Whispering_Jack

Nice sentiments but a petition's unnecessary in the circumstances IMO. The club is showing the way by developing the right environment for the future. We can help by becoming members and supporting the team on gamedays.

The matters of training loads and body types are interesting. Years ago they would have played someone like Tapscott in a game like this but now, with a more scientific approach, he's being looked after for the sake of ensuring his chances of having a healthy season and of ultimately prolonging his career. When I saw him two years ago in the Under 18's he was carrying a lot of weight and threatened to become another Stewart Dew. Dew managed to play in a couple of premiership teams but he also had a constant battle with his weight. Hopefully, that will be avoided in the case of Luke Tapscott (I mean the weight problems not the multiple premierships ) I think Jordan Gysberts is in a similar category insofar as taking a conservative approach to his return to full participation. His workload is also being managed to ensure that he is best able to cope with the rigours of a long season. It's great to see Watts, Scully, Trengove kicking on but if we can get the likes of Tapscott, Gysberts and Blease right then we can really start to get excited and enthused about our future.

Hendrix and a fan of Federico Fellini to boot. Fantastic!

The last questioner for the night was fantastic. He congratulated Matt Burgan for his contribution to the club's website and Nathan Jones' blog on Matthew Wonaeamirri's father's funeral. He spoke with passion and I reckon he might have attended Woostock in the 60's too!

BIngo. Second question. Cam Schwab said negotiation is not done publicly and that won't change. Expectation is that the group of players will stay together because of the environment we've put together.

Nothing said to date but there's a question time coming up and I'm sure someone will raise them.

Dean Bailey spoke of his aspirations for the team - we're healthier this year, there's competition for spots. Brendan Prendergast introduced the new players and Chris Connolly spoke about leadership and interviewed members of the leadership group including new skipper Brad Green. We also got some vision of the recruits.

Cameron Schwab delivered another passionate and moving address. "Watching team develop is like watching your child grow. You'll enjoy watching your team win."

Auditors are especially wired in such a way that it is impossible for them to smile. We did make a suitcase load of profit and we're debt free. A number of accountants did get up to ask questions but I think I passed out during the answers because I have no recollection of the events if the last half hour.

Inspirational - but now onto the finances and such (the auditors from Ernst & Young are here) which bore me to tears so I'll switch off till Dean Bailey starts the members information spiel. Besides which the annual report's on the club website so if you're interested in that stuff it's on melbournefc.com.au!!!

The host for the evening (Russell Howcroft) just told us to turn off our mobile phones. Had to keep mine on to let you know Jimmy's speaking and speaking brilliantly! Health all good at the moment.

There have been so many reports on here already that I've decided there's no urgency with mine. Instead, I propose to incorporate it with my report on tonight's AGM and Members Information Night. My general impression is that while the game never reached super high standards (which is as expected for a first hit out with a number of regulars injured or unavailable) it was good to see the commitment of the players, body on body and the way they seemed to get their structures in order. Some terrific contributions from the Casey boys who would not have been used to that instense style of football.

Some players have switched sides and jumper numbers after half time. Colin Sylvia could end up best for both teams.

Ricky Petterd looks like he might have tweaked his hammy.

Halfway through the first quarter and they've taken a break. Now they're back.

Whites dominating. Goals to Bate and Max Gawn! Colin Sylvia in form.

I'm at Gosch's Paddock with a group of Demon fans who are either unemployed, taking sickies or officiating today. Even the club mascot's down here! Teams appear to be as selected.

From Twitter SEN Radio Sport NZ. Just told us @therunhome that the #Saints players were in a scuffle as well as urinating outside of a Queenstown restaurant.

Just goes to show how long it's been since I was in Sydney. I remember once taking a drive in a westward direction to find Homebush Stadium before the Olympics and the drive seemed to last forever. Not only that but suburb after suburb looked drab and exactly the same. Anyhow, the money and the lifestyle are not all of what moving to Sydney is about if that was an option his management is considering.

Good point about living in the more attractive parts of Sydney but with due respect to the citizens of Sydney's western suburbs, there aren't too many real nice ones close by Blacktown and Rooty Hill (sorry to be sounding like a snob but if you're earning $1m you're entitled to live comfortably). Of course, he could choose to live in a nice pad in the Eastern Suburbs on the money he'd be getting paid under the rumoured contract and spend two hours travelling to and two hours away from where he's training every day or fly a helicopter. Then again, Tom Scully is one Demon who does live out near Casey and I reckon he might also be happy to live with or near his family for a few more years yet.

I think we're going to have to learn to live with the situation and hope it doesn't get too much into the heads of the officials of the club as it appears to have done at Geelong last year with Ablett. I agree with Redleg that the situation is one that the AFL should simply not have allowed to occur and perhaps they might consider ways and means of blocking the possibility of players under the age of 21 being taken this way. One of the things we have going for us is the fact that nobody in their right mind would voluntarily want to live in that part of the world even if they were paid squillions. I know the environment and it's not all that good. If I were a young professional footballer at that time of my sporting life I'd be worried about starting my career in West Sydney. It's not as if Scully's passed the halfway mark of his career like Ablett and is only interested in the money and I think our club has smart enough people to work out a solution that looks after a young player like Tom in ways that don't only involve the dollars and cents but his overall welfare and his career.

So the four players who have been disciplined are required to get jobs outside the club but will St. Kilda pay for their accommodation over the next few months?

Could you please be a bit more specific as to which of the boys is twittering that story?

I wonder when the organisers of the All-Stars game are going to inform our ABC of the change of venue and date? I notice that the Foxtel programme guide is still billing the game as a live telecast from Darwin's Marara Oval on channel 102 at 8.30pm next Saturday.

Not banning smoking, coach?