Results of Club Reviews

[rpfc 28,343]

All I was keen to know was who was the ball movement coach and Chaplin having that role is the best option we could have. He is our best line coach and has the respect of the group. I just hope it is a game style that is a shift from our defence first nature.

[Adam The God 30,209]

20 minutes ago, rpfc said:

All I was keen to know was who was the ball movement coach and Chaplin having that role is the best option we could have. He is our best line coach and has the respect of the group. I just hope it is a game style that is a shift from our defence first nature.

The last time Chaplin was involved with the forwards, we had a very aggressive, central/corridor ball movement game. I'm hoping we're bringing that back.

[cookieboc 776]

1 hour ago, Supreme_Demon said:

Have definitely been impressed with Brad Green's level of communication so far as interim President of the Melbourne Football Club.

Hopefully all the recommendations from both Reviews can be completed in a timely manner.

 

Lots still to do though...

1) Find a new CEO

2) Action all the recommendations in both the Board Review and the Football Department Review

3) Get our Home Base built at Caulfield Racecourse

4) Create a new Strategic Plan

5) Grow our Membership above 70,000+

6) Win more AFL and AFLW Premierships

Did I miss anything?

 

I wouldnt mind seeing the melbourne logo on the 50 meter lines at home games, and the wings/ forward/ back pockets named after Melbourne players on the electronic boards at home games. heck, id love to drink a beer from an MFC cup at home games

I digress 

[Ethan Tremblay 30,844]

11 hours ago, Dante said:

“I love my job, I’m passionate about footy, that’s all I’m really focused on now.”

I would have preferred Tracc to have said after footy, "and the Melbourne Football club".

But he didn't. Not reading anything into it, but it would have stopped any speculation.

I agree. Similar to Dan Houston declaring his love for Port Adelaide and stating that he isn’t going anywhere, two weeks before the trade period. 

[picket fence 17,126]

17 hours ago, Demonland said:

Letter from Brad Green

Dear Members,

I hope this message finds you well, and that, like me, you’re looking forward to some positive results this weekend to help secure our AFLW team’s place in the finals. After a challenging start, our women’s team has shown tremendous resilience, emerging as one of the form sides in the competition as they prepare for Saturday’s clash against Collingwood. Let’s rally behind them and hope to see them in finals footy this November.

As President of the Melbourne Football Club, I want to be up front with you. We know that 2024 was a tough year, both on and off the field. We faced some big challenges, and we recognise that certain off-field issues caused disruptions. We admit that some situations could have been managed better, and we're committed to learning from these experiences to handle the inevitable challenges more effectively in the future.

Yesterday was a significant day for our club. While the focus was, deservedly, on acknowledging retiring CEO Gary Pert’s contributions, the announcement of Steven Smith’s commitment to stand up and support the club, the Board, and myself was equally important. The Board and I have been working hard to bring Steven into a position where he can contribute, and we look forward to the potential of him joining us in driving the club forward.

As I’ve mentioned in previous communications, we have some important updates regarding both the AFL Football and Board reviews and at the bottom of this letter you will find details regarding Call for Nominations ahead of our Annual General Meeting.

AFL Football Review

The purpose of the review was to identify opportunities for the AFL Football program to return to finals in 2025. Over the past four years, the AFL program has achieved significant milestones, including a drought-breaking premiership in 2021, three consecutive top four finishes, and the inaugural McClelland Trophy (in conjunction with the success of our AFLW team). We entered 2024 with the expectation of playing finals, and not doing so was incredibly disappointing for our members, players, staff, and everyone associated with the Club. We understand that this competition demands continual improvement, and we are committed to doing the work in every aspect of our football program.

This review involved over 40 interviews with players, coaches, football department staff, and external industry experts. Ex-All Blacks Manager Darren Shand, Gary Pert, and I conducted these interviews and meetings to gather comprehensive feedback.

Darren Shand then used the interview findings to lead a series of workshops and collaborative meetings with on-field and off-field leaders, including Max Gawn and Jack Viney, to establish key priorities for improving our program in 2025.

While much of the review’s details must remain confidential to maintain a competitive edge, we felt it was important to share the high-level findings and priorities with our members.

Key Findings:

- Our Playing List:
The review identified strong confidence within the playing group and football staff that we can play finals next season. We have a very strong core group of players, but fast-tracking the development of our talented young players will be essential.

Throughout the pre-season and into the season, we will prioritise and dedicate additional time in our schedule for coaches to focus on developing our first to third year players, ensuring their growth and progression remain a top priority.

