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Anyone who has or is living with a Family member who is terminal Ill can understand this I take each day as it comes , I don't make plans far in advance , for myself and my kids , our time with my wife ( their mother) is especially special to us , I couldn't imagine living states apart and having this happen. Time to give the Kid ago , think about how you would feel watching , hearing , seeing someone so close , being that ILL My wife tells us to go out , to enjoy ourselves, to be a family , as I am sure his dad would tell him to follow his dreams , play AFL, these things put a smile on my wife's face for her to see us happy, makes her happy . I am not saying everyone is the same. but you need to understand how they and he could feel. hoping my words will help some people understand what he COULD be going through , sometimes things are greater than our club. As one of his sponsors I want him to stay but can understand otherwise, football would be one of the last things on his mind at the moment mark ps on a side note iI thank Demonland for being here, its keeps me busy

Mark I'm sure I speak for all who read and converse on demonland when I say our thoughts, prayers and best wishes are with u and ur family.

Viney did not require anesthetic but they had to call for a chainsaw to perform the operation. The surgeon is recovering in Epworth and is expected to make a full recovery. The chainsaw did not survive.

He'd be feeling relieved and excited and nervous I'd think. Moving on from this sorry saga starts today. Good luck to him. People have their views on him as a player, but for me, I've erased all past views and biases, go in with an open mind and am looking forward to seeing what he can add.

Mark is one of life's gentlemen. I remember visiting his video store in Brighton a decade ago when he was going through a less challenging time, but challenging nonetheless. A genuinely nice man. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Hogans old man is critically ill. Do you all not think this has something to do with his below average last month and at times poor body language???? Nothing is going to happen with his contract while Jesse is going through this terrible experience. He is contracted for another year, has told the club he will stay a Dee, but all negotiations have been put on hold while Jesse concentrates on his family and father. If this experience makes him change his mind and brings the "go home" factor into play, at least we will be well compensated, most probably with Fyfe. Fyfe is a free agent next year. Fyfe has indicated he will entertain offers. Freo is much better off getting Hogan for him this year who is worth two first round picks rather than one first round pick (compensation) next year. There have been discussions between the clubs. In saying that it is most likely that Hogan has not signed a new contract or asked to be traded by trade week. If this is the case it does not mean he is leaving at the end of next season. Simply he is concentrating on bigger issues at this time. It is highly likely he will re-sign as a Dee. All good management plans for the unexpected. The club has full expectation that he will stay.

Ban on being at the club is over as of today. Welcome back Jake. Hope you can make most of your talent with us.

guys thank you for the kinds words I was just frustrated and what i was reading about Jesse i felt if you could understand a little of what someone has to go through when a family member is terminally Ill thats all i was trying to do . its a extremely hard time for anyone mark

Goodwin in his first press conference as senior coach as we speak. https://twitter.com/melbournefc Melbourne FC ‏@melbournefc 2m2 minutes ago Goodwin: The NAB Challenge gave me confidence about being a senior coach. I've got a real sense of energy about the role.

Take it from me it is on the money I wont go into personal details But I have been aware of it for some time. I had some posts regarding it removed from the thread.

Nothing to be sorry for Markc, you gave the thread some much-needed perspective. My thoughts are with you and your family.

Said the succession plan has been smooth process unlike a team across the road (dig at Malthouse to Buckley transition).

Whilst I share the worries about his fitness, I worked at Geelong between 2012-14 and watched him dominate both training and VFL games. He also had a couple of standout AFL games. If his body can stand up he has massive upside and plays a position where we have a hole in our list. What would he realistically cost?

I know exactly what you are going through. I wish you all the best. The Life of special people is sometimes way too short. 12 years ago today I lost the best wife and mother anyone could wish for.

top job at Demonland ? Does DL or WJ know about this ??

Any more word on who will be appointed as an assistant to fill Goodwin's former role? Btw, this happened - http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/geelong/geelong-assistant-coach-blake-caracella-to-leave-linked-to-richmond/news-story/c72a64df4b7445ae4e1aef9e1bd80e00 Who would have guessed? ...

