3 hours ago, Whispering_Jack said:

I'm very happy to see that Christian Petracca has been selected to play for the Demons against the Saints this Saturday but I really do think that the hype and adulation which makes him out to be our saviour is way over the top.

As a long time supporter, I've seen many saviours come and go at Melbourne and most have disappointed us mightily.

I remember the recruitment of John Tilbrook brought great excitement. He was supposed to be a belated replacement for Ron Barassi and when he ran out for his first game against South Melbourne at VFL Park Waverley, the barrel-chested Tilbrook looked like Superman without the cape and the red underparts. His first kick travelled 70 metres in the wet. He kicked two of the team's seven goals that day and Lou Richards labelled him "Diamond Jim". Alas, although he played a few more good games, he ended up a fizzer and the critics were calling him "Diamonte Jim".

There have been many others. I remember a player drafted in the late 80s, Rod Keough, who had the Barassi look about him and showed some early promise but as hard as he tried, he couldn't even establish himself as a regular in the team.

And look at all the others who we thought would save the club.

Perhaps it was the club or the coaches who fostered the saviour mentality but I don't believe that is the case with the current administration and coaches and I hope that CP5 can play out career and be as good or as great as possible without the weight of expectation we have unfairly placed on the others?

 

The saviours:

Ed Burston

John Tilbrook

Kelvin Templeton

Carl Ditterich

Glenn Swann

David Cordner

Brent Crosswell

others?

 

 

1 hour ago, stuie said:

Couldn't disagree more.

The excitement around Petracca is just part of the excitement around the club with how we're traveling and the young blokes we have coming through as a group. We're already improving and are enjoyable to watch, so the "hype" around this is all part and parcel of that rather than seeing one player as a saviour.

This is simply excitement for an exciting player, not excitement because we think this single player will turn our fortunes around.

 

I actually agree. In the classic chicken and egg conundrum Petracca is whatever comes second. He's icing on an already established cake.

He's another piece of the puzzle. A potentially important piece of the puzzle, but this team is playing like a team at the moment. And I hope it continues. There might be a whiff of a cynical motive in trying to get bums on seats at Etihad this weekend, however the hype being generated around him is mostly the work of external football media, rather than the club. 

Edited April 28, 20169 yr by AdamFarr

So very different in my view.

CP5 is being welcomed as a cog in a young developing TEAM, not in any way as a saviour.  He has had to really earn his spot and has real competition for it.  

Fantastically different.

14 minutes ago, bush demon said:

The saviours:

Ed Burston

John Tilbrook

Kelvin Templeton

Carl Ditterich

Glenn Swann

David Cordner

Brent Crosswell

others?

 

 

Where to start, Trengove, Scully, and Watts can be added to that. And Hogan to a large degree

2 hours ago, fndee said:

For one of the few times I think you have the wrong end of the stick Jack.

I think WJ might just be using the stick to gently stir a little.

As far as I'm concerned, our only saviours are Peter Jackson and Paul Roos.

51 minutes ago, bush demon said:

The saviours:

Ed Burston

John Tilbrook

Kelvin Templeton

Carl Ditterich

Glenn Swann

David Cordner

Brent Crosswell

others?

 

 

Kelvin Templeton, Peter Moore, Ron Barassi (when he came back to coach in 1981). Speaking of the latter, I remember his first game as coach. Back then,  the players came out of the races in the Olympic stand (roughly left forward flank when facing the Punt Road end), and when Barassi walked out from there around the boundary line and then up to the coaches's boxes, there was a hearty round of applause. That was about as good as it got that day, as we got flogged by Hawthorn. Kind of says it all, really ... 

I agree with a lot of the sentiment in this thread - Petracca is not being seen as a saviour, so much as a part of completing the puzzle.

A valuable part that also happens to offer a lot of entertainment in both quality and attitude!

I'm excited because I really expect to have fun at the football.

