Leaderboard

The ultimate riposte to that tedious 'going to the snow' nonsense we cop so often. Our club's marketing department should set about mining this for all its worth: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/dees-supporters-are-afls-most-passionate-supporters-study/news-story/0a941fef2e6e555912f1214342a9a6e4 "Far from popular belief that they’d much rather be hitting the slopes than attend a game in the midst of winter, new research has found that Melbourne supporters are more likely to go to the footy than any other team... 48.7 per cent of Dees supporters attended AFL matches, followed by Tigers fans (38.7%) and Giants supporters (37.6%)." Next thing is to get a survey done up at Bulla, find out that it's full of Collingwood and Hawthorn supporters, and publicise this fact

I am a stupidly passionate supporter. I have signed up every one of mate's children to this club. So much so, they no longer seek to sell their kids' MFC memberships on eBay - they just wear it. They still find it annoying though. My 3.5 year old son just received his 2017 membership pack - his card says '5 years' consecutive member. He'll thank me for that. One day. Signed Henry up as a 20 week old foetus. And the club accepted his application (?). Youngest member ever. I will drink a ridiculous amount of booze if and when we win the flag. I'll probably die. God bless the Demons.

If there's one thing MFC supporters should not be complaining about, it's Round 1 fixtures. We haven't been interstate in Round 1 since 1998, a ridiculously long time. And of those 19 consecutive Melbourne-based Round 1 games, this is only the 3rd at Etihad. We have been shafted in many ways over the years, but not in this area.

Why the Tyson hate? Despite a slow start, he was superb for pretty much all of last year.

We have faith like no other. If you are still around after the 70's, early mid 80's, the last decade and the horror of two GF smashings... well, you are probably rusted on. I know I am.

Our ratio of supporters to members has always dwarfed the likes of Collingwood and Essendon too.

36080

I actually couldn't give a toss about illicit drug use and playing. The illicit drugs that are performance enhancing are banned by WADA, and the other do nothing for your performance. The issue here is that the AFL spend a whole lot of money testing for illicit drugs, many of which are banned by WADA, but they don't share the results with ASADA. Basically the AFL could very well be hiding the use of illicit drugs which are performance enhancing under the guise that it is a 'societal issue'. It is about time the AFl grew the hell up and expected from their athletes the same standard we expect from teenagers in every Olympic sport.

I think smashed twice is an exaggeration. In the first match their stats were virtually identical. 13 disposals each, Gawn 3 marks to Hickey's one and 38 hitouts to 36, also in Gawn's favour. I'm happy to acknowledge Gawn was nullified and perhaps even shaded due to Hickey's more telling disposals, but I wouldn't agree that a bloke that had no more disposals, less marks and less hitouts "smashed" the other guy. Hickey clearly won in the second game even though he once again had less hitouts.

The Wet Coke 20006 flag tainted? not in my book. In fact i reckon they deserve more kudos. After all still being able to win a flag after a decade long tear is quite some feat.

Who's going to be the first poster to take the completely guessed season eve Footy Show squads seriously ?

Love it. We go to the footy. As long as it's not at Ethiad.

Part of the problem is that the cameras are in the on the northern side of the Ground and show the Seats on the southern side. The members mostly sit on the northern side so are largely unseen on TV.

Funny that this is the LEAST talked about point in all of this. Robbo and his puppy Ralphy are constantly drawing threads to Essendon re WC. Its just another way of airing more pro Essendon complaints imo. I can hear the not so subtle sub text How come despite "the lack of proof" Essendon got hammered where WC got off. Or its clear now that this has obviously all been a conspiracy against Essendon. The only reason EFC got hammered is that ASADA got involved or it would have been swept under the carpet like everything else. Even then they tipped them off and organised a trial that would find them innocent. Everything gets swept under the carpet except the tanking saga...because hey, that was really serious! Or so said the betting agencies that was paying big bucks. I still feel angry about the public shaming the dees got in that period of time. For doing something that probably half the comp had done. Despite enjoying much of her work since....I also can never fully forgive Caro for going so hard. For questioning our right to exist as a club and Stynes' legacy.

