rumpole

* three players are on 44 goals for the season/ Jonathan Brown, Lance Franklin and Brad Green. * who has the worst moustache / Austin or Lynden? * with four rounds to go we've averted the wooden spoon for the first time in Dean Bailey's reign as coach. * who says percentage means nothing to the MFC because of the draw? If the Hawthorn slump continues and the Dees keep coming then there's a chance we might finish on an equal number of wins and separated only by percentage!

Time for a complete overhaul of the rookie list next year. I can't see us retaining Maric, Newton, Hughes or Healey (all too injury prone). Jordie McKenzie and Jake Spencer to get uplifted permanently to the main list.

Really? You know, this is supposed to be a forum where people can express their opinions on football matters but if you don't like a particular footballer, commentator or any personality associated with the game, why not give us all your reasons instead of mounting ad hominem attacks. Taylor usually supports his opinions with reasons and even if you don't agree with them, the fact that he gives his justifications, allows you to debate his views. To call someone "brainless" without providing reasons says more about you than it does about Taylor. If you reckon he's harsh on the Melbourne Football Club just think that the club can answer its detractors by the way it performs on the field. It's amazing how few the criticisms are of the MFC when the boys perform like they did for most of the game against one of Taylor's former teams in Collingwood.

Just out of interest, what were the official statistics for forward 50 entries by both sides and how many marks did each side take in their own forward 50 and in their defensive 50? Where would you find these stats?

I'm in. Good luck!

I love the way that some people take a throwaway line from a commentator on television and turn it into what amounts to character assassination. It's really our version of the tall poppy syndrome, isn't it? Fact is, the claims about Jack's attitude are nothing but speculation and innuendo. It's time to cut the kid some slack.

Quite right too. They're our boys and should be addressed properly. If I see another reference to Trengrove I'll explode.

Report in Inside Football suggests that Kyle faces a long rehab and won't be playing at all this year. I wish him well on the long road to recovery.

Absolute genius. How many times have we seen this happen since Bailey became coach? We play stupid unaccountable football in the first half of a game and are getting thrashed and subsequently, we change our approach and all of a sudden we look a million times better. Proves there is no game plan.

What a fantastic idea. Let's forget about the core reason why the club exists and instead we can offer to help out in the kitchen.

I wonder if Petterd might become a target for Gold Coast seeing that he comes from Broadbeach? If he did go, how would we be compensated?

As usual, we've been assigned an away game to kick off the NAB Cup again this year - Fremantle at Subiaco. I'd like to think we might be able to win a couple of these games so that we can get a chance to go and watch the team in a competitive pre season game on a decent ground. The early losers of NAB Cup fixtures get shunted around country and interstate venues. The AFL site has an article saying: "The AFL is finalising the NAB Challenge fixture, with games scheduled in Alice Springs (NT), Blacktown (NSW), Joondalup (WA), Morwell (Vic), Mt Gambier (SA), Narrandera (NSW), North Ballarat (Vic), Southport (Qld) and Yea (Victoria), as well as Elizabeth in outer suburban Adelaide and Casey Fields in outer suburban Melbourne as the competition progresses." Apart from Casey Fields, I would have little chance of attending so please Dees, go for the wins in the NAB Cup!

A very good summation of the highlights although I would put Grimes at the top of the list. Matty Bate looks like a key forward but I'd like to see him take more contested overhead marks before I would play him as a KPF.

It would be ludicrous to compare McLean with six year's experience to Gysberts who has yet to play a game. Despite that the Gysberts I saw yesterday is every chance of making a good AFL player.

Sticks has handed out his punishments to Houlihan, Walker and Betts but it looks like the Levi Casboult incident has been conveniently swept under the carpet. Nicely done Blues. Now all you have to do is get past Demetriou and you're home safe.

So Mr. Spacey, you would attribute Melbourne's low injury rate over the pre season to date to random good luck or good preparation/maintenance/management etc?

One of the club's biggest and most active supporter groups are the Devil's Advocates. They might have something to say about you sir!

I'm at the Mates of Melbourne function at the MCG and they have a tipping competition to name our four selections and guess what? There's no ball.

Fascinating. Truly fascinating!

The equation might have changed but it's still possible that we could take all three in the draft with us being largely in control of the decision making process. I believe that despite Ball's pig headed attitude up to date including his refusal to meet the club, it would be in his best interests to take a moment and reconsider his position. He has absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain by meeting the Demons. Firstly, Dean Bailey has already told the world that if Ball told him to his face that he didn't want to come to the club then it would be a short meeting and yet Ball hasn't taken up the challenge. He knows exactly what he has to do to ensure that the Demons don't select him with pick 18 and yet he's baulked at the opportunity. I guess it tells us one thing and that is he is not the leader we expected him to be. Secondly, despite the low esteem in which Ball appears to hold our club, it's about time he opened up his eyes. Since the beginning of the off-season Melbourne has been receiving favourable publicity by the bucketload - even more than Collingwood where all a player has to do is break wind in public and it's on the front and back pages of the newspapers. We're in the news almost on a daily basis whether it be speculation on our draft picks and the way we utilized the new mature age rookie rules to maximize the number of selections available, Liam and Jimmy in the red centre, our upgraded facilities, Joel Macdonald as likely PSD selection and now the venture into China involving us playing an international end of season exhibition fixture in Shanghai. Talk to most people about our club and they understand that our future's bright. Ball doesn't have to want to be a part of our future but by not even giving us the courtesy of a brief chat he might live to regret his actions. I don't understand however, why he's so reluctant to make eyeball contact with the people in our club. Besides, he should be kind to people as he might already be on the way down.

To the Ball family and Collingwood. Be careful what you wish for. The prodigal son is heading possibly for an interstate destination and if nobody takes him ahead of pick 30 on draft day then he will come at great cost to a club in the last uncompromised draft and step into Antony Rocca's shoes. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch.

Good luck to the young fella. Small body, big heart. Hope he gets picked up on some club's list.

Just a second. Isn't the owner of the Gold Coast soccer club bad mouthing the new AFL GC17 franchise and doing his level best to stop it from getting off the ground? Stuff FIFA and stuff soccer. They can all FO as far as I care!

not interest unless related to Johnny

All of the talk has been about the so-called regular season fixture but I'm just wondering if the AFL is going to screw us over again with the NAB Cup programme. The last two years we've been drawn away to the reigning premiers in the opening NAB Cup round. We've been sent to Darwin, Adelaide & Cairns. At a time when clubs are working their butts off to build up memberships it would be nice if we could get a pre season cup game in Melbourne. Is it too much to ask?