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Roos' leadership in this organisation has been profound and will remain long lasting. This club was a basket case....now, it's professional. He deserves every last red cent. There, I've said it!

roos said from day 1 the plan was to develop a handover coach. part of that must mean handing some of the reins over to the coach in-waiting whilst roos is still there you can't complain when all roos is doing is executing the plan that was always the strategy whether goodwin turns out to be the coach we all want/need only time will tell, but at the moment all is going to plan

I personally don't think there was anyone else out there, apart from someone unrealistic like Clarkson, who could have gotten us to this point right now. We were so far behind the rest that we were in danger of become irrelevant for a very, very long time. Roos has changed that immensely. He has turned over the list, the club has drafted and traded well and we are just beginning to see the fruits of his labour. Saying that Roos is'phoning in' his third year is a little harsh but, at the same time, he should be handing the reigns over to Goodwin more so once the pre-season of 2017 rolls around we hit the ground running. I understand the negativity, although you did go negative very quickly on most things these days, but I don't think there is anyone else out there who could have made the impact that Roos has over just a couple of seasons.

Alright, I'll bite. Roos was paid a premium, helped in part by the AFL, but as stated above he has played a big role (with Peter Jackson) in beginning to turn the club around. We've still got plenty of hard work ahead by I don't think anyone else could have coached us to 7 wins last year, and we could have had 10 if we hadn't given up a few easy games. Vince and Cross are excellent recruits. Lumumba, I'll agree, has been poor so far. Melksham can't be considered a bust yet, or overpriced for that matter. We've also been able to draft some excellent players in his time at the club, although that obviously doesn't sit solely at his feet. No one approaching A grader? I would have thought we had a number of players with that potential. Hogan, McDonald, Brayshaw, Viney, Gawn... they aren't there yet, but they have the potential to get there. Lastly - I have no idea why you still support Melbourne. In 600 odd posts I've never seen you even try and to say something positive about the club in any way, shape or form. That's sad really.

I watched the Open Mike episode with Robbie Flower for the first time recently (brillinat TV btw) and he was asked about Barassi. Robbie said that even though they weren't successful whilst he was coach the success of the late 80's and 90s would not have occurred if not for his influence. Said he introduced a much more professional culture from preparation, training habits, mindset and game day.His legacy was the culture he built. Said when he first arrived he stripped everything back to basics, for example doing kicking drills and using both feet. Sounds very familiar.

My perception has always been Roos was brought in almost as more of a "club consultant" rather than a coach in the traditional sense. He's working to make sure the culture is ingrained, the staff are top quality and on the same page, and the players have good habits (his buzzword). I'm banking on his influence being more long lasting and sustained from his expertise in culture and habit-forming, rather than expecting an immediate impact. I was hoping for that big turnaround, but I've tempered my expectations for it to be more gradual and long lasting than immediate and quickly dissipated.

I don't understand the concern here. As has been stated, it was always part of the plan that Roos would oversee the succession of the coaching position in much the same way as he handed over the reins at Sydney to John Longmire. It worked there and, although there are no guarantees, he's fulfilling what he set out to do when appointed and it seems to be working. If the transition works as well as it did at the Swans, I think we'll all be happy and there's no reason at this stage to believe that its not going smoothly.

Re Burgan, I appreciate the club making an effort. I don't look for much more than that, and am not disappointed.

Roos has done a great job, but is only 2/3 of his way through his term as coach. My sense of this season is that it's all ready to click into a higher gear, our pre-season is about game plans and a balanced attack and defence, instead of the grinding fitness/strength catch up focus of the past couple of years Max Gawn has finally arrived and is ready and capable to give us first touch more often Our midfield is finally running deep and with talent, if still a bit raw. Our defence is solid and very experienced Our attack unearthed a couple of goal kicking gems (Hogan and Garlett) with more to add (Kent, Petracca, Weideman) Our next coach is in his second year as assistant, knows the players club and is starting to implement his game style Our current coach is an icon in his last year having restored some pride to the Red and Blue. I reckon this season will be a ripper and Roos is at the centre of it.

Well.....There goes her accreditation .....Oh wait......... She doesn't have one, so she can say what she wants, without the AFL coming down on her. Go Rita

I thought this thread was about Petracca. On SEN this morning Roos was confident he'll be playing somewhere in round 1, which would be a god result.

