Jarka

There is another way of looking at this point of view and that's that the AFL exists to fill a void in the life of the masses. It's an ideal replacement for war and tribal tendecies. This is actually a great discussion because there are so many different levels it could be viewed at, pity I don't have the time right now to get right into it. On a social level humans naturally desire to form groups, and these groups will always fight with other groups, and then there are the issues within the groups themselves. A football club is a great way to analysis human nature.

Considering this website is called demonland and discusses issues involving the Melbourne Football Club then my guess is probably pretty accurate. However if we were on a website called the vermontsouthfc.com.au then I'd probably agree with you. To take this further I think you're referring to social clubs, and if so then I agree with you.

I guess this is where the lines get a bit murky. In modern footy for a club to win a premiership it has to be financially strong, and the only way of doing that is to have alot of members to attract top sponsorship deals. So you have to keep your members happy to keep them and attract new ones, obviously having a strong brand helps and that means being competitve. I still beleive though that everything is done with one aim in mind, and that is winning premierships. Torp, in this case I'm presuming that we're referring to professional footbcall clubs in elite competitions.

This is a good reason why Richmond supporters should be perm banned from demonland...

If winning a premiership isn't the sole aim of a football club then it may as well shut the doors right now. Having said that, modern football clubs are now a business, and like all businesses it needs to take care of it's stakeholders, such as members, sponsors etc. However, above all it still needs to strive for excellence (sorry, had to be done) and aim for premierships. I'd say that in taking care of all the issues Bob mentioned it keeps everyone happy to ensure sufficient funds to have a shot at a premiership.

Hawthorn traded to get the first pick which they used on Hodge, Freo originally had it, they've only had 2.

Completely forgot to do this but really this game completely lacked in passion. We wanted to lose and everyone knew we wanted to lose. Guys were played out of position like Morton, any analysis completed on this game is largely irrelevant.

The Port Adelaide win, on so many different levels

Wait till a week before the draft, it'll be hilarious

I find it difficult to argue with someone who thinks that we should have kept TJ after looking at his performances with Brisbane this year. Voss clearly is not impressed with his output, he's dropped him several times and will struggle to get back into the team, and the supporters have gone from thinking he was a steal for pick 14 to happy to take a 3rd rounder for him. He's played 11 games this year and has gotten more than 20 touches on just 4 occasions, for a player of his talent it's just not good enough.

Spot on Nasher, it's the proper way to tank, err, manage your list. I'm quite happy with seeing Bailey consistently do this

CAC's final two years at this stage look good, however it's the previous 8 years of drafting and list management which have contributed to our current position. That's why CAC receives the type of comments you're referring to. Personally I think there was a fair bit of 'hero worship' going on purely because he used to post on this site, alot of people here refused to accept that he did anything but a perfect job. I'm not surprised at all about what happened.

Looking back at which midfielders were taken early that I'd be happy with pick 2 or 3? Cotchin Masten Hill Rich Ziebell Palmer Each one of these kids would add something to our current midfield.

After watching this game I'm certain that the club is now doing it's best for our long term future. Consider these examples in the last quarter when the game was to be won... Martin in the ruck and Moloney, Valenti and McKenzie in the centre square Two key forwards in Miller and Newton Jurrah playing further up the ground Morton playing a key defensive role Jones doing the kick ins This is just a small sample. Nice work Bails.

There is no doubt that this will be Robertson's last year and in hindsight we should have traded him to the doggies when he still had value. I've enjoyed watching him try and take mark of the year everytime the balls gone near him, but I've also been frustrated by so many of the things that he does, or doesn't do. It's time to now celebrate his career as it winds up, but to suggest that the club owes him anything is nonsense. I have no idea of how much his earnt but I reckon he's done very well for himself, he's also had national exposure for his singing, something I daresay would never have happen if he didn't pull on the boots. If the club had a choice of a few farewell games for Robo or get some extra gametime into a young forward like Watts then I'd expect the latter, and I'd be pretty [censored] if it was the former.

This is smart. Any players who require end of season surgery, send them off now. No point in waiting untill the end of the season, make sure they're ready to go for the start of next years pre-season.

All jokes a side about this issue but I believe that the next 6 weeks will tell us exactly about the people in charge of the club. The club can either put out the best possible team to win on the day, or a team that will be the best for our future.

"Should we tank?" Is the pope a Catholic? Does a one legged duck paddle in circles? Hell yes!!

H, Blease is an interesting one. I still have high hopes for him but I'm trying to refrain from any excitement just in case he never fully recovers from his injury.

I agree, only thing I would alter is the order

lol, I enjoyed it. Joeboy - Travelled with happiness

Joeboy, I enjoy your three word analysis. I'll post one but I'm sure there's plenty around who'll probably get in before me, I seriously doubt that I'll be able to do one as quick as yours! Were are you going?

Three quarters of the way into the season and I've got a feeling the club will start to manage the list more now (ie tanking ), so which players do you nominate as most improved? Grimes - I can feel a bit of mancrush coming on Frawley - Ok, I admit it, I wrote him off last year. I still think he's got a bit to go with his decision making and disposal but he's turning into a solid defender. Sylvia - Still has the odd brain fart but he's starting to get his head in the right place. His highs have been sensational, but what's more impressive is his lows are becoming less regular. Moloney - Love his passion and developing into a real leader.

You know what, when I started that post Hughes was the main one I was thinking about, don't know how I missed him. I completely agree with you, now is the time to give him a chance, and not just one game, give him 3 or 4 in a row. Good pick up, thanks Doggo

I agree, the kid has had a pretty big season after a late start due to injury. Smart move to manage him for the rest of the year, we've all seen what he can do, let's make shure he's cherry ripe for next year.