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I'm not keeping a lid on it. I don't understand the "we've been here before" crowd; which of Miller, Newton, McLean or Sylvia was an athletic barely-18 year old who weighed over 100kg and already marked and won the ball like a pro the year before he was eligible to play? This guy is something new; we haven't been here before and I'm wetting myself with excitement. You downers can go keep a lid on it all you like. I might not have been the first on the bandwagon, but I'm telling everyone I know how good he is going to be already is.

This is a tad self-indulgent, but I posted the following on August 23 last year: "I really rate Hogan. He's aggressive, imposing, has courage in the air, contests really well, splits packs, loves body contact and when we're starting to make inroads he and Clark will form a formidable forward-line. I can wait a year to get a player like him on our list. He's similar to Hurley, but moves like a midfielder and is a better mark. How many other quality 193cm key forwards of this type can you currently name in the AFL ? They're as rare as hen's teeth. He's a taller version of Jack Darling. An ordinary footballer like Cam Mooney ended up being a valuable contributor in premiership teams and kicked 67 goals one year. He didn't have a quarter of the talent of Hogan. We're desperate for another key forward and Hogan would be a 10 year fixture." I made those remarks before I knew he'd end up at Melbourne. I then saw him at training over pre-season. I then get a glimpse of him at Casey during the intra-club. I then see him last Friday night during the NAB Cup and he's everything I expected and displayed the same traits we saw in the under 18 championships. You and some others can take all of the time you like, which is fair enough, but I'm kind of warm and gooey inside, because we've landed a future freaking thooopastar. I've never seen a more obvious star in my life.

Liked what FootyRhino had to say about him: "Settle down fantasy coaches, you can’t touch Jesse Hogan for another 12 months. If I’m Mark Neeld, I’m shoving the 18 year old in a dimly-lit room, with just a bench press, a mirror and a picture of Jonathan Brown circa 2007. Every now and then, I’d slide a live cow under the door with a hack saw and a blow torch. Hogan already weighs 100kg and was super impressive in Friday night’s games; it looks like Melbourne might have a game-changer on their hands."

Martin Flanagan is a shining light at the Age newspaper and is one of the few reasons why I regret that I no longer subscribe to the newspaper these days. He writes stories about the people of the game and his article about Chris Connolly yesterday (difficult to find on line via the iPhone but worth the search) is sheer brilliance - A good man to fill a silence. It touches the heart, essence and personality of the man who was much more harshly treated than the salary cap cheating CEO of Adelaide and who obviously took an enormous hit for the club he loves. Flanagan - There's lots more in Flanagan's magical writing and I understand the man has his detractors (and I'll come back to this later) but I feel that for the time being we should just reflect on the above and ask why such a dedicated person and a hero of the club has been made to pay such a heavy price for being loyal.

It was without doubt the best game hes played for Melbourne !!

No they shouldn't. And Bate was exempted pre-being drafted. Just let the kid follow the system that the three other boys followed and get him to start strong in 2014.

Yes, we were arguing over the difference between Pick 3 and Pick 4. Because we are idiots.

come on you lot, let's hose it down a bit - yes he looks good but we are talking about a total of 6 incidents in a praccy match. I have seen too many 'potential stars' come and go at this club. I don't think we are doing anybody any favours by talking him up so much so early. I'll be keeping an eye on his year at Casey though, there's a club that are probably pretty pleased with Tom Scully and GWS at the moment!

If Davey plays round one I'll have to consider my attendance. No doubt I'll go, but my rage will be border-line controllable.

Was very lucky not to break his leg or even worse. I'm taking the glass half full approach. Could've been a lot worse.

There's absolutely no way this would ever fly, and we'd piss people off in the process of trying. Imagine that: the AFL rules decree him ineligible for the draft, we take him through the trade/mini draft system, then he's allowed to play as a normal draftee would. The other clubs would crucify AFL house. I'm all for using "innovative" ways to gain a competitive advantage, but trying to circumvent the rules isn't the way.

I actually think Hogan will develop better within the VFL system than throwing him in the AFL Deep end Neeld IMO has made a common sense approach in regards to younger players as soon as he walked in the door We all know we are not premiership contenders and waiting 22 games might be strategically the best decision for player, coach and club

Kent looked the good, Watts was very impressive. Hogan showed a bit. Vickery shown how much of a [censored] he is.

I am pleasantly surprised that the Watts-bashers on here have quietened down. Lets hope he continues the good form throughout the season proper. I'd love to see him win the Bluey.

I was pleasantly surprised by the four jovial, pleasant, sober young Tigers supporters in front of me. I even had a bit of a chat to one of them and he was capable of more than just a few grunts. Extraordinary!

