Jumping Jack Clennett

I keep thinking...... We need to get a winning culture back at the MFC. We're going to acquire 3 or 4 top draft picks, but they probably won't help till 2010. If we keep losing games, membership and sponsorship will dwindle. Just a minute!!!!! One of the best players in the last decade is available if we want him! He probably has 2 or 3 good years of contribution at high level left....even with a dicky hamstring. What should we do? I don't like Cousins, and deplore the WCE culture which won them a premiership. I just wonder if we've closed our minds too early. The money side of it, however, I don't know anything about. If he wants more than 400k., forget it.

quote 'Whispering_Jack' "committed to rebuilding the club with youth from the ground up." A well known fact. But how much could the youths benefit from close exposure to one 30y.o. superstar? What a pity we weren't more strict on the youth policy in '08. How much could we have saved by not paying Neitz,Yze and Holland last season? Perhaps we kept them on to influence the youngsters. But at what price!? The fact that they were contracted the year before emphasises the difficulty of such negotiations.

In my opinion two major factors have changed since we all wrote off any interest in wooing Ben Cousins to our club. 1. The incredibly stringent testing regime announced by the AFL today means he can't POSSIBLY contemplate using drugs if he seriously wants to come back. If he did transgress again, it'd be detected immediately, before his influence could spread in the Club. It wouldn't be our fault....we'd be the good guys giving a guy with a health problem a chance. 2.We absolutely MUST win more games in 2009. At one stage, some supporters were suggesting another year of less than 5 wins would be great from a drafting point of view. However it is becoming apparent that we need better on-field results to aid in our battle for survival as a club... to attract sponsors,spectators, free-to-air TV appearances, and members. Here's a guy who is an out and out champ. Not only would he be a winner on the field, he'd take pressure off Brocky etc., to say nothing of what he could teach them about footy(and winning flags!). How much publicity would our Club(and potential sponsors) get!!?? I'm not sure that I want him... I just think that we should take everything into consideration before writing him off completely.

I'd be interested to know if Wayne Oswald is the son of Lance Oswald, the top-class StKilda centreman of the late 60's.

"Hussey's was incredibly poor, especially for someone like Hussey" Hussey did get a grubber, though.

Sorry, Jeff.

Obviously a topic not worthy of comment. Apologies for bringing it up.

As I remember, Jeff was more successful as a District Cricketer with Melbourne 1st XI than as a League Footballer.

Did Demonlanders read the article in the Herald Sun today about former Melbourne forward Jeff Chapman who is the chairman of multi-national funds management company, Bennelong? Apparently he's worth half a billion! I remember his two (forgettable) games in '66, but I also remember seeing him following the Dees in the 80's having a drink on the MCC balcony bar. Perhaps he could be approached by some of his MFC devotee Old Carey contemporaries like John Grange, Peter Freeman or Rex Trumble to become a major Demons sponsor. After all, while Jeff likes to keep a low profile, Bennelong could perhaps benefit from becoming more of a household name in Melbourne. Any thoughts?

[quote name='Chook' date='Sep 28 2008, "Totally agree with all of that, especially the bit about hating Mark Thompson." He lost me with his comments after King kicked White's face in. He defended King by saying he risked injury to his foot!

Apologies, Demons 06, it seems you're right! Oh NO!!!!!!!!! Another whole season where we hope to lose! I don't know how much more of this I can take! Woe is me!!!!!

What is the correct answer here? We all should know!

I'd like to see a replay. I thought his push-off foot slipped at the start, meaning he didn't get away well. He caught up fast, indicating he has great acceleration. This boy is the full package.....197cm, quick as a flash, and a 180 IQ.

That's bull-dust! We all know that the second Qld team is getting all the draft picks next year. We need to learn to WIN again next year.

[quote 'QueenC' ", plus it has been raining for a three days straight!!!" I want a drought like Sydney's!

What I find interesting is how ordinary he looked in his first few Sandy appearances. How wrong it would have been to write him off then!(as I heard some do). Yet now I think we can realistically hope he can become a top AFL player. The faults in his play that are described above will surely diminish as he gains experience. I reckon he's a really bright shining light in an otherwise dismal season. Think how good he'd look if surrounded by top players playing with confidence! I hope this is what lies in the future. Great football honours could await this young man in the future, IMO.

[quote name='High Tower' I've read it, and reconsidered. They were pretty scathing. It seems Tommy MacNamara knew something.

I think Rhino, Beelzebub, Rogue, and a few others owe Hannabal and Stigga apologies for ridiculing their posts about Grimey getting a game v. Richmond.

'Hannabal' I agree , Hannabal, and I refer you to post 56 , which, I think, adds to the argument. Do any Demonlanders have any inside info? Surely he'll play!!! But, unfortunately, I doubt he'll cause the attendance to swell. Most supposed Demon "enthusiasts" I talk to at work have barely heard of him. I've forgotten if I mentioned that a Hurstbridge contact of mine who's followed Jack's career, confidently assures me that he's far more skilled than his contemporary,Kreuzer, but Jack's not 200cm, hence wasn't considered a no. 1 draft pick. Hope he's right! Special talent like that needs to be fast-tracked....injury -permitting.

You didn't consider my point, Jacey. Was it worthy of consideration? Where's the downside? Is there any value in giving him one game at senior level to let him see what it's like? WCE gave the pencil-thin Notte a game against us, to help ensure their loss.

I reckon there's no downside to playing Jack v. Richmond. We don't want to win(especially if we upset Port), so the fact that he's not ready doesn't matter, in that respect. I think it would do him good to see the level to which he has to lift himself. Apparently there's no doubt that this boy's got what it takes. What an opportunity! I hope we won't be in this position again for a long, long time! Having said that, I'm amazed we've dropped "D-Cups" (Maric), when there's another chance to get another 2 senior games of experience into him.

"Stigga"....I don't think it's such a silly post! I spoke to Tom McNamara at the Harrison room after the game last Sat., and he volunteered that he thought Jack would get a game before the season's out. Perhaps the players know something!

[quote name='calabreseboy' "He also needs a few things called "commitment" Bigger, stronger players are more inclined to commit themselves physically.

We should feed 'em up on whatever the "food additive" they use over in the West is. You watch that stick-thin schoolboy Notte, who played on Saturday. Next season he'll be muscle -bound. I remember Troy Simmonds at Melb.....skin and bone!!! One season in the West and he was a power ruckman! Whatever it is they eat over there, it builds musces a lot faster than the Demon diet!