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He was interviewed at the Heartland Training session at Toorak Park, no idea what he said BUT highlight of the day for my 2 little boys... Jesse walked passed us on the way home and said bye to the boys and got about 100m in front of us and the boys kept yelling out "bye Jesse Hogan".... Then in the semi darkness I see him turn around and kick an Auskick ball straight to us which we took home. Reckon they will remember that for a long time and I'm sure will get some milage at school!!

So much sooking! The GC experience shows success is not a given with the assistance provided to these clubs. If GWS is successful it will be because of excellent management. I support expansion and I remember the start of the Bears - ugly! And a final point - we've exploited the opportunities the GWS assistance has provided more that any other club. Hogan for Scully. Salem and Tyson for Kelly. Weidemann for Academy picks. Our list would be poorer without our good trading relationship with them. I prefer GWS to win the flag this year more than anyone else apart from the Dogs and possibly the Crows (who IMO have lost more to expansion than any other team and have also suffered the Walsh tragedy). Hawrthorn, Sydney, Geelong, West Coast, North - yuk!

Only 3....

The Players' Association is all for it, therefore it's probably a terrible idea. They don't give a flying fruitbat for the welfare of the competition, they just want more money and power in the hands of the players.

Being a slow night, I read the crapola on the AFL site about who's chasing who in the trade caper for next year. Nick Bowen was the 'expert,' and therefore must be the understudy to 'guru' Callum Twomy. Anyway the gist of it was (i.e., rumour mongering), we are into Prestia (along with Richmond, not so much Carlton) and Hibberd. The only mention of Hurley was that he would either be at Essendon or an interstate club . There is interest in Jetta (one other Vic Club and presumed WA club/s), T-Mac (Sydney) and Watts which might explain the contract delays. All expected to stay at Melb. No mention of Hogan (praise the lord)

If a team wins a flag and no one cares, did they really win a flag?

Updated.

I'm loving watching this team grow. The sense of belief, cockiness and comradery, In a strange way remind me a little of the Gallipolli series. That ability to smile in the face of adversity, the self belief to have a crack, egging each other on. With characters like Bernie, Clarrie, Jonesy and Viney a new version could write itself. I guess what I'm trying to say is I love what PJ and PR have envisaged as our brand. The spirit of the digger. Articles like Cam Mooney's below, show people are starting to look at the bigger picture and are liking where we are heading as a club. So stop the micro-scrutiny, take the gaze of the navel and start enjoying the ride. I know we've all been burnt before, but, this is very different. MELBOURNE Melbourne, to me, out of all of the sides out of the eight look best placed to move in next year. They have gone to the draft and got in some high level talent, such as Jesse Hogan, Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver and Angus Brayshaw. These guys will only get better again. Add that to some great father-son selections in Todd Viney, who will be their next captain and is already a spiritual leader, and young Billy Stretch. Add that to more experienced players like Tom McDonald, Max Gawn and Nathan Jones, and a few very handy recruits in Bernie Vince and Tom Bugg, and the list has so much upside. What I like about the Dees is that they seem to be enjoying playing with each other. Young blokes like Viney just bleed for the jumper and his mates are jumping in behind him. They want to be there and they desperately want success together. That is the minimum starting point and the signs are good. The gap between their good and bad games is getting closer and there is a good culture there now. Paul Roos was criticised initially for his defensive and ugly tactics, but he has taught tis list to defend, win contested ball, and now as they are learning to attack. Next year I’d expect them to take another step under Simon Goodwin. The Demons have a lot of up-and-coming talent led by Jack Viney.

Another way to destroy the fabric and meaning of clubs, player loyalty and emotional investment by supporters. The talk and speculation of players moving clubs would become incessant and demoralising. Bad enough now, would be a nail in the coffin of the important connection of player and club. Clubs and players prostituting themselves for money and the hope of instant success. That would be the end for me.

Just another way to rape and pillage the Bottom 9 Clubs twice a year great idea Gill thanks

I was hoping nobody would pick me up on that. I did say I was a bit premature! What can I say, I'm an optimist!

I tried to start a thread like this a couple of years ago. In hindsight I was a bit premature, or maybe ahead of my time, Whatever, it took no time at all before the negative Nellies on this forum hijacked it and killed it off with the usual pessimism. I hope this one can endure a little longer. I agree, we are seeing the beginnings of something good coming our way. There is a spirit among the boys that I haven't seen for a long time. The heads don't drop any more and they keep doing what they have committed to. Jack Watts now attacks the ball with vigour because he knows everybody has his back. This is something I haven't seen in a long time. There's a sense of togetherness that will eventually lift every one of them to greater things. We have some great young talent but I don't think we're just going to see a team of champions - I think we're going to see a champion team. It's going to be great. This shot says it all... Good luck with the thread. Long may it live and prosper. GO DEES!

