Roger Mellie

By tasmanlvr from Bigfooty with thanks: I arrived a little later than I'd like. Bear with me!!! To put it in perspective I ran from Jolimont to AAMI Park at 9:30. I feel like Tom McDonald now. Elite athlete/10. Rehab has Clisby, JKH, Byrnes and Blease. Some handball work and ball control/bumping kicked off my time here. Dawes was here briefly, then left. A drill similar to that done on Monday. Three handballs, handball to another group of three and vice versa. Roos is animated, imploring that players 'DON'T GO EARLY!!!' Defenders were added - McDonald, Tapscott, N.Jones and Hunt. Swapped after a circuit. Hogan is wearing a vest too. Fair crowd - I'd say 40 people. Will be bigger in January I expect. Spotted Dawes in the rehab group. Better signs given he wasn't even in there in all training sessions, coming off his arthroscope of his knee. Roosy brought the boys in for a chat then proceeded to do a variation of the same drill, this time adding a kick. The one voice I'm consistently hearing, even from the other side of the oval, is Toumpas. I'm impressed. He really is a future leader. Moved to the other side of the oval. A mistake is made by the attacking group, Strauss is tackled by Clark due to a poor handball which put him straight under pressure. The tackle leaves a big RIP in his jumper. (I'll show a photo of this) Aggression not seen since the David Schwarz days. ROOS IS INFURIATED BY THIS MISTAKE. Brings the group in to talk to them, presumably to avoid that in the future. Best thing I've seen a coach do at Melbourne training. Of course, the boys go for a stretch AFTER I move. New drill I've seen - pick the ball up, kick to wingman standing on a hat, kick to player running from centre square inside 50, kick a goal. N.Jones nails a kick to Spencer who takes it on the burst + kicks a goal. I am impress. So are the boys with yells of 'SPENCILLLLLLLL' ringing around Gosch's. The boys are enjoying themselves immensely. Mitch looks imposing and I'm frightened. So will opposition defenses if he's fully fit. Group split in two - more stoppage work. I'm at the far end where Roos is. There is more defensive tackles than the start of pre season. Dunn lays a crunching tackle on Howe and Toumpas is praised by Roos for his vision in traffic. Spencer/Strauss/McDonald now watching on from the sidelines but doing some ball work. Drill restarts. Some BRILLIANT pressure by the defensive team forces a turnover. These are scenes I've not seen for a long time. If at all. Harmes takes the challenge on. Takes a handball on the burst, evades N.Jones and does brilliantly. Roos is very supportive of Terlich, praising him for his effort. Another drill. Working on ball movement around the ground. Watts does not go hard enough at the footy and Cross punishes him by forcing a massive spoil. Cross stands out in these drills. He still has heaps to offer, but he had to do it at another club given the Dogs are assembling a super midfield. Harmes chases Viney down! Impressive! Westrupp struggling yet again. I'm not sure he's cut out for this. It was worth a go but I don't think it will work. Garland tackles Clark in a defensive drill and Mitch immediately grabs the ankle/foot. The right one. (this happened right in front of where I was standing) Toumpas leaves early. I'm not too focused on that because the big news is Clark. He isn't limping but he is sore. UPDATE: Clark is okay and rejoins. Approaches Garland, gives him a bro-hug. DON'T DO THAT AGAIN MITCH. Garland has a spell along with the first year players. Jetta goes to the sidelines too. Heart rate is still high. Mitch is sprinting now. *Wipes plenty of sweat of brow* Dom Tyson is progressing. Still has plenty of strapping on his knee. Thighs are HUGE wow. Mitch goes off. Hopefully as a precaution after earlier. Another drill. Apologies as I completely lost concentration and remained concerned about Mitch. It's a full ground drill which involved ball use. The boys are implored to slow it down and be wary of your options. Hogan's working up to the wing from the forward line. Expect plenty of that in 2014. Bernie Vince effortlessly gets 60m goals. Session surprisingly finished up afterwards. Photoshoot being done with Watts and Robbo for New Age Caravans as I walked out.

Really?

