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One of our posters Supermercado writes a great blog for bigfooty and he's just finished writing his own book called "The Great Deepression" - I gather it's about Melbourne's recent hard times. Judging from his blog, it should make interesting and entertaining reading and would have to be better than some of the footy books I've read in the past (the bio of Peter Matera for example). You can order here and remember, when he wins the Nobel Prize for Literature you will be able to say you knew him when! I've ordered mine and will review it at some time in the future.

Since Ron Barassi left the club at the end of 1964, the number has been cursed. We had Ray Groom take the number in 1965 and he was going well but left at an early age and eventually became Premier of Tasmania (a job that in itself would be a curse, I imagine). Paul Wheatley had a reasonable career but most of our 31's have either been duds or had careers that went backwards after taking the number. I agree with resting the number until we win our next premiership. The number has become like the Curse of the Bambino or the Curse of the Goat. It lives side by side with the Norm Smith Curse so let's exorcise it. When we win a flag in the next couple of years, it can make a comeback.

Darren Kane has been 'all over the shop' in regard to his view as to whether or not the 34 players were guilty. I reckon he may have assisted either Essendon's lawyers or Hird's lawyers early in the piece. He penned an article in Jan this year titled 'Why Essendon 34 could have a chance if they appealed CAS decision'. IMO the bloke has zero credibility.

To be honest, I opened this thread with some excitement combined with disbelief. When I read the title I thought something truly bizarre had happened overnight and we had somehow ended up with picks 6, 14, 19 etc in the draft.

It has been tried before, that was how Jack Grimes got it, changed from 16 when he was appointed captain. I would not want Nathan Jones to change his number either. I like #6 for Lewis because he will be twice as good for us, than what he was at Hawthorn

Yes, old mate Nash. And if they follow the line of many supporters when a player leaves the critique will be even less flattering. Essendon last 3 B&F's 2013: Hibberd 4th behind Goddard, Watson and Heppell (Played finals) 2014: Hibberd 4th behind Heppell, Hooker and Goddard (Played finals) 2015: Hibberd 8th So in two of his last 3 years he finished top 4 in the B&F and they were both years Essendon played finals. He dropped away in 2015, but still finished top 10. And who knows the toll this drugs saga was finally having on the players. And even in that year (2015) he still averaged 22.2 disposals per game running off half-back and averaged 5.4 marks. His average disposals in a downish year would still have ranked 5th at Melbourne this year. In comparison, in Jetta's best year (this year) he averaged 16 disposals and 3.7 marks. Now, I know Jetta is more of a lockdown defender, but the point remains Hibberd plays tight and still wins plenty of the footy. Jetta doesn't provide enough rebound for my liking, which is why I see him as vulnerable over the next year or two. Hunt, who I have a slight crush on, was fantastic in his first year and averaged 15.6 disposals and took 3.1 marks. His numbers will continue to rise if not go through the roof. Not only does Hibberd rack up possessions off half-back, he's as tough and brave as they come. He thrives on the contest and has a very good left foot. Hibberd is a very very good player. notwithstanding mo's "mates'.

I loved his effort. His on field leadership I thought was honest and natural. Not nearly as much of a donkey as many on here suggest. Injuries and a developing team, the stars just did not align for him to be viewed as a successful recruit. As for the money he was paid, thats not his problem. I never look at players and analyse their performance against their salary. Its a stupid, pointless thing to do. Dawes represented our club with integrity and tried his hardest and played very well and competed very well numerous times. What more could he do in an ordinary side? Thanks for your efforts Dawesy.

Still round or still around?

The number one rule of the AFL is that there are no rules. They do what they damn well feel like doing.

I take credit for the upsurge in membership. Last week I registered the entire family, kids, their spouses, grandkids all at my cost. Exception being my wife who claims to be a Bombers fan (fittingly she's a pharmacist) but with Melksham and Hibberd on board, I think she could be convinced - especially if we creep closer to 40k.

Perhaps 31 could become the number given to our captain. It would be a nice tradition and would remove the expectation factor that falls on younger players who are given the number.

He's had multiple top 5 B&F finishes, including when they were a finals team. Have you seen him play ? Do you think the club would give up pick 29 in the absence of a first round draft pick if they didn't consider him a top shelf defender and exactly what we need ? 12 months out of the game when you're 26 and uninjured is hardly an issue. This bloke is a competitive animal. Jetta and Garlett ? "Better exposed form" ? Hahaha. Bi I have tremendous admiration for Jetta, but he's a rung below Hibberd as a footballer. Garlett is as soft as butter and the antithesis of Hibberd as a footballer. I don't see Garlett as a regular senior player in 2017 unless he has a very strong mental correction.

