The Brendan Fevola Saga

[jayceebee31 687]

Glass half empty: Fev stops development of KPF for Melbourne;

Glass half full: Fev becomes target for developing midfielders so they learn how to pass to a KPF.

As long as Fev doesn't actually drink from the glass, maybe there's as much upside as down.

He also could become a mentoring role. Help develop the key young forwards. May alternate Full forward and centre half forward roles. He may even play Forward pocket. Cannot see much difference than when we had the alliance with Sandy- with Sautner playing at full forward or in the pocket. I can see him really helping our young forwards develop by showing them how to play positional roles. Players such as Cook, McDonald and Howe could learn a trmendous amount on field. It could be a gem pick up. Also may help forward pockets like Wona learn the skills similar to Betts when Fev was at Carlton.I cannot see it hurting the progress or development of our young list, in particular talls on field and Cam says he has no issues with Casey gaining Fevola due to his off field antics.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

He also could become a mentoring role. Help develop the key young forwards. May alternate Full forward and centre half forward roles. He may even play Forward pocket. Cannot see much difference than when we had the alliance with Sandy- with Sautner playing at full forward or in the pocket. I can see him really helping our young forwards develop by showing them how to play positional roles. Players such as Cook, McDonald and Howe could learn a trmendous amount on field. It could be a gem pick up. Also may help forward pockets like Wona learn the skills similar to Betts when Fev was at Carlton.I cannot see it hurting the progress or development of our young list, in particular talls on field and Cam says he has no issues with Casey gaining Fevola due to his off field antics.

JCB you often miss the wood for the trees but you have missed the forest here by a mile.

He is a proven and perpetual cancer to young players at 2 clubs. For all his talent he is trucculent and selfish forward that so often at Carlton played for himself and not the team. We have coaches to teach positional roles not social wingnuts like Fevola.

And FWIW, Betts was not assisted by Fev at Carlton particularly off the field. And further while no where near the behaviour galaxy of Fev, Nick Saunter was an extremely selfish forward that did little to assist and blocked the Melbourne's development of younger forwards

[Demon Rob 2]

Initial reaction - hate it in every way.

But damn it, this is Jimmy's cause isn't it - helping those written off.

He's a local boy, he knows there is nothing after this, it may just work for him.

So yes you can complain to Casey, but you also better tell Jimmy off as well I guess.

[Nasher 33,166]

I've just popped my cut up Casey membership card in the Express Post, letting them know I won't be attending my usual handful of Casey games this year as long as Fev is on its list. I urge anybody else who doesn't support the decision to do the same. The deal is not finalised, if enough people express their distaste it may fall over yet.

No it won't, it'll just make Melbourne supporters look like a bunch of flogs.

I'm not a fan of this either, and I don't think Casey have done the relationship with MFC any favours at all by thumbing their nose at the request not to go through with this - just as I did not think the MFC did the relationship any favours by not allowing MFC/Casey regulars to play in their final campaigns this year and last. But if our CEO and our footy boss - surely the two most influential people on these matters - could not convince them not to go through with this, then any bleating supporters do is going to be water off a duck's back.

Save your effort and your anger and just get on with life. It's a disappointing decision but one we've got no choice but to live with.

[Pates 9,537]

No it won't, it'll just make Melbourne supporters look like a bunch of flogs.

I'm not a fan of this either, and I don't think Casey have done the relationship with MFC any favours at all by thumbing their nose at the request not to go through with this - just as I did not think the MFC did the relationship any favours by not allowing MFC/Casey regulars to play in their final campaigns this year and last. But if our CEO and our footy boss - surely the two most influential people on these matters - could not convince them not to go through with this, then any bleating supporters do is going to be water off a duck's back.

Save your effort and your anger and just get on with life. It's a disappointing decision but one we've got no choice but to live with.

Well said, I'm definitely against Casey's decision to possibly get Fev but I can't see them taking protests and boycotts of Melbourne supporters (who get in free to their games anyway) into account when it comes to making this decision.

Schwabby has made his and the club's position clear to Casey, and if that's not going to change their minds than I reckon it's just about a done deal (barring Fev turning up to his trial hungover). This will not affect whether I decide to go down and check out our young guns tearing up the VFL.

[torpedo 33]

Save your effort and your anger and just get on with life.

