btdemon

When I studied the fixture earlier I was of the opinion that it was tough and if we made the finals we would deserve to be there. Like most of us, I started to think we were better than we are and we beat many of these teams leading up to the last round. I’m back to thinking we’ll struggle and if we make it it will be after beating some good teams. If so, then we’ll deserve it. List wise there are still pieces missing

Petty will be good. Clearly picked long before he was ready. Hopefully this game won't totally destroy his confidence. We went in top-heavy and slow. Shocking selections. If TMac was doubtful, which it seems he was, then he shouldn't have played either. Pedo would have been better. Spargo should also have played. Fritsch was great but probably played to be the small forward. It seems that that FD thought that that could blood Petty because we were going to win the game easy. Yeeeeesh! Have we learnt nothing? New also wasn't up to his normal standard. I would have preferred to see Bernie and Stretch out there. Tyson still has value but not on the wing.

She is articulate, intelligent and insightful. Have a look back at her first address at a MFC awards night about two years ago. Her speech was far better than anyone else, including, Paul Roos, Peter Jackson, Glen Bartlett and Nathan Jones. She is a gem and we are lucky to have her in Melbourne colours.

I don't see his decision making as the problem. Yes, he hangs on to the ball too long sometimes but he is usually looking for the best option. When he is in heavy traffic this often works to our advantage. His biggest weakness imo, is his kicking. It's rare to see a left footer with such an inaccurate, floaty trajectory. When commentators say he is a good kick it drives me mad. We as supporters know that he isn't. If he could work on this it would take him from a good inside ball winner to a really potent mid. Most people know how difficult it is to correct your basic kicking technique. This is something you evolve from childhood, but there have been some who made major adjustments to their technique. These changes are usually made to set shot goal kicking approaches though, not field-kicking under pressure. Maybe he needs to do what Nev has done. Kick within his limits. Nev is a great user but doesn't try to kick more than about 40 metres. He rarely wastes a kick. The coaching staff should be hammering Tyson about this. He is potentially a great asset but will end up as a marginal player if he doesn't rectify this. Roos seemed to know what his strengths were and played him accordingly. He ain't no outside player. He does however, have the ability to be at the fall of the ball repeatedly.

I must admit Maldonboy, that yesterday's game made me more optimistic. The pressure we applied yesterday was pretty good. We can possibly snag a couple of those difficult away games if we play to the best of our ability. As every MFC supporter knows, its difficult to be confident

I was sceptical about the move of TMac up forward. I wasn't convinced that the defence could survive without him. IMO Lever is not a key back but an interceptor and would rely on having a CHB pillar for him to be able to do his thing. I thought we would end up with Tmac going back there to finalise the defensive structure. I'm pleased to be proved wrong. My doubts about TMac have always been about his disposal under pressure. He would show great judgement when marking, punching and spoiling but usually have a couple of kicking clangers each game. Now he is roaming from forward 50 through the wing and falling back when needed that pressure is somewhat alleviated. When kicking for goal he has time to balance and go through his routine. The ball drop is still too great but everything else is straight and in line. He is our most reliable shot for goal inside 40 metres. He is also able to use his considerable size to push people around. I'm loving this. he is bullying opponents to win the contested ball. It almost seems that he has grown bigger and stronger but I suspect that its just the different role he is playing. He doesn't have to time his interceptions but can place himself in contests and use his his body size. With Hogan and him up there we definitely look more formidable. I also love the flexibility. He has such a big tank that he can slip into defence during those pressure periods when the opposition are getting a run on. Keep it up TMac. BTW. what the hell is this "connection" that Simon Goodwin keeps talking about? Is it another cliche that I have somehow missed the meaning? Every time he says it I try to imagine what he means. I still don't get it. Even Nathan Jones used it yesterday. I sure there is a more direct expression they could use that would be clearer to us dumb punters.

It's not a "dive". Look this body jolt with the impact. He fell backwards. You can't fake that. Granted, he was more than happy to accept the free kick and let Carlisle know about it, but its not a dive.

Jeffy's poor games, (Hawthorn and Richmond) coincided with beltings where we couldn't get clean ball into the forward 50. I wouldn't have dropped him because he is so potent, but then Hannan, Spargo have been great. Fritsch is special and i'd like to see him on the wing. His delivery is beautiful.

Link?

Assuming we win the next three (no guarantees) we should be sitting somewhere in the lower end of the eight. From there on it is very difficult. We have have a couple of 'gimmees' and as you know, they are never gimmees with the Dees. We have many top 8 sides and teams like the Bulldogs, who are starting to find their mojo. Eagles in Perth, Port in Adelaide, the Crows twice, in Adelaide and NT, Freo in NT, Geelong at Geelong, Giants, Collingwood, Swans. We are going to have to be a better side than we are now to make the finals. We will have to knock off a few sides against the flow. I am not feeling that confident after our patchy and unconvincing start. If we make it I'll be pleased and surprised.