Let's face it, the shoulda, woulda, coulda stuff is not "evidence"' but rather a load of bs concocted by the parties to get a negotiated result to save everyone the cost of a Supreme Court stoush that would have cost far more than $500k and damaged some reputations irreparably. The fact of the matter is that the both the AFL and the MFC held the opinions of senior legal counsel that no case of tanking against us could be sustained. The top brass of the AFL have admitted they can't define tanking. Chris Connolly and to a lesser extent, Dean Bailey, were the patsies. I hope when the dust settles, Chris gets the rumoured gig at Casey so that he can gainfully fill the time till 1 February 2014 doing valuable work for the Scorpions within the Casey community which will also ultimately benefit the club he loves.

can we please put Jesse Hogan on the Demonland banner?

Is that so, k.d.?

International Rules has come into the AFL. Getting near to the point where players will be banned from getting the ball on the ground - less congestion etc. Sick of talking new rules every year. Seems to take so much time away from good footy talk.

If you want that question answered try speaking to some of the Foundation Heroes who have saved MFC, they may tell you why. And what sources do you claim for what you have written, Caroline Wilson?

It's more of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Love that movie! Saw it after watching "Death Proof". Anyway Blease has a 4-6 week injury. So I suppose we'll see him ready to play around July...?

GC would want to hope that Jack Martin turns out to be a star because Hoges to me looks as sure a thing as you can get- where Martin has years of development to go before he can make an impact. Cost us pick #3 which ended up being inconsequential as pick #4 netted us the Toumpas. Initially I was upset we didn't get Wines because I was sold on the Viney/Wines combo but I wasn't crying about that for too long. Toumpas is what we need; speed, skill and poise. Viney at #26 was the icing. The "Norm Smith curse" is a myth.

Noted. Rejected by many. Move on.

The $500k was a total w..k! But the door was left adjar for a soft , easy , typical AFL quick fix. We just have to be smarter with this sort of stuff. I can't imagine Neeld finding himself in this predicament.

You always have to take the bad with the good CC's 'speak first - think second' persona did make him enemies - some of whom got into Wilson's ear. Whether or not the whole investigation would have petered out if he hadn't made those colorful statements is problematical. Yes - he should have been more careful - but that is the price you pay for deciding you want a big personality as your Operations Manager. I don't blame him or indeed any other officials for our list management strategies in 2009. The fact is that the AFL encouraged teams to bottom out - and a high percentage of supporters would have been furious if we hadn't got that priority pick.Connolly and Bailey have been damned because they did - but they would have been damned if they didn't as well. The AFL's final ruling may have been farcical - but the real farce was in ignoring LIbba and then jumping all over McLean ! Having decided to make Melbourne a scapegoat , it was inevitable that the AFL would make an individual within Melbourne the scapegoat's scapegoat - and Connolly was the always obvious candidate. Ironically he'll pick up sympathy through all this ............ and may eventually emerge a more respected figure than he was previously. How ironic would that be?

2013 is a development year for the team as a whole. It will need to gel. it will ( hopefully ) get better as time progresses and we will go into 14 with a real sense of having a team. 13 will I sense have its share of pain, but tempered with progress. if I could id just wake up this time next year. Hogan will be fine in 14...he isnt ALLOWED to play this year.. just get over it . we have our fair share of idiots here dont we.

Actually you can. This is a public record. You are more accountable under the law than a private meeting conducted in a private venue of which the majority who attended recalled that CC told a JOKE. Nothing recorded on a public record, just recollections.

Spot on. We knew the rules when we got him.

Interesting comments - Dawes took a juggling mark and hit up Howe on the lead in game 1 on the weekend - fair to say it's more then I've seen Martin do over his time at the Dees. Also his contest 1 v 3 which resulted in Sylvia offloading the ball to Howe wasn't bad either. Some people are not easily impressed I assume

I grew up when a 426 was a Big Block Chrysler V8 Them Challengers had serious grunt. Whatch the Movie "Vanishing Point" 1971.

It's not a tumor.

Fowler (he's changed his surname from Salton) and Smith are tall KPP's who have some good attributes for VFL but I'm not sure as to whether they have it all together enough to go that step further. Fowler's got a great kick, Smith can take a big mark but both were hot and cold last year. Luke Tynan is the older brother of Josh and is a medium sized utility who plays hard and improved from reserves b & f to become a regular. All three really stepped up under Brett Lovett but need to continue that development this year. I know there are many knockers who criticise our relationship with the Casey Scorpions but I think the alignment can work well both in an on the ground basis where we need good second tier players backing up the younger players on our list (I'd hate to see Jesse Hogan playing in a team of duds) and off field where we're committed to turning the fast growing area into a nursery for future supporters and members. With the possibility of Chris Connolly playing a role in some capacity out at Casey this year (in some ways a continuation of his old role anyway), I believe we can still make this partnership work

Can you please hand back in your membership for a year and pay $100K in fines - you may have meant this as a joke but many took that comment seriously and in turn burned their membership tickets. Whilst we cant prove that you actually wanted Caroline Wilson as no 1 ticket holder, you have brought the MFC into disrepute by making such a "horrible statement"

Colin Sylvia putting in...Not. Sadly i am not suprised anymore.

