game but can't seem to coach one. So if you're a recent convert or a casual fan, understand where I'm coming from. I might love the game too much to give it up, but as a fan I've got some serious baggage. Cynicism, pessimism, paranoia...it's all there lurking in the shadows. You can sometimes be blessed as a sporting organisation when it comes to a drafting system. A few years ago, the Bucks lucked out and managed to get the No.1 ball drop for them in the lottery, however, as good as Andrew Bogut may become, he will never be Dwight Howard, LeBron James or evn Chris Paul who was taken a couple of picks after him. This year Milwaukee picked at No. 10, and went for a young cocky PG who decided not to follow the usual path of all other US kids in this years draft of spending at least one year of playing college basketball before declaring for the draft, instead opting to spend a year mainly riding the pine in Europe and honing his game playing against seasoned professional basketballers in a tough, physical league. And here is the reaction of Frank Madden as a Bucks fan, So quite honestly I don't know how to deal with Brandon Jennings. I just watched him score 55 points in his seventh professional game, and quite honestly I'm working through some things. Like, is this really happening? Is it possible the universe is playing an awful, awful trick on us poor Bucks fans? Or is this just what it feels like to have a superstar drop into our lap? And can we just get him to sign a max contract extension now, rather than waiting another two plus years? On the eve of our draft, i am hoping there is some synergy in what is happening with the Bucks and what may be on the horizon with the Demons, as they are both comparable as clubs in terms of their support and stature in respective leagues, and as a fan of both teams it is fair to say i am bloody excited right now.

Do the ND nominations close tomorrow? And if Ball has already nominated, can he withdraw before or after the deadline and still go into the PSD? He should have by now realized his bluff has not worked, and that we will pick him anyway, so why make the club you are could go to use a top 20 draft pick on you when you give the club an advantage by getting you in the PSD. It also eliminates the prospect of a Port picking you up at 16, which would seem a far worse scenario to me. I wonder how Luke's Dad would feel about that?

You pretty much summed up that Crows game. I was at that one as well, and it was a shocker. The crowd actually got pretty loud in the last quarter when we looked like we had a chance. Aren't we all glad we lost that game now?

I was there with my 4 year old son. The weather was dreadful on the way to the G, but cleared up nicely for the game. It also meant the ground was not too packed for a bit of kick to kick after the game. I still can't believe many "experts" tipped Freo to win that game.

So does Brock still get invited, or show up if he is?

Being the big hoops fan that I am, I remembered a story i had heard about Orlando Magic player Jameer Nelson, arranging for his teammates to go to Philadelphia to train and bond together in the offseason. You can read about it here Summer Training Camp They are now into their fourth year of running it, and with a finals appearance last year they appear to be on a winner and it got me thinking that it would be a fantastic idea for the MFC, or the players themselves to organize a couple of houses for the summer out near Casey for our core of younger players to train and bond together for the summer, without having to worry about the travel factor that Brock alluded to. Meals and extra weight sessions under a supervised eye could be arranged, and it would be also great for our relations in the Casey area to have some Demon faces around the place. I am not sure if it an expense we could handle, but it would be a fantastic initiative nonetheless.

Interesting to see that Dylan Grimes tested quite well at the draft camp. Draft Camp Results I wonder where he may fall to us in the draft?

Don't know much about either, but i wouldn't have thought we have space on our list. I would prefer to elevate rookies such as Valenti and McKenzie.

The question PA will pose to the Hawks now is, if McLean is worth pick 11, surely Burgoyne is worth more than pick 9?

Yes.

I think you have to become a member to view their drafts and trades forum. I know this because i work with a Carlton supporter who i told the Brock rumour to this morning. He was filthy at the prospect at trading pick 11 for him, feels they have other pressing needs.

We don't really know the ins and outs of it, but the fact that the deal to Carlton has already been done tells me that Carlton were obviously into him early, probably telling him all the things that many posters have been writing here, about where his long term standing will be in our midfield and what they could offer him. So he goes to the club has a chat with them, and they rightly can't give him any assurances as to his playing future. Brock says bye-bye MFC, hello Carlton. That's my read on the situation anyway. There is also the suspected rift between himself and DB, and the history between himself, Ratten and Riley.

Why would Freo want Lovett over possibly Morabito? Doesn't sound right to me, Lovett is not worth pick 4!