It's important that the on-field & off-field stuff is unified and working together. It's also important that each person & each area know what role they play and don't meddle in areas they shouldn't. Jackson has been the key appointment and everything else has been generated from there. His role can't be underplayed. As for 'Roos people', I think we have seen Goodwin put his stamp on recent appointments with McCartney & Jennings...Experience is key but also not at the expense of developing new people like Cross. We got it badly wrong in the Neeld era having a lot inexperience around the club. This is the first thing Jackson addressed and partly why Roos brought Stone in for the short term. We seem to have the balance right, let's hope we keep it that way...

Gee, is good to have you back. Not just for your excellent first-hand accounts, but who else could coin a phrase like "he has actually toned his sinew" and get away with it?

we couldn't get a priority pick after 37 wins in 8 seasons inc over 10 100 point losses within the two years, because we were found not guilty of tanking. Essendon get found guilty of drug cheating and get 10 top up players and a pick 1 handed to them we aren't dealing with common sense.

As I see it (admittedly through a slightly alcoholic haze), the Roos legacy will be measured in both the short and longer terms. The short-term is well on track, and gets a bold tick from me. There is still one full season to go, but right now I could hardly be happier with the apparent transformation of our playing list, the quality of our coaching panel, the seemingly dramatic improvement in our culture and our (first time ever) professional approach to player development. Our Club is no longer the laughing stock of the competition that it was when Roos agreed to take on what at that time was the ultimate coaching challenge in the AFL. There has been a quantum leap forward imo, and I can't think of anyone who would have done a better job as Senior Coach in those circumstances than Paul Roos. He is exactly what our Club needed at the time! In 2017, responsibility for the longer term will fall to Goodwin, but I have every confidence that the key planks of the Roos influence will be embedded in 'the way we do things' for a long time to come, and that with a pinch of good fortune, it could lead to the success that we all crave. Roos (and his compatriot Peter Jackson) will deserve enormous credit should that occur during the Goodwin tenure as our senior coach.

Ol' Rita... Well she's ruffling feathers big-time now. Go you goodgirl. Often disagree about some of her points but her appraisal of the boys club sporting cartel is on the money. I love footy. I'm ashamed of the AFL.

There's plenty of valid reasons to be critical of Roos. But you can't appoint a successor and then be criticised for stepping back and letting that successor take up some of the workload. There's no way to have Goodwin learn and prepare without it and there's no way for Roos to oversee the program and stay as the head coach for the year if he doesn't have the title, responsibility and pay packet. I remember when Clarkson was sick 2 years ago people from Hawthorn said Clarko hadn't run a training session in years and I bet no one is critical of Clarkson for it. I'm glad Roos is still the senior coach this year and I think it's vital he is and equally vital he spreads his time over a variety of roles and not physically overseeing training drills.

agreed... the pull to work with Roos has been attractive to players and assistant coaches alike at a time when the club was decidely on the nose. Would vince or Garlett or Harry be with us if not for Roos? Would McCartney have got on board? Roos has been massive for the club in so many ways. Worth every cent imo.

I've been off the vino for a couple of weeks - one of my irregular health breaks. If it wasn't for that I'd reckon I was hallucinating! Curry and Stu and Wise all agreeing and OD and Dr Hopping Dick adding likes!!! Back to the grog for me. EDIT. Stu's above post returned a semblance of reality.

My new job is really good, for a job of course, some of the places I have worked didn't give it much competition......get to training now and again, trying for at least once a fortnight, if not more Choke, watching Hogan train, when he is not having a light day, is frightening, he is a big man now, but his running has not been affected at all, he has put on about another 3 or 4kg, think they want him playing at around 98-100kg, a lot of the players look really strong now compared to past years, there are some serious builds, Kent is another one, he is just solid....and of course the transformation of Hunt, even Matt Jones looks like he has actually toned his sinew

What is more cost effective? Paying Roos for, let's say, 5 years as coach at $1.5m and then going back to the coaching drawing board... Or... Paying Roos to mentor the next coach and have a year of two head coaches? Try doing a cost benefit analysis on that...

