Jump to content

Featured Replies

โ€˜The media started itโ€™ย 

How are people squaring that circle after all that has come out and that guarded and stilted press release?

Just surrender yourself to the truth; we got some issues to deal with.

ย 
10 hours ago, Hellfire Dub said:

The story writes itself:

Dees have a cracking preseason.

The Max, Jack, tracc and clarry band gets back together.

The young Turks (JVR, mcvee, Windsor, Kolt, disco and pick 5) make their own music.

The dees win the flag.

Tracc wins the Norm Smith.

Redemption reigns.

Traccs 'reach' goes nuclear.

ย 

This stuff becoming fact.ย ย 

I don't bet, but my understanding is the odds accumulate for each event, making the outcome less likely?ย ย 

I know the post is fanciful and I appreciate your enthusiasm and all your hard work.ย  Like you I'm celebrating that Trac remains for now and hope we go really well next year, even all the way to a glorious Flag with real fans there to celebrate.ย 

As for this potential wager, unfortunately for all of us I think it's unfair and I'd just be taking your money.ย ย 

I was asking yesterday, what safeguards are there for the team if any player takes the proverbial and gives a half @55ed effort or exaggerates some real or concocted injury that forces them to sit on the sidelines for most of the year?ย  Especially one on $1.7m or thereabouts?ย ย 

I'm glad he's back but I'm genuinely concerned about his physical and mental readiness to play AFL in a few months time.ย ย 

I'm a punter. I look for value.

What's a redlegs membership go for?

Let's say $250.

And for the sake of argument, let's say the GF ticket is also $250.

So, I'm risking $250 to win $250 - an even money bet.ย 

When a market goes up post GF for next year's GF I could probably getย  500-1, perhaps more, for a dees' flag into tracc winning the Norm Smith Multi.

If i staked $250 and the dees tracc double got up, at 500-1 my return would be $125k.

If i took your offer, and won, my profit would be $500 - a fair bit less than $125k.

Not a great value bet then. Well and truly unders.

So, thanks for the offer, but I'll pass on the bet (though I might take the 500s with a bookie).

But im looking forward to the redemption part of the narrative arc regardless.

2 hours ago, bing181 said:

"Petraccaโ€™s concerns included his belief that Melbourne people did not check in with him enough in the aftermath of his Kingโ€™s Birthday injury, the pending departure of teammate Alex Neal-Bullen, and previous culture issues at the club including Clayton Oliverโ€™s troubles and the doping charges faced by teammate who shall not be named here over a positive cocaine test."

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/i-remain-committed-petracca-says-he-is-staying-at-melbourne-20240831-p5k6ua.html

'Previous culture issues.'

An important part of the story one would have thought.

 

There are 2 takeaways from the Tracc debacle for me.

The first is that Traccโ€™s reputation has been smashed. ย The second is that our club has at least 1 and probably more people that are totally happy to relay private conversations to the media.

It seems to be generally accepted that Tracc or those close to him leaked the initial story to Tom Morris. ย Skuit stated โ€œThings are said along these lines to people within his circle, which then filters into the mediaโ€

How does anyone know that? Itโ€™s taken as fact but totally unsubstantiated. ย What about the leak of ANBs trade request. ย Or Kozzies? ย I listened to Barrett yesterday and he ranted about Brand Petracca wanting to go to a big club and going rogue etc. ย When challenged as to how he knew that, he said because thatโ€™s what Petracca said. ย When challenged further Tracc hadnโ€™t spoken to Barrett and it was clarified that Tracc told people inside Melbourne who told Barrett. Who knows whether that message was skewed to try and make it look like Tracc was the problem. Itโ€™s also reported by the media that Tracc was telling MFC players Tracc is unhappy with the leadership, and telling the leadership he was unhappy with the players. Iโ€™m not sure about journoโ€™s, but if an untrustworthy rat(s) is telling me about confidential conversations, ย I wouldnโ€™t trust them. ย I would want to check with the original source. ย But it seems journos donโ€™t do that. ย They trust the snakes that leak confidential stuff out. ย And once every 20 years someone takes legal action against them and it costs the newspaper dollars. ย But they donโ€™t care because of all the other 1000 โ€œstoriesโ€ they source from dishonest people that create clicks and make money.

But everyone knows thatโ€™s how the media work. ย So as a club, control what you can control and donโ€™t talk to the media, and if stuff leaks take action so you get to a position where the club doesnโ€™t leak. Remember when we never leaked. ย It wasnโ€™t that long ago.