Of course, but I just hung out with Machsy on the fence and didn't see anything so here's tasmanlvr's report from Bigfooty: + Notes Rehab: Kent, Clisby, McKenzie, Blease, Tyson, Hogan? Could be a rest day for Hoges'. Hogan, Clark and Byrnes headed off. To the gym I'm presuming. Evans, Barry too. Blease running laps. Started with runthroughs and stretches. Grimes and Clisby are walking laps. Groups of three doing 50% sprints. Short 25m kicks. Toumpas looks like he's got a tat over the off season? (Edit: paint) Never noticed it till now. Group split into three. Group on the wind doing short kicks keeping it away from three defenders. Group nearest to us (we were in the forward pocket) had JKH, King, Howe, Salem, Westrupp, Tapscott and Bail. Involved kick from 35m out to the goalsquare - one on one contest with Miller. Group at the back doing some defensive drills, getting the ball out from defense. IT IS COLD. Same drill but altered to include a handball. JKH copped a solid falcon. Group comes together and does a handball drill. Gawn and Tyson have left to do running on the alternate oval with Blease. Spencer, McDonald and Strauss doing non contact work. Toumpas hit the deck copping a bump from I believe Nicho. Lands awkwardly, limps initially. Walks it off and continued on. Thank goodness. Terlich leaves the main group to do some running. Hopefully he doesn't have a hammy niggle. A weaving drill followed. Three handballs before the next group goes, and so on. Addition of defender afterwards. I like. Kick added. This is a seriously good drill. Might try to add it in local footy. Full ground drill afterwards. Drill was changed about a little bit. Harmes is good. Makes right decisions, knows when to handball etc. Some of the group doing 300s except for first year players. Another full grounder based on movement around the ground + goal at the end. A new drill that I haven't seen. One player at one end, a small group at the other and a large group in the middle, half defending, half attacking. JKH as a defender, brilliant pressure on Harmes. Garland lays a great tackle on Frawley and Jones nails Pedo. Salem goes flying after a bump. Nicho wants to kill everyone he sees. Eyes light up when there's an opportunity to bump. JKH taking on everyone. More 300s for the >2nd year players. Bail and Nicho are dominant. Cross, Watts and Toumpas just behind. Westrupp struggling way behind the group. Like, a long way behind. Melbourne V Essendon level behind. Full ground drill based on ball use. In the fierce wind. One thing you notice on the track is that Nathan Jones is very quiet. You don't hear him seriously demanding the ball. Even young blokes like Toumpas and more experienced guys like Howe make some serious noise on the track but you don't hear any from Jones. It'd surprise most who can't attend training. Ball use decent in the wind. Same drill, but defenders added. Drill altered again. (Last drill seemingly) Working from defense. The first drill - defenders don't touch it. Slow, methodical build up. Un-Melbourne like.

Crossed my mind too. Went there once or twice a few decades ago

Might have to go for the flashing lights and bright colours

Tee hee

Great report thanks JJJ

On the training thread on BF, someone posted Demonland is now claiming Jackattack7's work as their own FMD. You seem to be one of the few who can read around here AND there!

READ THIS: Source: tasmanIvr from Bigfooty Thank you TasmanIvr ^^^^ BY TASMANIVR - Not Roger

I'm quite keen to see Riley poleaxe someone but the big 3 for me are: Tyson Hogan Watts (the Roos version) Oh and Michie