2 hours ago, bush demon said:

The saviours:

Ed Burston

John Tilbrook

Kelvin Templeton

Carl Ditterich

Glenn Swann

David Cordner

Brent Crosswell

others?

 

 

Hugh Bromell

Does any team in the AFL consider any player a saviour these days? It's a term reserved for the out of touch and the footy media (not always mutually exclusive)

1 hour ago, bush demon said:

The saviours:

Ed Burston

John Tilbrook

Kelvin Templeton

Carl Ditterich

Glenn Swann

David Cordner

Brent Crosswell

others?

 

 

Ross Dillon

14 minutes ago, Moonshadow said:

Does any team in the AFL consider any player a saviour these days? It's a term reserved for the out of touch and the footy media (not always mutually exclusive)

Patrick Dangerfield

Lance Frankenfield

Jeremy Cameron

Gaddy Ablett

Todd Goldstein

As Cher would say, the list goes on.

1 minute ago, bush demon said:

Patrick Dangerfield

Lance Frankenfield

Jeremy Cameron

Gaddy Ablett

Todd Goldstein

As Cher would say, the list goes on.

Not sure any of those teams considered any of them 'saviours', that was the press

Saviours 2.0:

Jimmy Stynes

That mining guy

Tiddles Ridley

Dennis Jones

Bobby Skilton

probably could all be added to the list of mighty saviours. 

We no longer need saving

I always thought the Ox was going to be our first genuine superstar with premiership conjuring credentials of the the post 64 era. Sadly we all know what happened.

58 minutes ago, dieter said:

Hugh Bromell

George Lakes 1967

If the PJ/PR double act has done anything, it has released us from the Cameron Schwab mindlock that so many on here were captured by.
The new regime has taught us that a club built on favoritism, reputation and individuals will always be inherently flawed. If anything, they have saved us more than any other player could by dispelling the mindsets of the past.

5 hours ago, Bossdog said:

While I agree somewhat Jack,   I think it is a bit different this time around.   I don't expect him to be best on ground, but I expect him to play his role within the team.

I think it is the media which is driving the hype and not our club which is different to previous saviours.

I think that the club made him earn his place and held him back whereas other coaching depts. would have unveiled him to promote the club.

Anyhow.....Good luck to the kid.  

Agreed because the clubs managing of the young guys now is totally different along with the fact we have so many quality players there is much less burden.

The hard part is the genuine excitement we have to see, what we are hoping are hoping, is going to be a very good player for us.

The only reason people may think they are saviours are the ones who start threads like this.

Couldn't disagree more.

Paddy McCartin for St Kilda! Shame that he was dropped this weekend so we cannot evaluate them in combat on the arena on Saturday.

I like what the FD are doing giving the young players a few games then resting, so the other young players get a chance to shine.

I would like to think that 12 players would have played their first few games for the Red & Blue by seasons end.

If we get hit by injuries we must have a decent knowledge of the back up players and the positions they can play.

Our saviours are more likely the 12 Apostles

Edited April 28, 20169 yr by Barney Rubble

I'm glad a lot of people on here say they don't consider Track to be the saviour. I think that's the appropriate view to take. 

But what people do is often different to what people say. There's a 7,000 page thread celebrating this bloke getting a game and everyone has to admit, the buzz has been enormous. I don't think that's healthy. What will the reaction be if he barely gets a touch in his first two games, kicks a couple of clangers and misses a couple of tackles? Plenty of the greats of the game have done nothing in their first few games - yet this joint will go into meltdown if that occurs. Do you reckon Hawthorn fans care when one of their high draft picks debuts? 

As I said on another thread, Dees fans losing their mind over a bloke who hasn't played a game is so 2009. I'm more excited about the team goes this Sat than what Track does. 

That said, I hope he has 27 and kicks 5 haha

6 hours ago, Dappa Dan said:

Demons don't need saving. There was a time we did. Then Jack Viney arrived. Culture changer. 

So i guess that would make Jack Viney our saviour?

works for me