Tracc, ANB, Kozzieโ€™s confidential conversations have all been leaked and surely itโ€™s not too hard to identify who by. ย Their exit interviews were not public events. Traccโ€™s stuff all broke when he came back to the club after his break.ย 

We have big issues to sort out urgently starting with who in the club are breaching their employment contracts by leaking confidential information to the media, contributing to dividing the players and damaging the club. ย This would be a start in uniting the players again.

Iโ€™m probably one of the few supporters whose opinion of Tracc hasnโ€™t been tarnished by this entire episode. ย My opinion of him has gone up. ย 

14 hours ago, Gawndy the Great said:

Serious? He was looking for an out. 100% can guarantee you that.ย 

Yes I agree, which is why i said it could all be boiled down to:

'Star player unhappy with how injury managed and concerned premiership wondow is shut wants to get to a more successful Victorian club.'

But what i should have said was

Star player unhappy with how injury managed and concerned premiership wondow is shut wants to get to a more successful Victorian club, but can't because there's no suitors

Edited by binman


Haven't seen much discussion on this article from last night from Peter Ryan.

"Melbourne star Christian Petracca consulted trusted confidants both inside and outside the club โ€“ including teammates โ€“ last week before choosing to put an end to trade speculation...

After those discussions with trusted parties, Petracca was satisfied enough that broad issues would be addressed to commit to rolling up his sleeves and contribute to finding solutions for Melbourne to end the external discussion. Itโ€™s not clear if any commitments were made to Petracca...

Petracca โ€“ with some justification according to those close to him โ€“ wants to move forward, using the off-season to wind down to recuperate from the serious injuries he suffered on Kingโ€™s Birthday and let the club get on with the job after a gruelling week that included the prospect of a trade being raised"

ย 

I think that Goodwin arrives at a Press Conference, politely asks Messrs Morris, Cornes, Lloyd, McLure to politely remove themselves from the room so the conference can then proceed.

7 minutes ago, Demonland said:

ย 

Oh good, another piece of quality, integrity loaded journalism from Tom Morris.ย 
ย 

(I wonโ€™t be listening).ย 


2 hours ago, waynewussell said:

I continue to encourage every supporter to watch โ€œA sit down with Christian Petraccaโ€,ย an interview posted on the official MFC site three weeks after Tracc got injured. Overlooked by mainstream media because it doesnโ€™t fit their preferred narrative!

If his feelings have changed since that interview it is really irrelevant what he said 2 months ago.

Edited by Dr. Gonzo

17 minutes ago, Demonland said:

ย 

Club really needs to sort out these leaks.

Talk a big game about avoiding media circuses but gone to war in the press with our most decorated players two years running.

26 minutes ago, The Taciturn Demon said:

How come?

Because my belief is he raised serious issues in the club confidentially, issues that need to be addressed, and the initial leaks more than likely came from the club, just like the ANB leaks, Kozzie leaks, and several leaks related to Tracc. ย Itโ€™s a long piece of string for Tracc to state to insiders that he is unhappy and if he didnโ€™t have a contract he would leave, to what ended up playing out in the media.ย 


2 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

If his feelings have changed since that interview it is really irrelavtnwhat be said 2 months ago.

It's about his appreciation for the support he received from the Club. It's recorded three weeks after his injury and very soon after he exited ICU. It will still be relevant ten years from now! It's a crystal-clear record of how he felt at the time. Remember, this is the exact time that the negative mainstream media built their case about his supposed disgruntlement!ย 

6 minutes ago, Demonland said:

ย 

Unfortunately there appears no end in sight for the embarrassing concept of talentless football journalists like Barret et al appearing in the media spouting opinions. They are not media stars or personalities but somehow have sucked the industry in to allow themselves to be portrayed that way. It is a sad indictment on what is generally accepted as media/entertainment.ย 

ย 

24 minutes ago, Demonland said:

ย 

The most perplexing thing for me in all this is the whole "players couldn't understand why Petracca was in Noosa posting Instagram vids" - if they couldn't figure this out for themselves and had to rely on communication from the club to explain it I really worry about the IQ/EI of our players. I'm also worried about which players it was who were questioning it, is was it from our leadership group/senior players?

6 minutes ago, waynewussell said:

It's about his appreciation for the support he received from the Club. It's recorded three weeks after his injury and very soon after he exited ICU. It will still be relevant ten years from now! It's a crystal-clear record of how he felt at the time. Remember, this is the exact time that the negative mainstream media built their case about his supposed disgruntlement!ย 

Yes but if he has had further time to reflect he may have changed his opinion since then. I can understand how someone who suffered a traumatic injury may be in that thankful/lovey dovey mindset shortly after but then change their tune down the track once they've had more time to process and dwell on things. I'm not saying it's the reality but it may be his perception.

