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You couldn't watch games from the existing stands, unless the oval was built at the northern edge of the midfield and even then there would be viewing difficulties, with one reason being the huge screen in the way and it would be too far away from the game However, you could build a grandstand outside the track, if one oval was near enough. You also build a longer, lower grandstand, that would not impede the view from the existing stands, of the back of the race track. Another factor against the current stands, is the cost of opening and securing them them on footy days. It would be prohibitive. There would be no problem with food and drink catering at the other end of the midfield car park and there would probably be a permanent cafe in addition, near or in the new facilities. Architects will sort out all these issues, in a state of the art development. We have waited a long time, but with the opportunities available within this site, it will be worth the wait. We are really talking about a magnificent opportunity to have the best facilities in the AFL and be the envy of every other AFL club. It will also help to some degree with luring players from other clubs, if they are weighing up competing options. As the original Big Kev and also the one on DL would say, " Get Excited".

Nathan Brown on the Christmas DeeBrief podcast interview was excited by the talent and athleticism of Kalani White. Nathan is a very positive human being. If Kynan Brown has that watch out he will be good because he already has the talent. Nathan said only around 7 players under 184cm were drafted. Shows how tough it is for players like Kynan at around 181/2 cm. I could go on but have a listen. Great interview. Positive +++++++

2024 premiers

You predicting one all mighty new years eve brawl between half the playing list?

How the set up at Caulfield might look and function will most definitely depend upon where the MFC ovals & facilities are located inside the racecourse precinct. If you want a mini stadium for AFLW/VFL then I would say Glen Huntly Oval on the southern side would be the best option as you could have stands and light towers (which do not impeed views from the existing racecourse stands) and then have a second practice oval inside the race track. Any cricket or football clubs displaced could get a new oval inside the track area. This would require some additional negotiations with City of Glen Eira because Glen Huntly Oval is separate to the race course trust AFAIK. Additionally, allowing access to Glen Eira Secondary College could probably trigger governmental funding if done the right way ... 🤔

If we slide it will not be far. The group will get a bit of fizz and bubble from the new recruits plus our draftees. Nothing like bringing a few fresh talented faces to training and game day. The pre season was all about freshening up the list which was done superbly.

Couldn't the patrons watch the AFLW games held within the racecourse from the existing grandstands? Seems like a no-brainer Also, for those wanting access to bars and eateries, well Caulfield racecourse has all that and more and if we bring the numbers, they'd no doubt open things up on non race days. There's your socialising taken care of by default And the talk is for our buildings to house gyms, swimming pools and indoor training facility/another grandstand to be built on the back straight So there may well be 2 vantage points to view practice/games. With 1000's of free seating We'd be moving into a structure that already exists whilst adding what we need It's like we just stumbled upon exactly what we're looking for and need and it may not exceed our budget and we still may get government funding anyway

Apart from McVee spending more time up the ground (I've been on this bandwagon since R2 last year so still hoping), the player I'm most excited about is McAdam. I think he will be one of the recruits of the year. He brings a different skill set to our f50 and his marking ability is going to surprise a few. Already on pre season snippets you can see him leading into small pockets of space and finding gaps. We've been desperately needing another forward who leads up at the ball, reads the flight and can beat his opponent one on one. Generally speaking we were too short up forward last year. I say he'll kick 40 goals with a few bags of 4 or 5.

My D head next door neighbour who is a feralhead, saw my dees cap on whilst mowing my lawn and quipped, whats that losers cap on your head? My response was, whats that growth on your shoulders which houses your excuse for a brain? No response.. piont is this, I was happy to lose a 40 year friendship over "philosophical" differences re Maynard and filth issues so if a dhead neighbour wants to have a dip then you would want to be ready to cop it back, triple time! Maynard can rot in a cesspool of condemnation! God I despise Feraldom and everything that stinking rotten club stands for! Agree happy Christmas to all on demonland😇😎

That was a great game of the past. Remember once screened again here ... thanks. How good was Obst? All our smalls need to emulate his movement, ball-handling, anticipation and kicking lethality.

That is long gone…..Now repurposed as Thomas Embling hospital. Houses those in the criminal justice system with psychiatric- mental problems….probably more appropriate for Collingwood.

Shouldn't she be saying "There are" or "There have" if she's referring to a plural?

Fairfield Infectious diseases Hospital?😱 lets hope so

I have the same sinking feeling I do hope not

If we won it must have been Easter Monday 1990 vs Essendon, was a great game (I was there too) - we didn't beat the Bombers too much in those days (I reckon we would be lucky to have won half a dozen games against them during Sheedy's 27 years tenure) though we did beat them twice in 1990. https://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/1990/051119900416.html

Freak Ran like the wind Kicked like a mule Could have been anything RIP Troy, and Trisha, hope you're doing ok

This proposal at Caulfield is for an Administration and Training facility. How many people on here have visited ( out of the 70K members ) who have actually visited the MCG offices, the AAMI offices or even attended a training session during the year? Not just at finals time. It is not for the fans,....... it is for the club, the players and the administration. And if it is to be in Caulfield, Port Melbourne or Timbuktu, it has to serve that purpose alone. MCG precinct is DEAD. It was never an option because no matter what site was proposed, there just isn't enough land available.

