Dees2014

Can I suggest if we are not competitive in the second half then we don't deserve to be in the finals. After all, the difficulty stems from our playing a number of the contenders in the top half. It is as it is. As Paul Roos says, on our day we can beat anyone. We just need to ensure we have many of those days, and less like St Kilda. Simple really. What I am saying I just think we are ready in spite of our youth. Our unprecedented injury rate and depth certainly helps, thus resulting in increased ability to rotate the young, and keep them fresh unlike the last couple of years when we played them into the ground, resulting in very ordinary second half of the season performances.

Well only in the sense 1987 ended with a very raw Jim Stynes running through the mark in the excitement as the siren rang resulting in 15 metre penalty and putting Gary Bucchanara in rang from which he goaled and they won by 3 points. Thus allowing Hawthorn into the Grand Final. I remember it as if it was yesterday as I was there at Waverley. Stynes at that time was the villain, but of course went on to be one of the greatest of all time. The only parallel I can see with Maxy is that I think he will also develop into one of the greatest of all time. His start though is very different!

I did the calc two days ago and came out with a number of 14 wins and a percentage of 124.2, enough I would have thought to get us into the eight, and this included a loss to the Saints at the return match at Etihad. Our draw iss opening up as the so called perspective top 8 drop away. The eight is more than doable, then watch out 1987. We will surprise a few, even without Jim Stynes!

Yes it is interesting. How many teams in the last four years have gone into meltdown when they lose to us. They simply see us as an easy win, and if they don't the boards are to be sacked and the coach can't coach. This year, more than I can remember there has been a changing of the guard: Fremantle, Richmond, Hawthorn, Collingwood, Gold Coast, Port, Adelaide have all gone backwards to the extent that a draw that looked challenging at the start of the year suddenly looks easy, especially for a team like MELBOURNE who has clearly improved substantially. Wingeing of people like Eddie off the back of this should just be ignored. Our success is in our hands, it has little to do with our so called easy draw.

I don't mind Dawes - when he is up and going he is a very valuable player. But his first outing for the season at Casey he was way off. I think another 6-8 weeks in the twos to get back to his best, just like Trenners. Talking of Jack, did anyone else notice that he said Roos has asked him to tell him when he is ready to return to the ones, and he quickly added he thinks it is some weeks off. Quality bloke Trenners, and from what I have seen of his form and fitness I would agree. Takes some maturity and self perception for him though to say it about himself. We have some really quality people at our club now - including Trenners and Dawsy.

How about Grimes and Vandenberg? Is that a fair deal?

Brad Green? Although I don't think he is senior enough or experienced enough to replace Goodwin. Brett Ratten I reckon to take Goodwin's place - hard done by at Carlton, great education at Hawthorn, and knows the Dee's well: would be ideal I would have thought.

I actually think we will ultimately play Salem in the mid field. His early games where he made such an impression were there, and he especially impressed around goal where he won more than one game off his own foot. He recently scored a very impressive goal feeding of Maxy I think against Collingwood. He has sublime skills which are I think not used to their full advantage in the backline. For me I would prefer someone like a Grimes (with improved kicking) to play his role and use him on perhaps the wing,

Yes, but they did not need to rest him for two weeks. We have lost three games this year as a direct result of poor selection choices (North, Essendon and St Kilda). It would be a very different story without them.

It is fine now but will not be acceptable in our premiership window. Fortunately we have a number of players pushing up if josh is unable to correct this. And that is as it should be.

I think we need to reserve judgement on this until we play a few teams in the eight. Apart from north, where we admittedly were unlucky, we have not been tested really. We already know that when the going gets tough eg Essendon and St Kilda, the first to go missing are our inexperienced players (Hunt, Wagner, Harmes and others). They have all been great in our victories, but largely missing in our defeats. I will be convinced when they are BOG in a really close games against a top 8 opponents. I am yet to see it. One of the many things I like about Brayshaw, Hogan and Oliver is that the tougher it gets the better they are. I don't want to pinch OD's Thunder, but I will pronounce our success when Wagner, Harmes, Kennedy, Hunt, and Salem show how good they are against top 4 opposition. It is way too early to get as carried away as we are on here at the moment.