Shannon Byrnes surprises me, i think he will add alot.

............and in doing that ( and in pushing fading players out the door) he made enemies. Hopefully those enemies will now feel that their man has had his punishment. In the late 80s , we won the pre-season premiership. I can recall acting captain , Danny Hughes, jumping up on the dais to accept the cup announcing that the team wanted to "dedicate the win to their teammate Chrissy Connolly who had just gone into hospital for more knee surgery" . He has always been a personality and a presence. Chris wanted the coaching job - it must have hurt when he was passed over for a rookie in Bailey. Though I thought it was a good move at the time putting him above Bailey as Operations Manager was a recipe for conflict. Only a month or two before McLean fed Wilson the dirt she had been craving, I was at an Institute of Directors function on bequest funding ............. and who do I see in the corner but CC. He couldn't have been more friendly - " We've got the oldest supporters and the richest supporters - bequests is where its at he told me" He's certainly is a passionate Melbourne man.

Went to the Demons shop on Fridiay to get my 2013 guernsey CC was there tidying up some things as it was his last official day at the Club First thing he said was to thank ME for supporting the club Told him how I felt and how he was a scapegoat He has always put the Club first He said he was going to do a bit of study and media work for the year I made a joke about giving Caroline Wilson the No 1 ticketholder at MFC He is not a fan

"High ankle sprain" refers to a syndesmosis strain, which connects the tib and fib together. 6 weeks is standard for a stable syndesmosis injury as opposed to an unstable injury which requires surgery and months of rehab.

Far better than anything we've seen so far from PEdErsEn, Sellar or Gillies. Or for that matter Dawes. One of those four had better improve heaps at some stage in the season.

At a base level his words were a pressure valve. So unless you think the AFL was ever going to meet us with 'nothing to answer' for their troubles, CC gave them (and us) a convenient patsy. He could have fought this nonsense but he didn't and for taking this bullet we thank him. With your objections noted, Billy.

Don't agree. CC's comment just became the most convenient way of penalising the club without finding them guilty.

MFC have been used by the AFL to take the fall for ALL clubs that have "tanked". Unfortunately it is Dean Bailey & Chris Connolly that have taken the fall for not only the MFC but for every other club. The AFL will not go after anyone else because "there is no tanking in the AFL".

In the grand tradition of Pettard, Trengrove, Sellers and Maloney, it looks like poor old Cam PEDERSEN will be the name everyone spells wrong this year. The only vowel in his surname is "E"!

They'll cover Port Adelaide, but you will have to use your imagination to work out how Melbourne are playing.

Unfortunately the writing is on the wall and the fix is in. We were unceromoniously boned. When there is a corrupt regime who are only too happy to work hand in glove with feral elements of the 4th estate you really are up against it. Whilst Vlad and Fitz are anywhere near the helm no more will be done about tanking, no other teams scrutinized. They have their sacrificial lamb. Ive taken some time to mull all of this over. Im still disappointed we blinked. In all seriousness id rather we put it all on the line. Sometimes you have to. Don and co did a commendable job but we lost. Quite frankly those that are suggesting we were officially exonerated are deluding themselves. McGuire never would have stood for such an outcome. Im not sure what we stand for now. Offically or unofficially were now the 'tankers" . Its like being found guilty without a conviction being recorded. There are 500,000 reasons to back that notion up. Ive become a little less interested in football now. I love footy. I am passionate about Melbourne. This club just continues to suck everything out of its followers and delivers sfa. For me they had better bloody well look like something this year or after nearly 50 years of unwavering support .I might flinch. Lifes too short. The AFL are nothing but a but of f'n self serving egostistical bullies. Sometimes the only way you deal with such is to smack him from one end of the hallway to the other. Thats all i really care to say on the matter. On with season 2013. wants to get better. Not overly impressed to date.

Firstly let me say that I don't think the AFL should involve itself with anything that is out of it's jurisdiction. Following your example I don't see the AFL setting up random booze buses to test their players. However if a player is found to have done something illegal by the relevant authorities then and only then the clubs and/or AFL could choose to take further action and delist,fine or suspend the player. Whatever penalty they deem necessary. The trouble is the AFL is trying to head off problems with their image that they can see coming as they have seen it happening overseas with professional sportspeople. If they think they can stop it then they are p....into the wind, the problem is already out of control.

Succinct and excellent reasoning.