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Was a smart pickup in 2023 and gave us a genuine winger opposite Langdon, allowing Brayshaw to move back into the middle. This year age, injury and who knows what else got the better of him, but thanks for pulling on the red and blue.

Very good player in his prime

They're only involved due to animal cruelty that occurred back in September 25th 2021.

If you took a poll on demonland about the relative strength of our list compared to the swans, pies, lions, cats and perhaps even the blues in 'recent years' (so, for the sake of argument lets say the last five years) I suspect, when the outliers are removed the median response would be at best the strength of our list is equal to those clubs. And i think the consensus would be that all those clubs lists, with the possible exception of the blues, were 'easily good enough to win at least one more flag over recent years'. None have. On the weekend the swans or lions will win their first flag in recent years, meaning those five clubs, all with lists good enough to win flags have won the grand total of three in 'recent years'. And none more than one. Which just reinforces Smokey's point about the difficulty of winning a flag, and how much had to go right to do so. And it refutes the argument 'we have underachieved by not taking advantage of our position and the relative weakness of the rest of the comp'. In fact, in the 10 years since the hawks won the last flag of their threepeat, the ONLY club that has taken 'advantage' of the strength of their list is the tigers with their 3 flags. No other club in those ten years has won more than one flag (Dogs in 2016, Eagles in 2018, Dees in 2021, Cats in 2022, Pies in 2023 and swans or lions in 2024).

Has been a head of coaching development at Norwood for the year. Was an excellent cricketer in his day also, just happened to belt him for the hugest 6 over mid on during our cricketing days. 😂 Thought I'd massage that into this convo.😂 Won a 3-peat with Norwood from 2012-14 expected him to go for a job in his own right in the AFL. Under utilized big time at Port, stepped aside for the greater good. A hard working fella who will with fresh eyes and perspective do good things with our forward line. At least we have been proactive this off season. Hopefully Mcqualter gets the gig at Wet Coke, never liked him as our mids coach.

Not only to re-unite with Goody, but back to where it all began 🙂

I feel for him that he’s retiring on 199 games.

Don’t ask questions that will get people banned for answering

Godspeed to the mods with this thread this afternoon.

But watching Zorko cry two years in a row would make the pain go away for me 😂

None of which is to say it's not disappointing we haven't won another flag thus far. I'll go to my grave thinking we left one on the table in 2023. But a key point is the era is not over. We are in good shape to win another in the next few years. The Cats, swans and lions have a model that rejects the idea of bottoming out and stocking up on pick ones, but rather staying in contention over a long period of time. It is exactly that model that goody said he aimed to implement at the dees in his very first presser after being announced as senior coach. And he has been good to his word.

Almost every morning I look at the Pennant and premiership photo on my study wall and start singing the old song , " They can't take that away from me. No,no they can't take that away from me"" I must have watched that third quarter at least fifty times. When you are in your eighties it has a special meaning after wondering if 1964 would be the last one I would ever see. Had a few dreams that we had won a premiership this century only to wake up to reality. Wonderful emotions after this latest one and I went to bed that night a happy and supremely contented man.

well, judging from the youtube post at any rate

I think it's less to do with "woke" (whatever that really means) and more about attracting attention and publicity - and it seems like they've already succeeded with that objective.

Well played MFC Cleared a list spot and avoided potential controversy Fair play to Hunter for taking the deal too and thanks for your service in 2023

So one less continuing player who played in the greatest AFL game of the 21st century.

Why do dees fans hate the bloke so much?

Jones and Parfitt. I think I threw up a little in my mouth. You can’t honestly think that repeating what we’ve tried with NQR DFA is the way forward??? Our depth is incredibly poor. If Trent Rivers played a 2 month patch of games like Peatling did this year we’d be anointing him as the second coming. If Peatling costs us a 2nd round pick and needs a 5 year deal to get across the line so be it.

Well, according to some, if it wasn't for Maynard we would've won the flag. According to others there's a media vendetta against the club. A look into the majority of topics on here provide an endless amount of excuses as to why there were straight set exits the previous two years. You don't have to look far at all.

