Satyriconhome

I am definitely relaxed. Go down and have a look at the kid you will see what I am talking about, I dont want to be harsh on him, but from what I seen from him today he is lacking in so many areas, Weight (the skinnest guy I have seen at AFL level) , Endurance, skills. It is why I asked the question what where his postives

The testing...beep test, vertical leap etc, as I said he can be an International Rookie for two years, outside the list so no issue there, then if he has developed, and a big IF, then we get first go at him, we could rookie him or draft him........I like we are thinking outside the square again.......think he has only played a couple of games......the other thing is at training he is training alongside some seriously big guys (finally).....so he is bound to look small.....you need to get up real close.......Dom Barry has grown in size in four months, stood right next to him at the beginning and a couple of weeks ago, can see the change......the kid is probably here so they can set him up with training.diet/nutrition/weight gain etc.....

Went to training today and I witnessed this tiny skinny guy running around. When he got close I realised it was the new international rookie we signed Maia Westrup.

I don't want to sound to critical but he looks like a 12 year old out there, he makes Cale Morton look big, can any one else back this up?.

I also watched him cop a spray from Dawes for not following threw in his running drill, When I say spray I mean firm talk telling him how to do it properly.

He has long long way to go from what I can see, I am not sure exactly what recruiters saw in him.

He is/was a volleyball player, but has the athletic/physical attributes to maybe be a footy player, tested really well at a camp AFLNZ ran...... if he doesn't we don't lose, we are not obligated to take him........so relax.....you will only get some of the other usual suspects restless with a dodgy MFC decision again.

Can I once again explain.....

AT That time of year it is NOT frigging HUMID!!!!

At match time, it WILL be cool, as it always is during that time of year. Look up BOM data if you don't believe me.

It is a cop out to make up excuses for the heat, it's the same for both sides, yet our supporters live by this excuse. if anything it probably has more to do with the long flight or the fact that we have been a poor football team who's chances of winning the next week were slim anyway.

It is a similar, if not cooler temperature than a nice spring day in Melbourne during finals, but we don't hear the top 8 sides complaining.

Anyway embrace the Darwin move, until we get better..... There's always a spare bed & a fridge full of amber fluid for any member that wishes to come up and support the club on game day.

Cheers,

HG.

Gee you could have made the offer of the bed a bit earlier HG, myself and lovely lady can't afford it this year, so have canned our plans after 3 years up there.....don't let the naysayers get to you......it's just the normal group of posters who need the hairshirt at least once a day,

To all the naysayers......I was there last year....stay in place away from City Centre.....walked into the local newsagent......guy asked if we were visiting...told him from Melbourne for footy......said "Dees" supporters....not Melbourne or what?.......the work the club has been doing is working.....but like everything else we are doing now....you have to take the long view.....it's gonna take time

All I can say is a lot of the posts here show why the Club ended up the way it was before Jim Stynes (One Year Today) stepped in.

We only play at the G

We only turn up at the G

Let's not think outside the square

Let's only think of ourselves

God travel outside of Victoria to watch footy, never...it's beyond the pale

As for the conditions, if you have been at the game in Darwin, you would have seen the effort that goes into the player welfare during the game........besides which Misson is getting the players to where they should be fitness wise, it will not have an impact going fwd, in fact it may be beneficial

moon probe is exactly what this is. well said. this is so amateurish and a detriment to the team having to deal with those conditions. Really, how many die hard MFC members are goingto be produced from two games in darwin. meanwhile the blues are sneaking in to the G behind us. really small minded pathetic marketing. Melbourne as a brand must be pushed in VICTORIA. there are more people living on teh monington peninsula than living in the entire northern territory. concentrate on making the MFC brand an icon in melbourne. to do that means winning games at the MCG and getting on the BACK page of the papers. Not some experimental clash against Port, 3000km away. Rookie mistake really

Are these the same diehard supporters in Victoria who can't be bothered going across Melbourne to attend games at Etihad.

What conditions in Darwin, have you been?.....that is why we are training there as well....last season it was quite pleasant, I know I was sitting in the stand at the game

Experimental clash, what for last 3 years, you really do need to get your facts straight before you vent

People here have been complaining about not picking up more sponsors - but when we land a nice deal that could build over the longer term to be worth quite a substantial amount, plus bring in a few new members and supporters, there are plenty, it seems, ready to criticise.

This is Demonland, of course posters are ready to criticise,just ignore them

I was told about this a couple of days ago at the Club, been to Darwin three times, most of the players love the trip, so do the supporters who go, if you want a better attendance posters need to get on the plane and go and support

Confirmed in the paper what I was told NT Government getting on board as sponsor

There is a rumour, unsubstantiated of course, that we are about to announce another sponsor, I reckon they might be saving for Commencement Dinner, so as Nutbean says, put your hairshirts away, we are doing ok.......unsubstantiated meaning I was told something but I can't confirm it

$1500 might be steep but if 100 supporters were to purchase its money to the club. the bonus would be traveling interstate 3 times with a bunch of demons fans. if 70K collingwood fans can purchase memberships while on centerline then surly MFC fans could purchase an interstate membership. I would love to see melb play in darwin, sydney and adelaide in the one season....

If you want to help the membership read Nineteens post and rock up to the MCG to do the phone out to members to renew tonight and next Monday or Tuesday

As for Darwin, the club does a couple of packages, last year was a fishing and footy with Neita I think, we went on our own but attended a function the Club puts on as well, they also do travel deals.

