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This is all Jack Watts' fault...

getting back to rd 1, i think Jamar will be eating a leunberger this weekend

I agree, we will be Melbourne supporters, united to honour a great player, President and person...it is not about us

No offence, but I would have thought that every single person attending the service would be united in their grief?

Strauss had scans but all clear. Should be fine to play next week. A big game next week IMO would see him likely to play Round 2 against West coast!

Can't believe people are saying that history ( one game for GWS ) is proving we made a mistake letting Junior go. He was rising 34 and injured and we had a stack of young kids that needed games to gain experience, like Jordie Mc, Gys and Nicholson etc. We are rebuilding not a GF side. If he doesn't get a kick next game what will "history" have showed us.

We all know toughness in footy is critical, but two comments I've heard recently have really reinforced this and brought it back to the surface. First, in the NAB Cup match between the Dogs and Pies, Heath Shaw and Jarrad Grant were chasing after the ball as it trickled over the boundary. As it went out, Shaw gave Grant a hard shove off the ball. Grant got up and just ran back to position without retaliating. Dermie saw this incident, was clearly unimpressed with Grant's lack of reaction and said something like "see that, Grant has done nothing back to Shaw, Shaw would be thinking, 'I've got him now'". Dwayne Russell responded by saying that maybe Grant just wanted to get on with his own game and not get distracted by stuff like that, to which Dermie responded "well, that may be the case, but I'm yet to see a premiership side that doesn't antagonise the opposition". Second, Kevin Sheedy in his pre-match address to the GWS players emphatically said the line "do not let your opponent dominate you". Sheedy also said the following in relation to the McDonald incident "All the best teams over the decades play hard, tough football." "Geelong do it, Brisbane's premiership teams did it. It's the only way to win finals." There wouldn't be too many who have a better knowledge of what it takes to win finals and Grand Finals than a bloke who has won five of them as a player and a coach who has won four. In my years of watching the Demons, the only time I can recall us being a tough and brutal team was in the Northey years. Sure we've had some very good teams since and plenty of tough and brutal players, but as a team I don't think anyone in the AFL would have regarded us as a tough and brutal team in the last 20 years. You can have all the talent in the world, but a purely talented team without the necessary toughness won't get the job done when it counts. Sheedy and Brereton know this and that's why they made the comments above. For the record I am not just referring to going in hard - footballers are brave and courageous and put their bodies on the line (our players included). And I am not saying we are soft. My reference to 'tough and brutal' is about taking it to the next level - it's about wanting to hurt, to antagonise, to dominate the opposition. There is nothing new in this, but because we have been so bad recently all the focus has been on getting the skill and the talent of the side in order. And make no mistake, this should be a key focus area because it's critically important. A tough side without the talent is going nowhere fast. But what I'd really like to see this year, other than the obvious improvement in the team as it adjusts to a new style of footy, is the MFC starting to become a tough and brutal side again. I'm not calling for thuggery and behind the play stuff, but rather an uncompromising attack on the ball and a willingness and desire to hit hard and hurt the opposition when they have it. And not to let the opposition dominate us.

This isn't a football match, guys - it's a funeral. No need for united fronts or anything.

I will just be happy if he turns into a star. We have lacked one for so long I dont care what position that means.

"Anybody who says that they're great at communicating but 'people are bad at listening' is confused about how communication works"

I feel sorry for McDonald - cops a 2 weeks suspension that'll take him 6 weeks to get over...

Same players - different names, it happens a lot.

Bloody CS. Has all the tricks, loads of potential but just does have the crash and bash style a good CEO needs. When we picked him up in the CEO draft we we're hoping he would be a Key Position Manager (KPM) but he seems to be an outside operator who picks up easy sponsorships and bangs on about KPI's. All those big words - where's his agro, his attack on the ball.

