Demonland

SD you're a real champ for just stepping out of the front door on a steaming hot day like today. Cheers.

A HISTORY OF THE MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB: PART EIGHT: WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD ... by the Professor In the aftermath of the Second World War mankind witnessed staggering technological developments in all fields of endeavour. Extensive progress was made in communication; trade and economic developments and the emergence of television, space flight and nuclear power attended an ever-changing world picture. But the explosive force generated by the detonation of a nuclear device would never match the impact of the Melbourne Football Club under Coach Norm Smith and Secretary Jim Cardwell. In 1952 - his first season as coach - Smith had a small nucleus players at his disposal with which to fashion a competitive combination. His better players were Denis Cordner, Stuart Spencer, Noel McMahen and John Beckwith. In 1953 Smith was able to add such young players as Ron Barassi Jnr., Frank "Bluey" Adams, Geoff Case, Peter Marquis and Don Williams. The following year Bob Johnson, Brian Dixon, Clyde Laidlaw and Ian Ridley got the chance to taste V.F.L. football. Melbourne improved greatly to finish fourth at the end of the home and away series and made the Grand Final only to be defeated by a strong Footscray side. This was the first of the Club's record seven consecutive premiership pay offs. At the beginning of 1955 Noel McMahen was appointed captain. The Demons won 15 of the 18 first round matches and accounted for Collingwood twice in the final series. The physically stronger Melbourne team harassed their opponents all day and while the Magpies were persistent the Demons kicked the last four goals of the match to win the Grand Final. RESULTS - GRAND FINAL 1955 Melbourne 2.3.15 3.10.28 4.13.37 8.16.64 Collingwood 2.2.14 2.5.17 4.6.30 5.6.36 Goals Clarke Ridley 3 Laidlaw McKenzie Best Cordner, Barassi Melville McLean McMahen Marquis THE TEAM B Beckwith Marquis Trev Johnson HB Williams McGivern McMahen C McLean Melville Case HF Mithen Laidlaw McKenzie F R Johnson Clarke Ridley R Denis Cordner Barassi Spencer 19 Adams 20 Gleeson Melbourne went from strength to strength in the Olympic year to finish on top of the ladder with 16 wins. The Magpies were again the main rivals for the Demons' crown but Melbourne again recorded a big premiership 73-point victory over Collingwood. A big crowd of 115,902 flocked to the MCG and paid a record gate to watch Spencer and Webb kick 5 goals each as the Demons routed the opposition. Melbourne also recorded 19 consecutive wins from mid-1955 and well into 1956. The team went on to defeat the premiers of South Australia and West Australia to achieve recognition as Australian champions. RESULTS - GRAND FINAL 1956 Melbourne 2.4.16 6.11.47 10.16.76 17.19.121 Collingwood 3.3.21 4.3.27 5.6.36 6.12.48 Goals Spencer Webb 5 Barassi R Johnson 3 Ridley Best Spencer Barassi Adams Cordner Beckwith Melville THE TEAM B Beckwith Marquis Trev Johnson HB Williams McMahen Carroll C Dixon Melville Adams HF Mithen Laidlaw Sandral F R Johnson Webb Ridley R Denis Cordner Barassi Spencer 19 Gleeson 20 Lane The loss of McMahen, Cordner, Spencer and Melville before the start of 1957 did not prevent the club's domination of V.F.L. competition as new blood in John Lord, Geoff Tunbridge, Ian Thorogood and Denis Jones emerged to replace them. John Beckwith was appointed captain and Ron Barassi his deputy. Melbourne was recognised as the team to beat with a dominant centre line of Dixon, Mithen and McLean, a dynamic ruck rover in Barassi, a solid ruckman in Bob Johnson and pacy rovers in Adams and Ridley. Despite this, the Demons received a scare when they lost to the Bombers in the second semi final. However, they bounced back with a ten goal plus victory against Hawthorn and then made it three flags in a row to end their centenary year with a grand final win against Essendon by 61 points. Barassi's ruck roving position had been moulded to perfection by coach Norm Smith and his best on ground display in the grand final was outstanding. RESULTS - GRAND FINAL 1957 Melbourne 6.2.38 9.9.47 12.11.83 17.14.116 Essendon 2.3.15 4.4.28 7.8.50 7.13.55 Goals Barassi 5 Ridley 4 Webb 3 R. Johnson Tunbridge 2 Case Best Barassi R Johnson Fenton-Smith Lord Williams Ridley THE TEAM B Beckwith Marquis Fenton-Smith HB Williams Lord Carroll C Dixon Mithen McLean HF Case Trev Johnson Tunbridge F Barassi Webb Ridley R R Johnson Wilson Adams 19 Brenchley 20 Throrogood Melbourne achieved top ladder position for the fourth year in a row in 1958 and another premiership seemed a formality for the Demons who were looking to equal Collingwood's record of four consecutive flags. However, the Magpies who had received a drubbing in the second semi had other thoughts and despite a great opening quarter the cocky Demons were battered into submission in a grand final that proved to be one of the great upsets of football history. The addition to the ranks of Bob "Tassie" Johnson and "Hassa" Mann in 1959 reinvigourated the Demons who were keen to prove that they were still the dominant football power. Barassi who was subdued in the 1958 final starred as did Dennis Jones whose career had been hampered by constant injuries. The Demons won the flag after a slow start with a 37-point victory over Essendon. RESULTS - GRAND FINAL 1959 Melbourne 1.4.10 8.5.53 11.10.76 17.13.115 Essendon 3.3.21 7.8.50 10.10.70 11.12.78 Goals Barassi Rowarth 4 Adams R Johnson 3 Mann Ridley Tunbridge Best Barassi McLean R. Johnson Dixon Jones Beckwith THE TEAM B Beckwith "Tas" Johnson Lord HB Case Jones Thorogood C Dixon Mithen McLean HF H Mann Laidlaw Tunbridge F Barassi Rowarth Ridley R R Johnson Fenton-Smith Adams 19 Crompton 20 Williams The club continued to go from strength to strength in 1960 as Ron Barassi took over the captaincy. Beckwith remained as his deputy. For the sixth successive year Melbourne topped the ladder and the team went on to destroy Collingwood in the grand final win of 8.14.62 to Collingwood's miserable 2.2.14 - the lowest ever grand final score. Melbourne's dominance was assisted by the continual unearthing of new stars. Bryan Kenneally and Brian Leahy were introduced to the club in 1960. RESULTS - GRAND FINAL 1960 Melbourne 4.3.27 5.5.35 7.12.54 8.14.62 Collingwood 0.0.0 1.0.6 2.0.12 2.2.14 Goals Adams 2 R Johnson H Mann 2 Tunbridge Rowarth. Best Lord Mithen L Mann Dixon R Johnson Tunbridge. THE TEAM B Beckwith "Tas" Johnson Trev Johnson HB Case Lord Thorogood C Dixon Mithen Kenneally HF H Mann Laidlaw Tunbridge F R. Johnson Rowarth Ridley R L Mann Barassi Ridley 19 B Leahy 20 Nillson The next three seasons saw a weakening of the great combination but there was sufficient in store for two thirds and a fourth placing before a return to the top in 1964. The team could no longer boast the high standards of strength and brilliance it had achieved in the fifties but still commanded a share of luck. Freak goals by "Hassa" Mann (to win a late season game against Hawthorn and secure a finals berth) and Neil Crompton (to allow the Demons to steal a grand final victory over Collingwood) assisted in capturing the club's twelfth flag on 19th September 1964. Ron Barassi and Bluey Adams played their last games for Melbourne that day and celebrated their participation in six premiership teams ... RESULTS - GRAND FINAL 1964 Melbourne 2.6.18 5.7.37 7.10.52 8.16.64 Collingwood 2.5.17 5.9.39 5.11.41 8.12.60 Goals Townsend 3 Lord 2 Bourke Crompton H Mann Best Adams Dixon Tas Johnson Wise H Mann Williams. THE TEAM B Crompton Massey "Tas" Johnson HB Anderson Roet Davis C Dixon Williams Adams HF Kenneally Jacobs Vagg F Lord Bourke Townsend R Wise Barassi H Mann 19 Emselle 20 McLean

As much as we'd all like to see vision of training I would prefer it if this site was not used to post links to training videos. The club does not like it and I completely understand their reasons and respect that.

