Earl Hood

Love seeing the team bonding stuff. Viney, Brayshaw, Petracca, Tyson, Michie, Jones... that's a core worth getting around.

Look at Petracca's abs!!!

OK who got the kayak then? Can't we afford more than one for the midfield group?

Since supporting the Dees as a kid in the late 70s we have not had a superstar player with the exception of perhaps Robert Flower in the early 80s when Flower represented 80% of the talent on the entire Melbourne list. In all my years of supporting only two other players excited me to the point that I thought we had finally recruited a superstar. These players from the early 90s are Schwarz and Jackovich. Unfortunately neither went on, Jackovich partied too hard and Schwartz was never the same after 3 (back to back) knee reconstructions. Since this time there has been no Melbourne player that I have believed has the genuine capacity to be the best player in the league, to be a genuine superstar.

In 2013 circumstance allowed me to attend nearly all Casey games. From round 1 it was clear that we had recruited something very, very special, a young 17yo by the name of Hogan. Each week I went to watch Casey, each week I became more impressed at what I was seeing. Super fast, super big, amazing agility, fantastic kick, calm, cleaver and hungry this kid has the entire package. Watching him was something in-between Carey and Lockett. Yes he looked that good. Whether playing CHF or FF the guy is all class and skill. I believe he is only the 4th Melbourne player in my lifetime that I believe has the ability to develop into the best player in the league.

Now some here will say "stop, don't put any more pressure on this kid". However, from my conversations with him and from what appears to be his character, I don't think expectations are going to make any difference to the young man. Clearly the expectation horse has already bolted, he is on a $500,000pa contract which makes him the highest paid player in the history of AFL not to have played a game. Some random on Demonland saying he has the ability to be the superstar is not going to make any difference to expectations. In saying that I don't expect Hogan to be Carey next season, 30 goals from 20 games would be an excellent return and put him on track to become a superstar.

So for me the most important player for 2015 for the MFC is Hogan. I am so excited!!!!!!

Go the hulk.

Oh I hope you are correct GNF but in the modern world our biggest concern may be to not just to uncover a superstar but how do we keep these guys?

Sorry WYL. Not wishing to be pedantic, but that would be Ben Gazzara

Is that "Run for your life" Ben?

Geelong are definitely the front runners in the race to sign Danger. He met up with Chris Scott for a 2 hour long chat on the 2nd Jan at Skilled.

Rather he goes to the cats than the Hawks! Don't want them lining up for a 4peat!!

I've lost four kilos on the Palio diet.

I now trawl the country roads for road kill and search fo protein continuously .

I have become more mentally unstable than ever,though most of you are aware of my decline,but physically I am sexier than ever.

btw- how many roids does Goodwin have left over?are they still relevant?do they work?

heamaroids?

Yes I was aware of that but surely he must have written something with a less that totally down ending.

He was drunk half his life it obviously did not make him cheerful which probably explains it all.

The Old Man and the Sea? The old man survived but Ernest put him through hell first in that little boat!

I didn't know where to put this but I just heard on Perth seven news that Colin Sylvia has been put on notice from Freo because of the condition he has come back in from holidays.

They are not happy with this skin fold numbers.

Glad his not our problem anymore.

Slow learner it seems. Could be delisted before he realises he is in a professional environment. Begs the question, he probably did the same at MFC for nearly 10 pre seasons.

The atmosphere at the darts is incredible. If we can replicate that, then we are onto a winner. Not sure an announcer yelling "six" has the same ring to it than "one hundred and eigghhhttyy" But the dressing up of the fans could be done. I know we say in jest that more alcohol is probably not a good idea. But could you imagine if we had a big section of the crowd that dressed up, drank beer, sang and acted like yobo's. I think it's a winner.

TGO I tried last season, the Suns game at the G likely to be pretty boring so myself and some mates thought we would introduce the Darts game day experience. I had dressed in a long sleeved tropical shirt, floral shorts with black skins underneath to combat the cold. All this was touched off with the Demon scarf and hat, pure class, I thought. However on trying to enter the G I had my white plastic chair and plastic table confiscated by security. What do you do? I was livid but then trying to have drinking games with low strength beer in small plastic cups....why bother! Stuffed the whole day up for me and the boys. Oh and we lost the game as usual!

AFLPA Induction

Angus Brayshaw ~ very impressive.

Looking at his hairline I am comparing him to Robert Harvey. Very long and distinguished career ahead I predict.

I say we have a good look at the blueprint they are using for International Darts competitions. That is working a treat, imagine replicating the Etihad Darts experience at the G on a Saturday Arvo!

My sources tell me that BBO may be doing a Kurtz some time soon. He is getting [censored] in the tropical lowlands so far as we all know but his real mission is to go up river to engage the tribes and who knows what from there as he goes into the "Heart of Darkness". Oh the horror! He is a long way from Romsey that is all I will say.

Lot of love for McDonald here. Apart from his running ability l find him bog ordinary.

Even if Frost struggles I believe our back half is OK. Jetta, TMac, Dunn, Grimes, Howe, the Prince, Garland, Watts I think we can work with down back. We have bigger offensive issues we need to deal with this season.

Extraordinary images from the storming of their hideout. Never seen so many armed police in one place. Let's hope it ends here.