My first game was one in the 87 or 88 season against Hawthorn but I have little to no recollection of it. I didn't go to a game (that I actually have a good memory of) until the 92 season against Geelong at the G when the mighty Jacko kicked 7. Being the only MFC fan in the family and having a Collingwood father I had to rely on friends to get to MFC games. An early game in my memory that I saw on TV was that famous Elimination final win over the Hawks in 1990. That was when I fell in love.

Now that year was the tour of Europe, back of the NAT tour bus it’s pretty vague, apart from a few highlights

Taken by the neighbors across the road in about 75, including Greg Splatt who later went on to captain Oakleigh. His dad Ron drove us all to the G in a blue Ford Falcon station wagon, got into an argument in the car park on the way out and suggested I bring some boxing gloves next time! The Splatt family are mad Melbourne, as we are too!

I'm the NZ'er from the other thread who moved to Melbourne in mid-1999 and settled on Melbourne as my team a few weeks into the following season. My partner (now wife) was initially thrilled that I had come from a country that knew nothing about AFL and was hopeful that I wouldn't become obsessed with the game, get a membership, put stickers on my car and either watch games on TV all weekend or go to see them live. Long story short, after realising there was absolutely zero chance of me not going full AFL-nerd, she took me along to see the round 3 game between Collingwood v Carlton, figuring that'd be a good introduction to live AFL. My lasting memory of it was how loud and involved the crowd was throughout the game, which is something I'd never experienced before at live sport events in NZ (rugby, league or cricket). (Sav Rocca monstering the Carlton backline and kicking 6 almost got me over the line as a filth supporter too, but the less said about that the better... 🤢🤢🤮) Needless to say, that game got me hooked on watching AFL live and wanting to see more. We had to go away for a while after that, so my first Melbourne game (by which point I had finally settled on the Dees as my team) wasnt until a couple months later in round 14, also vs Collingwood, where the Wiz kicked 9 and we smashed them by 65 points. I've barely missed a Dees game in Melbourne since! 😎

