Whispering_Jack

I mentioned above the situation at Melbourne in the post Norm Smith era and the phenomenon that some have described as the Norm Smith curse but I've often wondered how different the club's history might have been had the Red Fox been appointed coach of the club when he first applied for the job. When Melbourne won its sixth premiership in 1948 (thanks to a brilliant finals series from key forwards Smith and Jack Mueller), long term coach Frank V. 'Checker' Hughes decided to retire as coach. Smith applied for the position but the committee decided (by a single vote) to award it to former champion player and premiership captain, Allan LaFontaine. Smith switched to Fitzroy as captain-coach where he had moderate success while the aging Demons under La Fontaine crashed down to the bottom of the ladder by 1951. Smith returned and the rest is history but I wonder what might have happened had he been appointed to coach the club for the 1949 season. The club was about to experience a downward slide and was desperately in need of a rebuild. Would he have remained long enough to benefit from the recruitment of those champion players who came to the club in 1953 & 1954 and had such an immediate impact on the game. There's no question that Smith's wizardry and coaching guile was a significant contributory to the six premierships and Melbourne's domination of the decade from 1955 onwards but was it a case of being in the right place at the right time and would he have been there at all if appointed as coach on his first try at the end of 1948?

I wrote this tribute to Troy after his funeral and though time continues to march on, I don't think I can sum up my feelings about him any better than this:- OUT OF THE SHADOWS - A TRIBUTE TO BROADY by Whispering Jack It's early morning and a honeymoon couple strolls along the beach. The wind stops. The waters thud over the shoreline and, in an instant, the waves cast giant shadows on the sand as it suddenly disappears below them. The tiny droplet of time left is barely enough for him to guide her to the relative safety of a balcony before the tide turns again. The roar of the ocean has become a shrill scream that echoes across the Bay of Bengal and beyond leaving tragedy and death in its wake. He is one of the many who are lost to us forever … Troy and Trisha Broadbridge were on their honeymoon in the Thai resort of Phi Phi Island when the Indian Ocean tsunami struck on Boxing Day 2004. A little over a week earlier they were married and a few days before that Troy had wound up an intensive pre-season training period with his teammates at the Melbourne Football Club. He had just completed his best season since coming to club as a rookie-listed player in 1999. After six years as a Demon, Troy's career and his life were just starting to take shape. A little over a month after the wedding Trish is repeating the vows she declared on their wedding day. As the mourners stand teary eyed in the shadows of a packed St James' Catholic Church in Gardenvale she recites them softly. "Troy, you are my best friend. I promise I'm going to love you no matter what happens, I will always stand by you like you have stood by me. I love you so much because of everything you've done for me, for the person that you are, for the heart that you have." For my part, I remember meeting Broady for the first time when he worked behind the bar at The Bentleigh Club in his first year as a rookie. He was friendly but appeared shy. Former Melbourne Football Manager Danny Corcoran had been confident from the beginning that he would blossom as player and was delighted to snaffle the services of the red headed youngster from South Australia. The pedigree was good (his father Wayne, was a star player with Port Adelaide), he was tall, fast, athletic and willing to learn. In time, he would recover from the serious injuries that were dogging his career and more lately he was overcoming the doubts he seemed to have in his own ability. They said that Troy Broadbridge was in awe of the fact that he played the game as some of footy's heroes and that he never saw himself at their level but by the end of 2004 Troy Broadbridge was moving out of the shadows. Troy played most of his first season with the Melbourne reserves and was beset by shoulder problems in his rookie year. He came back through the Sandringham reserves and played in the Zebras 2000 winning grand final side in the last football match played at VFL Park. After gaining promotion to the senior list, he made his AFL debut in 2001 when the Demons went down to Essendon by a solitary goal in round 8. He snagged a major with his first kick in the red and blue. Then followed a serious knee injury in 2002 and more shoulder problems in 2003 but Broady came back to play regularly for Melbourne and his 40th and last AFL game, also against the Bombers in the 2004 Elimination Final, was among his best. Eligible for the VFL finals, Troy went on to star in the Zebra defence a fortnight later in his second premiership with Sandringham. Now we are going through a difficult process of overcoming the grief. The process involves accepting the reality of the loss, working through to the pain of grief and adjusting to an environment in which he is no longer there. After that, we move on with life but always remember that his spirit lives on. Melbourne Chairman Paul Gardner summed up the feeling of many of the 700 who attended the funeral - "Today, we farewelled our friend Troy Broadbridge. Sadly, these ceremonies are occurring all around the world. It is our great hope that generosity of spirit that has been shown regardless of creed and colour and race and religion will continue on and some of the lives have not been lost in vain," he said. "The Broadbridges and Trisha have been consoled by their family, their friends and their faith, and now it is time for the Melbourne Football Club to move on. "It's time for the club to show the confidence, the ambition, the factors Troy had as a footballer. I want to thank everybody for their support. It's been overwhelming. I urge every Melbourne supporter to get behind the club right now, to encourage the players and make 2005 the best it can possibly be." Former Demon champion and good friend Jim Stynes said of Broady - "Troy had a huge leap, he could take a great mark, he ran like a greyhound, he could match up on talls or smalls. He was quietly confident, with a wicked sense of humour. But above all, he was the most selfless footballer to play at Melbourne that I can remember..." "Some will remember the way he died, but I'll remember the way he lived, the way he played, and most of all the way he loved." Still, you can't forget the way Troy died. A guiding principle of one of the world's ancient religions says that he who fulfills his duty to save a life is considered as if he has saved the entire world. Broady's fateful last moments embodied exactly that. When he pushed his beloved wife Trisha out of the shadows of death and to safety, he demonstrated for all time that he was more than the equal of any of the heroes he played with and against in his short career. Troy Broadbridge will always be remembered in life and in death as a champion person and a true hero.