dees best and fairest? Jones dees best 1st year player? Magner goals clark will kick? 56 games jurrah will play? 10 dees surprises of the year? We will sign Pendles causing Eddie demand Vlad remove us from the AFL. premiers? West Coast in 1 point win over Hawks (who are destined to lose the following year after the Dees eliminate them in the Prelim Final by a point). first coach to get sacked? Kevin Sheedy sacks himself claiming he is the King of Scotland and the rightful heir to Vlad's crown and is last seen walking down Parramatta road in a Pith helmet and Kilt, meanwhile mounting pressure on Buckley as the Pies fall to 7th, Cloke signs with Richmond and Buckley tells Eddie "we are in a rebuilding phase". biggest off field controversy? Breakfast point Drug raid during which Voldermort is tasered and put out for the rest of the year. NSW Police claim they thought there was a wild animal in the room after seeing Voldermorts Billy Ray Cyrus Skunkcut poking out of the top of bedsheets. games won by gws? 1; in round 9. Essendon management book flights to Skoda Stadium but only after boarding the flight do they realise they are heading to Prague in the Czech republic.

This is the team that I think Neeld will pick for this week B : Bartram , Garland , Rivers HB: Grimes , Frawley , Blease C : Watts , Trengove , Bate HF: Petterd , Martin , Green F : Howe , Clark , Davey R : Jamar , Moloney , Jones I/C: Magner , Couch , Sellar SUB: Tapscott Unlucky : Gysberts , Bail , Tynan , McKenzie To come into the side when fit : Jurrah , Sylvia . Blease is on the HBF because of his run . He may be needed across half forward to give the team some pace there . Sellar on the bench for a few reasons . He may be used in rotations with Martin , Garland , Jamar and Rivers . And we need to start picking a taller side to get ready for the good teams (Eagles the week after) . 3 talls in the backline vs Brisbane will probably be enough but there's going to be some tired players come 3/4 time (being round 1) and a fresh(ish) tall could be very handy in the last quarter . Not even sure that Couch has been elevated yet but given Neeld's want for grunt and Tom's pre-season form I reckon he's a real chance to play this week . Cheers

I've heard that GWS have a new conditioning coach........ And he advocates the parma to gain weight.

Like rfpc's idea . Here is my take: Back Zone - Sellar, Garland, Bennell, Rivers, and Bail . Back line match up - Frawley (Longer), Mids (Rotation players) - Moloney, Magner, Trengove, Jones, Bate, Green, McKenzie. Forward Zone - Clark, Davey, Howe, Martin, and Petterd. At large - Jamar, Watts Tagger - Bartram (Black) Sub: Grimes

Wasn't Junior on the MRP which gave JT a three-week holiday last season ? See-ya-later alligator..

I'm happy to call a truce on the disrespectful stuff and apologise for any condescending remarks, although I'm not certain I've been the only participant in that regard. But I must say that those that were familiar with Watts as a junior knew he was never going to be a crash and bash forward. He's never played that way - even as a juinior.

I think you're on the money... I like to think of this as the Adam Goodes (or even a Goddard quarterback style) role....the tall utility/mid with excelent vision, aerobic capacity, great skills. If people think we've missed out on our KPF then surely you can't be disappointed with a Goodes/Goddard clone? I seem to remenber Goddard looking like a spud for the first few years unitl it just clicked and began to dominate. I think it'd be pretty tough matching up on Watts if he started on a wing and pushed forward to create a mismatch in the forward line? If Martin/Clarke/Jurrah/Howe/Green were already set up as the permanent forwards then who would play on Watts? You'd need someone with height/speed and endurance to follow him. Just thinking about it Matty Richardson played some of his best footy on the wing...as long as Watts is influencing the match i don't really care where he plays.

Forgetting about who we play. We will probably be a bit slow at the start with all the stuff going on (hopefully still beat Brisbane) but I would expect that in four or five rounds we will be up and firing with a steady improvement .Big game for us is Geelong at Geelong to prove that we are on the way. My prediction is 6th. If we beat collingwood in QB well and good but if we play to our potential in most games thats better.

He was taking the place of a rookie, RL - he was on the vets list. We should have done a 180 on Junior when Bruce decided to chase a flag. We lacked leaders in 2011 and I would have swallowed my pride and demanded he come back.

Isn't it time to start bagging Morton again?

