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Sheish!!!! Who'd want to be a voluntary MFC Board member answering to you lot. A social club and footy facilities within the MCG heartland would be unbelievable for the future of the Club compared to anywhere else. There's clearly some chance of it happening. I personally am happy to wait for however long it takes to either make it happen or know everything humanly possible was done before they cave in to some far more inferior site. And any site away from the G will be vastly inferior. It's a uniquely difficult thing to pull off. No existing land available. Olympic Park organisation, local Council, State Govt, Fed Govt, AFL, MCC to pool together to make it happen. Perty has dealt with everyone of these organisations successfully to get the Olympic Park facilities built for Pies. There couldn't be anyone better to try to make it happen. Have a bit of patience. Yeh, I'm as frustrated as anyone about how long it's taking but lets not all play the blame game and cartwheel the Club into a crisis by attacking the Board. If the team's crap this year and not a competitive finalist it's a different story as far as the football dept is concerned but as far as facilities I'm taking a deep breath.

You make a good case on logical grounds, Macca. However, I have in mind the St Kilda move to Seaford which was reversed because the troops were not happy campers down there, and Moorabbin is a lot closer to Seaford than Casey is to the Inner City Central of Swan Street etc that the players like to spill out into. Would be wary of getting a similar outcome, even if it means treating players like princesses.

Picket wasn't the only Demonlander there this morning. Mrs DW , myself and a friend and avid Demons watcher (who doesn't post on here), also attended. I will get the most important news out of the way first. Our friend arrived just after 9am and Maxy was walking the boundary with Langdon . Max spoke to him saying we were there on the wrong day that there was no combined training today. They would be doing only short stints and it was a skills and weights session and that we should have come tomorrow. That being the case I think that indicates there will be some kind of practice match later in the week. Picket has covered most of what we saw brilliantly, I have only a couple of small additions. Rehab: Doing high knee lifts; Vanders. Trying get balls in wheelie bins; Hibbo, Hore (only by handball) & Tomlinson. PF mentioned Clayton walking the boundary with someone, I can confirm it was JJ. He has put on some serious muscle and the photo gallery from today doesn't do him justice. He looks like a larger Jack Viney. Having mentioned the "photo gallery" my mate and I don't believe a word of the "early start" blurb. We believe the Mids and Forwards groups came out after we left around 1130. We don't know why it was written up the way it was. The defensive group described by Picket also included Lockhart and Deakyn Smith. Regarding Deakyn, my friend has been impressed with what he has seen of him previously in match sim, so it appears there is now some serious competition for Lords role; Nev, Smith, Bowey and Lockhart. Finally a question for PF, you said "the new Stand the Mark rule which will really test all players given that the moment a mark or free kick is paid you cannot move at all". This isn't correct, the Umpire must command STAND and indicate this to a player and then they cannot move. My question is, did you hear anyone shouting this? I couldn't but I was at the other end of the ground during these drills. PS. Keep up the great work Picket it's been great reporting.

To borrow from Martin Luther King. "I had a Dream." I was talking to a mate the other night and mentioned that someone asked about building something over the train tracks. That's been talked about for more than 30 years Probably more. We started thinking. Imagine if they built over Brunton Ave (which they've already partly done) across to the Tennis Centre and towards the City. Get the State Govt engaged by building a massive car park to service the MCG and get cars off Yarra Park forever for MCG games. It would be in walking distance to the City if people stay off public transport post Covid. It would service the Tennis and AAMI. A great addition for every stake holder. Build a state of the art sports facility in that space that MFC need but which the Aus Open could use. Have the MCC affiliated with it and contribute to it so there could be access to the gym and other facilities for MCC members with a new premium membership. It could have squash courts, basketball courts, which could cross over for indoors training for MFC. etc etc. And on top a Social Club for MFC that could be taken over by the tennis during the Aus Open etc etc. How good would that be. We have no idea what they're working on. Wouldn't that be worth the wait. No naysayers please. Leave me to my fantasy.

