It's very simple. Money. Lots of it. We've talked about money most posts in this thread and tried to add other factors in, but the reality is that some players will be swayed by the opportunity to earn more at another club. Not every player is like that, and plenty turned down offers from the expansion teams, but some did take the money and we will see this more and more. There was nothing other than money to attract Ablett, LeTom, Ward, Brown, Davis and others to head north. I'm not saying we shouldn't try to use every selling point to get a player to come on board, but it's going to be extra cash and longer contracts that will attract players.

Sorry, why is Rawlings an incentive to come to the MFC now?

Join the Melbourne Football Club, be a step ladder for Howe!

You don't have to be a Demon to become a Howe step ladder.

With the recent departure of Moloney it raises a question in my mind. How are we going to attract new players to the club? We've made a play for Boak, don't know how it's holding up. Some of us would like to see Josh Caddy in the Red and Blue in 2013 as well. But 2012 was a really poor year. What would make a player join a club that, if not for GWS and GCS, probably would've only had 1 win for the year?

Money isn't much of a problem as we have a fair amount of room in our salary cap. Can we still convince others that we are heading in the right direction? Or will they see the departure of Moloney as a steer clear sign?

What do we have to do to put ourselves above other clubs in preparation for and during the trading period to lure players to this great and proud club?

With great difficulty, no-one really wants to come us because of losing culture and below average list. We won't get any big names even though we will have heaps of money in the salary cap.

Moloney is an average player, he just wasn't getting a game because he couldn't handle the coach, he will get half the money he is getting now wherever he goes.

Well RN were would you like me to start.

Yes I know you don't have 4 hours.

It is a relic from 100 years ago

And represents every thing about the MFC that is anchored in a long gone era.

To everyone outside the MFC it represents our lack of relevance in 2012.

Hows that for a three line starter.

As you have no doubt guessed I hate the thing with a vengeance.

Ok. As per your usual great form, you've said it all right there very concisely lol.

May i suggest something? Maybe we could get a fund raiser going. We gather enough $, probably not much needed lol, and purchase all blazers off the MFC at an agreet to amount.

We then get together and conduct a ceremonial "Burning of the Blazers" at a place and time to be determined!!?? Maybe outside the G somewhere. I'm sure the MCC would approve!

What say you OD?

Actually, I think the exit of Moloney, and the hard line being taken with young players who wont put in the full effort required, would be the other major plus.

I worry that quite a few possible ring-ins might take a 'wait and see' approach for now, but the club is making a big statement about changing the culture and ramping up the professionalism.

Combine that with good money on the flattering justifcation that 'we are looking to attract good professionals who will contribute to a culture of excellence, and willing to pay for it'.

I think we'd have a case.

I think people forgetting that a sticking point is the facilities we have at AAMI.

Has been well publicised as some of the best in the league.

Take a prospective player on a tour around them and I'm sure it will persuade him somewhat to come to the dees.

Plus walking into work every day and seeing cooper cronk and Archie thompson is pretty cool, let's be honest...

boak, cloke and goddard..Melbourne needed to get one of these guys. No way maggies will let clokey go, boak's just re-signed and goddard will captain saints next year. scary times ahead.

boak, cloke and goddard..Melbourne needed to get one of these guys. No way maggies will let clokey go, boak's just re-signed and goddard will captain saints next year. scary times ahead.

All Melbourne "needs" is 40 players who know exactly what their roles are and are prepared to fill them to within an inch of their lives.

Best reason I can think of would be to get reunited with your childhood. Revisit the days the Head teacher would bring out Big Bertha and deliver the cuts for talking in class.

All Melbourne "needs" is 40 players who know exactly what their roles are and are prepared to fill them to within an inch of their lives.

not a bad prediction Chook!! What ya reckon??...with Boak, Cloke and Goddard..

Edited October 2, 201212 yr by thaipantsman

The 'one demon' you are searching for is Jack Trengove.

Ok. As per your usual great form, you've said it all right there very concisely lol.

May i suggest something? Maybe we could get a fund raiser going. We gather enough $, probably not much needed lol, and purchase all blazers off the MFC at an agreet to amount.

We then get together and conduct a ceremonial "Burning of the Blazers" at a place and time to be determined!!?? Maybe outside the G somewhere. I'm sure the MCC would approve!

What say you OD?

Old dee will come around I am sure of it. He will come around and embrace the MFC Blasers and recognise the relevance of our steep tradition. In fact, I reckon old dee himself would look great in one.

I suggest we get a replica made and present it to old dee as a sign of everything unity. Old dee can be a symbol of a unified club; a representative of old and new.

And like Sydney's famous supporter who gets to kick off their song after games in the circle of trust (winning culture). We can have old dee in the middle kicking off MFC songs after our wins among the players each and every week with his new blaser on. As proud as punch he will be.

Old dee will come around I am sure of it. He will come around and embrace the MFC Blasers and recognise the relevance of our steep tradition. In fact, I reckon old dee himself would look great in one.

I suggest we get a replica made and present it to old dee as a sign of everything unity. Old dee can be a symbol of a unified club; a representative of old and new.

And like Sydney's famous supporter who gets to kick off their song after games in the circle of trust (winning culture). We can have old dee in the middle kicking off MFC songs after our wins among the players each and every week with his new blaser on. As proud as punch he will be.

Well thanks for the offer H_T

However it will be a black day in hell when I wear one of those god awful Blazers.

I doubt there are many more loyal than yours truly

But I don't see that loyalty means you cannot criticize some thing you see as wrong.

You know my reasons for disliking the blazers.

I will be there till the end of me or the club.

