TeamPlayedFine39

Watch a selection of the best matches over a 25 year period and yes, you’d probably say football was better ‘back then’. However through the 80s and 90s they wouldn’t even send a film crew to the bad games and there were even plenty of Melbourne matches you couldn’t even listen to on the radio. Just like today, the good matches were good and bad were bad (often very, very bad). If you’re looking to make a like-for-like comparison, you could look at grand finals. We’ve been pleased with some great and very close grand finals in recent years. The 90s grand finals were generally pretty poor spectacles.

Never a better time to be thankful we got rid of the pokies. Patting ourselves on the back whilst we profit from addicts during a recession is hardly what a football should be. We’ll find the money elsewhere.

It's a certainly a big number, but without the context of knowing where other clubs sit, it's very hard to judge. We're being assisted by the AFL, as imagine most clubs will need to be when your revenue basically drops to zero.

#tooShort2Ruck He'll make some 'experts' look very silly over the next decade.

There will be money up for grabs in the next six months for organisations that have projects ready to go. Following the GFC we saw that schools and community groups that already had plans in place were the ones immediately given stimulus funding. This of course meant that the money for projects was not necessarily awarded according to 'need', but rather who could get their projects started the quickest to get people working. I was working at a school at the time that didn't have a pressing need for a new science lab, but they had just so happened to have drawn up renovations specs as part of their ten year plan. That lab was almost immediately funded and built. So, I think there will be an opportunity.

Absolute beast (and still only 18).

Is that Rivers..?

It is becoming more and more common in the AFL for clubs to move away from cities and 'spiritual homes' in order to find space. Six months ago, I didn't love the idea of Casey, but, as we all know, a lot can change in six months. GFC taught us that governments will put money into projects that are ready to go and get people on the tools as quickly as possible... Perhaps instead of viewing diving into a Casey Fields development as a rushed decision, we see it as an opportunity to grab stimulus funding for a growth corridor amongst marginal seats. (whilst also throwing our weight behind the Cranbourne bypass) It is a colossal amount of space with virtually identical dimensions to the MCG, neighbouring running track, swimming pool across the road, plenty of additional ovals...

I think it looks good - one of the few people who can pull that look off. If anything, the long beard and shaved head was probably more showy than this. Max has already proven himself to be a champion player and strong leader. Nothing in these pictures is out of character or would lower the high esteem that he is held in.

(wrong thread)

94, 98 and 18 we peaked at the right time of the year after just squeaking into the finals. I think we tend to underrate our 2000 side. A team that finished top 3 on the table and had a huge run of form leading into the finals that year. We were very good, but as others have said, Essendon were not likely to lose to anyone that year. 98 was probably our best chance to win a flag, but maybe not our best team.

I noticed that (Jake Lever I think). It's pretty telling that one of the leaders of our backline identified this as a significant shortcoming of Gosch's and a particular strength of Casey. You could couple that however with him saying 50 minute drive about 17 times... Casey Fields could be a realistic long-term option if they can build a Cranbourne bypass. At the moment, the traffic is a nightmare and is the kind of thing that would turn players/recruits off.

Agree with most of this. At the start of 2010 I went to the club intra-match at Casey and saw Gysberts towelling up our established mids and even overshadowing Scully and Trengove. Was in and under all day, extracting and playing well above his size and experience. I thought we had a star on our hands when I left that day and 26 on debut against Geelong in Geelong and 27 the following week against Carlton (who played finals that year) cemented this belief. 2 rising star nominations over 2 years and a couple of Brownlow votes in a 30 possession performance against Essendon, he had the makings of an inspired draft choice. Then... fell of the face of the earth after 2011. Whether it was Bailey leaving, Neeld arriving, or just a lack of passion or will to play at the top level? I don't know. But the kid definitely had the talent to play.

Yes... it was unbelievable.

Isn't it incredible, almost completely unbelievable, that Collingwood made the inspired decision to move Howe into defense... genius. That is why Paul Roos is in inferior coach to Nathan Buckley.

I'm going to sit this one out as I am too young to have seen either in any meaningful way. Would be curious to know, from those who saw him play, what kind of a player RDB was? Is there a current or recent player that you'd compare him to? From what I've read... perhaps a bit of Michael Voss..?

I still don't really understand how all of this works... I suppose we still don't have the full story. I would have thought that if the players had issues with Schwab, then they should have been jumping for joy that afternoon. The seconds got smashed as well if memory serves correctly...

That's very generous to Neeld and his approach to development, communication and people management. Each to their own, but tactical footballing nous is just a small element of coaching and you don't 'toughen up' young people by neglecting to nurture and support them. If a player has a positive relationship with their coach, they will run through brick walls for them. You don't hear many stories of Sheedy, Matthews and Malthouse being cold to their players - they were more akin to father-figures. The club was at its lowest point in its long history when Neeld left. He, and the regime that he was working under, completely gutted the club.

Morton's done a few podcast interviews in the last year and they're always pretty insightful (honest discussions always are). Same group had one with Russel Robertson last week; that one was very good.

Toughest one yet by far. Gawn is in his prime and could finish his career with 4 or 5 All Australians if he can hold his form. Lyon was another player marred by injuries and could have stacked on a ton of goals if. he was able to consistently play at full forward for the last few years of his career. Will go Lyon, only just, and fully expect that if this poll is run again in 4 years, it'd ge Gawn.

The Demon decisionEdit The most controversial moment of Peter Matera's career came in late 1997 when he shocked the football world by declaring his intentions to leave the West Coast Eagles and join the Melbourne Football Club via the pre-season draft for the 1998 season. Citing a desire to play more at the MCG, Matera's announcement triggered major public outcry in Western Australia and saw many of his longtime Eagles teammates, including captain John Worsfold visit Matera's home (which was staked out by the media). Days after news of Matera's defection broke, he did a back flip, agreeing to stay on at the West Coast Eagles. While he remained in the blue and gold for the rest of his career, many believed his form slump in 1998 was a result of the extreme pressure he was placed under as a result of his decision to originally leave the club. (Wikipedia)

I remember this one well. We did some great signings when Daniher came on board. Matera would have been the best and of them and with him running the wings on the MCG we would have won the lot in ‘98.

This is a mighty 11 year bump! In no particular order... 1. Stynes 2. Neitz 3. Farmer 4. Gawn 5. Lyon * Schwartz could have been ** Jurrah should have been *** Jakovich almost was **** Oliver definitely will be

Correction, now all the Murdoch rags are running it. Hypocritically, they're running the photo in an article about the photo being leaked.. just a thinly veiled opportunity to give people a gawk.