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I will leave this alone and just laugh. "Darwin is a dump", "no money to be made in Darwin". Hilarious. As I previously stated with the airport upgrade a connection to China, a $40 billion gas project approval (Ichthys) with construction already started, a booming offshore Oil & Gas industry in which Darwin will be the major port, a connection with America through defence, booming Mine projects waiting in the wings. The possibilities are endless with sponsorship. This club needed to expand and think outside the square for our future wellbeing & I really applaud them for that. Theres also no reason why they cant still focus on other areas down south as well as Darwin either. The NT is ours and if we want it to work it will be greatly beneficial. Theres so many kids running around with Dee's jumpers like never before, its my resposibility to get them onboard. My word there is some negative people on here sometimes, stand up and support your club and support them for having a go. I love this club & the supporters and I will never knock anyone for having a crack. Theres some quality people at the club who are doing great things. Get on board. Sign up a friend. My focus is now to get an early night and go spend my last day off with the Dees tomorrow, just so I can bring you guys another training report!! If the club has lifted its standards right from top to bottom, then why cant us supporters do it as well. Sayonara.

I'm disappointed too, but I see a couple of positives as well: 1) Jack Hannath's disappiontment is clear evidence of a special type of bond developing at our footy club, the likes of which I doubt we have seen since the Swooper days. This sort of mutual respect and comradeship between players, coaching staff et al is a prerequisite to success. Long may it flourish! 2) another rookie will get an opportunity to develop in a great learning environment, make a name for himself and hopefully do our jumper proud. ps. I'm enjoying being 'fired up' at the moment, so please don't throw cold water on my party by telling me not to get ahead of myself.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2012-12-11/just-trying-to-get-my-thoughts-together What a bittersweet moment. He's obviously a loyal type of guy if he's formed that much of a bond with the boys already. I expect once he walks through the door at Freo and gets in to training and really gets in to it he'll be just as happy there as he was with us. I guess at the end of the day he'll be living the dream even if it didn't quite pan out the way we all thought it would. Jeez I feel robbed, but amused at the same time. That's how the system works, so no point dwelling on it too much. Good luck Jack.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/bulldogs-living-high-life-staying-at-home-20121211-2b7th.html For those interested there is an interesting article on the Dogs training at Altitude at Victoria University. I have been on a tour of the facility and its very sophisticated and well equipped. Some of the earlier questions in this thread about the effects of altitude were answered for me. An ideal altitude (low oxygen and/or increased Nitrogen) is around 2500m. The lower oxygen increases the red blood cell count which in turn allows the blood to carry more oxygen and therefore have better endurance. The paradox is that if you have lower oxygen for too long your conditioning can suffer hence the Altitude Hotel experience where you can build red blood cells by living and sleeping in an Altitude room but train at normal level (Live high train low). The effects can be boosted every few months by repeating the exercise. Carrying higher oxygen allows the body to train at higher loads and build a bigger fitness base. That increased fitness base WILL carry a player well into the season and this is where the benefit largely stands. The Vic Uni facility allows 16 players to sleep at a time in four rooms plus a living room with lots of DVDs , XBox's etc. They spend a few weeks living in there. As well they have other rooms where they can do cycling or running sessions. They looked like lab rats when I went through! With heat training such as the Dees are doing its more about conditioning the body and working with a higher body core temperature. Any weight lost is largely fluid and can be replaced readily but the fitness gained conditions the body to work effectively when the core body temperature is increased. This could be in a game in Melbourne or clearly when we play Darwin or Perth. The GPS trackers have become so sophisticated now that they can tell when a player is working effectively or if their performance has 'fallen off a cliff' - time to rotate to the bench or get subbed. The ability to monitor individual players pre-season gives a great benchmark for real game situations. It is really quite mind blowing how much information the sport science people have to deal with. They know loads, recovery times, ideal effort/rest times, time covered running/jogging/resting etc. Overall it was very impressive.

