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2014: THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS by Whispering Jack They say that in biblical times, the worst droughts lasted seven years. The droughts brought with them famine and pestilence and in some cases the desperation was so great that the people turned on each other and devoured their own. Fast forward to the present and I search for answers to the question: what did Melbourne do to deserve its current winning season drought and why, when the magical seven year period of disaster upon disaster came up at the end of 2013, did it not end there and then? After all, according to American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "into each life some rain must fall". Surely, now was the time for at least a shower or two if not a deluge? Melbourne had a new, highly paid and well credentialed coach in Paul Roos, had recruited well in the midfield with Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson and Daniel Cross coming on board and there was stability off the field with new blood at the top and a well-credentialled administrator in CEO Peter Jackson coming into his first full season at the helm. But with a record of only four wins, a slightly improved percentage and a poor finish that saw the team lose its last ten games on end, it could hardly be said that the drought was broken in 2014. By any measure, the final result has to be looked upon as more than a little disappointing and even if we did see an end to multiple defeats of the magnitude of in excess of 100 points, we are kidding ourselves if we place our faith on an improvement from the low base of 2013 when the club was in such turmoil. So what really happened to the drought breaking rain? There were ominous signs already when, early in the new year, so many important players were off the track and involved in some form of rehab. The club seemed to be hit hardest in the big man department where the bulk of its rucks and key position forwards were forced into limited preseason preparation. We saw little during this vital period of ruckmen Mark Jamar and Max Gawn while the three projected key players making up the attack Mitch Clark, Chris Dawes and Jesse Hogan were all sidelined. Clark and Hogan were destined not to play any AFL games in 2014 (Hogan was restricted to one late season VFL game) while Dawes played his first game for the season in round 4. Defender Colin Garland also missed a large slab of the pre season and made a late start to the season proper. The adverse effect of this on the club was felt at the beginning of the year by the absence of so much tall timber from a team whose depth was stretched from the outset as well as at the end when those players ran out of steam due to the lack of proper preparation. It wasn't all doom and gloom early with the Demons winning their opening NAB Challenge game against Richmond at Etihad Stadium on a night when the midfield performance was encouraging thanks to the newcomers led by Bernie Vince and a strong performance from Jack Trengove, now relieved of the mantle of captaincy. The next outing to Alice Springs against Geelong (a narrow loss) was also promising but Jesse Hogan's back injury put a dampener on things. The last of the practice matches was a thrashing by the reigning premier in the heat at Casey Fields with a much weakened side so little store was placed on that outcome. A pall was cast over the season in March with the passing at the age of 47 of former coach Dean Bailey of cancer marking the death of another from the club who departed all too young. Bailey's passing came not long after it was revealed that another former coach in Neale Daniher was battling Motor Neurone Disease. The season opened with a winnable game against St. Kilda. Melbourne dominated the early minutes before kicking itself out of the game with 10 consecutive behinds. It didn't help matters that a team so bereft of big men lost Jack Fitzpatrick and Tom McDonald (who had kept a tight rein on Nick Riewoldt early) by half time. Despite having less scoring shots, the Saints won by 17 points in the end and their skipper, left without a true match up, kicking a match winning three goals to be best on the ground. The Demons had a bad day for their first home game against the Eagles who demolished them by 93 points. With no attack to speak of the hosts were limited to four goals making it a total of 10 in two weeks. The troubles continued into round three at Spotless Stadium when they stayed in touch with the Giants until early in the last quarter. So desperate was the team for marking forwards that James Frawley was moved into attack but all to no avail. The Demons finally broke the ice in round 4 when they stunned the Blues by 23 points with Dawes starring in his return game. He kicked 2 goals as did Frawley, Bail and Watts. The team continued to show improvement but went down in consecutive games to Gold Coast and Sydney at the MCG. Much of the better form was being generated by a midfield in which Nathan Jones was relishing the captaincy and no longer having to play a lone hand with important contributions coming from from Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson and Daniel Cross. The loss of Jake Spencer to injury was offset by the return of Mark Jamar who was starting to show glimpses of his form from 2010. Jack Trengove was also missing from the side from this time on after being diagnosed with a fractured foot. Meanwhile, it was announced that Mitch Clark, who had been unable to shake off the effects of soft tissue injuries in the aftermath of foot injury had retired due to depression while it was becoming less likely that Jesse Hogan's much awaited debut would come in 2014, such was the severity of his back troubles. Despite all that, the Demons really clicked at Adelaide Oval when they upset the Crows to record a win in the City of Churches for the first time in a decade. Jack Viney was involved in a week of off field drama as he successfully fought a MRP suspension for a supposed high bump at the AFL Tribunal. On the