BETWEEN THE SANDBANKS by Whispering Jack I've been holidaying in Frankston where a little over fifty years ago they filmed the movie "On the Beach" starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner and Fred Astaire. There's still some controversy about whether the female star said the film "is a story about the end of the world, and Melbourne sure is the right place to film it," but I've had no problems spending the last fortnight on the beach here. The weather's been glorious, there are great sights and sounds around the bay and there are plenty of places nearby for fine food and relaxation. And you can vegetate on the beach where the world allegedly ends in the film. There was only one thing in the world that could tempt me to stray out of the region and away from the sparkling beach on a magnificent summer's morning. That thing was the discovery that the Demons were training at Casey Fields which, according to the GPS application on my iphone, is a mere 24 minutes away in light traffic. After applying an ample quota of sunscreen and Aeroguard, I was on my way. My thoughts on the road to Casey Fields centred on what Melbourne needed most after three very lean seasons that produced a mere dozen wins. The obvious thing was that the team simply had to learn not only to how to win again but how to be winners on a regular basis. It has to achieve this against a backdrop of a very young list with few stars and few veterans to lead the way. The club has only six 100 game players. Clearly, the 50 to 100 game group has to step up while the younger brigade gets game time into their legs. Moreover, it's time to get a reasonable run with injuries. To be sure, when I arrived at the ground I discovered there were a fair number of players who, for want of a better description, I will call the "rehab group". I knew that Colin Garland, Sam Blease, Aussie Wonaeamirri, Tom Meesen, Danny Hughes and Rhys Healey were in various stages of recovery. There were others with them including (disappointingly) Liam Jurrah, Mark Jamar, Paul Johnson and Tom MacNamara. It wasn't clear whether these blokes were suffering from any ailments or niggles or whether they were simply given light duties for the day. I later learned that the Warlpiri Wizard suffered a minor injury before the end of year break. Other players were rotated in and out of various drills. For instance, Tom Scully trained with the main group for well over an hour and then ran laps at mixed speed with Cameron Bruce. Players in the rehab group seem to have plenty of options if they can't join in full training. Some jogged or ran, others got on their bikes while others still too advantage of the swim centre down the road. Despite the numbers apparently in rehab, it was a positive that as far as I could work out, the full list was in attendance and, with more than two and a half months to the first bounce of the season proper, there are no apparent serious injuries. Colin Garland was doing laps and showing no discomfort from the foot injury that kept him out for all bar one game in 2009. He could struggle to be right for round one given the seriousness of the injury but the rest should be right provided there are no major injuries in the interim. Aussie was doing some running work with Matty Bate and he looked in good nick too despite being hampered by a hamstring injury - something he will need to learn to control to avoid recurrences. All in all however, things are looking hopeful on the injury front. Bate is looking a lot stronger and might be considered for a key position again this year. Just quietly, I think that the Demons might have done quite well with their Pre Season Draft selection in Joel Macdonald. He comes with little fanfare but he looks a balanced footballer who can run and carry and should stake a claim on a half back flank allowing Cale Morton and Jack Grimes to move back into the midfield. Those two are now into their third seasons and I believe ready to show their true quality. We've only seen glimpses of what Grimes can do but he was once again impressive today and I have a feeling that he will move quickly into elite class. Another third year player, Addam Maric was particularly impressive. He looks fitter and more intense than in the past and you get the impression that he's going to produce a break out game where he will lift his stature and cement his place in the team. Perhaps a seven goal effort or a high possession game further away from goals? The focus was naturally on the club's much vaunted #1 and 2 draft picks and neither Tom Scully nor Jack Trengove let the sparse crowd of spectators down. Scully is the type of player who's going to be in everything whenever he's on the field. He's quick, he knows what's going on around him, where to position himself and where to put the football to his team's advantage. Trengove will also be a revelation. He's skilled on both sides of the body, does courageous things and does the extraordinary. He throws himself into the fray in a way that you can tell that he's not only played against men at a high standard but that he's already more than held his own against them. So has his mate Luke Tapscott who has a big body and is a sensational kick. My only concern with him is that he might be a bit too big and that might need to work on fining down a little lest he ends up having weight issues a little further down the track. There's been some publicity about Jack Watts having bulked up by putting on 5kgs but, looking at him, he still has a way to go before you would be confident about him assuming a key position. Nevertheless, he still has enough by way of sublime skills to suggest that he will significantly increase his games tally this year, probably somewhere on the forward line. Two other young blokes Jordan Gysberts and James Strauss showed that they were not uncomfortable training at this level and indicated they would be challenging for senior places this year. Of the more experienced players I was most impressed by Colin Sylvia, Aaron Davey, Brent Moloney and Nathan Jones. James Frawley had some good tussles with Brad Miller and came up with the line of the day as Miller lined up after taking a mark when he called out: "That your first kick today?" Miller responded by taking another mark moments later. Apart from that, what can I say but that the rest trained the house down and when I returned to the beach and onto the sandbanks where they filmed a movie about the end of the world happy to have had my first fix of the footy for 2010? Photo by Big Kev

