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*sigh* Why do I have this nagging feeling that Caroline Wilson's next piece is going to be about AFL footballers on steroids?

Two connections actually. The first is the connection between Judy and Colin Garland (fourth cousins twice removed and replaced once on the interchange bench). The second was that she appeared in a concert in Melbourne p1zzed to the eyeballs and she was heckled off the stage. Three months later Melbourne won the 1964 Grand Final.

Move over Deemachine, I'm jumping on your bandwagon even if we may be a bit lonely I admit I am a Neeld believer, the bloke has a plan and has the resources both in terms of facilities and of the human kind. If, and it is a big if, we can win a couple of early games the players may start to believe. Confidence is a huge thing and if they follow the game plan and have success then it can snowball. We also need some luck, something that has been in short supply of late; luck with injuries, a lucky bounce can change matches and change mind sets Anyway here's hoping

On Monday I saw one of the same sessions last year where Blease ran in a group with Gysberts and Gysberts had his measure. Blease struggled enormously. This year Blease looked a different runner. He kept pace with Bail over their 150-200 metre sprints in the first 5, or so, only to fall behind a couple of metres by the finish in the last few. I didn't see today, so take note of Nick's report, but Blease is well advanced on last year. Obviously he has a way to go. And remember, some clubs haven't even started their preseason yet.

I'll tell you one thing, if we make the finals before Richmond do....I would very much enjoy that.

By the end of his third season he will be averaging 8 contested marks, 5 goals per game, splitting packs and maiming opposition (and maybe a bit of blue-on-blue). On top of this, he will be playing for a team that has got huge momentum and threatening for a flag so I have no doubt that this first 3 year contract will be the first of many. Oh and BTW, I am placing no expectations on this kid at all.

It's funny that whenever "Melbourne" appears in the media now, it's always preceded by an adjective like "hapless" or "embattled", or it's followed by "... who are under investigation for tanking ...". Even in stories where there's no relevance whatsoever! I'm still whistling with pursed lips!

I did that today. Here are my results. 727 couldn't give a fats rats clacker. 125 said we tanked but we shouldn't get punished because every body was doing it and the rules of the AFL tacitly encouraged it, 54 asked me for a couple of bucks to buy a train ticket to get home. 22 said not to worry about any AFL sanctions because the Mayan calendar predicts that the world will end on December the 21st and the draft sanctions won't hurt us. 51 said they couldn't believe it wasn't butter. 3 invited me to partake in a personality test. 17 said they thought Caroline Wilson was fantastic in "No Country for old Men". And finally one said that he was devastated that Melbourne delisted Juice Newton and therefore we must be punished. Case Closed. P.s The last person interviewed may or may not have been Juice Newton.

So what if we're being hounded by the media rottweilers who want to see us wither and die as a football club? Forget about our lowly position, the tanking enquiry and the fact that our VFL alignment is on the chopping block. Here's the answer to all of our problems:

If she calls herself Carowhine then it must be the genuwhine article.

Caroline Wilson does not have a Twitter account. Anyone who believes she does is a peanut.

Wlison tweeted: "@demonland @whispering_jack @theage @CamSchwab the supposition of this attack is an offensive slur and I ask that it is withdrawn" Well done WJ... seems to have pushed a few buttons... CW can give, but she sure can't take.

Max Gawn wished Jamar a Happy Birthday on 1st August, even though his actual birthday is 9th August. Max also wondered if Jamar could represent Australia in the Olympic in equestrian. Then the OP suggested that Tags is built like a horse, and, ah...don't worry about it, was just trying to make a joke, but it didn't work...!!!

Hahahahahaha...has cardiac arrest but still does not stop laughing Hahahahaha.... Thanks i needed that!

But...hang on...we'd better decide whether he is forward or back, because if he's a defender and we play him at FF, then that's tanking.

Its a well trodden 'journalistic' path. You get a snippet of info from an insider, use colourful language such as 'vault' instead of meeting room, allude to sinister actions and disgruntled ex-employees/senior players. Throw a few damning stats in there (65 interchanges well below season avg etc) and presto you have a story. They have not quoted anyone anywhere saying they were told to lose. I cant believe anyone is that stupid that they would tell an AFL investigator or journo that. Even thick-as-a-brick Brock didn't say outright we were told to lose ('it was a vibe' - a bit like Denis Denuto from the castle). There is no smoking gun. Hold fire support our club and remember revenge is a dish best served cold. And winning will cure a lot of ills.

The lower the lows, the higher the highs. All great stories tell of hard times, and how hard the battle was to win. The MFC biography is just setting up the greatest story ever.

Oh FMD We lost 1 player to an unprecedented deal and came out the other side as huge winners (on the surface) Surely we don't need 3 years of people speculating Hogan will leave because he didn't smile Christ.....

Maybe I'm alone but I think seeing five articles about Melbourne on the Superfooty homepage, albeit relatively negative ones, is better than having absolutely no coverage whatsoever. Such prevalence of coverage of Melbourne means the media acknowledges the club's growing brand and the importance of covering issues that surround the club. I doubt North, Bulldogs would get anywhere near as much scrutiny. The media hacks the club because it expects better. Everyone does. It holds the club accountable, and I think in the long run the club will learn a lot from the ordeals of the past few weeks. Melbourne should be up there with Collingwood, Hawthorn.