following Saturday, the Dees fell at the last hurdle against the Bulldogs but returned to the winning list beating Richmond by 17 points. Melbourne started slowly against Port Adelaide in Alice Springs after the week's bye but recovered to give their opponents a fright, taking the lead in the final term but lacked the composure to pull off an unexpected victory against one of the ladder leaders. Melbourne was becoming known for its ability to apply defensive pressure but still struggled to penetrate opposition defences and that was certainly the story of the traditional Queens Birthday game against Collingwood. In a low scoring game, the team was well in the game but a disallowed goal to Bernie Vince after Neville Jetta played on, followed by a goal given away by an errant kick in defence late in the third term let the Pies off the hook. The Demons had such a defensive mindset that after kicking their first goal within 30 seconds, they managed just two more for the entire day. A week later, the boot was on the other foot when Melbourne wrested the initiative from Essendon late in the game. A brilliant chain of attacking football resulted in Christian Salem's match winner but it also left many wondering for the rest of the year, where the attacking flair had been hidden and where it went after that game. The excitement of the last gasp win over the Bombers who had tormented them early in the previous season should have signalled further steps forward but instead, the Demons went into a shell. They lost convincingly against North Melbourne who broke their defensive spirit with six unanswered goals in the third term and then gave away a big lead to the Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium before regaining the lead late in the third term and losing with some poor defence in the last. Two thrashings followed at the hands of Fremantle and Geelong. The team's second venture to the Adelaide Oval could easily have resulted in a boil over with a Jay Schulz goal two minutes before the final siren securing a three point win for the home side. After the bye, Melbourne again threw away a winning opportunity, this time against the Brisbane Lions with some wayward kicking for goal in front of a home crowd. Leading by 14 points into the final term, the Demons were far too defensive and some poor skills allowed the visitors to storm home. By now, even Paul Roos was feeling the strain, somehow blaming the defeat on the tanking saga of 2009. Given that five years had elapsed and the team make up was substantially changed, he wasn't particularly convincing. From there, the side lurched home without much passion or interest and, on the way it put in a disgraceful display at home to the Giants kicking 3.16.34 to 15.8.98. The writing was on the wall for a number of players and a large list of delistings at the end of the season was a foregone conclusion. In the final game against North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium, the shackles were off and the team managed to record its highest score for the season but still lost by five goals to bring its losing streak at the ground to 20 matches. To add insult to injury (Max Gawn's knee), Chris Dawes got himself needlessly suspended for a week to be served in round 1 of 2015. Over at Casey, the Scorpions experienced their worst season since the start of their alignment with Melbourne, resulting in the appointment of new coach Justin Plapp and a recruiting campaign to improve the depth of their VFL listed playing group. The entire football world was shocked on 2 October to learn of the passing of Demon great Robert Flower at the age of 59. To a generation of Melbourne fans after the Norm Smith era, Robbie was regarded as the Demons' only champion; one of the game's true gentlemen, a man loved by all and one who personified extreme loyalty to the club. Off the field, stability was restored at board level under club president Glen Bartlett although some felt he was being a trifle ambitious when he stated he wanted the Melbourne Football Club to be like the New York Yankees. The club recorded a modest profit and located the 1948 premiership flag through EBay even though it didn't know it was missing. Nathan Jones stamped himself as one of the club's greats with his third consecutive Keith "Bluey" Truscott Memorial Trophy, a worthy club champion and potentially outstanding club leader going forward. Newcomers Dom Tyson, Bernie Vince and Daniel Cross all finished in the top five in club voting with a mature and much improved Lynden Dunn finishing fourth after an excellent season in defence. Other improvers in defence were Neville Jetta and high flyer Jeremy Howe who adapted well when moved there early in the season. There was still much work to do after a year in which the club finished next to last, failed to win a "home" game or reach 100 points all year and recorded its lowest average score since 1920. The club had no Rising Star nominees and not a single player in the 40 man All-Australian short list (having produced All Australian players only once in the duration of its now eight year drought). The trade and draft period saw a number of changes to the primary and rookie lists with the majority of the departures being players whose performances were not considered up to scratch or whose careers were marred by injuries and a couple of retirements. James Frawley was the best of those to leave but his best was from four years ago and although he finished in the top ten in the club best and fairest this year, many were disappointed with his contribution as a leading player and most were happy for the club to receive the AFL's compensation for his loss to Hawthorn as a free agent. We still can't be certain as to when the drought will be over but with most pundits expressing approval of the club's off season recruiting and most players getting through the end of year training period safely, we can look forward with a little more optimism at the silver lining behind the clouds that will hopefully bring us some drought breaking rain and a more positive outlook for 2015.

