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The role may not have suited him perfectly, but he was by far the best of a sorry bunch when he was given the role. However, he gave everything he had to it and to the club, and I can never fault him for that. Good on him for also recognising that it is time for him to step aside as captain. Thanks for everything, Jonesy. Hopefully this move will also ensure you have a good season for us in 2020 without having to worry as much about that aspect of your game.

The problem I have with the AFL is that is makes up its policy on the run. There is no consistency in its decision-making and no accountability. This effectively diminishes the competition and turns it into another form of entertainment much like professional wrestling. How long before we just don’t regard it as a sport any more?

“If I can help foster that and grow that, I think that’s the best thing I can do for the club.” “Really for me it’s about just getting back to just loving the game and loving the journey I’m on - experiencing the joy in footy again with my mates. All power to you on that part Mr Jones. A great clubman and probably a good call for all, in the best interests of club & team mates. Let's hope 2020 brings a year in complete contrast to this one for his & everyone's sake involved.

Golly, how generous of you. Thanks for your service as captain, Nathan.

For any DL posters who started reading DL after we traded in Melk and Hibberd the threads about them prior to being traded in are well worth a read in the context of getting in Tomlinson, who don't have to give up any draft picks for. Spoiler alert: some were dead against getting them and many people thought we gave up too high draft picks for them

What pisses me is that whoever GC takes with P2 will end up at Hawthorn or Richmond etc in a couple of years time

Here's something that should be on the minds of Melbourne supporters instead of this Gold Coast package fluff. How about some energy and attention goes toward the pending decisions that will be made around trade period time? I'm far more concerned to hear that both Papley and Martin have nominated Carlton as their club of choice whilst also potentially getting Betts back. Now without wanting to jump the worry gun just yet, I find it alarming and fascinating that our name wasn't linked to either player. Whilst the Elliott offer is promising, I'm praying that we haven't gone all eggs in one basket with him and there's some transparency around us and Tom Papley. For instance, if he didn't want to come then what was the reason? Again, it will reflect extremely poorly on us if it's because of the season we had and it should be a reminder to those who continually excuse this as "just a blip year". The talk of our lack of outside speed is nothing but a big furphy in my opinion. We had the same list last year and at times we looked absolutely ballistic with our forward movement. It'll come down to having a fit and firing midfield with some players who need to lift their decision making game. In case people haven't noticed, we averaged a huge number of inside 50's this year which means we need to start converting those into shots at goal. Papley would have been absolutely perfect as that high pressure half-forward and Jack Martin turns opportunities to score into scores. If Elliot signs, I'll be over the moon. If he doesn't, I'll be wanting answers in regards to game changing players like Martin and Papley and why we didn't pursue them. At the moment, Carlton are going to leapfrog us and they won't be turning back once they get on a role. Let that sink in for a minute.

IMO Harmes was easily ahead of Viney.

As always he has put the team first. Will finish his career as a Demon legend. All the best to him.

Not sure what this means... Established players we have recruited in recent years: Vince (2013) Garlett (2014) Melksham (2015) Hibberd (2016) Lewis (2016) Lever (2017) May (2018) All of these are / have been walk-up starts to our best 22 and have made a 'significant improvement to the team'. There's a B&F winner and multiple All Australian squad members. Add Langdon (likely), Tomlinson (likely) and Elliot (50/50) and our recruitment of established senior players has been quite strong.

Well done Jonesy in your dedication to the club in some dark times. Now you can enjoy the remainder of your career and play with some freedom. All class

So who'll be first with a derogatory comment about Jones and/or the club? Sorry Kids? Demonsone? SWYL? Thank you Nathan.

The strippers they hired as entertainment for Mad Monday.

