Maybe the culture of D'land will change Nah

It feels like being in a new car - everything is so shiny and smells so good!!

Let's hope it's not a Leyland P76 ;-)

Best post so far goes to Binman & his "training animals" observation.

Can one lose vision from basking in this positive flow of pure optimism??

Yes. One can.

This is the happy time for Demons around the land.

We start getting depressed around May.

I love the fact that I'm constenly seeing on the news and hearing about demon players still training on there brake.

Every other tam seem to be away on holidays but not our boys.

The playing group seem to be pretty determined to get this club back on track.

Before we got Mitch Clark, out of our 44 players on the list, only 1 had come from another club, Moloney. Here in lies the problem.....

The culture wasn't developing, it was the the old passing onto the new, no diversification.

Now the new attitude of this authoritarian style coaching is questioning everything, and new players bringing what they know about successful cultures (without knowing it).

This is all leading toward a new (hopefully) successful culture.

err, don't mean to be a pedant but Joel Macdonald

Before we got Mitch Clark, out of our 44 players on the list, only 1 had come from another club, Moloney. Here in lies the problem.....

The culture wasn't developing, it was the the old passing onto the new, no diversification.

Now the new attitude of this authoritarian style coaching is questioning everything, and new players bringing what they know about successful cultures (without knowing it).

This is all leading toward a new (hopefully) successful culture.

Extremely good point

Big boys can take a long time to peak - as we know with Jamar, potentially Mitch Clark & hopefully Jack Watts.

I like this risk of Neeld's, who would know Dawes very well. Add the school connection between Watt & Dawes & the possibilities are interesting.

I much prefer Dawes at 20 to taking a young gun with L plates on his shorts & car.

The Lyon/Neitz/Ox Bermuda triangle was effective in the late 90s. This could be the new improved version.

And may I take this opportunity to suggest all the usual paid up members of the MFCSS can all collectively go screw themselves.

Whilst there's always room for critique and calling for responsibility to be taken I think the time has come to change the wallpaper.out with shades of permanent negativity and on with a broad brush of blue skies and some sunshine. Even the rain that will fall will only go to the making of rainbows. Out pots of gold are coming !!!

There is REAL change upon us. Not the talking of change but actual change. Some of us were wondering if it would ever come. It has

The Groundhog has emerged on a Cloudy Day this Groundhog Day

The Groundhog has emerged on a Cloudy Day this Groundhog Day

And sees NO shadow !!!

Good call. I wonder how long it will take before it is hijacked.

The other thing i really like are the players that Neeld has got are all training animals who are fully commited to doing the work required to play AFL. Couch, Magner, Clark, Sellar, Byrnes and Dawes are all highly respected in terms of their focus on training and are all solid citizens (Byrnes is doing the Kokoda train in his off season FFS).. To me this is so important and is a clear statement of Neelds approach and what he considers to be to key to success (as he has made super clear time and time again). I honestly believe this point can't be emphasised enough

This is how you change culture. The young players (current and new guys) will be surrounded by older blokes who go for it 100% and not only will set a great example will also not hesitate i suspect to make it clear what is required to succeed. In essence its like drafting in a new leadership group. very instructive that Clark was put in the LG from the get go. It would not shock me for one or more of the new recruits going into the LG next year. This will be the culture Hogan will be joining. No short cuts and the party boy element cut out of the club

I love it

What a great post.

Whilst players such as Byrnes, Magner, Couch, etc, aren't the most talented players going around, their attitude towards training is admirable.

If you're a player competing with these guys for a spot in the team, one would think it'd be only natural to lift your game on the training track.

I'm in the school that thinks pick 20 is well over Dawes current value but it appears Neeld has got his man & will pay that price

The least of my worries about him though, is when the ball hits the ground. He contests, handballs, blocks, shepherds etc. For a big unit he really does have a crack when the pill hits the deck.

we had to pay overs this year to get the sytem rolling. I am impressed with how much we got.

If Dawes has full confidence in his hand. He will be a gun.

Another Brighton Grammar boy. The Blazer will fit right in!!

I love the fact that I'm constenly seeing on the news and hearing about demon players still training on there brake.

Every other tam seem to be away on holidays but not our boys.

The playing group seem to be pretty determined to get this club back on track.

and Moloney walked. Says a lot.

Norm is watching.

I believe a rejuvenated forward line will do wonders for the team and midfielders in particular. As there will be better options, I think we will begin to see an increase in confidence and thus better plays and deliveries into the forward line, where the team will be rewarded from an increased amount of set shot goals.

Statue of Norm Smith gets put up, curse ends.

Exactly! Norms cursed restless soul has finally found peace. He's no longer [censored] at us and as such our fortunes are destined to change. No longer will he roam the change rooms of the MFC tying together Jack Watts boot laces or slipping laxatives into Cale Morton's protein drinks. No more will he whisper quietly into the ears of the recruiters on draft day the name of some useless skinny kid with a poor attitude and a work ethic to match. Now Norm stands proud overlooking the once great Club he nurtured and loved. The curse has been lifted and Norm has forgiven us for our sins of self indulgence and weakness. He's back in our corner with an insatiable appetite for success born of 48 years of failure.

P.s Norm's quietly pleased with the way young Neeld's going about things, although he is disappointed that he doesn't use Brylcream.