The clean out of NQRs was the best thing yet. Nailing Brayshaw, Petracca, HL and Frost will prove to be a stroke of genius.

Of course. As a footballer you should train 24/7 so if supporters ever spot you having some fun you won't be deemed to be 'unprofessional'.

Demonland members have used up their goodwill down here. Well ,that is to say,you have used it up for everybody.

They say the Export and Swan tastes even better when sitting in their Bali themed backyard, complete with authentic Bali hut and fire pit.

Matt Jones has only missed 2 possible games since he joined Melbourne, see the latest article on the website. He is obviously a coaches favourite and will play if fit.

A fit Jesse Hogan A fit and running Jimmy Toumpas Second efforts from Jack Watts Injury free year for Tyson and Jones (again) 40 goals from Jeff Gartlett No one leaving as a free agent Wins to excite my kids A few Jeremy Howe screamers 8 wins ...as a minimum A win over Collingwood on Queens Birthday Jack Viney winning the Brownlow

Thanks for running the comp Macca. It certainly broadened my interest in the season as a whole rather than just the teams I have an interest in. I'll start the post season comp. Going away in a couple of weeks & internet access might be questionable Steelers 24 - Ravens 17 Indianapolis 31 - Bengals 17 Dallas 34 - Detroit 27 Carolina 31 - Arizona 13

A man goes to the doctor for his wife's test results. Mr Smith : "I'm here for Mrs Smith's test results." Receptionist : "Oh, I'm sorry Mr Smith, there's been a problem. We have two sets of test results for a Mrs Smith and we don't know which belongs to your wife..... I'm afraid it's bad news or terrible news. One test shows Alzheimer's Disease, the other shows Aids!" Mr Smith: "That's awful! What should I do?" Receptionist: "The doctor suggests you drop her off in the middle of town. If she finds her way home, don't shag her." (Found this on an Irish joke website, doesn't really have anything to do with Ireland or the Irish, oh well).

Yes ... you can tell it's the off season ... but take a closer look (and I don't mean at the model) ~ Is this the world's hottest bikini? Despite the penury of those days in Honkers, I'm sure he was more comfortable there than he was in New York on 9/11. I could barely recognise him from the photo but it's nice to see that he's found some good company.

Seriously cb haven't u learnt anything from playing kids too early

truck and brayshaw will be lambs to the slaughter

True..... on both counts. Hardly surprising Biff. BBO has a long history at the Gat that predates both of our existences I suspect.

Do something charitable for once in your life Biff. Shout Moonie half an hour with one of your girls. He'll either man up or die.

Moonie still collects the Target underwear catalogue that comes in the mail. What you need to understand is that Moonie is from a more simple time and place.He has retained his innocence and should not be judged on the same moral principles that you hold dearly.(none whatsoever)

Jeezus! Just saw their website. Are they legal? FMD....

Not to mention Oscar, Newton, Stretch, Garlett, Vandenberg and White!