That covers it for me too bb

the pressure is deliciously building

rita panahi gives afl and their acolytes a big whack http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/rita-panahi/afl-has-failed-the-community-over-richmond-footballer-dustin-martin/news-story/124f077eeecbe4c58f0f09dd7c2654ad some snippets >>>>>>>> " AUSTRALIA’S pre-eminent sporting organisation portrays itself as a community leader in promoting respect and responsibility towards women but the reality is different. Far from being at the top of the moral totem pole, the AFL has shown its desire to protect the brand trumps all else." " It’s clear that the staff at AFL House are slow on the uptake; fresh from their disastrous mishandling of the Essendon saga, where they attempted to manipulate the process and outcome, they have again committed a senseless act of self-harm through what appears to be a combination of arrogance, ineptitude and a need to micromanage “the message”. " " When the AFL did refer the matter to police, Tracey said an integrity officer told her, “we have washed our hands of you”, before adding that a police investigation would “buy the AFL a year”. " " The AFL and Richmond briefed against Tracey while undertaking an “independent” investigation of the incident, revealing what appears to be an absence of sincerity and integrity. " "The AFL’s record of vindictiveness speaks for itself, from pressuring radio station SEN 1116 to sack Grant Thomas (which the AFL denied) to pulling the accreditation of sports writers who deviate from the AFL script." "It’s not just a boys’ club with backward notions about women; it is an insular clique — and it can’t afford that insularity when the footy world already has a tendency to be out of step with community standards; take the sickening article published after former player Nick Stevens was convicted of bashing his former partner." "The piece, which has since been removed from The Age’s website, quoted footy officials and former teammates praising Stevens." "This is, after all, a world in which convicted woman basher Ricky Nixon thrived until he was brought undone by a teenager." "While AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan and Richmond CEO Brendon Gale were worrying about the “distress and harm” to Martin’s reputation, nobody bothered to check on the victim, who has not only been needlessly retraumatised but also cast as a fantasist." "The co-ordinated message by footy officials and eager sections of the media referring to supposed evidence contradicting the victim’s account has been accepted, but neither Richmond nor the AFL can tell us precisely what that contradictory evidence is." "Possibly because, like the AFL’s integrity, it does not exist."

Burgo's efforts are commendable and the articles and interviews he does are a blend of something for everyone. If you tune out after a sentence or two then you're missing out on some interesting footy news and added nuances about the FD and players and extra rubbish about musicians and [censored] like that.

No comment needed. (Source: Mark Hawthorne's Twitter account. He's a senior journo at The Age)

Roos is often hard to pick, obviously he wasn't happy about it but I think he got over that a few weeks back. It's all smoke and mirrors now, he's more interested in how Petracca comes up for round 1 whether it be at Casey or the AFL. Ox was talking about the Demon fans and how we all can't wait to see Petracca, Roos was doing his no pressure on the kids routine and hosing down expectations. I actually really love this now...it's interesting to hear the expectations of EFC & Carlton fans on their new kids, there's a lot of pressure on Parish in particular. It's all a bit like us a couple of years back. Now we can slip in someone like Brayshaw and or Salem and let them play. I expect this will happen with Petracca, Oliver and Weideman this year...

Jackson and Roos are exactly what the club needed and the signs for Goodwin are very encouraging. Even more important than recruiting is player retention and I feel the current structure gives us every chance in that area.

Roos' appointment has given the club stability in terms of the coaching role. This was vital for a rebuilding club with as poor a list as we had in 2013. Previously the media was all over Bailey and Neeld. The same thing probably would have happened again had we appointed an untried coach with a desire to coach in the future. The transition to Goodwin will mean the pressure is off the club until 2018 at the earliest and this has given us time to significantly improve the list. He also helped create a sense of calm after the Neeld wrecking ball. I also think he has made some clever recruiting decisions (albeit the Melksham one appears lopsided against us). Vince was a better recruit than the most optimistic demon would have hoped for. Garlett has been a great pick up. The Tyson trade has probably been a net positive. Personally I don't really like Roos' tactical approach and think our game plan is too defensive, but you couldn't be too critical of what he has achieved.

Roosy has done a sensational job since taking up the offer. The MFC was VFL standard at best when Schwab was removed, my only concern is 3 years aint enough to rid all the toxic past out of the place. But 3 years is what we hav so i want Roosy coaching flat out until September AS THE COACH I hope he does not take his eye off the Footy Dept to mentor the club staff. Leave that to PJ. I want every bit of Roosy's coaching extracted before he goes. A Finals appearance at the 'G must be the aim of '16

I'm being sincere when I say I can't recall the last time he said "they". On the club website, in radio interviews, it is always "we". It's a completely unfounded and imagined criticism from my viewpoint, unless I'm missing these instances of "they" by dumb luck.

