1 hour ago, Demon Dynasty said:

It depends on how we as supporters and the club handle it DZ imho.

I believe we all need to galavanise and get behind the club and quickly.

I'm backing in Roffey, Pert, Goody, Gawny, Vines, Choco to get this done and if they can't to NOT back down but instead hold Tracc to his contract as Simon & Richo have already stated.

In Tracc's own words, the efforts of Roffey down (including players such as Gawny) were incredible during his early weeks of this crisis.

So it's nothing to do with that as the media circus pile on would want everyone to believe.  Ie;  the MFC has such a bad culture.  Heads should roll blah blah blah.

As Kate said, let the club do their work.  The key players in the FD including the player leadership group are no doubt working away through as best they can.

Possibly against all odds if the Tracc camp has cast its die already for whatever reason/s.  And who knows what the reason/s are unless you've had a direct meeting with the man himself such as Max / Goody.

Even then, a clear and obvious reason/s may not be there if he is not being open and/or completely true to his heart / word.

Have faith and let the cards play out.

If he wants to be there he will find reasons to stay assuming we address some of his concerns where they are legit and assuming the club is being open and honest.

If he made his mind up before returning to the club and wants to move on for some other unknown reasons then it's going to be a difficult save and probably unlikely to be a pleasant one for both parties.

After everything i've heard from Tracc himself, Roffey, Gawn and the club i'm backing the club in 100% from here either way.

If Tracc sees the light, does a 180 and stays, we forgive and move on.

If he doesn't i want to see the club hold him to his contract and / or get a sensational deal from any club that we feel can provide a windfall outcome.

And not a 'big club' of Tracc's choice IF that was an accurate account of his wish in the exit interview.  They won't have the currency to do so anyway.

So IF Tracc is adament he wants a fresh start, all good son, but we hold the cards and we'll decide where that might be.

As painful as it is, as supporters all we can do is hold the line and let the club get to work big time here.

I’m not going anywhere. I’ll “turn up” next year and watch who the club puts on the field.

I’ll call up sen and back up melbourne, but right now, right now is when the back of house earns its money. I’ve done my part, paid my membership since 2010, supported one of the worst clubs in the AFL in it’s darkest hours (2011-2014).

Wanna prove this “Demon Spirit” isn’t just lip service. Get to work Roffey, Pert, Lamb, Goodwin, Choco.

4 minutes ago, chookrat said:

What has Tracc said or done that is wrong. So far all he has said is that he is suffering from Trauma and Max and Goody have said there are frustrations that they are working through. For all we know the rest if this is a media beat up that has escalated because Tracc and the club refuse to be drawn into answering to the media.

He should put out a statement if it is all media beat up.

That Goodwin, Pert and Roffey are all struggling to answer the question of "Does Petracca want to play elsewhere?" is a pretty good indication that there is truth to the media stories. 

24 minutes ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

Everyone else seems to have posted here, so, in FOMO fashion...

When the Club removes the YoPro ads from its website videos, then I'll be worried.

 

on the other hand, they say bad publicity is good publicity, so i expect prospective sponsors must be beating down the club doors as i post ... right?

33 minutes ago, MrFreeze said:

Max Gawn Explains The Hard Conversations He’s Had With Christian Petracca

21 minutes ago, Demonland said:

 

 

 

I'm going to remove this post from @Demon Dynasty until he can verify where the quote came from as I cannot find it.

If a "reputable" source can be attributed to it I am happy to unhide the post but as it stands it may be unintentional misinformation.

 

10 minutes ago, waynewussell said:

The transcript Demon Dynasty provided is legit and was taken from an interview with Christian that is freely available as "A sit down with Christian Petracca" posted on MFC's official site one month ago. It is also available on YouTube.

 

3 minutes ago, waynewussell said:

RESTORED

Roffey really did herself no favours with the SEN interview, making it seem as though she has not had any contact with Trac. But Trac's own words in the MFC video indicate this is not the case. Trac also indicates he was getting a lot of messages of support after the injury from people within the club.

3 minutes ago, Fat Tony said:

Roffey really did herself no favours with the SEN interview, making it seem as though she has not had any contact with Trac. But Trac's own words in the MFC video indicate this is not the case. Trac also indicates he was getting a lot of messages of support after the injury from people within the club.

