Leaderboard

Take 8: Best of the rest => https://six6six.smugmug.com/Monday-Take-8/n-VtHMMQ A small gallery to finish off this exercise. I'm off on a short beak now to recharge the batteries for the coming year. Hope you've all enjoyed this little indulgence of mine. Enjoy the New Year festivities and keep safe. The boys are back on Monday and the footy is just around the corner See you in the New Year. Go Dees,

This is what Knightmare said of Oliver on his draft board on bigfooty a couple of weeks before the draft. Whatever you think of him it makes for good reading “Others noticed Oliver before I did, but I may have been one of the few to move him up high earlier and move him up as extremely high as I have. And next update I'll even have Oliver ahead of Schache and my second rated non-academy player after only Weitering. Just such an exceptional contested ball winner and stoppage player. Moves well. Ball use good by hand and foot. Can go forward and take a mark and offer scoreboard impact. He can be one of the very best in this draft. I'll be interested to see at the end of the day where AFL clubs rate Oliver and whether anyone rates him nearly as highly as I do”. And then the day before the draft he released a combined top 10 of the last two drafts. Given a number of players in this list have already played good AFL footy Knightmare has a fair opinion of our new mid. “Clayton Oliver (VIC – MID) Jacob Hopper (NSW - GWS ACADEMY - MID) Jacob Weitering (VIC – KPD) Christian Petracca (VIC – Mid/Fwd) Angus Brayshaw (VIC – Mid) Isaac Heeney (Syd – Academy - NSW – Mid) Callum Mills (NSW - SYDNEY ACADEMY – MID) Darcy Moore (Coll - F/S – VIC – KPF/KPD) Patrick McCartin (VIC - KPF) Joshua Schache (VIC – KPF)” Pro Dee passed on from his brother. You have to love this description from training on the 11th Dec “Oliver was pitted against ANB, and Jones and Petracca went head to head. Petracca and Jones pretty much squared the ledger. Oliver beat ANB at least 9 times out of 10. He was adamant it was that lopsided, such was Oliver's effectiveness.” Surely it has to be time that the footy gods smile on us. Our 2014 drafting is shaping to be possibly our best ever. If this years crop, particularly Clayton, can match it we will be well on the way to playing finals consistently in the near future.

9 games in 2016, rising star nomination, one finals game, 2017 rising star win, also a 2017 grand final performance in a premiership winning side... that'll do...

Well yes and no. As others have pointed out, when he runs to position, he is often ignored or given a poor pass. He is not great at the hard stuff, I agree and that can be very frustrating for the fans, but not all players are. Hopefully he improves that part of his game. Where he is useful is in being one of the leading goal assists in the team, which he is, being a great kick for goal and around the field and a player who rarely takes the wrong option. He will now need to work harder, which hopefully he will do in a better Demons side, which we now have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipRmUx-W13I

In addition to the many good points made by previous posters, I also think that our team's evolution to a more offensive game style, and the coaching influence of Goodwin as he progressively assumes more responsibility, will determine how our midfield is rated over the course of 2016. Personally, I think the 'scribes' will be rating our mids top 10 by season's end.

Lacking the motivation to go to sleep right now, I had a look on a USB I had sitting around and discovered us vs Collingwood on there. Round 18 that is. It's funny looking back and remembering watching it live. I seem to recall commenting on here about it being a stereotypical Melbourne start to the game. There's a dodgy free kick directly in front of Collingwood's goal to open the scoring. Nathan Jones tries to show leadership by playing on blindly and getting into trouble. Grimes takes a little too long with the ball and winds up kicking it out on the full. Fortunately, this is the incarnation of the Demons that was starting to show that they can hold their own in this weight division and rather than dropping their collective bundle they were able to keep their [censored] together and play like footballers after the first few minutes. I'm quite looking forward to the rest of it.

Dear Demonland, Just had a thought. Would a separate forum dedicated to the women's game be appropriate? Would there be enough support amongst fellow Demonlanders for such a move? It's an exciting time for Melbourne having been at the forefront of female footy by sponsoring the local league for many years and their performances in the exhibition games has been incredible. With each year and each exhibition game I've noticed a real shift in the thinking of the average Demonlander. There seems to be a genuine acceptance of and excitement about female footy in general and the role we could play in the proposed 2017 National Competition. I'd be interested to hear from the owners and moderators of the site and the Demonland populace as to whether this is a good idea and one that would garner sufficient support to make it worthwhile. I'd be happy to moderate the forum. Cheers

I want to support the women's game, but I think if it were kept on a separate forum I'd never look at it.

