Jump to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

Demonland

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

The Captaincy

Featured Replies

When you think about it, having -

a model citizen (McDonald)

who is completely selfless on the field (McDonald)

committed to supporting other players off the field (McDonald)

displays exemplary consistency (McDonald)

dedicated to training both hard and smart (McDonald)

humble enough to give future leaders space and opportunity to develop (McDonald)

consistent displays calm, measured courage (McDonald)

and never, ever drops his head (McDonald)

while being the most decorated player on our list (McDonald)

and having the total support of the playing group and coaching staff (McDonald)...

Seems like a reasonable call...

I don't think you'd find many players at Melbourne who pass McDonald on any of those counts, let alone most.

I don't think you'd find many players in the AFL at all who pass McDonald on more than a couple of those counts.

Bring on Junior's Juniors I say.

 
So do I. I think he's the perfect fit for captain this season, yet at the end of the season he will retire, and if not, be delisted.

Is there something wrong with that?

If a guy is clearly good enough to be in the starting 18 and to lead the team why on earth would you delist him?

If a guy is clearly good enough to be in the starting 18 and to lead the team why on earth would you delist him?

I think by the very end of the season the cracks will start to show for junior. He'll still be able to claim a spot, but he'll also be aware that father time has finally taken hold.

And I just don't think he's the type to hang around until he's pushed - as soon as the signs are there that it may be the end or close to it, he'll leave on his own terms.

This is my prediction & its pure speculation - but so is everything that has been mentioned as a drawback for choosing him as captain.

Having said all that, i'd love him to prove me wrong.

 

I would have preferred Chook as skipper but he is probably not quite ready for the responsibility at this stage. I still beleive he will be skipper after Jmac whether that be in 1 year or 2! Despite that I am thrilled for Junior, he thoroughly deserves the gig. He may not be the player he was a few years back but he will demand courage and hardness from our young team and show them how it`s done in the process. 2 Blueys! That`s enough to sell me on him being our leader. Well done Junior!

go Junior. Hope you have a great year.

It is now done and I congratulate Junior.

I was hoping a sponsrsip annoucement might have accompanied this one, but not to be.

I hope a sponsorship announcement is comming soon though.


Jarka - My feeling has been that McDonald would retire on his own free will at the end of 2009.

He will "delist himself" (i.e. retire) after 1 season or 2 seasons of being the Captain of this great club.

There is nothing wrong with being led by a man reaching the end of his career.

Leadership would be one of the skills that doesn't wane with age.

I just hope that they don't refer to him as another Vandenburg. Junior is better than that the only good thing Vandenburg done for Hawthorn was retire he was a hopless footballer. As usual we went for the safe option just as I thought would happen Bailey has shown the football world that we have been forced onto the youth policy instead of wanting a youth. We should be getting our youth to lead but we are not which is disappointing.

They must get rid of the stupid voting system. McDonald didn't have a great year and is 32 this is just another uninspirinig decision made by the coaching staff get ready for an unispiring season. If I hear Bailey mention the word competitive again I'm going to smash something. Get them into a winning frame of mind and competitveness will come with it. Getting the club into a competitve frame of mind will just provide the same results as last year. I'm trying my best to like Bailey but I just can't the sooner he leaves the better.

Hopeless players don't become captain or play 143 games of AFL.

Did he have great skills? no. Was he quick? no. Did he have a great football brain? debatable. Even his height (178cm) should have worked against him. Must have been doing something right to play that many games.

I spose you believe Brett Kirk is hopeless too?

Hopeless players don't become captain or play 143 games of AFL.

Did he have great skills? no. Was he quick? no. Did he have a great football brain? debatable. Even his height (178cm) should have worked against him. Must have been doing something right to play that many games.

I spose you believe Brett Kirk is hopeless too?

Vandernberg was a very ordinary footballer who turned out to be a useful stop gap captain when the Hawks were the worst team in the league.

 
Jarka - My feeling has been that McDonald would retire on his own free will at the end of 2009.

He will "delist himself" (i.e. retire) after 1 season or 2 seasons of being the Captain of this great club.

There is nothing wrong with being led by a man reaching the end of his career.

Leadership would be one of the skills that doesn't wane with age.

My wish list for a captain is for someone who is able to lead and inspire on the ground, as well as a very marketable person of it, it just seems bizarre to me that the so called 'only choice' is a bloke who everyone seems to agree on the fact that this is going to be his final year.

As I've said earlier I think the decision is more of a reflection on the lack of leadership we have on the list between the ages of 25 - 30 rather than anything about jnr himself.

Hopeless players don't become captain or play 143 games of AFL.

Did he have great skills? no. Was he quick? no. Did he have a great football brain? debatable. Even his height (178cm) should have worked against him. Must have been doing something right to play that many games.

I spose you believe Brett Kirk is hopeless too?

Paul Hopgood played over 100 games...and if you look at Richmond's list there's been many ordinary players with 100+


It'd still make him better than at least 95% of the population playing football.

lol, no [censored] sherlock, your powers of observations are amazing!!

I hope you're not saying that being a better footballer than 95% of the population is a good reason to be made captain...

No. I'm just saying that to make it to 100 games it requires some kind of footballing ability.

When I say a good footballer I mean they have what is necessary to play at whatever level I'm saying they're good at. If you asked me if I thought Damian Cupido was a AFL footballer I'd say no simply because of his attitude issues, not because he couldn't play the game.

No. I'm just saying that to make it to 100 games it requires some kind of footballing ability.

When I say a good footballer I mean they have what is necessary to play at whatever level I'm saying they're good at. If you asked me if I thought Damian Cupido was a AFL footballer I'd say no simply because of his attitude issues, not because he couldn't play the game.

