Swooper1987

He attended Melba College (a Government School) in the East. His brother is in Year 11 there. He didn't do Year 12 and decided to work.

We obviously remember it differently.

It's great. Everyone complained back when 4 became 5 in a 12 team comp. Everyone complained when the 6 was introduced in 1991. The first final 8 system occurred in 1994 in a 15 team comp - yes that's right - only 7 teams didn't make finals. Fremantle and Port took the comp to 16 teams by 1997 with the removal of Fitzroy and it's stayed that way since, with some system modifications in 2000. For 25 years it's remained unchanged even though the competition now has 18 team (soon to be 19). It will help alleviate the unfairness of the fixture and it takes out the most boring weekend of the footy season.

If Rivers develops greater consistency in his game, which he will have the opportunity to do with more midfield minutes, then he is by far and away the best long term option. I'd make him a co VC with Viney and Lever next year.

He was (is) a superstar of the comp. True, he is a burst player, but that doesn't mean he's not putting in for the full game. He's a matchwinner in much the same way as Tim Watson was at Essendon. He is a Hall of Famer and we were very fortunate to have him for the bulk of his career.

Yes, but it had to end. And now it has ended, time to move on and embrace the next pantheon of champions to wear the red and blue. There is so much to look forward to in 2026.

He'll become an all time great, and probably within the next two years. I think he'll also step up into a leadership role and become even more influential. By the end of his career he'll rank amongst the very best ever to have played for the club and maybe even the best of all time. Great thread!

A big part of Guerra's job is to sell hope. He does that well here. For the naysayers who think we are destined for a lot of pain in light of the loss of Oliver and Petracca, there are many examples of teams bouncing back into premiership contention very quickly after losing "stars". The most recent example being Collingwood who changes coach, ditched some established stars and lost a prelim by a point then won the flag the following year. A lot has to go right but I'm backing King to have a massive impact and Gawn, Viney, Lever and Steele to lead a culture reset.

Love this. He's a good citizen.

The best thing for Oliver and Melbourne. He's not been a force in the game since 2022, for a variety of reasons. This is his best chance to get back to somewhere near what he was. His first 150 games were amongst the best I've seen from any Melbourne player. His last 50 odd just poor to average. The reality is, he isn't what he was. The club needs to move forward. I'll always hold him in the highest regard for his 2016-2022 work. It ended how it probably should have two years ago, except that now we'll take a second or third rounder, instead of the first we would've got in 2023. All the best at the Giants, Clarry.

This absolutely. And we need to leverage that in our dealings. He also polled coaches votes in 10 games. That's a very good season in anyone's language. The media are doing their best to water down our bargaining position but the numbers don't back it up at all. Still one of the highest rated score involvement players in the competition.

Career scoring accuracy is 50%. So he was slightly below career this season at 47%.

An on-field coach. Two years is perfect. He'll be an asset and provided he stays injury free will find a way to kick 35 -40 a season. You can't have enough "good citizens". Does not necessarily help our scoring accuracy, though, going at only 47% this year.

Not like they were trying to hide it, that's for sure.

I'm sure there'll be a "Farewell Christian Petracca" thread in a few days but I'll get in early. Thanks for the memories, Tracc. You are in the top half dozen Melbourne players I've had the privilege of watching. You did it differently and between 2020 and halfway through 2024 you were probably in the top 10 players in the comp. Without you, Melbourne are still waiting for their first flag since 1964. I'll always hold your contribution to that magical season in the highest regard. Your relationship with the game is transactional and that's fine. Many better players than you, including Chris Judd, had the same relationship. It doesn't in any way dim your contribution. I have no doubt you gave your all for the club whilst you wore the jumper. That's all any supporter can ask. All the best for the next chapter.