Like your team 'tonatopia' I'd find room for Sellar in the 22 , Probably have Green in the forward line but he could rotate in there with Watts and/or Davey . I like your dash off half back (Pies like?) and the "outside the sqaure" thinking with Frawley is good . Couch is a dark horse too but ya can't fit 'em all in the 22 ! Cheers

This was surprisingly easy for me.... I had hoped it would be extremely difficult but alas.... The only one I wasnt sure about was Bennell but we need a small with speed down there. FB: Bennell, Frawley, Garland HB: Grimes, Rivers, Sellar C: Trengove, Moloney, Blease HF: Watts, Howe, Petterd FF: Davey, Clark, Green R: Jamar, Jones, Magner IC: Bartram, Mckenzie, Martin, Tynan Emerg Bate Bail McDonald Would love it if in 2 weeks time Gysberts, Morton, Tapscott & Couch were in there....

As with many pubs in this land, my local has a Friday night meat raffle, which I always enter, as the proceeds go to the Royal Childrens' Hospital. I don't often win. I am one of those guys that watches people win, time and time again. We all have those friends or acquaintances who just seem to be blessed. To use the idiom, I cant even win a kick in a street fight - thankfully. As with every week, the ticket seller asks me what number ticket I would like to have. I always think it doesn't matter, because if it's your time to win, then it just will happen. But last Friday night and given the events of the past week, when I was asked what number I wanted, I just had to choose that wonderful number 11. Sure enough, at 8:00 pm, the draw happens and I won first prize. Like I said, I don't consider myself a lucky person - quite the opposite in fact - but somehow, I had this sense I would win. And so it was. Last night we had a BBQ at home. People who barracked for Pies, Blues, Tigers and one very - and still bitter - stalwart of Fitzroy all spoke with such affection for Jimma. Even those who attended who actually hate footy - can you believe it - spoke with such emotion about our Jim. It was a great night and again, I was proud to be a Dees supporter. My win was really insignificant in reality, but then I thought Jim saw the best of things in the least of things. Go well Jim. I love ya mate and always will.

Big bodied forwards who can take a mark , create a contest , play in front all the time and bring other players into the game are vital in todays footy . Pies , Cats , Eagles and Hawks all have at least 2 . Sometimes they'll play 3 . It's the Blues achilles heal . We've got maybe one in Clark . Probably one if we're being optimistic . Neeld has come from a club that always plays at least 2 big bodied forwards . And the Pies keep making it to the last 2 weeks of September . Neeld talks about grunt a lot as well . And we're possibly going to be playing around the boundary line from defence . It stands to reason that Neeld wants at least 2 big bodied forwards in the key positions . If Neeld was going to play Jack at CHF in game 1 vs Brisbane then why would he not play him at CHF last night . Surely Mark would have some input . It doesn't bother me where Jack plays . As long as we get maximum value out of him . Cheers

Hi all. First post. Antique so know about premierships. Just replying to the Sheahan interview. First question Mike asked was about how messy last year was. Got a stock-standard waffle answer. Second question was about the press conferance early last year, & how $cully stated all those points about no contact etc. Very direct questions. $ said he'd moved on & just looking forward (waffle/waffle) Mike pushed hard several more times & got stone-walled. Each time $ just lost more credibility. After the interview there was a general discussion about $ & the concensus was that he lied. Even that dip-stick velvet glove agreed. Hope this helpes. Just remember I'm antique. Carn DEES

Apparently an AFL club has a 20yo, 196cm, 90kg bloke running around in the VFL who gave what many believe a BOG performance in round 1. It gets better! Word has it that he has already shown similar ability at the highest level on a few occasions. Boy, I would love that club to be us... Watts that?

