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1. ‘Joy’ is not something you ever experience at the footy. It’s your 89-year-old personal assistant, who has been with you for years and whose only job is to renew your MCC membership each year. 2. You’ve heard every skiing and Mt Buller joke before. Mainly from other Melbourne supporters while you’re skiing at Mt Buller. 3. Each time you think things are getting better, they don’t. 4. You wonder why you still get angry when Melbourne are on the end of another belting. 5. That round were the AFL trialled names on jumpers was when you learnt that Robbie Flower is no longer Captain and Allan La Fontaine seems to have retired. 6. In a terrible mix up, you once watched the footy at the MCG from outside the MCC. You still wake up in the night sometimes in a cold sweat remembering the people. 7. Thinking about our drafting over the last decade makes you want to throw your whiskey glass out your chateau window. 8. There is no doubt in your mind that the curse of Norm Smith is real and will never be broken. 9. People make jokes about you driving a Range Rover, but the cost of servicing a Range Rover is no laughing matter. 10. You know we have the best looking jumper in the league. 11. You hope Garry Lyon never ‘helps’ choose a coach again. 12. Opposition fans treaty you with pity and even kindness. It’s truly awful. 13. ‘Diversity’ on the Melbourne board means every major private school is represented. 14. You remember Allen Jakovich with enormous fondness. 15. The other day you were just reminiscing about Number Nine’s wonderful career, over cigars. 16. You’ve sat through many a game, watching players who have completely given up, never break out of a jog. 17. It’s getting hard to be proud of 12 Premierships when the last one was in 1964. 18. You worry that signing your kids up as members, might result in a knock on the door by the Department of Human Services. 19. The jury’s still out on whether naming your newborn son ‘Paul Roos’ was a good idea. http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/melbourne-demons-fan-heres-how-you-spot-one-hold-the-range-rover-jokes-please/story-fndv8pdq-1227033407301

Well done to them all especially Bail. He has turned it around this year and all credit to him. As for Terlich, you can't delist them all and he is one that can count himself as slightly lucky. Ball is squarely in his court now.

...I just want this season to end and the next pre-season to start so I can once again convince myself that we'll be better next year?

This thread in most part is seriously pathetic. All three give their all, are hard at it and will have cost us close to nothing. This is more than can be said for others that will be gone at seasons end. Worst case they are a lot better depth than we have now and will set the right precedent in effort. Best case they seriously improve with another pre-season under decent development. For those that quote on re-signing these will cost us a Miles or Laidler someone have a look at the % of players drafted after 70 that play an AFL game. Then consider we are probably already going to cull 6 or 7. Congrats to 3 blokes that work hard and hit hard, I hope they make the best of their opportunity.

No suprise on Bail, who is seriously the only player on our list who gets the concept of 2 way running. Regardless of how poor his kicking can be, at least he can run and spread and busts a gut each week. Riley has shown enough to give him another year or two with a full pre season. He has good qualities. I'm really unsure about Terlich. It sounds like Clisby is gone, which is disapointing because I thought he showed a lot more than Terlich last year in terms of skills.

You laugh at the option on the membership form (guaranteed finals ticket)

Ah, renewed false hope... Btw, is it an amazing coincidence that I misspelled false and autocorrect offered me "Cale"? True story.

If Roos wants to bring in midfielders, and midfielders, and more midfielders, then we need to hang onto some depth at the other positions. All Terlich's re-signing tells me is that Roos would prefer him to Clisby and Strauss as the depth bloke for the HBF. He'll play somewhere between five and fifteen games depending on injuries, and be at least vaguely serviceable doing it. As others have pointed out, you can't cut everybody. (Unless you're Homer Simpson in the end credits of that one episode …)

It's funny that some people around here don't get it. Roos plays a team based game plan that dictates the whole team working together, or it all falls apart. The common theme that Bail, Riley and Terlich posess is their work rate and tendency to do these team things and play by the team rules. The Blease's and Strauss' have the skill, but don't play this style. They either don't have the capacity to follow instructions, or don't have the will to defend. Until we find players that have both work rate and skill, players like Bail and Terlich will still get a game.

You can't bring yourself to delete the Carlton, Adelaide, Richmond and Essendon games on your Foxtel IQ, even if you have run out of space, just for those times when you need a pick-me-up

A lot don't also realise that by holding onto duds like Bail and Terlich you miss the opportunity to take an Anthony Miles or Jeremy Laidler as a delisted free agent. The top sides and expansion sides that have to trim their lists will delist better players than Bail and Terlich. To quote a top 3 B&F finish being important in a side that won 2 games last year is laughable. We have the worst football list in history and we are holding on to guys that lack the basic skills to even become C-graders.

There are some weird cats on this forum. You Dee-luded may just be the weirdest. No mean feat

That article in the Guardian sums it up well. I enjoyed this line: "To paraphrase Steve Baker from The Footy Almanac, it was the work of a club that not only has its head up its own arse but thinks that the view is spectacular."

