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Dear Melbourne Football Club, Thanks for your email. I will always support this club through the good and bad times! My late father, Kevin Raymond Hardeman who passed away on 3rd December 2018 and was a financial paid up member of the MFC since 1972 (except 1979!) and we, as a family attended every MFC game up until 1987. In 1973, I remember sitting in the Northern Stand with my Grandmother (Gary Hardeman’s Aunty), my Dad, Mother, Brother and Sister (my youngest brother wasn’t born at the time) with Robert Flower’s parents and talking to them while watching Robbie play his first game for the MFC! I was still taking my Dad to the footy in 2018 and sitting in the top deck of the Southern Stand in the AFL members...sometimes on our own!! My Dad saw his last MFC game and win against the Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium! It was a fitting last game for Dad (who had Dementia and was living in a nursing home at the time!). My Dad had grown up a Footscray supporter and saw many of Melbourne’s premierships in the 1950’s. My father was a good footballer in his own right and played U18s for Yarraville Football Club and told me he had played football on the MCG and his opponent that day was EJ Whitten who was playing for Braybrook. It was the season before EJ started playing for Footscray. Dad also coached North Footscray Football Club and was a life member of the Umpires Association in the Footscray District League (FDL) which is now defunct. My Dad was the strongest, nicest and honest man I ever knew. He was and is still a legend!! Our greatest MFC moment was at Whitten Oval in the last game of 1987 when we beat Footscray to make the finals for the first time since 1964! I remember hugging my Dad as the final siren rang and dancing on the terraces...what a game! What a team! What a season! We where also there at the Preliminary final at Waverley and watched as the Hawks broke our hearts!! We went to our Grand Final losses in 1988 and 2000 (another great year...loved ‘The Wiz’!!). My poor Dad was too ill to go the finals in 2018 but my brother, my niece and myself where at the MCG to see us beat the Cats and the Hawks (I was responsible for starting the Melbourne, Melbourne, Melbourne chant after the game!). I flew to Perth for the 2018 Prem final and sat behind Daniel Cross (Daniel lived with my Dad’s brother Peter Hardeman and my Aunty when Daniel first started playing at the Bulldogs) and the club doctor on the plane over...the loss still hurts as does the 186 point loss at Geelong (Dad, my son and I sat though the reserves as they got beaten by 30 goals and then the seniors by 186 points...I am still recovering from that defeat!!) My Dad also knew Dudley...and I remember Dudley selling peanuts at the footy at the G in the 1970s and 1980s... Anyway... I love this club with all of my heart and soul! Stay strong and take care. Go Dees!!!

Hmmmm. Poster with 12 posts announces inside info about a player wanting to come back to Dees. Some people don't handle isolation as well as others.

I give us a sniff. We went 3-0 in the JLT series including a great win over Port over there. Watch out for that Oliver kid making his debut today. I know we all think we should’ve taken Parish in last year’s draft but you never know, he might surprise us all. Should be a nice day, overcast and in the low 20’s.

This is a bit premature. April Fools Day isn't until Wednesday.

Not sure about this Oliver kid. I really wanted Mills and was so disappointed Sydney matched our bid. I also wished we played that kid Weideman. I predict he’ll be clunking marks in the ones in no time.

Loved it, well said?

Good on you, Star. I hope everyone pulls in this kind of spirit when the time comes later this year to really get behind the Mighty Demons. Sounds like the old man lived a full and dignified life. Good on him too. That's the way to do it.

I have tears right now star of the 80's.

Thanks La Dee. My symptoms are mild thankfully, the breathing and tiredness is a different experience. Interesting to see how the players cope, without wishing them to be infected. My name was a moment of failed creativity. However, given Boris is now also infected I could claim solidarity. It was the current 10, Gus that caught my eye as the type of player I admire. He's not as flashy as Oliver or Trac, but highly skilled. He's hard but more composed than Jones. He's witty and well spoken without the big personality of Max. He's the glue of a team. I love all these players, but Gus feels like the reliable constant. That I appreciate. Thanks La Dee

I love jack watts

i'd start with cutting Bradtke, Brown, and the Wagners, and look to retire Jones, and push medical retirements for AVB and KK, from the list. most are depth we can afford to lose. Jones is about the only one who could get a regular game out of that lot, but it might just be a good time for him to hang up the boots anyway. we can also afford to lose a younger midfielder type, like one of Dunkley, Sparrow, Spargo or Jordon. and i'd also cut one of Hunt or Hibberd. one has been on the list a while and still cant find a spot to call his own, and the other is fading fast. i'd probably lean towards cutting Hibberd, purely because of his age I suppose. who knows, maybe Hunt can find form as a defender again without Hibberd down there.