Thanks Webber. I've been doing that in a fashion for years when I've actually been running. I count my paces and then I do a burst of a certain number of paces before slowing down to what I call my "natural rhythm" and then speeding up again in bursts. I suppose it's a form of fartlek but I always thought that it would only help with improving times for distance running rather than sprint speeds. I hope that Dave Misson is given the opportunity to speak at the AGM in February and outlines the nature of the different programmes for different types of players at the club. I'm not suggesting that we haven't had similar programmes in place previously but what we're seeing this year appears more intense and more specialised to each players' needs.

Matt Burgan on Leigh Williams - Leigh from left field

Sorry Old. You must be labouring under a case of mistaken identity. My position was always that, in the post-Daniher era, we needed to adopt a policy that focused heavily on youth but also one that wasn't predicated simply on pumping games into young players when they weren't ready or in situations where they didn't have the right mix of players around them to act as mentors both on and off the ground. Not saying we could have secured a leader like Judd but we never looked like trading in a quality player in all that time until the new regime stepped in. Anyway, it's good to see that we're now on the same page on this subtle but exciting change of approach at the club. I'm glad that under Mark Neeld and his extended group of assistants and the wider range of skills available, the need I spoke about many times in recent years has gained recognition and acceptance. We still have one of the youngest lists around but the maturity added in the latest round of trading and drafting will help us progress a lot more quickly than we otherwise would have done relying solely on youth and waiting for light bodied players to mature. I think that's why an astute judge such as Colin Wisbey, who being a Collingwood man knows the worth of having Neeld as our head coach, places us on top of his list of likely improvers. I also expect us to be up there competing with that tier of teams fighting it out for somewhere between 6th and 10th spot and I hold out high hopes that we'll notch at least one win against a top four team in 2012.

Here's the selected team for the First Test:- Michael Clarke (capt) Brad Haddin Ed Cowan Ben Hilfenhaus Michael Hussey Nathan Lyon Shaun Marsh James Pattinson Ricky Ponting Peter Siddle David Warner Mitchell Starc (12th man) The battle is between two test sides both flawed and both underperformers of late. One at the end of its cycle, the other in team building phase. Interesting stuff to come. I'm not convinced about the Australian bowling attack against the strength of the Indian batsmen but accept that, in those circumstances, Christian would have had to come in at the expense of either Ponting or Hussey and I don't think the selectors are prepared to do this just yet. The two vets will need to perform if they are to remain in the side.

The AFL had credibility left to destroy? Do you know for sure about that?