...but if we look at the good points of the EPL then the supporter at least has interest in the competition for most if not all of the season. For us the only interest we've had over the last few years after the first game is the draft. Hardly a satisfying result.

The benchmark is the US NFL apparently. Even though the teams are privately owned by billionaires the NFL insists on equalisation policies hoping that every team can beat the other and there is a different Superbowl winner each year, so I am informed. What a far cry from our parochial league. The EPL inequity works because the players and supporters have so many other diversions, European cups, FA, League Cups, higher honours playing for your nation and in the World Cup and on and on. NRL has higher honours but AFL has nothing higher. So we do have a lot in common with the NFL, if only we could take on board some of their ideas for equalisation. Not sure how they do it but there is a draft and strict controls on free agency; I believe top teams can't rape bottom teams in FA but not sure how else they even things up.

Cant agree here RJAY

This would be my walk up start team -

JETTA EMPTY DUNN

H MCDONALD EMPTY

WATTS JONES EMPTY

VINCE DAWES EMPTY

GARLETT HOGAN HOWE

EMPTY TYSON CROSS

VINEY EMPTY EMPTY EMPTY

I'm not a fan of the term "walk up start" but if I was a fly on the wall in Roos office looking at his whiteboard I reckon it would read something like that.

Dunn is a sure starter for round 1 for me. He is mature, strong, fit and finally focused and ready to be a leader. I think he can run off half back this season and play a more attacking role along with the Prince on the other flank. I also see him swinging forward at times and Howe going back, all to create a more flexible and unpredictable lineup.i have Garland in a pocket along with Jetta and Frost at fullback.

Looks like a no go thread at the moment. Tensions are very high and I am struggling to follow the vitriolic responses. It is a sad day for all, no matter your beliefs except for those two or three well trained, mindless and godless perpetrators who are on the run. May they soon be dealt with by the French authorities.

Thank you all for the wonderfully unfunny posts. I've just enjoyed Nasi maguluring for makan pagi - maybe my last as I'm waiting on an air Asia flight to Jogjakarta . Stayed at an $18 per night losmen last night. It had a pool - roughly the size of my dining table

Sheer luxury I say! You lucky ba*tard!

So romsey,an al quiada training base?

Hmmm, I notice BBO has referred to "the lads" in a number of posts and having to spend significant celebration days with them rather than family. I am getting a sense that there may be a cult operating in Romsey and that BBO may be one of their unwilling followers. God help him!

More likely Mission Impossible or Austin Powers.

Or Maxwell Smart!

terrorist warning to tourists travelling to Indonesia

BBO flies out to Indonesia and then a terrorist warning is issued. Just a coincidence DC? I wonder.

Holy crap:

How old is Jack? 19? 20?

Unbelievable...

(Thanks for pic Saty)

This image is a bit worrying. Yes it does look very NRL (as in explosive speed, crash and bash) not modern aFL where players are slimming down to improve their endurance. Roos may have to ban him from the gym and get him running.

No, I'm not blaming everything back on Dawes but I am having a critical look at his game.

I agree with you that he got a lot more attention and I agree that he will not take everything. No one does and it is not a strength of his anyway, I do expect him to improve in this area though and he can't afford to drop some of the sitters that he does.

I'm not convinced about his on field leadership but I would concede he is a good representative in media interviews. The trouble I see on field is that he will get stuck into teammates then make the exact same mistake. I'm particularly talking about him taking shots that he should give off to teammates in a better position.

He was brought to the club on good dollars to be a key forward, I don't wear this 2nd or 3rd forward stuff, he needs to perform and at the moment his on ground performance for whatever reason hasn't been up to scratch.

His inability to gain possession is sometimes because of poor delivery but often he contributes to the poor delivery by his own poor positioning.

Rjay I put up a thought bubble in another thread that years ago Darren Bennet managed to kick 87 goals despite his inability to take an overhead mark. My faded memory is of him being a stay at home full forward who got a lot of goals from leading out at the on coming play and taking the ball on his chest. He was big enough and fast enough for it to work. As soon as Jackovich came in and claimed possession of the goal square, Bennett faded away because he could not take a high mark to save himself. My proposal was that Dawes play a similar role as the stay at home full forward leading straight out from the square at the ball carrier. If someone drops into the hole in front, he can do the David Neitz act and take them out, crash the pack and bring the ball to ground. Could he manage 2 or 3 goals a game playing as an old fashioned forward?

Just a reminder that the new series of Danger 5 is on SBS 2 tomorrow night! Should be worth a look. Currently looking at the first series on SBS tonight. It is truly ridiculous, but remember to kill Hitler!

Anyway it is a good break from the Game of Thrones I have had to watch for the past two weeks, while on ho

Idays. What the hell is going on there, I am confused, too many kingdoms for me but it is interesting at times. Me being a history buff the whole series and books could have been based on an actual period of history and been just as entertaining without having to be fantasy but that is just my preference.

We r not very good, we have castoffs in vince, cross, newton et al and some young talent which will take 2 to 3 years to show value, viney is gutsy but undersized imo, Hogan too young to dominate yet, jury still out on that little Italian, can't remember name too many grandma's slippers, frost no replacement for frawley as yet, all in all we will struggle in 2015 my friends

Who is the little Italian? Toumpas is Greek, Salem is Lebanese, Petracca?

I am hoping it is JKH and Frost. If it is Toumpas I will be over the moon as well. Hedging? Yes!