BETWEEN THE SANDBANKS by Whispering Jack I've been holidaying in Frankston where a little over fifty years ago they filmed the movie "On the Beach" starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner and Fred Astaire. There's still some controversy about whether the female star said the film "is a story about the end of the world, and Melbourne sure is the right place to film it," but I've had no problems spending the last fortnight on the beach here. The weather's been glorious, there are great sights and sounds around the bay and there are plenty of places nearby for fine food and relaxation. And you can vegetate on the beach where the world allegedly ends in the film. There was only one thing in the world that could tempt me to stray out of the region and away from the sparkling beach on a magnificent summer's morning. That thing was the discovery that the Demons were training at Casey Fields which, according to the GPS application on my iphone, is a mere 24 minutes away in light traffic. After applying an ample quota of sunscreen and Aeroguard, I was on my way. My thoughts on the road to Casey Fields centred on what Melbourne needed most after three very lean seasons that produced a mere dozen wins. The obvious thing was that the team simply had to learn not only to how to win again but how to be winners on a regular basis. It has to achieve this against a backdrop of a very young list with few stars and few veterans to lead the way. The club has only six 100 game players. Clearly, the 50 to 100 game group has to step up while the younger brigade gets game time into their legs. Moreover, it's time to get a reasonable run with injuries. To be sure, when I arrived at the ground I discovered there were a fair number of players who, for want of a better description, I will call the "rehab group". I knew that Colin Garland, Sam Blease, Aussie Wonaeamirri, Tom Meesen, Danny Hughes and Rhys Healey were in various stages of recovery. There were others with them including (disappointingly) Liam Jurrah, Mark Jamar, Paul Johnson and Tom MacNamara. It wasn't clear whether these blokes were suffering from any ailments or niggles or whether they were simply given light duties for the day. I later learned that the Warlpiri Wizard suffered a minor injury before the end of year break. Other players were rotated in and out of various drills. For instance, Tom Scully trained with the main group for well over an hour and then ran laps at mixed speed with Cameron Bruce. Players in the rehab group seem to have plenty of options if they can't join in full training. Some jogged or ran, others got on their bikes while others still too advantage of the swim centre down the road. Despite the numbers apparently in rehab, it was a positive that as far as I could work out, the full list was in attendance and, with more than two and a half months to the first bounce of the season proper, there are no apparent serious injuries. Colin Garland was doing laps and showing no discomfort from the foot injury that kept him out for all bar one game in 2009. He could struggle to be right for round one given the seriousness of the injury but the rest should be right provided there are no major injuries in the interim. Aussie was doing some running work with Matty Bate and he looked in good nick too despite being hampered by a hamstring injury - something he will need to learn to control to avoid recurrences. All in all however, things are looking hopeful on the injury front. Bate is looking a lot stronger and might be considered for a key position again this year. Just quietly, I think that the Demons might have done quite well with their Pre Season Draft selection in Joel Macdonald. He comes with little fanfare but he looks a balanced footballer who can run and carry and should stake a claim on a half back flank allowing Cale Morton and Jack Grimes to move back into the midfield. Those two are now into their third seasons and I believe ready to show their true quality. We've only seen glimpses of what Grimes can do but he was once again impressive today and I have a feeling that he will move quickly into elite class. Another third year player, Addam Maric was particularly impressive. He looks fitter and more intense than in the past and you get the impression that he's going to produce a break out game where he will lift his stature and cement his place in the team. Perhaps a seven goal effort or a high possession game further away from goals? The focus was naturally on the club's much vaunted #1 and 2 draft picks and neither Tom Scully nor Jack Trengove let the sparse crowd of spectators down. Scully is the type of player who's going to be in everything whenever he's on the field. He's quick, he knows what's going on around him, where to position himself and where to put the football to his team's advantage. Trengove will also be a revelation. He's skilled on both sides of the body, does courageous things and does the extraordinary. He throws himself into the fray in a way that you can tell that he's not only played against men at a high standard but that he's already more than held his own against them. So has his mate Luke Tapscott who has a big body and is a sensational kick. My only concern with him is that he might be a bit too big and that might need to work on fining down a little lest he ends up having weight issues a little further down the track. There's been some publicity about Jack Watts having bulked up by putting on 5kgs but, looking at him, he still has a way to go before you would be confident about him assuming a key position. Nevertheless, he still has enough by way of sublime skills to suggest that he will significantly increase his games tally this year, probably somewhere on the forward line. Two other young blokes Jordan Gysberts and James Strauss showed that they were not uncomfortable training at this level and indicated they would be challenging for senior places this year. Of the more experienced players I was most impressed by Colin Sylvia, Aaron Davey, Brent Moloney and Nathan Jones. James Frawley had some good tussles with Brad Miller and came up with the line of the day as Miller lined up after taking a mark when he called out: "That your first kick today?" Miller responded by taking another mark moments later. Apart from that, what can I say but that the rest trained the house down and when I returned to the beach and onto the sandbanks where they filmed a movie about the end of the world happy to have had my first fix of the footy for 2010? Photo by Big Kev

Photographs courtesy of Big Kev. Thanks Kev!

A HISTORY OF THE MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB: PART SEVEN: WARTIME, RECOVERY AND REBUILDING FOR A GOLDEN ERA by the Professor With the ravages of war uppermost in the people's minds, interest in football declined dramatically by 1942. Every club was affected by the war but Melbourne was hit particularly hard. When the season began the list of players missing from the previous season included J. Atkins, H. Ball, R. Barassi, J. Furniss, G. Jones, J. Maher and K. Truscott. Fighter pilot ace Keith "Bluey" Truscott returned for one game against Richmond to unfurl the 1941 Pennant and received a remarkable reception from a large crowd. But he was to lose his life less than one year later in an air accident and former coach Checker Hughes later donated the Truscott Cup, in his memory for the best and fairest player at the club. The inaugural winner was champion ruckman Don Cordner in 1944. In the same year, Fred Fanning topped the V.F.L. goal kicking with 87 goals in only 14 games. Checker Hughes returned as coach in 1945 and set about rebuilding the side. The team made significant headway in 1946 when it finished in second position and ruckman Don Cordner, whose father had played for the club in the pre World War One years, won the Brownlow Medal with 20 votes. Although, 1947 was a disappointing season and the team missed out on the finals full forward Fred Fanning provided most of the highlights with his goal-kicking prowess. In the final game of the season Fanning booted 18 goals against St. Kilda - a record which still stands today. He kicked 97 goals for the season to head the V.F.L. goal kicking for a third time but retired after his record breaking goal feat. Hughes brought out the best of veterans Smith and Mueller in 1948. Together with the Cordner brothers Don and Denis and promising youngsters Bob McKenzie and Noel McMahen they were prominent in the first drawn grand final. Essendon's atrocious kicking cost them the game as they could only score 7.27.69 to Melbourne's 10.9.69. In the replay Melbourne easily defeated Essendon by 39 points and Checker Hughes stepped down as coach on a winning note once more. RESULTS - GRAND FINAL 1948 [THE REPLAY] Melbourne 6.2.38 9.3.57 11.6.72 13.11.89 Essendon 0.3.3 5.5.35 6.6.42 7.8.50 Goals Mueller 6 Arnold Rodda 2 Dullard McMahen Smith Best Smith Mueller McGrath Spittle Bickford Arnold THE TEAM B Deans McGrath Rule HB Collins Denis Cordner McLean C Dockett Bickford Spittle HF McMahen Arnold McKenzie F Mueller Smith Craddock R Don Cordner Dullard Rodda 19 Bowman 20 Jackson The club managed to reach the first semi final in 1950 before collapsing to take out the wooden spoon in 1951. Waiting in the wings and ready to coach his old club was Norm Smith who had been coaching Fitzroy after his retirement as a player three years previously. Under him, the team was about to undergo a massive rebuilding process that would reap a golden harvest ...

