And then there were five ...

[Demon Jim 145]

Latest Mail is that neither the Press nor the Dland and Ology posters have any clue about what is actually happening in the coach recruitment process.

I reckon its down to Sheedy, Hardwick or Connolly. Bailey is to obscure and with Riley they're just being polite.

Sheedy - in my opionion past his best, short term option only, could blow up in our face

Connolly - I agree with everyone else - he has failed at a club with much greater resources than ours

Hardwick - please, I think this is the guy we should go with - tough, premiership defender with mutiple clubs under legendary coaches, great communicator who has made sigificant impression in a short time. Let's snatch him before Essendon pounces

Only possible variation would be Sheedy with Hardwick as assisstant with handover in 2 years. That way Sheedy can market the [censored] out of the place then handover to a young gun. Not sure if Harwick would want to do this though

It's getting interesting

[Wiseblood 24,636]

I think overlooking McKenna and Bond points a little more towards Sheedy or Connolly getting the job.

I'd like to see Sheeds get it but I think they might go with Connolly instead.

[Madness 44]

I think overlooking McKenna and Bond points a little more towards Sheedy or Connolly getting the job.

I'd like to see Sheeds get it but I think they might go with Connolly instead.

If Connolly gets the job I won't buy a membership.

[Wiseblood 24,636]

If Connolly gets the job I won't buy a membership.

I'm not too keen on the idea either but I believe that Connolly suffered more from being a Victorian coaching a WA team and he lacked the support he needed. Melbourne will love the fact that his is passionate about the club and he truly would love to be at the helm - however, he is known to be too soft and I think Freo's off field woes will hurt his chances. I just have this feeling that they will go with him and, as with any selection, it could bring success or it could be disastrous. I'll support the club next year no matter which one of the 5 they go with... although I think the only mistake they can make is to select Riley, he doesn't seem good enough.

[sylvinator 96]

If Connolly gets the job I won't buy a membership.

im not a connoley fan. i dont think he should be coach! i agree he didnt get the most our of a team with much greater resources than ours!

HOWEVER...

if the demons go for him, of coarse ill still buy a membership.

Positives of Connoley:

1) he is still young. you could easily consider the last 6 years at fremantle as a learning curve apprenticeship. he now has 6 years under his belt as senior coach, and will no doubt learn from any mistakes he made in past years to grow into a more complete coach as a second club. He wont be the first coach to be more succesful after a stint at another club!

2) his record is really not that bad. finals 2 out of 6 including a preliminary final last season.

once again, i dont think he should be the coach.

i would go bailey or sheedy. that decision depends on whether u go for a young up n comer or a tried and true legend. both are good candidates.

honestly ppl should buy a membership no matter who is chosen as coach. id buy one even if [censored] Pagan was chosen.

if connoley is good enough to impress more than sheedy and all the assistent coaches then he must show something.

people should be loyal to MFC as a club. not be fickle and just bail out when their prefered coach isnt chosen.

[QueenC 74]

i think sheedy will get the job...he would be good bc he is a proven great coach, but could also change the culture of our club by helping reshape how we are seen by the afl. his marketing and selling of our club would be invaluable. in that sense he is a once in a life time opportunity.

His "club building" reputation gives him a distinct edge over the other candidates.......

Given that this is what we need at the minute both on field and off.

He is a proven coach but he brings with him a hell of a lot more and we need that.

So you would think that that would have to factor in to a very large degree.

[Demons 32 235]

I figure I started this so I better give my opinion.

I think Connolly will get it (Sheedy a good chance)

I want Bailey or Hardwick to get it though. Both seem to have glowing reviews and we could use two men known for being hard.

[Deetastic 0]

I will be devastated if Sheedy does not get the job. It’s a once in a life time opportunity. Melbourne needs a coach who can get them onto the front page of the paper. A coach who really knows how to use the media. Melbourne is coming into its 150th year. Who better to promote this than Sheedy. Further I believe Sheedy is a master coach. He has won 4 premierships and coached the one club for 27 years. This is no mean feat. The longer you are with a club the closer you get to the senior players (not a good thing) and the harder it is to get your message across (ND). Sheedy will bring passion to the club, just having him out there should be enough to inspire our troops. His message will be load and clear to our players.

Connolly is my second choice. Most of you forget that when he started at Fremantle 6 years ago they had just come 16th. He has since taken them to 2 final series and one preliminary final. It is true that he has not got as much out of his players this year, however, he will be a better coach for that. He has done his apprenticeship with Fremantle. He is also excellent with the media and promotions.

I am sure the others on the list will make good coaches but for mine experience counts plenty for an AFL coach. I don't want the MFC to have to shoulder the learning mistakes any coach makes in his first couple of seasons. ND made plenty of mistakes as a rookie as do all other rookie coaches.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

If Connolly gets the job I won't buy a membership.

That's the spirit. It sends an important positive message to MFC and it helps the Club big time. Win Win. Well done!

[michael17seddon 0]

If Connolly gets the job I won't buy a membership.

I'm no fan of Connolly's either but if he is chosen I will back him and you never know...I wasn't too thrilled at the time when John Northey was appointed and he lead the D's to the first finals appearance of my lifetime..

[Real Demon 232]

I honestly think the club doesn't even know who will be the coach next year, or at least haven't fully decided.

And it must me a solid list if highly credentialed assistants like Bond or McKenna are out of the mix.

If I was putting money on it, I would go with Sheedy...........he clearly wants the job, and is prepared to jump each hurdle in order to get it. Plus the other intangibles he brings to the table are impossible to ignore.

I think that either Hardwick or Bailey would be next in line.........they have obviously impressed the panel, and have bought something different to the table. That's the positive thing about going through such a process like this.........it can unearth some untapped potential that could be a perfect fit for the club going forward!

I cannot see Connolly getting the job, and as much as I like Mark Riley, I can't see a former Daniher man getting it either.......just my opinion.

[Deano74 156]

I would just like to say that i have know idea who will be or who should be coach, Hopefully Gary Lyon will pick the Best man for the job, because I faith in his footy brain, what is annoying me is that I think there should be at least 2 or more experts added to the group making the decision. eg. Gerard Healy, Wayne Carey etc. Then I would be fully comfortable with the outcome.

Fianally if Sheedy does get it, I can see the headline now " Its Sheedee's

[Sir Why You Little 34,583]

I'm no fan of Connolly's either but if he is chosen I will back him and you never know...I wasn't too thrilled at the time when John Northey was appointed and he lead the D's to the first finals appearance of my lifetime..

I am the same. I will back whoever is given the job. We all should