Unfortunately jacka is on the money, in the gist of his sentiments, even if he has twisted them to keep up (usually inflammatory) appearances.

Its not the quality of the facilities. Its the location of them. I live in the eastern suburbs and Casey Fields is still a good 45 mins away... probably longer in peak hour. I would imagine that the players have relatively central abodes, so you would think that would be 1 hour + to training and back, 3 or 4 times a week. I overheard a couple of the players bemoaning this very fact prior to the practice match against North at the start of the year.

I now see how incredibly farcical it is for the club, trying to make itself appealing to the world again, to alienate players (both current and prospective) by making the training ground, and the home ground of our twos, so far from where any player wants to be.

Its nothing against Cranbourne specifically...

Its just that... well lets just say that even for Brocky's V8 the trip is still a solid half an hour.

Well as the club isn't in a financial position to come up with the millions required to buy real estate in an area as large as Casey Fields in the beachside suburbs in order to make their players happy, and to tear down all the houses and build an equivalent facility, I think they will have to do what the rest of us do, and grin and bear it. Plenty of people have to travel for work. Considering most of our players probably live somewhere convenient to Sandringham, Cranbourne is not such a big hike. Time wise, it probably is not much further than travelling from Brighton to the G. I live in another area of Casey, and can generally get to the G in half an hour non-peak - going INBOUND remember - (a little bit longer now that you can no longer do 100kph on the freeway), so I don't consider travel time such a big issue. Do they want to win games or not?

You also have to consider that they are travelling anyway, and to travel OUT of the city in peak is a lot easier than going across town, say from Sandringham to Scotch College or wherever the club has decided to train that day.

The points you raise also have nothing to do with the post that moron put up - he was targetting Cranbourne specifically, with a lot of nonsense to justify his position.

I don't live in Cranbourne, however it's a suburb just like any other with good points and bad points. The location of Casey Fields had nothing whatsoever to do with the Dees experiences during trade week, and to suggest otherwise is ridiculous.

Anyway, gotta go - the painting isn't doing itself. Perhaps if I breathe in a couple of roomfuls of paint fumes I can lower my IQ to the point where I can understand the motivation behind such ridiculous posts.

Anyway, gotta go - the painting isn't doing itself. Perhaps if I breathe in a couple of roomfuls of paint fumes I can lower my IQ to the point where I can understand the motivation behind such ridiculous posts.

I hope you weren't referring to my post, because whether you like it or not, it is a factor. There can be little doubt the players hate having to travel to different venues all the time, but I guarantee they prefer the various quarter/half-hour jaunts to variable inner locations than an hour long drive to a training facility that currently rests miles from the nearest trendy cafe.

With the club in a mire, paying the minimum wage bill allowable to help it stay afloat, no forseeable premiership opportunities, and free agency looming, does anyone genuinely believe any player who is worth a damn will continue to 'grin and bear it', as the conditions of their employ become less and less desirable?

Enjoy your painting, anyway.

Well as the club isn't in a financial position to come up with the millions required to buy real estate in an area as large as Casey Fields in the beachside suburbs in order to make their players happy, and to tear down all the houses and build an equivalent facility, I think they will have to do what the rest of us do, and grin and bear it. Plenty of people have to travel for work. Considering most of our players probably live somewhere convenient to Sandringham, Cranbourne is not such a big hike. Time wise, it probably is not much further than travelling from Brighton to the G. I live in another area of Casey, and can generally get to the G in half an hour non-peak - going INBOUND remember - (a little bit longer now that you can no longer do 100kph on the freeway), so I don't consider travel time such a big issue. Do they want to win games or not?

You also have to consider that they are travelling anyway, and to travel OUT of the city in peak is a lot easier than going across town, say from Sandringham to Scotch College or wherever the club has decided to train that day.

The points you raise also have nothing to do with the post that moron put up - he was targetting Cranbourne specifically, with a lot of nonsense to justify his position.

I don't live in Cranbourne, however it's a suburb just like any other with good points and bad points. The location of Casey Fields had nothing whatsoever to do with the Dees experiences during trade week, and to suggest otherwise is ridiculous.

Anyway, gotta go - the painting isn't doing itself. Perhaps if I breathe in a couple of roomfuls of paint fumes I can lower my IQ to the point where I can understand the motivation behind such ridiculous posts.