I'd like to remind everybody about the objects of Demonland which basically amount to supporting the Melbourne Football Club and its players. That doesn't preclude criticism of players but not of the sort some are resorting to here. It's neither clever, smart or constructive so I've taken the step of locking this thread with apologies to those who made some of the sensible contributions to this discussion. I don't consider this to be censorship because nothing prevents people from posting reasoned critical views on another thread or at the original source for this topic. Thank you and have a happy new year.

by Whispering Jack It took only the blink of an eye for five years to pass. The warmth of the distant sun that left when Troy Broadbridge was taken by the ocean has returned, life has gone on and once or twice a year we remember. I always connect Troy's passing with that of Paul Hester, drummer for Crowded House. Hester was a Demon fan, who on 26 March, 2005 took his life in the same park in Elwood where my grandchildren play. I remember hearing the sad news just as we were driving by the Elwood Canal. We were on our way to the Troy Broadbridge Tribute Game at the MGC so, in the end, we celebrated two lives on the one night. It was just a game of footy but we were proud of our team that night. I still remember the elation and the emotion of the victory and, after that, the boys fought hard over the next year or two; they made the finals and occasionally looked the goods but then it all fell away. Today, I'm full of hope that the new decade and the club's young talent will bring about regeneration. The warmth of the distant sun returned after Troy's passing and the same will happen some day soon with the footy team of which he was so proud to be a part. From time to time, I still remember the little things about Troy. There was one night when still a rookie and he was working behind the bar at the Bentleigh Club while they were showing a big screen telecast of a game that Melbourne was playing interstate. Troy was smiling, serving the punters, some of them quite rude and others touching on the borderline of having one too many. We had a chat late in the evening when things had settled after the game was over (we lost). He told me how the experience working at the Bentleigh Club taught him the importance of responsible behaviour for those times when he was on the other side of the bar. I was reminded of that evening as I pondered about Carlton's horror boat cruise down the Yarra. You wonder why this boatload of idiots at the peak of their health and fitness, some of them senior team members, simply don't get it? But I guess that's someone else's problem. Who are we to argue or to judge? And so, as always, let us look to the future but not forget the past. May we long remember and toast Troy and may we also celebrate Paul's wonderful legacy, his music, both with a touch of kindness and some Auld Lang Syne...

Tomorrow is the fifth anniversary of the tsunami that rocked the lands bordering on the Indian Ocean and killed hundreds of thousands. A number of Australians also perished that day including our own Troy Broadbridge. We ask Demonlanders to pass their respects to Troy on this day. Unless it's big news we prefer that new threads are not opened in this section except those in honour of Troy. Whispering Jack has written his personal tribute: BY THE RIVERS DARK by Whispering Jack It took only the blink of an eye for five years to pass. The warmth of the distant sun that left when Troy Broadbridge was taken by the ocean has returned, life has gone on and once or twice a year we remember. I always connect Troy's passing with that of Paul Hester, drummer for Crowded House. Hester was a Demon fan, who on 26 March, 2005 took his life in the same park in Elwood where my grandchildren play. I remember hearing the sad news just as we were driving by the Elwood Canal. We were on our way to the Troy Broadbridge Tribute Game at the MGC so, in the end, we celebrated two lives on the one night. It was just a game of footy but we were proud of our team that night. I still remember the elation and the emotion of the victory and, after that, the boys fought hard over the next year or two; they made the finals and occasionally looked the goods but then it all fell away. Today, I'm full of hope that the new decade and the club's young talent will bring about regeneration. The warmth of the distant sun returned after Troy's passing and the same will happen some day soon with the footy team of which he was so proud to be a part. From time to time, I still remember the little things about Troy. There was one night when still a rookie and he was working behind the bar at the Bentleigh Club while they were showing a big screen telecast of a game that Melbourne was playing interstate. Troy was smiling, serving the punters, some of them quite rude and others touching on the borderline of having one too many. We had a chat late in the evening when things had settled after the game was over (we lost). He told me how the experience working at the Bentleigh Club taught him the importance of responsible behaviour for those times when he was on the other side of the bar. I was reminded of that evening as I pondered about Carlton's horror boat cruise down the Yarra. You wonder why this boatload of idiots at the peak of their health and fitness, some of them senior team members, simply don't get it? But I guess that's someone else's problem. Who are we to argue or to judge? And so, as always, let us look to the future but not forget the past. May we long remember and toast Troy and may we also celebrate Paul's wonderful legacy, his music, both with a touch of kindness and some Auld Lang Syne...

Apparently, Lovett was too frightened to come to the phone.

As the year draws to a close, I would like to extend to all Demonlanders our best wishes for a joyous and peaceful season. Thanks to everyone for their contributions. Special thanks to Nasher for keeping us on the air without too many glitches (hardly any this year). He puts in a fantastic amount of work behind the scenes to keep us going and we can't thank him enough. To our writing team headed by Whispering Jack, thanks for keeping us at the top of the tree despite the difficulties our footy team has faced on and off the field over the past twelve months. And to the moderators who keep things level and on board thanks for all your work. Thanks to the coaches, the players, the Board People and the staff at the MFC. We're all looking forward to better and better things as we move forward into the next decade. And again to all contributors, thanks for sticking with us (even the few who we've banned and have come back ) Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and a Safe New Year ... and Special Wishes to Jimmy and all others who are unwell ... we're with you all the way

A HISTORY OF THE MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB: PART SIX: A NEW DEALby The Professor The rigours of the Great Depression caused enormous pain and suffering in a world which had experienced a decade of prosperity after the First World War. Football was one pastime that was still within the reach of many but the Melbourne fans were clamouring for changes. Ironically, the changes came as a result of the introduction of two Richmond stalwarts. History was about to repeat itself in 1933. Melbourne's fortunes had been turned around years earlier with the appointment of former Tiger Andrew Manzie as club secretary. The club hierarchy was able to repeat this by convincing Percy Page to transfer from Richmond to take the secretarial post. Page brought with him F.V. Checker Hughes who was appointed coach for the 1933 season. Checker had played in two premierships at Richmond and later coached them after a stint in Tasmania. Together Page and Hughes set about changing Melbourne's lilywhite image from "Fuschias" to "Demons". In 1934 the club showed significant improvement to finish in sixth position as some famous Melbourne names such as Alan La Fontaine, Jack Mueller and Maurie Gibb made their V.F.L. debut. The further inclusion of Norm Smith, Ron Baggott, Ray Wartman and Wally Lock allowed the club to move back into the finals for third placings in 1936 and 1937 and after being strong contenders for a few seasons, Melbourne finally won their third flag in 1939. In that year, Alby Rodda, Roy Dowsing, Adrian Dullard, Shane McGrath, Harold Ball and Syd Anderson all made outstanding debuts for the club. The latter two were killed in the Second World War, as was Keith "Bluey" Truscott, who made a brief return to the club as its captain shortly prior to his death in an accident off the West Australian coast. The Grand Final win was a sweet one. The stars of the day Percy Beames and Alby Rodda who booted four goals each as the Demons drew away from arch rivals Collingwood after an even first half to win by 53 points. RESULTS - GRAND FINAL 1939 Melbourne 3.5.23 10.10.70 15.14.104 21.22.148 Collingwood 6.5.41 10.6.66 13.9.87 14.11.95 Goals Beames Rodda 4 L Jones Ball Mueller Truscott 2 Baggott La Fontaine Smith Wartman Best Roberts Beames Anderson Wartman Truscott Smith THE TEAM B Emselle Mueller Fischer HB Hingston G Jones Roberts C Wartman La Fontaine Anderson HF L Jones Baggott Truscott F Ball Smith Rodda R Furness Kimberley Beames 19 O'Keffe Melbourne recorded its second successive premiership with a 49 point victory over Richmond despite losing players to injury before the grand final. One of the team's heroes was ruckman O'Keefe who shadowed Richmond captain Jack Dyer all day and somewhat limited his effectiveness. Norm Smith booted a record goal tally of seven for a grand final in a dominant performance at full forward. The 19th man in the 1940 premiership team was Ron Barassi - yet another football to be later killed in action. Barassi's son Ron Barassi Jr. was to become "Mr. Football" in the 1950's and 60's and was selected captain of the Demon's team of the 20th Century. RESULTS - GRAND FINAL 1940 Melbourne 4.8.32 10.11.71 13.15.93 15.17.107 Richmond 6.5.41 10.6.66 5.4.34 10.8.68 Goals Smith 7 Baggott Beames O'Keefe Fanning Truscott Best Baggott Beames La Fontaine Mueller Ball Smith THE TEAM B Emselle Roberts Ball HB Hingston G Jones McLean C Wartman La Fontaine Anderson HF Gibb Baggott Truscott F Fanning Smith Rodda R Mueller O'Keefe Beames 19 Barassi Melbourne's domination of the competition continued in 1941 as the team made it a hat trick of grand old flags with a comfortable 29 point win over Essendon. Despite fielding a depleted side the Demons overcame hot weather and a blustery north wind as they bade farewell to coach Checker Hughes with an emphatic premiership victory. The team opened up with all guns blazing as they blitzed the Bombers to lead by 57 points at half time and then coasted to victory. Hughes' full forward Norm Smith, who was later to take over the coaching reins at the club in an even more successful era, topped the goal kicking for the year with 89 goals. Hughes was to return as coach twice again. Ironically, his last appearance in the role came many years later in 1965 when he replaced Smith who was sacked for one week in mid-season. RESULTS - GRAND FINAL 1941 Melbourne 6.6.42 11.9.75 14.11.95 19.13.127 Essendon 1.1.7 2.6.18 6.12.48 13.20.98 Goals Beames 6 Mueller Smith 3 Wartman 2 Anderson Daly Dullard Gibb O'Keefe Best Lock Heal Mueller Beames Dullard La Fontaine THE TEAM B Emselle, McGrath O'Keefe HB Lock E Cordner McLean C Heal La Fontaine Anderson HF Gibb Baggott Wartman F Dullard Smith Daly R Don Cordner Mueller Beames 19 Lewis