I believe we will exceed this prediction and I truly hope I'm right. The thing about 2016 which will lift us up these rankings and up the ladder will be the improvement in service from big Maxy plus the time our talented youngsters have had under the tutelage of Roos Goodwin and Mc Cartney. We get the feeling that our young emerging mids are really driven to succeed and leave their mark on the competition. I think all the ones mentioned have got the wherewithal to actually do it. Inshallah !!!!!

Played 11 games in his first year on the list......Often as the sub which equates to a quarter here and a quarter there. Did some very good things in matches and also panicked a few times as he got used to the tempo. I feel that he will be a very good player for us in the future. He is only nineteen.

Apologies for not replying earlier Red, I thought I had but it appears it is lost in the ether somewhere or merely a figment of my imagination. I think that's a very good and fair summary. It's a pity that many see things as being so black and white and can't give credit where it is due. When critiquing Joe it is just mean spirited not to recognise his contribution in both money and commitment. He struck me as being a man of extremes which probably doesn't suit a membership based organisation but he played a meaningful part in our history which not many can claim. Thanks for for your response Red.

Correct, the other thing he is doing is creating space and often draws an opponent. Nothing worse than when at the footy, watts has lead to open space is looked to be used, poor kick by a team mate resulting in a turn over and then some bozo in the crowd "that's your man watts". Pet hate

And you think that is wrong? Running to a spot where he can get the ball, is a fault of his? Sounds smart to me. Now let me think about that, run for the easy pass, in other words make position, or run to somewhere dangerous, where my team mate might struggle with his skills to get it to me, or it may be knocked away and the other side rebound and goal. Dunstall made a career out of it. Look back at the replays and you will see him Dunstall leading away from the pack and the ball carrier, for a soft chip pass. Got most of his goals that way.

That was a statement win by us. For years the pies have treated us like a joke, to the point that some of their fans would stay away from queens birthday games as the result would be beyond doubt before the opening bounce.

There's no doubt you're right, however, I've always been excited by young players coming to the club - finals or no finals. It's the regeneration of a club and a glimpse into the future. I'll never tire of seeing quality players start their career.

Probably longer ago except for the fact that the club was ruined by incompetent management from the board down. No one is expecting Clayton Oliver or Sam Weideman to drag us out of the s...., this has already started but these kids will add to the structure that has now been started. I will be disappointed if we don't move into the 6 - 12 region of the ladder next season and I think only injury will hold us back.

I suspect the crowd will stop obsessing about draft picks once: a) we play some finals so we have other things to get excited about b) we play finals so we don't have a top 10 pick (less exciting than pick 3) c) we have 25+ regular senior players who everyone thinks are better options for round 1 than an untried 17 year old who gets drafted (will be accelerated if the 17 year old is ranked 10-15 rather than 1-7)

No, not really. But I agree with you. I think Garland will have his best year in 2016.

I love the tackle at the ~8 min mark of Varcoe being tackled. Then camera goes to Buckley and you can see him mouth "What the f*** is that?". I won't lie, my first reaction was to chuckle and imagine Buckley thinking that he just saw Watts tackle someone.

Surely Goodwin would want to be drawing parallels with Smith, not Roos. lf we are to be dragged out of the mire and toward glory, he will be the one to do it. His appointment will determine our fate more than most. And I'm very happy that for the first year in many, I do not hope or expect our draftees to come in & play any significant role in 2016.

would like to think so, but there isn't the longevity factor

Good idea in theory, but to me the women's team is still part of the Melbourne Football Club. This part of the forum is here to discuss the club, not just the team, and they are a big part of it. They don't need their own forum as we can still have plenty of discussion here and include them in that.

Joe did some good things for the club and he did some bad things as well. Such is life. He tipped in plenty of money, oversaw a Grand Final appearance and had a hand in hiring Daniher. He did things for his own benefit though and had to go for the good of the club, even though Szondy was bloody awful. There aren't many former Melbourne presidents who can say they were in charge when we played off in a Grand Final though.

