Just saw this article on Fox. It was an interview with Paul McNamee who was president at the time.

What could have been hey? Would have been the perfect mentor to one Jack Watts.

‘Brown was ready to come’: How Demons missed out on Lions great

 

31 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Just saw this article on Fox. It was an interview with Paul McNamee who was president at the time.

What could have been hey? Would have been the perfect mentor to one Jack Watts.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-2021-brisbane-lions-jonathan-brown-move-to-melbourne-demons-paul-mcnamee/news-story/508eace8cac4949209099da60e33cf9f

 

Wow, as bad as Brisbane were at that point I bet he's glad he never joined our rabble!

We are family friends with Jonothan Browns uncle (He and his partner live in Wodonga actually Dazzle) and the story goes he had a Collingwood contract worth massive dollars in front of him with pen in hand but couldn't stop thinking about what his grandfather would say.

Little bit of research shows his father played for Fitzroy (and also captained st pats on ballarat, stick to the green white and blue) but couldn't find much information on his grandfather, but I could have my wires crossed.

Next time I talk to dad (which is where the family friend connection is) I'll ask.

 

 

Edit: Spoke to Dad, said it's his cousin not uncle... But some relation. And said he had Eddie at one shoulder and Malthouse at the other with pen in hand. Quote goes "If you knew the dollar amount that was written on that contract I didn't sign you'd slap me, but I just couldn't get the picture of dad in a Fitzroy jumper out of my head"

 

I seem to recall Collingwood very into Nick Reiwoldt as well so maybe around the same time?

Edited June 4, 20213 yr by Josh

this story has been around and repeated a few times since

methinks this might be a bit of blue sky dreaming from mcnamee

no doubt he dreamed it up while at wimbledon

As much as I'd like this to be true, I struggle to believe it.

How many plays did we make for senior players from other clubs that were close to coming? Luke Ball (who was offered the captaincy and still knocked us back), Shaun Burgoyne and Chris Judd come to mind. Hell, we couldn't even bloody land Robbie Warnock! 

Anyone who knew anything about our culture at the time was bloody smart to stay away from us. I have nothing but admiration for blokes like Chunk, Trenners, Grimesy and Max for staying on and trying to reform the culture. However, I fully understand why blokes like Browny or Judd would want to stay away as it wasn't their responsibility to fix us up. I even have some understanding for the likes of Beamer, Riv and Chip in moving on. I even understand why $cully pulled the pin (my indignancy about his move comes from how he behaved in the lead up to it).  Judged by how we handled the two Jacks as captain, they may have been sabotaging their careers by doing so.

Edited June 4, 20213 yr by Colin B. Flaubert

53 minutes ago, Josh said:

We are family friends with Jonothan Browns uncle (He and his partner live in Wodonga actually Dazzle) and the story goes he had a Collingwood contract worth massive dollars in front of him with pen in hand but couldn't stop thinking about what his grandfather would say.

Little bit of research shows his father played for Fitzroy (and also captained st pats on ballarat, stick to the green white and blue) but couldn't find much information on his grandfather, but I could have my wires crossed.

Next time I talk to dad (which is where the family friend connection is) I'll ask.

 

 

Edit: Spoke to Dad, said it's his cousin not uncle... But some relation. And said he had Eddie at one shoulder and Malthouse at the other with pen in hand. Quote goes "If you knew the dollar amount that was written on that contract I didn't sign you'd slap me, but I just couldn't get the picture of dad in a Fitzroy jumper out of my head"

 

I seem to recall Collingwood very into Nick Reiwoldt as well so maybe around the same time?

Great story thanks Josh.

I think Brown actually explains the Collingwood story on Open Mike when he was interviewed by Mike Sheehan. Remember him saying he was offered a monster contract by them, but his loyalty was his biggest strength.

1 hour ago, whatwhat say what said:

this story has been around and repeated a few times since

methinks this might be a bit of blue sky dreaming from mcnamee

no doubt he dreamed it up while at wimbledon

I remember him being quite open about chasing him.

He didn’t stick around long though did he, maybe 3 months in the job?? Strange tenure.

3 minutes ago, Hell Bent said:

I remember him being quite open about chasing him.

He didn’t stick around long though did he, maybe 3 months in the job?? Strange tenure.

i think he spent more time watching tennis in europe than he did at the mcg

31 minutes ago, Hell Bent said:

I remember him being quite open about chasing him.

He didn’t stick around long though did he, maybe 3 months in the job?? Strange tenure.

We had a few snake oil salesmen as CEO's in the late 2000's.

Who was the other bloke - Ray Ellis?

Between Schwab and McNamee you can find analogies for everything that was wrong with the club back then.

Schwab the technocrat Robert MacNamara wannabe who tried to interpret and manage human problems as boxes and lines, yet also indulged his own emotions in constant powerplays.

McNamee, the mesiah-hunter, with dreams of being Melbourne's John the Baptist.

 

1 hour ago, Josh said:

"If you knew the dollar amount that was written on that contract I didn't sign you'd slap me, but I just couldn't get the picture of dad in a Fitzroy jumper out of my head"

Oh that’s just great! Here I was happily disliking Jonathan Brown all these years and now I hear this?! How am I supposed to go on disliking him now?!