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/newsart...48/default.aspx Great News!

There was a time two years ago when Robbo was toying with an offer to cross to the Bulldogs but he stayed loyal and signed on for two more years at Melbourne. I don't know now whether this was a good move from the point of view of the club or the player.

No. 31 and No. 9 – Scully and Trengove http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/newsart...64/default.aspx

CHANGES 2009: TRADING AND DRAFTING by The Oracle Nothing ever stands still. In football, this applies to every aspect of the game and, in particular, to every team's playing list. The best of clubs needs to turn over players every year if they are to keep pace with an ever- changing game. Legendary coach David Parkin used to maintain that even after a premiership year, his aim was to introduce five good new players into his team for the first game of the following season. For a lowly club like Melbourne which has languished at or near the bottom for the past three seasons, the need for change has been self- evident. In fact, one could well say that the team's very mindset and its performances in 2009 were coloured by the need to secure a lion's share of the best young talent in the country. So the end result of a difficult year has been the arrival of many new players at the club, all of them going directly onto the senior list. The club had added seven fresh faces to its playing list with six of these coming via the National Draft where it was well placed to nab some of the country's most talented youngsters. The new arrivals are (in order of draft selection):- Tom Scully - Date of Birth: 15.05.91 Height: 182 cm Weight: 74 kg (Dandenong Stingrays, Vic) Left-footer and magnificent gut runner with lightning hands and a brilliant talent who led Vic Metro at the last Under 18 Championships. Twice All Australian at that level. 2 Jack Trengove - DOB: 02.09.91 Ht: 185 cm Wt: 82 kg (Sturt, SA) SA Under 18 captain who is superbly fit and has sublime skills. Matched it with the men in the SANFL finals and also made All Australian. 11 Jordan Gysberts - DOB: 11.06.91 Ht: 189 cm Wt: 83 kg (Eastern Ranges, Vic) AIS/AFL academy graduate who is a versatile and clever footballer. Represented Vic Metro at under 18 level in 2008 and 2009. 18 Luke Tapscott - DOB: 28.06.91 Ht: 180 cm Wt: 86 kg (North Adelaide, SA) Powerfully built on baller who can play back and forward and is a prodigious kick. Made All Australian this year and represented SA under 18s in 2008 and 2009. 34 Max Gawn - DOB 28.11.1991 Ht: 208 cm 104 kg (Sandringham Dragons, Vic) Ruck prospect whose 2009 season was interrupted by knee surgery. Still growing. 50 Jack Fitzpatrick - DOB 26.06.1991 Ht: 201 cm 85 kg (Western Jets, Vic) An agile tall forward/ruckman who is a good lead and strong mark. Also represented his state at under 18 level over the past two seasons. Chronic fatigue syndrome has held back his development but he now has it under control. And the club's Pre Season Draft Selection:- Joel Macdonald - DOB: 10.10.84 Ht: 188 cm Wt: 88 kg (Brisbane Lions, AFL) Defender who played almost a full season with the Lions in 2009 and looks ready to fit straight into the Melbourne line up. The incoming seven replace a number of delisted and retired players as well as one who asked to be traded elsewhere. These were the departures: Senior List - Simon Buckley (delisted) Brock McLean (traded to Carlton for National Draft selection #11) Russell Robertson (retired) Matthew Whelan (retired) Paul Wheatley (retired) Rookie List - Shane Valenti (delisted) Trent Zomer (delisted) A few famous names at the club have gone and while some will leave holes at the club, for one reason or another (mainly injury) none were significant contributors to the cause in 2009. Their experience will be missed but for the most part, it was time to move on. There was a bit of internal shuffling within the list. Cameron Bruce became a veteran (replacing Robertson on that list) and John Meesen and Michael Newton lost their places on the senior list but were redrafted as rookies. Rookies Jake Spencer and Jordie McKenzie should have been uplifted from the rookie list but showed great loyalty by remaining on as rookies to leave room on the club's primary list and to enable the drafting of additional young talent at the National Draft. Some of the manoevring of positions came as a result of changes in AFL draft rules such as the introduction of mature age rookies and the third year rookie rule. This brings me to the exception to the rule about nothing ever standing still. Almost thirty years ago, in the first incarnation of a draft at the then VFL, Melbourne selected a young full back named Danny Hughes from SANFL club Port Adelaide. He came over and had a solid career with the Demons and his namesake is still at the club and on its rookie list. Daniel Hughes, from the Sandringham Dragons and Sandringham VFL was first rookied at the end of 2005. He played a senior pre season game against the Bulldogs up in Darwin the following year but has yet to make a regular season appearance with the Demons thanks mainly to injuries. He was delisted at the end of 2007 but was back on the list a year later and is still there. The complete MFC list for 2010 reads as follows: MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - PLAYING LIST (SEASON 2010) SENIOR LIST: Rohan Bail Clint Bartram Matthew Bate Daniel Bell Jamie Bennell Sam Blease Kyle Cheney Aaron Davey Lynden Dunn Jack Fitzpatrick James Frawley Colin Garland Max Gawn Brad Green Jack Grimes Jordan Gysberts Mark Jamar Neville Jetta Paul Johnson Nathan Jones Liam Jurrah Joel Macdonald Tom McNamara Addam Maric Stefan Martin Brad Miller Brent Moloney Cale Morton Ricky Petterd Jared Rivers Tom Scully James Strauss Colin Sylvia Luke Tapscott Jack Trengove Matthew Warnock Jack Watts Austin Wonaeamirri VETERAN LIST Cameron Bruce James McDonald ROOKIE LIST: Rhys Healey Daniel Hughes John Meesen Jordie McKenzie Michael Newton Jake Spencer The Melbourne Football Club last made the AFL finals series in 2006 when it eliminated St. Kilda before bowing out to Fremantle in a Semi Final at Subiaco. Since then, the club has been through a horror stretch of three barren seasons wracked by injuries and poor form that have produced an average of four victories per year. Below is the club's list at the beginning of that three year period. It serves to demonstrate how an AFL's team list can change over a short period of time: MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - PLAYING LIST (SEASON 2007) SENIOR LIST: Clint Bartram Matthew Bate Daniel Bell Clint Bizzell Nathan Brown Cameron Bruce Simon Buckley Nathan Carroll Aaron Davey Lynden Dunn Ryan Ferguson James Frawley Colin Garland Simon Godfrey Brad Green Ben Holland Mark Jamar Chris Johnson Paul Johnson Travis Johnstone Nathan Jones James McDonald Brock McLean Brad Miller Brent Moloney Heath Neville Michael Newton Ricky Petterd Byron Pickett Jared Rivers Russell Robertson Colin Sylvia Daniel Ward Matthew Warnock Isaac Weetra Paul Wheatley Matthew Whelan Jeff White VETERAN LIST: David Neitz Adem Yze ROOKIE LIST: Jace Bode Daniel Hayes Daniel Hughes Shane Neaves It's still a while before we get the opportunity to sight any Melbourne players in action on a footy field. I'm not sure whether there will be a Darwin Indigenous All Stars game this year (if there is, then rest assured, you'll see some Demons on the field that night). Otherwise, the AFL action will take off soon after in February in the NAB Cup pre season series. One hopes that this year we'll see more of boys in the red and the blue in action and performing at a higher level than in recent times. Perhaps a change of luck and an appearance in September? Then who knows what other changes might take place over the ensuing two or three years? We might even end up witnessing the sight in this photograph allegedly taken by this time traveller who recently returned to earth: (courtesy of MFCnow) Now that certainly would mark a change!