I just got back from ordering a pizza and saw a 2010 CFC magazine with a 3 page article on Mark Neeld. It was an interesting read that went through his playing career and coaching career (to that point) The main point that I picked up from this article was Mark talking about wanting to coach the hardest team to play against when coaching Ocean Grove. I must admit when I heard this when Neeld was appointed last year, I thought him to be making a stupid statement that seemed a little egotistical. It seems that this is a mantra to his coaching philosophy. He also spoke about working with the locals at Ocean Grove and that to implement his 'hardest to play against' mantra, he knew he had to build strong relationships with his players, who were mostly tradies. He went on to say they had a very good work ethic that he tapped into. Other points of this article were, He saw himself as wanting to coach at the begining of his career. Malcolm Blight gave out notes and information sheets to all his players at Geelong and told his players if they ever wanted to coach, to keep these sheets as a resource. Mark kept them all and was using them as a tool when coaching at all levels. He talks about coaching a defensive game plan when at the Jets, school coaching and Ocean Grove. He had the opportunity to go to the Western Bulldogs or Collingwood, but when he was interviewed by Malthouse. He stated they had very similar ideas and ended up coaching at the Pies. It was a very good read and this article has given me more faith in the direction Neeld is taking the club. It seems that his philospohy has not changed throughout his career. He is a successful coach at other levels and as an Assistant Coach. I believe a little more since reading the mag. On the way home my hands felt dirty from reading the Magpie mag, so i thoroughly washed them when i got home. If your asking why read the mag? It was a choice between Womens Day. A no brainer and as I said the article was very good

This is a superb moment capturing the emotion as Hannath is told he'll be playing AFL next year, but not with the Dees: http://www.melbournefc.com.au/video/tabid/8667/contentid/509476/default.aspx Well done to the whole content and digital team, including all the happy snaps from Matt Burgan, the coverage of this camp has been first class.

I am not so easily fooled as the rest of you... It is West Coast - playing the long game. They seem to be doing nothing, they haven't done anything, but they will pull the trigger and BAM - another Darling.

haha, going on a 4am bender when his future career is clearly already on the rocks before it's even started. The kid doesn't want it. Forget about him and move on.

Either Jesse hogan was doing star jumps or scully dropped his wallet.

Hey, as I said in another post in this thread, we have had the Dees play in Sydney just once (this year) in 5 or 6 years and they will play here just once next year, and we don't have the option to go along to training where you can get up close and personal with the players and officials... my kids would love that opportunity I'm sure. And we don't get to exercise the option of free admission to home games unless we want to spend a small fortune in travel and accommodation in Melbourne... so please don't give me this "good value" line; you are very well off, comparatively.

If there was a specific rule we'd broken, I'd be worried. If there was a precedent of another club who'd been punished for similar behaviour, I'd be worried. If there wasn't numerous other clubs who have done exactly the same thing, I'd be worried. If the club hadn't rattled it's legal sabres, I'd be worried. The question is how elegantly can the AFL shut it down, without a legal fight and it spreading to a whole of league investigation... and that's the AFL's problem not the MFC's.

When a club embarks on a massive clean up of its playing list, it's no surprise that some of those players will inevitably find themselves elsewhere and one or two might become good contributors in their new environments - it's part of today's football landscape. Mark Neeld is putting his stamp on the team and the club has introduced six newcomers who have been at other clubs (counting Dean Terlich who was briefly on the Swans' rookie list). I care about what these blokes can add to the team far more than I do about those who are now involved with other clubs. While I wish them well, they mean nothing more than the several hundred others on the various other AFL club lists and there are no regrets whatsoever about the FD's brave decision to clear the decks of many players who, for one reason or another, did not fit their vision for the future of the club.

Pretty disappointing, but you win some and you lose some. As far as a loss goes, I've experienced worse as a Melbourne supporter. Good luck to him. P.S.- Ross Lyon is such a [censored]. Always loathed the guy.