As they say, and it relates to you, when you live in Dhaka even Calcutta looks good.

Arsenal's training complex is an hour from Emirates Stadium.

This happens all around the world.

There are 6,000 people from Casey who travel into the CBD to work every day, and they are mostly travelling in peak congestion traffic.

The players will be travelling to Casey Fields for training in off-peak conditions. If they live around Sandringham, they will make it in about 30-35 minutes. That is a very tolerable travel time for commuters.

The other thing is that players will adapt. As new players come ontoi the list they will be aware that training is split between MOPT and Casey Fields. Like any organism, the players will find a location of best fit taking into account training, playing and social life.

I know that some years ago the Kangaroos looked at Casey Fields as a relocation option. The view of a Kangaroos past playing legend at the time was that the club would turn over most of its list over a 5 year period, and players coming to the club would arrive knowing that Casey Fields was their training base. So it simply wouldn't be an issue.

Finally, if you are a Victorian U18 player, Casey Fields is a hell of a lot closer to home than Perth. And if you are a WA U18 player, and you're drafted by Melbourne FC, it's not much further to get to Casey Fields once you're travelling from Perth!

who cares about travel time with the amount they are getting paid

put them on a bus, team building

get the party bus or limos for all i care

this is a good deal and melbourne need to find a home (or 2) very soon and SETTLE

lets start to get this club back on the road

Arsenal's training complex is an hour from Emirates Stadium.

This happens all around the world.

There are 6,000 people from Casey who travel into the CBD to work every day, and they are mostly travelling in peak congestion traffic.

The players will be travelling to Casey Fields for training in off-peak conditions. If they live around Sandringham, they will make it in about 30-35 minutes. That is a very tolerable travel time for commuters.

The other thing is that players will adapt. As new players come onto the list they will be aware that training is split between MOPT and Casey Fields. Like any organism, the players will find a location of best fit taking into account training, playing and social life.

I know that some years ago the Kangaroos looked at Casey Fields as a relocation option. The view of a Kangaroos past playing legend at the time was that the club would turn over most of its list over a 5 year period, and players coming to the club would arrive knowing that Casey Fields was their training base. So it simply wouldn't be an issue.

Finally, if you are a Victorian U18 player, Casey Fields is a hell of a lot closer to home than Perth. And if you are a WA U18 player, and you're drafted by Melbourne FC, it's not much further to get to Casey Fields once you're travelling from Perth!

A) Unfortunately AFL players are pampered soft co*ks and are not low income family men who NEED to travel and dont have a choice.

B) New players being drafted are NOT the same as recruits from other clubs. Is that so hard to work out?

C) Yes Casey Fields is a hell of a lot closer to home than Perth, but is the machinations of first being drafted. When they have a choice why would they choose Cranbourne?

D) Arsenal players are paid multi million pounds. I am sure even our pampered players would travel into the stink hole for financial inducements like that.

OK So far no real valid reasons, as to how training in Cranbourne helps us to recruit players (and retain in the future).

Cranbourne is a sad sad place, which has always lacked any sort of success and vision. Yeah it might be a growth corridor but what good is that if the growth is festering a cycle of non achievers and a hugely increasing ethnic enclave (Indian, Islanders and Sri Lankans) who couldnt give a continental about AFL.

Sorry to anyone who is offended by the Cranbourne home truths.

OK So far no real valid reasons, as to how training in Cranbourne helps us to recruit players (and retain in the future).

Why does this act as a deterrent ? You offfer no facts, just your opinion. Yet you ask for facts.

How exactly does the singular occasion of training during summer at this location prevent Melbourne from securing anyones services.

Im interested, this ought to be very illuminating . We can then pass this on to the club as Im sure they'd want to circumvent any thing that will act against its recruiting.

A) Unfortunately AFL players are pampered soft co*ks and are not low income family men who NEED to travel and dont have a choice.

B) New players being drafted are NOT the same as recruits from other clubs. Is that so hard to work out?

C) Yes Casey Fields is a hell of a lot closer to home than Perth, but is the machinations of first being drafted. When they have a choice why would they choose Cranbourne?

