Gotta be McDonald.

Good leader.

McDonald but Green deserves it as well

McDonald but Green deserves it as well

Junior this year...Riv next year

My vote is for James McDonald as acting captain for the rest of the year.

Absolutely clear that there is no standout for a permanent captain so why rush the decision. Let Bailey re-assess at the end of the year with 12 months personal experience of the personal qualities of the various candidates.

The reality is it would be very hard to disagree with McDonald as captain whereas there is a very good chance that selecting anyone else would be divisive.

At this point, it would be an absolute joke for McLean to get the captaincy given he was dropped from the leadership group for ill-discipline a mere 6 weeks ago. Hopefully that will not be the case in 6 months time, and/or other candidates who are not currently in the leadership group (such as Rivers in particular) have also pressed their claims.

By the way, I think the selection of the leadership group by players is a very poor idea and would very much like to see it scrapped next year.

I'd give it to Zomer before Bruce, the times bruce captained us last year or the year before, both times he was insipid, worse than I have ever seen him.

Junior deserves it till Neita is back, Green or Mclean after that, then Milelr then water boy number 8

......

Absolutely clear that there is no standout for a permanent captain so why rush the decision.

The reality is it would be very hard to disagree with McDonald as captain whereas there is a very good chance that selecting anyone else would be divisive.

..........

By the way, I think the selection of the leadership group by players is a very poor idea and would very much like to see it scrapped next year.

I think your reluctance to rush the decision is fine.

Your position of reality is your own. There is no evidence that another appointment would be more divisive than the other. And if we are going to give the captaincy out to someone I want it to be to someone who would likely be captain the next year. Absolute waste giving it to a player in his last year and who is also struggling to maintain the standard. It would be reminiscent of the final years of leadership of communism in the USSR!

I doubt the leadership group will be scrapped. I think it is a great way for a group voted by the players to lead and set standards for other players and themselves to achieve and be held accountable for. Just because the calibre of the current group is poor does not damn the idea. Its a good scheme to get the younger players focussed on some key elements of leadership. I would expect it to be more effective in future years.

why isnt nathan jones name being thrown up as a future captain even as soon as next year... clearly its a joke how you guys consider to list Miller as a possible captain when he is on the fringe of selection in the top 22.....

bruce better not get it he is soft as butter and it would be an embarassment

i say give it to junior for the year or throw jones or rivers in the deep end... mclean has to show good behaviour to have a tilt

but id push for green or jmac this year... nathan jones as permanent next year

he would grow so much more... already wins so much footy in close... unlike bruce

I doubt the leadership group will be scrapped. I think it is a great way for a group voted by the players to lead and set standards for other players and themselves to achieve and be held accountable for. Just because the calibre of the current group is poor does not damn the idea. Its a good scheme to get the younger players focussed on some key elements of leadership. I would expect it to be more effective in future years.

I think the 'interesting' selections with regards to the leadership group makes sense given the demographic of the vote. There were 11 new players on the list, that's 25% of the list. Who would be the first players you'd really notice coming in to a club as a young bloke? The extremely charismatic ones. Robbo and Yze. The new blokes would not have had time to see what kind of leadership players like Green exhibit, especially without having played a game with them.

I believe that if we hadn't turned over so many players, the leadership group would've been different. I'd love it if we could see who voted for who this year and next. I'd be having a look at who the 11 new kids voted for and how their votes changed between years.

Jones...

Jones will be at the ripe old age of 21 for next season. Too young for a player who is apparently not a natural leader.

I think your reluctance to rush the decision is fine.

Your position of reality is your own. There is no evidence that another appointment would be more divisive than the other. And if we are going to give the captaincy out to someone I want it to be to someone who would likely be captain the next year. Absolute waste giving it to a player in his last year and who is also struggling to maintain the standard. It would be reminiscent of the final years of leadership of communism in the USSR!

I doubt the leadership group will be scrapped. I think it is a great way for a group voted by the players to lead and set standards for other players and themselves to achieve and be held accountable for. Just because the calibre of the current group is poor does not damn the idea. Its a good scheme to get the younger players focussed on some key elements of leadership. I would expect it to be more effective in future years.