I'm still on a high from the flag in 2021. All I wanted was to see us win one flag in my lifetime. Took 45 years but we got there After all the suffering as a supporter and member of this club I have endured in my life, any flag between now and when I am dust is just gravy

Unspeakably stupid wokeness. Time to say enough is enough. How about spending time and energy on something that really matters.

Would NOT want to lose Chaplin as our backline coach - he does it superbly.

Nathan Bassett has had a long and varied career in SNAFL and AFL, 210 games with Crows, Coached Redlegs to three consecutive Grand finals winning two, 2 years with bummers then 8 years with Port as fwd and backline coach finishing up at the end of 2023. Spent 2024 back at Redlegs in a FD management role and has a lot of experience with player development as well. We traded the boy back home due to serious injury, I am interested in seeing what the man can bring back to the Dees.

You're wasting your breath. No matter how many times you point out 3 years of trading & list management disasters there is always a conga line of apologists lining up. Amazing because player trading & list management are pretty black & white.

I've been always baffled why we we've neglected the Irish pathway considering we are the very first clubs to ever pioneer this in the 80s. I'd take this route every single day over useless ex basketballers turned football wannabes which is pathway we've failed in the last few years.

No list, however talented, is ever entitled to a flag. A lot needs to go right on many fronts, and often requires plenty of luck too. Are you suggesting our list over the last 3 years has been comparable to that of recent dynasty teams? We don't even have a single established, consistent key forward. In no way has our list been that good. Dee's fans tend to overestimate the quality of our list holistically. Our top end talent is as good as it gets, but our middle of the road and below players are what prevents us from having Richmond or Hawthorn type success. Your expectations far outweigh the actual quality of our list.

I’m very happy this has happened.

LH, congratulations. On a side note however, ”Lachie Hunter calls his time at the take red blue take a look a look back at his time at the club.” MFC app. Who is responsible for this rubbish? Quality matters, even in the Office. MFC, please employ people with at least Grade 4 ability.

Why can't he be a forward coach? I would have thought being a class deefender would give valuable insights into forward craft and how best to beat a defence. I like the idea. Chaplin needs to stay where he is, if he wants to that is.

Helped us in 2023 by providing a useful wing option. Actually averaged 3 more touches a game than Langdon. His game against Carlton in the semi was underrated IMO. But yeah, clearly went on one year too many, and never got started after that calf issue. Probably won't go down as a Demon great.

A half?? I’d do it for $50 and a meat pie!

I agree and I'm of the same opinion, making prelims is the pass mark as that gives you a shot to win the flag. Anything can happen in Prelims as we saw with the Cats on the weekend, GWS last year etc It's the same stance I have for the NFL, you make the final 4 (AFC/NFC Championship Games) and that shows you are a good team. After that is when luck kicks in and the fittest/luckiest teams can go all the way. I think we should have won another flag, but we definitely should have made the prelims to give us that chance.

That info says he hardly cleared off from Port. They called time on him it seems. And it was after 8 years as well. That’s hardly leaving a by Club in the church. Wouldn’t want to be employed by you Bluey all you have done is blemish Nathan for long service and loyalty. I would think Goody would be all over SA assistants and be very aware of their credentials. Thank goodness.

Peatling for mine as he won’t cost us a first round pick as well. And he’s much much younger and fills a midfield need which is greater than our half back needs.

After Fritsch kicked the goal that started our comeback, I refused to sit down for the rest of the night. I paced around the living room and clocked in close to 8000 steps by the time the game ended. With 4 minutes left my dad said we should open the champagne (a very expensive bottle we got as a wedding present) and I yelled at him “DO NOT JINX US WE CAN STILL LOSE”. I then proceeded to drink half that bottle and order $700 worth of merch 🫠 My favourite photo of the night was one my husband took of my dad and I hugging post game. We were both in tears. Even my mum who cares so little about football was crying!

I was lucky enough to attend with my then 10 year old son. When I was 10 we lost to the Hawks by 96 points….he has no idea how lucky he is! Possibly the greatest day of my life, just pure joy and elation. I knew we were home after Brown’s first in the last quarter and then I could just soak it all up and enjoy it. Crazy to think after Bont’s goal that we would go on to win by the largest margin out of all our premierships. I didn’t shed a tear (too happy) but when I got to unexpectedly hold the cup the next year I welled up a little. That premiership cup is the most beautiful inanimate object I’ve ever held. I cradled it like a new born baby 🤣

Ireland should be part of our NGA through the Stynes connection and give us priority access.