Fan, I think BL does raise the issue of ethical sponsorships and it's an important one for any organisation that relies partly or wholly on sponsorship funds. At the MFC Summit which many of us attended in the early days of the Stynes administration, Cameron Schwab spoke on that very issue and explained that, while the club was struggling to secure a sponsor at the time, he would not entertain having a particular fast food chain known for its unhealthy food products. I think if the debate was on that discrete issue, it would be fine on the football club page (and perhaps someone might want to start something in that vein) but since it's about the alleged activities of a company which we don't know for certain are even taking place, I can't endorse it or support its continuing to be in this section of the site.

I disagree. Whilst I am in sympathy with those who seek to stamp out some of the cruel practices that the OP mentions, I haven't seen sufficient evidence that Pets Paradise condones these activities. We've been given one reference in the form of a 13 month old blog which contains accusations against the company but no substantiation of Pets Paradise's involvement with the particular puppy farm and no suggestion that it engages in any cruelty towards animals at all. There was no right of reply or response given to Pets Paradise whatsoever in the blog. Until a direct link is made between the company and the cruelty complained about in the OP, I don't think it should be treated as something directly special to the interests of the MFC but rather, a matter for the general discussion board. I'm referring this to the moderators for a majority decision. And in the interests of some fairness and balance, I found this on the Pets Paradise website:- No, it doesn't excuse cruelty to pets but unless a direct link involving the company with such conduct is found it is not deserving of our condemnation.

I've just unapproved a post whereby the person suggested he had Cam Schwab's mobile number and was prepared to give it out to someone else. Please be aware that Cam has on a previous occasion asked that his personal details not be published. The CEO's job is busy enough without having to take random calls from people. If anyone has any issues with the club, the melbournefc.com.au has sufficient contact details - I'm sure an email will get an appropriate response in due course. The office is closed till early January so please don't expect a quick answer at this time of year. BTW - I've always found the club's staff very prompt and obliging whenever I've had to deal with them.

I asked in another thread about the legacy of the Norm Smith era. That doesn't mean the era was one that was dominated by one person in Smith but rather, that Norm was and always be the major figure associated with that enormously successful time in the club's history. Others included Ron Barassi and a bevy of players who formed part of a champion team and the legendary Jim Cardwell who was almost a one man band successfully running the club's administration and recruiting (today we probably employ 50 people to do what this man did single-handedly). And you can add others like Bert Chadwick who ran the show from committee level . If you look at the 2011 MFC yearbook @ page 32 the record shows the stability of the club in what I call the Norm Smith era. At one stage, we went for a period of 11 years with the same people filling the roles of Chairman, Club Secretary and Team Coach. That's what I call stability which is a prerequisite for success in any organisation. Looking back to the mid 1960s one would have expected things to go on like that forever but history tells a different story. Our long period of success did indeed cast a long shadow over the club in the decades to come. We were prepared to rest on our laurels. We failed to keep up with the times as commercialism crept into the game and we lost our pride of place at the top of the tree. Perhaps, we thought the MCC connection would be our saviour but, in the end, it was the opposite. We didn't see the need for change. By the end of the 60s we had hit rock bottom and over the next decade, we lagged far behind the other clubs. Nothing against Jim Cardwell but by the time he retired in 1975, we were light years behind the new VFL power houses like Richmond, Carlton and North Melbourne. When we finally saw the need to change it was too late - our business model was always half a generation behind the leaders. Successive administrations were riven by divisions within, by power plays and by a lack of money. While some of the other clubs bought premierships, we had in fighting. The divisions were maintained even when we split from the MCC and Barassi became coach. He instigated the Irish experiment and more importantly, got our junior development and recruiting off the floor but he had passed his best as a coach and couldn't work miracles. We had our moments under Northey, Balme and Daniher. The grand final appearances of 1988 and 2000 filled us with hope. Balme's 1994 side might well have become a premiership team in the years to follow but for being blighted with injury. But our history and our poor financial state weighed us down and always seemed to come back to haunt us. Whenever there was a light at the end of the tunnel we had something like the merger battle, Gutnick and Szondy and a balance sheet full of red ink and debt. So it's clear that, since the Norm Smith era, our history has been dotted with periods of division and disharmony. That is not to say that these necessarily stem directly from the success of Norm Smith's era or from the episode of his sacking but they constitute the background to the club's condition to this very day. I never thought in my wildest dreams that a Garry Lyon would take up the call to arms of an ill Jimmy Stynes who has already done so much to relieve us of the burden of our debt. However, the things he has achieved in such a short period of time and the way in which Mark Neeld has gone about doing his job to date is a promising start to the task of removing what is a heavy weight off the club. I've remained an optimist most of the time since the Norm Smith era ended and, though I could well be wrong, I have a feeling that the era after the Fox is now finally coming to an end. And thank goodness for that!

