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Probably die of a heart attack half way through last quarter & miss the celebrations.

Still wish he would [censored] off. We don't want his help.

I will start a thread on 'Land questioning recruiting decisions that cost us winning it by a greater margin.

In all seriousness, when the Flag is won....We Demonlanders must ALL Meet for one huge Bender.... That must happen..

We should go after the Collingwood recruiters NOW - Ed can't "knock off" our sponsors if we don't have any anymore!

That is one of the poorest pieces of journalism I have read. For example did he consider any of the following points before penning that piece of trash? 1. Establishing that Polis did in fact make the comments and that they were not put there by another. 2. Following the Corporations Act. 3. Applying good governance. 4. Allowing each Director to have their say/vote. 5. Making/announcing the decision in business hours and not while Directors could have been out socialising and drinking and not thinking clearly. 6. Announcing the decision to the media in daylight so that they could all be present. 7. Allowing MFC staff the time to be informed, so signs, logos etc could be removed before the announcement. etc, etc, etc. Patrick you should stand ashamed for kicking us while we are down and actually doing the right thing. Shameful piece of trash.

It means nothing. Last year Melbourne beat Essendon by 33 points and Essendon beat Geelong by 5 points. And we all know about 186. It's just the way footy is from week to week. And as BRFE stated, coming off a 5 day break in this day and age is a severe disadvantage.

I love armchair quarterbacks. You guys are great. We should ask the same questions of 3AW, truenergy, momenum energy, Melbourne Victory, Melbouren REbels...but no, you won't do that, will you? Harold Mitchell, a bloke who does nothing but sniff the winds of publicity went with this mob too...but it's Cam's fault. some of you people like kicking people when they are down. It is sick.

Two things continue to mystify me: (1) Misfired has apologised to Neeld, but is totally unrepentant about breaking his source's confidence (whether his "source" is Davey or not), not once but three times, the third time after the first two checked back to the source & didn't go into print, and to someone that he knew wouldn't bother to check with the source. He has no regrets whatsoever for putting so much pressure on an indigenous footballer, with no regard whatsoever for the damage it might do to him. And he's making it worse by refusing mediation, which would be the one way to get the issue resolved from Davey's perspective. Right from the first breach of confidence (to Caro?), before he knew how Davey would react, he seems to have done his utmost to damage Davey, for some reason that I don't understand. Do they have a history of any kind? (2) Vlad's strange statement at the presser when asked why they were protecting the source - he said something to the effect that the source wasn't getting off scott-free, having "been presented with a series of facts that were then misconstrued and incorrectly relayed to Mifsud. The person is hurting and knows the error of his ways." (quoting from the afl.com.au article about the press conference). Now, this simply doesn't fit the role that Davey is said to have had. There is no way Davey was "presented (presumably by another party) with facts" which he "misconstrued" and then "relayed" to Mifsud, because Davey wouldn't have needed to be "presented with the facts" by anybody. If anything, Davey might have been the person who did the "presenting of facts" to another party, who then misconstrued them before passing them on. That would fit the construction that Vlad put at the presser, much better than that he believed Davey to be the person who had spoken directly to Mifsud. And perhaps this "Davey vs Mifsud" fiasco has been cooked up to shield this other party who was between Davey (or maybe another aboriginal Dee) and Mifsud, who "misconstrued" the situation, for whatever reason, when he spoke to Mifsud. I think there's a large piece still missing here. Ian Flack has been mentioned as a possibility, but he's denied it, and the AFL has made a huge effort to protect someone like Flack

This is an idea I have had for a while, if you think it's rubbish that's fine but I just want to put it out there following the events of today. I know a lot of us out there have put a lot of our own hard earned money into the Melbourne Football Club through memberships and the recent Debt Demolition. However, I am proposing a "Supporter Alliance" whereby we supporters donate money (however little) under this banner and sponsor the club. The money wouldn't be anywhere near what the club will have lost from "that company" but at the very least it is a sign of support Again, I fully understand that many people feel they have given their fair share and that's fine, if you feel that way please just keep those thoughts to yourself. This is an opportunity to support (figuratively and financially) the club on top of memberships other areas, even if what is raised is just a small donation (not a "sponsorship" as such), the club needs some good news after all that it has been dragged through recently. As a starting point, I am willing to donate $200 to get the ball rolling. Any thoughts or suggestions please let me know, if it is a rubbish idea I will just donate the money privately and you can lock the thread.