Melbourne 2024 preview: How added X-factor, hunger will help Demons rebound after consecutive finals losses The Demons’ post-season has had more drama than a Taylor Swift break-up album, following a second consecutive straight-sets exit. LAUREN WOOD examines their prospects for 2024. A second consecutive straight-sets exit and more post-season drama than a Taylor Swift break-up album has the spotlight firmly on the Demons in 2024. There’s been questions about culture, star midfielder Clayton Oliver under the microscope, cheeky swipes from Steven May at the B & F and more boardroom battles, but on-field is where they will be looking to exorcise their finals demons. The Brodie Grundy experiment might have failed but having the endless talk about his future removed will be handy, while draftee Koltyn Tholstrup comes in with big wraps. MELBOURNE Coach: Simon Goodwin Captain: Max Gawn What happened in 2023? It really was a season of missed opportunities for the Demons, who made the finals despite plenty not going their way. They built a bank of early victories and were evenly split for results in close games as they tinkered with their forward setup in the absence of a key target. Oliver was missing for large chunks due to injury, while the Gawn-Grundy ruck experiment was dead in the water by the second half of the season. The team finished fourth on the ladder with a 16-7 record but crashed out of the finals in unspectacular fashion, leaving the Demons without a finals victory since their 2021 triumph. Need to rectify things when the pressure reaches fever pitch. Where do they finish in 2024? While there’s been a few chops and changes in the trade period and additions in the draft, the spine of the team remains and it’s hard to see them dropping too far away. Not sure they would have “smoked” Collingwood – as May put it so bluntly – in the grand final, but they’re definitely capable of more than consecutive straight-sets finals exits. The spotlight will follow Clayton Oliver after his off-season issues, along with coach Simon Goodwin who was forced to go on the defence in a lengthy radio interview after the season had ended, defending the club’s culture and handling of a positive drug test for forward Joel Smith. They were dominant in defence with May and Jake Lever absolute pillars, but need to sharpen offensively to gain that edge. Delivered figures of 16.28 in front of goal in their last two outings – the Dees need to flip that script urgently. Biggest improver in 2024? Jacob Van Rooyen broke out and should only improve again to be a vital tall alongside a hopefully-fit Harrison Petty. Draftee Koltyn Tholstrup will be a very close watch as is considered by those in the know to have been performing strongly to begin his first AFL pre-season. Expect Judd McVee to take the next step after a full season at the level, with his body and game nous to only build next year. MELBOURNE'S BEST 23 FB T. Rivers, S. May, A. Tomlinson HB J. McVee, J. Lever, C. Salem C L. Hunter, C. Oliver, E. Langdon HF C. Spargo, B. Fritsch, A. Neal-Bullen F J. Van Rooyen, H. Petty, S. McAdam Foll M. Gawn, C. Petracca, J. Viney Inter J. Bowey, T. Sparrow, A. Brayshaw, K. Chandler, J. Billings (sub) X-factor Shane McAdam should slot straight in after moving from Adelaide during the trade period, and is already mentoring draftee Tholstrup as they both settle into their respective lives as Demons. If McAdam can find consistency and the team’s forwards stay fit, it could go a long way to unlocking the team’s offensive problems it has faced over recent months. Clayton Oliver is one of the most electric players in the competition and if he can get things sorted, will be a more than handy addition for coach Simon Goodwin. Talk about an understatement. Coach status Simon Goodwin signed a two-year deal on the eve of the finals that sees him at the club until the end of 2026. The new deal came amid more conjecture about the club’s culture and reported behavioural issues that had been said to have been raised at board level, but the Demons’ faith has seemingly unwavered in their man. Who is in last year of contract? Adam Tomlinson, Andy Moniz-Wakefield, Bailey Laurie, Ben Brown, Daniel Turner, Ed Langdon, Jake Bowey, Jake Melksham, Jed Adams, Joel Smith, Josh Schache, Kyah Farris-White, Kynan Brown, Lachie Hunter, Marty Hore, Oliver Sestan, Tom McDonald, Tom Sparrow, Will Verrall Outs for 2024 More Coverage Luke Dunstan (retired), Brodie Grundy (trade, Sydney), James Harmes (trade, Western Bulldogs), Michael Hibberd (retired), James Jordon (free agent, Sydney), Deakyn Smith (delisted), Kye Turner (delisted) Ins for 2024 Jack Billings (trade, St Kilda), Kynan Brown (Rookie Draft, father-son), Tom Fullarton (trade, Brisbane), Marty Hore (SSP, Williamstown VFL), Shane McAdam (trade, Adelaide), Koltyn Tholstrup (No. 13 draft pick), Caleb Windsor (No. 7 draft pick) Melbourne's first six games Rd 1 Western Bulldogs @ MCG (W) Rd 2 Hawthorn @ MCG (W) Rd 3 Port Adelaide @ AO (L) Rd 4 Adelaide @ AO (W) Rd 5 Brisbane @ MCG (L) Rd 6 BYE

Good day today, thanks to all that believed in me that I would. Both Pakistan and Australia played well throughout the day. Few missed chances by Pakistan in the field when they were on top gave us the ascendancy. Hamza and Afridi bowled well. Hard to see Marsh miss out on a ton, funnily I went years ago when Shaun got run out on 99 at the MCG, brothers, hey!? Good crowd, not sure figures, felt like between 40,000 to 50,000ish, good atmosphere.

Awesome. Thanks for sharing

We actually weren't a bad side to watch in 82, 83 & 84. Steven Icke, Alan Jarrott and Brian Wilson were all good pick ups from North Melbourne and there was the million dollar deal to bring in Peter Moore and Kelvin Templeton, both who had grown up as Melbourne supporters, although the latter got injured pretty early on and never showed the form he had at Footscray. If not for the injury to KT and Gerard Healy following the big $$$ to Sydney we could have played finals in any of those years.

My first Game. Now this is purely memory of a long time ago. I don't remember who they were playing, but did Geelong play someone in a demonstration game pre season, or was it a home game, and it was during, or had something to do with the Olympic Games. I just remember they were in it. Is that right? Maybe someone else remembers. I was in the outer. Other early games were where i remember MFC were in. But i don't know the years, just the players. Bluey Adams, I think he was a professional Runner, Him because he was a runner as was my father in the SG. He ran against a Spargo there. Tassie Johnson because he drop kicked at the kick outs to the centre, no problems. They all drop kicked even in the wet. Thinking back now it was amazing. Richmond Bull Richardson and Paddy Guinane,they never quite mastered the art of kicking. Surely someone else remembers these two. Thats it.

I hate the cats.

Interesting choice of best. It accounts for quite a bit In the backline Salem returned on a blaze of glory and then quickly faded away. Tommo was short changed in terms of selection ......big time. Oliver, Langdon and Hunter all had very much less than stellar seasons. No arguments about that. Then we have Petty and Fritta' struggling big time with significant foot injuries. Anb was down on form as was Kozzie.so in the scheme of things it really was an incredible effort that we did so well.

