Jump to content

Featured Replies

 

Terrible story. I remember seeing him out relatively frequently in that 2012 - 2015 period. Venues where that sort of stuff was rife although it was never my thing.

He was always too slow. Looked like he was 38 when he was 28. Hang on, I'm 38 and look younger now ?

Edited by Northern Summer

 

Jeez the picture of him for the article doesn't look great. I'm not trying to derail the conversation to mitigate his own personal choices, at the end of the day he had free will to make his own path, but our club at the time was such a disgrace and I really did think we had a player with him. He absolutely killed it in the final against the Saints, he racked up possessions easy and was a decent kick of the footy. He should've been a long term top player for us, instead we brought in the tanking culture to go on top of an already poor club culture.

He went to Carlton, which to me smacked of arrogance when talking with distain about the tanking attitudes at Melbourne. Carlton were just as bad as us, they just did it early enough to not cop any sanctions.


3 hours ago, Pates said:

Jeez the picture of him for the article doesn't look great. I'm not trying to derail the conversation to mitigate his own personal choices, at the end of the day he had free will to make his own path, but our club at the time was such a disgrace and I really did think we had a player with him. He absolutely killed it in the final against the Saints, he racked up possessions easy and was a decent kick of the footy. He should've been a long term top player for us, instead we brought in the tanking culture to go on top of an already poor club culture.

He went to Carlton, which to me smacked of arrogance when talking with distain about the tanking attitudes at Melbourne. Carlton were just as bad as us, they just did it early enough to not cop any sanctions.

Totally agree in actual fact he stated that was the reason he asked for a trade ...out club was in a mess void of leadership or culture & one wonders if players like him & Sylvia were at Geelong , Hawks, Swans what would the outcomes have been???

  • Author
2 hours ago, Hogan2014 said:

Totally agree in actual fact he stated that was the reason he asked for a trade ...out club was in a mess void of leadership or culture & one wonders if players like him & Sylvia were at Geelong , Hawks, Swans what would the outcomes have been???

He was exactly the sort of player we needed to get out of our club - as he himself says, he was partying too hard

I think he read the play beautifully and got himself a nice extended and expensive contract at the Blues when his form over the previous few years probably didn’t justify it - he definitely wasn’t the player he promised to be; more Marc Macgowan than Rob Harvey - the article talks about his ‘leg speed’ and I genuinely lol’d cos Chook was as slow as treacle 

I wonder how much gear he was raging on the night he poured a bucket of pish all over us on the couch...

Ironic that he did so while at Carltank, the only club with an assistant coach who happily admitted they were tanking 

 

5 hours ago, whatwhatsaywhat said:

He was exactly the sort of player we needed to get out of our club - as he himself says, he was partying too hard

I think he read the play beautifully and got himself a nice extended and expensive contract at the Blues when his form over the previous few years probably didn’t justify it - he definitely wasn’t the player he promised to be; more Marc Macgowan than Rob Harvey - the article talks about his ‘leg speed’ and I genuinely lol’d cos Chook was as slow as treacle 

I wonder how much gear he was raging on the night he poured a bucket of pish all over us on the couch...

Ironic that he did so while at Carltank, the only club with an assistant coach who happily admitted they were tanking 

Question though: was he that sort of a player because our club culture was so bad already? Had he had better role models around him, a stronger support network, not to mention a club that actually wanted to win, would he have continued partying and binging?

I suppose we’ll never know but he was another example of prime talent handed to us with us being able to squeeze very little out of him. 

11 minutes ago, Pates said:

Question though: was he that sort of a player because our club culture was so bad already? Had he had better role models around him, a stronger support network, not to mention a club that actually wanted to win, would he have continued partying and binging?

I suppose we’ll never know but he was another example of prime talent handed to us with us being able to squeeze very little out of him. 

This is the million $ question of nature vs nurture isn't it. We literally lost an entire "generation" of half decent success to absolute failure because of a lack of on field leaders and a footy club in turmoil? Where was the personal responsibility of the players, the internal drive to turn the footy side of things around? 

It is clearly very grey between both and there is failures of all front for that era, Brock being a great example of that.

10 hours ago, Hogan2014 said:

Totally agree in actual fact he stated that was the reason he asked for a trade ...out club was in a mess void of leadership or culture & one wonders if players like him & Sylvia were at Geelong , Hawks, Swans what would the outcomes have been???

Yet at the time he was touted as our future captain, such was the opinion of his leadership. As soon as he asked for a trade, I lost that opinion of his ability. It's easy to walk away from a challenge right in front of you. Compare Brock's decision with Chunk's determination to see it through at MFC. 