Ripper report from BF - Thanks JackAttack7: DISCLAIMER: I'm on my phone so excuse typos. Roos standing in the middle of the ground, watching over everyone. A silent guardian. A watchful protector. The Dark Knight. Not too much of a crowd out here today. I don't know how you lot manage to do such great reports, the players all just look tiny to me! I weigh about 60kg over 187cm and I think I might be bigger than JKH and Jayden Hunt. Kids are tiny! Jesse Hogan's kicking for goal has been very sharp so far. If he can nail this, he'll be near faultless. Mitch Clark looking very good. Hitting targets lace out and really being a leader out there. Very vocal, seems like he's everywhere. Jack Watts dropped a mark. Immediately looked around to make sure no one saw. He looks just a tiny bit laconic to me, though maybe I'm being harsh. Alex Georgiou is very well built. They're doing a very odd exercise now where one player has the ball, lying on the ground, and another tries to rip it off him. It's a horizontal wrestle. Viney and N Jones look like they'd kill each other to get it. Couple of supporters sitting on the sidelines yakking and having a gossip about Frank or Lucy or someone else from bridge/poker/bingo. Absolute pain. Hogan is freaking enormous. Bigger than Clark, perhaps. Gets on well with the supporters. There's a big focus on making passes and then running very hard to follow up your effort. Players are kicking off half back to very strong leads and then running to the goal square. Toump and Strauss making it look easy. Clisby impressive too, a very good overhead mark. Daniel Cross is very vocal, seems to be having a lot of fun. Nathan Jokes slightly under kicks one. Forces himself to go back and start again, of his own volition. Great example. There's a massive circuit going on. Every player doing the drill at various parts of the ground and moving between stations. A lot of movement. It's free flowing football, with a focus on the corridor. No sign of the Neeld boundary hogging. Rehab group is Garland, Spencer, McKenzie, Tapscott, Byrnes, others I can't recognise from a distance, what looks like Jetta and ... Salem, who is rotating between rehab and the main group. No sign of Tyson or Dawes. Vince is wearing a tank top. Looks huge. Hogan hits the ball so hard with his hands when he marks I'm afraid it might burst. Salem doing 300m runs around the oval while everyone else is playing football hahaha. There's a very exciting exercise going on to do with our kick out strategy. Far removed from the 'kick it to Jamar' of years gone past. Involves a kick from deep left back pocket to right half back, then a handball pass to a runner who either kicks it to the a bit right of the centre square or runs to a wing and passes in. Everyone then does a six man weave to half forward, hits a target, and keeps running. Very fast moving from goal to goal. If Hogan and Hunt were in school together, Hogan would be a year 12 and Hunt would be his year 7 buddy. Serious case of the baby face, or Hogan just looks like a man child. Other draftees having a laugh at Salem, who's still doing laps while they go off and sit in the shade. Salem practically begging and asking one of the fitness blokes "Am I done? Can I go do skills now?" Sounds like a kid at Auskick/under 9s training. Gets straight back into joining the main group while the other draftees head back to AAMI/rehab. Gawn doing laps now. Making some good time. The earth sinks beneath his feet with every stride. Salem is obviously being managed very carefully. Keeps separating from the main group to do a one-on-one handball/ground work drill. Back to running laps now. The look on his face is priceless. Gotta feel for the kid, doing what he's told but it's hilarious. Group comes to a break. Chips sneaks off and has a kick on goals from 50. Misses the lot. Defenders rip into him - "Give it up mate!" He curses at them. A few players wearing yellow vests, not sure what's happening. Vests playing a half field game, I think. Some ancient bloke who looks like a wizard with a Dumbledore style beard is talking to the draftees and taking photos with them. Just hope he doesn't turn them into frogs. Dom Barry is in a vest. Needs to work on his endurance. Toumpas needs to work on physical strength and contested ball. Watts in the midfield is going to be such an asset. Finds space in the middle of packs and then hits targets 40m away on his left and right feet. I definitely would not worry about Mitch Clark's foot. He's flying through the air. Reach and grab looks effortless, absolutely clunking marks. Tapscott seems like a toppish bloke. Jordie, Spence, Gawn and Tapscott doing a ball drill using a rebound may on the sideline and they keep stopping to commentate the match simulation going on on the ground. Fairly hilarious. Nicholson is looking very good. Dunn's disposal is precise. Don't mean to brag but Spencer missed a pass and the ball rolled over to me. Kicked it back and for a 'Cheers mate' from Jordie. Dunn v Hogan in the contests, Dunn winning easy. As soon as the ball falls to the ground the midfielders/smaller players try to rove it and kick a goal. Crossy, Vince and M Jones very good at this. Cross is filthy whenever he misses the goals. Tappy a fan favourite for sure, very jovial with the supporters. There's a few very young looking kids here, that I don't think are listed. One look suspiciously like Billy Stretch but I might have been seeing things. Another was having a wrestle with Roos, could be his son. Has been wearing a polo and helping with carrying balls, equipment, etc. Finished off with a 50m beep test style running exercise for about 20 minutes. Tom McDonald the best here. Watts, Clark, M Jones and Hogan also standing out. Towards the end midfielders are starting to dominate, namely Nicho and Cross. Hogan now the best. Nothing this kid can't do. He's so quick even over shorter distances(20m-30m) Clarkey just passed Rogers as top scorer for our first innings, setting me up for a nice pay day. Just thought I'd throw that in there. Having a chat will Millzy and the other coaches, they're quietly very pleased with how the group is training. That's a wrap! Nice day to be at training. Happy to answer any player-specific questions or otherwise.