Leadership is the ability to empower. That's it, really. There's no rule book that says you can only have one leader. Ironically, Jones' handling of this situation embodies what it is that makes a leader a leader: a person that can stand up to scrutiny, face their fears and admit they were wrong. That we're criticising Goodwin for this suggests to me that the mental baggage reportedly hanging over the playing group is now firmly embedded in the minds of the support base. Jones' initial disappoint would suggest he misinterpreted what it is to be a leader and captain. It is not about him. That he came to realise that it can work and that the role is bigger than him individually suggests that the decision to add Viney as co-captain has arguably made Jones a better captain and leader.

Guess i should say hello now Just cos its my username though! Approx 1994 he speeds past me on the south eastern with his Jako13 number plates doing about 160 clicks. I'm 19 at the time driving my piece of crap '76 corolla and decide i've got nothing better to do. So i speed up to see if i can catch him - the Corolla gets to 130 (4 speed 4 cylinder.... old piece of '[censored]' - still amazed that it got to tgat speed) and promptly overheats and loses all power - stuck in the middle lane of the south eastern near waverley for 30 mins can' get out to push due to cars zooming past on either side. Finally it starts again, got it home and had about another year of awesome adventures out of the car (yep had to replace the head gasket after that - was the beginning of the end fir the car!) Before paying $50 for the wrecker to come and collect it - yep that bad the wrecker couldn't get anything out of it. And never saw Jako in his car or the awesome Jako13 number plates again. If you got to the end that crap story is why my username is Jako13

Any actual football examples? Or just your usual political bias popping up where it's not wanted?

I will stay with stupid

thanks but I would rather vomit then use anything to do with crownbet.

Oldest team v newest team. Has a kind of symmetry to it. I like it.

The only way that will happen Chris is if you remove the "Old Boys" running it. That has a snow flake in Hells chance. I have said often if I was not a MFC tragic I would have nothing to do with AFL level football.

The Goodwin era really starts this Saturday against the Saints. As a first year coach I think he's been a little too anxious to make his mark. He's put it on the line and I think some of his decisions over the preseason will mean he doesn't get the honeymoon period most new coaches get. Players and the media will be watching... Win/Loss will be crucial early in the season otherwise pressure will mount quickly. Good luck Simon.

First ever post on Demonland, and markc you are the reason. My wife also looked to Jim when she had breast cancer, but after beating that beast fell to one you don't recover from, ovarian cancer, 6 months ago on the 6th We were members of the now defunct Gold Pass when Jim came to office, got involved with the Foundation H thing etc, then as he became ill watched the wheels fall off. Very sad. Looking at were we are today, think the big fellow would smile and so would my wife. RIP Jim. Markc, mate I share your pain as few others on this site will. Keep strong.

How ironic that the current coach of the bummers says today that he didn't have any positive proof of drugs at the eagles when he was there. Now he's at his next club and they supposedly have the same problem. Shame on Worsfold, Eagles,Essendon & the AFL!

Garry Lyon can get stuffed. He's done this club no favours and I'm sick of the bloke. Tyson is best 22. Every day of the week.

Hopefully they've spent the pre season learning complementary leading patterns and the art of subtle blocking and protection when flying for the same ball.

Not sure if mentioned before but Round 1 is exactly the 10th anniversary of the begining of the great misery. Lost the first 9 games of the season and in the wilderness ever since. Beaten by the saints 93-62 in Round 1 2007. I hope the players are aware of this and play accordingly.

This is what the article is suggesting, though. We've got roughly 70 supporters, and 34 of them are going to the footy (48.7%)

OK. Your call. All I can tell you is that when I fill out a census, under religion I always write MFC

Prob more wanting big crowds at home games for leverage in better time slots, to take to potential sponsors etc.

They are all rivals. I once had pity for The Bulldogs but that's done. Personally I hate Hawthorn so I'd like us to demolish them regularly. We owe everyone payback for our long period in the wilderness. Would be nice to beat Saints,Norf and the Eagles just for something different.