As for the criticism Bartlett is getting for not looking the part well enough and not doing enough so sack him. I'd much rather have a low profile "President" who's set a long term strategic plan and focusing on it no matter how hard, than a few of the high profile alternatives like Eddie "Proud" or Jeffrey "Tassie Hawks" or Kochie etc etc. I like the Board stability over the past couple of crap years. I like there hasn't been a traditional MFC knee jerk Coach sacking through a very difficult time. I believe on the back of Goodwin's coaching in 2018 there's justification to think he and the team might turn it around this season. If not then he's obviously gone. And frankly, probably so am I for a while. But it's not round 1 yet and like every year of my definition of insanity MFC supporting career I am still eternally optimistic until the final siren ends round 1.

I don’t believe Casey is the best option. In fact i think it is a terrible option. It’s desolate out there. It’s even got that bleak prairie wind blowing across the tundra feel to it. No public transport you need the car to get anywhere. I suggest to anyone advocating Casey to head along to the next ALFW game there and have a look around. You might change your mind. If MGC precinct falls over then we have to look at other sites closer to the city.

Lack of advertising slots.

Understand that completely, but my point still stands. The arrogance of the club has done nothing but harm it's cause. We are the only club in the AFL that doesn't have it's own facility, it's not due to available land or money, it's due to stubbornness and narrow mindedness.

I am really looking forward to watching what Jackson can do. He is a top rising star candidate ( if eligible) and I am hopeful he is our "Bontempelli". His upside is enormous. Mind you he could take another year or two to develop but I'm hoping it's this year he shows his talent. My whipping boy candidate is Gus. He has shown he has good talent but the penny hasn't dropped yet as to how hard you have to work to achieve your goals. From listening to him on the podcast I think he believes he has already made it and is one of the top players in the game. He is not. He could be. I think his 3rd placing in the Brownlow was a setback for Gus. We are getting impatient for him to play good consistent football week in week out.

The experiment has barely begun, though. Investing in Casey and basing ourselves down that way needs to be seen through a much longer timeframe - it’s not going to pay off until 30, 40 years down the track, when we’re properly embedded in the community and have had time to form a relationship with the people who live there. Tim and Gonzo make a good point about possible player pushback against a full move that way, but everything else screams Casey to me. Identifying the growth in that part of the city when we did - and jumping in there - was extremely smart thinking in my view, and going all-in might be the better long-term option if we truly want to attract 70,000 members down the track.

Never heard of this bloke but if he had responsibility for our website then probably best to part company

Don’t worry we’ll get Scott from marketing.

surely there must be a nice block of land in the middle of toorak? maybe an underutilised tractor park or range rover obstacle course or some such

Snobbery like this is what holds us back. Our membership base and the club itself are littered with it, and it will continue us on the same path we’ve been on for decades. We simply won’t get any govt funding for any community based facilities in the city where we are; we have already lost that battle to Richmond and Collingwood et al. We can continue to try but we’ll continue to fail. And while we’re at it, those same clubs will continue to cross the invisible lines to usurp us in the unsexy (but richly fertile) areas, and grow their membership bases bigger and bigger again with resources we refuse to commit. So many missed opportunities.

I actually think Tomlinson has potential to be one of the surprise packets. The return to longer quarters will help his game with his elite endurance as evidenced by his preseason games last season. I actually think the return to longer quarters will help others in our midfield like Harmes and Gus return to the fore and help us blow other teams who don't bat as deep in the midfield out of the water as the game goes on.

Great for most MFC members to be at our first home game of the season against Fremantle . Hoping there is no major concern for any major outbreaks of the COVID 19 which could ease more restrictions. Be there or be square to watch the Dees dismantle Fremantle and to cheer with a beer .

Yeh but they stole them.

I might be tempted.

