We will host 3 games in NT next year

[John Crow Batty 8,886]

A good chance to catch up with the Jurrah and Wona clans.

[bing181 9,436]

Given our tie-up with NT, hardly surprising.

[Bitter but optimistic 22,289]

A good chance to catch up with the Jurrah and Wona clans.

Funny .. but naughty ... you will get smacks!!

[monoccular 17,697]

So we play in the NT before Queens Birthday. Great. The Filth will be rapt.

It better wipe the debt. That's all i can say.

The last 7 years have left a great stain on this club.

Hey - as I pointed out above, playing in Alice a week before a Monday game (if that is what is going to happen) possibly on a Saturday or Saturday night is no worse than playing in Brisbane or Perth; in fact it is a good deal closer. And climate-wise mid year should be no problem.

Now if it were the Darwin game that would be a problem.

[Red and Blue Bloke 20]

This deal really stinks for reserved seat holders, 11 games with an undercover seat costs an extra $130, but it now will be 9 games with a seat and 2 without for the same price!

Taking the [censored] a bit.

[Demon3 2,541]

The NAB Cup game will be against the Tigers.

[The Song Formerly Known As 6,479]

A good chance to catch up with the Jurrah and Wona clans.

[McQueen 17,867]

Excuse me for having a chuckle at all those who think laying in Darwin adversely affects our performances.

We were terrible all year for crying out loud! Stop using Darwin as an excuse.

Geez, with some positive support to go with the obvious improvements around the place we might even get up in these games.

[old dee 24,028]

Excuse me for having a chuckle at all those who think laying in Darwin adversely affects our performances.

We were terrible all year for crying out loud! Stop using Darwin as an excuse.

Geez, with some positive support to go with the obvious improvements around the place we might even get up in these games.

Spot on McQueen a few here need to remember how much we need the cash. Good teams win anywhere and bad ones lose anywhere.

I have no problem with it except the game in February.

[Arrow 1,257]

Just in the thought, dependent on how our midfield stacks up in the first few weeks I reckon we could give Pies a good go this year. Far better back and forward lines.

[Forest Demon 4,681]

Seems many, including myself, are unaware of the vast difference in climate between Alice Springs and Darwin. Apparently the humidity is not an issue in Alice.

[Pennant St Dee 13,414]

memberships

This news sucks. If we ever want to develop into a proper football team that actually plays finals we will play on our home ground at every opportunity

Hawthorn springs to mind

[DeeSpencer 26,481]

Hawthorn showed tremendous foresight and got on the Tassie and Launceston bandwagon. At the time we were selling a game to Brisbane and then to Canberra for a while there. But when Hobart comes up what do we do we let bloody North get hold of that.

Instead we sell a game to Darwin. 4 hours away plane flight - as long as possible in the AFL that's problem number 1. Much more expensive for supporters to get than Tassie and without any legitimate supporter base growth potential. One game a season in a town that's main sport in getting [censored], and other sports include rugby league, toad racing and barramundi fishing.

But I can live with one game up there a year. The actual game we can have an advantage in by being regulars up there. One of course that is dissipated by playing often Port who are always the away side so are used to the conditions and well supported or last year Brisbane who have less travel time and train all preseason in similar conditions. Not to mention we should all but demand a bye the week after but in recent memory I can't recall us getting the bye the next week.

But now what do we do. We add a preseason game in Alice in the middle of summer. Now preseason games are pretty useless....unless you are a team that's won 6 games in 2 years and started the last two years 0-7 and 0-4 with record breaking losses and desperately need wins of any kind. Not to mention bringing in a new coach and therefore needing as much preparation as possible.

There are a few positives here. The Alice regular season game is first. It's in Indigenous round which hypes it up. It's against Port who as far as I know have limited Alice background. The preseason game isn't part of a NAB cup so there's no performance pressure. And Freo are an inspired choice for Darwin game. They'll smash us anyway why not put it out of sight.

I understand that the finances don't add up at Melbourne FC at the moment. We pay off debt, we invest in the footy department, that investment goes belly up but we have no choice but to invest in Paul Roos and therefore we need more revenue to pay for it. But we can't pimp ourselves either. Hawthorn have dictated to all and sundry down at Tassie. They play a few token games and mix it up with Port, North, WB, Freo etc and rake in the coin. If we are doing this NT stuff we have to milk every last cent and at the same time minimise the loss to the football department. So we get the fixturing we want, we get the teams we want etc or we tell them to stuff themselves.

I do believe in the post Darwin drop off next week. AFL is a game of inches and Darwin takes a few and widens the gap. We have to get more sports science bang for our buck coping with these trips. Whether it's working with the AFL for special flights or even a private plane set up, I'm just tossing ideas. I know the AFL banned IV fluid replacement and that it's a touchy subject in the AFL but in the NFL and US College football players often get an IV drip during games if they start cramping. I would suggest that post game at least the AFL allow club medical staff under AFL medical supervision to provide IV fluid rehydration which could improve recovery.

[beelzebub 23,390]

im sorry, i know we [censored] ourselves in doing this but the whole NT thing is quite frankly....[censored] !!!!

We"re Melbourne....not Bloody Darwin or Alice or Upper Kombucta West

Ive never been for this rubbish nor will i ever be for the season proper.