Brock went from one tanking club to another. 

Excellent player when on fire, e.g. the StK final, but injury prone.


I'm amazed our club leaders either turned a blind eye, or somehow failed to recognise his life-style.

I thought that sort of behaviour was mainly at West Coast.

Brock should have gone there. He would have had a bonanza.

Was it endemic at Melbourne?  Are any players like that now?

  • Author
4 minutes ago, Jumping Jack Clennett said:

I'm amazed our club leaders either turned a blind eye, or somehow failed to recognise his life-style.

I thought that sort of behaviour was mainly at West Coast.

Brock should have gone there. He would have had a bonanza.

Was it endemic at Melbourne?  Are any players like that now?

mclean, sylvia, moloney, watts...seems it was culturally endemic throughout the club during the mid-00s

I seem to remember he donated $5,000 in the drive to help get the club out of financial trouble.

Then he went to Carlton. Erratic behaviour.

Not sad at all.He was very much the author of his own misfortune and part of the problem at the club.Not even gracious enough to leave without embroiling the club in an unwarranted and debilitating enquiry

8 hours ago, deebug said:

Very sad?

 

4 hours ago, Pates said:

Question though: was he that sort of a player because our club culture was so bad already? Had he had better role models around him, a stronger support network, not to mention a club that actually wanted to win, would he have continued partying and binging?

I suppose we’ll never know but he was another example of prime talent handed to us with us being able to squeeze very little out of him. 

 

3 hours ago, Cards13 said:

This is the million $ question of nature vs nurture isn't it. We literally lost an entire "generation" of half decent success to absolute failure because of a lack of on field leaders and a footy club in turmoil? Where was the personal responsibility of the players, the internal drive to turn the footy side of things around? 

It is clearly very grey between both and there is failures of all front for that era, Brock being a great example of that.

The culture question is an interesting one.

I'm not sure the partying and drug binges are an issue as far as winning games of football is concerned.

West Coast are a prime example of that.

The current top 4 teams are also renowned.

Clubs, the AFL and fans will turn a blind eye if you're winning...

However as far as beyond football goes a few will fall by the wayside...it's sad but it also mirrors society.

Edited by rjay


41 minutes ago, Dee-Nee said:

I seem to remember he donated $5,000 in the drive to help get the club out of financial trouble.

Then he went to Carlton. Erratic behaviour.

Me too. Although I thought it was 10k and at the time I vaguely remember him in line for the captaincy? Anyway he didnt get that or a big contract and the rest is history. He left a gigantic knife in the clubs back and I hope he is never welcome back. 

9 hours ago, whatwhatsaywhat said:

He was exactly the sort of player we needed to get out of our club - as he himself says, he was partying too hard

What;  you think Brock was the only partying binging player at Melbourne during  those times.

What, about Febey's habit.?   What about that guy Riggers.? What about others?

What about watt.?

What about  'oges.?

 

I'm sorry,  but the culture issues had been boiling along since the mid 90's.  Possibly earlier than that.

No one coach has been able to eradicate this,  but one did try hard.

15 hours ago, Pates said:

but our club at the time was such a disgrace and I really did think we had a player with him.

A player's decision to binge on booze and drugs has nothing to do with how 'disgraceful', as you put it, a club is. West Coast won a flag with drug binged players...

 
12 hours ago, Hogan2014 said:

one wonders if players like him & Sylvia were at Geelong , Hawks, Swans what would the outcomes have been???

Once again, the West Coast analogy makes a mockery of these what ifs. 

13 minutes ago, MyFavouriteMartian said:

What;  you think Brock was the only partying binging player at Melbourne during  those times.

What, about Febey's habit.?   What about that guy Riggers.? What about others?

What about watt.?

What about  'oges.?

 

I'm sorry,  but the culture issues had been boiling along since the mid 90's.  Possibly earlier than that.

No one coach has been able to eradicate this,  but one did try hard.

The same 'culture' issues which were rife at Geelong, Hawthorn, West Coast, , North Melbourne....All of them won premierships...

Edited by dieter


Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

Featured Content

  • NON-MFC: Round 13

    Follow all the action from every Round 13 clash excluding the Dees as the 2025 AFL Premiership Season rolls on. With Melbourne playing in the final match of the round on King's Birthday, all eyes turn to the rest of the competition. Who are you tipping to win? And more importantly, which results best serve the Demons’ finals aspirations? Join the discussion and keep track of the matches that could shape the ladder and impact our run to September.

