I think Bruce is a great player...but while we are talking about lack of respect for players...I think Paul Johnson doesn't gets as much credit as he should. The guy has had broken leg, broken colar bone and full shoulder reconstruction...from these injuries he has also had other problems which have prevented him playing as much as he could. Give the guy a chance, just before he did his shoulder last year, he was doing really well. In the pre season games I saw I thought he did better than Jamar. I just think some of you should give the guy a break, the coah obviously thinks he has something to have re-signed him on for a further two years or whatever.

I may be a bit biased because I am one of Cam's sponsors, but some people here really don't know what they are on about.

I have to agree with Maximum_Bob. Cam works bloody hard at training and long after Green (who Im not bagging, it's just that he comes up here as captain) has stopped going in and getting the ball, Cam is running. He has also played some huge finals games. He also takes youngsters under his wings and it's obvious to those who are being fair minded that has the ability to lead those around him. Inspire, I don't know, but lead yes. On the inspiration point tho, Neitz was not inspirational when he first captained the club, he grew into the role. Sydney doesn't even have one captain, and they are working fine.

Don't get my wrong, I love Brock, and I would personally marry him if my wife would let me . But to say Bruce can't be captain is simply wrong.

I think Bruce is a great player...but while we are talking about lack of respect for players...I think Paul Johnson doesn't gets as much credit as he should. The guy has had broken leg, broken colar bone and full shoulder reconstruction...from these injuries he has also had other problems which have prevented him playing as much as he could. Give the guy a chance, just before he did his shoulder last year, he was doing really well. In the pre season games I saw I thought he did better than Jamar. I just think some of you should give the guy a break, the coah obviously thinks he has something to have re-signed him on for a further two years or whatever.

coach thinks he'll replace Neita.

Bruce is a fantastic player and has a lot of captaincy attributes - consistent, hard working, loyal, clever, class player, etc.

I do feel though that when it comes to a sport like footy, inspiration is a critical quality of a good captain. Bruce is a top player and sets a great example, but does his style of footy inspire? It's exciting, it's great to watch, it's critically important to the team, but I don't know whether it can be classed as inspirational.

That's not having a go at Bruce. He is the player he is and that player is a key member of the team.

Hird, Voss, Carey, Ricciuto - the great captains all have that crucial element of the ability to inspire those around them. That's their game style. A footy captain IMO must have that quality.

Nicely put Scoop.

The only other player at the MFC who should be captain other than David Neitz is Brock McLean. There is no contest.

The only other player at the MFC who should be captain other than David Neitz is Brock McLean. There is no contest.

Absolutely agree-- nicely put

Im not going to enter the captaincy debate....again. But CB can not kick in any kind of pressure situation or in play in general. From a set shot he is ok, on the run he is plain terrible.

He is invaluable to the team and amongst our best, but he can not kick.

I dare say, that while Jaded, RR and all the big hitters of Demonland say what they have been saying, it's fashionable to be dishing Cam.

For those of you who say he can't kick, please, find something sensible and reasonable to post. He shanks one for everyone he delivers with accuracy, unlike Godfrey who fluffs four for every one he delivers to the man. Godfrey is a poor kick. Daniel Ward is a poor kick. Cam Bruce is not, he can kick.

I've said it before, and I'm surprised it hasn't come up in this discussion, a person grows into the role of captain. To say 100% that leaders are born is rubbish, as it is to say that all facets of leadership can be taught. Good leadership is clearly a mix of both nature and nurture. Give Bruce the role, and it will help fix the inadequacies of his game. It'll force him to put his body on the line, to bark out more to his team-mates and to have more presence on the field.

And to say that Bruce isn't inspirational puzzles me a little. With his skills and talent, he has scored many uplifting goals for the team, going right back to the 2000 QF, shutting down Hird, kicking 7 against the roos a few years back, slotting crucial goals from the boundary last year, and jagging them from 50 out on the run against the pies on QB. Although he hasn't inspired much in terms of tackling or bumping, to say that his goalscoring is not inspirational is quite simply wrong. How about that goal against the Cats last year in the forward pocket?