The suspensions are not quite over yet but the players involved can now appear at and train with their clubs. In that respect, I suppose we can officially welcome Jake Melksham to the fold. I think the club was poorly advised when it did the trade deal with Essendon to get him but it did so with eyes wide open. Despite this, we received no compensation for the loss of a year from a player for who we gave up a second round draft pick, nor were we properly entitled to any compensation. What does make it a little difficult to take is how Essendon has been magnificently compensated in terms of its capacity to recruit/draft players in the wake of the saga. The Bombers who were at the heart of the doping scandal were allowed to take 12 additional players for 2016 whereas the innocents had no rights to replacing suspended players and no recognition was given to the fact that the better part of a dozen players will be coming back onto their list in 2017. They get first place in the national, pre season and rookie drafts ahead of another club who they finished ahead of by a minuscule amount of percentage points. That's about the final nail in the coffin for AFL integrity in my book.

Thanks for the updates GNF. It makes reading through all the carp on some of these threads worthwhile.

What the club should be doing, is seeing this as an opportunity. Hawthorn are making a bold gamble to keep their premiership clock open, without going through the downturn that the Salary Cap/Draft is designed to facilitate. Sydney has achieved this to some extent; while Geelong are trying their best. It can be done, but it does need everything to line up correctly (Other clubs such as Melbourne needs to ensure that everything lining up is very difficulty and therefore unlikely). It is accepted that the Hawks are going to very quickly lose champion players who as history has shown are not easily replaced. They are in a position to do this because importantly their champions have never been reliant on speed (therefore the loss of it won't significantly influence their output), are all essentially assistant coaches on the field, and they are taking pay cuts to keep the Dynasty going (ironically this approach also improves their income as it extends their careers a number of years, noting that if the club was in a rebuild then they would most likely be encouraged to retire). This works well when the supporting cast suits the mix - i.e for the hawks this equates to a support cast that has speed, and run n carry (Rioli, Smith, Hill, Hartung, Bruest, etc, even Gunston). Now while the Hawks are going about replacing Roughead, Mitchell, Hodge etc with Vickery, Mitchell, O'meara; other clubs should be targeting their mid tier run n carry players. This would result in the Hawks having the wrong mix, to continue in the premiership window. I beleive Melbourne should be offering nice money to someone like Hartung (I'm not a Smith fan, but can understand the appeal) which forces the Hawks to match the offer (reducing their salary cap space and ability to recruit); if they don't match it then we get a player who meets our need (and at the same time reduces their ability to negotiate a trade should if he was identified as potential trade-bait's but request a trade to a destination not of their liking). Furthermore, every run n carry player the Hawks lose requires their aging inside players to take on a role which they are losing the capability to do at the top level; or requires the replacement players to take on a role they were not recruited for. If they lost Hartung, Smith and Hill; they already look very slow! These mid tier players are get-able, for it just needs as some, possibly most will be put out by the perceived pressure of senior players taking pay cuts after being paid top dollar for most of their career, so that new players to the club can get the top dollar, not the mid-tier who deserves it. Also they are not the maryrs they are making out to be as the chances are it was a choice for some between retirement or paycut; and as noted earlier the paycut extends their earning potential while the premiership window is open. Note with Fremantle already grabbing Hill, it wouldn't take a lot to upset their team balance. Now if the Hawks put an effort into keeping these mid-tier players then they don't get the replacements they need for their aging champions. Either way, it makes it that much more harder for them to continue the Dynasty. Who else could we target.

Petracca Vs Dangerfield (at same age)

i am sorry for your loss mate , I am sorry for bringing this up today , i just thought if a little of what hell it is posters could understand might help I don't want sympathy , i was just hoping to make people understand what he might be going through , there are plenty others here have fought and lost this battle here I talk to people to try and help other understand what happens to families, in these trying times. Its Not easy, that look i see in my wife eyes when i do things for our daughters thats what breaks my heart. Most thankfully will never have to understand it fully. Others will I have always enjoyed reading Demonland and thank everyone involved. I am sorry i have derailed the thread , a first for me !

Our form in the later part of the draft is pretty good in recent years, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. Plus Weideman is, technically, our first round pick from this year just picked a year sooner.

Surprised by the negativity here. If we pick up Hibberd as well, we are getting two experienced quality players in a good age bracket where we are lacking. Both are comfortably in our best 22. Melksham has decent pace, aggression and a decent kick too. Some of his kicks inside 50 or long running goals will be valuable to us. Hibberd brings a quality lock down defender who provides great rebound. He'd immediately become our best half back flanker, though Salem and Hunt both have the potential to surpass him. We should be excited we have 1, perhaps 2, quality experienced players coming in who can fill multiple roles and add a bit more aggression, pace and kicking skill to the side. Melksham can play half forward, midfield and half back, so he adds lends flexibility. Our currently gameplay with the half backs rushing forward to provide drive suits him perfectly. I wouldn't be surprised if Goodwin created the tactic knowing he'd have players like Melksham at his disposal. He won't be just depth, he will be a lock in the 22 for the foreseeable future. It's another good get by Jason Taylor. Let's hope Hibberd joins us too!