So many opinions and judgments made by people who have no knowledge of the background and personal/family relationships. Mick was a legendary footballer for De La Salle Old Boys. Mick is a decent human being and proud dad. It’s only a few years ago just before the draft that Mick and Toby were clearing away rubbish at home. As Toby was hanging off the roof, I jokingly quipped to Mick that he obviously had no fear of heights but that was not a requirement to be an AFL footballer. Their relationship appeared to be a good one. Perhaps that changed but it appeared that Mick remained in contact when Toby went north. He spoke regularly about Toby and his love for the Giants footy club. I got to know Mick quite well and I would best describe him as a genial and well intentioned knockabout character. He loved his son. Unfortunately, Mick liked a beer or two and that has been a major problem along the way. So what transpired on Saturday is quite sad for both of them. But Mick is not a bad person and the commentary of the incident does misrepresent his qualities as a person. Like many families there were relationship issues but that happens across the board. . Unfortunately, Mick’s undoing has been due to his problem with alcohol.

Is it weird that I get great joy in listening to Melbourne supporters blame the AFL and Gill which is really only disguised as deep-seated anger and disappointment in their own club's complete mismanagement and incompetence over the past decade and then some. I'll always be a Melbourne supporter and love the club. I'll also always be the first to say that we've got nobody but ourselves to blame for where we are now.

Expansion clubs really have screwed us. There really was no worse time to bottom out than when they came in and the AFL gave them everything. actually come to think of it, every expansion club coming in since 1859 has screwed us

Terrible, honestly [censored] terrible. Buckley and Hardwick were the same until they learned to loosen up and actually speak like an actual human. Goodwin won’t connect with the young players talking like that. He needs to connect with the younger generation like I do, throw in some ‘radicals’ and ‘groovy’s’ and refer to things as being ‘hip’. Then they’ll think he’s cool and he’ll get their attention.

I was struggling to go to sleep until I heard Goody’s speech.

So I can’t creepily watch the team eat their food?

We're also signing Tomlinson and Schwab is taking over from Pert.

It’s my understanding that there’s still some water to go under a bridge. #ETthetradebreaker™️

Champion of the club and one man who stood up when all around him fell. Focus on getting his body right and getting the most out of himself next year.

Well done MFC, on managing this with the dignity that NJ deserves.

Is that because he’s a Melbourne supporter?

So GCS got a heap of priority picks. But no news of the off field support they really need eg improved club rooms and facilities increased salary cap (Gil refused because he "...has a strong view that salary caps should not be compromised". LOL - Gil has principles! Yeh, I know a cheap shot but couldn't resist!) gold-coast-package Without sal cap increase they will struggle to both attract mature players and keep their young talent. better medical and fitness staff and related resources better development and welfare staff improve the low morale of draftees that play their Home games on dodgy suburban ovals that no-one goes to watch increase their 'soft cap' - Its tough getting football staff to go there without lots of $$. Priority picks are like fool's gold. Stewie Dew said as much mid year when he said pp's won't solve the problems. Without changing the off field issues it will continue to be a revolving door of draftees. I don't mind GCS getting the pps. But it is so frustrating that he AFL have missed a golden opportunity to really help the club. Fix the off-field things and players might stay.

If I was a site admin things would look a bit different around here. As an example, in regard to Tomlinson I would make the following statement: I hereby decree that any poster who is critical of recruiting Tomlinson (and costing us only salary cap space and a spot on the list I might add - an important consideration given the gws priority picks) is banned from at any point thereafter complaining about how bad the depth is at the MFC. The punishment for breaching this rule will be having to change your avatar to a picture of Mark Neeld.

With respect to kicking I liked what Damian Hardwick had to say this morning on coaching. IMO opinion there are 2 game styles, Hawthorn with their precise hit the target movement of the ball that won them 3 straight flags and Richmond who will chip to a loose target but prefer the chaos game of run and gun or kicking to their forward marking targets. Hardwick's point was that in 2016 he was trying to coach his footballers to improve their weaknesses i.e play the Hawthorn precision game. In 2017 after a review and close call to getting sacked he decided to coach to their strengths which was run and gun. He also said he coached less and didn't micro manage the team and let them play (I suspect this means he didn't need the runner but the team leaders looked after on field adjustments). Similar sentiments from Grundy in an interview last week. He said Buckley's attitude was work harder to achieve success which drove the players nuts and if it persisted Grundy wanted to leave. Buckley got reviewed, came close to a sacking but changed his attitude. Less is sometimes more and play to your strengths. Set shot kicking is a skill and I hope the new coach can improve this but also moving the ball into better position for set shots is important to and that is game style. I have my doubts that some players will ever be good great field kicks but if you cannot hit a target then kick it to space and let them run on to it

Boo hoo. Moving on.