Couldn't agree more BH, he was certainly recruited as a key forward. Will he end up there? I don't know and as we are several years down the track and have a different list I wonder how important that is. I saw last nights game and just marveled at Watt's skill. In the end every time he went near it the crowd rose. At one point the ball looked like it was going through for a point but he kept it in, got it to a team mate who goaled. He makes the very hard look very easy because for him it is. He couldn't have done that at VFL level 2 years ago and I doubt he could do it at AFL level now but I think he will in future and he will be very effective, but perhaps not as a key forward. I share your disappointment that he is not the pack breaking key forward that we "bought" but I relish the future watching him do things. Unlike many I don't want him to break packs apart, I want him to apply his skills and be a very effective player - perhaps elite. Let less skilled bigger builds break their bodies on that task as Jack would be wasted on it anyway. Other players couldn't lay a hand on him last night and it was a pretty good standard game. IMO Watts could be the elite midfielder we crave but that's just speculation. BH, how do you interpret Jack playing on the wing for much of the time last night when Neeld said he'd play deep forward? That is the really interesting part to me.

Do you know another KPF that doesn't crash packs? Buddy Franklin. He roams around the ground using his pace and gets his situations one on one, rather than from packs. He's actually more likely to be roving the pack than competing for a mark in it. The pack crashers in that forward line are Roughead and Hale. There's more than one way to skin a cat.

I was there yesterday and I'm a bit confused about some of the reports coming from the game. Tom McDonald played up forward for most of the game with short runs in the ruck. He certainly presents quite well and is very strong overhead, and shows some really good game awareness. I think that, as a defender, he could play some really meaningful AFL footy this year. But the coaches seem to have decided that it will be as a forward that he'll be a long term player. As a forward, he'll need time to become physically strong enough to dominate overhead. He took some good marks, but it's only his second year and he'll need time to become a monster. Gysberts was very good and seemed to be much better defensively than he has been in past years. He was excellent in the clearances last night. Tapscott did one or two nice things, but wasn't particularly involved. Much better in the first half and only seemed to play limited minutes. Needs a lot more game time, though it was good to see that his touch, in patches, was there. Grimes did what he needed to do. Played at half back and got through the game with a minimum of fuss. Didn't play the full game as he was rested later. Watts was clearly the best player on the ground. Started on the wing in both halves but then went forward later in each half. When he went forward he turned the game twice - late in the first half when he turned a deficit into a lead with about 3 goal assists, and then in the last quarter. The queries about his marking are interesting, because there are two aspects to his marking. He isn't a pack crasher, which is what disappoints many who expect Jonno Brown, but he's actually very good one on one. He dropped a couple of contested marks after he'd already done the hard work to work his opponent out of it. I think we just need him to win more of the footy around the ground than he did in preseason because every touch he has turns into gold. He was clearly BOG last night. Morton was not his best last night. He kicked a goal, but conceded a few goals to Panos early due to body size. Better in the second half, but he has a lot more in him than what he showed last night. Strauss did some good things although he didn't get heaps of the footy. He was good defensively, I thought, where he used his speed and power to win and neutralise contests against small, agile opponents. Copped a high elbow at one point and took time to get off the ground. Hopefully he's OK, because he's a player that needs to play lots of match footy to develop. Fitzpatrick was a major, major positive for mine. He took a lot of good marks across half forward and competed really hard to bring the ball to ground. He used his pace well to create opportunities and was genuinely competitive overhead. What he needs to do is just get bigger. He is much bigger than the ecto-twig that first arrived at the club, so we know it's coming, but we just need to be patient. The major thing I noticed was the amount of pressure we placed on Willy. Our midfield applied great pressure, especially early, and it certainly looked like we had a very good press going and we spent a lot of time in our forward line. A good start against a strong club, but it'll probably be one of the best Casey teams we'll see this year.

Thought this at the time, and history proved it to be the case. Why would you cut a popular, hard at it Captain when he was clearly still in our best 22 and wanted to continue playing, we had a dearth of effective senior players, Cameron Bruce was being belligerent about re-signing for the club, and we had on ball division with an aggregated body weight of 22 kilos?! There is absolutely no way Neeld would've cut Junior had he been at the helm at the time. Ridiculous decision that clearly impacted on the playing group for the whole of 2011.

