6 hours ago, Craig T said:

I think the poor turnout of fans at the prelim was at least part due to us not developing our base to begin with. Yes, being in a prelim should pull plenty of the casual fans, but if the hardcore numbers aren't what they should be that doesn't help. And playing the vast bulk of our home games at Casey won't meaningfully grow our numbers. It's always instructive to say "what if the men.....". Well imagine if all but one of the men's home games were played at such a remote location, and despite having a great winning culture from go to woe attendance numbers weren't great. I know where much of the blame would be leveled.

As for alternative venues, that's been discussed at some length previously, with several good suggestions, so I'm not going to go over that ground (ha!) again, except for drawing one comparison. In round two last year we played St. Kilda at Casey, and despite it being our first home game, the whole helicopter ball drop incentive, and the fact the Saints had just beaten Adelaide in round one, 2152 people showed up. The following week we played Collingwood at Vic Park, and the crowd was 2794, an increase of 30%. And being there I can tell you most of them were Dees fans. So I'd venture to suggest that ANY inner city venue would be preferable.

But I will say that from my own experience, I've had enough. I've traveled out to Casey for the vast bulk of our games since 2017. I do so by public transport as I prefer to leave the car for my partner should she need it. From the inner city it's usually a seven hour round trip for an 80 minute footy match, and often more if buses are replacing trains. If I was living in country Victoria and I wanted to watch my team play in Melbourne that's fair enough, but having to give up that much time to attend home games for a team that geographically is literally minutes from where I live is ridiculous. And as I said previously, with no real explanation from the club as to any meaningful reason why it might be beneficial for anyone involved.

Thanks @Craig T for doing the hard yards and all the others that make the long trip.

Surely it wouldn't be that hard to use an inner city ground much more often to grow our base.

I don't buy the "game standards are not good enough" argument for our matches, because Stinnear had us playing a great game style and our skills have lifted really well year by year.

Maybe those disillusioned should send some emails to the president / CEO and keep giving them the feedback.

We're Melbourne football club and we should be playing in Melbourne!

I tried last year about the lack of promotion in the finals series and got no response at all.

But we should be squeaky wheels right?

On 27/02/2026 at 17:59, Brownie said:

But we should be squeaky wheels right?

Absolutely. And the more the merrier.

I like to credit myself with the better shaded seating at Casey after years of going on about it in AFL and member surveys. Probably overselling myself there!

Meanwhile, (and correct me if I'm simply missing it) there's been no mention on the club website of Sloane being appointed interim head of women's football... Yes, there's a lot of other stuff to report about, leading into Round 1 for the men. And I'm kind of forgiving of this in the pre-preseason, because I recognise its about resources and so on. But still. It adds to the "is anyone actually across this" vibe or at least the perception of it, which I do believe directly impacts the way that members and fans engage with the team, in turn.

On 27/02/2026 at 17:59, Brownie said:

Thanks @Craig T for doing the hard yards and all the others that make the long trip.

Surely it wouldn't be that hard to use an inner city ground much more often to grow our base.

I don't buy the "game standards are not good enough" argument for our matches, because Stinnear had us playing a great game style and our skills have lifted really well year by year.

Maybe those disillusioned should send some emails to the president / CEO and keep giving them the feedback.

We're Melbourne football club and we should be playing in Melbourne!

I tried last year about the lack of promotion in the finals series and got no response at all.

But we should be squeaky wheels right?

....but not only in Melbourne......the AFL owns Docklands stadium. Just use it for every game in Melbourne.

No wind, no rain, with lighting for night games, which makes the game for AFLW so much better to watch and execute.

1 location for broadcasters who don't have to shuffle staff and equipment from Casey, to Victoria Park, to Arden st, to Princes park, Dingley etc.

Won't have to open the whole stadium, but until the AFL gets serious about the womens game, rather than blaming them for the lack of attendances rather than themselves, we will continue to see the game fail to attract spectators and interest.

6 hours ago, george_on_the_outer said:

....but not only in Melbourne......the AFL owns Docklands stadium. Just use it for every game in Melbourne.

No wind, no rain, with lighting for night games, which makes the game for AFLW so much better to watch and execute.

1 location for broadcasters who don't have to shuffle staff and equipment from Casey, to Victoria Park, to Arden st, to Princes park, Dingley etc.