Incase you were wondering Woman's Day ran a full length article that Kate is having twins... unfortunately I wasn't so lucky at my dentist

If this can become a fortress like Launceston is to the Hawks and the finances add up, why not. If the players can use the camp to cool down their core tempreture from humidity training and give us an advantage, great. I like the idea of pencilling in two wins at the start of the season. Also, they love there football in Darwin. If the club can tap into building more members/supporters, like the Hawks have done it bodes well for the club.

Darwin will soon become the gateway to Asia with the airport upgrade. Theres a method to the madness.......

Ahh dear. I bet you've been stewing over my comment all day too. It just goes to show the mentality or even stupidity for that matter that you have. Read my other posts, there is a big picture that the club is trying to paint, alot bigger than you obviously understand. Do you want the club to sit on its hands forever? You havent answered my question on what you would do, since youre not a fan of Darwin? All you gave me was "tell the players to win games". Geez youre a thinker arent you. Do you even understand why they're experimenting with Darwin? Or are you too stubborn.... The club is trying to get on a level playing field here with the rest of the competition, if that means 1-2 games in Darwin good on them. We may only get a small crowd but the opportunities are endless - and we need money. Basically I couldnt care less what you do, no show or not, but I'm not going to knock the club for having the balls to try new things. Also not sure why you would stick the boots into rpfc for having his own opinion, he said nothing wrong and he brings alot of good stuff to this forum, so why dont you stop being so childish & spiteful and think about your own posts before you press send..... If you dont like what I bring to the forum then please feel free, go ahead and use the ignore fuction.

You're letting your emotions get the better of you. There's nothing to gain from this proposal other than messing with the young man's head. He's been given his one shot at a career, the last thing he should be doing is spending a precious season thinking about being elsewhere. He needs to focus. We say thanks anyway, we wish him well, we shut the door behind him.

Still missing the point. The players mentioned that were relaeased/traded were not drafted under the Neeld regime, and they were "developed" largely by another FD. So your attempt to heap all of the responsibility on Neeld for thier failures is unfair and dare I say it again ..suspicious. I don't care that the coach gave a crap opening speech at a dinner function. I don't care if people believe that the method of his appointment was flawed and that there were quick executive decisions made. I don't care if people get their nose out of joint at a authoritarian coaching group who want total control of the FD. I don't care if that you will think this is an over simplification and will probably form another patronising response attempting to assert your intellectual dominance. This is about the MFC fielding a decent and disciplined football side in the short term with the ambition of playing finals in the medium term. I don't want a club lead by committee and hamstrung by politics. NB: As for the first line in your OP it comes off as confusing and disingenuous.

I'd definitely go for a Darwin home game before an Etihad home game. I think you'll also find that CS JM CN & MN have been up there wining and dining with the State Govt. ministers and other hangers on. It wouldn't surprise if they are organising a State Sponsorship similar to the "Tassie Hawks" We could be known as "Darwin Demons" "Kakadu Cactii" "Top End Termites" I am salivating already over all the new merchandise.

I do all my Christmas shopping (wife, three kids and daughter in law, plus myself of course) with one annual 'phone call to the Melbourne Footy Club Membership Department. It punishes the credit card a bit, but I know that all the recipients value my gift more than anything else Santa could put in their stockings ....... and just as importantly, I know that all the proceeds are going to a bloody good cause ...................... I can't wait for the day when I can use premiership memorabilia as 'stocking fillers'.

Welcome to the world of interstate supporters... we have had one game in Sydney in six years and again get just one game in 2013.

What if we played 2 in Darwin and no home games at Forgetihad?