I always remember some of the events of that time some more clearly than others Joe stood at the microphone and in front of the numbers men who had arranged the charade stated You say you have examined all the options and you have asked everyone for help But you havent asked me. Indeed they had not and it is doubtful if they had asked anyone outside of their narrow cabal. The supporters were not consulted and displayed their displeasure to apparent surprise. I did meet Joe at a match (on the Presidents table at a Richmond match) a year later and he had nothing but enthusiasm for the club, no condemnation with the actions of those he criticised but an obvious pleasure that the the club continued to exist in its own right. There were elements of the Establishment and a new order but Joe never dwelt on that. he did make a contribution to the club (a very generous one in $ terms) and while he was not perfect not many are. I will always think fondly of him and hope that he still finds some enjoyment in escaping from the reality of his other activities by watching the Dees competing. Hopefully the players can provide some success in that activity.

It's early days as you say 'Dee' so we will know more after the break but from what little I've seen he hasn't looked out of place. He's a competitor that's one thing for sure...

A couple of nice grabs in there too! had to laugh though when the accurate one Leigh Matthews said how good his hands are. The anti watts faction - woops i know people don't being labelled Watts bashers for pointing out his flaws - will point out his career highlights seem pretty short

Maybe a few of the naysayers should view this footage! I suspect that they will accuse binman of doctoring up the footage however as it contains a) contested possessions, b) tackles and c) elite disposal, all of which should prove a revelation to many on this site!

like your veil of negativity

I reckon leave it as it is then during the season, add 1 extra player every 5 weeks dependent on form and merit

I'm probably not the best judge of how there going in the preseason. They look better to me each year with the exception of one M Neeld's 2nd year. I did have a brief chat to Brendan McCartney and he reckons they're going to be all right. Said there is a real trust developing between the group which was totally lacking when he arrived.

You need to revisit it watching "press red for ed" in the last quarter for maximum effect....

Love Grimes for his endeavour, but how could you have him in the side when he repeatedly makes the mistakes he did in that match? i know he's under immense pressure, but you need someone in that position who won't succumb so readily & often.

BB I don't doubt that Joe saw a lot of publicity for himself and his businesses when he got involved in the merger. I also think that when he got the Presidency, it was also about him fitting in, in an area where Orthodox Jews don't normally get involved. So a lot of it was to do with Joe personally. He is a MFC supporter, but obviously limited in his attendance at matches. He was clearly head hunted because of his wealth, to get involved in the anti merger group. I just think he did a few good things for the MFC, one of which was a massive donation of $2.75m, which no one in the history of footy has got close to and he deserves credit for that. I don't think he would have enjoyed the election and all it involved, personal attacks, being defeated and sent packing. While he would have got plenty of good publicity in the early days, in the last days it was not the same. As many of us who have served on Boards and in particular Footy Boards know, it can be a thankless and stressful task.

Redleg what do you think Joe's motives were when he got involved in the merger? Do you think it was his love of the MFC or was it something else? I don't really agree. When Joe declared the salary cap breaches rumour had it that the AFL didn't want the situation made public. Rightly or wrongly they wanted the situation swept under the carpet. I'm not sure if the rumour is true but the information I have came from a reliable and senior source. The game had been tarnished by the breaches and they had been dealt with and the issue was "dead" at the time Joe declared us in breach. The AFL were of course forced to act. Joe supporters will naturally believe that "honesty is the best policy" but others believe that the declaration had everything to do with improving Joe's corporate image. Joe has always led a colourful business career and his declaration of our guilt seems strangely out of character with how he conducted his other businesses. I think a better comparison for the salary cap breaches is the tanking enquiry. In both cases the competition was worse off for the exposure and the AFL had no interest in pursuing either situation publicly. The issues were largely dealt with and any further management would have been in house. The drug situation at Essendon is in a completely different class as it put peoples lives at risk and needed to be dealt with firmly and publicly.

And we lose yet another legend of the Australian music scene...sad news indeed http://www.noise11.com/news/music-news-r-i-p-easybeats-legend-stevie-wright-1947-2015-20151227

The best thing about 2016 for Jack is that he is irrelevant. He is not the saviour he is nobody. Time for Jack to cement a spot

I said 4 of those 6, so clearly nothing hinges on any 2 of them. Lumumba had a shocker last year, I expect significant improvement this year. Unlike you and others I haven't written Grimes off yet, just like I never gave up on Nev Jetta. Grimes played ok last season, his confidence is still shot though. When he gets the ball his first thought is to not stuff up, so he takes too long looking for the safest option. He needs to think less. I'm not sure he can get over the scars of his career so far but if he does he'll be best 22 for sure.

Thread heading into unchartered territory.

Yeah that downhill slide that took us to a Grand Final....