And I used to work for NAT as you would remember. See you 20th.

games won't ever be played at caulfield - it's a training / administration campus to accompany our training / game campus at casey princes park should be the home of nearly all aflw games played by melbourne clubs if the afl are so determined not to use docklands, the stadium they own but have determined is too big / expensive to run for aflw

Yes. Quite Ironic. Many believed that the return of Barassi would herald a new dawn.

Worth listening to Pert @ the AGM as discussed in detail as what is needed now & in years decades to come, the issues with AAMi park and shared facilities plus access due to concerts etc, not just 1 oval and went on to say that the his team & the board explored all opportunities & Caulfield represents the best.

leave your paddock field behind, the horse track calls for you ♪ forget the far flung fields, they will not follow you the black and whites who recently were crowned will soon be training on your cricket ground ♫ strike another match, go start anew coz it's all over now, red and blue

Just asked my Old man and even he remembered his first Dees game with his Dad. Princess Park vs Carlton 1965.

I can't remember my first Melbourne game, we went to so many as a young bloke, either at the MCG or VFL Park. So many memories of wins and losses, but the first game I actually remember as a very little kid was of My crazy Essendon supporting mother taking us to the Junction Oval to see Geoff Blethyn kick his 100th goal!! I remember it clearly. Thank goodness I followed Dad to be a Dee!!

I only remember the first footy game I went to was a Richmond game, due to friends taking me tho I can't remember my first Dees game. Love how most still have great memory.

They wern't unkind it was just the way it was. Mum refused to go to the footy anyway so it did not bother her.

We would want to be 5 of 6 at the first bye, I reckon.

Before your dad and uncle are accused of being unkind, you might explain to the readers under 60 yo that there was a time where it was common for a chap to leave the wife and children in a car while he went in for a few beers. Occasionally, a lemon squash would be brought out to the bride to drink in the car, particularly on country trips

I've written him off before but this time I reckon he's cooked. Great servant though.

First game was against Essendon c1989/90 at the G. Pretty sure we won. Next was against the Bears at Carara. Capper was running around in the two’s by then and we only won by 3 or 4 goals from memory. It was quite a difference in atmosphere that’s for sure!

Probably ‘73 but only vague memories as a 5 year old. Possibly mauled by Tigers who were very good then. Almost everyone at school was a Tiger. Faves included Gary Hardeman, Greg Wells (number on my elder brother Greg’s footy jumper) and of course Robbie. Was a big Garry Baker fan but he joined ‘74.

He basically detailed how 2 knee surgeries detailed his season in 2022 & then in 2023 the thyroid condition which led to (he believes) his knee surgery (a bit of cartilage chipped off due to the knee being weakened from lying on the couch for a month). Never got back his fitness. The thyroid issue sounded awful. This season already did an intense training session overseas with a lot of different athletes etc and feels he has that “zip” back. The last time he felt like this was in 2021. He sounded extremely positive.

One of the great pics

This is the first game I remember as well, I may have gone to some games in 1987 but can't remember them but 1988 as a 6yo that whole season is etched in my memory. We used to go almost every week missing the odd away games that were too far (Geelong/Footscray).

My first game? The ‘64 grand final. Not a bad start at all. Don’t remember much except getting a flat tyre on the way there and holding up all the traffic on High St wanting to turn right onto Punt Road heading to the game. I remember Ray Gabelich’s long run and goal, and my namesakes goal from nowhere at the end. Other than that, not so much.

What a welcome the Dees gave you! I don't remember my first game because I was probably 3 or so. My first few years of watching were curtailed by lack of height or ability to have any idea what was going on except when we kicked a goal. Just the rise and fall of the crowd's reactions, while I busied myself with snacks and other diversions, and hoped for the song at the end. All I knew was red and blue = good; everyone else especially black and white = bad, and that's just how it is. I wasn't particularly accustomed to winning or aware that success could be a thing. So, no one specific 'first game', just a gradual dawning of awareness.

Melb v Bulldogs at the MCG It was a long time ago with my father (not a footy fan)... 1962... I believe we won The next was Hawthorn v Melb at Glenferrie in 1964. Age 9 went with a few grown ups (11 and 12 year olds). Things were different in those days. Can recall a game at Princes Park in 1965 perched on the roof of a tin shed. Barassi's first game against Melb. We won. A few weeks later the Saints beat us and 57 years of failure began

Another Geri, well close. first game pestered my dad for days 58 Queens birthday at the G, can only remember the crowd and me running down to the fence . I was only 8. next game last couple in 1966. Met up with John, Stan, Don and Gordon and we were firm friends for years. Summer and winter. Went to 3 marriages and one funeral. any of the last 3 read this rubbish, no contact for 25 plus, are you still around ? still in contact with a few others from back then. Go Dee’s its fair to say we were not very good from 66-79 !