Any how thanks for the thought but don't waste your money then again as RN suggests it could useful for a ceremonial burner at some future point.

I think the problem for Melbourne is that the starting point in this discussion has to be that, all things being equal (money, length of contract, prospects of getting a game etc.) between an offer from Melbourne and an offer from just about any other club other than PAFC, perhaps WB, a player will choose to go the other club.

This leaves Melbourne in the tough position of having to pay over and above what a player is worth (or offer them an extra year they don't deserve) based on their career so far if they want to recruit FAs with good currency. This stands in direct contrast to the player payment model being adopted by the most successful clubs (e.g. GEEL, COLL - we only pay you what you are worth, not a cent more. Players are expected to sacrifice to keep a successful team together which will then lead to better off field employment opportunities etc.) and isn't really a good practice to adopt.

Breaking players down into a few categories, with examples -

Young 20-25 y.o. with potential but not results, struggling to get a game at his current club (Koby Stevens) or unhappy at that club (I'd put Mitch Clarke in this category) - might go to MFC if they offered more than any other interested parties

Young 20-25 y.o. who is clearly good enough to get a game at most clubs (Wellingham, Dawes, Tippett) - no reason to go to MFC, unless they offer significantly more $$$ than any other, especially if they are from a club accustomed to success like COLL. MFC have no history of developing young players.

Older player who is clearly good enough to earn a spot in a good side, is chasing a premiership (Goddard) - clearly no reason to go to MFC, unless they offer significantly more $$$ than any other

Older player on the tail end of their career who can't get a game at their current club, may struggle to get a game anywhere (Byrnes) - would probably go to the highest bidder ie anywhere they can get a contract, so MFC if they front up the most $$$.

So in conclusion, without paying a large amount over what a player is worth, MFC can only realistically hope to recruit:

-Fringe players or disgruntled who represent a bit of a risk, but may have a good payoff. If that player is desired by another club, MFC will still have to pay above and beyond his worth or give him a longer contract.

-Older players who are washed up, but might provide good leadership to a group that desperately needs it.

That said, money talks, and MFC must pay 95% of the salary cap - so you have to spend it on something, even if it means paying a reasonable FA player far beyond what he is actually worth to get him to go to the club. The problem I see with that is: are these really the players you want to recruit - ie the ones who would be elsewhere if not for the $$$s. Decent players would not be looking to Melbourne with the prospect of team success in mind, it would simply be about money.

It appears that Melbourne has attempted to get a look in with just about every player mentioned so far in trade/FA talks - and been firmly rebuffed every single time. It has become pretty clear that players do not want to go there at the moment. And other clubs seem to have just as much money to offer as the Dees.

Perhaps last year there was promise in the off season and hype around Neeld's coaching team (which probably helped with Clarke - along with the $$$s), but after the pathetic season that was 2012 the gloss has come off.

I don't think the "coaching team" factor is going to help at all anymore, despite what is said on these boards. It will be trumped by the premonition that players will have of toiling away in a bottom of the ladder team for a few seasons. Most commentators and many on these boards agree that Melbourne showed next to nothing this year, and probably took a step backwards to see who could actually play and trim the fat. I think this was a good long term move. But short term, it is not appealing to other players.

I don't think Melbourne has a hope in hell of recruiting a decent player (on past form) to the club this off-season, unless he is a complete mercenary. Hope to be proven wrong, though.

Edited October 3, 201212 yr by cfe

Cfe...of course we will have to pay overs to get the ball rolling.

"Gotta spend $$$ to make $$$$

Old dee will come around I am sure of it. He will come around and embrace the MFC Blasers and recognise the relevance of our steep tradition. In fact, I reckon old dee himself would look great in one.

I suggest we get a replica made and present it to old dee as a sign of everything unity. Old dee can be a symbol of a unified club; a representative of old and new.

And like Sydney's famous supporter who gets to kick off their song after games in the circle of trust (winning culture). We can have old dee in the middle kicking off MFC songs after our wins among the players each and every week with his new blaser on. As proud as punch he will be.

Well thanks for the offer H_T

However it will be a black day in hell when I wear one of those god awful Blazers.

I doubt there are many more loyal than yours truly

But I don't see that loyalty means you cannot criticize some thing you see as wrong.

You know my reasons for disliking the blazers.

I will be there till the end of me or the club.

Any how thanks for the thought but don't waste your money then again as RN suggests it could useful for a ceremonial burner at some future point.

Actually i reckon HT is being a little tongue in cheek here OD so you're pretty safe lol.

I just had a thought.... if we hold that ceremonial "Burning of the Blazers", we'll then have some ashes left over yeh!!??

We can then bottle em in an urn just as they did 130 years ago for the English tourists. We then hand over a copy of the urn (ashes), to one of the players each year. May i suggest to the MVP (or even the Demonland POTY!!! Handed over by the Demonland Admin/Mods!! What say you HT??), as voted by players themselves! I reckon they'd love the irony! Along with never having to see, let alone wear, those blazers again!

Edited October 5, 201212 yr by Rusty Nails

Actually i reckon HT is being a little tongue in cheek here OD so you're pretty safe lol.

I just had a thought.... if we hold that ceremonial "Burning of the Blazers", we'll then have some ashes left over yeh!!??

We can then bottle em in an urn just as they did 130 years ago for the English tourists. We then hand over a copy of the urn (ashes), to one of the players each year. May i suggest to the MVP (or even the Demonland POTY!!! Handed over by the Demonland Admin/Mods!! What say you HT??), as voted by players themselves! I reckon they'd love the irony! Along with never having to see, let alone wear, those blazers again!

I know he was RN

You do however have a good plan there.

However the Blazer lovers would probably just buy so new ones.