Simply read the rest of the thread as to why the appointment of anyone else would be divisive:

Comments are a summary of what I've read recently:

Bruce/Green: Soft, overrated, trade bait

McLean: Bonehead (I think that was yours by the way but at this point in time I don't disagree)

Miller: Taking up time/space

Robertson: Should be dropped, selfish

Yze: Already dropped, selfish

Rivers/Green: Not rated highly enough by team-mates to be in the top 6 or 7 leaders let alone no.1

McDonald may be struggling, but in my view is clearly still best 22 and likely to remain so at least for the rest of this year. No one else comes close to deserving or doing justice to the captaincy.

I'm struggling with your analogy of the Melbourne captaincy with the USSR though. I thought Gorbachev did a reasonable job given the poison pill of trying to bring the financially crippled Soviet Union into the modern era. Perhaps your comment would make more sense looking at the off field status of MFC?

Simply read the rest of the thread as to why the appointment of anyone else would be divisive:

Comments are a summary of what I've read recently:

Bruce/Green: Soft, overrated, trade bait

McLean: Bonehead (I think that was yours by the way but at this point in time I don't disagree)

Miller: Taking up time/space

Robertson: Should be dropped, selfish

Yze: Already dropped, selfish

Rivers/Green: Not rated highly enough by team-mates to be in the top 6 or 7 leaders let alone no.1

McDonald may be struggling, but in my view is clearly still best 22 and likely to remain so at least for the rest of this year. No one else comes close to deserving or doing justice to the captaincy.

I'm struggling with your analogy of the Melbourne captaincy with the USSR though. I thought Gorbachev did a reasonable job given the poison pill of trying to bring the financially crippled Soviet Union into the modern era. Perhaps your comment would make more sense looking at the off field status of MFC?

Nope Brezhnev, Andropov and Chernenko were prior to Gorbachev. Aging, ineffectual and useless

Really what is best 22 at MFC compared to the rest of the AFL? If we had a truly top 8 midfield, Jmac just would not get a gig!

While Neitz is out, I would share it around Bruce, McLean, Miller and Green.

I dont know what the problem is about divisive. Divisive to who? The players? Surely not. They chose the leadership group. Who else would it be too that matters?

Given the year so far what could be more divisive than a lack of success?

Nope Brezhnev, Andropov and Chernenko were prior to Gorbachev. Aging, ineffectual and useless

Really what is best 22 at MFC compared to the rest of the AFL? If we had a truly top 8 midfield, Jmac just would not get a gig!

While Neitz is out, I would share it around Bruce, McLean, Miller and Green.

I dont know what the problem is about divisive. Divisive to who? The players? Surely not. They chose the leadership group. Who else would it be too that matters?

Given the year so far what could be more divisive than a lack of success?

Hardly involved with the final years of the USSR were they?

So now the captain has to be a player that would "get a gig" in a top 8 side? Sort of rules out Miller at the moment too doesn't it?

As for divisive, I would have thought that the supporters and sponsors are also groups that should be considered, particularly when both groups can fairly say they are appropriate stakeholders. I'm also not sure how you reconcile your comments about Shane Warne with including McLean in the captaincy rotation, or how you defend the choosing of the leadership group with a captaincy rotation of four including two are not currently within it.

Hardly involved with the final years of the USSR were they?

So now the captain has to be a player that would "get a gig" in a top 8 side? Sort of rules out Miller at the moment too doesn't it?

As for divisive, I would have thought that the supporters and sponsors are also groups that should be considered, particularly when both groups can fairly say they are appropriate stakeholders. I'm also not sure how you reconcile your comments about Shane Warne with including McLean in the captaincy rotation, or how you defend the choosing of the leadership group with a captaincy rotation of four including two are not currently within it.

I dont think McLean's action bar him from captaincy in the same way Warne's woeful off field antics did. I countered Jaded's misguided assertion about leadership.'

I think JMac struggles to have the slightest impact on field and does not possess leadership qualities and that in my mind rules him out of the captaincy particularly when he wont he here next year.

At least with Miller, he does offer a measure of leadership (recognised by the players) and has a better chance of being around next year. Its marginal I know.

I like the idea of the leadership and as Nasher pointed out I think the players that chose the group will choose differently next time. The issue is the calibre of the leadership contestants not the concept.

I dont think it is a decision at all for the sponsors or the supporters and I dont think they are the appropriate stakeholder to do the selection. Its a decision for the footy dept and the players. As I said the most decisive issue is the lack of success.

Who do you think will be our New captain for 2009?

IMO i think it will be Cameron bruce

I know ill get flamed and bashed for this but I think Brock should be our next captain no matter what.