The irony is that it took you longer to write your post than it did for me to express my dissapointment to Casey... I can't see what harm it can do for people to voice their concerns.

[Sir Why You Little 34,924]

Bottom Line here is this club needs to have it's own Reserve side.

I do not like what Casey have done at all, but can understand their position.

The MFC need to continue to raise funds so we can run a successful "Stand Alone" 2nd Team.

This decision to play Fev at Casey will only slow the development of our Forwards.

Fev wants to play AFL again, he is not going to stand around getting out of the way of our kids.

I will be very interested to watch how the MFC handles this situation.......

[needafullback 82]

JCB you often miss the wood for the trees but you have missed the forest here by a mile.

He is a proven and perpetual cancer to young players at 2 clubs. For all his talent he is trucculent and selfish forward that so often at Carlton played for himself and not the team. We have coaches to teach positional roles not social wingnuts like Fevola.

And FWIW, Betts was not assisted by Fev at Carlton particularly off the field. And further while no where near the behaviour galaxy of Fev, Nick Saunter was an extremely selfish forward that did little to assist and blocked the Melbourne's development of younger forwards

I agree Rhino. He can obviously play, but I very much doubt he can teach at all. Some players can do it without having any aptitude for explaining how. He is selfish and thick as two short planks so I agree with those who say that, from an MFC point of view, he will only occupy a space on the field that might otherwise be filled with one of our emerging young talls.

[Vipercrunch 2,818]

If our club does not have a strong enough culture to withstand any (and a big IF here too) problems that Fev may cause then we are screwed any way. Carlton is a disgraceful club with extremely weak leadership. Brisbane is a basket case atm. I know our club is far better than them cultrally.

The ONLY possible drawback as mentioned by others is possible slowing the developmet of MFC key position forwards. His presence may actually be positive however in being an example of how AFL forwards play, position etc.

All you shallow, short sighted folk out there who think people are beyond redemption jump back into your little boxes. The world won't end becasue of this decision.

On a side note, very poorly played by MFC publically. Even if they were against the move for Casey to recruit Fev, they would have been better off to keep it behind close doors. The MFC-Casey relationship looks quite fractured atm.

[Good Times Grimes 2,396]

I can see positives and negatives to the whole situation. Could be helpful in teaching some of the younger kids; although, it is not known whether he CAN teach.

I don't like the fact that he will be taking game time away from the likes of Cook and Howe.

I'm not too worried about his influence over young 'impressionable' players since he is on his last chance at professional footy (and he knows this), and I think he will be determined to stay clean and focused in order to make a return to the AFL next year.

[dee-luded 2,958]

I agree Rhino. He can obviously play, but I very much doubt he can teach at all. Some players can do it without having any aptitude for explaining how. He is selfish and thick as two short planks so I agree with those who say that, from an MFC point of view, he will only occupy a space on the field that might otherwise be filled with one of our emerging young talls.

All the talk of Fev , possibly being a bad influence, could happen... But also, he has IMO wanted to get back to Melbourne for a while, but couldn't because of legal career bindings.

He has put himself into a rehabilitation facility to try to learn to overcome his failings,,, has now managed to free himself of the legal baggage, & well, well, well, he is Now about to embark on a New life direction which includes playing 2nd level AFL footy in/for his local boyhood community.

,I feel sure he'll continue his rehab' locally, and Do his Utmost to try to learn to become, the type of Father Figure, he wants to be for his children. He doesn't have to look too far, in the current Media stories, to see why this is So Important...

I feel sure he will give a very Good account of himself, in his efforts to learn to Mature, for his kids, his family, & his own wellbeing.... this could be, a fine thing.

Edited March 8, 2011 by dee-luded

[H_T 2,941]

The ONLY possible drawback as mentioned by others is possible slowing the developmet of MFC key position forwards. His presence may actually be positive however in being an example of how AFL forwards play, position etc.

We have coaches that can teach that, where to lead, how to take a mark and kick for goal.

All you shallow, short sighted folk out there who think people are beyond redemption jump back into your little boxes. The world won't end because of this decision.

Short sighted and yet shallow ^.

Brisbane were warned of the baggage when they traded for him. Now look what happened. They are in damage control themselves. Carlton are still recovering and still have strings attached to the runaway Fev.

The world might not end, but if problems persist...see your doctor.