Even if we win the next 3 the second half of the season is extremely difficult. I willmore than happy to make the final eight but have grave doubts. We need a lot of things to go right.

He looks like a reasonably quick opportunist forward as well. If he could play the role of a small forward who is a great mark and kick then he'd be very hard to match up on

Imagine.......... it was us who had taken Paddy McCartin over Christian Petracca. In his third year with patchy form, limited impact, injury worries and a cloud over his long term health, he would been lynched on this site by now. In the wider football public the club would been ridiculed for adding to its pantheon of bad early round draft picks. The Saints would have Petracca, who would be now beginning to star. We would hate his talent and arrogance and secretly wish we had him........... WELL WE DO! YESSSSSSS!!!!! What a 'sliding door moment' that was

people are forgetting Darcy Moore and Nakia Cockatoo. In the same draft as Petracca, Wright and McCartin. Both of these guys could be stars IMO

Let's make it happen!

I have said the same thing, a couple of times. But I agree totally. Its the bullocking way he gets the ball and then stands up in the tackle and handballs to advantage. Michael Voss all over again and its got nothing to do with red hair. Its the strong frame, the belligerent attitude and the ball smarts.

In his TAC highlights package he most reminded of Michael Voss. Knew how to get the ball an then was able to stand up in the tackle and give it off to advantage. He seems to have quite a burst of initial speed away from the pack as well. Love the look of him. The midfield is getting some size and grunt about it now. Oliver, VB, Brayshaw, Tyson, Jones, Vince, Viney and if Trenners comes back it will be very solid. It still needs a bit of real pace. Petracca may provide this but I expect he will play as a high half-forward rather than a true mid. Kennedy is a handy quick and a have been pretty impressed so far but i'm not sure that he'll spend that much time in the middle. Stretch has impressed me so far. He is not blisteringly quick but he rarely seems to do anything wrong.

I, for one, am not going to spend the rest of the season speculating about something that I have absolutely no control of. I heard a Dees supporter on the radio last night expressing his concern hat Hogan and McDonald might go. Until the Dees are a strong club then every player we have that is any good will prompt that speculation. In the minds of many, they can't see why would a decent player want to stay at a club that has little chance of playing finals. The club is getting stronger and hopefully we might even play finals either this year or next. Maybe it won't be long before good players from other clubs are seeking a transfer to the Dees? Until then, I'm going to try my best to enjoy the work of Hogan and McDonald (and Petracca and Salem and Brayshaw and Oliver and Viney and Kent) and all of the players who look like being really good. Try and enjoy.

I want to enjoy the next two years with Jesse. If he goes I'll deal with the disappointment then.

With his contract in place until the end of the 2017 season he would be absolutely insane to sign something at this stage unless it was the largest contract ever offered. He has to wait. The club are obviously wanted to sign him up but he is wise to put off the talks until at least the end of this season. If he has a great season and kicks over fifty the club will have to offer him something more substantial than what they are offering now. I don't like the speculation and would be devastated if we lost him, but the future strength of this club must be built on more than just one star.

Do we have room for his and James Harmes' teeth in the one team?

I ask the question, do we have room for both James Harmes and Jake Melksham's teeth in the same club?

I agree. In his AA CHB year Neitz was marking everything he went for in the same way as TMac. He wasn't particularly creative or mobile but rather, he was powerful and disciplined. He had great judgement of the flight of the ball like TMac but ran in straighter lines. I was very sceptical when ND pushed him forward. I didn't think he would have the creativity, in fact he didn't. He developed a very straight forward style. Attack the ball and get it. If you remember, his kicking for goal was a real problem and he used to wave the ball around like a school kid in his approach. He had to work hard to correct this but eventually became a super effective spearhead. But he was never brilliant, just a great footballer. Schwarz was a beautiful kick. A bit ragged in his first year (complete with long hair and headband) but watch that footage of him in '94. Kicked them from everywhere. Later in his career when he was big, slow and anchored to the ground, he became a beautiful deliverer of bullet-like 40m passes to Robbo and Neitz. He was a creative architect at high half-forward. A really smart player Hogan's kicking is a worry. He is fine from within 35m but watch the way he holds the ball and how his leg and foot are not at full extension. That's why he kicks low and not especially long. But he has a pretty good accuracy rate from his range so that's ok for now. His field kicking is better and more natural but again not particularly penetrating. I hope he can work on it because he is so good at the contest. If you watch that amazing footage of him skateboarding we can see that he does have great balance and coordination and that bodes well for his further development.

Probably the most evil person in the Western world. Not joking

That's very flattering Jumbo. I'm not even a footballer, just a keen tragic.