Our gameplan works relatively well against GWS as long as you can pressure their ball carrier.If you allow them the handball to space they will cut us to pieces. Of course while their kicking skills have improved and ours have gone the other way over the last two years it has become harder to maintain that pressure. Round 23 2018 was a highlight game for me. Mind you it was a lot closer than it ended up had they kicked straight in the second quarter.

Exactly. Sport on. Natural forwards doing natural forward things.

The forward line looked more potent back then with Hogan, Watts, Pedo and Garlett.

I know very little of Hogan’s issues. What it seem, to a complete outsider, is that being in WA has not been good for him. If he wanted to come back (ala Trent Croad) I would welcome him with open arms.

Beg to differ. There is considerable doubt. The fact we went deep into September without him is proof. The oft repeated stats of his MFC performances against better teams is further proof This is all moot anyway, as the OP is trolling

I will watch it to see the classic Watts.

Be massive if we get the 4 points to open the season. We’ll go 2-0 next week as we’re only playing Essendon’s VFL side next week....Not even Melbourne could drop a game like that, right?

4 points massive if we get them today. We will be going 2-0 after next week.

Take it to the bank, Hogan has asked management of any chance he can be traded back to Melbourne in 2020 trade period. Seeks a fresh start away from bad influences in WA

I have a feeling Ben Kennedy’s going to have an impact today, and he’s going to be that small forward we’ve been craving for, for the next 8-10 years.

Apparently Freo have loaned us Jesse Hogan back for the 4th quarter only , hopefully he has an impact ?

Jerry Jones is the GM for the Cowboys BBP ... doesn't work either. And he won't be relinquishing the role in a hurry. On the other hand Belichick is the GM for the Patriots as well as the head coach. And that does work. As for private ownership in Oz. It's just the wrong fit. Even if we had enough billionaires who might be interested, it would be more like a hobby for them rather than an entity that makes lots of money.

If private ownership became a reality that would end my interest in football

Follow along as the Dees take on GWS in the opening game of the 2016 season. NO SPOILERS.

I wonder how Afl players are feeling knowing they are getting 50% of their contract vs their assistant coaches & other club assistants have been sent home with zero??? How is this in line with community& the broader population & with so many people who have lost their jobs & lining up @ Centrelink.

Eddie Jackson would be somewhere near the top of this list.

I think we've all done this in one form or another.

Apologies English is not my first Language yes Moonshadow I think we are in agreement apologies I think this was meant for Diamond Jim

Facebook post removed. What did it say?

And still the same problems as we still have Now, last kick inside 50, winning I50 count but can’t score, defensive running. suprise suprise.

Wow, some pressure on the opposition, haven’t seen that for a while

You should let Gus Brayshaw peel your onions, old dee. ?

GWS threw that game away due to their inaccuracy. Normally it’s us giving the game away to the oppo.

It is now there for all to see. What a lot have suspected is now obvious. They are tone deaf. I am sad because it represents the probable end for me. What started out for me in 1960 as fun and the way to enjoy your Saturday afternoons will end with scorn for a bunch of self centred ego maniacs. This 21st century lot have IMO lost the plot.

We won!!!

Now that is an innovation we'd like to see! Open the transfer window for May 31 202_ . Have Jesse return on loan (a la the English soccer) for the remainder of the season. Re-kindle his passion for the game and sort out the dysfunction in the forward line. Win win. ?

Get yourself a signed onion.

Battle of defences ATM. No one can score.

We were there!

Matt Jones playing well early on.

I went to this game, the first game I'd attended since the 1987 Semi against the Swans. I left during the third quarter, my head shaking, wondering just why Melbourne players kept kicking the ball to GWS players. I walked to Richmond station, got off the train at Box Hill and checked on my phone to see how much we'd been beaten by...