I think we have now sorted out the Wheat from the Chaff, so the players that are now at the club are fully commited to working their butts off for success.

Having read the reports from Monday and now yesterday the picture I'm seeing with Blease is that he has made great strides with his fitness. Misson stratifies the players according to their running ability so that thy are running against/with players who will stretch each other. The fact that Blease and Watts were last in their groups yeserday is not worrying to me if they are runnnjg against much faster players than they were last pre season which as I read it, very much seems the case. For watts to be in the same group as T-Mac (our best runner)is very encouraging. Likewise Blease running with Bail

From Nick48 TRAINING 7th November 2012 Got to training a few minutes late – could have missed the whole session as they were using the ground Collingw&%$ usually train on. Just a few observations: Session started with handball drills and a bit of kick to kick. RODAN – at today’s session – didn’t do a lot in the first part, mainly encouraging the players that did some time trails – did a few half laps later running against Garland, was good, outpaced him (twice), joined in a later match simulation practice – worked around the pack hard. Will admit have been a RODAN fan for a long time, seems to be fitting in well with the team, his experience will an asset to the younger players, and older as well. TYNAN – HOGAN and one other short session then gone, just a bit of ball work. JONES and TAPSCOTT – bit of ball work, short session, then over to the other ground for a bit and running and sprint work, spent most of the session there before coming back to the main group, they then did a couple of time trails, good stuff. Would like to see JONES and RODAN do a time trail together – they both move so very well. A fair bit of time was spent on laps, they split into two groups, and they did three sessions around the oval. McDONALD - led one group in the first couple, slowed a bit in the last, WATTS held up the back of the filed in all three – don’t see this as his forte, very much the same as last year. The other group was led by at one point by MAGNER and SELLAR – this group chopped and changed a bit, but the two holding up the end didn’t HOWE and BLEASE. BLEASE didn’t do well in this last year and nothing much has changed this year, a couple of coaches ran with him to help him along - the same was done with WATTS. STRAUSS – watched him doing laps, stayed in the middle for them, was expecting a bit more from him; this has to be his year. FRAWLEY – never seen him look better – fitter. JETTA – struggled I thought while not last still a bit of the pace. When comparing this year to last as far as laps go not a lot has changed those who struggled last year are struggling this year, would have thought you would see some improvement over last year. If you take as a positive that after the session, BLEASE didn’t look as if he was going to throw up. DAVEY GRIMES GAWN and mcKENZIE arrived late at the session – did a very short handball session and then they were gone. I didn’t really see the point. SYLVIA, BARTRAM and CLARK not at session, still a couple of others to comeback from holidays, will be back for Monday’s session. CRAIG –spending time with WATTS – very much as he did last year, good to see, for my money he has been very good for the club. All in all I wouldn’t say that it was a hard session – compared to the sessions this time last year, maybe they are fitter as GRIMES says. Still very early in the pre-season and not much to see yet, at this point I don’t expect to see the totally hard sessions of last year; I think we have learnt a lot from that. They have has 12 months to learn, as always the NAB cup will give us an idea. Not all players get a mention – some just blended into the group. That’s it for now, hope I haven’t left anything out. cheers

How did a 30-second aside in a lengthy match committee meeting morph into a specific meeting held by the Melbourne Football Club in 2009 supposedly as a call-to-arms to its football department to lose matches? Imagination? Read first the stories written and published in the Age in a whirlwind five day spree in which its chief football writer, aided by underlings who produced nothing much to add to the subject, carried out her relentless daily attack on the Melbourne Football Club and some of its senior officials with nothing much to go on but a ½ minute grab of lighthearted comment at a meeting in a place ominously referred to as "the vault":- Tanking affair darkens for Dees Senior Demons drove tanking Secrets from the vault Why the Dees alone are facing probe Three losses that raised eyebrows A timeline on tanking What they said about tanking 'We tried to stop tanking' Jobs on line: Dees warned Sheedy saw Dees' problems coming Demons: shock & awful and finally ... a small semblance of sanity Dark artists drop the ball And this is how the rival Herald Sun dealt with revelations by former Demon coach Dean Bailey that the events that were supposed to have taken place in "the vault" had been blown out of all proportion - Dean Bailey tells the AFL he didn't order players to lose A lousy 30 second grab became the arrogance at the heart of the innuendo! Dripping through The Shrew's ministrations are attacks on two Melbourne people who are the targets of her malice. "Melbourne will be harshly punished. Cameron Schwab and Chris Connolly will be finished at the club." Connolly's sin appears to be that he cracked a few funnies but the case against Schwab seems to devolve down to innuendo and the fact that, instead of doing somersaults and handstands after Melbourne's round 15 win over Port Adelaide, he appeared "grim-faced". The problem is that said game was one of the most shyzen exhibitions of football in the history of the game. In fact, IMO it was so bad that anyone who didn't walk away from the game with a grim face needed to be institutionalised. WHAT NOW? This is your opportunity to help us build "The Wilson File" to help us uncover the reasons for this arrogant, obsessive hatred on the part of one journalist towards the Melbourne Football Club and those who are working hard to make their club a success once more. We want solid evidence here - articles with links and quotes from appearances on radio and television. Help us get to the bottom of the arrogance at the heart of the innuendo.