I assume Brayshaw is being rested again. I hope it is not a longer term concussion, he really seemed out of sorts in his last comeback game. He would be a huge loss if there were long term implications for us here.

Can I suggest this thread is a bit early. Let's see who plays well at Casey before we make these judgements. I think we should also consider who we are playing. As has been said, the Dogs have a very tall attack - without Dunn and Lumumba ( Orr even Omac) we look a bit short. We have lost two games this year through poor selection choices (North and Essendon) and we shouldn't do it here. I am as delighted as anyone about the way we played, but we have to remember the Suns had 8 first choice players out (including the two who were injured). This week we are playing a team on fire. We struggled last week because much of our young brigade were down, and we particularly missed Oliver for his clearances. I think there may be up to three changes this week, simply because of who we are playing, and that is as it should be.

By that standard of that game, if we don't finish above both those sides I would be very surprised. I know north have an easy first half, but their run home is shocking. go Dees!

Very poor standard game. Both teams constantly missed targets by hand and foot. Reminded me of Melbourne a couple of years ago. I reckon both teams will be at the bottom of the eight at best.

Personally, I think this discussion will become academic if Jake Spencer finds form and fitness over the next month or so. I would much prefer us to have two genuine ruckmen in the side with Max resting down forward, than add another tall forward who can't ruck. It is possible before the season is out that none of Frost, Pederson or Dawes will be in the side, but we will add Jake Spencer as a genuine second ruck, Weideman as a fast leading full forward, and Jesse as CHF. Personally, I think that is a much better balanced side. I also think that is the selectors long term plan. So that would make our best side by second half of year: FB: Jetta McDonald Dunn HB: Lumumba Wagner Salem CC: Hunt Jones Harmes HF: Kent Hogan Petracca FF Garlett Weideman Watts Foll: Gawn Viney Vince Inter:. Spencer Brayshaw Oliver. Tyson Emerg:. Trengove. Vanders Kennedy Bugg My only concern is it is starting to look a bit small, especially in defence. Full of quality mid fielders though which is supposed to be the modern trend. Finals side in my book

Dawes is a premiership standard player at his best. Frost will never be. Get Dawes back to Casey and have him show what he's currently got. Dawes/Hogan in full flight would be awesome.

Peter Moore Brian Wilson Chris Dawes Mitch Clark

Needs to go back to Casey and shoot the lights out, like Trenners is doing. If he regains his best 2010 form , then he is certainly in our best 22 for mine. I suspect though he no longer has that in him, so a mentoring coaching role may make sense. From all reports a top bloke, and very smart, so a longer term non playing role may make sense. Intially though, send him back to Casey to show what he's got.

Here, here WJ. We are in a very different position today, and have a number of "saviors" some of which have matured under our tutor-ledge, and others like Petracca, Brayshaw, Viney, Salem who have been with us a year or so. We are also a much stronger club in all ways than we have been in the short to medium past. Fortunately we no longer have to rely on instant solutions. The foundations are strong, strong enough to make us a preferred destination in the future.

To clarify, I meant Max's comment about there being no private schools in Tasmania was a joke, not his comment about where our players went to school. Nothing trolling about it, unless you believe otherwise...

Errr, think that might have been a joke M9...

Yes horses for courses. Most top sides have two giant ruckman. When they do we play Jake, when they don't we don't, unless it is wet of course.

Big Max was feature interview on AFL360 this evening. Good, frank interview. Obviously really enjoying the current suituation with the Dees, and the stage in his career, and has a very realistic view of where he sits in the AFL pecking order. Also lived up to his reputation for taking the p iss out of his team-mates.

Dropped briefly into training session this morning. Very light workout, mostly goal kicking practice, in very blustery conditions. One thing to report. Dunn was training with the injury group made up of himself, Trenners, Spencer and Dawes, mostly handball practice. Is there anything anyone knows about this. It is the first time I have heard of a question mark over him. Also wondered why Trenners was there given his game at Casey over the weekend. If he were to be out, who would replace him? Garland is in very ordinary form, and Oscar Mac has only recently returned from injury, although was in the full training session today. We need two talls to cover McCartin and Reiwolt. Maybe we need to put either Frost or Pederson back there. Thoughts?