Sure he has his flaws, but a bit of mongrel is what is needed! Neitz is a champion and always will be but for our next captain i want someone like brock who can scare the [censored] out of his teammates if things are not up to scratch.

I have watched him on the television telecasts of the games, before the games in the change rooms, he is basically the only one ( and obviously i hope there would be others at other times) Yelling in the change room to pump the boys up.

He plays with Passion, he works his guts out on the field, he speaks different to a neitz captain but still well.

I want a hard , passionate captain after neitz, Neitz would expect someone like that!

Brock Mclean = MFC Captain!

Rotate the captancy this year until Neitz is back from injury. This way we get a full persective of who will be leading next year. That way we can know who will be captain instead of just thinking who should be captain.

I know ill get flamed and bashed for this but I think Brock should be our next captain no matter what.

Sure he has his flaws, but a bit of mongrel is what is needed! Neitz is a champion and always will be but for our next captain i want someone like brock who can scare the [censored] out of his teammates if things are not up to scratch.

I have watched him on the television telecasts of the games, before the games in the change rooms, he is basically the only one ( and obviously i hope there would be others at other times) Yelling in the change room to pump the boys up.

He plays with Passion, he works his guts out on the field, he speaks different to a neitz captain but still well.

I want a hard , passionate captain after neitz, Neitz would expect someone like that!

Brock Mclean = MFC Captain!

I think the only 100% reason you would get flamed on this board after reading most posters remarks on this site would be if you said ................................Jamar

It HAS to be Macca.

He goes in hard EVERY week and SHOWS us he loves the club

I think the 'interesting' selections with regards to the leadership group makes sense given the demographic of the vote. There were 11 new players on the list, that's 25% of the list. Who would be the first players you'd really notice coming in to a club as a young bloke? The extremely charismatic ones. Robbo and Yze. The new blokes would not have had time to see what kind of leadership players like Green exhibit, especially without having played a game with them.

I believe that if we hadn't turned over so many players, the leadership group would've been different. I'd love it if we could see who voted for who this year and next. I'd be having a look at who the 11 new kids voted for and how their votes changed between years.

You may be right with your analysis of what happened Nash but the whole situation is yet another example of why the players should not be in charge of their own destinies, they are far too close to make the best decision. Was it a popularity choice? Who knows, probably not even the players. It may be drawing a long bow but a prime example of what could happen to an elite sporting team when the players have absolute control is the West Indies after their dominance.

The players are good at playing the game (well, they're meant to be) but for the sake of our club don't let them make crucial decisions like this ever again.

Cant see how Bruce gets the nod. Hardly gives the big rev up in the huddle.

You may be right with your analysis of what happened Nash but the whole situation is yet another example of why the players should not be in charge of their own destinies, they are far too close to make the best decision. Was it a popularity choice? Who knows, probably not even the players. It may be drawing a long bow but a prime example of what could happen to an elite sporting team when the players have absolute control is the West Indies after their dominance.

The players are good at playing the game (well, they're meant to be) but for the sake of our club don't let them make crucial decisions like this ever again.

I think the selections they made this year will get them all to seriously question what makes a leader and I am sure that names like Yze and Robbo wont get a sniff and collectively the group will identify and vote for more appropriate leadership role models. In the end they must support the leader and are accountable for the decisions they make.

I dont see the connection with the West Indies who with collective arrogance and a heavy dose of hubris at the end of successful careers ran themselves out of the competition. The lack of game infrstructure in WI did not help. I dont get a sense of arrogance and hubris with most of this group. Its part of their learning process.

Never liked multiple captains or rotations either as it all about leadership and choosing a sole captain even in a temporary role shows good leadership

This is the season bailey will need to make some tough decisions and this will be his first one

I happen to think he has avoided making big decisions - eg leadership group voted by players, Bailey let it ride.

Time he took some responsibility and accountability. He should appoint the captain.

Bruce is not a captain and neither is Green. Has to be J-Mac till the end of the year then re-evaluate. If both finish the year well, it would be great to see Brock © and Jonesy (vc) next year.

I happen to think he has avoided making big decisions

Like trading TJ.

Implementing a new game plan.

Empowering the players to have a determination in who should be the leaders.

Condemning players to Sandy who will not commit to the basics of accountable football eg Yze, Beamer and Newton.

Yeah you are right. Squibbed it big time.