Re: Casey vs. Williamstown, Sat 6pm Pretty good crowd out there tonight considering Casey were complete underdogs going in to the game. I must say I was glad I went out there, as it was a very good game to watch (apart from being distracted having to type in to a stupid phone). Players; McDonald He tried hard all night but it didn't seem to happen for him tonight, he spent most of the night down back, but had no influence on the game. Strauss He went ok tonight but didn't seem to have as much clear, clean possession as in the pre season games. Played all 4 quarters but with limited time in each. Still a few weeks away from a call up. Fitzpatrick This guy has a [censored] load of potential, the way he moves around the ground when he is on the ball is very impressive. He has ability in ruck work & is very athletic & his kicking & decision making is improving quickly. The problems occur when he is moved forward, but I reckon it would be hard for any key forward to have an influence with the way the ball is delivered in to the forward line. Tynan This kid is a gun, he is gutsy, can take a contested mark, can play forward, back or midfield, makes good decisions, delivers the ball well & can kick a goal... He will play quite a few games this year in the 1sts... I can't wait until he gets a couple of pre seasons under his belt. Sheehan Started a bit slow tonight but he got the feel for the pace of the game & was extremely solid. I beleive he was moved on to Skinner ( who was a danger against us) & he beat him. I think, once again that there would be another big tick put against his name. Couch He is one tough nut. I'm not sure he will get a call up yet but he sure will pile the pressure on to the other midfielders to not drop their guard. he won a lot of ball both inside & outside. Morton I have been a supporter of this kid for awhile but he just doesn't seem to get it !!!!!! He should dominate at this level, but he just seems to drift along, doing things every now & then, looking good doing it & in between all of that he has quite a few clangers... Not good enough Bail One tough nut, I would have him in my team as one of the 1st picked... I mentioned earlier tonight that I reckon he should be our small forward option. Very good tonight. Grimes. He should be better than his opposition tonight & he was. Very clever & controlled the backline. he didn't have a heap of possessions but I don't think that was an issue. Gysberts Tough, strong, clever & good ball user. he did another great job tonight & will get a call up next week. Tapscott He probably got a bit tired towards the end, but it was bloody great to see him take strong contested marks, crunch blokes in tackles, kick long goals & forgive him for giving 50 metre penalties for hurting players with solid hits. I would love to say he will play next week but it ain't going to happen... Watts He started on the wing (1st qtr), played deep forward (2nd qtr), a bit of everything in the 3rd & deep forward in the last. This kid showed enough today to impress the coaching panel & demand a spot in the team... It appeared to be a full contingent of the hierarchy there tonight, so they will get a clear idea of who did what (probably totally opposite to my opinion). It was also really nice to see that a FULL minutes slience was given, in respect of Jim by ALL at the ground. I hope all you guys enjoyed kicking back at home tonight, but you missed a really good game tonight, especially you Stretch... PS, I had a really good chat to Jack Fitzpatrick's mum & dad tonight & got another really good insight to the vibe down there at the moment. It re-instilled my belief in what is happening at MFC... Bring on next week.