Just because someone plays over 100 games of footy doesn't make them leadership material


I didn't say that either - Richie was far and away a better leader than he was player.

So what was your point with the reference to games or are you just trying to get the post total up?

Hawthorn didn't start playing well until they replaced him.

I've said it before and i'll reiterate - James McDonald, 32, is the most decorated player on our list and deserves to lead that list over any other player.

McLean with Miller and Moloney (as VC's) was my initial preference, but on retrospect I think it would be premature to give McLean the captaincy after half a good season and 1 quiet off-season.

It'd still make him better than at least 95% of the population playing football.

That's really irrelevant considering everything's relative - when people say XYZ is a poor footballer they're generally ranking him in relation to his peers at whatever level he's playing at.

Some of the guys delisted from AFL Clubs might be good footballers in comparison to all others playing football - and often go on to play well at state or district level - but in relation to AFL players are not 'good'.

  • Author
I've said it before and i'll reiterate - James McDonald, 32, is the most decorated player on our list and deserves to lead that list over any other player.

McLean with Miller and Moloney (as VC's) was my initial preference, but on retrospect I think it would be premature to give McLean the captaincy after half a good season and 1 quiet off-season.

I totally agree with you... Guys how to you remember Todd Viney... he was the capt for two years at the end of his career when we could of given it to a younger Neitz, that and he was similar to JMac guts determination not all class and polish


I totally agree with you... Guys how to you remember Todd Viney... he was the capt for two years at the end of his career when we could of given it to a younger Neitz, that and he was similar to JMac guts determination not all class and polish

Totally agree, Jnr has led some of the 1%'er stats for years not just at the club but the league. He is all australian, B+F winner, mature and plays with his heart on his jumper. Who better to lead this great club at this point in time? Many other clubs rotate players every 1-3yrs with out retirement so I think this is a great appointment irrespective of how long it will be for. in a few years I suspect we could well see mc clean or watts as cap (Carey was captain at North when he was 21 I think).

As usual a solid decision like this from the club draws critisim - Unbelievable, I can't understand why anybody would be unhappy with a true leader as captain of our club?

I totally agree with you... Guys how to you remember Todd Viney... he was the capt for two years at the end of his career when we could of given it to a younger Neitz, that and he was similar to JMac guts determination not all class and polish

the biggest difference with this situation is that alot of people who are happy about appointment have pencilled in jnr to retire (or delisted) at the end of 09. A two year appointment I can appreciate however

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Featured Content

  • AFLW REPORT: Richmond

    A glorious sunny afternoon with a typically strong Casey Fields breeze favouring the city end greeted this round four clash of the undefeated Narrm against the winless Tigers. Pre-match, the teams entered the ground through the Deearmy’s inclusive banner—"Narrm Football Weaving Communities Together and then Warumungu/Yawuru woman and Fox Boundary Rider, Megan Waters, gave the official acknowledgement of country. Any concerns that Collingwood’s strategy of last week to discombobulate the Dees would be replicated by Ryan Ferguson and his Tigers evaporated in the second quarter when Richmond failed to use the wind advantage and Narrm scored three unanswered goals. 

      • Love
    • 4 replies
  • CASEY: Frankston

    The late-season run of Casey wins was broken in their first semifinal against Frankston in a heartbreaking end at Kinetic Stadium on Saturday night that in many respects reflected their entire season. When they were bad, they committed all of the football transgressions, including poor disposal, indiscipline, an inability to exert pressure, and some terrible decision-making, as exemplified by the period in the game when they conceded nine unanswered goals from early in the second quarter until halfway through the third term. You rarely win when you do this.

    • 0 replies
  • AFLW PREVIEW: Richmond

    Round four kicks off early Saturday afternoon at Casey Fields, as the mighty Narrm host the winless Richmond Tigers in the second week of Indigenous Round celebrations. With ideal footy conditions forecast—20 degrees, overcast skies, and a gentle breeze — expect a fast-paced contest. Narrm enters with momentum and a dangerous forward line, while Richmond is still searching for its first win. With key injuries on both sides and pride on the line, this clash promises plenty.

      • Like
    • 3 replies
  • AFLW REPORT: Collingwood

    Expectations of a comfortable win for Narrm at Victoria Park quickly evaporated as the match turned into a tense nail-biter. After a confident start by the Demons, the Pies piled on pressure and forced red and blue supporters to hold their collective breath until after the final siren. In a frenetic, physical contest, it was Captain Kate’s clutch last quarter goal and a missed shot from Collingwood’s Grace Campbell after the siren which sealed a thrilling 4-point win. Finally, Narrm supporters could breathe easy.

      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 2 replies
  • CASEY: Williamstown

    The Casey Demons issued a strong statement to the remaining teams in the VFL race with a thumping 76-point victory in their Elimination Final against Williamstown. This was the sixth consecutive win for the Demons, who stormed into the finals from a long way back with scalps including two of the teams still in flag contention. Senior Coach Taylor Whitford would have been delighted with the manner in which his team opened its finals campaign with high impact after securing the lead early in the game when Jai Culley delivered a precise pass to a lead from Noah Yze, who scored his first of seven straight goals for the day. Yze kicked his second on the quarter time siren, by which time the Demons were already in control. The youngster repeated the dose in the second term as the Seagulls were reduced to mere

    • 0 replies
  • AFLW PREVIEW: Collingwood

    Narrm time isn’t a standard concept—it’s the time within the traditional lands of Narrm, the Woiwurrung name for Melbourne. Indigenous Round runs for rounds 3 and 4 and is a powerful platform to recognise the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in sport, community, and Australian culture. This week, suburban footy returns to the infamous Victoria Park as the mighty Narrm take on the Collingwood Magpies at 1:05pm Narrm time, Sunday 31 August. Come along if you can.

      • Clap
      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 9 replies

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.