D) Arsenal players are paid multi million pounds. I am sure even our pampered players would travel into the stink hole for financial inducements like that.

OK So far no real valid reasons, as to how training in Cranbourne helps us to recruit players (and retain in the future).

Cranbourne is a sad sad place, which has always lacked any sort of success and vision. Yeah it might be a growth corridor but what good is that if the growth is festering a cycle of non achievers and a hugely increasing ethnic enclave (Indian, Islanders and Sri Lankans) who couldnt give a continental about AFL.

Sorry to anyone who is offended by the Cranbourne home truths.

The sad thing is you actually believe in the rubbish you pedal.

To think it out of the question for a well paid sportsmen to travel for 40 mins to train with their team is one of the most ridiculous things I have read. Senior Executives earning in the millions sit in morning peak hour for longer.

Finally, if you are a Victorian U18 player, Casey Fields is a hell of a lot closer to home than Perth. And if you are a WA U18 player, and you're drafted by Melbourne FC, it's not much further to get to Casey Fields once you're travelling from Perth!

This is true. There is certainly an argument to say that some players will just be greatful for the opportunity. These players, however, will be mainly new draftees, who don't have alot of say in the matter (and are always, quote, "happy to go anywhere"), and journeyman footballers who are unlikely to be able to get a game elsewhere. But what about the upper echelon (perhaps up to half the list in a reasonable team), who could walk into another club and there would be a similar contract waiting for them. You'd have to question their motives to leave, of course, but with free agency on the horizon, theres not going to be alot to stop players from going wherever they want. They could leave MFC and go to Collingwood, Carlton or Hawthorn.

Having an hour to travel to and from training, 3-4 times a week at least, might not be the decisive factor, but it certainly doesn't help our case (which it should be noted is presently abysmal).

who cares about travel time with the amount they are getting paid

put them on a bus, team building

This is what I'm on about. For the best players (who presumably we want to attract and retain), how much they get paid is pretty much a lock, and the club they are at is irrelevant. Plenty of players could attract the same coin at another club, where they only need to fall out of bed to get to training. Again, this may not be the decisive factor, but I know it would be significant for me if the dinero and premiership clock were comparable between two clubs.

I'm not interested in denigrating Casey, but I will say that its (currently) a far cry (in both distance and form) from the trendy metropolitan hotspots that players love to spend their plentiful free time at.

Ok, we're pants at the moment; our list fits predominantly into the 'greatful for the opportunity' category. But when (if) we are a force again, we don't want to miss out on, or lose, the best players because clubs based in the leafy inner suburbs are a more attractive lifestyle proposition.

Make no mistakes, Cranbourne is the reason Messrs Prismall, Warnock, OKeefe etc dont want to play for us.

You just did.

As Belzebub stated, for these men/boys/recruits/draftees, AFL is a job. Jobs have premises and locations. Clubs travel. It's that simple.

For a while i traveled an hour by public transport to do an hour at morning care, then an hour to get back home. That was for 20 bucks.

AFL players, i'm quite sure, can manage to drive the 45 minutes to train for their profession.

Arsenal's training complex is an hour from Emirates Stadium.

This happens all around the world.

You beat me to it casey corp. Most of the big teams around the world, from the various football codes, have their off-season training facility in some remote area away from their city.

I haven't heard any player not wanting to play for Richmond because of their new training facility in Craigieburn.

The benefits of being able to train on a full-scale football ground with goal posts far outweigh any inconvenience to the players. And if the players have to drive, won't they be going against the traffic?

jackas_backa is now a well fed troll.

Here's hoping he's full enough to hibernate.

I haven't heard any player not wanting to play for Richmond because of their new training facility in Craigieburn.

Exactly mo64......I'm sure the Tigers travel time would be just as long as the Dees too.

You beat me to it casey corp. Most of the big teams around the world, from the various football codes, have their off-season training facility in some remote area away from their city.

Spot on!

How about the fact it's a quick drive down to Flinders and the majestic waters of Bass Stright? Take that over the filth of the bay anyday.

Personally, I think he has a point.

Players would prefer to play for a club that has a base in inner-Melbourne. Collingwood, Richmond, and Essendon all have the advantage there. Other clubs like Hawthorn have the advantage of facilities and success.

