Blueprint for Jimmy and the Demons!

[Supreme_Demon 3,899]

I found this interesting article by Mike Sheahan in the newspaper today.

Here's the link: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl...2-19742,00.html

In many ways, I have to admit that I actually agree with Mike Sheahan for a change.

Of course we can't follow exactly what Hawthorn did to get to Premiership success. However, I believe that a similar path should be followed.

Go Demons in 2012 perhaps?

[Geddy Lee 582]

Remember how Neale Daniher copied the style of the previous year's premier 2-3 times and it never worked? Yes we didn't have the cattle but it's a good metaphor for how quickly things change in this crazy sport.

Hawthorn recruited well and got lucky with Franklin coming good, Rioli making an immediate impact and Dew somehow reinventing himself.

Geelong got lucky with all its father son selections.

Maybe we get lucky with Garland and Watts and win the flag?

Football is mostly luck, just like we had atrocious luck with injuries in the mid 90s and didn't win the flag. Look at Hawthorn and Geelong injury lists this year. The business stuff will follow the on-field success and that comes down to luck with recruiting.

[H_T 3,049]

Blueprints seem to be the talk of the town. Geelong's blueprint to success was spoken of last year, Hawthorn's this year. Both are different in some ways, and the same in other ways.

Geelong recruited well from their picks, yet never really bottomed out (unlike Hawthorn) and developed their list.

Hawthorn struck gold with their high picks, traded well with players with value, like Rawlings, Hay, Thompson, Croad, Chick, Harford, etc in return for picks and developed their list.

The main blueprint objectives should be: -

Stability off the field including board room and administration

Quality people on the board with a plan for success off and on the field

Viable assets

Smart recruiting and list management

Well drilled football coaching department with appropriate resources

[Roost It 1,434]

The main blueprint objectives should be: -

Stability off the field including board room and administration

Quality people on the board with a plan for success off and on the field

Viable assets

Smart recruiting and list management

Well drilled football coaching department with appropriate resources

It makes you wonder what we've been upto at times.

[Guest Bozzie_Demons]

The Obviously hadn't been up to much!! This will change given the personell we have had on board. Long term Success.!! The only item i cant think of is a viable asset, and apprioriate resources.

[Timmuns 16]

yeah, they're all interesting points I reckon. We've never really ever had that 'Superstar' player like a Judd, Franklin, Goodes who can just break apart a match of footy - and the frustrating thing is we've still had the lows that Hawks, West Coast and others had where we were in the box seat to get a gun footballer but we just never capitalized... Let's hope we get it right with Watts... fingers crossed.

[Sir Why You Little 37,134]

Gee Mike I bet that Article took you all of 5 minutes to think of. What a Cutting edge Journalist you are. YAWN. Of course that is the path we must take. Going to be a bit Bloody Hard now though as the Fx!@#$%ing Gold Coast & Western Sydney becomer the AFL "Flavour of the Month" They must be assisted in every way. Why would the AFL want Melbourne to win a flag.

I would love to follow Hawthorn's Blueprint-Pity it is no longer possible!!!!

Why must we have 18 Teams WHY..............gimme one GOOD reason

[praha 11,240]

Remember how Neale Daniher copied the style of the previous year's premier 2-3 times and it never worked? Yes we didn't have the cattle but it's a good metaphor for how quickly things change in this crazy sport.

Hawthorn recruited well and got lucky with Franklin coming good, Rioli making an immediate impact and Dew somehow reinventing himself.

Geelong got lucky with all its father son selections.

Maybe we get lucky with Garland and Watts and win the flag?

Football is mostly luck, just like we had atrocious luck with injuries in the mid 90s and didn't win the flag. Look at Hawthorn and Geelong injury lists this year. The business stuff will follow the on-field success and that comes down to luck with recruiting.

Geelong didn't "get lucky". They developed a great culture and a great team that bonded well.

Luck has nothing to do with it. We're getting so many injuries because we don't have the facilities to maintain those injuries. It happens far too often for it to be "bad luck". It's how you recruit, the eye for talent, the culture of the club, the facilities. I don't think it's "luck" that Hawthorn won the flag now instead of ten years ago when they had nothing. It's gotten to a stage now were financial stability and off-field facilities are integral to success. You can't continue as a professional sporting club with facilities that are on-par with a junior football clubs' facilities. You could probably get away with it 15-20 years ago, but now you can't. Hawthorn reinvented its image and club, so did Geelong. When you couple off-field improvements with great recruiting, you have the answer to a flag.