Won't have to open the whole stadium, but until the AFL gets serious about the womens game, rather than blaming them for the lack of attendances rather than themselves, we will continue to see the game fail to attract spectators and interest.

I think the AFL's interest is more to do with what leverage they can get with State and Federal governments and funding from them.

Edited March 5Mar 5 by rjay

The closest thing to an update yet, via Steven Smith's letter:

"Looking at our AFLW program, the players have started to return from their break and integrate back into the club, ticking off their gym, condition and skills sessions as preparations begin for the 2026 AFLW season. There is terrific energy around the group, and we are excited about what our AFLW team can achieve this year. 

We are currently in the final stages of a thorough process to appoint our new AFLW Senior Coach. This is an important decision for the future of the program, and we look forward to sharing that news with you very soon."

On 09/03/2026 at 18:49, Dees_In_October said:

The closest thing to an update yet, via Steven Smith's letter:

"Looking at our AFLW program, the players have started to return from their break and integrate back into the club, ticking off their gym, condition and skills sessions as preparations begin for the 2026 AFLW season. There is terrific energy around the group, and we are excited about what our AFLW team can achieve this year. 

We are currently in the final stages of a thorough process to appoint our new AFLW Senior Coach. This is an important decision for the future of the program, and we look forward to sharing that news with you very soon."

Very soon appears very contextual.....

Any whispers you can share @Ghostwriter ?

13 minutes ago, Brownie said:

Very soon appears very contextual.....

Any whispers you can share @Ghostwriter ?

Silence on that front. Maybe as we get closer to the start of the season (?)

I wasn’t impressed with the obligatory AFLW “update.” Generic and tokenistic.

Four months and counting. Either nobody wants the job, or the interested parties are well below the very high standards set by Mick Stinear.

Either way, hopefully we get a resolution very shortly.

Yeah, how much longer? It's not as if the new coach can walk straight in as soon as they are appointed and be on top of things, there needs to be some settling in period, getting to know the players, team dynamics, etc. The longer this is delayed the less time they'll have to really start to get to work. Unless Shae is appointed, of course.

On this line of thinking, I saw that one of the rule changes for the coming season will be the "jumping centre bounce", for want of a better term, that has also been introduced for the men.

https://www.afl.com.au/aflw/news/1479704/four-rule-alterations-announced-ahead-of-2026-aflw-season

"At centre ball-ups, rucks cannot cross the centre circle line and engage with their opponent prior to contesting the football".

This is a real issue for Loz Pearce. I love Loz but her jumping days are well behind her, but she was smart enough to realize under the old rule as soon as the umpire threw the ball up she could run across the centre circle and body her opponent. In body on body ruck contests, as you always get for around the ground stoppages and boundary throw ins, she's as good as there is, so she was still able to be effective at centre contests. But she can't do that now and will get jumped all over by most of the younger rucks. I guess it means Georgia C will have to be the centre queen, but then how will Loz be used? Will she start on the ground, say in the forward pocket, and then take over rucking duties as usual, with Georgie going forward or leaving the ground while someone comes on? Or will Loz sit on the bench for each centre bounce, and then run on as soon as the game restarts, with Georgia running off? If Loz is still going to be an important part of the team there will need to be a significant accommodation due to this new rule. And surely the new coach would need to be part of this.

3 minutes ago, Craig T said:

I guess it means Georgia C will have to be the centre queen

I don't mind this at all. I think she's a good footballer who is living in the shadow of Pearce and to a lesser extent Zanker and Gall. I reckon she'll make it as a first ruck.

Your broader point is well made. Yes, there's a long time until the start of the season. No, a new coach doesn't just step in with a couple of months to go and get the machine working exactly how they want.

41 minutes ago, The Taciturn Demon said:

I don't mind this at all. I think she's a good footballer who is living in the shadow of Pearce and to a lesser extent Zanker and Gall. I reckon she'll make it as a first ruck.

Agree. I think Georgia C has the makings of a good athletic, goal kicking ruck.

4 hours ago, Craig T said:

Yeah, how much longer? It's not as if the new coach can walk straight in as soon as they are appointed and be on top of things, there needs to be some settling in period, getting to know the players, team dynamics, etc. The longer this is delayed the less time they'll have to really start to get to work. Unless Shae is appointed, of course.