Fitzy - Played forward and relieved in the ruck he takes a good mark and competed well. I don't think he will play round 1. Still has to work on his decision making at times looks like a lost deer. Sheehan - Played full back most of the game and competed really well. He will be good competition for the backline Strauss - saw him take a couple of kick-ins he got a few possessions reckon he is 3-4 weeks away needs to get his touch back. Couch - Would be surprised if he isn't promoted for round 1 I had him best on ground his contested and clearance work was first rate. Tapscott - played on the wing to start with. Then after about 2nd qtr moved forward kicked 2.2 for the night was a strong presence and tackled strong in the 50m. He showed no signs of having trouble picking up the tempo after time off with injury. He has staked a claim for round 1 depends on his match fitness though. Watts - First quarter he was looking a little lost played predominantly on the wing in first quarter and followed the ball around and competed at stoppages seem to be given a license to follow the ball around. Although he didn't impact much in the first I think it helped establish the tempo of the game for him. After the first quarter he played high half forward and started to come into the game and bring others into the game. I think he had about 4 direct goal assists over the game and after half time he played up on the 50 and stayed there for the rest of the game. I had him kicking 2 goals for the night. Rightly amongst the best tonight. 3rd best on field. He was good in a congested 50 and helped win the game in the last quarter. Morton - Played half back and as many good things he did, he also did bad. Please someone tell him not to kick the footy off one step. The ball has no penetration and is often intercepted. However he was solid without being spectacular. I know he is much maligned but he didn't perform too badly tonight and he did kick an important goal to start the last quarter. Gysberts - was on the ball most of the night. He laid some real strong tackles and won a lot of clearances 2nd best on ground. Has put his hand up for round 1. I couldn't see any signs of poor endurance as he contested the first and last center square ball ups. Bail - Played really well as a tagger for most of the night he did his job and worked hard all night. Tynan - huge raps for the kid he started down back and then went forward kicked a nice goal and missed a shot after the siren on half time. I think i'll claim this kid he looks the goods. Grimes - i think he only played a half? not sure he marshaled the troops down back I think he might play another week at Casey and miss round one to get more game time. Mcdonald - was the most damaging forward think he was involved in 3 or 4 goals and he just loves the hard stuff. Can he stand up in a tackle or what he is very strong through the hips. Not sure who I have missed but apologies. We a playing the full ground press which seemed to be the same for Willy a couple of times Willy got over the back of the press and scored 2-3 goals out the back. In the first quarter the ball was 54% in our forward half 2nd quarter was around the 30% mark and about 25% in the 3rd. I had about 60% in the final quarter. (saw the board at 3qtr time) We played the boundary line all night I saw one kick for the night that centered the ball into the middle from the backline for the entire night. We were well down on Willy for possessions for night but this is more to do with the game plan. The contested ball after half time was great! not that good to watch but its so far removed from the way we used to play. Casey was murdered by the umps down field free kicks and 50m were heavily weighted against Casey. Overall it was an even contest by looking Casey had a lot more MFC players than Willy had bulldogs I think we had double. Casey was lucky to win inaccurate kicking cost Willy. I would have been happy to loose we are playing in way which has a defensive mindset first. You hear players shouting instruction to ensure that the structures are maintained at ball ups, kick ins. Structure is first, we get the defense right and I think the game plan will allow for more attack when we get our basics right first. good news MFC players all appeared injury free - YAY Kyle Matthews did hurt a shoulder and was subbed off early. That's about it all i can come up with.

Might be an idea for the Dee's to always have that seat vacant just for Jimmy amongst the fan's where he used to sit?

Just tweeted... Jim Stynes Achievement Scholarships for Young Australians: http://www.katelundy...ng-australians/ 37 scholarships will be available each year (in honour of the number 37 jumper Jimmy held up when he set out on his battle against cancer) "The Gillard Government will provide $3 million to establish the Jim Stynes Achievement Scholarships. As a partner in the program, the AFL will provide an annual contribution of $150,000 a year for the next five years. The scholarships will be administered by Reach and the AFL in partnership with the Government."

I don't think it's seriously going to hit me that Jim is no longer with us until round 1 then round 4. I always used to look over and check to see if Jim was sitting in the area he sat at, at the G then if he was there I thought he was ok and relieved to see him. After games when I left I would normally walk past him. Now when I look he will be absent. I always hated listening to the news on the radio just in case he had passed but weirdly enough when I heard on SEN i wasnt surprised. I went to work thought about Jim and came home and watched sunrise that I taped that morning. The stupid thing is I knew Jim had passed, I had watched all the news networks and it wasnt until I was watching sunrise later that night and Kochie turned to Mel and said I have some sad news JIm Stynes has passed away and Mel just gasped put her hands over her mouth and said oh no. It hit me more then because I actually saw someone react to it. Stupid story I know but thats how it affected me. Im still trying to get through yesterdays and todays papers. Its just amazing how much he had an impact on everyones lives. I met him heaps of times and he was just awesome. Words will never be enough for what he did to our club. Then watching The Footy Show tonight and seeing Garry do what he did. He was just amazing and I have no idea how he managed to get through that. When he mentioned the photo I was expecting a photo of the two of them and i thought gosh Jim wouldnt look to good but when I saw the hands together I just teared up. What a beautiful photo that was. Well done Garry you spoke brilliantly.

