Leaderboard

Ridley tried that at an AGM but it caused a few problems.

C & B is kidding himself if he claims knowledge about mental illness. I do charity work for an organisation that looks after, helps feed, find housing and jobs for those unfortunate enough to suffer depression and other mental illness like schizophrenia. It's only when you witness the hardship such people endure and how lonely some of them are, that you can really appreciate that above all else, the well being of the person is paramount. I'm proud of my club for the way it's dealing with this and the other ordeals besetting us at the moment and in the recent past. I don't feel let down by Mitch Clark's honest and elegant exit as a Demon who "will always consider myself a Melbourne player and a Melbourne person." Disappointed that we won't see him taking those big grabs or kicking goals for us but far more disappointed for Mitch and the pain of his ordeal. As for clowns like C & B, he proves only that the buffoon is often the best benchmark against which we can judge civilized human behaviour by comparison with the garbage he's been spouting above. Any more and he'll be facing a long holiday from this site.

We are pretty short sighted. Have a look at other clubs injury list - this year we have been no better or no worse off than a lot of other clubs. Our problem is not that we have injuries. Our problem is that if we get injuries to a few of our better players ( what we consider better players) - Garland, Hogan, Clark, Dawes - our talent pool is so shallow that we don't have the depth to cover it. The Hawks had Sewell, Mitchell, Hodge and Lake all out the week before last but they have so many other got footballers that they had them covered.

Depression is not being sad. Being sad is not even a prerequisite to suffering depression. The fact that you keep saying stuff like that is just proving that you have no idea at all. Stop embarrassing yourself, seriously.

I think the advice he received to retire from football had a lot to do with his medium to long term chance of getting his body right. Treatment for depression usually revolves around education and sometimes medication to help develop the patients ability to cope with their circumstances. In the short term the patient is removed as far as possible from those circumstances to allow this to occur. If the depression was related to excessive work stress, the patient would be advised to take time off or go on modified duties to give them room to heal. If Mitch's circumstances (his physical injuries) weren't likely to change any time soon, then the only real advice would be to make those injuries no longer matter as much. Now that he has retired, it doesn't matter as much if he can't perform on the field and can't justify his salary (which has been reported as a concern of his). His circumstance has changed and he can begin to learn to manage his depression.

The bolded part is precisely why Mitch's decision is a "brave" one. A root cause of his depression was the fact that he felt he was letting down 30,000 members because he was unable to get himself right and take the field... that fed on itself and his depression became deeper and deeper and harder to cope with. Something had to be done. I think it's laughable that you use your own emotional struggle as a benchmark against which Mitch should be judged. Depression and mental health issues are not a "one size fits all" thing... and to call him a coward for turning his back on the sport that he loves in order to "save" himself...the selfishness of some "supporters" (and I use that term very loosely), beggars belief!

You're a childish and ignorant person C&B. This post here shows how little you understand of mental illness and how selfish you are about it. Grow up.

Look, from your post there is little to be gained form entering a debate or even going to the effort of pointing out how misguided your position is. You are unlikely to change your view and as in all things people have their right to their opinions. However one thing i would ask (rhetorically really as as i say there is not much point n a debate - we are not going to come together on this) - if he had been diagnosed with cancer and was retiring because the treatment meant he couldn't commit to football (but he otherwise if successfully treated would come back) - or not retiring would negatively impact on his health - would you still feel he is a coward?

This event is really helping to clarify a few things about Demonland. Yep, some people wind eachother up too much, keep getting in petty slanging matches. But their heart is in the right place when it comes to the important stuff. Then there are people like hero1 (who has been banned permanently courtesy of comments in this thread) who are just downright inhuman. And just a little closer to civilization are comments like this. I'll credit C&B with at least having no idea what he's talking about, but this stuff is far from helpful. Clinical Depression is not 'struggling emotionally'. It is waking up with suicidal thoughts and going to sleep with suicidal thoughts, no matter how 'good' your day has been. It is every taste of joy being turned to ash in your mouth and no sense of hope that it will ever improve. The longer it goes the worse it gets, because every day reinforces the sense that nothing you do, no amount of effort, no achievement, can make any difference to how you feel. Critically, it comes with a terrible and relentless feeling of guilt that you 'should' be happy. Hating yourself for not being happy after all your closest people have made effort and sacrifices to try to 'cheer you up'. That's where attitudes like C&B's come in. "Why are you doing this to me, Mitch?" "Come on, we've all been sad, it's time to stop failing and be a winner" "I've supported you and now you're letting me down all over again" "You're just being weak, why do you have to be such a loser" So helpful. "Your lung collapsed? Come one, you said you'd go swimming with me!"

