Whispering_Jack

The Dick Taylor Memorial Trophy - club champion (fifth) goes to Nathan Jones.

Rumour about Jake Melksham coming to MFC next year. Can't vouch for the credibility of the rumour.

Paul Roos talking now ... and then we'll find out who won the Bluey for 2015.

... but not vandenBerg

Winner's surname will start with the letter V.

After Round 17 250 Bernie Vince 218 Nathan Jones 217 Tom McDonald 211 Jack Viney 189 Daniel Cross 187 Jesse Hogan

Norm Smith Memorial Trophy - coaches award is awarded by Simon Goodwin to Jack Viney.

Just a thought. When I was a kid at school, my favourite players were Ron Barassi and Brian Dixon. Dicko won the Bluey in 1960, Barass in 1961 and 1964 - they were true heroes of the club and share about a dozen premierships between them. It's great to see that they're both here tonight.

Ron Barassi Junior Trophy for exceptional leadership at the club. There are two winners - Daniel Cross and Jack Trengove

James McDonald Trophy (heart and soul award) - Junior couldn't make it so Nathan Jones presented it to Jack Viney.

Hulk speaks as well and with the same confidence with which he plays.

Harold Ball Memorial Trophy for best young player presented by Brett Allison to Jesse Hogan ... I'm shocked

Nathan Jones presents women's b & f to Daisy Pearce. Daisy's speech about the MFC's pioneering all matters football from writing the rules to Ron Barassi to the Irish experiment with Jim Stynes to the women's team.

Peter Jackson says he doesn't listen to the noise coming from external sources. At end of 2015 we are building on the foundation of last year and we're on track on and off the field. We will record a higher operating profit this year and we've improved on field. Looking to improve further into the future with players demonstrating "good behaviours" (my thought: say goodbye to any thoughts of Harley Bennell).

Peter Jackson up next followed by the best female player trophy ...

Tom McDonald polling brilliantly in the early going (but we knew that). Votes after Round 9: 199 Tom McDonald 119 Jesse Hogan 115 Jeff Garlett 105 Colin Garland 96. Aaron vandenBerg

Ian Ridley Memorial Trophy for club ambassador presented to Neville Jetta.

Troy Broadbridge Memorial Trophy for best VFL player presented by Justin Plapp and Troy's father to Aiden Riley.

Bartlett welcomed the 950 in attendance and then farewelled Mark Jamar and Daniel Cross and predicted that some of the young blokes will poll well as will some of the older players. My prediction - the winner will poll very well. Josh Mahoney now giving recognition to Russian and Crossy.

Haven't heard any but Chairman Glenn Bartlett just started his welcome. If I get a chance, I'll ask him if he's heard any and pass on whatever he tells me.

Players are being introduced as we speak.

I hope the experience is therapeutic and doesn't cause any dramatic changes to BBO's sartorial excellence and grooming.

As I understand it, we were entitled to Band 1 compensation for Frawley on the basis of previous determinations but a fiction was created whereby if our application for special assistance was rejected and we copped it sweet, then we would be assured of getting the Band 1 compensation. The reality was that the AFL could have given us the special assistance under its existing rules in 2013 when we won only two games (and got nothing) and again in 2014 (when we won four games and got nothing). It was all a sham of a farce which is how the AFL operates. We should apply again on the basis of finishing in the bottom six and of our long running poor record. We will be refused but we need to do it on principle so that when the Commission is confronted with long running failures in the future they will have no option but to treat them as shabbily as they have treated us in recent years while pretending to favour equalisation.

Gary Hardeman was just 17 when he made his debut with Melbourne as a lightly built wingman/half forward - he grew into the role of a key defender and was quite brilliant when at his best in the early 70s. He and Greg Parke were the best of the recruits who came from what was supposedly a strong recruiting zone centred around the Bentleigh-McKinnon area which was in the 60s a growing metropolitan area, often compared with the neighbouring Waverley/Oakleigh area which the Tigers had as their zone. Unfortunately, (with the notable exception of Robbie who came from Murrumbeena and later Steve Smith from McKinnon) the area failed to produce the same steady flow of top players which Richmond got from its metro zone over the next two and a half decades until the drafts took over. The same can be said for our country zone, the Goulburn Valley region (ironically Garry Lyon was just about our last player from there and the best). I've always assumed that Gary Hardeman went to Sturt because of better financial opportunities but I really don't know if there was anything else behind the move. We were pretty much a rabble in the late 70s, much as we have been for the past decade.

Unfortunately, in AFL circles, signed contracts don't necessarily mean that the agreements in them will necessarily be honoured.