Members may have noted our commitment during the trade period to secure an additional top 10 selection ensuring we have two early picks in this year’s draft. This aligns with our decision to continue bringing in high-end young talent to complement our core group and return to AFL finals next year.

- Staff and Structure:
The review confirmed the strength of our football program’s leadership and staff, while identifying an opportunity to refresh energy and leadership within the Assistant Coaching group supporting Senior Coach Simon Goodwin. The review also reinforced the importance of our midfield as a critical driver of success, prompting us to create two dedicated midfield coaching roles as detailed below:

Troy Chaplin will transition from managing defence to overseeing our forward line and team offence. Troy has successfully built one of the league’s highest-performing defensive units while nurturing emerging talent. The review recognised our highly talented young emerging key forwards, as well as our dangerous mid and small forwards. Troy's focus will be on developing cohesive structures and disciplines within our forward line.

Nathan Jones joins us as a midfield coach focusing on stoppages. Known for his football intelligence and drive for success, Nathan is highly respected by the playing group. His recent playing experience brings fresh perspectives to the role which the review identified as an opportunity for improvement.

Sam Radford will work alongside Nathan as midfield coach. Together, they aim to maximise our current midfield group’s strengths while integrating new talent in the midfield mix.

Nathan Bassett joins the club and will lead our backline and team defence. With a wealth of experience, including a decade in coaching roles with Essendon and Port Adelaide and most recently at Norwood in the SANFL, Nathan’s fresh outlook will greatly benefit our program.

- High-Performance Environment:

The review highlighted the importance of empowering the player leadership group to play a greater role in shaping and sustaining our High-Performance environment, setting clear expectations and driving performance outcomes. This includes preparing our next generation of leaders through education and development.

To support this, we have engaged an external leadership expert to implement a club-wide program with a dedicated focus on our player leadership group, set to commence when players return for pre-season training.

In addition, Darren Shand will mentor both our on-field and off-field leaders, as we implement the various initiatives that resulted from the review.

- Game Style:

The review emphasised the need to refine our method of play, focusing on all facets of the game— with the ball, without the ball and in the contest. During the pre-season, our coaches will work on evolving our game style to maximise the strengths of our playing group, aiming for a style that not only propels us back into the finals but withstands the pressures of finals football. As a competitive measure, specific details of our game style remain confidential.

While the review has highlighted areas for improvement, it also reaffirms that we are well-positioned to turn challenges into opportunities. With strong foundations in place and a clear path forward, we are committed to driving the Melbourne Football Club back to success in 2025.

Board Review

In tandem with the football review, the Board initiated an external governance review in September, conducted by governance and culture expert Megan Dwyer. This review assessed our structure, practices and composition to identify areas for alignment with best practice and our strategic goals.

Key Outcomes:

- Commitment to Improvement

While the review acknowledged our commitment to improvement, it also identified areas where further changes would support our objectives. The Board is committed to embracing these recommendations and will continue evolving our practices as we implement them.

- New Committees

As part of our strategy to meet member expectations and bolster on-field success, we will establish two new committees: a High-Performance Committee and a Member Engagement Committee. These committees will bring in additional expertise to strengthen our approach in these areas.

- Governance Working Group

To maintain focus on continuous improvement, a Governance Working Group, chaired by Director Sally Freeman, has been established. This group will guide the implementation of review recommendations.

- Strengthening Board Skills and Experience

The review’s skills matrix analysis supports and expands on the Board’s objective to recruit highly skilled and experienced individuals who can support our strategic objectives and foster a culture of TRUE (Trust, Respect, Unity, Excellence).

In closing, I want to extend my gratitude to all who contributed to these reviews. We acknowledge the honest feedback from our players, coaches and staff, which will be invaluable as we strive to improve. Most importantly, we thank you—our members and supporters—for your unwavering trust and passion.

As we enter the Call for Nominations period, members can nominate for a Board position. As mentioned yesterday, Chris Barlow will be nominating alongside Steven Smith, while incumbents Sally Freeman and Dr. Angela Williams will stand for re-election.

Our path forward relies on collective effort. With the reviews complete, our players and coaches are ready to put in the work needed to return to the finals in 2025 and we ask that they feel the support and energy from you, the Demon faithful, as we prepare for the 2025 season.

Thank you once again, and as always—Go Demons!

Brad Green
President
Melbourne Football Club

To say NOTHING about Culture for a change!! 

[Demonsone 2,036]

12 hours ago, CHF said:

I think we have to be realistic about what has been said in Green’s letter. He does say at the beginning that what follows is high level information and that some things need to be kept in confidence.