Haven’t heard anything, but Brad Green would be my preferred goal kicking coach. He was as close to the perfect kick for goal that this club has had.

My absolute bugbear. If you are playing at the top level set shot kicking should be a gimme in the 45 arc from the center of the goals 40 out.

Over the last 3 years, Frost has managed 51 games for a club that made finals once in that time and this year finished 17th. In the same time, Tomlinson has played 73 games for a club that played finals every year and this year played in the Grand Final. I love Frosty, but I also recognize the realities of what he has and doesn't have. This all just seems like the classic overrate your own players syndrome.

One of my mates' cousins is a Hawthorn player. He's relatively experienced and his contract is not quite at that $340k before match payments. I think we vastly inflate what we think players are paid because we have no [censored] idea.

Viney 3rd.. what an absolute farce!

As soon as I posted it I knew straight away Frosty balls would show up in the next top 10 leaderboard . Would only happen to me.

Well there you go.. How the [censored] is Jack Viney 3rd!??

Personally I'm really looking forward to his 2020. Has carried a weight on his shoulders for better part of a decade and has never had an 'easy' time. Not least among his burdens is the role at lightning rod the the kind of embittered snark-addicts that can post foul-spirited comments upon hearing of one of the great stalwarts of the club stepping down as captain. Nobody who shows that kind of basic disrespect to a club leader should be permitted to ever complain about club culture again. I hope a properly honored 300-game milestone is in order for Jones, as he refreshes himself making a solid contribution in a resurgent team.

Another selfless decision by a true leader of our club, enjoy the next 1-2 years of your footy career without the huge load you have carried on your shoulders for so long Jonesy boy. An inspiration throughout the toughest of times at our grand old club, we salute you always.

I would think one of his best mates would understand the situation better than you, so perhaps best to not make assumptions.

Has been a magnificent, loyal servant of the club through its darkest days. Could have gone elsewhere for success, and maybe more coin, but stuck with us, and captained when it would have been an utter embarrassment. Wasnt blessed with the highest level of skill, but went some way towards making up for it with his incredible attitude. Kept at it, and kept at it, when many lesser leader would have just given up. Didnt win many games off his own boot, but not many players could have done that considering the lack of help he had for years. Stood down when the time was right and deserves nothing but praise for his decision. Onya Jonesy. *Raises glass

It’s obviously Jamie Elliott coming here to break the news to us before he calls Goody with the news!

I googled it and it said he was 54.

The Chief, 99 and the 2 junior agents are all attending tonight’s B&F. Last year was a great celebration, on reflection maybe a bit too much self congratulation. Expect that attending tonight’s will be a bit like shooting myself in the shoephone.

He's exactly the kind of player we don't need.

it gets better / worse: The Suns will also receive expanded academy player access for 3 years including: • Provision of the Darwin region as an academy zone. • Ability to pre-sign Gold Coast SUNS academy players (including those from Darwin) without bidding. • Increased rookie list, up to 10 players the big one there is the ability to sign academy players without bidding

"You get a priority pick, you get a priority pick, you get a priority pick! Oh, Melbourne want one? Rack off."

I don't buy that excuse on this subject. It has been plainly obvious to everyone that our poor kicking for goal has been a serious problem and has cost us a number of games over the last three years. It has been obvious even in games we have won. For it to take three years to try to remedy the situation is deplorable. What can be more important than kicking accurately for goal. They have been numerous games where we have won every stat in a game but the one that counts the most ie. kicking a winning score. To me it screams incompetence by the FD.

Quality post. Worse poster on Demonland

I think it's the emotional side rather than the logical side that is driving a lot of people to overvalue Frost and other players in the team.

If Browne says we’re leading the race then we definitely aren’t leading the race