rumpole

Jetta has two and we trail by only 7 points - 6.2.38 to 7.3.45

Blues now 2 goals in front. You can stop chewing the nails.

Very powerful.

It's an insult to the oldest football club on this planet and to DB and the football department to suggest we're tanking. The three players out this week are all injured. Sylvia let his team down with an undisciplined act that should not have occurred given his past history. A week at Casey is not going to hurt him. It's all about managing your list, instilling discipline and nuturing your players for future success. Nothing to do with tanking whatsoever.

WJ. Just wondering if you've ever tried to run a case using that colourful translation of the time honoured legal maxim of caveat emptor?

Got to stop Goodes!

A good mate of mine from SA reckons that Jack Trengove has been playing in the seniors at Sturt the past couple of weeks and says that he's been "superimpressive" against the men. His verdict? "Think Rich!" If Scully is as good as he's cracked up to be and a couple of meaningless wins at this stage of the season prevent us from getting these two players they will go down in history as monumental defeats. Do we need Carlton and Richmond's (Wallace has already 'fessed up) efforts in 2007 to show us how to do things properly and get an advantage in a competition that's hopelessly compromised anyway?

Shane Valenti is one of those players who never put in a bad game at VFL level but struggles in the AFL. This is probably due to the fact that he doesn't get much game time when he plays for the Dees where he is competing against players with bigger reputations.

There's always room in the team for players with Wheels' class and experience. Besides, Jamie Bennell will probably need a break soon and they do tend to rest the younger players. Whelan could also be played off the bench.

I don't know what the fuss is with Wallace. Has anyone seen how the Dockers are being coached lately?

Martin Flanagan is doing a great job again as the Age journalist embedded inside the Melbourne Football Club - Devil in the Dee-tale. However ... he did commit one clanger: Please bone up on your MFC history mate! Either that or don't sit next to to people suffering from memory loss and believe what they're telling you is true. By 1967 our # 1 member was already in his third year as captain coach of Carlton.

Chook. Haven't I seen you before on a You Tube clip?

Touchy aren't we? WJ's point is right though and you proved it with your throwaway line about Newton. Throughout the alignment Melbourne gave way to Sandy on most issues. Here's an example of Casey doing something for its alignment partner and it rightly gets praised. No need to throw a hissy fit now - just worry about when the Saints start embracing Frankston.

Great stuff fellas. Different views - interesting.

$4.8m for 3 years. That's considerably more than has been stated previously! Are you sure?

The only way for Spencer to get on the list sooner than later is by a player going onto the long term injury list which means the player in question has to be genuinely injured and would have to remain on the lti until at least round 9 i.e not even a game with the Scorps (or even school footy for that matter). Robbo wants to play in April, Jamar has a toe injury, Wheats a calf, Aussie has a hammy and McNamara and Maric are back in training. We don't have any options ATM.

What he said - forward line is inept. The disappointing aspect to my mind was the fact that the numbers in attandeance were poor and there were almost as many Sydney fans there as there were Melbourne supporters. No wonder the AFL shunts us off to far away places. This was our first competitive hit out for the year, albeit only a practice match. It was in a centrally located venue and our fans don't turn up to support their team. They couldn't even use the snow for an excuse. Pi$$ poor.

DEMONS READY FOR NEW SEASON MELBOURNE is confident it can lock in dual major sponsors before its first home game against North Melbourne on March 29. And the Demons are looking to replicate the boon of the Kangaroos' Grand Final breakfast by hosting an annual AFL-endorsed lunch before the start of each season. President Jim Stynes said yesterday the club was close to finalising its sponsorship arrangements for the year ahead. "We've had someone else jump in a few days ago to show an interest," Stynes said. "They have put up a certain amount of money. It is a little bit short, but they could well be a part of the overall deal.

Latest rumour is that MFC will shortly announce not one but two major sponsors. Neither will be kicking in the top dollars but the combined total will exceed the sum of most single major sponsors.

Good to see Ricky Petterd in fine fettle. He deserves success after all he's been through.

For the duration of the NAB Cup you can play your rookies so there's no need to elevate any rookies ATM.

Three strikes for Buddy. You call that fiction?

A couple of points regarding comments made on this thread: I was at a relatively high level meeting of club supporters 4/5 weeks before Xmas and spoke to CC in the presence of others about sponsorships. No mention was made about any deal being anywhere close to or over the line. CC told us it was a hard slog in the prevailing economic environment. I don't agree that the failure to get Mission Foods is an embarrasment. The Bullies finished top 4 last year and have a far superior fixture in terms of the high commercial value Friday night games. We were always going to struggle to seal a deal. We were on a hiding to nothing.

All politics and we are the football getting kicked around. The MCC will have a revolution on its hands if it doesn't resolve the matter, not to mention the fact that it risks the AFL reallocating funds from the doomed West Sydney project to fund the cosntruction of a boutique stadium at Casey Fields that might house up to a dozen games a year when the less popular interstate clubs play local clubs in Melbourne.

Brad Smith was drafted by WCE and had two knee recos so the Eagles applied to have him listed as a mature age rookie. The AFL refused the application. Smith was definitely not going to play the following year. He wasn't photographed training doing ruckwork a week before the application was lodged and the AFL didn't have the mouthwatering carrot of a round 1 bonanza game involving Judd and Cousins as an incentive in making a decision. Now. Can someone please define the word "corruption" for me B) ?