There's an element of truth in that as well. The AFL sat back when a list of clubs including Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs "tanked" and it sat back and did nothing when Carlton lost the last 11 games of 2007 including the infamous Kreuzer Cup of that year's Round 22. The AFL made no secret of the fact that the time was ripe for the Blues who draw big crowds to their blockbuster games when they're travelling well to return to being a power. The priority pick they received that year was instrumental in them gaining Kreuzer and Judd in the same draft/trade period after previously securing Murphy and then Gibbs. Having turned a blind eye so many times to what those other clubs were doing, they could hardly smash the MFC over the head for doing the same thing. Notwithstanding, it doesn't excuse the blatant manipulation of the situation with Tom Scully or the cavalier way in which the Kieren Jack matter has been swept under the carpet in the shadows of the Christmas break.

"we've done banana fritters sir"

Tim Lane is quite right when he talks of the AFL being hopelessly conflicted on the Jack issue where it is/was seen to be pursuing a policy of promoting the game against its rugby rivals in NSW. It's the same conflict that some of us complained about in connection with the Scully situation where it ignored its responsibility to the competition and to treating individual clubs fairly when those interests collided with that of promoting the new franchise. In many areas of private enterprise such as the law and in the field of politics, there are sanctions against such conflict situations. It's a form of corruption but not, it seems, when it comes to the AFL.

I thought the ABC crowd went to Merghellina Pizza a bit further down Glenhuntly Road on Fridays. Best pizza in town (current owner also Steve). I often used to see ABC personalities down there - Noni Hazelhurst, the bloke who played Harold in Neighbours (?). Before she became a parliamentarian we used to see Mary Delahunty. Of course, when I was a kid you could get a sight of the great JO'K.

The long soup with the flat noodles is a special. If this keeps up I'm going to claim some advertising from Steven the proprietor. I have some good stories about the place when I think it was his mother in later years who served and was sometimes a bit forgetful.

WYL - I go there sometimes too. Occasionally, I lunch with some other avid Demon fans as well. Perhaps we might catch up there some time.

I was fortunate enough to become a Demon supporter in the summer of 1954/5 when I was five years old and I therefore was able to enjoy six premierships over the ensuing decade. If you ask me to separate them, I don't think I could (although I have few memories of 1955). The last in 1964 was pretty satisfying although I watched it inside the ABC studios. I reckon 1956 was pretty special - we won all bar two games that year. I sat in the rain at the G in 1960 and watched us keep our mortal enemies down to 2 goals in the grand final. Being a Demon fan in those days was really something special. It was the bragging rights in the schoolyard, it was the pride in wearing the jumper (mine had 31 on its back) and most of all it was the fact that when you woke on a Saturday morning you knew that your team was not only going to win but it was most likely to kick arse that day. There were a couple of regrets. Being so young and having parents who worked 7 days a week in a milk bar, I didn't get to see many games unless a kindly neighbour offered to take me to a game so I would listen to the games most of the time and later watch in grainy black and white when we were finally able to afford a tv set (and in those days you only got the final quarter live). The other regret was that the golden era came to an end. Ron Barassi left to captain coach at Carlton at the end of 1964 and the following year, Norm Smith was sacked, then reinstated but things were never the same again. The story of Norm Smith and the legacy of his era is another story altogether. There's another thread where I've already had a little to say about that but I might put down some more thoughts over there at some stage.