Message from Glen Bartlett & Gary Pert via email to members. We write to you today to update you at the end of what has truly been one of the most significant weeks in the AFL’s history. In the past seven days, our collective worlds have been fundamentally shifted. Our community is hurting, and like all Australians, we’re coming to terms with our new world. Thinking back to last weekend, it’s safe to say we all experienced a mix of emotions. On Saturday, we achieved a significant milestone in our Club’s history, reaching our first AFLW final. As a pioneering team of the competition, to play and win our first final at GIANTS Stadium, in such fashion, was a true highlight for the Club. It was a thrilling comeback, full of the Demon spirit, exemplified by Lily Mithen’s goal which brought sheer enjoyment to our living rooms. On Sunday, as our players travelled by bus to an empty Perth Stadium to face West Coast, they received the news that the season would be postponed. There was no telling the impact this had on the group. They accepted it and understood they had a responsibility to play out the round, but as Max marshalled his team up the race and onto the ground, it is hard to imagine what emotions were running through each player’s heart and mind. There was a different feeling to the game which couldn’t be escaped, and full credit to West Coast for claiming the four points. After the match, with state borders closing around the country, our staff went about helping our players return to their home states. Kozzy Pickett and Luke Jackson left Optus Stadium with what they had in their backpacks, as a trip back to Melbourne to collect the rest of their personal belongings was off the cards. This is just an example of how reality was setting in. Our game has withstood many pressures over the years, but we were no longer immune to this global situation. This was now far bigger than football. The decision last Sunday by the AFL to suspend the season wasn’t unexpected. For the first time in weeks, it provided us with an element of certainty around the season and propelled the AFL and all 18 clubs into survival mode. As a result, we spent the following 24 hours implementing our Club’s contingency plan that we had been working on in previous weeks. However, although we all understood the season may be interrupted at some point, it still came upon us quickly. No-one anticipated a two-month suspension of the season during Round 1. This first phase of our contingency plan saw the Club’s Board and senior leaders roll out a set of guiding principles that will underpin and help shape all decisions that we make as a Club. Two key elements of these guiding principles are to support our people and to secure the financial viability of the Club. The decision of the AFL means there will be a stoppage of work, and the majority of the work performed by the Club in relation to the AFL, State and Community competitions will stop until the end of the postponement on May 31, 2020. In order to accommodate these changes and spread the impact as fairly across the Club as possible, we spent the last week focussing on our most important asset; our people, and how we can best protect them in the most difficult of circumstances. We, of course, have had to cut costs across the entire Club. Some of the measures we have had to implement involve standing down staff and reducing hours. Our executive group have also shown great leadership, volunteering significant pay cuts which well and truly transcend the next two-month period. One-on-one discussions were held with every individual employee across the footy department, coaching group and the administration over the last week, with compassion and care at the forefront. Our people are our greatest asset, and to us, are like family. As leaders of our Club, this has been the most difficult aspect of what we are dealing with. We understand these are significant measures, but in the current environment, they are required to keep our Club and the competition alive. This is incredibly challenging, as it is for millions of people across Australia and the world in similar situations. We are doing everything in our power to support our people, both emotionally and financially, through this shutdown period. We have put several wellbeing programs in place, and our club psychologists and doctors are working with our administration staff and coaches to help us all through this difficult period. Financially, we are supporting our people where we can, through a combination of annual leave and other leave measures. While this does not completely alleviate the difficult decisions that have had to be made, it will still ensure staff receive some financial support during this time. Now, more than ever, we know this Club is what will keep us strong. By staying united and supporting each other the best we can, we can get through this and set ourselves up to reboot the 2020 season, whenever that time comes. We are all still bound by our connection to the Demons. We will stick together and fight our way through this crisis. To our members, thank you. For those still ringing our membership department and buying memberships; your support is having a profound effect on our Club. We need you more than ever before, so thank you for your continued passion. Even with a skeleton staff and limited physical access to our coaches and players, we will continue to bring you digital content and regular updates from the Club throughout this period. Maintaining our connection with you is so important. Whilst this week has been incredibly tough, we are working very hard to navigate our way through this unprecedented challenge. We will need your support, but we are developing a plan to ensure we can financially bounce back from this. We are also leaving no stone unturned, preparing to perform on-field whenever the season starts again. When that time does come, we will certainly be ready, and ready with you. Go Dees

Our forward line would function so much better with Hogan. I’ve come to the realisation that it was a fluke and an anomaly that we won from round 22- semi final 2018 with the T Mac - Weid combo.

Unlikely but possible. Hogan would need to get delisted first but if fit, he would be more help than a few on our list. I would welcome him back in a heartbeat if he was committed to come like Bennell was. Hogan was more stable and successful at the Dee's and he knows this. I don't think there are many clubs that would be able to help him.

It should be a nail biter. Maybe the Dees just ! (FFS ITS HARDLY THE SAME)

This is rubbish.. If you make statements like this then name names otherwise do not comment untruths.

since your report Disneyland as at March 20th is now closed as are all Disney resorts. There are no Expos now running all closed. Sandals resort and most of the other resorts are closed also. fyi

Thanks Martian. I did visit, but not yet sick enough. See how we go