We have a list that needs to be nurtured and developed into what we all crave...a very competitive unit/club. Others would like to call it a power in the AFL. The last thing we need is a possible derailment. If having Fev means one of our KP players having miss more than 15 games in the key post....it will hurt the club and stifle the player(s). Of course that might resemble a matter of opinion and some may argue that, but that's a matter of level of football knowledge.

I guess the difference of opinion boils down to whether how much one wants a flag. Some just don't want it enough and would rather bend over for a rotten apple at the detriment of stifling one or more of our young KP players as well as risking a disenchanted list.

Yet, here I thought here we all are...on the straight line with our values in check.

[beelzebub 22,324]

Anyone would think the End is nigh the way some are carrying on. The MFC has it's nuts in a twist. Deal with it and move on. Instead of looking for the doom and gloom let's see what can be garnered from this . Fev love him or loathe him is a power forward who on his day will tear an oppos defence a new one . Sadly for him that became more infrequent as distractions took over. Would I have him in Red and Blue ? Probably not. He may afford those training and developing through Casey the opportunity to hone their craft against genuine AFL standard .

I can't help but imagine those who can at the club will pull him aside and in all likelihood offer genuine help guidance and mentorship whilst letting him also no we won't stand for ANY BS irrespective of what the Scorps do (or don't)

Out upcoming defenders could do far worse than pitting themselves against a strong fast breakaway forward with good mitts !!

He can play very good footy ... He's just a bit of an idiot and a sook.

The MFC obviously needs to refine their dealings with Casey

He's coming.. Learn to live with it. Who knows he might surprise everyone and grow up !! Lol

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

If our club does not have a strong enough culture to withstand any (and a big IF here too) problems that Fev may cause then we are screwed any way. Carlton is a disgraceful club with extremely weak leadership. Brisbane is a basket case atm. I know our club is far better than them cultrally.

The ONLY possible drawback as mentioned by others is possible slowing the developmet of MFC key position forwards. His presence may actually be positive however in being an example of how AFL forwards play, position etc.

Fev's continued behaviour and character problems would destroy any Club culture given the chance. He has done well to derail two other clubs. We are a smug group to think MFC has a strong culture. It was only two years that we were berated that we did not stand for anything and were (and still are) financially screwed. What fantasy is it that we can trade TJ and ditch Nathan Carroll (and rightly so) for culture issues and then suddenly we can naively overlook all the past 13 yrs of indiscretion and punt on Fevola? The asylum is working over time it seems.

As for Fev's mentoring role, you would be dreaming to think that Fev who had destroyed his life and adversely impacted others, spent time in rehab and is trying to get his fractured life together can all of sudden be a shining light to younger players. And FWIW, Fevola is an individualist who has squandered his rare skills. Hardly an example that you want to develop young players on.

And yes I like a good fairy tale but I would share MFC's consternation about Fev.

FWIW, a father of a player in my son's sporting team that I know well is a long time assistant AFL coach with a Melb based side with a young list. When asked hypothetically if Fev were available, would his side take him and the answer was a clear and emphatic no. And the reasons were far from complimentary about Fev's record and issues.

[Deeoldfart 7,820]

I read or heard somewhere that the Melbourne Footy Club is disappointed with Casey's decision, but given that it was ultimately Casey's decision to make, our Club would be 'moving on'. Despite my concerns, that's precisely what I'll be doing.

[H_T 2,941]

He's just a bit of an idiot and a sook.

Just a bit ?!! I'm sure the kids can learn heaps... .

[Flying Cloud 152]

Probably not an ideal situation but -

- We will never be a great club if we can't deal with a few set-backs like this

- I am sure there are plenty of other VFL players who could be a bad influence on our young players - at least with Fev we can be forewarned.

- If Fev plays well then our new recruits will just have to work harder to get a spot in Casey 1sts. That can only be a good thing.

[Good Times Grimes 2,396]

- If Fev plays well then our new recruits will just have to work harder to get a spot in Casey 1sts. That can only be a good thing.

None of our forwards that are playing for Casey are going to be able to outplay Fev this year. He has a matured body and he is a proven gun the AFL level. At the VFL level I can't see any reason that would prevent him from tearing it up. That isn't a good thing for our young players as their game time will suffer as a result.

[rolling fog 1,146]

Firstly, I'm quite proud to be a supporter and member of a club which is seemingly never in the headlines for the wrong reasons and I hope it stays that way.