I'm glad Casey is only ever going to be a summer training venue, because IMO it is not an attractive selling point for the club.

Personally, I think he has a point.

Players would prefer to play for a club that has a base in inner-Melbourne. Collingwood, Richmond, and Essendon all have the advantage there. Other clubs like Hawthorn have the advantage of facilities and success.

err.. we have our HQ in inner Melb !! Its our SUMMER base thats going to be in Casey !! SUMMER.. everyone..including Ferris ..its our SUMMER training ground !

Richmond is developing in the same manner we wish to develop Casey !!

No arguments...Hawks got a great deal with Waverly

I'm glad Casey is only ever going to be a summer training venue, because IMO it is not an attractive selling point for the club.

So you understand that bit..its SUMMER.. Why is having a Spanking new facilty not attractive. ?? I just dont get this point of view..sorry

So you understand that bit..its SUMMER.. Why is having a Spanking new facilty not attractive. ?? I just dont get this point of view..sorry

Because a Spanking new facilty (including top quality playing surface) is far inferior to an oval:

with a cricket pitch

without goal posts

that is closer to the players favourite late shop.

First time I've seen this thread and behind the hubris jacka has a point.

I've no doubt that it's an issue for our current players not to mention those contemplating joining us.

err.. we have our HQ in inner Melb !! Its our SUMMER base thats going to be in Casey !! SUMMER.. everyone..including Ferris ..its our SUMMER training ground !

Richmond is developing in the same manner we wish to develop Casey !!

No arguments...Hawks got a great deal with Waverly

So you understand that bit..its SUMMER.. Why is having a Spanking new facilty not attractive. ?? I just dont get this point of view..sorry

I understand what you're saying Buz - but our State of the Art facilities haven't even been properly signed off on yet have they??? We've heard nothing about them for months and months, and they're at least 18 months from being available.

Spot on!

How about the fact it's a quick drive down to Flinders and the majestic waters of Bass Stright? Take that over the filth of the bay anyday.

I have a holiday house in Flinders and trust me it is NOT a quick drive from Cranbourne. Dont say that you will drive our real estate down!

My concern is that the rectangle or gold wont happen and we will be trapped in Cranbourne. Nobody who strives for success wants that.

First time I've seen this thread and behind the hubris jacka has a point.

I've no doubt that it's an issue for our current players not to mention those contemplating joining us.

hubris. What a great word. Well done!

First time I've seen this thread and behind the hubris jacka has a point.

I've no doubt that it's an issue for our current players not to mention those contemplating joining us.

Any player that deems himself to be above driving 45 minutes to get to work, can take their ego somewhere else.

Seriously, millions of people who get paid far less than these guys travel a lot further each day to get to work.

I'm sure if you ask any AFL player to choose between a short drive and [censored] facilities, and a long drive and great facilities, they'd choose the later. Not to mention the competitive advantage it gives us.

So it's in Cranbourne, so what, beggars can't be choosers.

I understand what you're saying Buz - but our State of the Art facilities haven't even been properly signed off on yet have they??? We've heard nothing about them for months and months, and they're at least 18 months from being available.

Mate..i do hear the words.. We arent the shiniest object by far..currently. Would be a fairly shallow thinker ( potential-player ) not to realise we wil have decent digs in the near future. I agree its rather a concern than NOTHING seems inked.

Maybe its just me.. If i was in these blokes position Id find it rather exciting to be at the start of something, to be very much part of it..as opposed to a Johnny come lately type elsewhere. Maybe we're just inept at selling it. S'pose a powerpoint is a bit lame

Any player that deems himself to be above driving 45 minutes to get to work, can take their ego somewhere else.

The players simply can't be allowed to influence decisions. St Kilda has suffered from it for years, and part of the reason why St Kilda passed on Casey Fields 12 months ago was because a very high profile player didn't like the idea of going to Cranbourne to train.

The club needs to make a decision, and not let the tail wag the dog.

Consultation with players regarding a long term strategic decision like this is just plain wrong. After all, the players generally have a relatively short term involvement.

Also, there's a difference between the consultation with players regarding this matter and consultation regarding the earlier start to the pre-season. That's because the earlier start to the pre-season was inconsistent with the CBA, and needed players support to get off the ground.