WJ and I went on a tour of the area with Chris Connolly and boy was I impressed.

The main arena is MCG size with a lovely surface. There is room for development of the stand and facilities including the addition of terraces.

The total park area is huge and includes a bicycle track that is great for player rehabilitation.

Access to the area is to be improved and hopefully the train line will be extended to close by.

Nearby is a set of indoor facilities including tennis courts and a basketball centre that is ideal for inclement weather training.

Under construction is an aquatic centre that looks enormous.

While we were watching training a large group of school kids arrived to join in a clinic with the players. They were given fruit by the club while watching the end of training and then addressed by Connolly. He found out from one girl that her favourite player was Robbo and promptly went in and sent Robbo out to say hello to the kids. After the players finished training, several of them took the clinic with the kids.

Just on Chris he is an unbelievable asset of this club, more so than most will ever know. He is always promoting the club.

As I watched I realized that I was looking at the new future members of the club. This area is a huge developing area and we are going to be the resident AFL club. The opportunity to grow our support is unlimited.

The fact that we now have a permanent summer home on a wonderful oval with great facilities and are smack dab in the middle of a huge developing area is an enormous positive for the club.

Next on the agenda, a reconnection with the MCC.

Thanks for that Redleg. It's always good to hear some positive news.

I agree with you about the 'new' CC. I heard him address a members lunch at a game earlier this year and he spoke from the hip and his passion was undeniable (not to mention his sense of humour).

He's a definite asset to the MFC and seems to be relishing not being under the pump as a senior coach for once.

I reckon his relationships with the playing list would be terrific.

May I ask during your discussions will they build a gym done there as it seems we are able to benefit with a Pool, Indoor area, hell we could have it all great move by the club I say.

Drove by the aquatic centre construction for the first time in a while yesterday.

'Enormous' is a fair translation of what I said at the time.

Getting more and more excited by the sheer scale of opportunity at Casey

and the boxes that are being ticked off (MFC heavies at the fore).

Thanks Redleg.

He found out from one girl that her favourite player was Robbo...

Boy, the players must get sick of hearing this!!

Thanks a lot for the Writeup Redleg, and you're spot on about Connolly. He is amazing and hilarious, a great asset for the MFC.

Next on the agenda, a reconnection with the MCC.

Watch this space in the next two weeks!

WJ and I went on a tour of the area with Chris Connolly and boy was I impressed.

How were you lucky enough to get a tour with CC?

insert huge envy icon here and here and here

I completely agree Redleg.

I have been saying this since I saw the game against North earlier in the year.

Boy, the players must get sick of hearing this!!

i bet you say that because hes some long lost cousin of yours. hes not my favourite player

Someone mentioned the new 'CC' but that statement is incorrect, CC has always been like this, even going back to his playing days. My old man was good friends with him during his days at the old Victoria College Rusden campus (which turned into Deakin and then into apartments). He was always very passionate about anything he did. Along with Schwab and Stynes they make a very formidable team.

May I ask during your discussions will they build a gym done there as it seems we are able to benefit with a Pool, Indoor area, hell we could have it all great move by the club I say.

Yes. It will be our complete summer ( pre season ) home.

great ground ive played footy on it before :D

Someone mentioned the new 'CC' but that statement is incorrect, CC has always been like this, even going back to his playing days. My old man was good friends with him during his days at the old Victoria College Rusden campus (which turned into Deakin and then into apartments). He was always very passionate about anything he did. Along with Schwab and Stynes they make a very formidable team.

Yeah, top bloke Connolls, likes his music & bands, remember seeing The Goanna Band with him.

Yes. It will be our complete summer ( pre season ) home.

If Melbourne do sign the full deal it will be used for one session per week during the season too.

With all of the positive reports now flowing about Casey Fields I think that Casey scorp would be smiling contentedly about now with possibly a bit of prideful "I told you so" and fair enough if so

Spare a thought for the Saints that had first dibs, what a lost opportunity

Spare a thought for the Saints that had first dibs, what a lost opportunity

Not really concerned with 'yesterday', let's look forward to the Mfc's future.... . Great post Redleg. Would of been an awesome tour with Connolls. Well done. Now I know how you identified Miller's stubble..

If Melbourne do sign the full deal it will be used for one session per week during the season too.

No, more likely one session each fortnight.

Not really concerned with 'yesterday', let's look forward to the Mfc's future.... . Great post Redleg. Would of been an awesome tour with Connolls. Well done. Now I know how you identified Miller's stubble..

With their shaved heads Miller and Zomer look very similar out on the ground. Incidentally i thought Zomer was moving extremely well at training. He was attacking the ball hard and would then go again for extra efforts. He also baulked and twisted much better than the rather clumsy boy I watched last year. I think he may be an improver this year. Whether he is AFL level is yet to be seen.

With their shaved heads Miller and Zomer look very similar out on the ground. Incidentally i thought Zomer was moving extremely well at training. He was attacking the ball hard and would then go again for extra efforts. He also baulked and twisted much better than the rather clumsy boy I watched last year. I think he may be an improver this year. Whether he is AFL level is yet to be seen.