How good would that have been - the big brown dog in the red and blue 

This story just a makes McNamee sound naive & gullible. 
Also, it’s terrible management on his behalf - he was employing people to do this and make these decisions, but he was cutting their legs out from under them. Put good people in key positions, make sure they are properly resourced, and the rest will take care of itself.

Buying in a star player as the onfield saviour of the club... what an imbecile.

2 hours ago, Colin B. Flaubert said:

As much as I'd like this to be true, I struggle to believe it.

How many plays did we make for senior players from other clubs that were close to coming? Luke Ball (who was offered the captaincy and still knocked us back), Shaun Burgoyne and Chris Judd come to mind. Hell, we couldn't even bloody land Robbie Warnock! 

Anyone who knew anything about our culture at the time was bloody smart to stay away from us. I have nothing but admiration for blokes like Chunk, Trenners, Grimesy and Max for staying on and trying to reform the culture. However, I fully understand why blokes like Browny or Judd would want to stay away as it wasn't their responsibility to fix us up. I even have some understanding for the likes of Beamer, Riv and Chip in moving on. I even understand why $cully pulled the pin (my indignancy about his move comes from how he behaved in the lead up to it).  Judged by how we handled the two Jacks as captain, they may have been sabotaging their careers by doing so.

This sums up MFC from 2005 - 2014. We recruited some gun young players and ruined most of them; we tried to attract some culture changing guns and leaders from other clubs and they all steered well away; we got an icon of an ex-player to become our president only to tread the path marked "benefits of losing". 

Can't imagine for a second Johnathan Brown ever considering the Dees. I can't see him tolerating a Schwab or McNamee, nor can I see him training at Junction Oval. 

2 hours ago, Hell Bent said:

I remember him being quite open about chasing him.

He didn’t stick around long though did he, maybe 3 months in the job?? Strange tenure.

Strange indeed. Seem to remember McNamee's one strategy was to get a star for huge $s. 

Any star. Didn't matter.

Edited June 4, 20213 yr by Mono
Any star. Didn't matter.

why is mcnamee bringing this up now?

he didn't even get within a bull's roar of getting brown anyway

what a [censored]

11 minutes ago, daisycutter said:

why is mcnamee bringing this up now?

he didn't even get within a bull's roar of getting brown anyway

what a [censored]

Same reason why Don McLardy started turning up in media street to stress that our finals run had it's roots in Jimmy's board (for the record, it didn't).
These characters from the past come back like last night's pizza when we are doing well.
I agree with Supermercado on the need for a truth and MFC reconciliation commission. Hopefully once that happens, people with an axe to grind or revisionist history to [censored] can get everything off their chests and be done with it.
That being said, brace yourself for CS tweeting out artwork involving Melbourne players and off field identities and writing self indulgent blog posts should we win the flag.

Edited June 4, 20213 yr by Colin B. Flaubert

2 hours ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

Oh that’s just great! Here I was happily disliking Jonathan Brown all these years and now I hear this?! How am I supposed to go on disliking him now?!

Hahaha. I've never met the guy but I'd he's anything like his cousin (which he certainly shares the same... Lethargicness(?)) Then he'd be a ripper bloke. Can't see it being otherwise.

He stayed true to the Lions turning down the big bucks. Respect

 

15 minutes ago, Colin B. Flaubert said:

Same reason why Don McLardy started turning up in media street to stress that our finals run had it's roots in Jimmy's board (for the record, it didn't).
These characters from the past come back like last night's pizza when we are doing well.
I agree with Supermercado on the need for a truth and MFC reconciliation commission. Hopefully once that happens, people with an axe to grind or revisionist history to [censored] can get everything off their chests and be done with it.
That being said, brace yourself for CS tweeting out artwork involving Melbourne players and off field identities and writing self indulgent blog posts should we win the flag.

yeah right, blazers. logos and partner desks were obviously the watershed turnaround in our return to the big end of afl-land

thanks schwabby (in anticiption)

2 minutes ago, daisycutter said:

yeah right, blazers. logos and partner desks were obviously the watershed turnaround in our return to the big end of afl-land

thanks schwabby (in anticiption)

Don't forget the Bugler. ☝️?

4 hours ago, Josh said:

We are family friends with Jonothan Browns uncle (He and his partner live in Wodonga actually Dazzle) and the story goes he had a Collingwood contract worth massive dollars in front of him with pen in hand but couldn't stop thinking about what his grandfather would say.

Little bit of research shows his father played for Fitzroy (and also captained st pats on ballarat, stick to the green white and blue) but couldn't find much information on his grandfather, but I could have my wires crossed.

Next time I talk to dad (which is where the family friend connection is) I'll ask.

 

 

Edit: Spoke to Dad, said it's his cousin not uncle... But some relation. And said he had Eddie at one shoulder and Malthouse at the other with pen in hand. Quote goes "If you knew the dollar amount that was written on that contract I didn't sign you'd slap me, but I just couldn't get the picture of dad in a Fitzroy jumper out of my head"

 

I seem to recall Collingwood very into Nick Reiwoldt as well so maybe around the same time?

Norm Brown?

nah....brian brown

Quote

Brown was born in Port Fairy, in Victoria's south west, to mother Mary^[3] and father Brian (a former Fitzroy and Essendon player). He is the eldest of three brothers.^[3]

 

McNamee was dreaming. Browney has just stated on the pre game show that he never had any intention of joining us