ATM, we have nothing. No facilities and an unproven football department. The next 3 years will define the MFC like no other 3 years have. Like it was said in that article, Hawthorn turned the tide at the end of 2004. I guess you could say that our change in tide happened with the 2.5 mil and Styned jumping on board.

I hate to do this, but I blame a lot of Melbourne's current position on Daniher and his team, and on CAC. They were ignorant, stupid men that only had an eye for short-term instead of long-term. They tried quick fixes that didn't work, and when you couple that with a poor culture off field, you create a disaster, hence the past 2 years. Having Daniher stay on beyond 2003 was a volcano waiting to erupt. On-field and off-field compliment each other more than people realise. You won't see a club like NM in 99 win the flag again. They were poor with nothing, yet still managed to win it. That won't happen again. Unless you can develop a good list with a stable financial outlook, you have no chance.

[e25 5]

yeah, they're all interesting points I reckon. We've never really ever had that 'Superstar' player like a Judd, Franklin, Goodes who can just break apart a match of footy - and the frustrating thing is we've still had the lows that Hawks, West Coast and others had where we were in the box seat to get a gun footballer but we just never capitalized... Let's hope we get it right with Watts... fingers crossed.

Superstars aren't the answer, and the lack of them has never been MFC's problem. Did you see how Buddy Franklin did in the GF? Or Sam Mitchell? Or how Ablett was unable to do it all on his won for Geelong?

If the team performs, the better players end up being superstars in everyone's minds.

But its about team and club culture. Its about attitude and professionalism. Its about integrity.

And i think MFC has not had that over the last decade or more.

If anything what we HAVE had is LUCK. I really didn't think we deserved to compete as well as we did.

The odd years when we did poorly were more of a reflection of where the club was.

Its time for change, but one player in one draft will not do it. And thankfully, i think the current coaching staff and board realise that, even if a lot of our supporters don't.

[Roost It 1,434]

Superstars aren't the answer, and the lack of them has never been MFC's problem. Did you see how Buddy Franklin did in the GF? Or Sam Mitchell? Or how Ablett was unable to do it all on his won for Geelong?

If the team performs, the better players end up being superstars in everyone's minds.

You're right to a point. Superstars aren't the complete answer, but name 1 club who has won a premiership without one in the last 15 years, go back even longer and I doubt you'll find one. Champion players bring so much to a club. Think of the confidence and prestige Voss and Brown brought to Brisbane, Judd and Cousins to WC, Hird to Essendon, Ablett to Geelong and Franklin to Hawthorn. No just on the field but off it as well. Melbourne is crying out for a marquee player, it's one of the things we lack. Champions help lift and inspire not just the whole team but the whole club. I really hope we unearth one in this years draft.

[H_T 3,049]

You're right to a point. Superstars aren't the complete answer, but name 1 club who has won a premiership without one in the last 15 years, go back even longer and I doubt you'll find one. Champion players bring so much to a club. Think of the confidence and prestige Voss and Brown brought to Brisbane, Judd and Cousins to WC, Hird to Essendon, Ablett to Geelong and Franklin to Hawthorn. No just on the field but off it as well. Melbourne is crying out for a marquee player, it's one of the things we lack. Champions help lift and inspire not just the whole team but the whole club. I really hope we unearth one in this years draft.

Jack Watts.

[Wolfmother 182]

There was an intesting article in the HUN the other day which had a little bit about Fagan and how walking into Hawthorn from Melbourne he was amazed at the difference and how hard MFC had it.... Not sure what info he would give but the board should be seeking him out to get a full report on the difference as he was at Melbourne for ten years and will be able to identify was we need to change

[Guest Schtacker]

Jack Watts.

Cale Morton

[Guest Schtacker]

There was an intesting article in the HUN the other day which had a little bit about Fagan and how walking into Hawthorn from Melbourne he was amazed at the difference and how hard MFC had it.... Not sure what info he would give but the board should be seeking him out to get a full report on the difference as he was at Melbourne for ten years and will be able to identify was we need to change

Our entire coaching staff have all just come straight from other clubs. I think they know the standards.

[Wolfmother 182]

Our entire coaching staff have all just come straight from other clubs. I think they know the standards.