If his retired then why does he even have management?

Can you win a Premiership with good ordinary players? I didn't think so until the likes of Shaw, Richards, LRT. Luke Ablett, Buchanan, Schneider featured in one in 2005 (even if they all didn't play on the day). But all were prepared to play a role, and they put in 100% all the time. They may not have been all that skilled, but had plenty of G&D. Perhaps PR can replicate the same, as certainly that is the common characteristic to Bail, Terlich and Riley. I find it difficult when people are surprised by them being re-signed. On my calculations we would STILL have 6 out of contract who can't get a regular run in the seniors today. Then we have lost Byrnes and Clark. And there are another 3 I would count as possible delistings. So we can turnover 8 and even 11 if we want to cut deeper. Plus we probably have to find a replacement for Frawley = 9-12 to be turned over, before we start looking at rookies. Pick 9 will be in the 90's or further. Not much talent down there, so better to keep players who can fill a role and you know what you will get from them.

rpfc, this is one of the best threads on Demonland, well done keeping it up to date.

but watts has got a better haircut than hurley in fact anyone has

You can find positives in just about anything... we only lost by 10 goals, player X hit a target, Jack Watts layed an effective tackle, it's a good draft year, the jumper looks more red this season...

Anyone suggesting we didn't keep these 3 needs to tell me how we will replace more than 7 and even up to 9 players (see below) already. So adding these guys would make it 10-12. Clark, Byrnes, Frawley, Strauss, Tapscott, Blease, Nicholson, ?Evans, ?Clisby Already just replacing those 7 means: Picks 2, 3, 20, 38, 56, 74 and PSD 2. Would we find better players than Bail, Riley and Terlich with picks 80+??? Riley is certainly young enough and promising enough that after a preseason he's worth a shot for 1 or even 2 year deals. I hope the other 2 guys have been kept one 1 year deals as depth flankers for either end.

When you look up the scores from overseas and are pleasantly surprised to see you only lost by 11 goals.

22. You suggest to the club that a fabulous marketing idea is to introduce a 22 home and away half game membership - (you only get to watch games up to half time which is about all most of us can stomach anyway)

I assume there will be a full drug test prior to the game. Too soon?

We drafted him hoping for the next Nick Riewoldt. It takes more than just talent to get to that level. Courage, Heart, Not throwing in the towel. Jack has none of these qualities. We just have to move on and accept it was another mistake in drafting. From what i've heard if we are offered a suitable trade he is gone.

Frawley compo is a completely separate matter. If he offered as is being floated 5 years at $500k by the Cats, at his age he is worth pick 3 in his own right under the FA compensation rules. We don't need to thank the AFL for losing our 4th free agent and being compensated for it under a pre determined formula. It also can't be forgotten we get pick 2 because we are a poor side and came second last in the comp. Those that say we are already getting pick 2 and 3 usually ignore why.

#10 is one of the features of the club I cling to. "Oh, you won the premiership last year? That's nice, but you still dress in poo and wee."

Let me be the first on here to congratulate Bail, Riley and Terlich for being re-signed. Some "experts" on here claimed most, if not all three, of these guys were done & dusted at the MFC. Well, clearly the coaching staff have a different view. Well done to them all. I hope they all rise to new heights and make a meaningful contribution to the team in coming seasons.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not in a mad rush to get Hurley. But right now I'd certainly have him ahead of Watts. Don't need stats to determine that.

I think that people believe there is perception that we go in with tradeables and not tradeables I am sure there is two lists - one being a list of names we will throw out there to see if there are any bites. Tapscott and steak knives. Then other clubs comes to us and say how about such and such....that's the "I'm listening - what are you offering in exchange" list - and I reckon basically everyone is on that list.

Hurley on the weekend had 27 disposals and 2 goals. If Watts did that he'd get a 2 month reprieve from any criticism.

Would still go harder at the contest than bloody Watts

And here i was thinking that we might go about things differently come years end, given the crap that has happened this year. But we refuse to learn from our mistakes. Riley i can understand why we re-signed him, Bail is very lucky as he has had 6 years to show something and it hasn't been much. As for Terlich, Roos comes out lambasting our skills and we proceed to re-sign Terlich???? I just don't get it. Will we ever learn?

With the announcement of these 3 resigning it spells curtains for the rest who are not yet resigned.

Welcome to the MFC. Kicking skills optional.

You constantly recall '87, the early 90's, Jakovich, the up and down years with the Reverend and reminisce with such fondness.

