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Me? Never. I've seen them all come and go, what will be will be. If players don't want to play for Roos, their loss. Roos will get as much out of their replacements, should they choose to leave.

Spot on.I'll also add that I missed the birth of one (of four) of my children through no fault of my own, and it's #1 on my life's greatest regrets. I can't imagine how I'd feel if I had elected to miss it. Then there's the thought nobody wants to consider: there are plenty of babies that don't live for long after their first breath. And some that don't take one. You just don't know what you could be giving up. But let's listen to the single blokes tell us that none of that matters if you earn 500k a year.

Nothing to do with being a moral warrior. It just happens to be absolute idiocy to suggest that the birth of your first born child is "not worth missing a game of footy over".

Dan Nicholson is another who should be on that list.

Quick pat on the back to us, I've been thinking about it the last few days but **** we actually do have a committed supporter base. Last year Rd 21, all hope lost, no reason to attend and destined to lose by 100+ points 14,000 showed up against Fremantle to see us get spanked. We got 20,000 to the GWS game too. North Melbourne are meant to be Top 4 and can garner only 37,000 members. Our average attendance this year is 31,000 and we've played games against GWS, GC, Sydney at home. NM a finals contender and WB (self-assessed team on the rise) have averages of 27 and 29k respectively. It grinds my gears to hear other teams call us fair weather supporters when years and years of rubbish and we've sat through it. So proud of our supporters and finally we are reaping the rewards.

50 years to be with his son (or daughter, they do happen)? True, but don't forget there is a mother concerned in the birth . May be a surprise to some. She may like her mate to be there.

I'm just gonna go and take it back from there.

Doubt it. WJ is on a Panama cruise. There will be people there who write on Demonland and hopefully they will keep everyone else informed.

50 years to be with your child, FMD we do not know how long we are here, live each day. I was there for the birth of both of my sons and there is nothing I would put before it. The two greatest days of my life and even if I live long enough to finally see my beloved Dees lift the Premiership Cup, it will never come close to the feeling I had on both those occasions.

Dunn has been one of our best for a few years now. I can't believe people are saying he was a potential to be delisted at the beginning of the season.

Let's not get too carried away. As recently as this week I saw someone on here refer to a Lynden Dunne.

Huge mistake? He's sounding happier and healthier than he has in at least a year, possibly more. His decision to retire cannot in any way be construed as a mistake.

The disconnect here is that this type of feedback is only for the fringe players that find themselves in the VFL. If they are going to continue to be as honest with these as the one I just read - they should do them for the AFL as well. It doesn't sit comfortably with me that we are publicly appraising fringe players and not senior players.

Yep, nothing changes. Over rated, over payed, over hyped and over there.

I can't believe people want to cut Barry. He was still a teenager as of 2 months ago and was very skinny when drafted last year. From what I read on the VFL reviews he seems to have plenty of run and enthuaism and is learning the craft. I still expect a fair bit from him. I wouldnt put him in the same bracket as Strauss/Blease/Tappy who have 4 years on our list more than him!

I'm just thankful that Melbourne got rid of Brent Maloney and Ricky Pettard.

Yesterday night I ran into a player who played in the game against Coburg. Having read what Welsh supposedly said, I asked him if he rated Welsh as a coach. He said 'yeah, great coach and even better bloke.' I was surprised and obviously by my look he asked me why I had asked. I responded with the remarks that were reported and whether they were on the mark. He went on to tell me that it was far from how the post match address went. It was clear possession wise that MFC players are the most important figures at Casey, and most influential in winning games, however on the weekend they produced 27 tackles between them I'm led to believe. 6 by Jordie McKenzie. Casey are in a development year and lost 3 of their best 4 players to other VFL/EFL clubs and they were the lynch-pin to the club. Everyone down there understands that, as do the Melbourne coaching staff he explained. He said the only remark Welsh made re. Demons players after game was that during the week he had players ask him what they were doing that was preventing them from playing AFL.. He said look at Paul's gameplan.. You need to be defensive orientated or you will not get a game. The listed player than produced 27 tackles between them, which defensively is appalling. I can't remember if there was a remark to those effects in his interview but it sounds to me like Welsh is dead-set on the money. Don't head back to Casey padding your stats. Play AFL style footy or else you won't get picked up.. Developing year of not half a team of listed footballers should not lose to a first year standalone side in Coburg. If he's not [censored] off at that as a coach, he never will be. I don't know Rohan personally, nor do I have any involvement with Casey whatsoever, but the last 5 pages have been incredibly slanderous based on nothing but media hearsay. Whether he is a good coach or not will be assessed at the end of the year, but let's put this bad coach, bad bloke mantra away for the remaining 3 months because it's simply not correct.

Could Mitch Clark make a comeback, and play for the dees again in 2015 ? His twitter feed, apart from showing he still has love for MFC, is indicating he is making a return to the gym... could this be the first step on the journey to the biggest comeback in AFL history ?? Mitch Clark @MitchClark11 6am start at the gym. Time to get fit again. Thank you to everyone who has wrote to me. I can't thank you all enough.

I'm going to be one of many to admit that I thought he was cooked, he showed very little in his time under Neeld and like many I was furious the club gave him such a long contract. I'm very happy to see him turn it around and the OP's point of "could he be the man" has been a really good call. He, like many others, are showing what happens when a coach shows faith in you, and in fairness Neeld played him a lot but it always felt like he was on a knife edge, for that matter just about everybody was. Now he is playing with freedom, knowing that his mistakes aren't going to over analysed and as long as he keeps performing his role then his place in the side is solid. No doubt his career best game on the weekend, and I hope he's striving for more.