I reckon they would have shipped Moloney in the unlikely event he wanted to stay

What the film footage (as wonderful as it is) cannot convey is the whole-ground impact he had. When he got the ball, or was moving to where he would get it, even as the roar went up your eyes would leap 80 metres down the ground. You didn't want to miss a thing he did, but no way would you get any sense of it if you just watched him. Forwards (Biffin especially) would take off, defenders must've felt panic, everyone changed gear in the instant and the whole game would split open. To see this stuff is what TV cannot give you, and it is the best. Cameras follow the player with the ball, but the really great players instantly impact half the ground when they take possession - and while everything suddenly moves faster, at the same time they seem to have all the time in the world. Diesel Williams was slow and rooted to the spot in the centre, but he opened the game dramatically with his lightning-fast and creative handballing. The original "distributor" of the ball (as far as I ever saw) was Polly Farmer - he fired the ball out by hand to runners 15 metres away and cut the game open every time. But Robbie was without question the most spectacular I ever saw in his capacity to regularly make 80 metre moves - and he did it with such lightness and pace. As extraordinary as anything about him was the degree of improbability of him as a footballer. To look at him or listen to him speak, he was so mild and inoffensive and slight, you just could not imagine him out there with the tough guys. He was the ultimate proof that our game is more than just numbers - it has at its very pinnacle players who defy all the rules and use imagination, vision, desire and almost certainly a sixth sense to transcend the great struggle. It is its ability to showcase such rare, almost mystical capability that for me makes football the greatest sport I know. Beyond the slog and the drills and the set-plays, the gym work and the game-plans and all that stuff lies a zone that is pure art - it is both poetic in its slowing/intensifying of time, and breathtaking - the world of Daicos and Ablett Snr and unlikeliest-looking of the lot, Robbie Flower. Jack Dyer once commented that Robbie Flower knew by instinct exactly where everything around him was, even what was behind him; he said this capacity had been identified in gridiron players, where it was reckoned there might be half a dozen players at the most who has any sense of it - and watching Robbie Flower, Jack Dyer realised what it was the Americans had been telling him. Tiger Crosswell once said that if you ever beat Robbie Flower you might as well hang up your boots - there would be nothing left to achieve in football. To watch him play - nothing has ever compared. Now and then you see something that reminds you a little of it...

Again, I have been addressing the thread, try reading it Address the argument, address the thread and stop flaming. I find the name calling and your attitude inappropriate and sadly typical. I also find your attempt at bullying sad and slightly amusing. Surely what you are doing breaches the spririt of the site.

This whole Sheldon motif is getting very tiresome. rpfc gave you a very reasonable response that he clearly stated was his own opinion and you lay the boots in?...all this after you gave a curt response to someone else (was it Hells Gate?) for expressing their opinion. Go play under the bridge with the other trolls.

What appears to be forgotten is that this is now a National competition. MFC has supporters all over the country and indeed the world. They want more members. You can do this in one of two ways. 1. Attract the young kids from where we are based. 2. Churn people from areas which have no franchise. The move to Casey satisfies the first and becoming entrenched in Darwin the second. The club is being very pro active in looking after supporters and attracting new ones, as well as improving on ground performance and I applaud the push ino Darwin and surrounds. Any one wanting to whinge about playing two home games away should look at how lucky they are. Interstate team supporters only get to see their teams playing 1/2 a season whereas the MFC play the majority of away games in Melbourne. So you still get to see 16-17 games a year. The push into Darwin will bring about more members=more money= more spending= better performance. It is a win win situation for every one. Some people should stop being so selfish and give the rest of Oz a go.

If we rent something around Stewert St, or Swan St, 'Bensons was good',,, Until we build something near AAMI & Gosch's Paddock, we could utilise it for offices & Social Hub & sell memberships & Paraphernalia. Have a Winter/Summer social base/cafe. Watch games, wander down watch away tests with friends, to catch up before or after games meeting point, training days... team announcements after work, IMO Swan St is under developed.. It has some cool.

1. Melbourne could never get Flower playing on Grieg - Greig would change sides as soon as Robbie came over to his wing. Make of that what you like, but I know what the outer always said when it happened. 2. As a kid, Robbie often had to be a one-man team against his brother and the neighbour: "When I got kick, I had to make sure it went high enough to give me time to run down the yard and mark it again. Looking back on it, I think that was great training for developing ball-handling skills." ( - Robbie, page 68.)

