Goodvibes

Grimes in for Dunn. Frawley, Garland, McDonald, Grimes, Terlich and Clisby could well be the solid back six we've been waiting for.

Classic Demonland. From zero to hero in 5 pages.

Game is now available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlCJPrqv7_w Enjoy!

How could I? I really like the cut of his jib. He's got all the makings of a quality big arsed Collingwood-style midfielder. He's one pre-season away from a quality sleeve of tats. The kid is going to make it.

Hogan, Dawes, Toumpas, Viney, Terlich, M Jones, Barry and Clisby. Five of those eight are clearly best 22 players. Two of the others are there now and look like staying there and the last one is showing more and more each week at Casey and was always a project. It's been a good haul. If you're going to have a crap year it's nice to at least have something to look forward to. I'm not sure how much Neeld had to do with these selections but it could be his lasting and most positive legacy. Terlich has arguably been the best of them.

Whilst the game wasn't telecast I have it on good authority that the link below will provide a full replay at some point tomorrow. For those who are genuinely interested check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q5V7JgPRbA EDIT: Nope, but this will: - Rogue

Oh and we won the disposal count by 5. First time this year. Who would have thought that a correlation exists between getting and keeping the footy and winning games.

Hogan and Watts kicking 10 goals between them makes it a good day.

Melbourne win a game of footy and this is your first post in eight months. Tom McDonald is coming off a career best game against Riewoldt. Missed you Freak. Pure gold..

As long as there's no premature adulation.

Those who claim we don't "deserve" a priority pick clearly misunderstand what this competition, at its core, is really about. They must clearly think it's about equity, fairness, supporters and premierships. The AFL's core organizational principle is to maximize revenue. Will a priority pick to Melbourne make us more competitive? Yes. Will a more competitive Melbourne generate more money? Yes. Done deal.

Can we just pretend it didn't happen or was simply a horrible dream? I'm thinking Dallas Season 9.

As a Melbourne member born in Warrnambool I should have loved Moloney. My early instincts were confirmed again today.

Graeme Samuel's name getting a mention on Facebook. Yes I know, I referenced Facebook.

My impression of Neil Craig is that he is a man of great integrity. Even if he thought Neeld was a complete Dick, he'd be completely supportive and wouldn't undermine his leadership. It's quite possible that we will see a real change in our approach over the next couple of months.

So if we win half of our remaining games, who would support Craig keeping the job long term?

Watts?

I'd add Garland to that core group and hope to pick up a mature mid that is a step up from Rodan.

Careful. We'll be talking about blazers soon . . .

Good coaches know where their list is at. The press conference after the Brisbane loss in Round 1 2012 showed that he'd overestimate where we were at. His comments at the commencement dinner 2013 where he suggested we'll surprise a great many looks very silly half a season later. If he'd made mention of his re-build of a re-build in November of 2011 then we might be a little more sympathetic. The youngest, most inexperience teams in the comp are never the hardest to play against. There's been too many catch-prases and too many shifts in thinking. Rightly or wrongly, they come across as excuses and more disturbingly a shift of responsibility from him to his predecessors and even to the players. He may still have the players but his vision (whatever it is?) is not evident on the field. Melbourne supporters unlike most others have incredible patience. We can hang in there if we see a future and a direction but right now we're so far off the pace and so uncompetitive that those on the reality bus who have been so well trained at calling a spade a spade know that a win/loss percentage of 50 is unjustifiable. Belief is shot to pieces. The chances of the same coach who was at the wheel during smashing after smashing after smashing being their when we turn it around is really really low.

I guess listing the coach and assistant coaches and football dept structure probably alludes to exactly that.

I'm not sure how this became a discussion about a potential priority pick but I struggle to understand why some would refuse it. High draft picks are still the best avenue to top end talent. Just because we've made mistakes in the past doesn't mean we'll make them again. I dream of a scenario when we're killing mid table teams and opposition supporters are sooking about all of our priority picks. When Brisbane and Sydney won their flags with massively inflated salary caps the rest of the comp was spewing but years on we rarely talk about their AFL influenced advantages we just talk about how bloody good their teams were. If we gain a priority pick and have two picks within the first 4 and we spend them on midfielders we'll be a genuine chance. Toumpas, Viney plus two more young talents (let's say the equivalent of Whitfield and Wines) and we'll be scary with the forward line we've assembled. An established B/A grade mature midfielder would certainly help too. I don't care how other supporters perceive us - it can't get any worse - a priority pick will take us one step closer to a premiership. We can't afford to be scarred by our recruiting efforts over the past decade.

The Board obviously needs to be restructured. What we haven't really addressed on Demonland is how. Most people talk in sweeping terms about "getting in a new board". The credentials of each individual on the current board are impressive. The collective record of the board is miserable. Do some members of the board stay or do we replace the lot? How can we gauge the effectiveness of individuals on the board?

Jack, I think this is the most balanced analysis of the Neeld situation I've read. He has indeed been dealt a shocking hand and he is working with a list bereft of genuine star power and senior experience but he has failed to show on game day that he has the tools to change a game or even limit a loss. The killer for me is the mixed messages we as supporters have been receiving. If we're confused, how do the players feel?

Our problems are many and varied. The negativity round these parts, for good reason, has been immense. I acknowledge that this thread only adds to the already significant emphasis on the negative but hope it will focus our attention on what really matters and who is responsible for our current position and as a consequence which changes our new CEO will make first. Below is a list of factors. I’m interested in my fellow Demonlander stating their priorities in terms of identifying those areas/people/issues most responsible for our current struggles: The President The Coach Assistant Coaches Fitness Staff The Board Our lowly supporter base Our financial instability Our playing list Our training facilities Our home ground VFL affiliation Links to the MCC Physical Administration structure Identity/Branding Football Department Structure Many of the above can be linked. Many of the above may be seen as positives. Many of the above may need to be further divided and sub-divided. When Peter Jackson meets the AFL this week “cap in hand” what do you think will be on the top of his list in terms of changes that will require financial support from the league?