Would be like Stef Martin all over again. He was best when Jamar was out injured and had a good run as top dog rucking solo. When Jamar came back we tried to play both as ruck / fwds and it patently didn't work. I think the ruck/fwd partnership works best when one is a ruck foremost and rucks 70%+ game time and the other is a capable, ~200cm tall forward (e.g. Tippett or Rory Lobb) who commands a spot in the forward line in his own right but can meaningfully relief ruck for up to 30% of game time due to size and athleticism. Playing two rucks and jawboning one of them into a forward role rarely works - you end up just losing a forward.

Imagine telling the players spencer is going to be wasting one their rotations for the chance that max will get beaten. Time to move beyond the assumption that players are getting beaten, if they are picked we are backing them in to play well each week. Max included. Fact of the matter is Max is our biggest asset given the new 3rd man up restrictions. Why on earth would we take him out of the middle for any more than a few minutes to rest? Sure he might be protected a little from injury but at what cost? a slow top heavy forwardline with 2 big blokes roatating though who cant play as forwards. If we had a severe lack of tall forward options then sure play them. But now we are picking between natural tall forwards and an unathletic ruckman. Spencil for all his hard work and efforts should not be in this conversation. I for 1 think spencer could be our most valuable 23rd man, but unfortunatly for him he is nothing more than a backup.

North have just done a heap of school visits. North have a program that all Preps receive a free family home game membership, so every one that signs up for this that's 4 members. The Bulldogs have a similar deal. These numbers are so manipulated these days they don't reflect the true membership base. I will bet the West Coast Eagles and Adelaide generate more revenue from their members that Collingwood and Hawthorn. Essentially that is what counts, how much revenue does each club generate and match day attendances(hard to compare club v club due to a bias fixture)

As a kid of the 80's I hate Hawthorn, always have and always will. They are my main rival, with the drug cheats not far behind. I am just hoping they drop off the face of the planet and we smash them for the next decade.

hard to think of a modern day rival but for the past 20 years Id go with the Bombers. Maybe its just coz I hate them so much but I find there is a bit extra bite to the clashes usually.

The few Collingwood supporters who still think we are rivals all live in nursing homes with advanced dementia and colostomy bags.

Agree with your last sentence Lucifer. We have seen over the years what a resilient character he is. Strong of character and loyal, A team and club man, I suspect it says more about Jonesy than anyone else. Sure it may be a media beat up, but I have little confidence in the people management skills of footy clubs. I am not sure if Melbourne is better or worse. However, from what we know it sounds a rough way of communicating the news to a club legend regarding a questionable call in the first place. And the Watts saga also does not look good. Different messages from a range of people, from coach to captain to players, all disseminating a view that has not been entirely clear or coherent. It has left more questions than answers and appears uncoordinated and unprofessional. Again, I suspect it says more about Watts loyalty and conformity than the blokes calling the shots. There are so many other aspects of the footy club that the MFC decision makers seem to have got right.. I may be wrong, but the management of the Jones and Watts issues leaves me with an uneasy feeling.

No problem, but I don't agree with your concerns. Internally, footy clubs are the most honest institutions around, so it's not surprising a bit spills out when players are specifically queried about a senior player and his non-selection. Supporters want transparency, but seemingly only when it suits them. If Watts came back with the right mindset we wouldn't be discussing him. If Jack doesn't want pressure perhaps Jack could have handled his preseason differently. He should google the term "personal responsibility". A novelty no doubt in this self-entitled age. As for Jones ? Goodwin makes decisions he deems to be in the best interests of the MFC. He can't not implement something he considers advantageous to the club because he'll get a "three time Best & Fairest off side". I'd have zero respect for him if he couldn't make a hard call based on that criteria. If it's a mistake it's a mistake, but your reasoning is as soft as butter. It doesn't matter that it doesn't make sense to you, or me, it makes sense to Goodwin, i.e. the leader. Co-captaincy is the structure he wants. He thinks it will fast track the communication with the young players, of which there are plenty, because Viney is a peer and Jones a generation away (in football terms). Trengove "insulted" ? Please. Goodwin makes decisions on a "team first" basis and was obviously going to take an emergency in the 24. Trengove was deemed to be that player. Given a choice of staying in Melbourne or travelling with his mates and realising how close he's getting to breaking back into the best 22 I'm sure he jumped at the chance. He would have known the situation before he boarded the plane and there was always the off chance he'd play if there was an injury before the game or early in the match. It's fair to say I don't agree with a solitary assertion you've made.