It's my belief that Kate Roffey was responding to a question about whether she has spoken to Christian about his desire to leave MFC when she responded that she hadn't.

12 minutes ago, Demonland said:

Very telling to see that Gawny has similar concerns to this board with regards to comms

given we have so many player welfare people these days maybe what we need in the future is a player brand welfare officer to handle any brand fallout mental issues.

26 minutes ago, Doug Reemer said:

I’m not going anywhere. I’ll “turn up” next year and watch who the club puts on the field.

I’ll call up sen and back up melbourne, but right now, right now is when the back of house earns its money. I’ve done my part, paid my membership since 2010, supported one of the worst clubs in the AFL in it’s darkest hours (2011-2014).

Wanna prove this “Demon Spirit” isn’t just lip service. Get to work Roffey, Pert, Lamb, Goodwin, Choco.

Yes we should expect nothing less DR.

There's enough good people within and without the FD.  I'm sure they will want a satisfactory solution as we all do.

Work needed but both parties might also need a little clear air and space just to breathe, think, meet, sort and discuss the where tos from here.

That's assuming the door's still ahar and hasn't been completely shut on the club.

An early break of contract is not a new thing for a pro sports club by any means.  But you would say the way this has (apparently) unfolded so far is a long way from anything most AFL clubs have experienced before.

Kate also needs to prep much better before she holds any further interviews with the media.

Or alternatively use Perty from here if / until she's better prepped / confident to go around again.

Edited August 30, 20241 yr by Demon Dynasty

16 minutes ago, Demonland said:

I know a lot of people have asked "What did you want Roffey to say?" This interview demonstrates (to me at least) that as difficult as interviews on this subject are, they're not impossible. 

Now, it's very difficult to be as charming and self-deprecating as Max Gawn. And it's much easier to do an interview when the tone is friendly than when it's inquisitorial. But it's not that difficult to be "across your brief" and (carefully) honest. "Authentic" is massively overused, but that's what Max was. 

Happy to be told where it went wrong, but that to me is a very good interview. Maybe I'm falling for spin, but I feel slightly better after listening to that.

1 hour ago, Queanbeyan Demon said:

 

 

Melbourne Football Club: A Critical Reflection on Recent Turmoil

It’s astonishing to see the level of confusion and misplaced blame being directed externally when the reality is much closer to home. The narrative that the Melbourne Football Club (MFC) is a victim of media scrutiny or some external vendetta fails to acknowledge the undeniable truth: we’ve been feeding this beast for at least the last 12 months. Now, as one of the biggest stories in the history of the game unfolds, once again, the Dees find themselves at the centre of it.

Self-Inflicted Wounds

There’s no escaping the fact that much of the chaos surrounding the club is of our own making. The dysfunction within the club, which has been an open secret for some time, has led us to this point. While the premiership win in 2021 and subsequent top-four finishes in 2022 and 2023 gave us a temporary reprieve, they also allowed underlying issues to fester unnoticed. Unfortunately, the goodwill generated by these achievements has now evaporated, leaving us exposed.

The Media’s Role vs. Our Responsibility

It’s easy to point fingers at the media, claiming they’re complicit or exacerbating the situation. However, this deflection only serves to distract from the internal issues that are the real culprits. The truth is, we’ve been getting away with far too much for far too long. The media is merely amplifying the chaos we’ve sown, and we must accept responsibility for our part in this mess.

A Star Fading into Darkness

The star that once shone so brightly in 2021 has faded into the vast reaches of the cosmos. The optimism and hope that followed our premiership win have been replaced with disappointment and frustration. Instead of building on our success, we’ve allowed dysfunction to creep in and undermine everything we’ve achieved. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but we deserve much of the criticism coming our way.

The Final Straw: Leadership and Accountability

And then there’s Kate. Her actions yesterday, whatever they may have been, seem to have poured another gallon of petrol on an already raging fire. The situation has escalated from a mere “dumpster fire” to a full-blown catastrophe. Leadership is about more than just guiding a team on the field; it’s about steering the entire club in the right direction, especially in times of crisis. Unfortunately, it seems we’ve lost our way.