How many assistants at Melbourne have come from the MFC... all have been from other clubs but we still haven't changed the culture etc.... especially since the board/CEO/football manager are all old melbourne we need to seek out an old melbourne person who can tell us what the club is doing wrong from a baord/football management point of view

[*DeesGal* 0]

It was interesting to hear during Alistair Clarkson's speech after the GF actually saying that they had modelled their team on the Geelong team model four years back.

[H_T 3,049]

Cale Morton

I hope he is such a superstar as the Ablett, Cousins, Judd, Hird, Buckley, Voss's of this football world.

[Geddy Lee 582]

Geelong didn't "get lucky". They developed a great culture and a great team that bonded well.

Luck has nothing to do with it. We're getting so many injuries because we don't have the facilities to maintain those injuries.

It happens far too often for it to be "bad luck". It's how you recruit, the eye for talent, the culture of the club, the facilities. I don't think it's "luck" that Hawthorn won the flag now instead of ten years ago when they had nothing. It's gotten to a stage now were financial stability and off-field facilities are integral to success. You can't continue as a professional sporting club with facilities that are on-par with a junior football clubs' facilities. You could probably get away with it 15-20 years ago, but now you can't. Hawthorn reinvented its image and club, so did Geelong. When you couple off-field improvements with great recruiting, you have the answer to a flag.

ATM, we have nothing. No facilities and an unproven football department. The next 3 years will define the MFC like no other 3 years have. Like it was said in that article, Hawthorn turned the tide at the end of 2004. I guess you could say that our change in tide happened with the 2.5 mil and Styned jumping on board.

I hate to do this, but I blame a lot of Melbourne's current position on Daniher and his team, and on CAC. They were ignorant, stupid men that only had an eye for short-term instead of long-term. They tried quick fixes that didn't work, and when you couple that with a poor culture off field, you create a disaster, hence the past 2 years. Having Daniher stay on beyond 2003 was a volcano waiting to erupt. On-field and off-field compliment each other more than people realise. You won't see a club like NM in 99 win the flag again. They were poor with nothing, yet still managed to win it. That won't happen again. Unless you can develop a good list with a stable financial outlook, you have no chance.

If you refuse to acknowledge luck as a factor, you are probably Demonland's resident cynic. Look at Geelong's father son selections, the injuries like Prismall's, McLean's, and Geelong missing set shots out from 10-20metres a few times on GF day. There's a common theme.

As for the off-field stuff, Geelong are not a Melbourne team. Hawthorn are now a hybrid. If we want substantial off-field success prepare to bastardize the club.

[praha 11,240]

Geelong missed set shots on Saturday because of intense pressure by the Hawthorn backline. The Hawks took advantage of an average Geelong forward line and put them in a situation they've never really been in. They panicked and missed set shots. Luck has nothing to do with it.

[H_T 3,049]

Geelong missed set shots on Saturday because of intense pressure by the Hawthorn backline. The Hawks took advantage of an average Geelong forward line and put them in a situation they've never really been in. They panicked and missed set shots. Luck has nothing to do with it.

There wasn't much pressure on Brad Ottens (1) and Cam Mooney's (2 set shots) shots. Some say they choked on the big stage. I'll say they executed poorly. For professional footballers, they didn't do their job. After these, the pressure followed.

[Geddy Lee 582]

Geelong missed set shots on Saturday because of intense pressure by the Hawthorn backline.

Hmm, I was about 10 rows back from Cam Mooney gathering the ball, waiting about 10 secs to see who to pass it to, changing his mind, and slotting it from the boundary line. Also from Ottens and Mooney missing close in shots. I don't think Hawthorn's backline pressure had much to do with those.

[Eastie Boyz 0]

That's only 3 instances out of the however many scoring shots they had for the match.

And some of Hawthorn's rushed behinds were a result of their pressure causing the Cats to kick to a contest or from stoppages where they stopped the Cats getting their hands on the ball.

[H_T 3,049]

That's only 3 instances out of the however many scoring shots they had for the match.

And some of Hawthorn's rushed behinds were a result of their pressure causing the Cats to kick to a contest or from stoppages where they stopped the Cats getting their hands on the ball.

Three instances (only) which may have resulted in 18 points +.

May have eased the pressure somewhat.

[Red and Blue Flame 191]

....summing up- the point is that we are a shambles off-field.