As to finding out the results of the review, I think we will see responses to the detail of the review in the next couple of months.

There will be an extensive redefining of roles and responsibilities within the football operations side of the club as well as the same thing happening on the administration side.

Deciding to have these reviews is one thing, structuring and carrying them out properly is another element but the most important thing is understanding the information and outcomes and reacting in the best way.

 

Unfortunately we will never know fundamentally what are the issues and what the whole Petracca & Oliver saga, not sure what to make of Goodwin being too involved .. it’s baffling the shift in connection from winning a flag to what’s occurred & if so how a CEO was the issue

Edited November 1 by Demonsone

[rpfc 28,343]

9 hours ago, Adam The God said:

The last time Chaplin was involved with the forwards, we had a very aggressive, central/corridor ball movement game. I'm hoping we're bringing that back.

Was that 2018?

[Lucifers Hero 39,687]

12 hours ago, beelzebub said:

Maybe.....maybe not..... we'll  see 🤔

Questionable ... 🤔

[Adam The God 30,209]

58 minutes ago, rpfc said:

Was that 2018?

Yep.

[Diamond_Jim 12,566]

10 hours ago, Adam The God said:

The last time Chaplin was involved with the forwards, we had a very aggressive, central/corridor ball movement game. I'm hoping we're bringing that back.

On the surface appealing but hard to execute. Also if you have corridor teams playing each other it often becomes a turnover feast between the arcs.

My preference is Collingwoods angled plays. Not 90 degree switches but more like 30 degrees ground covering kicks. You have to get the ball in front of the masses running up and down.

Having two very good wingmen doesn't really favour the central style.

It will definitely be a challenge especially with Salem slowing down.

[Diamond_Jim 12,566]

10 hours ago, cookieboc said:

I wouldnt mind seeing the melbourne logo on the 50 meter lines at home games, and the wings/ forward/ back pockets named after Melbourne players on the electronic boards at home games. heck, id love to drink a beer from an MFC cup at home games

I digress 

You could have all that if you were Geelong. The only team with a "clean stadium".

[Adam The God 30,209]

17 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

On the surface appealing but hard to execute. Also if you have corridor teams playing each other it often becomes a turnover feast between the arcs.

My preference is Collingwoods angled plays. Not 90 degree switches but more like 30 degrees ground covering kicks. You have to get the ball in front of the masses running up and down.

Having two very good wingmen doesn't really favour the central style.

It will definitely be a challenge especially with Salem slowing down.

I think it showed a willingness to get the ball forward as quickly as possible, which kept the forward line relatively spacious and most goals were scored from 30m directly in front, which is actually how Collingwood got many of their goals in 2022-2023.

Our set up in those days was also two talls inside 50 and smalls and mids getting to the foot of the contest or working back into space.

I really hope revert to two talls and Max. When JVR rucks, we play 1 tall and hybrids like Trac or dare I say Langford.

[cookieboc 776]

2 hours ago, Diamond_Jim said:

You could have all that if you were Geelong. The only team with a "clean stadium".

I live in Geelong, I hear their culture is pretty good

[Adam The God 30,209]

3 hours ago, Diamond_Jim said:

On the surface appealing but hard to execute. Also if you have corridor teams playing each other it often becomes a turnover feast between the arcs.

My preference is Collingwoods angled plays. Not 90 degree switches but more like 30 degrees ground covering kicks. You have to get the ball in front of the masses running up and down.

Having two very good wingmen doesn't really favour the central style.

It will definitely be a challenge especially with Salem slowing down.

Strongly disagree with this.

The central style means using the wings to bring the ball into a central hot spot 30m out directly in front.

You can of course also run the ball through the corridor higher up the ground/through the centre square, but you use your wings and flanks to move the ball quickly to the hot spot.

It also means that when the opposition intercepts in the corridor inside your 50, you can cover the transition that is likely to ping back the other way.

In fact, having two aerobic beasts on the wings is a huge asset when playing the corridor game.

Edited November 2 by Adam The God

[Roost it far 8,225]

I don’t care how we play if we win 

[Madz 8]

4 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

I don’t care how we play if we win 

This.  Collingwood also have 2 good wings and utilise them well.

[Roost it far 8,225]

6 minutes ago, Madz said:

This.  Collingwood also have 2 good wings and utilise them well.

I find it interesting that because clubs now run down the middle more that we should copy them. Shut  them down, turn over the ball and improve our skills going back the other way. I just hope May can go again as he’s of huge importance.