It never fails to amuse me on posters who cant recognise the difference between everyone recognising the reasons that a player has been delisted (and most posters universally accept that the Dawes decision is the right decision) and giving that player a classless, vitriolic, plain nasty send off. Am I glad or happy he is gone is not a question that crosses my mind. Do i understand why he was delisted and do i agree with decision ? Absolutely. There can be obvious exceptions when we believe a player doesn't give it his best or is disruptive or dishonest about the way he leaves the club. But that is a rarity. Thanks to any player who came to our club, gave it their best shot and for one of many reasons didn't make it.

i've read the blog for years and it is full of humour and straight talking . no hesitation in reccommending it to anybody interested in our great game

I saw this on Facebook and thought it was worth sharing here because it shows exactly where Lynden Dunn's heart is - "These are the moments I will miss! Looking my mates directly in the eyes after a hard fought win and belting out "It's a Grand Old flag!" I know in my heart of hearts that I leave the Dee's giving every moment, everything I possibly had. I consider myself blessed to have spent 12 great years at this Football club and no matter where I go or what I do, my veins will always bleed red and blue. Only at the moment there is some black and white in them as well. I have played with some of the all time greats of the MFC and met some incredible people along the way. I would like to thank the fans for their support, especially through some very grim years. There is definitely light at the end of the tunnel and fingers crossed finals are not far away. To all my teammates who I have ever played with ... you are the reason I play football and the reason I love the club so much! You have meant everything to me and I wish the current players all the best in their pursuit for greatness! Finally, thank you @melbournefc for helping me live my childhood dream of playing League Footy. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity you gave me as a 17 year old straight out of high school. Bring on the Queens Birthday Clash in 2017 - Dunny" When the club gives away jumper # 14 I hope it will be to a very special person. Well played Dunny!

Give Lewis 6. It can be the number of flags he aspires to reach.

As important as Hogan's re-signing is, I don't think we should under-estimate the impact of Jordan Lewis' decision to sign with us as a matter of choice. What this says about the club is monumental. Here is a guy who has played in the best team of the past 50 years and someone who knows what it takes to be successful. His decision elevates the perception of our club from the "hapless" demons who might be starting to turn things around, to a club that is clearly in a position to do something special. The impact of this on sponsors and supporters is invaluable but consider the effect it must be having on our list. Our young players will be thinking how great it is that they have someone with his knowledge and understanding of what it takes to be successful. The middle band and fringe players will see it as a spur to lift their efforts. Lewis' inclusion, along with Hibberd and Melksham, means the competition for spots has gone up several notches. No more easy selections at the Dees. No more games because there's nobody else to pick from. Perform or play at Casey! Our older players such as Jones, Vince and Lumumba now have someone else to share the task of leading and educating the young guys. Lewis provides us with with experience, stability and talent. He knows how to win close games and how to bury the opposition when the opportunity arises. Who else on our list has this experience? His signing is, in my opinion, far more valuable than re-signing Hogan. I know how valuable he is to our structure and that he has the potential to be one of the greats but, at this stage, that's all he is - potential. Without wanting to anoint Lewis as the messiah, he may yet prove to be just a very naughty boy, he offers a new layer to the hope we always have at this time of year. He is something tangible and perhaps the most significant signing in the last 10 - 15 years. I think he will rank alongside Jackson and Roos as the catalyst for sustainable success. FARKIMAPPY. GO DEES!