I have never been so proud of Gary, he spoke so well and straight from the heart. On your note Lace Out, I thought about how You'll Never Walk Alone gets such a powerful feeling from the Kop at Anfield but I just don't think it would work in our case. However there is another bit of inspiration from Liverpool that I thought could work with us. Obviously their moto on the shield, "you'll never walk alone" comes from the connection to the song, and there has been a lot of talk about Jimmy's moto of "Whatever it takes" and how we should use it. I suggest that we add it to our logo/shield, I'd say where EST 1858 and move that somewhere else. I remember Jimmy talking about the logo and about how everything on it is a part of the Melbourne Football Club history. Jimmy is a massive part of us, he had a profound influence on the way the game was played, his story is legend across the entire competition, and he saved out club in its darkest hour. And that simply scrapes the surface of his accomplishments. Add his story to our shield that has something to say with every part of it. EDIT: I've tried a version of it, but my graphic design skills have definitely deteriorated! But it gives an idea of what I picture. http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/804/melbournenewemblemedit1.jpg/

To the man who my father & I watched week in week out give his all for our great club out on the MCG, thank you. Thank you for giving us hope & spirit & an understanding of true Irish grit. Thank you for being the man we could depend upon when the going was tough on a cold wet winters day..... Thank you for making us believe that anything is possible. Thank you for being a great human who would go totally out of his way to help young people who need a guiding soft (but strong) hand and making a difference. Thank you helping people who needed it, especially when your were going through your toughest fight. Thank you for being a great person & making the world better for the rest of us because you were here..... Jim, Thank you. RIP Jim.

It's wonderful reading all the tributes and heart felt dedications to our Jimmy. I have been a Dee supporter throughout his journey in our magnificent city. I have met him briefly on a number of occasions. My children have a few treasured photos with him. He will always be a favourite, we MFC supporters will never let his name fade. He rests in peace... he is remembered, most of all, as a great man.

Absolutely not. Some stability is important in this club the off-season has been turbulent and it's ultra important up top remain how it is for the imminent future because they are not failing. I am a strong advocator of Schwab, most of all for his performance in the Jurrah situation but I don't think business is his forté. All press reports released by Melbourne went from brushing aside thoughts of a sponsorship deal with a Chinese company, than when it appeared we were getting close he acknowledged it and the rumours begin to service it was nearly done. Now statements such as this are the norm and I for your satisfaction will highlight my favourite parts. Second Major Sponsor: One thing I can say - I'm glad some of you guys aren't negotiating contracts on our behalf! We have explained the strategic importance of the sponsorship 'property' and we will do a deal when the deal is right, and by strategic we mean long term and having a significance beyond the revenue itself. We have locked away some very important deals over the last few years (in particular EnergyWatch) that now underpin our sponsorship revenue, and we have a number of contingencies from both a revenue and cost perspective in the event that we don't achieve our preferred outcome. We will not compromise the value by agreeing to a sub-optimal long term deal because of external or perceived time pressures. In the meantime, we proudly wear the Reach Logo on our jumpers. As for the first sentence of that statement. Sarcasm isn't very funny when it's taken you 4+ months to find one. He may well be hiring one of us soon . The tone has gone from a positive 'we're hammering out the final points of the deal' to we'll do a deal when it is ready to be done. If that doesn't spell out broken down talks nothing will. 'Some very important deals over the years' consist of many below-par sponsorship deals so I do not feel that optimism yet. The second bolded topic consists of many contingency plans. If confident of a deal these wouldn't even be required so we as a company are either being played by these guys hard, or talks are on a decline. Either way, in the event that we don't achieve our preferred outcome we have a backup plan... It seems to be completely contradictory to the whole sentiment. Here we are going for the best and only the best- but if we fail to achieve preferred outcome we have some shitty backup plan. At which point, do we undertake the backup plan, when do we cut our losses? Is Reach on our guernsey that plan? What have we forgone to miss other alternatives? What will be the implications on other sponsors in the future- will they hold us to ransom? These are questions that must be thought about. It's one thing to stand tall to the 100 losers who according to Cam would just make terrible businessmen but what about when the media heat comes on come Round 12 and a poor club has no FOJ income stream. Is waiting for the right one still a worthy answer? If we sign a 3 year deal Round 21 this year for the next 3 years for $1mil per year great... but what about the 600,000 one year deal we could have had since the NAB Cup and we could already be negotiating a deal for the next 3 years starting 2013. Who knows? At the end of the day all of our points mean nothing but from both an image and income perspective I don't see how this situation can be taken as a positive.