2 minutes ago, reynolds46 said:

Unfortunately there appears no end in sight for the embarrassing concept of talentless football journalists like Barret et al appearing in the media spouting opinions. They are not media stars or personalities but somehow have sucked the industry in to allow themselves to be portrayed that way. It is a sad indictment on what is generally accepted as media/entertainment.ย 

ย 

Agree, and that they assume a position as legitimate journalists is arguably worse


16 minutes ago, KozzyCan said:

Club really needs to sort out these leaks.

Talk a big game about avoiding media circuses but gone to war in the press with our most decorated players two years running.

Stop buying the media crisis narratives. They were wrong and are now clutching at straws to save face

The fact TM is saying Melbourne were the ones pushing the "brand petracca" narrative is evidence of this - the media, Barrett in particular, pushed this with zero evidence

17 minutes ago, waynewussell said:

It's about his appreciation for the support he received from the Club. It's recorded three weeks after his injury and very soon after he exited ICU. It will still be relevant ten years from now! It's a crystal-clear record of how he felt at the time. Remember, this is the exact time that the negative mainstream media built their case about his supposed disgruntlement!ย 

He did an interview on AFL360 a couple of nights before that piece when he broke down on national TV when discussing the effect his injury had on his partner and family. He was clearly traumatised. ย And I donโ€™t doubt that at that time Tracc was still coming to terms with all the events that happened. ย As he was when he sat down for his MFC video.

5 minutes ago, Lord Neville X Flash said:

Stop buying the media crisis narratives. They were wrong and are now clutching at straws to save face

The fact TM is saying Melbourne were the ones pushing the "brand petracca" narrative is evidence of this - the media, Barrett in particular, pushed this with zero evidence

Squaring that circleโ€ฆ

ย 
1 hour ago, Watson11 said:

There are 2 takeaways from the Tracc debacle for me.

The first is that Traccโ€™s reputation has been smashed. ย The second is that our club has at least 1 and probably more people that are totally happy to relay private conversations to the media.

It seems to be generally accepted that Tracc or those close to him leaked the initial story to Tom Morris. ย Skuit stated โ€œThings are said along these lines to people within his circle, which then filters into the mediaโ€

How does anyone know that? Itโ€™s taken as fact but totally unsubstantiated. ย What about the leak of ANBs trade request. ย Or Kozzies? ย I listened to Barrett yesterday and he ranted about Brand Petracca wanting to go to a big club and going rogue etc. ย When challenged as to how he knew that, he said because thatโ€™s what Petracca said. ย When challenged further Tracc hadnโ€™t spoken to Barrett and it was clarified that Tracc told people inside Melbourne who told Barrett. Who knows whether that message was skewed to try and make it look like Tracc was the problem. Itโ€™s also reported by the media that Tracc was telling MFC players Tracc is unhappy with the leadership, and telling the leadership he was unhappy with the players. Iโ€™m not sure about journoโ€™s, but if an untrustworthy rat(s) is telling me about confidential conversations, ย I wouldnโ€™t trust them. ย I would want to check with the original source. ย But it seems journos donโ€™t do that. ย They trust the snakes that leak confidential stuff out. ย And once every 20 years someone takes legal action against them and it costs the newspaper dollars. ย But they donโ€™t care because of all the other 1000 โ€œstoriesโ€ they source from dishonest people that create clicks and make money.

But everyone knows thatโ€™s how the media work. ย So as a club, control what you can control and donโ€™t talk to the media, and if stuff leaks take action so you get to a position where the club doesnโ€™t leak. Remember when we never leaked. ย It wasnโ€™t that long ago.

Tracc, ANB, Kozzieโ€™s confidential conversations have all been leaked and surely itโ€™s not too hard to identify who by. ย Their exit interviews were not public events. Traccโ€™s stuff all broke when he came back to the club after his break.ย 

We have big issues to sort out urgently starting with who in the club are breaching their employment contracts by leaking confidential information to the media, contributing to dividing the players and damaging the club. ย This would be a start in uniting the players again.

Iโ€™m probably one of the few supporters whose opinion of Tracc hasnโ€™t been tarnished by this entire episode. ย My opinion of him has gone up. ย 

After some gloating and justified derision of Tom Morris and โ€œhis supporters โ€œ (which might be his own accounts) I got DMโ€™ed by Tom Morris.

He said he would provide a link then linked to himself โ€œ breakingโ€ the CP story.

I explained to him that his source may not be reliable if he is the source.

Either way, he and purple are going to extraordinary lengths to justify their โ€œstoryโ€ to the point where Iโ€™m wondering whether it might be a complete fabrication.