      • Thanks
    • 87 replies
  • PREVIEW: Collingwood

    Having convincingly defeated last year’s premier and decisively outplayed the runner-up with 8.2 in the final quarter, nothing epitomized the Melbourne Football Club’s performance more than its 1.12 final half, particularly the eight consecutive behinds in the last term, against a struggling St Kilda team in the midst of a dismal losing streak. Just when stability and consistency were anticipated within the Demon ranks, they delivered a quintessential performance marked by instability and ill-conceived decisions, with the most striking aspect being their inaccuracy in kicking for goal, which suggested a lack of preparation (instead of sleeping in their hotel in Alice, were they having a night on the turps) rather than a well-rested team. Let’s face it - this kicking disease that makes them look like raw amateurs is becoming a millstone around the team’s neck.

      • Thanks
    • 1 reply
  • CASEY: Sydney

    The Casey Demons were always expected to emerge victorious in their matchup against the lowly-ranked Sydney Swans at picturesque Tramway Oval, situated in the shadows of the SCG in Moore Park. They dominated the proceedings in the opening two and a half quarters of the game but had little to show for it. This was primarily due to their own sloppy errors in a low-standard game that produced a number of crowded mauls reminiscent of the rugby game popular in old Sydney Town. However, when the Swans tired, as teams often do when they turn games into ugly defensive contests, Casey lifted the standard of its own play and … it was off to the races. Not to nearby Randwick but to a different race with an objective of piling on goal after goal on the way to a mammoth victory. At the 25-minute mark of the third quarter, the Demons held a slender 14-point lead over the Swans, who are ahead on the ladder of only the previous week's opposition, the ailing Bullants. Forty minutes later, they had more than fully compensated for the sloppiness of their earlier play with a decisive 94-point victory, that culminated in a rousing finish which yielded thirteen unanswered goals. Kicks hit their targets, the ball found itself going through the middle and every player made a contribution.

      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 1 reply
  • REPORT: St. Kilda

    Hands up if you thought, like me, at half-time in yesterday’s game at TIO Traeger Park, Alice Springs that Melbourne’s disposal around the ground and, in particular, its kicking inaccuracy in front of the goals couldn’t get any worse. Well, it did. And what’s even more damning for the Melbourne Football Club is that the game against St Kilda and its resurgence from the bottomless pit of its miserable start to the season wasn’t just lost through poor conversion for goal but rather in the 15 minutes when the entire team went into a slumber and was mugged by the out-of-form Saints. Their six goals two behinds (one goal less than the Demons managed for the whole game) weaved a path of destruction from which they were unable to recover. Ross Lyon’s astute use of pressure to contain the situation once they had asserted their grip on the game, and Melbourne’s self-destructive wastefulness, assured that outcome. The old adage about the insanity of repeatedly doing something and expecting a different result, was out there. Two years ago, the score line in Melbourne’s loss to the Giants at this same ground was 5 goals 15 behinds - a ratio of one goal per four scoring shots - was perfectly replicated with yesterday’s 7 goals 21 behinds. 
    This has been going on for a while and opens up a number of questions. I’ll put forward a few that come to mind from this performance. The obvious first question is whether the club can find a suitable coach to instruct players on proper kicking techniques or is this a skill that can no longer be developed at this stage of the development of our playing group? Another concern is the team's ability to counter an opponent's dominance during a run on as exemplified by the Saints in the first quarter. Did the Demons underestimate their opponents, considering St Kilda's goals during this period were scored by relatively unknown forwards? Furthermore, given the modest attendance of 6,721 at TIO Traeger Park and the team's poor past performances at this venue, is it prudent to prioritize financial gain over potentially sacrificing valuable premiership points by relinquishing home ground advantage, notwithstanding the cultural significance of the team's connection to the Red Centre? 

      • Thanks
    • 4 replies
  • PREGAME: Collingwood

    After a disappointing loss in Alice Springs the Demons return to the MCG to take on the Magpies in the annual King's Birthday Big Freeze for MND game. Who comes in and who goes out?

      • Thanks
    • 317 replies
  • PODCAST: St. Kilda

    The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 2nd June @ 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we have a chat with former Demon ruckman Jeff White about his YouTube channel First Use where he dissects ruck setups and contests. We'll then discuss the Dees disappointing loss to the Saints in Alice Springs.
    Your questions and comments are a huge part of our podcast so please post anything you want to ask or say below and we'll give you a shout out on the show.
    Listen LIVE: https://demonland.com/

      • Thanks
    • 47 replies