thanks for cheering us all up C&B can always count on you - you are a real trooper pal

but in all seriousness, i will most likely wind up naked in the streets and spend the rest of the evening in lock-up

Except that Aaron Davey wasn't picked for Casey while Matthew Bate was picked for both Melbourne and Casey. Are they trying to shelter him from the media hordes who would inevitably descend on Casey Fields if they knew for sure that Davey was playing? I don't know but am strongly of the belief that Davey should play in the VFL untl such time as he proves his right to a game with Melbourne. To leave him in Perth and not play him on Sunday would, in my view, be foolish.

I dont know about you guys but honestly with all the crap thats gone on this year in the media, I dont think i have been prouder before to be a demon supporter. The way everything has been handled i think has been extremely well and they deserve alot of credit for it, it wouldn't have been easy. Sure the players havn't performed on the park YET, but we know they will turn that part around. The roots are there now so the onfield performance has only one way to go. Just want to say well done to the Administration team, coaching staff and players for how they have progressed through the last few months.

IMO, he's the type who'll be your freind, as long as We let Him Be the King of the Castle.

I would be shocked if there aren't companies out there that can see the massive good publicity they will get by aligning to the MFC at this time. The club is down, but still leading the way in standing for what is right over financial gain. A few new sponsors and a few wins will turn everything around.

Disgraced Melbourne players hijack return flight from Perth and seek safe haven in North Korea.

Well done CB. I'm in, but it needs to be named and 'branded' as a NEW proud supporter alliance in recognition of the stance for integrity taken by the MFC. If it got media attention, which would require a spokesperson, and preferably someone with some profile from our celebrity supporter list (e.g. Hamish Blake, Russell Howcroft......), then it would make the club more attractive for potential sponsors. A way to use this disaster to strengthen the profile of the club as one of uncompromising values beyond football. Before Jimmy gave us the benefit of his credibility when he took up the Presidency, it was constantly bandied around that we stood for nothing......well out of this mess, and Jimmy's legacy, we could have our 'brand' right here........ and who wouldn't want to be associated with that?

I'm not saying it's not possible, I'm saying it's not reasonable. So say we do start a policy of "read the CEO's facebook page of major sponsors" - where do we stop? Do we read its board members facebook page? Do we read the facebook page of every new employee for the club? I think it's absolutely the club's responsibility to ensure the company checks out - in the club's view it did (though this may have proven to be debatable in the long run as RobbieF et al touched on). I remain to be convinced that it's the club responsibility to check out individuals from the company before proceeding.

Not if we have the support of wonderful , positive , encouraging , happy people like you Thommo.

I have often thought that when I'm a gazillionaire I'd sponsor Melbourne to have nothing but the club logo and player numbers on their jumper. It would bring me such a massive sense of pride to see the club standing for nothing but itself. While I understand the necessity of sponsorship, I hate seeing their names all over the great jumper.

Just checked the crystal ball. If any of you wish to go into hibernation for a week or so here is what we have to look forward to over the next 7 days: - Ben Polis to replace Cam Schwab as CEO to assist us in finding a major sponsor. - 100+ point loss to the eagles, fringe players Ashton hams and Ashley smith accuse us of playing bruise free football. - mark neeld accused of being too bland and soft on players in his press conference, media are getting sick of all his cliches. - Sylvia and moloney suspended for drinking during rehab. - trengove cops 3 weeks for farting within 10 metres of opponent. Demetriou says this must be stamped out of the game immediately. - $cully stars for GWS,racks up 180 in super coach. - Grimes trips over his shoelaces,out for 4 weeks. - Ben Hudson surprisingly turns up to play for eagles,dominates the hit outs vs jamar.

The Gys is going to be serious value for us if he can get his body sorted out. He's got the build of a flanker with the mindset of an inside mid. Wins his own ball on the ground and in the air. We have a desperate need for guys who can rack up big disposal counts, and he went 30+ in his first game. I just want him to have a couple of seasons without injuries.

I'm a little worried about this sponsorship situation. If only the club could find a way to generate more media exposure to help lure a sponsor.

