The world and the lifeforms upon it evolve. As is often quipped the only constant is change. It's this very adaption that ensures the continual existence of many a species as to remain unchanged is to ensure their demise as their predators will have the time to hone their lethal craft.

Football is no different. Financial climates, locational demograhics, lifestyle choices have all created an environment that fuels constant change for the game and if it changes then so too must players and the clubs they represent. To stand still is to be a target. Change is not only necessary but desirable.

Those that embrace the notion that in order to go forward know then that you can't sit still or neglect the constant management of the advancement of your resources. In order to reap you must first sew.

There have been distinct periods in recent history of this most illustrious club, MFC, that have driven many to question whtether we would ever enjoy the basking in warmth of daylight or seem perpetually imprisoned in the cold of listless darkness. The club seemed stalled for many years both corporately and sportingly or as some would have it, we were going nowhere fast.

Luck and fortune is often built upon the practice of not so much 'not doing things wrong' as Doing things right. They seem the same but they arent. The differ in confidence and direction. One is dictated to by fear of wrongdoing and the second is empowered by the inner beleif that you have it right.

I believe that now, the Melbourne Football Club is gettting it right. So much really has been achieved in these past few years. The makeup and design of the Football Dept has brought many dividends. The change of personnel at the helm and management has inject new verve and unswaying belief that Melbourne, as a football club , can not only remain viable but will actually become a force to be reckoned with. It also realised that the pain necessary to endure for this to transpire was not quite over.

More change was/is required. In order to improve something you either completely redesign it or modify some of its componentry. You can then further refine its abilites with "tweaking" or fine adjustment. But it must first be sound. What we are now seeing as season 09 , for the MFC, has ended is the continual redesign of the player-group. The machine that is the team simply wasnt up to the task at hand ( winning) and needed overhaul. With trading all but seemingly already underway and the mouth watering prospects of the upcoming drafts to add to rebuilding process we are I sense truly out of the Darkness and looking upon a new Dawn. Yes, we have said this before but hindsight shows us these were false dawns as we hadnt really changed. We have now.

There will be many a member and spectator alike who will grieve the loss of a favoured player. They may indeed dissent against the club but I'd suggest they lose sight of the bigger picture and the Club , indeed its team is bigger than the individual player.

In order to make an ommelette you have to crack eggs. In order to go forward you have to change.

Those that still harbour the pain of feeling dispossesed by recent events, or indeed the lacklustre performances ( or seemingly so !! ) of the last seasons then take heart the aspirations of seasons 2010 and on are much different from that which we have had to collectively endure.

There is indeed much to draw upon and instill us all with more than reasonable expectations of success from here on in. There has been change and that change was desperately necessary. Much kudos to the club's hierachy, itself a product of change.

We were once a team who wrote their own destiny. That is about to happen again.

Go Dees !!

Go Dees !!

What about stability? For the list and the supporter group. Surely at some point we will be benefitted by a period of fewer changes, so I can put a player's name on my back and leave it there for a decade. I guess you're right though, we're committed now and broad changes and massive restructuring is our point of difference. The dice is rolled, now we have to run with it.

You raise a very valid concern. Stability. That will come as a result of all the work thats happened/happening to reconstruct the list. well my view of course. I think the idea invoked here by the club is to establish a core of newer kids who will gell and mature together creating a nucleus around which any more delisitngs/fine tuning etc will be done.

As I view it the hard work is done, well will be at drafts end. We will have an incredibly furtive list. I honestly cant remember a time when Melbourne will forge a new era with such a consistent spread. Very few cloggers and they will be the fodder and/or opportunity to replenish as time goes on.

But to the essence of your point , the stability will build. Any changes here on (post draft ) will be less intrusive.

Its probably this very stability we've lacked. We have had glimpses of decent footy but not coherence one week to the next. Albeitly there has always been the overture of ladder position but weve been very up and down. I honestly expect this to abate as season '10 takes hold and the team bonds. Stability will be a happy result of this.

What about stability? For the list and the supporter group. Surely at some point we will be benefitted by a period of fewer changes, so I can put a player's name on my back and leave it there for a decade. I guess you're right though, we're committed now and broad changes and massive restructuring is our point of difference. The dice is rolled, now we have to run with it.

we had stability, there was a core group of player under ND for a decade, we had some good times ,and bad 6 years in the finals 4 really bad years 1 grand final, we came close but not close enough, now its a new start first you must rebuild then you get stability, so bring on 2010. GO DEES