Agreed, they are hands down my most despised team. I'd sooner join the Essendon cheer squad than congratulate that franchise on their success.

We beat them the last two times;if it bleeds, then we can kill it. Disclaimer: Part of the above sentence has been taken from the 1987 movie Predator .It has only been intended as a metaphor that GWS are not invincible and Emerald in no way condones the killing of GWS.

This is my worst nightmare. Missing out on a flag for over 50 years and to miss out to a team fabricated out of thin air and gifted so much advantage in talent by the governing body in the name of progress. Supporters of a club that's been in existence for half a dozen years tasting the ultimate success before hardened passionate supporters who have been through so many hard times and continues to put money into the club for over 50 years. It may happen to the dogs too. It'll break my heart.

Ask for Sydney's first round pick and on-trade to the Bombers as part of a deal for Hurley.

I don't understand why he's being criticized on here. On form since his return a few weeks ago he's in our top dozen players. How is he being criticized for this? I know we all get excited by our young talent but at the end of the day he's performing better than most of them and will get better as he gets fitter. Until that young talent surpasses him, and if he maintains his current form, he is automatically best 22. End thread.

Click bait - it's a pretty boring free agency pool this year.

At community training last night I arrived at the same time as Lynden. His Hammie is fine and he is available for the next match and he told me this session was a touch and greet as they all trained in a full session in the morning. Also noticed Gus and Heretier running around so assume they both just need to get match fitness. Salem took part in all the drills as well. Even Kennedy-Harris was moving around despite his hamstring injury. The only player I couldn't spot was Trengove. The only player who cannot play is Mitch King and he was wandering around in a tracksuit so I expect barring a training mishap that we will have a nearly full list next week Was lucky enough to chat with Roos who was amazed that in the 3 years he has been with us the team is getting younger. I wonder how many of the first year players will drop off as the year progresses and the weather makes it harder?

At the time of the proposed trade, he had been playing all season with a dodgy foot that had been not been diagnosed by the MFC medical staff. It was properly assessed by the RFC which was a poor reflection of medical management at that time. Having said that, Jack is not naturally quick, foot injury or not. Although the injury would not help. However, he has good skills and is footy smart. In that first year with Scully, I thought that Jack would be the better player simply because of his skills and footy smarts.. He can win the contested ball and is a competitive beast. He is a ferocious tackler and a team player with leadership qualities. So I think his lack of pace is offset by his other attributes. By all accounts, he has been a role model to others (such as Petracca) in the way he has gone about his rehab. However, he is now competing against a whole new group of young promising players so he will have to work hard to maintain a place in the side. I think the bigger hurdle for Jack is whether his foot will hold up long term. His foot will never be the same or be as good as new. So he will play with this limiting factor. It is an injury that has a poor prognosis due to the demands of the sport and harder grounds. Maintaining consistency and form may prove difficult if he is unable to play from week to week. He deserves another season before judgement is passed.

Did they rate him as a B grader? They were going to get pick 12. He did knock on the door of our best 22... in fact he beat relentlessly on it for weeks on end with outstanding performances in the VFL. Credit where credit is due; it's not nostalgia that sees him in the team at the moment, it's consistent good performances at Casey.

Brad Scott....lol.

Would work a treat for struggling clubs like Brisbane and Gold Coast, having their players poached mid-season by clubs trying to reach the top 4 for a premiership tilt.

Your typical Demons fan is an optimist by nature, a pessimist from experience and a realist about half-way through the last quarter.

Yes.

White? Really? Based on what? I'd be shocked if that is the case. Sentiment aside, has Trengove shown more than Newton or Michie this year? I do expect he will be given another year and that's fine but two years would just add to a number of very poor decisions we have made with contracts.

Descarte ..or .... A la Carte ?

Jack will be on the list next year because White, Newton, Michie, Terlich (and if things keep going badly for Grimes and Lamumba), will be missing. We don't have a first round pick which means if we delist 4 or 5 as every side does, then the question becomes "is keeping Jack ( or any of the fore mentioned) better than what we could pick in the 90's or 100's?" At the moment he is playing in the first 22....all these others aren't.

Is this a new scale of MFCSS? "We look like we might become good, but there will always be a team better than us". Madness.

Jayden Hunt will win a Bluey.

That'd be 'Jack Viney'. There's no arguing that we have some really good young talent that will take us for a ride. They're nearly all midfielders. And we need to be smart about who we put in and around them. If we can land someone like Hurley next year and inject a couple of pacey and classy disposers in the back-line and wings over the next one or two seasons then I can see us challenging the top 4 in about three or four years when our core group will have played around 100 games. As Buckenara has said, it's those two elements that we are sorely missing at the moment. Foot-skills and pace. The fact that we have top-end talent in Brayshaw, Petracca, Salem, Viney, Oliver and Hogan won't mean a thing if we don't assemble the right players around them. They will only take us so far. The Hawthorn model is a modern day template that should be used for all clubs who have a bottoming out period. Inside/outside players who can use the footy. I don't think we'll ever see another side who are as damaging with the ball as they are when it's in dispute. Hawthorn stand alone in that category. During their golden years, nearly every player in their side was damaging by foot. Compare that to us a present and we have a handful of players who are damaging by foot. I'm just happy we've built a foundation.