Sorry I just don't agree with you. If the club isnt first and foremost for the members like every other club in the world then who is it for. I'm sick of our supporters sitting back and saying its someone else's problem to fix the club. This is OUR club. We need to get behind it when required. It exists for us because we want it to. No one care more about our club than us. Is it ideal to have corp sponsors? Yes. It is necessary in the football world but that does not mean we should sit on our hands and wait for that to happen.

I think this idea has legs. WE have to make this club the best. We owe that to Big Jimma. He can not do it anymore...

To be honest the MFC doesn't need fair weather supporters like you. If You are ashamed, you don't need to be here. This is not the time to sook and play victim. This is the time to stick with the MFC. They need supporters to be more dedicated and supportive than ever. They have dealt with all situations listed better than any of the other AFL clubs and the league itself. For the first time ever we are debt free with a $6 million asset base. Is it all perfect? No. Do you think we should just pack up the club? No way. Now is the time go hard and dip in again for the dees. After all this is OUR club. No one can take away the passion and heart and soul of the club no matter what. We will survive and we will succeed. OUR club doesn't need spineless supporters and players and the fact you pretend to be a Melbourne person is insulting. If you want to be ashamed go barrack for someone else. It's not easy and anyone who sticks with the club now truly does have a heart that beats true for the red and blue.

Well, I am ashamed of you, if you are disgusted by what has just happened. Living up to your principles, even if it costs you, especially if it costs you, is to be valued and not disgusted.

and how well has the MFC handled everything. Couldn't have been any better in my opinion

The wheel of publicity turns in mysterious ways Thomo, we will be ok. I am old fashioned, when you do the right thing and act with consistency and integrity and set standards, good things happen.

Look I probably should also address the names you mentioned - with my own personal opinions - on why they are not wearing red & blue Nat Fyfe - (Draft 2009 - Pick 20) Nat has adjusted very, very well to the step up from WA junior football to AFL, staying in his home state has no doubt assisted him. It was so obvious to the Dockers that he was the best WA kid that they actually overlooked him with their first pick in that draft and went for Anthony Morabito - sadly [censored] happens and Morabito has sustained terrible injuries. From memory the pool of WA kids from that year, although they performed just ok in the nationals, just possibly a theory circulated "they where a tight bunch & the sum of the whole was greater than the sum of the parts". That years national where dominated by SA & Vic. Nat expected range - 10-20 Demons selections 1/ Tom Scully - No brainer I'm not going over old ground. 2/ JT - No brainer, had played against seniors, performed brilliant at nationals 3/ Jordan Gysberts Pick 11 - now we move into the grey area - probably not our 1st choice, Melksham went at 10 [censored] happens, Jordan was a talented versatile kid who had played 2 junior carnivals and performed well in both, Jordan highlight game that probably clinched the deal was a TAC cup final against the then all conquering Geelong falcons who had dominated that year TAC footy - lost only 1 game in home & away, Eastern ranges lost their key goal kicker (Ben I've got a glass shoulder Griffiths) before we had a chance to buy our first beer, but Jordy went on too dominate kick 4-5 top goals against the Top team of the year. many many ++++'s perform on the top stage against top opposition when it counts. (PS - late edit Port & Sydney were all over him - both had picks after MFC - you know the story "formally interviews, informal chats with Eastern Ranges choaching staff - Port even had the gaul to "complain" at how poorly "some" Eastern kids perform in those interviews - I wonder why??) 4/ Luke Tapscott - more grey area. However, BP would have had a boner with his name still avliable to call. If you had seen the nationals that year some of his goals where amazing he was kicking them from everywhere. The Tigers were into him in a big way, who had the pick after MFC, you would not take a risk. IMHO it was a no brainer. Dusty Martin - (Draft 2009 Pick 3) - lets just talk Dusty, top quality physical kid some say a 24yo old in a 20yo body. However, modern day AFL is so much about mental capacity you have to learn game plans, structures & you want leadership potential from your early picks. I hope I'm wrong re Dusty - but has he the capabilty to be the complete package? I dont know how well you know dusty but can he grow? Time will tell. (Oh yes - In the back on my mind ironically I would be mildly concerned about his Sydney conection) Tom Rockliffe - (Draft 2008 - Pick 5 Pre-season) - Very, very unfair. Yip Tom did miss getting selected by EVER club in that draft. But who was he training with after that - OH yes it was MFC. Had Liam not got special dispensation by the AFL to be selected in the pre-season draft Tom would have been a Dee. Dont think you can blame the recruting staff here - more a case of unlucky timing. Plus, maybe just maybe the best kick in the pants Tom ever got was to miss the draft - great motivating factor. Joel Selwood vs Tenace - just goes to prove even with huge development $$$$$ money some punts pay off some dont - some injuries your recovery & fitness people, if you throw enough $$$$ at it, you can fix some you cant - the joys of recruiting. But we never had a chance at Selwood So Denis big boy - you are more than welcome here any time as a Demons "supporter" to discuss these points - but hey watch the cheap shots some might actually believe. The day you have to put your balls on the line before they have played their first game - then I might take your opinions with a little more weight. Cheap shot Denis - cheap.

