Roger Mellie

He does some great things when he's got the pill. He just doesn't impact games a whole lot. There was a game at Casey last year where he picked up 30 touches in the middle. At the time I thought...yes, this is why we recruited him! His ball use was amazing and he seemed way above VFL level. I have only seen glimpses of that since. I dunno, he strikes me as bottom-heavy in physique if that's a thing.

Thanks Viper, I don't listen to the AFL Daily podcasts or anything on the AFL site that starts with 'Listen" so this is much appreciated. It's hard enough to read an article by 'Damo' let alone listen to him. Cheers

I think he did a great job considering he spent a significant chunk of preseason in rehab

Excellent assessment again Graz. I had slotted PA into the 8 without really thinking about them, aside from the gains, but that's a compelling argument. Their resilience deserted them last year and I'm not sure it won't come back to haunt them, particularly with that fixture. I agree with their thin ruck depth. I watched the first few games Hayes came is as No.1 ruck and he had a tank like Preuss - just couldn't get to contests. He's been in the system long enough you'd think, but if it's still an issue in what must be his 6th year, then you'd be praying Lycett stays fit at least until Finlayson returns. Never been a fan of Drew and thought he was a bit of a weak link, but I suspect he does the off-ball work and running to enable the other mids to do their thing. JHF is a huge in but I'm not sure we'll see much defensive running from him for a while.

Great article here about Turner coming from nowhere to the Dee's list: From B-grade to the big time: Dees land diamond in the rough

IIRC, Smith got two weeks (added to his onfield suspension - IMO rightly as concurrently would translate to no penalty) because he claimed to be having mental health issues. Ginnivan pulled no such card. I expected him to get way longer than Smith in terms of H&A games. Practice games don't really count IMO. Listening to the radio, they said JG was back training with the club yesterday.

I was impressed with how well Amiss performed last year coming in for the last 2 or 3 games. I think he might surprise a few as he certainly has tricks. He's still pretty lean though so I'm expecting inconsistency and a bit of wilting as the season progresses. I don't know enough about Treacy to comment but it'll be interesting to see if he can step up. Taberner had a stinker last year mainly as a result of injury, but sadly for him, I'm not sure he'll be able to string a season together. Jackson's not likely to be the answer yet and Fyfe is clapped out. I get great amusement from watching Walters. If things don't go his way, he completely loses sight of the game and chases frees. Longmuir drummed that out of him last year for the most part, but I'm hoping it returns in 2023. He's also not getting any younger. The rest of the side is easily top 4, particularly if they can fill the wing hole with O'Driscoll or the Frederick to the wing experiment works.

The media have been pumping up the tyres of JVR to the point of explosion. Richardson is just tempering the expectations of supporters as a result.

You haven't mellowed over time then

Thanks Gator - excellent report again. If you don't mind me asking, who were you before you were swallowed by a crocodile?

A petless friend of mine signed up my dog as a Hawthorn member years ago 🤮 Livid

They took a fair old beating with the injury stick in 2022. They haven't started 2023 well in that regard.

Not quite. According to the club, he had his best game in the VFL grand final, which for me says he stands up and performs when the pressure is really on. IMO the club see something in him and I'd expect gradual improvement - I think we've seen this over the preseason. Having said that, there's no way he replaces Salem ahead of Bowey.

Is Woey training in defense now? Last year he played on the wing at Casey Thanks

I think it's a big step forward without Zorko at the helm. He is Captain Faux Tough, but has this been confirmed yet? I haven't seen it anywhere

You could easily call this thread 'the Ed Langdon file'

Again, love your work @grazman. I thought Dunkley might balance the toughness ledger a little. I really like Payne - there is a lot of potential/talent there but I see him as still a little raw and prone to the odd brain fart. I have to agree with your backline assessment, particularly without Adams. I still find Hipwood and Daniher to be potential liabilities when they either don't show up or crack the sads/wobblies. Having Gunston could make all the difference.

That comment was before they lost Adams

Didn't happen to notice Rivers in the midfield?

True but tenancy agreements are also about the $, which explains why Collingwood has so many games written in the contract. If we average lower crowds will that then be justification for Carlton/Essendon demanding more games? If we no longer have a presence in the City of Melbourne (other than game day), is that further justification? I hope not. Having said that, I will attempt to dial back the cynicism.

Just a question. If we move our headquarters away from the G area, do we risk losing it as our home ground over time? Could our home games there be whittled away and relocated to Marvel? The game is all about the dollar now and we don't always pull crowds particularly given the number of interstate sides we play there. For what it's worth, I don't care where our base is, so long as it's all under the one roof and equal to or better than the facilities of other sides. If moving out of the G precinct has any implications for where our home ground is down the track (noting Marvel is also in the City of Melbourne) then, no thanks. I'm happy to play the odd game there, but if it crept up to four or five games a year.... yes, I'm cynical but I really don't trust the AFL.

Enjoyable and inciteful read thanks Grazman. I look forward to the next installment.

Fixed!

The Cats also have Deakin University at their disposal in the off-season. Deakin got $8m+ funding to convert their footy ground to MCG proportions because they definitely need that at Deakin for the Deakin Ducks Football Club (Soccer).

I can see why this was doomed to failure. It would be the equivalent of us plonking a social club in Fitzroy or something. Looking at other clubs, the social clubs appear to be little more than a game day operation.