Official http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2017-10-19/garland-retires-but-takes-on-new-roles

“We are really excited that he’s moving into a role in coaching – it’s a role that is going to cut across a number of our programs and allow him to develop many aspects of his coaching skills. The role includes positions within our AFLW side, our next generation academy, our AFL team and we’re also very happy to announce that he’ll be the inaugural senior coach of our VFLW Casey Demons team.”

Well done Col on getting the VFLW coaching gig.

Has always put the club first and got the most of himself.  Great that he will still be involved as the red and blue runs thru his veins.

Really like this. I remember him saying that he was told he should go look at clubs he could win a premiership with and he said that if it wasn’t with the Dee’s it wouldn’t mean as much. Glad we get to keep him at the club. Good job to all involved 

Official that Garland has retired. Well played and thank you.

Col announced his retirement today.  Hopefully his shift to coaching is a great success for the MFC.  Frees up some cap, and also a list spot.  Just in time for ‘happy hour’ in the trade room???

He was immense in 2013. Iirc he was ranked one of the top 10 defenders in the competition that season, and was one of the few players from the Neeld era who improved their games. A look at his win/loss ratio says it all about his time at the club, 141 games for a win ratio of 24.82%

I'll never forget the interview where he said "success wouldn't mean anything to me unless it was with Melbourne"

Fantastic clubman and a great role model. Good to hear he is pursuing the coaching path with the MFC. I wish we had more like him.

 

Cheers Col

Cheers Col! I'll never forget the night you turned into Wayne Carey and single handedly destroyed the Bombers back in 2012 to break Mark Neelds coaching duck.

Wowzers. With Watts and Garland now gone, I believe the only homegrown Demons remaining on our list from pre 2010 are Jones and Jetta. What a list turnaround it's been since the Roos era.

Great outcome given retirement is never an easy decision for a player, and well done to Garland on his career!

Always one of my favourites, gave his all and got the most out of himself. 

Wishing him the best in the next part of his career and glad he is sticking around the club doing something he is clearly passionate about!

Edited October 18, 20178 yr by Jaded

19 minutes ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

Official http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2017-10-19/garland-retires-but-takes-on-new-roles

“We are really excited that he’s moving into a role in coaching – it’s a role that is going to cut across a number of our programs and allow him to develop many aspects of his coaching skills. The role includes positions within our AFLW side, our next generation academy, our AFL team and we’re also very happy to announce that he’ll be the inaugural senior coach of our VFLW Casey Demons team.”

Well done Col on getting the VFLW coaching gig.

Has always put the club first and got the most of himself.  Great that he will still be involved as the red and blue runs thru his veins.

Only 1 player remains on our list who played in the rd 19 2011 disaster. Nathan Jones. 

7 minutes ago, MudDogs Gawn Win.. someday said:

Only 1 player remains on our list who played in the rd 19 2011 disaster. Nathan Jones. 

Well done Cols.

Just shows you how we stuffed up the development of so many players. It can't be that all players bar Jones were not capable. Great that we are going in the right direction now!

36 minutes ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

Official http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2017-10-19/garland-retires-but-takes-on-new-roles

“We are really excited that he’s moving into a role in coaching – it’s a role that is going to cut across a number of our programs and allow him to develop many aspects of his coaching skills. The role includes positions within our AFLW side, our next generation academy, our AFL team and we’re also very happy to announce that he’ll be the inaugural senior coach of our VFLW Casey Demons team.”

Well done Col on getting the VFLW coaching gig.

Has always put the club first and got the most of himself.  Great that he will still be involved as the red and blue runs thru his veins.

Absolute footy head. Expect he will climb the coaching ladder very very quickly

Edited October 18, 20178 yr by Demons1858

Some good news

Well done Col. Excellent that you're forging ahead..and with us.

Keep a lookout for Garl's Girls !!

Great clubman and top bloke. Played in the backline in the dark days and gave his all. Well done Colin.

How very appropriate that "Judy" should coach the girls' team!  LOL

Seriously, while it's sad that he feels he isn't up to coming back from that dreadful injury to play top level footy again, it is wonderful news to hear that his passion and loyalty to the MFC is being rewarded with the coaching opportunities.

Feels like a bit of an end of an era, what with the departure of Watts, Trenners and Col from the list.

I wish them all well, and now look forward to the dawning of the next golden age of the MFC!  (Just sorry they couldn't be on the list as part of it!)

Well played Col.

Glad we're hanging onto him and keeping him and his footy IQ inside the club. 

I know it's special circumstances etc but one cannot help but note that we have lost another home grown veteran.

Now that Watts has gone I think that leaves only Jones and Gawn as MFC drafted players over 25... (Vandenberg technically qualifies as well I think)

I was at the preseason Casey game when he did his ACL, you could hear him scream from the other side of the ground. Was pretty sure that was basically the end of his career then.

He has been an excellent key position player for the club during its dark ages and I'm glad they're keeping him on as a coach.

Cheers for everything Big Col.

Very dignified retirement. Big respect Col. Looking forward to his coaching career successes 

Well played Colin Garland. As always a Colin shows great class and dignity.  From one Colin to another I wish all the best and I hope that you become a great coach.

Thanks Col - all the best with Coaching. Glad you are still with the Dees

2 hours ago, chook fowler said:

Great clubman and top bloke. Played in the backline in the dark days and gave his all. Well done Colin.

And the forward line.

Hope it was a mutual decision. 

Do well Garlo

One more of the dark years generation gone. I think just Nathan Jones and Jetta left. 

As for  Col Garland, he has been a dedicated and loyal  servant of the club. From the success point of view he played in the wrong era of course. But that takes nothing away from what has been a fine career. He gave everything he could. At his best he was a very fine AFL player. He should be very proud of his playing career, as the club is of him. Knowing his qualities, he will continue to serve the club well,  albeit in a different way.

 

At his best, Garland played some great games on some great players. Col beat some of the best, regardless of whether they were tall or small.

Sometimes he appeared lackadaisical, but I liked Garland and for quite a few seasons he was well and truly in my best side.

I was saddened when he was injured at the start of the year, because I thought it was already quite possible he'd never play AFL again.

On 10/17/2017 at 9:32 PM, Deespicable said:

So we don't need two young dinosaur-style back-ups in King and Flipper on top of all the others IMO.  It is an old-school list approach that is overkill and it gives me the s... if we are trying to oust Garland for their sake. 

What we're doing with our rucks has almost nothing to do with Col. He was so far down the list of potential defenders it's not funny, and once you take into account the bias towards younger players vs a guy beyond his prime, Col was extremely unlikely to get a game unless we had a disastrous injury run.

Col had an AFL career many people could be envious of, despite the struggles personally and at the Club, and it's nice he's transitioning into coaching with us at the Dees.

I wish him well with his coaching career. He deserved to play AFL finals, maybe he will get a chance one day to coach one.