If we had this solid coach from the start, the question is whether a player like Blease would have been drafted to us at all.

As a result of this post, i read the appraisals of the Casey players. I must say i am very pleased. Having a senior corporate background, one of frustrations of senior management is that often appraisals are not realistic in what they tell staff. Often they prefer to tell then what they think they want to hear. This helps neither the company, nor the individual. These feedbacks told it the way it was. None of these players could be under any illusion about what is required. Very Roos culture i would have thought, and a primary reason why we have improved so much. Well done (yet again) to the Roos/Jackson regime.

It's never too early. I enjoy seeing how people's opinion - including my own - evolve over the year.

Been the last 2 nights, 40 odd sign ups from members who did not renew last year, great what a win will do, a bit from Nineteen "What an up beat mood we have enjoyed on the phones this week. Great to have a win before the bye. 14 days of luxuriating in the victory!!! Geoff, Pete K, Cheryl, Pete G, The Cat, Tricia, Geoff, & Graham had a solid night & surprisingly topped the 20 mark at the tough end of the season. Just Monday & Tuesday next week to go. The club will go passed 35.100 this morning & we hoped to push towards 35.333 when in next week". He loves setting benchmarks

Jones, Garland, daylight.

why does everyone here have such a fascination with this bloke I couldn't care less what he writes, positive or negative

It might be. I think a kid exploding onto the scene like Tyson has, would have as much impact if not more and wouldn't cost as much. Although it might take a little longer. But I'd rather have a star that was made in Melbourne, not elsewhere.

Blease has been in the system for quite a while now. Surely we shouldn't still be discussing his inability to build an engine. That said, I expect Blease may have a role in an AFL team as he has genuine X factor - it's just that the AFL team may not be one coached by the greatest man to have coached this club since Norm Smith. Edit - post demanded more hyperbole.

Didn't think I would ever say this about a MFC football department, but ATM I am happy to leave it all to them. Recruiting, trading, drafting, development, re signing players etc.

I have... his name is Salem

We could draft a Jones girl, could be tougher than many blokes.

To be fair Dunn has been good for a few years now. Unfortunately half this site had it in for him and it took him along time to be recognised for his improvement. We must resign him.

Hi all, Just a couple of things. Reckon Dunn has become very valuable, and dare i say it, a player i trust now.. think he has been terrific and probably in our top 3 most consistent players this year. Also beleive he is set to re-sign in coming days / week.

Nicholson is gone. Byrnes also. Clark retired. I don't expect Blease to stay. Tapscott has run out of time. Strauss borderline, but his kicking may keep him in for 1 more go around. Evans on thin ice. Agree Barry should be delisted and rookied. Fitzpatrick to stay. Spencer to stay. McKenzie to stay. Jetta should get an upgrade if he can maintain his form in the backline - this would make it hard to keep Strauss. Georgiou to stay a rookie. King stays as rookie. Harmes potential upgrade. We should end up with approx 5-6 spots on the list to fill through the draft and trades. Another young KPP, a couple of tall mids, maybe a ruckman and some blistering pace.

there's no way both spencer and fitzpatrick will be jettisoned simultaneously. it would leaveus with one senior ruckman, a raw giant, and a young kid who needs heaps of development. in fact, i can't see either of them going at this point in time. we need minimum of four ruckmen on the list, and king barely counts as a rookie. my guess is: byrnes - retired clark - retired blease - offered as trade bait, perhaps retained as a rookie strauss - delisted nicholson - delisted evans - delisted tapscott - delisted barry will get another year, perhaps as a rookie.

Certainly looks as if we have snagged a couple of absolute rippers this time. Congrats to the recruiting team.

Mate there is no way Tapscott is up to afl standard.. I watched him against Coburg last week, shocking foot skills.. Terlich is miles ahead of him!! I dont get what people dont like about terlich, he applys pressure and wins contested ball!! Something melbourne havent drafted for the best part of a decade.. Instead going for soft [censored] like morton, newton, blease..

def add tappy to that list unless he gets a good run and proves himself. I think Barry will get another year, he's young and has shown glimpses.

With all the improvement to the team, we cant underestimate the influence that Daniel Cross has had on the group on the training track and in games. This was a great decision and will only look better as the season goes. Its shows how important quality experienced players are to the side.

i hope beer and pizza is not part of that assessment.

I have never seen a young and inexperienced player who is so composed.

Slimeball. Jumps on the bandwagon when it suits. Always 1step behind and writes like he's a prophet. He can get stuffed.

A great couch would be hard to turn down for any up and coming player.

WTF?Do you want him to stay or go?

This thread should just be re-titled 'Every Trade Option Imaginable'.

No, he is playing better than you thought he could. Come to that realisation and then you realise that nothing is ever as bad, or as good, as you think it is.

it funny how views can be so different about players. I'm totally with gnf on dunn. Apart from Jones was our vest and most consistent last year. Was not as consistent the previous year but still good and prior to that has always been in our best 22. Doesn't miss games. Despite his reputation for misplaced aggression rarely been reported. Adapts to different roles. In our best 5 players. Oh yeah - would love to see him on the DL banner!

I will honestly deliberately harm myself if we get Newton back. One of the worst demons of all time

He had his second best season I thought immediately after signing that deal (2010). Then he had injuries for the next two and then it was 2013 and a long career had taken its toll. I don't feel any ill-will toward him or that deal.

Bob Murphy is easily my favourite player outside the MFC. He has a lot of the qualities of Robbie Flower. He's also a fantastic journalist up the in the class of Flanagan. He's written a great article in the Age today about the incident with JKH which is well worth a read. It will be a sad day when Murph hangs up the boots.