Here is a list of dates and membership tallies over the past few years. I will update as we hit each date again this year. Its handy it is on the first page. It will be easy to reference until the end of the 2017 membership tally. Mods it would be good to tack this topic at the top of the board as it will be recurring for most of the next year. Demons Membership Tallies 22/10/16 - 21,980 26/10/15 - 19,026 25/10/13 - 17,625 4/11/16 - 23,037 11/11/15 - 19,467 26/11/15 - 21,794 26/11/14 - 20,509 25/11/13 - 20,223 4/12/15 - 24,402 3/12/14 - 22,433 11/12/13 - 22,105 22/12/15 - 26,217 23/12/14 - 24,097 25/12/13 - 23,542 19/1/16 - 27,027 23/1/15 - 25,112 21/1/14 - 24,558 3/2/16 - 28,013 1/2/15 - 25,647 4/2/14 - 25,416 8/2/13 - 22,962 12/2/15 - 26,290 12/2/14 - 26,039 12/2/13 - 23,650 12/2/10 - 21,448 17/2/16 - 28,759 18/2/15 - 26,639 17/2/14 - 26,641 18/2/13 - 23,650 16/2/12 - 24,195 17/2/11 - 25,253 26/2/16 - 29,450 26/2/15 - 27,066 26/2/14 - 27,736 3/3/16 - 30,160 4/3/15 - 27,619 4/3/14 - 28,582 5/3/13- 24,801 7/3/16 - 30,524 16/3/16 - 32,623 16/3/15 - 29,510 15/3/14 - 30,421 14/3/13 - 26,751 14/3/12 - 26,791 26/3/16 - 35,117 26/3/15 - 31,035 28/3/14 - 32,324 1/4/16 - 35,535 1/4/15 - 32,001 8/4/16 - 36,157 9/4/15 - 33,301 14/4/14 - 33,175 10/4/11 - 33,753 20/4/16 - 36,731 20/4/11 - 34,548 1/5/16 - 37,597 1/5/15 - 34,223 5/5/11 - 35,205 6/5/16 - 37,766 13/5/16 - 38,102 1/6/16 - 38,479 14/6/16 - 38,653 Final Membership Totals 2016 38,859 2015 35,953 2014 35,911 2013 33,177 2012 35,345 2011 36,937 2010 33,358 2009 31,506 2008 29,619 2007 28,077

#6 Lewis #14 Hibberd #38 McKenna #19.....#22.....New draftees #31 Rested

Your dreams appear to be taking an interesting direction Steve.

...and any chance of us ever beating St Kilda ever again?

Spencer completely lost me with his game in the Casey grand final. It was one of the most insipid efforts I've seen and shows he is just not up to it.

Unlike others, I really wanted Michie kept because he is all class and our VFL forwards love having him in the side because he is so good at hitting targets. Ultimately he is just a tad slow to make it at AFL level, but he's been an absolute star at VFL level and I imagine he'll be snapped up by Port Melb or Willy for next year. Dawes I suspect never really got over his hand injuries from his Collingwood days. He's an honest worker, but you can't keep dropping marks at AFL level. Newton's cards were effectively marked when he was majorly exposed for pace at Subiaco in 2015. But he has that knack of just being in the right spot to snag a lovely goal. Max King seems like a lovely guy and has nice skills, but hasn't been able to impose, even in the development league. Could be a very handy VAFA player next season.

I like Saty's approach. Josh M as the single source of news from the club, no sense of urgency in a calm and measured environment, an acknowledgement that after last years active trade period this year was a time for consolidation, the retention of all draft picks for next year, the nimble response to snare Jordan Lewis for next to nothing, the addition of experience to the enthusiasm of youth, a focus on potential to pick up Patrick McKenna and, as TPF39 said, for the first time the draft is almost incidental, not vital. It's all a sign of maturity and competence. Another small step for our club.

None of the above, just doing all the business with a minimum of fuss, Josh Mahoney being the mouthpiece, and evervbody in and out being treated with respect, that will make us a destination club, along with the onfield success

I can't wait to see the ads with the returning bombers players in the lead-up to this match. Big victorious rock music, drug cheats in full on hero stance mode. Fireworks in the background, maybe explosions. Walking with serious faces towards the camera. Tag lines about "overcoming adversity" and "against the odds". Clips of banned bombers laying massive tackles, showing "grit" and "agro", massive crowd cheering them on. Oh yes. I can't wait.

I would contend that Jetta would get a run in pretty much every back six in the league.

I remember listening to an interview with Jetta where he said the FD were trying to get him to attack more and that in order to play in our defence, you had to have that instinctive trait to move the ball on and get it moving our way on the counter. Hence Grimes, Dunn and Garland all struggling on the fringes this season. There's no doubt Jets certainly improved this area of his game in 2016, but I'm sure he and the FD are well aware that he needs to continue to improve in this area if he's to keep getting games in 2017 and beyond. This is a good extension of my point above. The reason the likes of Birchell, Gibson and Smith aren't hurt by being left sided players with no right foot, is the speed of ball movement and attack. If you're playing on straight away and taking the attacking option and backing your team mates in, there's no time for the opposition to corral you onto your right side. When ball movement is slower, there is this time. For this reason, I think Hibberd is going to be a dominant player for us. There won't be time to shut him down, because our first instinct down back is to play on and get the ball moving. His long-kicking will also help this. And just on this form of turning defence into attack, this is why I see Frost as a definite best 22. His pace and height allow him to get back and cover. He played the anchor role quite a bit this year, as did Hunt on occasion. Our speedier players will always play the anchor if we continue this high defence. Upon reflection, maybe this is a role that Smith could grow into as well.