No it's not. He had minor knee surgery and we were advised he wouldn't start full running until just before Christmas IIRC (and full training after)

Not with Roos' record at NAB Cups

WTF? Liam got to and played at the highest level? His issues were, not only unique, but hardly down to the MFC. Quite different to Richmond eg Relton Roberts and Troy Taylor

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-12-03/davey-now-a-tiger Joining the tigs in an assistant coaching, playing, mentoring for their (now) stand alone VFL team. Not I bad move. The toiges have a second to none record of appalling aboriginal player management/development.

2014 Melbourne guernsey numbers 1 – Jesse Hogan 2 – Nathan Jones 3 – Christian Salem (new player) 4 – Jack Watts 5 – Jimmy Toumpas 6 – Chris Dawes 7 – Jack Viney 8 – James Frawley 9 – Jack Trengove 10 – Shannon Byrnes 11 – Mitch Clark 12 – Dom Tyson (new player) 13 – Jordie McKenzie 14 – Lynden Dunn 15 – Mitch Clisby (new number – previously No.50) 16 – Dean Kent (new number – previously No.34) 17 – Sam Blease 18 – Daniel Cross (new player) 19 – James Strauss 20 – Colin Garland 21 – Cameron Pedersen 22 – Viv Michie (new player) 23 – Bernie Vince (new player) 24 – Jay Kennedy-Harris (new player) 25 – Tom McDonald 26 – Daniel Nicholson 27 – Aidan Riley (new player) 28 – 29 – Jayden Hunt (new player) 30 – 31 – Jack Grimes 32 – Michael Evans 33 – Dom Barry 34 – 35 – Luke Tapscott 36 – 37 – Max Gawn 38 – Jeremy Howe 39 – Neville Jetta (regained No.39 after being redrafted) 40 – Mark Jamar 41 – Alex Georgiou (new player) 42 – Jake Spencer 43 – James Harmes (new player) 44 – Rohan Bail 45 – Matt Jones 46 – Dean Terlich 47 – Max King (new player) 48 – Jack Fitzpatrick 49 – 50 – Maia Westrupp (his first number)

Posters seem to only comment on Terlich's decision making when on the offensive, with room for forgiveness given our midfield woes etc. I would argue his defensive decision making is equally shite. He's routinely in a quandary about whether to go for the footy or defend his man and gets stuck in no man's land and is out of the contest. I agree with all his positives but his decision making is rubbish. Interestingly, IIRC, Roos (in special comments role) said of Terlich something to the effect - 'Geez, I'd love to teach this guy how to tighten up' or 'see this guy tighten up' - which to me translated as - he has a bit to offer if this part of his game can be sorted.

Great work thanks TQ - how did your namesake travel?

Pavement pizza design?

Sure it's not the cheersquad's ratings? Oh well - where was Salem and JKH rated? Who else is up there and available - Eli Templeton, Battersby etc?

Good - I thought 4 years was too long

I thought Vince got 4 years?

Happy to verify this for you DD

Quigley's 2013 mock is in - enjoy: http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/quigleys-2013-mock.1041146/

Huh? His 50th best player is Matt Crouch http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/footy-tragics-top-50-power-rankings-progressive.1040150/