This thread is an embarrassment. As I said earlier, I'm ashamed that there are MFC supporters who are so ignorant, rude, insensitive, stupid, and disgraceful.

With good draft picks, a solid coaching succession plan and some favourable draws, i'd say that within a few years we could win a game.

This club is like an addict looking for its next pick fix.

Mitch is in no state to sit in a room full of lights cameras and journos. I doubt he would have even spoken to the players en masse. Depression is self loathing. This decision would be heartbreaking for him. I think his meetings with Jimma really got into his heart. He loved the guy straight away. Mitch took Jimma's baton and now cannot carry it through for a club that really needs him. He may well speak later but a press conference now is just not on.

"Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened" -- Dr. Seuss. Thanks, Mitch. Your career at MFC was meteoric in all senses of the word. May you soon find peace.

I actually feel sorry for Frawley. He is a good player and has had to endure being part of the worst team in memory that goes from one disaster to the next. Guess what he has run out of enthusiasm for the MFC in 2014. Now there is a surprise. We are all lording Clark but some how Frawley is a bum because he his exhausted by the MFC after playing his whole career at the bottom of the ladder. Get off his back. The guy has given his all for seven long years If he goes I for one will find it difficult to be critical. Get the best deal you can and if that is not at the MFC then good luck and thanks for the effort you have put in.

It certainly was sad to hear the news about clark, although I admire his courage to give up on what has been and would have continued to be a very financially rewarding career to look after this health. Not to mention giving up a game that he no doubt loves. I also believe the club needs to be applauded for their handling of this situation. Despite the on-field performances, the management of this club, and particularly it's handling of this matter has rekindled a sense of pride in me about being a Melbourne member. Contrary to the way in which we handled the departure of players like Junior and Brad Green, in this instance the players welfare has been put first when it needed to be. It takes guts for a footy club to put aside the financial issues and just treat it's players as people. I'm very proud of the club for the way it's handled this, and certainly Josh Mahoney who basically put those journo's back in their place when they asked about the financial implications of Clarks retirement.

BEYOND BLUES by Whispering Jack Many years ago (in fact somewhere in the 1980's) I tried to imagine what football would be like in the future. At the time, I was into reading science fiction by writers such as Isaac Asimov and his work led me to think that perhaps the sport might develop to a stage where it was played by robots rather than human beings: by machines programmed to play in the manner in which their inventors designed them to perform. Naturally, the designers with the greatest amount of financial backing would produce the best performed teams. In this world of robotic footballers, there would be no room for emotions or feelings because such things would likely distract from the prime objective of performing at the optimum and winning the contest. The modern footballer might not yet be a machine made of metal with computer chip brains but we've seen this week an example of how one of them with human frailties and unable to cope with the pressures of the system has been forced out of the game. It's difficult to imagine that one so tall in stature, so big and so strong and so almost able to leap tall buildings in a single bound could be forced out of sport by an illness that we once believed could never afflict a footballer at this elite level. That Mitch Clark has been able to understand his ailment and knows it can be treated is promising and inspires hope that his future away from the game will bring him happiness and contentment in a place beyond blue. In his own words, "I am very grateful for everything Melbourne has done for me. I will always consider myself a Melbourne player and a Melbourne person." And all Melbourne people will continue to stand behind Mitch as he moves on to the next stages of his rehabilitation. Beyond that, it's hard to look at the coming week when the remaining robots in the team do battle with a like group of battered warriors who are in similarly poor shape. This week's opposition head robot organised a meeting of his fellows and as a result the rusty, creaking joints have been oiled and a promise was made of greater commitment and a better result. Against this, we look at Melbourne and wonder what can Paul Roos do with his own charges to raise them a notch or two given than one of the big men upon whose broad shoulders was carried the promise of improvement has gone and most of the others remain out of commission for the time being. There was a time in the pre robot era of football, when it was possible to rouse a team that was down in morale by addressing issues such as pride in the colours and appealing for a concerted effort and an aggressive approach. We live in the age of professionalism and robotics; when doing it for the club, for the supporters, for yourself or even for a comrade in difficult straits is an anachronism that involves digging into the depths of an individual's emotions. But in this day and age, that can no longer be done because the microchip that carries the meme of emotion in the head of the player has been removed from the programme.

People with Depression are Not Just “Sad” Just as cell growth is normal in a person, we call out of control cell growth an illness—we call it cancer. Depression is exactly the same. Depression is when a normal, human emotion gets out of control to the point where it is no longer normal. Considering someone with an illness merely to be “sad” is an insult to that person and minimizes an illness that takes thousands of lives every year.