Moving Forward: What Needs to Change

The MFC needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror. Blaming external forces won’t fix what’s broken within. We must address the dysfunction, enforce accountability at all levels, and rebuild the trust and unity that once defined us. It won’t be easy, but it’s the only path forward if we hope to restore the pride and integrity of this club.

In conclusion, while the flames of controversy burn bright around us, we must remember that we are the ones who set the fire. It’s time to stop playing the victim and start taking responsibility for our actions. Only then can we hope to extinguish the flames and rise from the ashes stronger than before.

We have all been very naughty boys and need a good thrashing, now come back you boys it’s not going to hurt that much, come back I say….  …!!!

In the video of the interview, "A sit down with Christian Petracca" posted on the official MFC site on July 1st, at the 2:25 minute mark Christian clearly outlines the support he got from Kate Roffey and the Club and the players post-Op. He also makes it abundantly clear that he was overwhelmed by that response!

15 minutes ago, waynewussell said:

It's my belief that Kate Roffey was responding to a question about whether she has spoken to Christian about his desire to leave MFC when she responded that she hadn't.

Yes that is my undeestanding.  Some in the media (surprise surprise) are getting their wires crossed or misrepresenting (deliberately or otherwise) what the message actually was in the response.

Part of this does come back to Kate's delivery though and ability to express clearly and make sure pertinent points were made when the opportunity arose.

She was left looking a bit too defensive imho seemingly due to a fair bit of inexperience and / or a lack of prepping.  Not an easy gig by any means but plemty of room for improvement from here.

This is by no means a disparaging view of Kate in general either.  I think she's a great people person and her love of the club is in no way in doubt.

I'll always be greatful for everyrhing the club brought us in 2021.  Hoping the sun shines brighter for everyone involved from here.

We need to lift the seemingly darkish shroud of late and move on as quickly as possible and reset on our path towards more success.

35 minutes ago, Demonland said:

Maxy needs to give Kate roffey some media training.

there's no BS with Max. Honest and authentic. 100% believable.

I feel reassured after this (as compared to how i felt after Kate's interview yesterday). No way the playing group have an issue with trac as long as Maxy is captain. I'm sure Trac will be able to re-integrate.

Edited August 30, 20241 yr by BDA

11 minutes ago, waynewussell said:

In the video of the interview, "A sit down with Christian Petracca" posted on the official MFC site on July 1st, at the 2:25 minute mark Christian clearly outlines the support he got from Kate Roffey and the Club and the players post-Op. He also makes it abundantly clear that he was overwhelmed by that response!

His outlook on how everything went down has obviously changed, or maybe been changed for him.

Videos on YouTube aren't as easily deleted as IG posts, such as the one he posted from the hospital which was swiftly taken down.

The current situation has multiple layers of impact...

Sponsorships are now a concern for me after hearing last night that Ben Brown (BB) might not be the only one retiring at seasons end.

One of the major criticisms directed at Kate Roffey after yesterday's interview by Whateley, was that she hadn't contacted Christian Petracca after his operation. I think that criticism can now be retracted. This won't be the only retraction from the firestorm that followed the interview.

7 minutes ago, The Backyard Charizard said:

The current situation has multiple layers of impact...

Sponsorships are now a concern for me after hearing last night that Ben Brown (BB) might not be the only one retiring at seasons end.

Who is the other person retiring that would impact sponsorships?

10 minutes ago, The Backyard Charizard said:

The current situation has multiple layers of impact...

Sponsorships are now a concern for me after hearing last night that Ben Brown (BB) might not be the only one retiring at seasons end.

Trac needs to be traded to Carlton before he retires ideally

6 minutes ago, The Jackson FIX said:

Who is the other person retiring that would impact sponsorships?

My mail is it's not a player but they would be a major loss 🙄

1 minute ago, The Backyard Charizard said:

My mail is it's not a player but they would be a major loss 🙄

? Chocco 

2 minutes ago, chook fowler said:

? Chocco 

Cryptic crosswords are a dying art 😅

All I'm saying is that the club needs to sort this disaster out quickly... You can take that to the bank! 😉