I can't see the value in playing out club issues in public, I'm sure Goodwin would have known that allowing players to answer questions about Watts ommision was going to cause a stir. If he wants to put pressure on Jack he should do it on the track, not in the HUN. If he wanted to get a three time B&F captain off side, the best way to do it is to tell him over a golf game that he was no longer sole Captain. The question is, why? Jack V was going nowhere, he should have been told he would be captain in due course, this just doesn't make sense. The Trenners no play appeared to be an insult and even if it wasn't, perceptions are everything, they played 23 so it wasn't as if they wanted strict match day conditions. He may be a good coach, I hope so and I desperately want him to succeed, but I'm not impressed with his handling of these issues so far. He may have his reasons but I don't have to agree with them.

So what? We have to do everything like Hawthorn and Geelong? Times change and clubs are different in their approach. Just because a club does it one way doesn't mean we need to as well. Nathan Jones is a big boy - he was disappointed at first, but clearly got over it pretty quick. If he can get over a decision that affects him so quickly then we can too. I don't get the worry or problem with this at all.

Just a little rumor I heard from a source close to the club. Goodwin was originally planning to have Jones as sole captain. Jones started to play really well in the round of golf and looked like being the first player to beat Goodwin. Goody has a great relationship with the boys and knew that Nath doesn't get phased by a normal sledge. He threw the Viney Co-Captain at him and Jones cracked the sads. 2 double bogeys from Chunk and Goody remains unbeaten in golf. Just shows what a great coach he is. He knows how the boys tick.

Yes, I do. Perhaps driven by not having a Fagan nor a CEO in place at draft time, to harness Clarkson's impetuosness. But consulting the leadership group has been a basic tenet of that club until this draft period. Clarkson has the runs on the board to be unilateral. Goodwin does not. I will be over the moon if Goodwin is the coach we are all hoping he will be. But for mine he needs to earn the stripes and I'm not sure he has, yet.

Quite true - both my daughter and my wife fancy Bernie V - different perspective but same destination....

Agree in general. If we turn in any sort of reasonable performance, this is probably the game that winning or losing means the least for our prospects for the season. On the other hand, would be hugely frustrating to lose in exactly the same way as every time before. Let's at least show that we've learned something.

I'm not keen on co-captains and nor am I keen on Spencer playing, but I won't be critical of Goodwin or second guess his every move for one simple reason, HTF would I know what the best decisions for the MFC are ? I'm a rank amateur, who isn't in the inner sanctum and is completely guessing from afar. It would be incredibly arrogant of me to think I know more than the bloke who's privy to everything I'm not. Thankfully I'm not arrogant

Season defining eh? I love this site, and at times it's amusing (Stevetheman and ProDees little flamewar for example) but bloody hell, the amount of handwringing blows my little mind out the back of my head. Yep, if we lose to the Saints, Goodwin, the coaching staff will effing pack it in eh? That's it, here is concrete evidence that we are ahead of ourselves etc etc. As a supporter a win might make you feel good, a loss might make you feel shite, but to think that the professional outfit that is the 2017 MFC model would buy into that [censored] means you're still thinking about this as a prepubescent snot nosed kid would - about their first dance or first farrk with someone and how it will impact on their life...

It was a joke Sue. My friends laughed when I told them I was going to become a comedian. They're not laughing now.

Could be worse, they could ask you to marry a Thai Bride like Demonland.com keeps telling me to do.

Happened from the day that journalists were made celebrities. Bring back the days of Scotty Palmer coming on and reporting (mostly) facts, and saving the rumours and innuendo for his Punchlines column in the Sun.