I would love to say, that training was the best I've seen EVER!!! I would love to say that Angus Young from ACDC TRAINED THE HOUSE DOWN and could be added to our list! I would love to say that the weather was perfect BUT ALAS NONE OF IT WOULD BE TRUE Point number 1 the only players training were the core defence unit. More on that in a minute? Point number 2 Sorry for misleading you, but if Jayden Hunt resplendent with long hair under a school type hat ain't a dead ringer for Angus Young of ACDC Then he's darn close enough to be his twin? Piont 3 Typical Casey weather Sleet, Wind, Rain, Sunshine tending to Mercury like temperatures all within an hour and a half!? Training report. Arrived at ground to see quite a few but not packed car park at Casey at 9.40 Whether for COVID or other reasons the only players training were the defensive unit. This consisted of Lever, May, Smith, Nev, Petty, Rivers, HUNT, and BOWEY. Hibbo was also a no show. Tomlinson's only involvement was taking pot shots from 25 meters into a wheelie bin. For what reasons I couldn't say, he didn't look injured but saw him in conversation with Alan Richardson. The session was lead by Chocko Williams. I highlighted both Jayden Hunt and Jake Bowey as I'm interested in the likely impact both would have as defenders? I thought Hunt looked good to very good last year in attack and I would have thought Bowey's skill set would see him potentially taking a forward like role. The drills were interesting in that it is my feeling that this was not a high intensity session and could almost be as laid back as AFL Training gets. Drill A Involved the options of running the ball out in spread and finding a target through creation of space. The added element though seemed to be the new "Stand the Mark" rule which will really test all players given that the moment a mark or free kick is paid you cannot move at all. Its as if your boots are superglued to the turf and any minor movement will see players getting pinged left right and centre. I think it is a shocking rule and I can see games being won and lost with it. The players mentioned trained ok but as iterated it was not a high intensity drill. Drill B Involved players with backs to other player 30-40 mts away throwing or bouncing the ball and depending on its landing players turned quickly right or left footed to spear a pass to either leading or stationary target. Again a few excellent passes and a few MEH! Drill C Players taking ball and having pot shots on goal That's about it except for one slightly strange thing. At one stage Clarry ventured out from rooms with ???? Staffer maybe. walking around the boundary line looking at his phone, Music pod whatever stopping once or twice then heading back into rooms. I could speculate many other players may have been indoors doing a weights session but who knows?? Mitch Brown also appeared early and seemed to be doing some rehab work with Staffer for about 15-20 mins. I sincerely hope things step up from here and further, someone can find out if the Richmond or other practice match is on when, as even if a "'closed session" its easy to see through the fence! P.S If Jayden Hunt can play guitar half as good as Angus Young, then his career at end of footy days seems assured! Cheers PF ? ADDITIONAL TRAINING REPORT FROM DWORSHIP HERE

That vision was just a player that forgot the rule. They moved sideways on the mark like they used to, but it's illegal now. If they truly thought that the player had played on then they would have run forward at the kicker rather than sideways behind the mark. There will be issues where players simply forget like this, because they are not used to the same rule. This footage doesn't mean that the rule works/doesn't work, just that some players are going to forget ... especially whilst it's being introduced.

If they are good enough and mature enough thats fine ,Rivers and especially Jackson seem to be

I'm not suggesting they have zero interest - obviously they do What I am suggesting is that the gap that exists between best and worst for some players on our list is too big and not acceptable if they ever want to seriously challenge. The better teams don't tend to have such a wide gap in performance levels. They don't have huge lapses in concentration or application. They don't have teams scoring multiple unanswered goals repeatedly week after week. They don't have what seems to be significant drop offs in intensity from week to week or from quarter to quarter. Occasionally - maybe, but not consistently Unfortunately I would guess we are one of the worst teams in the competition in terms of win ratio in games where we are clear favorite - that suggests to me there is a big problem - That problem needs addressing urgently and if it means bringing in players who can apply themselves more consistently then I welcome them despite how old they are or how many games they may have played

i think we really need to adjust our thoughts when it comes to performances. Not everyone has to be a match-winner but they all have to pull their weight with effort/repeat efforts. Young guys are not expected to do it all....but if they are picked they are good enough and should contribute with at least some flashy cameos. More worried about some of our more senior team members pulling their weight honestly, there are too many that lack consistency within games and often fluffing up simple things. Let's face it, we need the whole team to lift and start "bleeding" for one another before we go anywhere...hopefully this is the year we start to gel and work out the effort that is required to win footy games.

Last time I checked our list isn't performing that well - if the newbies are good enough, fit enough and hungrier for success then I'm all for replacing some of those who seem comfortable with going through the motions

originally, a decade or so ago, i was in the 'mcg precinct only' camp now i really don't see the requirement for that to be the case if casey is our best option from a landspace, performance, and capability standpoint, so be it

I've previously been of the view that it's MCG surrounds or nothing but am coming around to the Casey idea... If we don't do something I can see us 10 years down the track talking about the missed opportunity at Casey like we have been going on and on about the lost Olympic Park opportunity. We we could establish that east coast thing from the peninsula down to Phillip Island... The traffic around the city is becoming a real turn off anyway so if you were driving out of town it might not be as long a journey as into town if you are in the Eastern suburbs... One of the first things we would need to do though is get coverage around the whole ground from the wind... I would see as 'Macca' says a huge opportunity to get government funding out there...