Can we move on from the Depression topic . I much preferred the roaring twenties,or the swinging sixties.

I am just glad it is now over. Now don't take this a criticism of Clark. The guy has some serious problems which are not of his own making. I think the worst thing for both parties would have been to continue the situation of the last three months. Something was clearly wrong and you did not need to be a rocket scientist to pick it up a couple of months ago. On the 9th of April Mitch Clark has resigned to get his life back to some reasonable level. lets leave him to do it. The MFC will move on to get some sort of replacement and not have the every day to day work associated with a problem the size Mitch had. The MFC has a spot on their list in 2015 to fill and a considerable sum of money to use. We as members and supporters can stopped wondering what is happening with Mitch. Sad for what could have been but we have to move on. This club is in a hell of a hole we can only look up.

The highlight of his many incarnations was the endless vituperation against anyone that suggested Scully would leave us.

I realise I'm singing with the choir here, but you're virtually wishing him a lifelong struggle with depression. Stay away from mirrors, C&B.

can't trust the media can't trust the player managers can't trust the afl can't trust the umpires to be consistent can't trust the players can't trust what the club tells you certainly can't trust demonland posters the only thing i trust over the last 8 years is the accuracy of the AFL Ladder

I don't generally like having a go at posters but this guy "Machsy" just abuses people non stop just to be contrarion. The guy has racked up 2350 posts since last June and was the same under his other alises (e25, Jose Mourinho, Artie Bucco etc etc) racking up thousands of posts in a short amount of time then creating new user names. He's an internet troll who has no life other than getting into faux arguments on the net, better off just leaving him be/putting him on ignore and actually discussing footy/the MFC with other people who genuinely want to have a discussion rather than persoanlly attack people for differences of opinion in repetitive posts on every single thread.

Now Bossdog I have no desire to get into a slanging match with you so think nice. Agent says believe me I am telling you the truth. Who would I give the most credence ? The media or a player agent? Tough decision, at this minute it is a draw till further evidence surfaces.

With respect and while I'm truly curious (and would love to know the full story myself), No, Mitch has no obligation to discuss his medical condition with anyone and certainly not for public consumption. I am quite sure he is feeling dreadful and talking to the media is pretty much never the answer.

Or some guys are just lucky to get AAs! Minson, Gaspar, JWhite, Frawley. Frawley has rarely had composure coming out of the backline. He cannot consistently hit easy targets. If he can get 800k, good luck to him; but as Lloyd said, he is worth only 4-500k tops. He is an average footballer, with the capacity to play on talls. He aint slow. Add it all up and he is worth a little more than the average AFL wage. In other words, Lloyd is spot on about him.

Newton's Third Law Which is not to be confused with Essendon's T Hird law.

atm i wouldn't give 800k for the whole fn team

I feel for the bloke and his family. I always thought Mitch could be the equal of Franklin after watching his first few games, he was a good grab, athletic and handy around his feet. He was a good set shot and capable of anything in the run. He above everyone else on the list had the potential to drag this club kicking and screaming out of its current predicament. The club is the poorer for his leavng not only for his playing ability but also his obvious leadership. I hope the club, his family and his doctors ensure he gets all the help he requires and he becomes a successful and happy phographer. All best to Mitch and his family. Regarding the comments around the club and the contract. This thread is about Mitch and I am sure Mahoney and PJ have that under control.

Jurrah, Schwarz, Jackovich, Clarke, Wonna, Lyon.... Haven't we been teased by some serious talent in the last decade or so only to see their careers cut short or seriously effected by injury or other circumstances. Arrrghhh!!!!!!! The first dozen or so games from Mitch were awesome for us. A real ray of sunshine in a pretty dark place. A wonderful mark and such a reliable set shot for goal. On top of that he was very dangerous with the ball on the ground. We all knew he was going to be wonderful for us as the midfield developed and he got some mates up forward to occupy the other defenders. And then... a rare foot injury, complications and a long term, frustrating stretch out of the game that combined with who knows what else away from the game and he is gone at 26. Arrrghhh!!!!!!!! When will it end?

firstly, it's an article in the sun. so that makes it a 50-50 chance of being bunkum. secondly, he's said he wants $800k to leave us - he's not saying he wants $800k to stay with us. his price point to remain might be significantly left. or it might be the case that he wants to see the team improve over the next 19 games (god knows, we all want to see that!) and that is the predominant factor affecting his decision. or perhaps he wants to know who his coach is likely to be in 2016-17 and beyond, and that's the predominant factor affecting his decision. we don't know, really, do we, what it will take for him to stay? we need a player like chip to remain committed to us. so far, in terms of free agency, everyone who has been eligible has walked. let's hope that rot stops with dunn and frawley in 2014.