Cameron Mooney looks at which teams outside the top eight can play finals in 2017 extract from above "MELBOURNE: Melbourne, to me, out of all of the sides out of the eight look best placed to move in next year. They have gone to the draft and got in some high level talent, such as Jesse Hogan, Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver and Angus Brayshaw. These guys will only get better again. Add that to some great father-son selections in Todd Viney, who will be their next captain and is already a spiritual leader, and young Billy Stretch. Add that to more experienced players like Tom McDonald, Max Gawn and Nathan Jones, and a few very handy recruits in Bernie Vince and Tom Bugg, and the list has so much upside. What I like about the Dees is that they seem to be enjoying playing with each other. Young blokes like Viney just bleed for the jumper and his mates are jumping in behind him. They want to be there and they desperately want success together. That is the minimum starting point and the signs are good. The gap between their good and bad games is getting closer and there is a good culture there now. Paul Roos was criticised initially for his defensive and ugly tactics, but he has taught tis list to defend, win contested ball, and now as they are learning to attack. Next year I’d expect them to take another step under Simon Goodwin."

Love that pic! I reckon Jack Watts would have loved seeing Jack Viney go after Rance - the 'smallest' guy in the team sticking up for him...birds eye view of physical courage and mental fortitude. Probably helped to get himself into games more, physically. JV is such a terrier!

Membership numbers are huge for sponsors- it gives them access to a database to direct market to via email/post.

I'm still a bit miffed about the creation of Luxembourg but I guess it stopped the Germans for a bit.

GW$ winning one will be horrendous enough...

Hate them. If they were a Tassie team instead, which makes much more sense, I'd hate them far less

I can imagine Stevie J and even Chapman not being interested, and SJ choice is probably vindicated. Kelly though was retired unitl January as he's a top up player. I think we might have missed one there (along with most clubs).

Exactly. There's a lot of small-minded parochialism here which, if you took it to its logical conclusion, would have the competition still firmly rooted in the VFL playing at suburban venues throughout Melbourne each week - and, relevantly, being absolutely irrelevant given the competitive landscape that is football in Australia. I've been impressed with GWS. They have been ultra professional and have done well in unfamiliar, indeed hostile, territory. Their club song is one of the best (composed by a Demons supporter) and they seem to have developed a decent club culture from a blank canvas. In short, they are a competent organisation. Until the Roos/PJ era, they made us look like the completely amateur, laughing stock that we actually were. So much for tradition simply getting you a seat at the table, which many here seem to think is good enough. Yep, GWS have had a leg up. But honestly, what do people think it would actually take to pull this off - simply relocating the North Ballarat Roosters to NRL heartland and saying good luck fellas ...

Could be my favourite football shot of all time! It just says so much about the boy. Can't wait til he's our captain.

Would you trade Jack for him ? - Absolutely Would the Gold Coast see that as a far deal ? - They would laugh at us

Just s@&T stirring -. Love the thread

I went to the Heartland training session at Toorak Park tonight, a great initiative by the club for the 2nd year. They barely trained 25 mins but one thing that stood out to me was how much they seem to be enjoying themselves, and enjoying each other's company. Lots of laughs and piz$taking, cockiness as you mentioned but serious and intent when required, seems like a great environment to be involved in. Better times are coming, we just need to remember how young this group is and be patient, the tide is turning!

At least your first thought is no longer lonely....

Even with superior foot skills to everyone else, Hawthorn were not unbeatable. But they were the best team on the right day (3 times in a row). GWS are no Hawthorn. They will be more than beatable. I'm not really too concerned about a GWS dynasty. They might pinch 1 or 2, but there will be no 5-6 year dominance where other teams don't get a look in. We will get out chance, and if were are good enough to take it we will, if not, there will be no excuses.

The whole GWS expansion (manipulation) puts me right off footy. Ever noticed that the AFL consistently retweet GWS tweets - so that if you follow AFL on twitter you pretty much can't help but follow GWS too...... makes me ill. Any GWS flag should have an asterix next to it.

Respect is growing, that's all that really matters here, it's not just jack either, a few clubs are a bit jealous of the quality of our kids.

Roosy is a legend.

Great news about about Jack wanting to sign on (if there was ever any doubt) http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/melbourne-forward-jack-watts-says-outgoing-demons-coach-paul-roos-saved-his-career/news-story/a0f2d0e55dee5098b47f9835f491d20b