And we are done. Good luck to Sylvia (UFA), Davey (RFA), Taggert, Gawn, Tynan, Evans, MacDonald, Sellar, Jetta, Davis, Couch ®, Magner ®, Rodan, Gillies, Clisby ®, and Stark ® as they play for their careers at the Dees in 2013.

lol If Fan wants to play this game he can; as these rejects go so goes the judgement of the Neeld and Pre-Neeld eras of the Demons. If Bennell, Morton, Gysberts, Martin, Petterd, Cook, et al become what the Pre-Neeld Era thought they would be then Neeld moved on talent that shouldn't have been moved on. If that group become nothing more than glorified depth and failures then the Pre-Neeld Era was an abject failure when it came to recruitment and development. Which way will it go? Can Bennell develop a desire for the contest? Can Morton? Can Cook develop a presence on the field? Can Gysberts develop muscle and store fat? Who knows? It's not like we had these blokes on our list for years and know they're failures...

One of the great questions of our time; what if? There are of course many answers.

Wow r13 That is one of the best pieces I have read. Very "Flanagan"ish Deserves to be repeated every now and then to fulfill the title pof the thread The parrallels are apt. RF sits easily with the champions of the game. The lightness and space even a giant like Lockett or a slug like Williams could display and the master of all missed on DL post K Grieg the only one who came close to Robbie Maybe even Aker (who we like to forget) had it The best story I know (which I have repeated ) is the Footscray Elders (women) who in the midst of Melbourne supporters stated the best backhanded compliment I have ever heard. The trouble with Robbie Flower (repeated for impact several times) IS he cant kick it to Robbie Flower (although if there was any one possible of doing that it was RF

Just this as a point of view. I dont think the Club as such would ever blame us ( supporters) as it will be well aware of its situation. I do however like the analogy in a fashion. A context it summons is that of performance. Like it or not for most of us in life there ARE choices. Ive often thought that there may well be far more potential members out there than is often suggested as a supporter base. The issue however is many have become disenfranchised over time , even to the point of it becoming a little institutionalised. Not all supporters are, nor will they ever be, nor should they have to be , Die-hards. Surely there is more than enough room to accommodate those that would dearly love to enjoy supporting a team they all but secretly, and sometimes begrudgingly support. I dont know too many that enjoy visits to the Dentist or mechanics or the doctor etc for they all entail a time endured when something is invariably wrong. There are many who would view going to a Melbourne game ( let alone buying a membership )as akin to this form of torture. But they have a choice and its measured by a popular yardstick; bums on seats. I will confess i dont go to every game. Over the last ten years i think Ive only averaged half a dozen games per season. remarrying and having a growing business have affected this but in all honesty if we were travelling really well I might just be encouraged to reschedule a few things or push the love of my wife a bit and attend a few more. But i dont like going to the dentist and the mechanic is never cheap. Watching Melbourne over the past decade is like watching an amateur theatre group doing groundhog day. Its often not pretty. My days on this mortal coil are numbered. Theres more pleasurable things in life than masochism. Now I like to think of myself as a pretty full on Demon tragic and yet I make decisions about attending. Now if i can then surely the extrapolation is to those that arent even over the line but umming and ahhing. They too will have more pleasurable options in life. So whilst I applaud and agree to the notion that winning is the reward for supporting , as a fan, a supporter then I would suggest that supporters and attendance is the reward to the club for winning. Becomes a bit chicken and egg really. I cant affect how the team performs , I can only pay and attend. The Club however can affect how the team performs and by consequence how it is supported . The MFC in order to grow its membership needs to re-engage a fractionalised supporter base. At the same time it needs to grow potential support or as some would have it growing the brand. Its human nature to want to emulate a positive outcome. We might sympathise with the underdog and applaud a valiant loser but very few actually want to be them. The cost of basic membership is less than a capuchino a week, not much really. Im sure there are thousands of people who have a soft spot for the ol' Dees that drink coffee and wouldnt blink about 2-3 coffees a day but baulk at signing on. So why. I dont think its money . So it must be what you get for it.Strangely its not really about winning as that simply wont occur all the time ( rarely ) its about being associated with a group thats fair dinkum, that shares similar values and aspirations as yourself. I , in my work , and other pursuits , give it a fair go. I try. I put in what I have and sometimes go overtime and over board to try to get the result I aim for. Sometimes this is achieved, other times I dont. It must be my crab like nature but I simply dont understand the idea of giving in. This is what I want from my club. To see a team try and not give in. In the 48 years of my support its a pretty empty bucket. I choose membership but cant begrudge anyone for not doing likewise as there are simply other choices in life. Some call them fair weather suporters, some call them fickle. I just call them decision makers. I simply refuse to believe its impossible to have a membership of 50 or even 60000. But until the MFC represents what many people would choose to associate with it wont happen. Like it or not winning is the materialisation of many of the values that people hold dear, especially in sport.