Petracca should pick his media commitments better.

MFC should wake up now and become more ruthless, more professional and less accessible to the media.

I found it strange TM would contact a random on X and Barrett was even weirder with his unhinged rant.

If Trac was anywhere near as good as he seems to think he is on and off the field he would be determined to play a leading role in helping the MFC get back to where it belongs, rather than looking for a chance to jump ship.ย 


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

  • PREVIEW: Fremantle

    A month is a long time in AFL football. The proof of this is in the current state of the two teams contesting against each other early this Saturday afternoon at the MCG. Itโ€™s hard to fathom that when Melbourne and Fremantle kicked off the 2025 season, the former looked like being a major player in this yearโ€™s competition after it came close to beating one of the favourites in the GWS Giants while the latter was smashed by Geelong to the tune of 78 points and looked like rubbish. Fast forward to today and the Demons are low on confidence and appear panic stricken as their winless streak heads towards an even half dozen and pressure mounts on the coach and team leadership.ย  Meanwhile, the Dockers have recovered their composure and now sit in the top eight. They are definitely on the up and up and look most likely winners this weekend against a team which they have recently dominated and which struggles to find enough passages to the goals to trouble the scorers. And with that, Fremantle will head to the MCG, feeling very good about itself after demolishing Richmond in the Barossa Valley with Josh Treacy coming off a six goal haul and facing up to a Melbourne defence already without Jake Lever and a shaky Steven May needing to pass a fitness test just to make it onto the field of play.ย 

      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 0 replies
    Demonland
  • NON-MFC: Round 06

    The Easter Round kicks off in style with a Thursday night showdown between Brisbane and Collingwood, as both sides look to solidify their spots inside the Top 4 early in the season. Good Friday brings a double-header, with Carlton out to claim consecutive wins when they face the struggling Kangaroos, while later that night the Eagles host the Bombers in Perth, still chasing their first victory of the year. Saturday features another marquee clash as the resurgent Crows look to rebound from back-to-back losses against a formidable GWS outfit. That evening, all eyes will be on Marvel Stadium where Damien Hardwick returns to face his old sideโ€”the Tigersโ€”coaching the Suns at a ground he's never hidden his disdain for. Sunday offers two crucial contests where the prize is keeping touch with the Top 8. First, Sydney and Port Adelaide go head-to-head, followed by a fierce battle between the Bulldogs and the Saints. Then, Easter Monday delivers the traditional clash between two bitter rivals, both desperate for a win to stay in touch with the top end of the ladder. Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons?

      • Thanks
    • 102 replies
    Demonland
  • REPORT: Essendon

    What were they thinking?ย I mean by โ€œtheyโ€ the coaching panel and team selectors who chose the team to play against an opponent who, like Melbourne, had made a poor start to the season and who they appeared perfectly capable of beating in what was possibly the last chance to turn the season around.Itโ€™s no secret that the Demonsโ€™ forward line is totally dysfunctional, having opened the season barely able to average sixty points per game which means there has been no semblance of any system from the team going forward into attack.ย Nevertheless, on Saturday night at the Adelaide Oval in one of the Gather Round showcase games, Melbourne, with Max Gawn dominating the hit outs against a depleted Essendon ruck resulting from Nick Bryanโ€™s early exit, finished just ahead in clearances won and found itself inside the 50 metre arc 51 times to 43. The end result was a final score that had the Bombers winningย 15.6 (96) to 8.9 (57). On balance, one could expect this to result in a two or three goal win, but in this case, it translated into a six and a half goal defeat because they only managed to convert eight times or 11.68% of their entries. The Bombers more than doubled that. On Thursday night at the same ground, the losing team Adelaide managed to score 100 points from almost the same number of times inside 50.

      • Sad
      • Clap
      • Like
    • 0 replies
    Demonland
  • PODCAST: Essendon

    The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 14th April @ the all new time of 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we dissect another Demons loss at Kardinia Park to the Cats in the Round 04. 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. If you would like to leave us a voicemail please call 03 9016 3666 and don't worry no body answers so you don't have to talk to a human.

      • Thanks
    • 63 replies
    Demonland
  • PREGAME: Fremantle

    The Demons return home to the MCG in search of their first win for the 2025 Premiership season when they take on the Fremantle Dockers on Saturday afternoon. Who comes in and who goes out?

      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 418 replies
    Demonland
  • VOTES: Essendon

    Max Gawn leads the Demonland Player of the Year ahead of Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, Kade Chandler and Jake Bowey. Your votes please. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 & 1.

      • Thanks
    • 24 replies
    Demonland