He goes missing, but not more regularly than anyone else. How was he 2nd in our B and F and our top player in Sheahans top 50 if he goes missing all the time? He played brilliantly in the final last year, (RR I think you gave him BOG over Brock), was consistently good over the year and has been a brownlow favourite early in the season for the last few years.

Sure, you can accuse me of bias, but everyone is to some extent. Brock is the future, but Bruce is the man for 2008.

Check out that post count-and a whole lot of them are full of content, not just two or three words

Jaded was the only person who responed to my apparently worst post in history ?

i dont see any answers to my questions guys and girs?

and im entitlted to my opinion and because of u guys i dislike mclean and i think it will be a disaster if he is to be appointed captain in the next 2 years.

Bruce is better all over. i am happy for mclean to take over if he can play 2 more seasons with the same if not better success than atm.

as for u yze magic nice slogan u got under each post

if everyone was to respond just with emoticons like u... we too could have 100,000 posts

Jaded was the only person who responed to my apparently worst post in history ?

i dont see any answers to my questions guys and girs?

and im entitlted to my opinion and because of u guys i dislike mclean and i think it will be a disaster if he is to be appointed captain in the next 2 years.

Bruce is better all over. i am happy for mclean to take over if he can play 2 more seasons with the same if not better success than atm.

as for u yze magic nice slogan u got under each post

if everyone was to respond just with emoticons like u... we too could have 100,000 posts

Come back when you learn something about footy

Your comments are embarrassing re: Mclean

once again no arugment just personal insults ... now thats why i bow to u.

wats embarrasing is how high u and DEMONLAND in particular rate Brock Mclean

as for my comment on that Free kick (dive) it was exaggerated of course but it stands. The only thing u got on mclean is he is hard at the ball. And u assume he won us the st kilda game?

well let me tell u buddy i was there he did play well, but there was one other player who played just as good.

lets say neitz retired last year?

u would put brock captain this year? not a chance in the world

there is ONE player and ONE player only who deserves it and who has earnt it at this stage.

BRUCE.

if mclean shines this year again .... well maybe id consider it at the end of the year... but your opinion is very premature.

I cant be bothered arguing

It is my opinion that Cameron brucre should not be captain. I dont see why you get so fired up over it. As I said, he is a great player and one of our top 3, and probbaly the leagues most versatile player

just because I dont want him to captain the MFC doesnt mean I dont rate him. If he can fix his kicking he will win a Best and Fairest and maybe even a Brownlow

But as for skipper, its Brock all the way in 2008 and beyond

I agree with YM the only future captain for this club should be CHOOKA as long as hes stil laround he shall captain melbourne till his career is over BB why do you think mclean is rated so highly on here??

we love mclean hes an awesome player (bruce is great as well as said before definitly top 3) but mclean is our future leader

YM you sum things up quite well

Well I can't wait till the footy starts so these debates are put on hold for awhile.

But to address the issue of captaincy post Neitz there seems to be 3 alternatives, Bruce, Green or McLean (or a combination of the 3). Someone made mention of Neitz 'growing' into the role and really I have to agree with that comment, a player should have the basic leadership qualities but on one is perfect and a ready made captain. It's a skill that's learnt over time. But leadership skill is the highest priority, and really most of us here aren't privvy to the inner sanctum of the MFC so we're really not in a position to made blanket statements such as what we've seen already.

One thing though, it would be a mistake to give it to McLean before he is ready, let him develop his game first.

Jaded was the only person who responed to my apparently worst post in history ?

i dont see any answers to my questions guys and girs?

Don't take it personally BB. It often happens here - a reasonably well thought out post seems to confuse some, so let's resort to one-liners.

What intrigues me about this thread is that most agree Neitz is a great leader.

In my view , MFC, on the field has shown a singular lack of leadership given the constant late season fade outs which have now become expected. It's already being aired in the media as our perrenial weakness.

The Brock McLean focus by many merely serves to illustrates we ain't got that many to chose from.

It's a skill that's learnt over time. But leadership skill is the highest priority, and really most of us here aren't privvy to the inner sanctum of the MFC so we're really not in a position to made blanket statements such as what we've seen already.

To me that is a very important statement Jarka is making. We simply don't know the inner details of the club and therefore anything on this debate is purely speculation on our part. Educated speculation definitely (for the most part, anyway), but speculation nonetheless.

