Straight Sets Simon

Morton works there on weekends...

I can only go from what I have seen on YouTube, but if came down to Sibosado and Rockliff I would go for Sibosado. As I've mentioned before Rockliff just seemed to lack polish while Sibosado had a natural class about him. He looks like he has a good size to him and Melbourne are in more need of a key forward than a HFF or forward pocket.

Use the null vote option.

I don't care about comparing Valenti to any other players. From what I have seen so far he has all the promise of being a very good footballer. Good skills (especially in close), good decision making and what really impresses me is that he always seems to be in space no matter how congested the situation. That is something that can be seen after just nine games and cannot be taught.

How many games has Valenti played again?

I see.

Melbourne don't have to contribute anything (as far as I know). They were offered $500,000 in land but declined and wanted the cash instead. That cash is then being used to fund a pavilion upgrade, so essentially no money is changing hands between Casey and the MFC.

I might go watch tomorrow, but I won't take photos and nor will I wear Melbourne gear, that's just weird.

There has been an agreement to agree, but Casey are still waiting on Melbourne to sign. What Melbourne are waiting for, I don't know.

I wasn't very impressed. He just didn't look polished to me. I'd prefer to try Sibosado.

I posted this earlier in the year: I hate having to rely on stats, but let's just have a look at some of this year so far. Valenti: 9 games, 67% game time, 17 disposals per game, 76.01% efficiency, 5.2 contested possessions per game (30.5% of possessions are contested). Jones: 20 games, 80% game time, 20.65 disposals per games, 69.48% efficiency, 5.57 contested possessions per game (26.9% of possessions are contested). McDonald: 18 games, 79% game time, 20.22 disposals per game, 78.73 % efficiency, 6.05 contested possessions per game. McLean: 14 games, 80 % game time, 23.64 disposals per game, 74.19% efficiency, 7.2 contested possessions per game. Bruce: 21 games, 85% game time, 23.9 disposals per game, 75.41% efficiency, 6.4 contested possessions per game. Valenti has just about the best hands in close that I have seen from a Melbourne player in some time. He is also a beautiful kick and seems always have space around him.

From what I understand Casey are just waiting for Melbourne to sign on the dotted line. I don't know what they are waiting for because it is a great opportunity IMO.

He could easily play on the wing, HFF or even up forward.

Yes.

Schwab gets the present Melbourne jumper and lays it beside Barassi's jumper from the 1960s. "Look at the difference in the colours." he says. The red in Barassi's guernsey is blood red, the blue is true navy blue — only a hint less severe than black. He describes the red in the present guernsey as "tomato red" and says there's purple in the blue. He's right on both counts. The original is stronger, bolder, more brilliant. "That's what we're going back to," he says. Old colours. New colours.

He has a lovely kicking action. I really hope that Melbourne take a chance with this kid.

I went for a short while on Wednesday. Just echoing what has already been said, but most of the team seemed to be there. I didn't see Miller or Garland. Valenti, McDonald, McLean, Rivers, Bruce, Robertson, PJ, Meesen, Blease and possibly one or two others were in the modified group running laps and doing small handpass and kicking drills. Of the main group they were just doing what you would expect any team to do, kicking and handpass skills mainly. Players that really impressed and looked really sharp were Buckley, Aussie, Morton and Petterd although it is hard to tell sometimes while watching training especially when they are over the other side of the ground. Casey Fields looks fantastic and it just reinforced my desire for Melbourne to sign the deal, because of all the times to get access to world-class facilities (not just over summer but also for one session per week during the season) as well as the ability to tap into a rapidly growing market, then this couldn't come soon enough.

I prefer hitouts to advantage.

This one.

My understanding is that the MFC were offered land as an asset (around $500,000) worth, however because they are in debt they preferred to just have the cash. That cash is then being put back into Casey Fields for developing the stand. The end result being that no money is changing hands as the $500,000 is going back into Casey Fields and assuming that a deal is agreed upon then what Melbourne get out of it is upgraded facilities at Casey Fields (instead of the land).

When I went to the pre-season game against North Melbourne I too got a really good feeling from the place. There is plenty of space, the facilities are new and the grounds are in very good condition.

YouTube footage can be limiting, but I really like the look of this guy. Looks to have a good size about him too.

Almost died in '07 after a very good debut season and couldn't get on the park in '08 because of injuries. If injuries are less of a problem next year then Bartram shouldn't get many games.

You're probably right, I was just seeing it as an extension of their ad campaigns. That is the MFC is the soccer player or the power walker (sad but true) and Snickers is there to turn them around. EDIT: i.e. Their greatest challenge yet only this one is real. It was just an idea that I've thrown out there.

A good sponsorship arrangement is one whereby the football team is more than just a billboard providing mass exposure. It's about fitting in with (if any) brand that a team may have and being able to target certain markets. That's why I would love to see the MFC pursue Snickers as a sponsor (as I've mentioned before), especially if the Demon is brought back and the deal with Casey can be finalised (unless it is already). I really like the idea of incorporating the "Get some nuts!" campaign with Mr T. That is, after coming off one of the worst seasons in the club's history the team really did seem to lack "nuts". In comes Snickers. A new attitude, a new beginning and a new opportunity for the Demons to show some nuts and not get pushed around like they were this year. That's my thinking anyways.