[the fork 357]

As an Alice local it's disappointing to read the negativity on here with regards this endeavour. I do understand that some members in Melbourne who are upset due to the fact that these are home games you've probably budgeted to be attending at the G.

The fact is our club needs the money and given the NT Governments track record it won't be for peanuts. PJ wouldn't be doing this for kicks, it's a short term measure to pay for our new football department no doubt. We can't all scream for a bloke like Paul Roos to come along and not have to work to pay for it. In a couple if years when were up and flying I'm sure these measures will not be neccasary, but for now they are, especially when there are so few Melbourne supporters

bothering to turn up in Victoria.

For those that are interested I'll be sure to hook up with a few local supporters and organise an event with the club here and hope that some of you make the effort to attend. It's a stunning time if year to visit the centre of Australia. If it's a day game it'll be sunny and mid-twentys, if it's a night game it'll be as cold as Melbourne but without the rain, so you can stop your sooking and come see the Dees up close on a beautiful footy ground.

[beelzebub 23,390]

mate with all due respect its beholding upon the AFL to promote the code in Alice, not us. We"re Melbourne, from Melbourne. We ought to represent...umm let me think...oh yeah Melbourne. Every game in the home and away is precious if youre serious about it. Obviously we arent .Something we havent got right yet.

We take the money because we're prostituting ourselves. Dont think for a moment we ought to like it.

Maybe the AFl ought to get a team hapening up there if its such a winner

[the fork 357]

mate with all due respect its beholding upon the AFL to promote the code in Alice, not us. We"re Melbourne, from Melbourne. We ought to represent...umm let me think...oh yeah Melbourne. Every game in the home and away is precious if youre serious about it. Obviously we arent .Something we havent got right yet.

We take the money because we're prostituting ourselves. Dont think for a moment we ought to like it.

Maybe the AFl ought to get a team hapening up there if its such a winner

Geez Bub take a breath, a tad irrational from you I think, I get that your [censored] but stop and read my post.

WE NEED THE MONEY MATE! We are in DEBT.

Blaming the AFL?! Mate they just bailed us out big time. I think you'll find that old mate Schwab got us into playing in the NT and I think you'll also find its PJ making the most of it. How else do you expect to pay for a coach like Paul Roos, buy packing out the G against Port on a Sunday afternoon?

I've never read such a cynical [censored] post from a well regarded regular.

[deanbarber 37]

We"re Melbourne, from Melbourne. We ought to represent...umm let me think...oh yeah Melbourne.

A tad ignorant.

Lets say theres a Perth boy, born and raised there, but goes for Melbourne, has his whole life. You would treat him as all of us melbourne-based melbourne fans yeah? We would embrace the fact that we have support interstate. yes?

Well stop being picky and being exclusive on who this club represents represents. Does collingwood only represent the suburb of collingwood?.

You cant have it both ways.

(and before you ask, yes i am a melbourne-based melbourne fan. Perth was just an example).

[Ron Burgundy 8,588]

When do we play the Swans?

And where?

[Schneider 220]

I don't think we know where PJ stands on this, we already had a contract with the NT Government didn't we was it renewed while PJ was at the helm?

Anyway old guard, just deal with it be happy the club is still alive and kicking.

This "we are Melbourne and only Melbourne" type stuff that grates a little on us non Melbourne location fans, I love this club as much as you, why else would I waste my team reading some of the tripe dished up on these forums.

[Satyriconhome 10,880]

Bleat, bleat, bleat.....er bleat....supporters..... hah!

[Flying Cloud 152]

For those that are interested I'll be sure to hook up with a few local supporters and organise an event with the club here and hope that some of you make the effort to attend. It's a stunning time if year to visit the centre of Australia. If it's a day game it'll be sunny and mid-twentys, if it's a night game it'll be as cold as Melbourne but without the rain, so you can stop your sooking and come see the Dees up close on a beautiful footy ground.

Hi fork, what's the main ground at Alice like? Does it have lights? Stands? What is the capacity? Has it ever hosted any other big games, League or soccer?

[whelan45 203]

If the extra games comes at the expense of the Etihad home game we have to play each year then I'm all for it.

[beelzebub 23,390]

A tad ignorant.

Lets say theres a Perth boy, born and raised there, but goes for Melbourne, has his whole life. You would treat him as all of us melbourne-based melbourne fans yeah? We would embrace the fact that we have support interstate. yes?

Well stop being picky and being exclusive on who this club represents represents. Does collingwood only represent the suburb of collingwood?.

You cant have it both ways.

(and before you ask, yes i am a melbourne-based melbourne fan. Perth was just an example).

does collingwood lay games in darwin..

youre argument is ridiculously off the point. You missed it .

its one thing to p;lay preseason exhibition games etc somewhere east of woop woop but home and away is for points. You dont give up any advantage.

I dont care where you come from if you want to barrack for Melbourne..good for you, just dont expect the club to play there. What next..Broome coz five guys like us there..or bangkok etc.. just because someone barracks from afar it ought not require the team to accommodate.

[PJ_12345 1,098]

1. Beggars cant be choosers
2. Hawthorn is a good example
3. A chance to increase memberships

Also Etihad isn't the issue - it's the 16,000 game attendances at the G which hurt us more.