On this line of thinking, I saw that one of the rule changes for the coming season will be the "jumping centre bounce", for want of a better term, that has also been introduced for the men.

https://www.afl.com.au/aflw/news/1479704/four-rule-alterations-announced-ahead-of-2026-aflw-season

"At centre ball-ups, rucks cannot cross the centre circle line and engage with their opponent prior to contesting the football".

This is a real issue for Loz Pearce. I love Loz but her jumping days are well behind her, but she was smart enough to realize under the old rule as soon as the umpire threw the ball up she could run across the centre circle and body her opponent. In body on body ruck contests, as you always get for around the ground stoppages and boundary throw ins, she's as good as there is, so she was still able to be effective at centre contests. But she can't do that now and will get jumped all over by most of the younger rucks. I guess it means Georgia C will have to be the centre queen, but then how will Loz be used? Will she start on the ground, say in the forward pocket, and then take over rucking duties as usual, with Georgie going forward or leaving the ground while someone comes on? Or will Loz sit on the bench for each centre bounce, and then run on as soon as the game restarts, with Georgia running off? If Loz is still going to be an important part of the team there will need to be a significant accommodation due to this new rule. And surely the new coach would need to be part of this.

Good point about Loz and the rule change. I guess it's not the worst timing in the world since we need to be making the transition in that position anyway. Thankfully we have Campbell and Tayla who we know can impact there if needed. Even Hose if things really go awry.

It will be interesting to see what we do with Loz. I still see her as a key part of the team, just a matter of how we use her and Campbell.

I wonder what the coach thinks, oh wait we don't have one.

Six weeks until official preseason!

4 minutes ago, Dees_In_October said:

Six weeks until official preseason!

Oh wow. Didn't realise.

This is now really ridiculous.

5 minutes ago, The Taciturn Demon said:

Oh wow. Didn't realise.

This is now really ridiculous.

It really is. Like, I know we're not completely rudderless. The assistants would have everything ticking along. Full faith that our senior players will be supporting the new ones through the unofficial phase. But it's always felt previously like we'd get a head start on other teams during this time. Now it feels like we're behind.

5 hours ago, Craig T said:

"At centre ball-ups, rucks cannot cross the centre circle line and engage with their opponent prior to contesting the football".

This is a real issue for Loz Pearce. I love Loz but her jumping days are well behind her, but she was smart enough to realize under the old rule as soon as the umpire threw the ball up she could run across the centre circle and body her opponent

Grundy played a similar way and has been able to work around it...

Not sure if he is as effective but the game hasn't passed him by just yet.

Not sure how old Loz is in football terms so whether she is ready to give up the no 1 spot.

...having said that, I am a big Campbell fan, would like to see her get more on ball time.

Edited 13 hours ago13 hr by rjay

It seems strange that there is no coach this long after the end of last season. I hope it is not the same selection group as the ones working on the move to Caulfield.

Last season I made an effort to watch some games on tv. Generally I think the MFC women's team is a reasonable standard and is worth watching however some games were a poor watch as the other team played a negative defensive style as they did not have enough skilled players. I watched some games that did not include the dees. Mostly I gave up after a couple of quarters of poor play. IMO the AFL expanded the league too quickly and the talent pool is stretched too far to produce good games. Now there are some good quality teams and games but too many are poor games. Would I go to games? Probably not, I don't go to all men's games in fact I get to 6 or7 these days. I cannot see attendance at games improving this year with big increases in petrol costs and many households are struggling to have any disposable income.

We discuss this a lot on our DA (W) WhatsApp group.

Yesterday someone mentioned Glenn Strachan who, until three weeks ago, was a senior assistant coach at Carlton (W). He’s a well-respected assistant coach who left Carlton in pursuit of a Head Coaching job. The very next day Port Adelaide snapped him up and he’s their new Head Coach.

We were wondering if Glenn had been a consideration for us.

Anyways, one of our W aficionados who’s across these things said at this point we’re still interviewing candidates.

Not sure why the club have taken this long to fill this role.

It's concerning to be this close to pre season and not a murmur on who our next coach will be.

Come on MFC. Get this sorted

I reckon this might costs us long term. The players (and Shae) probably feel very neglected by now.

I reckon there might be more of our players heading to Geelong and other clubs next year.

Really disappointed with the club right now