I'd rather we won every game we played - whether it's pre-season, main season or finals. But I also don't see pre-season games as important. On Footy Classified last night Brad Scott admitted his team didn't go into the last pre-season game against Hawthorn with a balanced team - he pointed out they had five key position defenders, for example. He wanted to try some things out and presumably see which of those five he wants to play in the season proper. I'm sure all coaches use the pre-season to try different things and aren't that interested in results of individual games. So we shouldn't be so concerned either.

If we win only 6 games this year, I'll be disappointed, but I'll only be concerned if I can't see progress. And I'll measure progress by various signs. For example, fewer blowouts; fewer run ons of goals against us during short periods of play; individual player improvements; signs of cohesive team play; off-field behaviour; and, perhaps intangible, but signs of players willing to do anything the coach wants rather than the other way around.

Exactly right on preseason, the pleasing thing for me from the weekend was Toumpas was in the best, because he got more game time, and is starting to settle.......that is what the pre season is about.....Neeld was pleased with the 4th qtr, 30 deg heat, less rotations, undersized defence, yet we kept it to 4 goals similarly North got smashed yet Scott doesn't give a toss........

I will be looking for exactly the same things this season, will be disappointed if we win only 6 games, I think we can be better than that.......

As Neeld says if you are getting on the Reality Bus, then get on, but be Realistic and support your team, if not stay home and hide

Yer i am worried and the Gold Coast post game presser was ....... not impressive!

Neeld thought our game against the suns was good??

What happened to him I thought he was a no bullsh** guy?

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/video/2013-03-18/mark-neeld-post-match-week-4

Read what P Man wrote as well, we were two rotations down and it was 30 deg, it was pre season, Neeld didn't give a flying about the result that's why he sat Garland down

I agree with another poster on here, some of the posts on here border on the pathetic, all about themselves, support the team or stay home......rather that than go to the game, be miserable and then come on here and whinge

I take [censored] from no one, desk in work is covered in Red and Blue.....some posters must be pretty poor at standing up for themselves.....it doesn't matter to me MFC is my team and always will be

Satyr, are you always this precious?

I merely used Grimes as an example. He is in good company.

This is such a stupid argument. How does me wanting to see our skills improve this year earn me the title of keyboard hero?

P_Man, it's not me getting upset, it seems to be you....don't answer it if it is stupid....who gave you the title I didn't

Nutbean, totally agree with your writing, put my opinion above, Grimes I think watching the games, and not to let BH think I am analysing, gets too far ahead of himself sometimes and rushes the kicks, as he gains more and more experience I think this will change, most other posters tend to forget he had a miserable time with injury for the first couple of years, when he was drafted he was a midfielder, but found himself in defence once fit, a defence that was under constant bombardment, he has made mistakes but as you said he is certainly not on his own......I am looking for him to improve his kicking this year

I'm sorry, but this argument is ridiculous. The idea that the only people who can offer criticism are those with superior skills in the area of critique is utterly flawed. If it were true, Pavarotti could never have a singing teacher, Einstein couldn't have a maths lecturer and Gary Ablett could never have a coach.

The argument is especially flawed when directed at someone who's just made a rather salient point. The fact is, our captain kicked the ball put on the full in every second game last year!

I just like having a bit of fun with the 'keyboard heroes',

You mean his point was sticking out?

Terrible sin kicking out on the full, I bet there is only a handful of AFL players who have ever done that

I am not sure watchers of the game would put his foot skills in the elite category.

That is the point I was trying to make Nutbean, forgot you need to spell it out.......Grimes is still, because of injury, early in his career, as he gets more used to the pressure the kicking will improve....I certainly don't regard him as an elite kick at the moment, but then again he doesn't butcher every kick that others claim

Your question is an inane one.

It is quite a simple question, when I played I will happily admit that under pressure my kicks got a bit scrappy..even put a few out on the full...assume the pressure at AFL level is 100 times more.........either your kicking efficiency if and when you played was 100% or it wasn't......just so I know where the mark is you are taking Jack Grimes' kicking from.........

Jnrmac you are entitled to your opinion....but thought your post was pretty much the same

Just a point on Sylvia...what we wanted to see was an uninterrupted pre season and to get through the NAB Cup unscathed....now if he gets picked for Round 1....who knows?

As for the 22 on opening day...no idea...just at the minute there are too many variables

Last time I checked, I was not playing in the AFL.

I didn't say you were, but the question still stands

A improvement in skills is what I want to see most. We were deplorable in most departments last year. Not being able to hit up a player from 20 metres is not acceptable and it is turnovers from BASIC skill errors that really hurt and kill off momentum.

I'd like to see an entire match where our captain doesn't kick it out on the full. That would be a good start.

I assume when you play, you never miss a target, is that correct?

He is a dud. I know he is one of us so I should like him. But as a footballer he is terrible. What have you seen in him that I havent? Personally I think he is the worst player to represent the Dees in my 40 years of watching. A massive liability and when he does anything remotely positive everyone says he is progressing nicely. He is seriously bad witha terrible workrate. Would not even be firstruck in many EFL teams.

Can I ask why he is a liability, having played the grand total of 2 games?

He was the leading goalkicker at Casey last season

Are you another one of those posters that just picks a player and away you go venting your spleen

He is a fwd/ruckman by the way, not just ruck, obviously you can't have watched him too many times to not know that

Boosdog must be right

Can everyone take a deep breath and save all the wailing till the game is over and we have ALL the info post just whining clog up the topic....let Bailin post

Bailin, why all the scoring at one end?

Read all the reports, most scoring at one end....so there must be a wind....sigh

So the wind up there is called GAblett

Read all the reports, most scoring at one end....so there must be a wind....sigh