THE ORACLE'S FEARLESS PREDICTIONS FOR 2010 ... AND BEYOND by The Oracle The last time I attempted an exercise in predicting the future, the whole thing ended in complete and utter disaster. That was three years ago, back at the end of 2006 when I was prevailed upon to make a prediction as to the shape of the AFL ladder for the following season. Three of my top four selections, Fremantle, Melbourne and West Coast immediately went into steep decline. The first two haven't looked like making the finals ever since. The Eagles limped into the 2007 finals, quickly limped out and then lost their best players and went through some horrific experiences in the interim. My other top four selection, Sydney, also fell of its perch. The Swans briefly saw finals action in 2007 and again in 2008 (before a miserable home crowd of less than 20,000). They headed further south in 2009 and could well be on their way down towards football's version of Antarctica in the coming years as they fight off the local challenge and the hype of a cashed up Kevin Sheedy led Greater West Sydney. As always, there's an excuse for my incompetence. My trusty crystal ball Stella was on the blink at the time as a result of the drought that swept the nation at the time. First, the snows inside her slowly melted away only to leave a dense smog to cloud her insides and thereby limiting severely my abilities to predict events accurately. Things got even worse during those recent sandstorms that enveloped the east coast so I decided to take the necessary action to restore my competitive edge over such agencies as gypsy fortunetellers, tarot card readers and of corse the weather bureau. After several expensive and largely unsuccessful visits to the crystal ball doctor, I decided to take matters into Using state of the art technology to cut the greenhouse gas emissions within Stella's glass environment I have managed to reverse the damaging effects of climate change inside the crystal sphere and voila! The snow is once again falling, Stella has been restored to full health and, for the first time in three years, the Oracle is able to predict the future. I have therefore not only been able to respond to the request to come up with my fearless predictions for the 2010 AFL season but I've also managed to look beyond that and gone five years into the future to uncover these wonderful sights: - Photos courtesy of MFCnow What follows is my final eight at the end of the home and away season plus other predictions. Since the warranty on Stella is for only six months, I can't quite extend the scenario through to the end of the finals series. 1. St. Kilda - If you think Ross Lyon looks like he's suffering from a bad case of haemorrhoids whenever you see him walking, just wait till next year. Despite getting a big fat zero for Luke Ball, the Saints have recruited well. They've managed to get the best out of other clubs' cast offs and Lovett and Peake fulfil important needs in their midfield. The pain of a premiership thrown away in 2000 should prove ample incentive to maintain the fire and the rage necessary to endure successfully another long campaign. 2. Geelong - possibly because they come from a sleepy country town environment, the Cats have this burning desire to be known as the greatest team ever. They threw one away in 2008 and then lucked it in this year when the Saints' small men missed too many easy shots at goal when the game was there to be won or lost. The Cats still have enough talent and enough of their nine lives available to maintain the dream. 3. Adelaide - I rate Neil Craig highly as a coach. He has worked wonders developing young players on his list and has done the job without the benefit of early draft picks. He has proved on more than one occasion that he's adaptable and tactically strong as a coach but I also reckon he knows that he squandered a perfect opportunity in last year's semi final against Collingwood when he failed to react to Malthouse's response to his team's first quarter blitz. The Pies should never have been allowed back into that game. With Goodwin, McLeod, Edwards, Burton and Lleyton Hewitt all reaching retirement age, this could be his last shot at glory. 4. Hawthorn - the Hawks imploded after their 2008 heroics and, with the off field exploits of Kennett, Clarkson and co, the injuries and the huge drop off in form, one got the impression that the lunatics were losing their control over the asylum at Waverley Park. Kennett's had a haircut and the Hawks have taken him off to the Kokoda Track. In a variation of their usual trip the Hawks are making their players walk around Jeff's mouth thereby adding a few extra kilometres to the normal journey. Still, I can't believe that a team with the talents of Franklin, Hodge, Roughhead and Mitchell plus new recruit Shane Burgoyne can't finish top four. They might however, be in for a shock in round one. 5. Western Bulldogs - would've, could've, should've made last year's grand final and from that point would've, could've, should've given it a big shake in the grannie. They didn't and they won't improve their dysfunctional forward line with an aging pug like Barry Hall who joins Dad's Army in the Bulldog forward line. 6. West Coast - one of my big improvers for 2010. I was impressed with the way they lifted after being humiliated by Melbourne in Round 14 at the MCG. Woosha's Eagles are slowly recovering from the disasters of the post Judd era and proved that they're going to be very tough to beat at Subiaco. They should pick up enough wins elsewhere to lift themselves into top eight calculations. 7. Collingwood - I don't like the bastards. I don't like the way they handled their coaching situation and the crystal ball tells of future tension between Malthouse and Buckley. The former has gambled heavily recruiting for the here and now rather than the future. Jolly is a good ruckman but not getting any younger and will simply replace one or both of the other Magpie ruckmen. Ball remains Mr. 46%, slow and can't kick further than 40 metres. They haven't solved their forward problems and have been given a more difficult playing programme than what they usually get. If injury strikes, Collingwood's lack of depth might become a problem. 8. Melbourne - it may come as a surprise to many of you who probably want a more logical explanation for this placing than my standard one which is that it's there in Stella's snowflake formations that the Demons will be playing off in the 2010 finals series. Then again, if you've read this far and expect some logic and reasoning then you must be completely delusional. As for the rest, I'm simply not impressed. Carlton without Fevola will slip but remain thereabouts thanks to their stellar midfield. However, they don't have a defence, forward line or ruck strength to go far in today's game. Brisbane with Fevola will also slip. I regard Michael Voss' recruiting as being nothing short of a diabolical attempt to move deckchairs around the Titanic and Stella tells me his abrasiveness might lose him some friends at the club during 2010. The same fate awaits Matty Knights who will rue the loss of experienced stalwarts in Lloyd and Lucas. Paul Roos will go out without a whimper and the remaining clubs, Port Adelaide, Fremantle, North Melbourne and Richmond are all facing a long, tough stretch. There will be no draft concessions on which to build a team as the free rides given to GC17 and GWS takes hold and the full ramifications of them are finally experienced in practice. It could be very, very ugly. Brownlow Medal - Colin Sylvia is ready at last to break out and fulfil his true destiny. Coleman Medal - Daniel Bradshaw. With plenty of games at the SCG and no other forwards in the team, Bradshaw could be a winner for the Swans. Season Highlight - six consecutive weeks of young Demon players winning the NAB Rising Star Award. Season Lowlight - a record number of sacked coaches. A strange thing you might see in the future - Sam Newman proposing marriage to Caroline Wilson on the set of The Footy Show. Good News Story of 2010 - Jimmy makes a complete recovery to full health. Finally, I repeat my promise to return during the season, to bring more exciting AFL predictions and to uphold the centuries-old family tradition of fearlessness, accuracy and foresight. See you in the future!