Zomer looked very green/raw last year. That is a pleasing report on Zomer. It's amazing with little 1%-5% improvements from players, what a difference it can make. Bring on 2009.

Did you and WJ get a chance to have a walk on the lush green ground at Casey, have a kick?

Did you and WJ get a chance to have a walk on the lush green ground at Casey, have a kick?

No we didn't. As we aren't Melbourne players or Casey schoolchildren we didn't get the chance.

It did look in great condition though.

With all of the positive reports now flowing about Casey Fields I think that Casey scorp would be smiling contentedly about now with possibly a bit of prideful "I told you so" and fair enough if so

Spare a thought for the Saints that had first dibs, what a lost opportunity

(I'm a Saints supporter!)

With all respectful deference to Casey Scorp i have no empathy to the Sainters re Casey Fields ( and the Sainters are my second team and my daughter's) but stiff [censored] !! . was there forthe asking but they made some dubious decisions and now they'll be around the corner..literally ( I m in Seaford ) we do better in this deal by a country mile ( or ten)

Good to see more and more see the upside of this locale. It will only get better

With all respectful deference to Casey Scorp i have no empathy to the Sainters re Casey Fields ( and the Sainters are my second team and my daughter's) but stiff [censored] !! . was there forthe asking but they made some dubious decisions and now they'll be around the corner..literally ( I m in Seaford ) we do better in this deal by a country mile ( or ten)

Good to see more and more see the upside of this locale. It will only get better

I'm not asking for empathy or even sympathy. "Dubious decisisions" is an understatement. The Saints made their decision, and I have to live with them not coming to Casey Fields (and so do they).

However, the process has thrown up another team for me to support. I have bought a MFC membership and I know of quite a number of local Casey people who will do so when the agreement is signed (they're not as confident as me).

Interestingly, the benefits to be provided to the local community by MFC mean that the community will be far more embraced by MFC than it ever would have been by the Saints. It's an absolute win-win for MFC and the community.

.... From the training thread, I thought this discussion is better here!

Playing games at Cranbourne?

Sounds like Waverley only 40 years later and 40km further.

Growth corridors, a ground for the people, promised train networks, are all the reasons why VFL Park was built in Mulgrave - which was just a paddock in the 60s also.

I'm all for building an MFC training base out there, but to build a 20,000 seat stadium to play AFL games there is not for me. Good luck to the folks that are willing to sit in traffic to get there & back but I won't be one of them. Anyone, who has tried to exit VFL Park on game-day knows exactly what I'm talking about.

The concept is not visionary as its been done before and failed. If it does happen, hopefully we can learn from the experience of the biggest white elephant in the history of Australian sport.

As far as everything else that you're selling then, yes, bring it on!!!

I would still prefer to go to waverly then that rubbish ground at docklands! For the record I live in the west as well! Docklands is by far the biggest white elephant I have ever seen. Poor Surface, bottleneck walkways etc etc. I would rather drive 1.5hrs each way for the MFC to gain a profit from the game then make a loss at the G or the dome. With GC17 coming in there is another side that we will likely loose money on if played in either of the current 2 venues. Princess park is no longer an option due to redevelopment for training therefore the only other option the MFC has in the future not to loose money playing in VIC is to play these games in geelong, but why give money to geelong?

The other option is giving a or in the future possible 2 or 3 home games away interstate so I would still rather be able to watch in the flesh as I am like many others unable to afford regualar interstate trips. So if you want to be an arm chair "barracker" rather then see the boys in the flesh then go right ahead! These options have to be explored for the future benifit of the club. I have no doubt in my mind that we would get 20k to an interstate game be it at geelong or another smaller venue, so why not make casey a stronghold for the MFC where we can actually turn an impressive profit from game day against the smaller supported sides.

The concept has been done before and failed? The afl has not had a sml ground since princess park was closed because of a dodgy deal done by collins.

At the end of the day i would rather sit in traffic any day and support the boys in the flesh rather then the club being forced to travel and thus be forced to watch on TV. I really believe selling home games interstate while it is required at this stage is a step backward for the development of the MFC and its supporter base.

I do agree for a proposed venue to be viable it MUST have a station walking distance from the ground.

Docklands is by far the biggest white elephant I have ever seen. Poor Surface, bottleneck walkways etc etc.

I refer to the ground near Southern Cross Station as The Dump in all conversations and correspondence. I detest the place.

The Dump is fine once you are in there; it is the access and egress that is the problem. The bottleneck that they have created for all those wanting to get to, or past, Southern Cross is so mind-bogglingly stupid it is not funny. There is ample dead space where they could have expanded the walkway to provide a broad smooth walkway to the station. They chose to funnel everyone into the one place for a sharp left hand turn. If you have ever walked along the walkway on the eastern side, you will have seen what I am talking about; at one stage you are walking away from the station, towards the bottleneck, and there is nothing but vacant space between you and where you want to go.