Rolling Stone

While it might be amusing to speculate about the make up of the team, I find it a useless exercise at this stage of the year. It's still January and we have a couple of months of pre season training, NAB Cup and practice matches to go before the selectors sit down to pick the team to play North in Round 1. Time will tell but I'd like to go on record as saying that, barring injury, Cam Bruce will be in the 22 for that game and I doubt whether Garland will be the Colin on our forward line.

There's no evidence of a major sponsor on the horizon and what's worse is that every time I pick up a newspaper I read about this company or that pulling out of a major sponsorship. Today it's Toyota pulling out of the Australian Rally Championships. I wish the club luck but this was a hell of a bad time for our Primus contract to end.

I agree with that one because it was the first sign we showed of the value of our emerging youth and especially down back. We worried the ultimate premiers all day and were still within striking distance just 8 rounds after the same opposition had pantsed us in the opening game. If we can build on that with further team and individual improvement, a healthy team and the introduction of some more skillful young players then we have a future.

I used to enjoy his stuff and respect that he's entitled to an opinion but he's fallen in my estimation recently. The 2007 and 2008 drafts have done it for me. Tom McNamara might well turn out to be an AFL player one day but to place him ahead of a Teal Cup winner in Cale Morton is sheer nonsense.

When are we going to see Part 3?

That's Casey Fields all right. Hard to believe that 5 years ago it was just a trotting track. In another 5 years it will have residential development all around it with thousands of potential Demon fans.

I don't think so.

Over at saintsational they're actually taking it out on Nathan Carroll. WTF, by comparison Carroll's a model citizen and comes a lot cheaper.

Gled we didn't have to make the decision after such a long and protracted period of speculation. Their supporters are going to be wiping the floor with that Board over the next few days.

Agree with the positive side of things. I was listening to that boor Dwayne Pipe on 3AW the other night and he was virtually making fun of the MFC and its list the way he was talking. Pity, former Demon G Healy didn't stand up to the [censored] and put him right back in his place.

Announced on Fox Sports News that the MFC captaincy would be decided soon ... definitely before the end of the year. My money's on Brock.

I think this all means that the presence of the wild cards can only help Melbourne's cause because it will add to the list of quality players available when our picks come around at 17 and 19.

Quite simple: the remaining 23 slaves (the 4 rookies don't count in the salary cap) play for the love of the game i.e. nothing. Fortunatley, said slaves manage to get by because they are lucky enough to co-incidentally all have spouses/partners/concubines/children gainfully employed by the Dick Pratt legal defence fund (an independent non profit making charitable institution registered with the CIA, FBI and ASIO) licking stamps on envelopes at a rate of $500.00 per hour.

Probably, but people still brought up PJ and the Russian as comparisons. The fact remains that Warnock has never done anything to earn a contract entitling him to $400k for four years. Good luck to him I say, his management has done brilliantly and they've used his connection with Matthew and the others at Melbourne perfectly to draw out the best possible offer. If I was a 22 year old spindly tall ruckman with 21 games under my belt and I got what the Blues are alleged to have offered, I would be giggling all the way across the Nullarbor. Of course, if Carlton are paying that sort of coin, they can't honestly expect to get him with draft pick # 24 and they can't afford to let him slip into the PSD. Fun and games coming up!

Again not the issue but since you brought it up, here are their comparative statistics: Warnock 9 games 101 disposals 11.22 average disposals 0 goals 1 behind 74 hit outs 8.22 average hitouts 11 tackles 1.22 tackles Jamar 14 games 115 disposals 8.21 average disposals 4 goals 2 behinds 261 hit outs 18.64 average hit outs 50 tackles 3.57 average tackles Johnson 16 games 220 disposals 13.75 average disposals 7 goals 4 behinds 149 hitouts 9.31 average hit outs 35 tackles 2.19 average tackles There's nothing special there from any of them and Warnock's numbers, even when allowing for the fact that he's the second string ruckman to Sandilands are nothing to suggest he's going to be the next best thing as a ruckman. I likened the situation to the euphoria of some Collingwood supporters when their club gave away a # 1 draft pick to get Cameron Wood. That doesn't mean I'm saying Warnock will be a dud but I do remain to be convinced and on exposed form and what I've seen of him, if he decides to go elsewhere I wouldn't be shedding any tears.

I don't normally make it my practice to watch Fremantle games but I have seen him in three or four televised games in which he played and I was somewhat underwhelmed. Perhaps I missed the really good stuff so if you could tell me in which of his handful of games played this year he stood out or did something to whet your appetite, then I will look out for that game in the event that it's replayed on Foxtel over the off season.

That's not the issue. If I'm not happy with Jamar and PJ going forward, then I wouldn't be happy with Jamar, PJ and another second rater either (and on that note, let's not forget that we have John Meesen parcelled up on a contract for another 2 years as well). I was asking whether he's really any good. Obviously, you think he is but I haven't seen anything in him that would get me excited.

It seems to me that there is a lot of fuss being made and a lot of money being thrown at a player who has notched up only 21 games, many of which have been with limited game time. So, he's very, very tall and looks agile but is that any guarantee that he's going to be any better a player at his new club than Cameron Wood at Collingwood?

But our forward line is our weakest link. Could it be a scoreless draw?

We had a young side uo against a team with finals aspirations. After half time, I don't think North kicked a goal without it being due to a gift from the maggots or from a self-inflicted turnover. Considering we had McLean, Green, Rivers, Wheatley, Moloney and Aussie out and we're not playing most of our over 30's, North should be ashamed that they won by less than 5 goals.

If Grimes is back then don't we have to put another player on the long term injury list to enable Aussie to keep playing (Aussie went on the senior list when Grimes was put on the LTI)?

It's precious of AD to lecture Melbourne on attracting crowds when its home gates have been larger than those of more successful clubs like the Bulldogs and North Melbourne. Wasn't this bloke the architect and the man responsible for the paltry crowd of 6,354 that turned up a few weeks ago to Carrara to watch the Roos play the Eagles?

Missed this on the day but send my wishes to Troy's family. He'll always be remembered!

Given his condition...it could be realistically in another lifetime when you do that

I suppose the club's waiting for the PSD and rookie drafts before making their final allocation of numbers. Maric in 35 sounds good to me!