Nathan Hrovat is rumoured to be looking for a new club, he's highly rated by Macca who drafted him and would come very much on the cheap, and while he's probably not best 22 he's won a rising star nomination and has some ability, i personally think he'd be as good an investment as most 3rd-4th round picks and would be well worth considering, i've also heard the Dogs want an experienced key defender for next season and Dunn is on the list, while he isn't their first preference i wonder if there is any chance of swapping them over.

This website will be rebranded Goodwinland from today.

So are we gonna be the hardest team to play against in the AFL?

Thanks 'Pennant', I trust your posts...until now I wasn't sure what to believe with this situation.

and me

I think we'll see a significant difference, Roosy wasn't really a senior coach, more a football dept coach, we now have our house in order and a coach with the energy to invest in being a full time long term senior coach and it's that bloody exciting

This is getting sad.

http://m.afl.com.au/news/2016-09-14/goodwins-path-to-the-top-job-at-demonland Great article on Goodys journey.

Lets hope this lifts the curse and 31 can be a lucky number again (Goodwin our 31st coach)...

Darling also squibbed it in the GF. Unfortunately, he's gaining a reputation.

If Darling is a squib then so is Cam Pedersen. I don't think one poor effort at a contest should shape opinion on the player. If there was any prevailing view that Darling was a squib prior to the Bulldogs game, I'd not heard it.

This will be finished by the middle of October. It's this black and white - either he signs the 6 years on the table, or he'll be traded. Club will not not have this crap going on for another 12 months.

How many stars get traded for pick 26? He doesnt need to be a star, but I would hope he is a mainstay in our best 18 and a very good player.

Too soon?

Sorry to hear this, wish you and your family all the best. There is more to life than footy and no one would no that more than you.

You certainly speak for me. All the best Markc

Dangerfield was never interested in any other club than Geelong. We may have asked questions of his availability, but so would have 8 other clubs. As for Prestia, GNF was definitive that it was GC or Melbourne. I've said it before. GNF's source is clearly a MFC fanboy.

we definitely chased Prestia and Dangerfield, a trade not coming together doesn't mean we didn't try, or the club wasn't confident. we were VERY confident we'd get Prestia until the godfather offer from the Tigers.

I have no doubt it's just what you're being told, but if it's the same source who also told you we would land Josh Kennedy, Patrick Dangerfield and Dion Prestia in the last 3 years, I can confidently say your source is having a lend. All I'm pointing out is that your source's information makes no logical sense. Even if Fyfe were interested in coming to us, we would not trade Hogan for him a year out from FA status (especially when we have no first rounder this year, and Freo have pick 3).

Interesting choice of words, considering your emphatic statement a few days back was, "the trade will be Fyfe." You're not giving the club much credit if you think we'd trade out a generational superstar for a player a) under a serious injury cloud for over a season that is b) a free agent next year who would cost us nothing. Why would Fremantle's draft considerations be even the remotest consideration for us? If Hogan leaves, we will bleed the buying club dry of picks just as Adelaide did when Dangerfield left. Did you see Adelaide asking for Geelong's 2016 free agents as part of the Dangerfield deal? If the MFC had the choice between: Freo's Pick 3 2016 (Hogan trade) Freo's Pick ~5 2017 (Hogan trade) Fyfe for free as FA in 2017 or: Fyfe via trade (straight swap for Hogan) A swap of second rounders ... no sane list management team would choose option 2.

I'm not disputing GNF's statement about Hogans Snr's health, but his assertion that Fyfe comes into play is ludicrous. One minute he is saying that Hogan wants to put negotiations on hold, which is fine. But does anyone seriously think that Fyfe is happy to make a decision on his future based on a contingency plan of another player? Fyfe becomes a FA next year and can walk to wherever he likes.

LOL. Oops! Wondered why it didn't show up in the milkshake thread! Don't mind me! Thanks for setting me straight, Ethan!

Fair enough, I obviously missed those posts...but were they fact or fiction? You would have to think that if there was any real substance to them, that the press would have been making mention of this when discussing Hogan's future.

He Better be good....

Recruiting almost anyone to replace Hogan is a bad idea. Need to keep him.

this has turned into a footy mates penis measuring contest! I cant be bothered reading through the last few pages. Any new news at all?