Straight Sets Simon

I said I would give $20 but ended up donating $50 as I can see how much this means to the whole community. DN122772

Within the next few years: Bartram - Gone Martin - Keep Bell - Gone Bate - Keep P.Johnson - Gone Jamar - Keep Miller - Gone Petterd - Keep Dunn - Gone Newton - Gone Wheatley - Gone Buckley - Keep Valenti - Keep Zomer - Gone Hughes - Gone Meesen - Gone

I'm not going to say that Dunn is necessarily a very good forward, but he is much better when played forward and I would like to see him get another run at CHF.

Both aren't necessarily "bad" kicks, but their awkward actions leave little room for improvement.

Can anyone tell me why Melbourne can't man-up? Are the players not fit? Are they playing a zone? Does nobody seem to care?

Throw Bate and Frawley in there with him.

Drop him.

I'd be tempted to drop Morton for twice tackling a player around the neck whilst he and the tackled players were standing upright. Just dumb.

I want to know who the genius was that decided that Hawthorn had to wear their clash strip that looks almost identical to West Coast's jumper while Melbourne had to wear their rubbish white jumper.

Jurrah will 100%, he looks like he belongs playing AFL. Watts was fairly quiet but still the best option.

Quality post JP.

6. Grimes 5. Davey 4. Sylvia 3. Rivers 2. Bruce 1. Jurrah

OUT: Zone Defence, McLean, Miller, Whelan, Robertson IN: Man-On-Man, Valenti, Dunn, Cheney, Maric Johnson stays in by purely by default. FB: Cheney Warnock Frawley HB: Martin Rivers Grimes C: Petterd Valenti Green HF: Bruce Dunn Davey FF: Watts Jurrah Jetta Foll: Johnson Sylvia Moloney Int: Jones Bennell Maric Morton

Quicker than McLean, and probably just as quick as Jones but with better skills and decision making than both IMO.

Slow legs, quick hands, quick feet but most importantly a quick mind.

Valenti was very good in the 3/4 of the game I saw.

I had to stop watching just before 3/4 time as someone wanted to watch the Sydney game, doesn't sound like a promising last quarter.

Valenti has just about the best hands in close for anyone on the Melbourne list. His kicking is fantastic also, such a solid action that rarely misses a target.

I agree, however we need a coach who can get the best out of those players and play to the strength of the list. Yes, you can turn a list over all the time until you get players to fit a specific plan, but that can only last so long and each team will have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Paul Roos is a great example of such a coach.

There's a chicken and egg situation. Do players play well (i.e. hit and provide targets) because they are playing a style (game plan / tactics and structure) of football that makes it easier to do, or do the players have good enough skills to to make a game plan work? I suggest that the former has far more of an impact that most people here realise.

With blue shorts, the white jumper looks much better and still wouldn't be a clash.

$20 from me.

RR, player development aside (as this is only one aspect of coaching) what do think of the game plan / tactics and structure on the ground. Are you happy with the forward line pushing up the ground and loose players in defence?

Petterd is a class player, this was evident after his first game. I'm just disappointed that he wasn't given a chance in the backline or on a wing earlier this year as it was clear that he would struggle up forward.

Agreed.