Furthermore, we (the greater MFC organisation) is not a halfway house. But, that said and that which ha sbeen said here previously, there are things which are bigger than football. I would like to think, although I'm not holding out much hope, that Fev has had a true wake up call and he can shone some light on the cruel mistress that is a professional football career and that it can be taken away in the blink of an eye, nothing lasts forever.

Most importantly though, it must not come at the sacrifice of young 18-25 y.o. developing tal forwards.

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

Most importantly though, it must not come at the sacrifice of young 18-25 y.o. developing tal forwards.

well it will... that's the issue

hopefully he gets a career ending injury first training session

[beelzebub 22,324]

Of course at Veefa level Fev would be better as a CHF leaving FF open for developing youth. Put the Sook there (chf) and he'll drag their best defender there too. It's not all doom and gloom

[hoopla 418]

hopefully he gets a career ending injury first training session

Absolutely..... but that only fixes the immediate problem.

The long-term problem is that we are propping up an affiliate that is not interested in our views - or in developing the young talent we are making available to them. I think we are giving them $300k per annum ... just to be ignored.

I certainly won't be heading out to Casey to support the Scorpions again.

Does our 30-year agreement with Casey Council force us into the affiliation with the Scorpions ... or can we start up the Casey Demons as a standalone entity?

Edited March 8, 2011 by hoopla

[Nasher 33,166]

The long-term problem is that we are propping up an affiliate that is not interested in our views - or in developing the young talent we are making available to them. I think we are giving them $300k per annum ... just to be ignored.

300k isn't a huge amount of money really - certainly it doesn't buy the right to lay down the law about the non-AFL portion of their playing list. And what about Casey's 2010 (and 2009?) finals campaigns, where the MFC essentially said "stuff your finals campaign, our season's over so you can't have any of our players other than a token few"?

I say this realising that I only have 0.00001% of the information at hand, but it sounds to me like there's two clubs involved here who don't give a fig about the interests of the other. Not the foundations of a rock-solid relationship really is it?

Does our 30-year agreement with Casey Council force us into the affiliation with the Scorpions ... or can we start up the Casey Demons as a standalone entity?

The alignment has nothing to do with the agreement with the council; it was just the logical next step after the agreement. We could start a standalone reserves side, but if the $300,000 we pay Casey offends you then times that number by about 10 and you're in the vicinity of the estimated costs of running a standalone VFL side last I saw them.

[Sir Why You Little 34,924]

300k isn't a huge amount of money really - certainly it doesn't buy the right to lay down the law about the non-AFL portion of their playing list. And what about Casey's 2010 (and 2009?) finals campaigns, where the MFC essentially said "stuff your finals campaign, our season's over so you can't have any of our players other than a token few"?

I say this realising that I only have 0.00001% of the information at hand, but it sounds to me like there's two clubs involved here who don't give a fig about the interests of the other. Not the foundations of a rock-solid relationship really is it?

Exactly why we need our own stand alone club, hopefully one who can play games at Casey Fields, using facilities out there.

The MFC does need Casey, just not the Casey Football Team

[e25 5]

300k isn't a huge amount of money really - certainly it doesn't buy the right to lay down the law about the non-AFL portion of their playing list. And what about Casey's 2010 (and 2009?) finals campaigns, where the MFC essentially said "stuff your finals campaign, our season's over so you can't have any of our players other than a token few"?

I say this realising that I only have 0.00001% of the information at hand, but it sounds to me like there's two clubs involved here who don't give a fig about the interests of the other. Not the foundations of a rock-solid relationship really is it?

I don't agree with that.

I think Casey does care about the MFC's concerns, but the Scorpions come first.

If I remove MFC from the equation, this is a no-brainer, because the benefit for Casey is clear.

They are just acting in their best interests and the considerable benefit outweighs the negative of pissing off MFC.

I don't expect MFC to be able to dictate their list makeup to that extent.

The alignment has nothing to do with the agreement with the council; it was just the logical next step after the agreement. We could start a standalone reserves side, but if the $300,000 we pay Casey offends you then times that number by about 10 and you're in the vicinity of the estimated costs of running a standalone VFL side last I saw them.

This won't be feasible for MFC for at least a decade, maybe not ever.

Edited March 8, 2011 by e25