Let's focus on Petracca

being taught by the brothers, bbo, i'm sure your ears have been finely tuned to the sound of approaching footsteps

It is very difficult for a big guy to add bulk while maintaining running ability. Hogan at 100kg would be scary. Makes me think of Lockett. Defenders used to [censored] themselves (rightly so) at the sound of his footsteps. I think Hogan has enough mongrel in to become this sort of figure.

I disagree. I think whatever happen over the next 5 years, at least, will be due to Roos. He's put the people in place, he's set the standards and habits, he's responsible for this whole setup and groundwork. How many coaches has this club seen off in the last 15 years? That's a cultural problem, which is what Roos has been brought in to fix.

I'm going to be balls-out negative here despite the inevitable backlash - It better turn out that Goodwin can actually coach and that Roos' alleged positive impact on the 'culture' of the club turns out to genuinely make a lasting improvement At this point Roos has had a decent return, but we are still miles off. He has banked some serious coin and seems to be phoning in his third year.

absolutely.... I am still firmly in the "development is king" camp. I cannot fathom that we had that many footballers come to our club that either failed completely or plateaued at "average at best". I maintain that if you get footballers with some raw talent into a cesspool of a club both on and off field and give them no further tuition or nurture them and basically throw them to the wolves they will ultimately wither on the vine ( unless you are a rare driven specimen like Nathan Jones). I also do not think you can downplay having good role models, mature footballers in your club to help transition youth. This has been absent from our club and to an extent is still in short supply. My greatest delight with the Roos appointment is he firmly put development on the table - he constantly talks about and has backed it up by putting a lot of resources into developing our youth - McCartney to my mind, is an inspired appointment.

Sad times. All made contributions, like them or not, and all missed. Of the musicians, Bowie's the one who was more influential and had by far the more substantial output, but Frey was no slouch as a more traditional songwriter, which is no mean feat in itself. Alan Rickman - carved out his own distinctive niche. I met Alan Rickman (charming) and Bowie briefly (charming, but fey and distant). I saw Bowie live a couple of times (late 70's, early 90's) and was just blown away on both occasions. He was the genuine article, and I'd be surprised if we see his shapeshifting like again.

To be fair Matt is on a hiding to nothing because the type of information Demonlanders want to hear is not going to come from the clubs PR department.

We should be lobbying the AFL hard, in conjunction with Port and the Dogs to bring in another player not just an upgraded Rookie.

I certainly don't want my clubs money to pay for this. If it does then there will be no financial assistance given by me next year THIS IS AN ESSENDRUG PROBLEM..Not a collective AFL one...

Mr Kelty has made his view known to senior figures at the AFL and Essendon that the game will need to find a substantial sum — between $10 million and $20 million — to redress the ­financial and reputational loss suffered by Essendon players. The alternative, Mr Kelty has warned, is drawn out litigation that would potentially cost $50m. Why would "the game" need to find this money? Surely the drug cheats have to pay up?

In this case think of us winning the first 2 games and you will feeel much better.

The King has no clothers!

Hmmm, as a passionate far North Qld member I am somewhat miffed B.A being lumped into the also-ran category with 3 game and pet memberships (no offence to our family labrador is intended)

And why shouldn't they be cannon fodder? The EFC should be made to suffer, badly, not be in effect compensated by the AFL Yet another glaring example of the lack, more like total absence of integrity at AFL HQ We all know that contracts, especially coaching contracts, mean absolutely nothing in footy But it is. That's the point. They have bent over backwards, and bent other effected teams over forward, to help bail out a club that was caught out deliberately cheating the system. What sort of message does that send? Now that does seem an almost fair compromise. Is that what happened in the NRL over some cheating incident? I guess, were it not one of the "elite clubs" then that may have occurred No doubt the good folk at AFL HQ will make up some favorable ruling on the run when the time approaches. How do Gil and Fitzpatrick look at themselves in the mirror? How do they sleep at night? I guess Pol Pot and Stalin managed somehow, so why not them?

It makes me sick that they get rewarded with pick #1 for finishing last after having an entire team full of elite players banned for drug cheating. Next year they can just re-inject these players with no further sanction and take home pick 1 for their troubles. If a team around the periphery of the top 8 deliberately dropped their 12 best players for an entire year purely to top-up with pick 1 before challenging for finals, they'd have their draft picks stripped and would be charged with bringing the game into disrepute! But, nah, gotta protect Essendon so they get "back to being a powerhouse" as Gil keeps reminding us. He wants his Christmas bonus this year.

Surely no club is that stupid.