As much as I begrudge them even the slightest glimmer of success, I must say that Carlton has done the development thing so much better than we did, thanks to the benevolence of the late Dick Pratt and Visy aided and abetted by the AFL which wanted to have a strong Carlton with a return to its big four status and it's ability to draw the crowds. As a result, they augmented their early draft picks with some excellent imports, notably Chris Judd but also Robert Warnock and a few others who have provided lesser impact. The selection of Judd might have been made possible by the Pratt $'s but it was an inspired move. Insiders at Carlton say that Judd's influence as a mentor and one who provides an example both on and off the field has been of inestimable value to the club and the reason why it has improved to the near top four club it is today. On the other hand, Melbourne, with it's near total reliance on building youth and youth alone under Dean Bailey has floundered. We had a young, light bodied team in 2011 and we struggled against the stronger sides. I like what I'm seeing under the new coaching regime as its gone for an interesting mix of mature and young recruits with the right body types to compete against the stronger teams in the competition who we haven't been able to beat in the past half decade. I'm getting the same good feeling from the way we've been training too. But back to Carlton, I think their strengths are concentrated in a few areas. They have a great midfield and some good small and medium forwards but they're deficient in many KP areas to challenge the top three. And they're heavily reliant on Judd and Murphy. If one or both of them suffer injuries, they will struggle (but most teams do when they lose top players).

"Cringeworthy" is an apt way to describe how the team performed at times in 2011 and how the club dealt with some of the issues that came before it during the year. It also describes the way some of us supporters conducted ourselves during this time. It was a difficult year and our team failed to deliver in accordance with the expectations of the majority of us. Thankfully, the year is coming to a close and thanks to the fantastic efforts of a number of people around the club (they know who they are) we've managed to extract ourselves from the dark place we were in during the last month and a half of the season. "Cringeworthy" is the last word I would use to describe the MFC 2011 Christmas video. They're just some naughty boys trying to have fun and sending the message of season's greetings to their loyal fans. It's free to watch, let's take it for what it is and not for what it is not. It is not a piece of film that requires the production values of an academy award nominee. I agree that people should lighten up. Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year to all Demonlanders.

Why is it that I have a problem with articles from this source? A fairy floss fluff piece is about what I expect from SportsNewsFirst whose reputation precedes it. I prefer to see players playing great football during the season to being informed how they're training the house down in December. Every AFL club has players doing that at this time of year.

Thanks guys and happy birthday pringle. On Webber's advice that there's no real risk of loss of pace, I might go for a leisurely 4k jog tomorrow morning. On a more serious note, I heard Aaron Davey speak at one of the Liam Jurrah book launches and he freely admitted that his injuries over the years were taking their toll. The suggestion that his training load is being regulated to take his age and injury history into account sounds reasonable.

Much appreciated Jordie_tackles. I sense that the MFC influence at Casey will be much stronger this year after the disagreements last year concerning the recruiting to Casey of Fevola. I still think you need some quality VFL type players on your list to ensure consistency within your team. I suspect the Scorpions are going to do it tough next year, especially if there are are injuries in the Demon ranks.

Science has never been my strong suit but the subject of fast twitch/slow twitch has always interested me since the days of my involvement in athletics. I remember reading an article that explained in scientific terms the different types of athletes originating from different parts of Africa and how the best runners from Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania on the East Coast were distance runners while those from the west like Nigeria and Ghana were sprinters (most of the black African slaves taken to the Americas were from the western parts of Africa and hence they produced great sprinters and boxers among other things). I've always wondered whether these attributes in people were genetic or whether people could be trained to not only have the endurance of distance runners but also the sheer power and pace of sprinters. There are few players in our sport who have that combination of both which makes them gifted athletes and if these can be combined with skill and mental strength then I reckon you have the makings of a champion. I'd be interested to know from the scientists as to how far you can train up the speedsters like Blease, Davey and Jurrah to improve their endurance and whether, by doing so, you might be in danger of taking the edge off their pace? (I suppose this is the same question demon-4life is also asking) Also, if these are the areas of expertise of the sports scientists at the club in Craig and Misson, how long would it take for us to catch up to Collingwood which appears to have a substantial lead over the other clubs in terms of best practice in this area?

I've always enjoyed reading the work of Colin Wisbey from the Magpie supporter site Bullet 'N Board. For years he used to produce some fantastic and detailed reports on draftees but I believe that these days he works for an AFL club and doesn't do them any more (at least not for general public consumption). However, I noticed this interesting post from Wisbey on who he believes is the team to beat in 2012. I think he's close to the mark although I believe he might be wrong with the WA clubs. I think everything went right for the Eagles and wrong for the Dockers in 2011 and that they might virtually switch places next year. However, I do like the team he has on top of his likely improvers list.