Losing your favourite player/s

[Dee man 303]

I think there are two constants of being a Melbourne supporter:

1. disappointment

2. losing good players to other clubs

I can't think of many good Demons over the past decade who have signed on with us without giving a second thought. Even the mainstays of the last decade - Yze, White, Green - regularly flirted with opposition clubs during trade week. Perhaps Neitz and Trengove are the main exceptions.

Without getting caught up too much in which players have stayed loyal, it's worth reflecting the calibre of players we have lost to other clubs over the past decade (I know the circumstances are different for every player and that we sometimes scored good deals, but let's ignore that for a moment): Jeff Farmer, Shane Woewodin, Scott Thompson, Darren Jolly, Travis Johnstone, Brock McLean, Cameron Bruce, Brad Miller, James McDonald, Tom Scully.

Now we can add Liam Jurrah, Brent Moloney, and Jared Rivers to that list. Stefan Martin may join them.

In light of this, I want to hear your stories about losing your favourite players to other clubs. How do you respond?

(Fwiw, my thoughts are here - I've had a particularly bad run of form)

[Biffen 12,943]

To me ,it's not a lung ,it's a player.

The ALFPA and clubs want us to "get real" about player movements in the future.(corporatisation)

Movement between clubs to me is not as sad as losing a player forever to injury.

I get a bit miffed at guys like Brock and Brent going after all their noise about the club but it's a two-way street and I realize the club is often behind the moves as much as the players.

I can "move on" when a guy switches clubs.

I struggled with Stinga never being the same after he had his accident-he could have been anything.

However , I still lie awake at night wondering why we got rid of Juice Newton and Brent Grgic .

[Grimseyisgod 378]

At this point i have 3 favourite players..

Trengove, Grimes and Watts.

All are demons through and through.

The players that decide to leave Melbourne (aka Rivers) arent people who fight through and through for our football club. Moloney is adifferent situation.

[DeeZee 7,396]

I can handle it because I'm used to it.

But when i see my 11 year old son have to rip his Moloney and Jurah posters from his wall, and the likelihood his favourite Ricky Petterd whose number 15 he wears on the back ofhis guernsey will be traded,that hurts.

[pantaloons 2,019]

Losing the Wizard was upsetting. Seeing him in the clown guernsey was very difficult, it was footballing adultery. There have been players I was very disappointed to see leave, but Farmer going really stung. I hated seeing Woewodin in black and white as well. I never booed either of them though.

[1 red eye 1 blue eye 771]

Agree with pantaloons about Farmer and Woey, going back a little further losing Stan Alves and Gerard Healy was tough.

[Dee Dee 1,108]

Agree with pantaloons about Farmer and Woey, going back a little further losing Stan Alves and Gerard Healy was tough.

I well remember loosing Alves and Greg Wells and that hurt.

Apparently Alves now dislikes Melbourne with a vengence and as I remember it, Greg Wells was quoted as saying that even as a Carlton player he still had a soft spot for the Dees.

And I hated loosing Woey.

[Dee Fan 3,247]

Losing the Wizard was upsetting. Seeing him in the clown guernsey was very difficult, it was footballing adultery. There have been players I was very disappointed to see leave, but Farmer going really stung. I hated seeing Woewodin in black and white as well. I never booed either of them though.

Losing Alves, Wells and Spalding was bad, losing Barrass was heartbreaking.

[Nasher 33,616]

I was disappointed to see Woey, Powell, Thompson and Farmer go. Not sure if it's battle weariness or what but I find that I couldn't care less about the latest lot to leave. The level of success seen with the player is proportional to my fondness for them I guess.

[Deeoldfart 8,033]

RDB started it all. At the time I remember thinking it was the end of the world, and in a way it pretty much was (in terms of football success anyway).

[Biffen 12,943]

RDB started it all. At the time I remember thinking it was the end of the world, and in a way it pretty much was (in terms of football success anyway).

Must have been devastating-my Dad stopped following after that,even with all the flags he saw from 1940 on.

[nutbean 8,838]

a wee bit off topic - Robbie F retiring made me tear up big time - just thought he would go on forever.

[1 red eye 1 blue eye 771]

I well remember loosing Alves and Greg Wells and that hurt.

Apparently Alves now dislikes Melbourne with a vengence and as I remember it, Greg Wells was quoted as saying that even as a Carlton player he still had a soft spot for the Dees.

And I hated loosing Woey.

Yes.... of course, had forgotten about Greg Wells, hurts even more when they go on to win a premiership.

Edited October 19, 2012 by 1 red eye 1 blue eye

[ashdemons22 235]

I cried when we lost Shane Woewodin, and Jeff Farmer,

If my memory is true Farmer kicked a goal to beat us the year after he left and went with Freo, I also cried then,

[censored] man opening up old wounds

[ashdemons22 235]

I can handle it because I'm used to it.

But when i see my 11 year old son have to rip his Moloney and Jurah posters from his wall, and the likelihood his favourite Ricky Petterd whose number 15 he wears on the back ofhis guernsey will be traded,that hurts.

I did they same thing with Woey and Farmer, sucks hey,

[Clintosaurus 7,848]

Took me a little while to get over Scott Thompson leaving as it was obvious how good he was going to be and the years since have just reinforced that. Now after 6 years of being an average or worse side I'm not so cut up about players going.

[Sir Why You Little 37,038]

Watching Stan Alves & Crackers Keenan win the Flag & celebrate in 1977 hurt a lot.

Same with Earl Spalding in '95.

Although i was more angry in '95.

[Face Your Demons 175]

Very very few players don't wave the I leave card in the face of the club. Put that down to player agents. I get you the best price. Robbie Flower is one that I believe would never have left, regardless of how much money was put in his face.

[Deeoldfart 8,033]

Very very few players don't wave the I leave card in the face of the club. Put that down to player agents. I get you the best price. Robbie Flower is one that I believe would never have left, regardless of how much money was put in his face.

Very true FYD, he confirmed it in his book.

[My TD 156]

What was the story with Spalding , why did he leave ?

[Ron Burgundy 8,584]

Junior, Woewodin, Powell and Thompson have hurt the most.

Junior because it didn't make any sense, to me at least.

Woewodin because he was a genuine Demon.

Powell because we didn't get any proper compensation.

And Thompson because it was clear he was going to be elite and we didn't manage him appropriately.

[Ron Burgundy 8,584]

I just feel disappointed about losing Rivers.

[Dee Dee 1,108]

What was the story with Spalding , why did he leave ?

If I remember correctly Spalding and Northey didn't hit it off. Spalding was (if my memory serves me correctly) supposed to be traded to Richmond but landed at Carlton and a premiership! I'm not sure of the intricacies of that deal.

Wayward kick but great mark and a bit of a cult figure around the club!

[P-man 13,366]

I had to throw out my Air Jurrah shirt the other day. Sucks. I quite liked that shirt.

[jumbo returns 6,741]

I was really, really upset at losing Woey....genuine star who battled heavy tags every week. Daniher had no idea who to combat that as a coach.

The Wiz was hard to take, but there was a clearance sale at K Mart on footy jumpers and the Freo jumpers were reduced to 4.99...Bargain!! Bought two.