If they do try and use this on us, I think that suggests that they could not bring anything else against us. That being the case it makes me think that is why Don McLardy has been more vocal about defending the 'integrity' and 'honor' of the MFC. This is the sort of vocabulary you would use against such a claim. Also if it came to this charge and the MFC decided to contest it outside of the AFL jurisdiction (ie a court of law) I suspect that it would get torn down pretty quickly. Therefore I don't think the AFL would want to test this outside of it's own backyard. If anything, the AFL with the rules / incentives that they put in place are as guilty of that charge as any club that sought to take advantage of them (In my opinion)

HG, I think you are point blank wrong about melbourne supporters. We are few in number and relatively loyal. There is no getting away from the MFC having a low supporter base for most of its life. In addition, the MFC has been disgracefully poor on the field for most of the last 40 years. There have been brief periods of good performance, but they have been very brief. The problems of supporter number are significant. Moving to casey is one example of a pro-active decision to try and boost supporter numbers. Darwin in another. It is a poor argument to suggest that we are to blame for the need to try such things - the team should try winning a game, or recruiting a star or not being a basketcase most of the time. I think you'll find it amazing to see how popularity increases. Really, your argument is the equivalent of Qantas blaming its shareholders for its shareprice.

Winning is the reward for your support. Not the other way around. That's my personal view.

If it's going to be closed down quietly it will happen before Christmas or very early in the new year while the major footy journos (for want of a better name with some) are on break. If it goes on further then I think they will have found some case to answer and it will go to the commission. Let's hope we get some good Christmas news and can get on with 2013 without all this BS.

Tell the players to win?? Its that easy hey? Way out of line?? Explain yourself a bit better than that poor effort. You tell me how to fix the problem then.....? Whether you like it or not its the truth. We dont have a high supporter base but we also have supporters with a poor attitude. I remember in 2010 when we were starting to play some good footy and crowds would be poor. We've always had the reputation of crowds not turning up. From memory and I may be wrong it costs the club about a home crowd of 35,000 to hire the MCG, when we only get 18-20,000 odd against lower sides its not very beneficial is it? Trouble is Melb v Bris, Port, Freo, GWS, GC arent pulling the crowds so club has acted, its not as if we're missing out on any blockbusters, which Dees supporters seem to turn up to. I could go on for pages but you obviously don't get it so I will stop wasting my time. Are you one of "those" supporters that dont show up when were losing? Everyone hates losing, but build a bridge, we are heading in the right direction more than ever before, both on and off the field and if that means playing a couple of home games a year in Darwin for 5 years until we get better then great work by the club I'd say.