http://au.sports.yahoo.com/afl/opinions/show/3153864/dennis-cometti-demons-recruiting-is-woeful/?cmp=fb You can always blame the players. But are they really that good to begin with? It comes back to the people that chose them and Melbourne seem to consistently pick the same type of player; weak reeds like Jack Watts and Cale Morton. It's a very bland group of players that they have right now, and it comes back to recruiting. And the recruiting has been shocking. Here comes the bandwagon of hate!

I agree, it's not that hard at all. I love a drink and used to go out drinking 6 nights a week and have a glass of wine at home every night. I was getting married in 2010 and wanted to loose some weight so went off the grog from mid March until the end of October. Wasn't easy but if the will power's there then it's easy enough to do. I had friends birthdays and all different functions to get through. Also look at one of our former champs in Shane Woewodin, the man didn't drink during the season back in an error where drinking was a lot more accepted during the season. He was ahead of his time and if he could do it 12 years ago, I don't see why our players can't do it in the professional era we are in now.

I remarked on here just after the signing of the sponsorship that it seemed an awful lot of money coming from a company that had an anticipated turnover of $30m for the coming year and an actual turnover of $14m for the year before. This was always shaky and I cannot see how they ever could have afforded it. Now we have this coming out in the AFL Site. http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/132360/default.aspx It has also emerged that EnergyWatch had been behind in its payments to the club. Surprise, surprise. There has been a cloud over this Company and Polis for quite a while now and I'm amazed that we didn't pick it up; one of the posters on Demonology said some time ago that we didn't have a sponsor as he doubted that Energy Watch would survive, he appeared to have some inside information several months ago. I'm very disappointed in the club, they haven't done a great job of due diligence here and it seems that there we were so keen to get the cash they didn't check the product or the owners and right from day one there have been stories coming out about investigations etc by the ACCC.

I know that, but the salary potential is that. I think Chook was trying to make the point that these guys get paid handsomely to perform in a professional matter. That means sacrifices, like not getting on the [censored] when you're trying to recover from an injury. It seems a simple task for those motivated enough to succeed, or at least it should be. We all have a standard we need to uphold at work, and most of us get paid crap all to do it compared to these guys. This is hardly the end of the world, he probably had 2 drinks, but that's 2 too many, and it's disappointing. He fought hard to get on a senior list, so why blow it by being a toolbag?

Heard Misfud often goes missing under pressure, and Polis loves to trash talk.

I like the idea off a trust account for the supporter base to give to the club, I myself would like to contribute more on a f/nightly basis when i can afford the extra 5 or 10 bucks, there'd b a lot like me who support and love our DEE'S but cannot really afford much but every little bit would help i reckon, it would be gr8 to watch a trust account grow, and get 2 c it buy or develop some real FOOTBALLERS……………. an excellent idea CB & Gooner on arsenal trust acc, a share in the ownership of the club we love, mmmmmmm, i like the idea, obviously would take the right people to organise such a project tho, and finance is not my strong point, unless i can spend it. Please have a red hot go this weekend lads,pls, show us ya willing.....