by The Oracle The last time I attempted an exercise in predicting the future, the whole thing ended in complete and utter disaster. That was three years ago, back at the end of 2006 when I was prevailed upon to make a prediction as to the shape of the AFL ladder for the following season. Three of my top four selections, Fremantle, Melbourne and West Coast immediately went into steep decline. The first two haven't looked like making the finals ever since. The Eagles limped into the 2007 finals, quickly limped out and then lost their best players and went through some horrific experiences in the interim. My other top four selection, Sydney, also fell of its perch. The Swans briefly saw finals action in 2007 and again in 2008 (before a miserable home crowd of less than 20,000). They headed further south in 2009 and could well be on their way down towards football's version of Antarctica in the coming years as they fight off the local challenge and the hype of a cashed up Kevin Sheedy led Greater West Sydney. As always, there's an excuse for my incompetence. My trusty crystal ball Stella was on the blink at the time as a result of the drought that swept the nation at the time. First, the snows inside her slowly melted away only to leave a dense smog to cloud her insides and thereby limiting severely my abilities to predict events accurately. Things got even worse during those recent sandstorms that enveloped the east coast so I decided to take the necessary action to restore my competitive edge over such agencies as gypsy fortunetellers, tarot card readers and of corse the weather bureau. After several expensive and largely unsuccessful visits to the crystal ball doctor, I decided to take matters into Using state of the art technology to cut the greenhouse gas emissions within Stella's glass environment I have managed to reverse the damaging effects of climate change inside the crystal sphere and voila! The snow is once again falling, Stella has been restored to full health and, for the first time in three years, the Oracle is able to predict the future. I have therefore not only been able to respond to the request to come up with my fearless predictions for the 2010 AFL season but I've also managed to look beyond that and gone five years into the future to uncover these wonderful sights: - Photos courtesy of MFCnow What follows is my final eight at the end of the home and away season plus other predictions. Since the warranty on Stella is for only six months, I can't quite extend the scenario through to the end of the finals series. 1. St. Kilda - If you think Ross Lyon looks like he's suffering from a bad case of haemorrhoids whenever you see him walking, just wait till next year. Despite getting a big fat zero for Luke Ball, the Saints have recruited well. They've managed to get the best out of other clubs' cast offs and Lovett and Peake fulfil important needs in their midfield. The pain of a premiership thrown away in 2000 should prove ample incentive to maintain the fire and the rage necessary to endure successfully another long campaign. 2. Geelong - possibly because they come from a sleepy country town environment, the Cats have this burning desire to be known as the greatest team ever. They threw one away in 2008 and then lucked it in this year when the Saints' small men missed too many easy shots at goal when the game was there to be won or lost. The Cats still have enough talent and enough of their nine lives available to maintain the dream. 3. Adelaide - I rate Neil Craig highly as a coach. He has worked wonders developing young players on his list and has done the job without the benefit of early draft picks. He has proved on more than one occasion that he's adaptable and tactically strong as a coach but I also reckon he knows that he squandered a perfect opportunity in last year's semi final against Collingwood when he failed to react to Malthouse's response to his team's first quarter blitz. The Pies should never have been allowed back into that game. With Goodwin, McLeod, Edwards, Burton and Lleyton Hewitt all reaching retirement age, this could be his last shot at glory. 4. Hawthorn - the Hawks imploded after their 2008 heroics and, with the off field exploits of Kennett, Clarkson and co, the injuries and the huge drop off in form, one got the impression that the lunatics were losing their control over the asylum at Waverley Park. Kennett's had a haircut and the Hawks have taken him off to the Kokoda Track. In a variation of their usual trip the Hawks are making their players walk around Jeff's mouth thereby adding a few extra kilometres to the normal journey. Still, I can't believe that a team with the talents of Franklin, Hodge, Roughhead and Mitchell plus new recruit Shane Burgoyne can't finish top four. They might however, be in for a shock in round one. 5. Western Bulldogs - would've, could've, should've made last year's grand final and from that point would've, could've, should've given it a big shake in the grannie. They didn't and they won't improve their dysfunctional forward line with an aging pug like Barry Hall who joins Dad's Army in the Bulldog forward line. 6. West Coast - one of my big improvers for 2010. I was impressed with the way they lifted after being humiliated by Melbourne in Round 14 at the MCG. Woosha's Eagles are slowly recovering from the disasters of the post Judd era and proved that they're going to be very tough to beat at Subiaco. They should pick up enough wins elsewhere to lift themselves into top eight calculations. 7. Collingwood - I don't like the bastards. I don't like the way they handled their coaching situation and the crystal ball tells of future tension between Malthouse and Buckley. The former has gambled heavily recruiting for the here and now rather than the future. Jolly is a good ruckman but not getting any younger and will simply replace one or both of the other Magpie ruckmen. Ball remains Mr. 46%, slow and can't kick further than 40 metres. They haven't solved their forward problems and have been given a more difficult playing programme than what they usually get. If injury strikes, Collingwood's lack of depth might become a problem. 8. Melbourne - it may come as a surprise to many of you who probably want a more logical explanation for this placing than my standard one which is that it's there in Stella's snowflake formations that the Demons will be playing off in the 2010 finals series. Then again, if you've read this far and expect some logic and reasoning then you must be completely delusional. As for the rest, I'm simply not impressed. Carlton without Fevola will slip but remain thereabouts thanks to their stellar midfield. However, they don't have a defence, forward line or ruck strength to go far in today's game. Brisbane with Fevola will also slip. I regard Michael Voss' recruiting as being nothing short of a diabolical attempt to move deckchairs around the Titanic and Stella tells me his abrasiveness might lose him some friends at the club during 2010. The same fate awaits Matty Knights who will rue the loss of experienced stalwarts in Lloyd and Lucas. Paul Roos will go out without a whimper and the remaining clubs, Port Adelaide, Fremantle, North Melbourne and Richmond are all facing a long, tough stretch. There will be no draft concessions on which to build a team as the free rides given to GC17 and GWS takes hold and the full ramifications of them are finally experienced in practice. It could be very, very ugly. Brownlow Medal - Colin Sylvia is ready at last to break out and fulfil his true destiny. Coleman Medal - Daniel Bradshaw. With plenty of games at the SCG and no other forwards in the team, Bradshaw could be a winner for the Swans. Season Highlight - six consecutive weeks of young Demon players winning the NAB Rising Star Award. Season Lowlight - a record number of sacked coaches. A strange thing you might see in the future - Sam Newman proposing marriage to Caroline Wilson on the set of The Footy Show. Good News Story of 2010 - Jimmy makes a complete recovery to full health. Finally, I repeat my promise to return during the season, to bring more exciting AFL predictions and to uphold the centuries-old family tradition of fearlessness, accuracy and foresight. See you in the future!