Sure, lots of cap space, but just because we will have it, doesn't mean the likes of Chip should be getting $800k.

Would you carry on like this about the other tens of thousands of people who are clinically depressed in the country? Please stop acting all high and mighty like you are above everybody else, Mitch will be fine, he has support and it is a manageable condition. Whats done is done, move on.

In actual fact jazza we can thank the unmentionable one. That is the basic reason for this thread But leaving aside that person I can thank this tread for maintain my sanity and keeping me interested. Thanks for the comment I feel like we just won the flag.

There is so much wrong with this post....That I cannot simply reply to it in detail.....

the 800K came from Mark Robinson...that alone may make it a work of fiction...true/false, he doesn't care... he gets the scoop headline

You're right there, the clubs that will be interested are those desperate for a KPP. I guess that brings Adelaide into the mix and a couple of others. Of course if Frawley goes then we would be deperate for KPP's.

In your opinion. I'm not the only one who says these things Machsy. There are plenty of people who see it.You're responding in a way that sounds like it's really affecting you. That there are some who don't share the love you have for the guy. The point you're bringing up about what he is worth compared to some others on our list is irrelevant. You're still stuck in the box Machsy. Get out and have a look around. We need to bring other players into our club. Those three nqr's might also have to move on but they're not going to bring us a compo pick are they? That's why we're discussing Frawley and whether or not him leaving would be of benefit for the club.

So you keep saying RPFC. When you say 'gotta pay somebody', are you at all thinking about the future of the club and do you think the list manager etc is thinking the same way? If what's being spoken about is true, which scenario do you think will help the club most going forward. Losing Frawley for around $800k on a several year contract or receiving pick 2 (providing we finish last and the compensation is pick 2), which gives us great bargaining power to lure a potential star, or go straight to the draft and take one? I think it's obvious the more fresh and young faces we have at our club, the greater their output and willingness to learn will be. Frawley is playing as if he doesn't care. He is of no value to us on field at this moment. Unless something changes dramatically in his psyche and it's visible onfield, he needs to go for the survival and growth of our club.

Interesting that Robbo said on 360 tonight that Frawley should be embarassed about his $800k asking price. Said teams baulked at the amount when his management brought it up. Chip, you either get the money and a long road to success, or instant success without the money. You don't get both. Brian Lake took a paycut to join the Hawks because he was starved of success.

Think you might be reading too much into some of the comments.Mitch will have a very large support group available to help him through this, and a shed load of money to fall back on, so properly managed, his financial future is assured. He will most likely get through this, and live a very happy and wealthy lifestyle, paid for by my club. I hope that in fact happens. He doesnt need me to sook for him, and even if i did, it wouldnt make a lick of difference to his recovery. As far as asking about my workmates, i have one of my employees missing, after leaving to cross a flooded river, to help his family, in the Solomon Island floods from this week. My flight back was cancelled, as the mine we work at has been shut down completely, due to all of our access bridges being washed out to sea. I can assure you that I would be doing more than talking about it on an internet forum, if i could get back there to look for him.

The real cherry on the top is our recruiting was shite then we get done for not tanking. We actually failed at failing.

I hope all the Demonlanders (and moderators) that criticised me for derailling threads and posting irrelevant garbage now realise the error of their ways. I was well in front of the game, at the cutting edge - I understood that to follow the Dees meant not talking football. Or ............ even better not knowing anything about football.

Remember when we used to play well when our backs were against the wall? When the boys would get a roasting in the media and then come out and play their hearts out? What happened to that team? We lamented then that it took adversity to bring out our best, that we couldn't produce that form consistently... How I would kill for that now, the old one-week-on, one-week-off Melbourne.

And the good news just keeps coming fmd are we ever going to have a good run or WIN a game? If karma is true we should win 4 premierships in a row to make up for all this stuff that has happened.

Get a grip. Sunday jaw is sore. Still sore Monday morning. Scans arranged, perhaps late in the day for all we know. Announcement made on Tuesday. What more do you expect? X-rays on-line as soon as they are done perhaps.

Patton.

Players in good teams take pay cuts to stay together, players in cr@p teams hold clubs to ransom like mercenaries.

I'd pass. He's been up his mum and his legless sister and he thinks he killed his dad!