I'd much rather bank on the ceiling of an upcoming draftee like Cooper Hynes at pick 20-25, than Peatling for five years, but will back the FD.

His career was stillborn when first recruited by us due to bad luck and injury. Turned out to be a great defender for the crows.

When Gawn took that mark and kicked it, I swear that I woke up the whole street with my screaming and crying. I was lying on the floor of our bedroom, unable to watch him take the kick, and as soon as he kicked it my husband said "he got it" and I just yelled so loudly I swear he questioned why he married an insane person. 2021 was a magical time to be a Melbourne supporter, except Covid ruining it.

I was actually my dad's carer during Covid, as my mum doesn't drive and dad needed to get to medical appointments, so technically we did not break the rules. But like hell I was going to miss watching the flag with my dad who I've been going to the footy with for more than 2 decades! I am still salty that WA shut their borders to every state and territory. We were fully prepared to fly to the NT and quarantine before heading over to Perth. Hell we were going to fly to Perth and quarantine for 2 weeks and risk not winning the prelim. We even looked at flying to Singapore, quarantining and then flying into WA for the grand final. I would have walked on broken glass to be there in person.

You know how adrenaline makes the human body do crazy things, eg if a car is about to run you over and your legs suddenly gain super human strength and leap 5 times higher or further than normal to get out of the way? There were 3 occasions where I came pretty close to the ceiling that month: - After Max's goal after the siren in Geelong - After Sparrow's goal to go 3 goals up - After Bang, Bang, Bang

I agree, but both ideas can be right. We should have made prelims in 22 and 23 (that’s my measure - anything happens from there) and we didn’t, but we definitely should have cashed all chips to get a forward after 21. I love Ben Brown but he was never going to be what we needed. From a very high level - we couldn’t convert our dominance and it in part led to our failure in those years.

What a ride, what a ride the greatest sporting month of my life, September 2021. If you could bottle that month and open it whenever the time needed, you wouldn't need much else more in life. I look at that premiership photo nearly everyday. Special memories.❤️💙🏆🥇

Bont cost me 70 dollars to replace my Hisense Remote but has given my Dad multiple laughs as he pictures me punching it into oblivion. What was the worst moment watching live became the favourite part of watching the Replay.

Yep, I know we've discussed this before. We have certainly dropped the ball on this for a long time now. I hope we are ready to embrace it again. The women's team have really benefited from Goldie & Blaithin..

According to AFL.com.au TWO Irish AFL hopefuls will trial at clubs next week in bids to win spots as Category B rookies. Derry star Eoin McEvoy and Irish under-20 rugby talent Davy Colbert will arrive in Australia this week ahead of a period where they will push to get on an AFL list. The pair are being brought out by the AFL having tested well in training sessions in Ireland, with Colbert, 20, having played for Ireland in the under-20 rugby World Cup in South Africa while also featuring in the Gaelic competition. McEvoy, 21, is considered an emerging star of the Gaelic competition. The duo will train alongside the under-17s Futures squad later this week and attend the Grand Final on Saturday before trialling at a number of clubs next week – including Essendon, Melbourne and Geelong – before meeting more clubs at the Telstra AFL Draft Combine the following week where they will take part in testing.

Instead of acting like victims all the time, how about we all just harden up as a fanbase and just embrace the hate and/or disdain from other clubs and the media. David King throughout the period of 2016-2020 was our biggest defender and always had nothing to say but positive things on his radio segments. What did his positivity and “non [censored]” behavior do for us? We gotta stop wasting time and energy on clickbait journalism. As a tennis fan and someone who is also the last person on earth who would declare I am a fan of his, Novak Djokovic used the animosity and hate directed towards him his whole 20 year career and used it as ammunition to forge himself to arguable GOAT status in not only tennis, but world sports. Say what you want about him, but he just embraces the negativity and it is about time MFC uses this blueprint. We were never as loved as other clubs, even during the Stynes presidency era, so what’s more to gain calling out tribalistic behaviors against us?