As for Bruce I haven't seen any disrespect towards the player. I mean simply because some people don't think he should captain the club doesn't mean they have no respect for him as a player. That would be a totally different argument, and not one we really need to get into because it will degenerate into mud-slinging.

Cameron is a total class act no argument, handles himself very well on and off the field, and is extremely important to us for anything to happen for the Dees this year (or in the next three for that matter) but being a great, or even an important, player does not automatically make you a captain or captaincy material.

Leadership is a totally different skill set and one that, generally speaking, you either have or you don't. You can learn as you go, but you still have to have it. And in all codes of sport there have been truly great players who would never be looked at for the captaincy. And it never translate into a lack of respect.

We all (well, most of us) tend to see that particular quality in McLean, but that does not make him automatically or necessarily ready for the role. But it and he should be fostered, so that when the time is right and he is ready he can take that step up in the future.

And I hope that made sense to you guys, I am a bit rusty on giving my opinion !!!

What intrigues me about this thread is that most agree Neitz is a great leader.

In my view , MFC, on the field has shown a singular lack of leadership given the constant late season fade outs which have now become expected. It's already being aired in the media as our perrenial weakness.

He is a great leader

If you are blaming the late season fadeouts on Neita, then you should have a rethink

half the fade outs have been due to a lack of leadership as neitz has been injured late in the year

bruce is a great player who does great things for the club but never has come across to me as great captain material, its one thing to have respect from your teammates but another to be able to scream your head off at them in the middle of a game and make them want to lift and not let you down, chooka has that, bruce doesnt

in last years game when bruce cpatained the club he didnt look comfortable, if chooka doesnt get the captaincy next year id rather see neitz or green have it

He is a great leader

If you are blaming the late season fadeouts on Neita, then you should have a rethink

Once again, you misinterpret and misquote to suit your view. A common issue on this site with some.

The leadership GROUP, of which the Captain is a major component, IS a key issue in season fadeouts. Its a too common pattern to ignore at your peril.

Under Northey for example, the dees were never beaten till the final siren in many a agme, esp. when the pressure was on.

History is written by the victors, and last year's St.Kilda final was NOT won by brock mcLean alone, as many on this thread seem to be running up the flagpole.

Carrolls crunch on Gherhig, Davey's brilliant take-on of the St. Kilda defence hard on the boundary, late in the game, Bell's courage, yes and Mcleans drive from the centre. Even Yze's opportunistic goal late in the game (He always does I know, but knoone else seems to get in the right position - he does it more often to be coincidence.)

This discussion of who the next captain will be is amazing.... We currently have a leader that all players respect, the rest of the football world is also starting to see this.

Neitz could play for another three years including this one and he should remain as captain for as long as he thinks fit - he will know when the time is right!!

As for Cameron the Bruce, this bloke's star continues to rise... he is now listed as a utility and his worth to the team cannot be underestimated.. the job that he did on brad johnson last year was magnificent, his run with roles, his ability to play any area of the field makes him invaluable.. he also kicked 21 goals last year and did not miss a game!!

I am expecting him to again take another step up this year - he may well be the next captain but this is not a decision that needs to be made for at least one year!!

Go Demons!!!

Great post.

Can this be the final word on the subject?

One thing though, it would be a mistake to give it to McLean before he is ready, let him develop his game first.

Completely agree with you, i am worried that to appoint him too early would harm his development. He WILL captain our club at one stage, but let's make sure the timing is right.

Totally agree with the last 4 posters .

But of course there will always be some on this site who will never understand

Some people are pretty certain that x player would make a brilliant captain, while y would be truly terrible.

I feel that trying to judge a player's captaincy potential from the grandstand - or TV - is almost akin to judging the quality of a car by having a look whenever you see one out on the road.

This discussion of who the next captain will be is amazing.... We currently have a leader that all players respect, the rest of the football world is also starting to see this.

Neitz could play for another three years including this one and he should remain as captain for as long as he thinks fit - he will know when the time is right!!

FYI - Neitz is on record (last year iirc) as saying he'd like to hand over the captaincy while still playing, and play at least a year under the new leader.