Assuming it's one of Watson or Burns to go, Agar slots in at 8 with Ryano at 9 (what a luxury), with everyone from Johnson up to shimmy up a spot for mine. Interesting choice - he hasn't stood out at Shield level, though I have trust in the group in charge of the team at present, so if they say so. I'd just like to take this opportunity to declare my man-love for Ryan Harris. He's proven to be a truly dependable, tough, aggressive player. His journey has been amazing too - was a genuine B grader until his very late 20s - just goes to show that it's never too late to hit ones straps in this sport. Even with his wrecked body I reckon Ryano for 1/2-3/4 of a series is better than a whole series of the next best.

good choice, nice that u left out frost I agree also, is unproven as yet, like howe up forward, maybe swap jones for cross and truck for brayshaw

He's quick for his height and big arse, but nothing special. He has got solid skills as you guys have seen from the highlights, I always think he looks a bit rushed but, more often than not, they hit the target. His vision and dynamism is what set him apart from the many fit plodders at the few NEAFL games I went to. I won't go out on a limb, it's tough to make the grade and he might only get this year to do it, such is life on the Rookie List - a lot can go right, and a lot can go wrong. I hope he is asked to compete with the bottom four midfielders for a spot in the rotation (M Jones, Salem, Bail, Newton, Michie, Riley, McKenzie, and the kids from this draft) rather than asked to play another role. He is a pure, 'go and get it' mid in NEAFL and that is why he was drafted, let's see how he goes.

Yep, he'd be kicking himself. A couple of early wickets and this could be interesting.

AFL players can be pretty deluded. In fact that' true of local footballers. I've never met on that thought they should've been dropped. But if Grimes is perceptive about his game he would realise his form was poor in 2014 and a chance to be dropped. Therefore he couldn't continue as captain. I don't think you can have a captain in and out of the team. If Roos and co had to push Grimes to make that decision then so be it.

You are getting way off track tbh. I agree that Grimes' spot comes under question this season but that's not the topic. Do you think Grimes WILL be dropped for Round 1? Not should. Will. Because that's the topic. Predicting who WILL be selected for Round 1.

You've got to feel for the bloke ... in the previous over it looked like he'd got the message that we were declaring shortly. Then Hazlewood comes out to bat? Anyway, with the declaration we can probably set attacking fields for as long as we need to - India have to go for it but will they? They'd have to score 384 in 70 overs. Big ask. Edit: 70 overs minimum

Shaun Marsh! Noooooooooooo. Shattered.

Was in Darwin in the 70s and all beer was imported by boat {the melbourne trader i think}anyways most sensible humans only drank victorian beer,The occasional fool drank xxxx,After a wharfie strike and all victorian beer gone from pubs,we resorted to drinking xxxx.Some fool actually paid for southwick and got laughed outta town. They couldnt even give that ginspi55 away.except for western aussies with no taste.for beer or life

aaahhhh outback ginspi55, Emu,Southwick,Swan lager. Nothing better than an ex Victorian FIFO,telling locals how good their beer is.Especially when they are from Corio,Broadmedows and other such centres of excellence.

I'm from WA and manage tongs and a beer. I was born in Melbourne though so that could explain it. I'm surprised he enjoys Cascade, normally the favoured beer over here is Emu Export. The bogan FIFO worker loves smashing down a cold Export after a hard days work.

Agree with the heat bit. Not sure if he could hold a stubbie and tongs at the same time.After all he's a western australian. Isnt this time of the year good for discussing the important things.

The high temperature could be due to the fact he's sealing it first and gaining a nice crust on the outside before turning down the heat. As for the beer, I'm guessing he's holding one.

Santa is real.

The gas is too high....

Me too ... I'm left wondering why we haven't got a trophy to play for when we play South Africa. It's one of the biggest rivalries in world cricket - we should play them more often too (4 tests minimum)

Strongly agree. Worksafe is behaving very astutely IMHO. They will come in with a killer blow when all the grandstanding has been exhausted. I am constantly amazed from the comments on here how people constantly look for conspiracy theorist behaviours from official bodies. Mostly they have behaved with considerable integrity, unlike the conspiratorial hird crowd. The contrast is considerable.

Always pictured you as a craft beer, hipster kinda guy Uncle Bitter. However, if your avatar has been taken recently then you've clearly gone through quite a transformation since. I take it you are drinking vodka Shirly Temples these days. Nice.