Totally agree with your post/tweet to the club Hardtack. I have long held the view that the club doesn't treat its members with the amount of respect i would expect of a club aspiring to become 'elite'. If there is any news about the MFC, melbournefc.com.au is just about the last source to inform people, abhorrent. On top of this, injury updates continually seem to be wildly inaccurate. We are not a big club, and we are getting smaller it seems (with our membership numbers seriously staggering), yet the club seems to want to test the loyalty of many of its supporters. I understand the club wants to keep sponsorship dealings hush hush until they are signed off on, but given that we have been given the same response from the club for near on 7 months about our next joint-major sponsor, members are well in their rights to ask questions of the club. I don't give a stuff if the Chinese take longer to come to terms, what i care about is the financial security of our club, and those who are in charge of it. It is now 2 consecutive vacant sponsorship times that within 2 weeks of the season start, we still haven't sorted out our sponsorship dealings. Only one word can describe this, amateurish. I don't care if Schwab comes out tomorrow announcing a $2m+ per year sponsor, because the questions will still remain over our ability to land sponsors. It was in a recent post where i read that lapsed members from last year had not even received a renewal notice for the upcoming season. True supporters don't need a reminder to sign up, but that is irrelevant. The question must be asked, how competent is our membership department? It was reported by the club that we still had roughly 10-15,000 members yet to renew from last year, and yet renewal notices hadn't been sent to some, if not many of these people. Pathetic. This club seems to want to achieve 'elite' status. Might i suggest that the MFC start treating its most valuable commodity in a manner that is befitting of an 'elite' organisation.

If a sponsor was signed it would be announced, and would be on the jumper. Some of the clutching at straws and rose coloured glasses on this site are a joke. The club is not being run well if we do not have a sponsor on the frount of the jumper during competitive matches, and whoever is responsible needs to get the sack and replaced with someone who is competent at their job..

OR the time to view how the club handles this issue Professionally handled, dealing calmly and realistically about the/our position can be reassuring for a potential sponsor. Publicity about the club can reflect the Brand of both club and sponsor. Authority Confidence Leadership can be displayed in many ways and without spinning it, can be emphasised for positive outcomes. EG The club expected with its list being developed that it would discover more about its players from the hard contest received with Hawthorn. The club has dealt with defeat for some time and is using that to spur on our taste for more victories. We will have some victories and some defeats but from all of this we will learn more about ourselves. We are using the NAb cup to complement our training programs and have tested some structures and strategies. The Jurrah story could also have many positive aspects displayed although like many I believe that extreme care should be taken I have said and pleased to repeat given further statements that I believe the club has handled the whole saga well. Thier actions reflect well on the club and should impress any potential sponsor,

I have brainwashed the hell out of them. Sometimes it did include fudging the scores a little bit when I would get home from the G. A 6 year old and a 2 year old don't really understand rebuilding phases and a developing list.

My kids would.

Come on guys the ONLY place to buy MFC gear is from our own shop at the MCG.(refer MFC website to view.)

I was at Kmart airport west shopping centre last year and was looking through the footy gear and found no Melbourne gear at all. I asked the check out chick why wasn't there any melbourne gear and she said It's Kmart policy to only stock the teams to the nearest location of the store. Airport West is in bloody Tullamarine if some of you guys aren't familiar it couldn't be much closer to Melbourne. I think the Administration needs to find out why we can't promote our club by having Melbourne gear everywhere.It's a wonder everyone jumps on board the big teams they have crap plastered everywhere.

Old Dee we lost a game, what do you want to do slash your wrists, do you think last nights effort means all the work the club has out in both on and off the field since the end of last season is now undone. Anyone who thinks this is going to be a smooth ride from the time Neeld was announced is sorely mistaken. We will get there but be prepared for some turbulence on the way!. Keep your chin up Old