If reports of Meesen's injury are true and that he's going to miss most of the pre season, then the possibilty of him making it as a rookie elevation is a remote one. And if that's not a possibility why rookie list him. Surely, the club could pay out his contract or underwrite a fresh contract so that he can play for Casey and still gets paid out his contract?

A HISTORY OF THE MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB: PART FIVE: SECOND FLAG - THEN TIMES GET TOUGH by The Professor A different world was emerging in 1919 when the war to end all wars would draw to a conclusion. People were left with the task of observing the consequences of the hostilities and then trying to forget them. The Melbourne Football Club had lost a number of its playing members during The Great War and in 1919, when the team the field again after a break of three seasons, it lacked the experienced players to be competitive losing all of its matches. But 1920 saw the introduction of an intensive recruiting campaign. Albert Chadwick, a strong young ruckman made his debut in the opening round. Charlie Streeter, Hugh Dunbar, Dick Taylor, Colin Deane, "Bunny Wittman" and Ivor Warne-Smith soon joined him. As a consequence of this influx of talented youth, the club's fortunes improved gradually. By 1925 Melbourne reached the finals recording thirteen wins. It was the club's first finals series in a decade and Melbourne was headed only by Geelong and Collingwood in the new twelve team competition that had emerged as a result of the inclusion of Footscray, Hawthorn and North Melbourne. The impetus of having played in a finals series and the recruiting of additional talent in Bob Johnson, a tall centre half forward and Herbie White, a rover enabled Melbourne to scoop the pool in 1926 under the guidance of captain coach Chadwick. In a memorable grand final which foreshadowed the great future rivalry of two famous football clubs, Melbourne ran away from Collingwood in the third quarter and went on to win by 57 points to record their second premiership. Vice captain Ivor Warne-Smith capped off a great season winning the Brownlow Medal with nine "first votes" and other highlights included the goalkicking performances of Moyes, Johnson and Davie (each kicking 50 goals or more) and the team's general high scoring throughout the year. Among the spectators at the eventful premiership win were Henry Harrison - one of the game's co-founders and Dick Wardill, captain of the 1900 side. The old club song "It's a grand old flag" was revived for this historic occasion. After the grand final, W.C. McClelland stepped down as chairman capping off a long career with the club. RESULTS - GRAND FINAL 1926 Melbourne 4.5.29 7.7.49 14.9.93 17.17.119 Collingwood 1.1.7 6.4.40 7.6.48 9.8.62 Goals: Johnson 6 Moyes Wittman 3 Duff 2 Deane Taylor Vine Best: Johnson Wittman Moyes Streeter Abernethy Warne-Smith THE TEAM B: Streeter Coy Abernethy HB: Timms H. Dunbar Thomas C: Taylor Warne-Smith Collins HF: Wittman Johnson Davidson F: Vine Duff Moyes R: Chadwick C. Deane White In 1927 Melbourne had a disappointing season due to illness and injuries to key players but came back to finish third in 1928 when Ivor Warne-Smith replaced Chadwick as captain and won his second Brownlow Medal. Chadwick remained as vice captain. But the club was to begin a downward spiral and sunk in much the same was as the stock markets and the world economy, which fell into the Great Depression. The strength of the team dissipated and even Warne-Smith's elevation to coach in 1932 could not save the club from sinking to ninth. During this period one of the few highlights was the goalkicking of diminutive full forward George Margitich but even his fine 73 goal tally in 1930 was far below the amount required to win the VFL goalkicking. It was time for a change...

Tom Scully's own story in the Berwick Gazette about how his lifelong dream of becoming an AFL footballer came another step closer after he "was fortunate enough to be drafted on Thursday night by the Melbourne Football Club." A DEMON AT LAST

HISTORY OF THE MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB: PART FOUR: HARD TIMES AND WAR CLOUDS by The Professor The Commonwealth of Australia was born at the turn of the Century. The fledgling nation was still one of the remotest outposts of the British Empire and the British Monarch remained the head of the country. At least in this respect little was to change for the nation over the next one hundred years. But in the early 1900's Australia was a nation in waiting. Little more than a decade of its existence was to pass by before it would be thrown into a bloody war that would shape its nationhood. In the State of Victoria, the citizens remained keen on sports as the cricket, football and horse racing all draw large crowds and maintained strong interest among all levels of the population. The game of football advanced in leaps and bounds and even managed to survive its first bribery scandal involving the Carlton Football Club which had emerged as a power during the first decade of the new century. But the Melbourne Football Club, which had won its initial premiership in 1900, was soon to fall on lean times. With the exception of seasons 1902 and 1915 (when the club achieved fourth placing) the club was disappointing. There were few honours to be attained this period apart from the efforts of A. V. Couttie in 1904 and H. Brereton in 1912 when they topped the V.F.L. goal kicking with 39 and 56 goals respectively. A downtrodden Melbourne was even forced to travel to Geelong by boat as a result of a rail strike in 1903. While success on the field was proving to be elusive, the Melbourne Football Club was able to celebrate its Jubilee in 1908 in fine style. The first interstate carnival (including representation from New Zealand) was organised as part of the celebrations. Richmond and University were admitted to the VFL in that year. The club slowly began to emerge from the doldrums in 1912 following the appointment of former captain W. C. McClelland as Chairman. Andrew Manzie (formerly of Richmond) was enlisted as club secretary and the importance of administration was highlighted by his hard work. When the University club disbanded at the end of 1914, Manzie was able to persuade several University players to cross over to Melbourne. With the addition of players such as "Dookie" McKenzie in 1915 the team was able to extend eventual premiers Carlton in a semi final but the promise of this performance could not be improved upon. The Great War had begun and Melbourne was not able to field a side again until 1919. At that time the club's great contribution towards the development of the game assisted it in gaining readmission to the VFL. When the club returned to the fold in 1919, it welcomed a future great in Ivor Warne-Smith who made his debut for Melbourne during that year. Like the rest of the world, it was a time of rebuilding for the Melbourne Football Club ...

Chris Connolly here at the MoM function has stuck his neck out and gone early with the tip of Jack Fitzpatrick at # 50!

Certainty to be picked at 34