Haven't seen any other threads dedicated to the topic (I apologise if there is another thread), but I think the 'Leadership Group' makes for an interesting conversation. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/more-news/melbourne-set-to-reinstate-jack-trengove-and-jack-grimes-as-captains/story-e6frf9jf-1226512538069?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HeraldSunAflMelbourne+%28Herald+Sun+%7C+AFL+-+Melbourne%29 I'm glad to hear that the two Jack's will be retained. Hopefully 2013 will be a year free of any off field dramas. Interesting idea to have another vote to decide the leadership group. Is an annual vote something that most other clubs do? Anyway, here is the current leadership group: James Frawley, Mitch Clark, Clint Bartram, Mark Jamar, Nathan Jones and Colin Garland. What, if any, changes would you like to see happen? Personally, I'd like Sylvia to replace either Bartram or Garland. Admittedly, I am an unabashed fan of Col, and I don't expect to be agreed with on this one. But I think he has begun to mature, and would thrive under the extra responsibility.

Please folks ... let's keep it friendly and genteel around here just in case the real Carowhine, er, um ... Caroline has look in here. We don't want her to think we're a bunch of savages like her mob who put our memberships in microwaves when they're unhappy about things. We're not like that at all. We just look at things on the bright side.

Sulk Hogan.

Gee PaulRB when you list them like that I get really depressed Might go and have a Bex and a good lie down. We would have to make a serious effort in 2013 to top that lot. PS I did think of another couple to add but decided to think positive

Apologies for my error mein furer!

Sorry to talk negatives but I will be impressed when the guy gets on the track on a regular basis. Tapscott looks good but has been plagued by injury and when he has made it into the seniors has not looked better than a average player IMO. It is a great start to have the body for it but lets see him in action with the big boys before we get too hot and bothered.

I've actually wondered about that myself... sometimes it seems to be a fake account and at other times it seems it could be real. Confusing. But regardless, if nothing else, it will get WJ's excellent pieces more widely read.

Just on the general theme of list management and filling a clubs needs, a really nice piece released by Rob Kerr (via AFL.com.au), the National Talent Manager at the Lions. Goes through the Lions strategy during the free agency and trade period and the areas they felt they required strengthening in. He also provides some thoughts on our CHF of the future Jesse Hogan. Lions were apparently right into him, with a view to installing him as Jonathan Brown’s successor. Worth a read. http://www.afl.com.au/tabid/208/default.aspx?newsid=150840

Look at it this way. You'll have a quality bump on your hands if by some divine miracle we do make finals next year.

Stand alone Reserves side. Should have happened at least 2 years ago. Over $40 mill goes through the MFC every year. That deserves full control of on field operations. Not 90% Not 95%....The lot.

The second one.

EFA

Correct rpfc, for better or worse we need the Casey area to breed future generations of MFC members. The long term existence of the MFC is tied to the Casey Area. The trick is to achieve a takeover that the MFC can afford. The ability of the board and CS is now on trial. I look forward to seeing how clever they really are!

Oh I feel quite cheery now!

Well he is smiling in this photo, happy?

FFS. I know you're the poster that most epitomises MFCSS, but honestly... The kid just signed a 3 year contract. He clearly isn't taking anything for granted. If he just expected for a 10-15 year career to happen, then it would be more cause for concern.

Dale Thomas is a more intersting prospect than Lance Franklin given our list.

my type of team

I don't think being the club everyone wants to have a whack at is particularly good for the brand, but whatever floats your boat I guess.

Don't forget our own Freddie Clutterbuck had an outstanding season in the WAFL. http://www.wafootball.com.au/wafl/3359-royal-clutterbucks-full-attention-on-getting-into-finals

Which of course is useful when one is running!!

I live two minutes from Casey Fields. If we could somehow prize that 40 machine poker licence off them, it would be a massive result.

Not good. Or good, depending on your view. At least we'd be seen as a saviour now, rather than a vulture, in taking over Casey.

I think this is an indefensible attitude. We deserve nothing more than a 'sorry for your time, you guys were really awful' from the AFL Commission. I want the club to accept no sanction and no expectation of firings and no guilt. We did nothing wrong. We didn't tank.

Yeah I reckon you're right, we deserve what we get an if we win a flag in the next 5 years i think we should hand that back too and maybe to completely clear our conscience we should raffle jack Viney off and the winner gets him and we can donate the proceeds of the raffle to St Vinnies.

I get it. It's a witch hunt but this time, we're dealing with a real witch. Brilliant!

Once again I will reiterate that the fact is the club will definitely pick Oliver Wines at 4 if available. Fact. If he's not available the club will pick up a mid and not a ruckman. Fact. Source: The Mighty Melbourne Football Club. Cheers, Hells Gates.