Sorry but when has membership ever been about value, we need as a club, to go through a period of growing the club's supporter base, games against port, GWS, GC at the G are not going to do that. when we are in our next period of sustained success we can start dictating terms and make it more about the G. it is not a good look 18-20k at the best stadium on earth. I would love to try and see the club reach out across the land and become the 1st amongst equals I.e. ' the team that identifies 'Australian football' getting Darwin on board would be part of that, if we start playing well we have a tradition that we can use in marketing that is unparalleled , even by the filth. Richmond could do the same if they got their poo in one sock but that's not going to happen, The bombers are hampered by their name, seriously they should be sponsored by Al Quaeda with a name like that. Hawthorn will always have a jumper sponsored by werribee. Carlton I guess but they have been almost for a while now (the AFL got those penalties right). So go Darwin, free tickets to the marines and soldiers based there, mining companies and freight forwarders (does anyone know how expensive property is up their now?). Townsville as well, getting ADF links will not hurt us and ties two great aspects of Australian identity together the club needs to grow beyond the 32k brilliant people who already love the club and the zealots on this forum (and I do get the desire for g games, we're just not doing them justice yet.)

Pretty disappointed we didnt get Hannath to be honest.

I'll be there. Will keep you updated.

All I can say is.... Its the supporters who dont show up to games at the MCG who have forced the club to take action. 20,000 at a home game is not even enough to hire the ground. Blame the supporters who dont show, not the club. If it doesnt work out, at least we tried.

oh please NA I am very tired of this "Entitled Attitude" The only think we are entitled to is be part of the competition. We have to increase our revenue streams and Darwin is one. If that means a game or two are not played at the MCG and the MFC gets more money and stronger then so be it. I would rather see 9 home games at the G and win 18 a year then 11 at the G and perform the way we have for the past 6 years.

he'd be spewing if that were the case

Don't underestimate the influence an injection of new players can have on a stale, lacklustre group that have been losing badly for several years. The changes to our list have been huge as much as Neeld likes to play it down. Look beyond the 'numbers' Rodan, Byrnes or Dawes will have in the first game they have for our club. The bigger picture has little to do with that. We are changing our culture and mindset. The enthusiasm and inspiration of players has sky rocketed. We have gotten rid of selfish players in Moloney and Green. We are re-learning the work ethic needed to win games of football. This is not just bringing in a few new faces. The MFC are going through consciousness shift. You're blind if you can't see it.

G'day mate. Nev hasn't stood out to me but to honest I haven't even seen him. Like all players though you can definitely notice a difference in the whole group. A bit delayed but the answer to your question months back is yes, Savannah Hi longsuffering. I only spotted Dawesy a few days ago when I was watching the Tiwi v St Mary's game, I did post on here from memory that he looked a bit stuffed due to the heat, but that's not unusual. I'm heading to training today and tomorrow so will report back to you about Dawes. Also, on behalf of everyone here and Melbourne supporters I thanked Matt Burgan for everything he's doing. I had a very long chat to him, basically he does the writing but there's 4-5 guys that do camera work for him and they're fantastic. Matt said he's employed by the club now after being seeked out by the club when he was working for the AFL. Matt was born a Demon and is a proud member also. So don't worry I've thanked him heaps on behalf of you all. He was quite appreciative of what I said.

Nobody can question Bruce's motivation for the book i.e. to tell the narrative of Liam's journey from the desert outback to the big city. It was never intended to be purely a football story but it went belly up because of the shocking circumstances that have enveloped his community and, in any event, nobody ever claimed he was anything but human.As for Curry's post, it's lacking any sensitivity but we do live in a democracy and everybody has a right to say things that make themselves look stupid.

Rudeboy aka Bruce Hearn MacKinnon would do nothing that was exploitative or counterproductive for Liam. He has at all times acted in Liam's best interest not to mention our club's despite being a lifelong Collingwood supporter. I have known him on and off for 30 years and in that time all he has ever done is tried to help others. We need more people like Bruce (and his wife) helping young men find their way in AFL and less ill informed sniping from the sidelines.