Chook

John Butcher has got to be the most fearful, manly name I've heard in a long time. Butcher the Demon Spearhead, grabbing balls and splitting packs . . . I like the sound of that!

I'd be wrapped with getting Harvey, but not just as a midfield coach. I've heard he rates his ability to mentally prepare before a game. If he comes to the Demons, I'd love for him to be able to impart some of his knowledge in that area to our younger guys.

I have clearly substantiated my position but how about you substantiate your assessment of how competitive our list was 12 months ago? Come on I dare you. i.e. "I've found a back-door out of my bold claim, so why can't you?" But on the topic, I thought we'd be very good in 2007 and was incredibly disheartened by our year. So much so that I hardly went to a game. I felt so bad about that that I went to every Victorian game this year and never left early, no matter how badly we were doing. It was worth it. I feel good now.

You're absolutely right. Sorry, I misread the post.

But one of them sure as heck wasn't Collingwood.

You absolutely have the right to be laughing at us for how crap we are now, but it's probably not fair to wish our Club gone. I think the rivalry our two teams have is not only great for the game, but it's probably one of the reasons AFL is so strong right now. When our two Clubs faced off in Grand Final after Grand final in the '50s, we paved the way for how footy would be supported in the coming decades. I'd like to hope that as much as supporters of Melbourne and Collingwood make jibes about each other, when it comes down to it, it's all in good fun. I've got Collingwood friends and family, as I'm sure most Demon followers do. And I'm sure the reverse is also true. So dislike us if you want, but don't hate us or want us gone, cause if you do, the game will certainly be worse for it. But as to your footy-related points: - I'm not sure winning 3 out of 5 interstate games this year is that special for a top 8 club. Sure it's not bad, but it's certainly not what I'd call "travelling well." - You do have more Premierships, more supporters, more Grand Final appearances, more finals played, more members and so on, but remember to respect your elders, without whom your team would never have existed at all. - As has been mentioned above, we have a great recent record of reaching the finals. But we were unable to capitalize on it and are now paying the price. Look at the damage keeping a coach for more than a decade without a Flag can do to your Club. As much as I liked Neale Daniher, he couldn't do it for us. Can Michael Malthouse still do it for you? - We've just evaporate three million dollars of our substantial debt in a short period, have the greatest supporter-to-member ratio, have record membership for our Club and have the chance of picking up the most talented young ruckman in the land, not to mention the best 18 year old football player in Australia. Good luck against St. Kilda, by the way. - Finally, we laugh at your club constantly. Unfortunately, you are probably what we at the Internet call a ninja. One who lurks quietly in the shadows, makes one deadly post, then vanishes silently into the blue unknown, never to be heard from again. So it's unlikely that you'll ever read this post at all. But if you do, no hard feelings. It's just a game, after all. Things are never black and white.

Thanks for that. I had no idea. It just goes to show that even with the Fevolas, Carrolls, Cousins' and Gardners going around giving the game a bad name, there are tough. honest blokes trying their guts out every day just to get a game. Footy players who can get the most out of what they've got may not win a Premiership, but they will never lose the respect or admiration of their peers and supporters.

Nathan Brown. I was filthy at his "retirement." Always one of my favourite players. He had some great running ability and attracted a lot of the ball. Not to say he'd still be here now, but I thought he had at least another year in him.

Well I know he's got another three years on his mind. Not that that means anything, by the way. White and Yze both wanted another two. But I think Robbo will prove a lot of guys wrong in the coming years. He kicked about 25 goals in 10 games in a shocking team. He may not be what he was, but I think he's got a bit left in him. Who knows, the guy might still be around in a few years time to provide a good third dimension to the forward line. In any case, I wish him all the best. One of my favourite guys at the Club.

I read that Brock McLean only went into surgery so that he wouldn't be hampered in the pre-season. Jared Rivers' condition is a mystery to me, but I'd hope that with the best part of four months off since his last game, he'd be pretty much right to start his own specially-tailored routine come October 13. My feeling is that the only two blokes who won't be training with the others on that day are Robbo and Riv. Everybody else should have had enough time to recover.

Jonesy will be much better off next year with another year of experience under his belt, not to mention the addition of Brock McLean back in the middle. I like to think of the Chook McLean and Nugget Jones team as the chicken nugget combo - and I believe they're much better off together than apart.

Western Bulldogs = 2004 - 2006 Melbournefc Mach 2

Well, if you're trying to argue that we weren't crap this year, I'm not sure how much either 1938 or Collingwood has to do with that.

Obviously Matthew Whelan is in that mix for at least next year, but perhaps that may be a weakness in years to come.

Is there any reason why this can't be our Premiership backline? Frawley Martin Warnock Rivers Garland Petterd

My sentiments exactly. He did some fantastic things all year.

Wow, that's a stat!

Hey, 'bub, are you two different people using the one account? Cause one of you is the biggest cynic I've ever come across, while the other is in the top three most insightful, positive and intelligent posters on this site.

I'm fairly certain anyone named re-draft molan is probably a bit of a troll, so I wouldn't take much notice of anything they have to say.

I want Rich as well, but I don't think we're going to pick him, either way. Either we get pick 1 and take Watts, with West Coast getting Rich off our mistake, or we get Pick 2 and take Watts coming to us.

And the thing with Mick Malthouse is that he's not even a nice guy. At least Neale Daniher had that going for him.

+1. People herre sometimes have short memories. Bate and the much-maligned Colin Sylvia were our best that day, along with the Jamar-Johnson ruck duo.

I always liked Dutchy. I hope his shoulders don't give him too much trouble in retirement, as I'm sure he'd love to keep playing the game at a lower level.

At least merge the first few posts with one of the other Robbie Warnock threads.

Fix'd.