What does the "number killed" have to do with #illridewithyou? The originator had done this to offer some support (more moral than physical) based on her encounter with a woman who was afraid to wear her headscarf as she was concerned she would become a target of misguided anger. The originator did not set this up as a campaign, but rather it grew organically as a result of enough other like minded people adopting the hashtag in a show of support. It only became a "campaign" after the press got onto it and a few "celebrities" got on board. The original idea was a good one and it is a fact that it is generally women wearing the islamic headwear that are targeted as they are easily identified. I would think that the reason the Cronulla riots were raised above was because it showed that events such as the siege and its subsequent deaths can have violent repercussions and that it is often innocent people who are the victims purely because of some misguided sense of outrage.

India have had their chances right throughout this series. I wonder whether they'll take their chance this time?

Ok I'll make it 5 out of 10

yours or mine?

10 out of 10 for effort but take away 6 points for making it public, unnecessary imo and undoes his good work, end result 4 out of 10

Good post Gonzo but we might be able to ink in an agreement with the Tigers to swap home games with them annually (the game is earmarked to be played on Anzac eve as well) Next season Richmond get the home game but we might get the home game in 2016 (and so on and so forth) We've got our foot in the door and by the looks of it the game just needs a decent crowd and then AFL approval to have the game played annually ... AFL Fixture 2015: Richmond and Melbourne to clash in Anzac Eve showdown If we could snag home games against the Blues, Dons & Hawks in 2016 that would give us 5 home games against the "big 5" Gotta help the coffers with a draw like that - especially if the team starts winning games consistently.

I agree that no one wants to see their favourite player leave and young players should not dictate where they want to go, but if we didn't trade in Tyson, Dawes, Vince, Cross, maybe Michie, Pedo and Riley, and this year Lumumba, Frost maybe Newton, we'd be stuffed. Sure Frawley and Rivers are a loss, but given how poor we've been on and off the field, it's not unexpected. What is terrible is the Boyd trade from GWS to WB as it was controlled by the player and not the clubs Anyway, my point is that player trades are an increasing part of the AFL landscape. There needs to be a compromise between player freedom and responsibility towards the club that has invested in their initial AFL development

My understanding is they are technically suspended now BUT they are still training at the club AND some have played in the international rules series. Surely the IR matches at the least mean that provisional suspension cannot be considered in place before those matches. Similarly, their first NAB cup game is March 6, I assume they'll have the Tribunal findings by then but if not and they play, surely the start date resets. Edit: in short, I'd like to know if Essendon will be able to keep stalling the process through appeals etc or if we are now at that critical point.

hmmn

here are some selections........safewayis still open if you hurry......i presume even romsey has one Tuberous root Amorphophallus galbra (Yellow lily yam) Conopodium majus (pignut or earthnut) Dioscorea opposita (nagaimo, Chinese yam, Korean yam) Hornstedtia scottiana (Native ginger) Ipomoea batatas (sweet potato) Ipomoea costata (desert yam) Manihot esculenta (cassava or yuca or manioc) Mirabilis extensa (mauka or chago) Psoralea esculenta (breadroot, tipsin, or prairie turnip) Smallanthus sonchifolius (yacón)

Funny story was talking to a young fella who was traveling up and playing footy up this way. He played Stingrays with Zac. Apparently he interviewed so well at the draft with all clubs except Collingwood. He was straight up and told them that they were the last club he would want to play for due to their supporters after what they did to this dad couple of years ago, he and the family haven't forgotten about it and were promised by the Collingwood footy club something would be done about these maggots and to this day are still waiting ... Hates them with an absolute passion and he defiantly made sure that they knew about it too. Wouldn't want to mess with all three Jones brothers now. Apparently Young Zac can seriously throw a few.

I chucked this on a Facebook page recently. Our depth chart post draft and positions based on this. Two things I'd change, 1. Grimes out now he isn't captain, 2. Kent in (oversight when creating this the first time) Also Gawn, Spencer and King should be found under 'depth'

Yes

To the VFL. Where we "may" be competitive.