How long have we been out there already. macca you are talking as if we have just arrived. i looked at building investment properties out there 5 years ago. There is nothing there, except fast food joints on street corners. If that is where we end up calling home, it won’t end well

Bartlett's comment that the decision on an inner city facility will be left with Pakula & the Premier with a 'hope' that we might hear something this year doesn't sound very promising at all But I've never had any hopes for such a thing getting off the ground anyway. It might still happen of course but I'm doubtful So it's sharing Gosch's & AAMI Park or move to Casey ... or a bit of both as it is now But if we can get good funding at Casey I"d be making the move. Maybe not lock stock & barrel though. Keep a few other options open I've outlined my reasoning in the above posts so no use repeating Anyway, Port Melb seems like a bridge too far whilst with regards to the Saints, there was nothing wrong with Moorabbin to begin with Waverley is also a fine facility as well. There is such a thing of being a bit too fussy

I reckon this is Jason Taylor/Recruiters driven for this pick up. We'll be keeping a close eye on him if given senior opportunity. The modern prototype ruckman/forward who's got a incredible leap and strong contested marking for someone so light. When resting up forward he makes an impact with his strong marking and ability to impact the scoreboard. Well worth keeping an eye.

This rule seems very unnecessary to me - I can see games won and lost simply by someone standing the mark moving laterally by one step - maybe even just getting balanced 50m penalty for what has no real bearing on the ability of the player to effectively dispose of the ball just seems crazy

If we have to play any of the 3 kids in the first round it doesn''t say much for our list

Well let's give the hundreds of thousands of people who live out there something to do ... support an AFL club like the MFC And by the way, the people who live in Casey are just normal people. There's nothing wrong with them. I reckon we'd be welcomed with open arms if we committed And no, I don't live there We could have the best of both worlds within 5 years ... a top class State of the Art facility whilst maintaining our inner City history & roots as well as playing our games at the MCG The $5Million that was spent on Casey recently is the pointer in my view. The money could keep coming if we commit

Love to be there for the season opener NSFM. Sadly the reality bus is broken down in Neeld’s garage so travel is off. But will be cheering at a square box. Intend on ‘dismantling’ a chilled Guinness to celebrate the Demons delivering in darts against the desperate dockers.

Perhaps it should be eternal membership.

Big Things from Tom this year i can feel it. More of the same from Big Maxy. Well done on receiving Life Membership.

S.P Fraser " THE FREAK" Rosman W.B Spargo ,seriously if we are thinking he will be the S.P Then we are in deeeeeep sheeit. Look at his last couple of senior games.... very very average

How about a left field suggestion: We all expect Clarry to be at the same level as previous years, with improvements related to age. But what if he turned into a hulk-like 2015 Fyfe force, physically dominating every clearance. A welcome surprise, to be sure!

Become a marginal electorate

See my comments in the body of your post.

No positive impact? First preliminary final in 15+ years. Brand correctly re-aligned after CS debacle. Financials in best shape for decades. Debt free. Increased attendance, sponsorship, revenue. What were you expecting exactly? The progress on the home base is slow but I agree with GB that we should not rush our home base which will be a 100+ year home.

goody will be one or the other!

I’m tempted but 25m from the boundary at a suboptimal angle, through a fence and surrounded by 2 different types of reptiles (the snakes and Richmond supporters) makes me think it’s best not to.

i think Tomlinsons saving grace is his disposal which is elite.

Am I the only one that had a schoolboy humour visual moment when reading this?

yeah Bowey might be able to release Salem for a bit of that. i think Bowey will end up on the wing eventually once his running is up to it.

With the new standing the mark rule. I can see teams using players with pace i.e. Bowey and Hunt as runners off half back taking a handball and running. The player on the mark can’t even attempt to block it.

Understandable then if he didn't train. My wife assures me childbirth is pretty draining

Pic #14...I refuse to believe Fraser Rosman is not yet 19 years old. That upper body definition!