Well, I think you'll find that what the uneducated majority reckon is that Terlich isn't actually up to AFL standard. Too loose as a defender, and lacks the vision or skill to go with his willingness to take the game on. Also, Bate was 3rd (or 2nd?) in a B&F not that long ago. And that's why a few people have raised their eyebrows about him being re-signed. Either he improves significantly in 2015 or he'll be spending the whole year at Casey. As for Bail and Riley. A few people won't be happy as they see Bail as simply not being up to it, skills-wise, but I think there'd be consensus that he has the kind of character and workrate that it would be good to have as much as possible of, so people will nod and move on. Still ten players left on the 'possible delistings' table. I'm tipping seven to go, and that'll be enough for 2014.

What the uneducated majority don't seem to gather is that while we need to get quality young players in, we can't just throw out anyone over the age of 22. Eg what Bailey did, setting us back 6 years. You need harden senior bodies around the young to help the mature at the right speed, hence why all our young players struggle to develop. Also, many people are forgetting the fact Terlich came 3rd in the B&F last year

Terlich WTF I thought we were having a huge list cleanout and getting rid of players with no skill?

If we get a 1st Round compo pick for Frawley then we have to pick up Wright if available at that pick. Jamar is jogging towards the finish line and both Gawn and Wright will be able to play forward and ruck. It will be our luck we rate Heeney as the best at our pick, we nominate and he goes to Sydney on the cheap. We are judged just to miss out on a first rounder for Frawley and get unders as a second round. We are then told by the AFL that other clubs have rated our list on the verge of being the greatest team of all time so we do not get a priority. In 2015 we finish bottom and Sydney Academy player Mills is clearly the top pick. We nominate and naturally we goes to Sydney on the cheap at pick 18. The AFL again reject our PP application on the basis that other clubs judge that out list is on the verge of greatness. This process repeats over and over. Eventually Nathan Jones is forced to retire aged 53 and is cranky because he believes he had a couple of seasons left despite the doctors saying they could not find his knees. The following season the Dees % falls to less than 3% due to missing their most experienced player. Sadly the Saints have had the same fate. Reiwoldt is forced to retire even though no one can remember how old he is. Apparently dementia had set in and he could not remember which way the Saints were kicking. It was reported on AFL 360 that the coach was furious because he was the only player getting a kick and did not care if went the wrong way. The Dees and Saints games have been moved from Fox Footy to the comedy channel and have out rated reruns of Benny Hill.

Still looks like twit to me jnr.

Welcome back James Hird: Essendon are still a mess

We have been playing for most of the season with 2 blokes not trying. That is a team buster. Both must go. One will, maybe the other.

Have absolutely zero concerns about Salem. He's a first year player, seriously cut him some slack. Silly thread to be honest.

This site has hit a new low. Firstly, he had absolutely no preseason. Secondly, Salem is a midfielder, not a deep forward pocket player. When he develops the engine (remember, he missed the preseason) and the strength, he will play in our midfield. He is not going to dominate in a position his game isnt suited for. Thirdly, he tackles, puts defensive pressure on and has an elite kick, everything we need. Dont get antsy just because he hasnt been the quick fix

I think it's a fair compromise. Frawley is only worth an end of first round compo pick in my opinion, but the AFL will ensure it's pick 3. Would everyone prefer picks 2, 19 (Frawley) and 20 (Priority Pick)? I'd take picks 2 & 3 (Frawley and PP rolled together) any day. Arguably Roos can turn pick 3 into two top 10 picks if he's clever. Yeah, in a perfect world the AFL would follow its own stupid rules and give us both, but we all know that won't happen. We all know by now the priorities of the AFL are elsewhere, for a certain four teams a little north of Victoria. Indeed, how abhorrent of us to ask for a priority pick, yet totally fine that in any given year the Swans have exclusive access to some of the best players in the country regardless of where they finish on the ladder? This year they'll nab a player with pick 18 who would otherwise go in the top 5.

Essendon still trying to set the agenda. Theyll be knocked back into their Little box soon enough .

This^^^^^^^^ Plenty of clubs have realised the first rounders just aren't up to it and cut their losses, the Hawks also drafted Beau Muston, Meth Coast Sampi, Pies - Egan, Cats - Tenace, Tigers -Tambling/Oakley-Nicholls you just have to make the hard decision

You're a dead set dill mate.

He was involved in two successful regimes (Sydney and St.Kilda) before he came here. So, one would assume he didn't suddenly lose his knowledge overnight. I don't think it's his fault the players are mentally fragile and used to losing (which effects running out games). I also think we've had a pretty good run with soft tissue injuries in recent times. Misson's not the problem.

Hey Jazza, Roosy wouldn't be fazed as I went up and spoke to him this arvo at the Beach Rd oval. He was there to watch his son play for Sandy Dragons. Was also good that he got a first hand look at Petracca as well as Brayshaw once again. Anyway, I stated that I was very happy to drive Watts, Frawley & Jamar to wherever he wanted me to. He just gave that wry smile and said "you'll need a big bus" He was there with the wife so I nodded and moved on.

$100 for a pie? I thought a pie at the footy was expensive...