Would it not be better to buy a membership instead of a straight donation? If we had more memberships bought, it means the club gets closer to the 40k mark, which means it looks better to future sponsors etc On the flip side the extras not renewing etc etc

I have already said in another topic here how Proud I was of Neeld and the way he had handled things Now its up to the Players to make us proud of them as well To beat the Weagles at Subi would be a Fantastic response , however I would be just as proud of them even if they didnt win as long as they Battled their hearts out ! If they did that then I have no issues, but if they fail to show pride in their jumper and in their club then we really do have a issue as the old saying goes its not a matter of wether you win or loose but how you play the game that counts . Lets make this one count !!!!

I'm happy to put up $500 straight up if this can be organised and perhaps club endorsement of the idea would help?

I don't agree, we could actually come out of this better than before. I see this as an enormous opportunity to stamp ourselves as a club of integrity and strength. The kind that attracts sponsors. We are certainly getiing a lot of media lately. I am hopeful that we will have little trouble attracting a sponsor, if one strikes while the iron is hot they will get good exposure right away. They can be the knight in shining armour supporting the clubs resolve to stand against racism and bigotry.

Nope I don't get it RR. Neither does the whole of the informed AFL world either. Perhaps in your little universe though, it's all very different.

It's literally impossible to argue with Dr Who and a few others on this point. They seem to think we're the emotional ones, yet they stick to this whole 'benefit of hindsight' stance despite overwhelmingly evidence to the contrary. It seems clear to me who are the emotional thinkers here. For instance, Rhino Richards claimed on another (equally depressing) thread that some of my views on our poor recruiting are 'a victory of hindsight over foresight'. For a start, implicit in that statement is an acknowledgement that our recruiting HAS been poor. From my perspective, I recall thinking many, many times over the last few years, 'wow, that's a curious choice for that pick - I had thought [insert name of Shuey, Darling, Zaharakis, Selwood, Pears etc] was a lock in, if available, at that pick'. But I then thought ( ... hoped/prayed) that these guys, as our expert recruiters, knew more than Kevin Sheehan and Emma Quayle et ors about recruitment, and our seemingly slightly left field choices may prove to be masterstroke selections. After all, I had thought the whole methodology as to why we 'bottomed out' for so long was to get a number of years of great draft picks so we could then identify, recruit and develop an elite list. Unfortunately, being given the great draft picks is only half the equation. Well, to date, those selections haven't looked like masterstrokes - in fact, some of those picks actually look to have been reckless in the extreme. Pendergast is no longer at the club (our recruitment expert), and our list looks tres ordinaire, even though it could've been absolutely bullet proof by now. Bailey is also no longer at the club (our development coach). Not great signs about the quality of our recruitment and development of our list in recent years. So, in short, my thinking has gone from 'what they hell are these guys doing' (foresight), to now - 'what the hell have these guys done' (hindsight). It's not been the the opposite way around, as claimed by RR previously. (And RR, I can predict your response to this already - you'll hunt a victory of FORM over SUBSTANCE. Like an old school litigator you'll hit me with hours of required research and interrogatories, which, if I can't be stuffed answering because I am actually too busy or simply couldn't be bothered, you'll then say my claims are utterly baseless and assert victory in another keyboard argument.) I've said it before, young ER surgeons are taught 'if you hear hooves beating, think horses not zebras' - IMO the same seems not to have applied to our recruitment - quite simply, we have NOT taken the obvious choices FOR THIS CLUB'S NEEDS all too often. If we did, we'd now have a much better - in fact, a great list. I find this very, very depressing. West Coast, with a few players that should be playing for us against them, by 80 this weekend.

Commetti's article sounded just like a disgruntled supporter having a good vent Why didn't he just get an anonymous id and a flashy avatar on Demonland and have his little tanty there like the rest of us Thanks Denis ([censored])

Of all the clowns who have taken the chance to knife us this week (Malthouse, Matthews, Thomas, 15-year-old wankers across internet, our own fans) this is the first one I've agreed with. Doesn't mean they still can't be good players but where are the big bastards? That's why I don't care what we're paying Mitch Clark - at least they went out and got somebody who didn't weight 60kg soaking wet.

Agree. His schtick is well past its used by date and doesn't gel at all with the other callers on TripleM. Where is the next generation of exciting young callers??

Mclean got left behind the game changes with the speed of the game & the flood + his injuries. Morton likes some space. Sylvia needed some strong role models. Watts will mature. Trengove, what a hack. & the Skunk.

Winner - Demonland quote of the week! Is there nothing else happening in the world of sport?