Joe was never one to back away from a battle and it looks like he's going as far as he can with this one. A fascinating character in Melbourne's history. He took the opportunity to lead the fight against the merger in 1996 when approached by Brian Dixon. Whilst the official result voted in favour of the merger many argue there were such anomalies in the count we (Joe) would have challenged it in court had the Hawks not rejected the proposal and saved our bacon. I remember after the vote feeling that Joe had the opportunity to galvanize our club which he did for a time. He appointed Neale Daniher and we had some fantastic times under his leadership but by 2001 with many influential (and normal) supporters and members of his own Board dissatisfied with his leadership it all hit the fan. Joe threatened a spill of the Board mid season but thankfully that was averted and he lost the subsequent election battle with Szondy, who I backed, and who was to turn out to be the worst Chairman in recent times. Joe put a lot of money into the club but sadly his style was confrontational and controversial with his many battles with the AFL doing little to help our cause. He decided to expose our salary cap rorts (overseen by guess who - Cam Schwab) when the AFL had no interest in them causing many to question his motives. He exposed them by getting his own lawyers to audit our payments but the auditors report, as I understand it, was never tabled with the Board and his Board were unaware that he was going to have a news conference exposing the breaches. I think I'm right in saying all this but perhaps either Redleg or WJ would like to comment as I think at the time they were quite close to Joe. Of course it's all water under the bridge but as Whispering Jack has said on so many occasions - if you ignore the lessons of history you are prone to repeat them. I still believe that our greatest failing has been having Chairmen who did not necessarily have MFC as their primary motive for holding the position. Joe arguably led the rest of the field in this respect but he was a larger than life character who certainly made life interesting and promoted our club. Anyway thankfully after many years the AFL has taken control and we have a fantastic CEO and a Board who know their role and I think we can be as confident in our future now as at any time since the AFL was formed.

I can't agree. Life membership is for 10 years service. Col played for the dees for 10 years. Its not a value based award and doesn't cheapen the honor for Jones, or any one else, in the slightest. And jeez louise its not as if Col is an axe murderer

Col Sylvia played 157 games and kicked 129 goals for the Melbourne Football Club in probably the worst period for the footy club. (Tanking..Lack of money....Poor admin....Poor team) It is interesting that so many people love to stick the boots in to a player that did not meet their expectations. He also gave 10 years service. People say he was a party boy, lazy, injured, not up to it. It takes all types to make up a footy team or else we should just use robots. It is so easy to sit in the stands or watch on TV and think we are so much better. (usually after a few beers) So.....I say well done Col on your life membership and you are always welcome at the footy club

J.Brown was a captain.

Strange ideal. Star forward.Hogan is more J Brown. Not a captain. Leave him be.

Jesse is captain material for sure, he doesn't settle, drives his own standards

I haven't decided what I'm going to do with the banner this year. Still ironing out bugs, putting out fires and moving the furniture around.

It was only an early glimpse, but I liked the look of him at training. He reads the play really well at a stoppage and loves bursting clear. A nice touch was Jesse wandering over under his own volition and joining in two or three stoppage drills with the newbies and Brett Allison. After one of them he had the groups attention for 30 seconds or so as he gave some tutelage. He then wandered off somewhere else. He has an unmistakeable leadership quality.

Cheers KC! I've been a long time follower of this forum, decided I had to join! A mate of mine actually helps manage this Jaffer-Williams kid, and when I heard there was some potential in Casey going for him I jumped straight on the bandwagon. I'm very excited about the possibilities, we've got a Kennedy-Harris, a Neal-Bullen... would make for a fitting hyphen brigade with Jaffer-Williams on board haha. But in all seriousness my mate thinks this kid is good enough to crack a rookie list, and it's his kicking that will ultimately decide whether he makes it or not. From what I heard they're looking to start him in the development league but he will get his opportunities. I've tried to get as much info as I can, but it's very hard to get a word out of him. It's an exciting though, I love an underdog story and it's fantastic seeing us take a punt on the underdog. Apparently he's lightning quick, very agile and chases and tackles like his life depended on it. From what I've been told they are going to seriously work on his kicking and if he can get it right he'll become a very handy player for us. Promising that he can run distance too, very aerobically sound for an indigenous prospect. Btw, he plays as a small forward and gets used through the wings at times. I haven't actually seen him play live myself but that's the feedback I've gotten about him. Hopefully I'll get to a few games to watch him.

This is absolutely it - You look at the Hawks last year - they wanted big seasons from Roughhead, Mitchell, Lewis, Rioli. Our expectation rose and fell on the back of a 20 year old forward who was in his first year of football.