I hate Essendon. Would rather play them mid year. They may want to play us coz they think it will be an automatic 4 points.

Venerable? I suspect you meant vulnerable Anything but. ven·er·a·ble (vĕn′ər-ə-bəl) adj. 1. Commanding respect by virtue of age, dignity, character, or position. Bottom line one is unless we can beat Essendon, Carlton, Norf, StKilda as well as continuing our mastery over Richmond and collingwood we will not progress. If we can do that and snatch a few scalps from teams above us then we may approach the venerability that the Bulldogs have earned this year.

We assign too much power and superstition to jumper numbers. I'd like to think an individual's performance and the team's destiny have no link to jumper numbers, past or present, in any way.

This bloke is a sports lawyer who maintains that Jobe Watson should keep his Brownlow Medal - Here's why the AFL can't strip Essendon's Jobe Watson of his Brownlow Medal I don't quite follow his "logic" in all this. Watson has been found guilty of an anti doping rule violation over a regime of drug injections that took place in the year when he "won" his Brownlow Medal. I don't think it would speak for the AFL's integrity if it relied on the loopholes suggested to allow Watson to keep one of the competition's most coveted personal trophies.

we will add these two to Richmond and Collingwood ...in our hareem of bltches

Or that the people doing the list building are the same, and Goodwin like Roos lets other people do their jobs.

Carlton, Essendon, North, and St Kilda. 4 teams I'm sick of us losing to and if we want to push ahead we need to STOP losing to them. The Essendon game was a disgrace beyond measure but one that a lot of us saw coming, thankfully we've got a 4 time premiership player in our team who's got enough experience to hopefully be able to pull guys into line when they start to believe their own hype. I want W's against all those teams in 2017.

Gibbs had a million possessions in the first half too.

JKH needs to show a bit also.

German Expressionism is fascinating! Loved learning about it at uni and the progression to noir is very interesting. Love The Sniper and Double Indemnity is great, phenomenal read too as a script. Ace In The Hole and Murder, My Sweet are both great films.

Garland, Trenners, Lumumba. Prob Peds. JKH if he can't get his body right. We've got a bit to clear before we start jettisoning the likes of ANB or Harmes and then Bugg, Kennedy and vandenBurg.

Sounds like exactly the same story as Ben Kennedy

He was the most tenacious key forward I have ever seen (when he was fit) and an absolute team players. Very good reader of the game and with limited stats he was able to have an influence on the game despite his basic skill level. His body has let him down which would be hard for him to accept given he is still a young man. Really enjoyed watching him play, All the best Chris, you gave your all, with a bit of luck things could have been different

The difference is Bugg and Kennedy get the ball. Newton had one game in his career where he got 20 possessions; fewer in every other game. Just not good enough for a midfielder. He had strengths, though, he got the ball in dangerous positions and kicked goals in more games than not in his Melbourne appearances. Great example of how you only need to be a whisker off standard sometimes.

According to Graeme Wright on SEN this morning, the Carlton pick #48 will come in to around #42 after the academy players exhaust all the northern club's picks (which in part explains Carlton's dodgy trade with Hawthorn). Assuming this is true, we should be able to nab around the 41st chosen player with our first pick.

Re-signing Hogan, as it's had an effect on all of those other points. Lewis himself said that it was a big factor in him approaching Melbourne. In this day and age, it's huge that we were able to hold onto him.

Just sickening that the AFL are fawning all over this mob like they are returning heroes rather than the stinking drug cheats they are.

We picked up two best 22 players and lost none. We held onto all of our young prospects. We paid a mid-second-rounder. A clear win.

I'm not sure we'll have a winning draft period Mr Steve but we've done well in the trade period imo. We go into next year with Lewis, Hibberd and Melksham in our best 22, that's a considerable strengthening of our list that will be enhanced by the natural development of our young talent. Anything less than finals next year will be a fail. We are finally back. These last 10 years my mates have been mightily impressed with my knowledge of the new draftees coming through. I'd tell them all the things I'd learnt about their new young players trawling endlessly through phantom drafts. This year I know nothing about the upcoming draft class and it feels bloody good, long may it last.

But does he spread like butter?

I'd be really disappointed if the club lobbied not to play a big game, most probably at our home ground, because we were afraid of losing. Bring on the Bummers I reckon.