Whispering_Jack

Oh, and just as a matter of interest to Charlie Happell, Chris Connolly played his last game for Melbourne in 1989 i.e. 5 years before Irving arrived at Melbourne. In 1994, Connolly was into his third year as coach of the Eastern Ranges TAC Cup Under 18 team. Ironically, four years later Barry Prendergast, our recruiting guru, was coach of the Ranges. Another mate?

More bad news for Chuck is the fact that Greg Healy retired at the end of 1993 and, from what I understand, he spent more of his time in 1994 surfing around Bells Beach.

Whatever the case, I somehow doubt that Happell's so-called villains and members of this dastardly cabal, Connolly and Healy were snubbing Dean Irving at any team meetings during the 1994. Most of Dean's team meetings would have been reserves team meetings and I don't think Chris or Greg would have spent much time there anyway even when they were at the club.

Anyone want to second my nomination of this story for a Pulitzer Prize in the science fiction section?

Charlie Happell's a former Age sports editor and a top journalist. No barrow to push. Wouldn't be too dismissive of this story. Think, for what it's worth, that he makes some good points.

I think you're dreamin man and I don't give a rat's tossbag about what Happell's been in a former life although it's interesting that he may have been close to a former CEO of this club who was terminated not that long ago.

The article is a sloppy piece of journalism. It takes a scattergun approach attacking everything about the Melbourne Football Club, past and present without substantiating claims made with anything that remotely resembles evidence. It's a really bitter attack and to colour the article by spending 50% of the space allocated to him on the Dean Irving beat up is proof that the whole thing is a waste of that space.

We have a board that has taken on the enormous task of rebuilding our club. Clearly, they have to achieve that in an arena where there is no shortage of snipers willing to attack them on the flimsiest of grounds. If you check out the club's website, you'll find a list of the current board members and their cv's. Have a look at their names, what they have achieved and what they do in their business lives and tell me how many of them are really "yes men" who would allow themselves to be subservient to this so-called Hollywood Boulevard that may or may not have existed some dozen years ago in totally different circumstances to those of today.

People may well laugh at the idea of a Hollywood at Melbourne but as an oberver.and in that context only it did seem liek there was definitely an inner sanctum.

You can still be a shambles and get a few results on the board..what happens is there is no infrastructure or culture t sustain anything of note.. Oh..whats that...we didnt did we !!

So many are quick to dismiss..to give a holier than thou slant on history... History is blac kand white.. and ours is far from rosey.. I Suggest a few people take a decent doese of reality pills.

yeah this Jerk isnt the best of the crop...that doesnt necesaarily discredit all of what he has written !!

After all..we are such a successful club huh !! with no signs of disarray or controversy??

True but people like Happell were no doubt booing loudly when Stynes dismissed Paul McNamee after such a short period at the helm, yet he has no compunction about sticking the boots into Jimmy's administration after just over a month. Even if you accept this notion of a Hollywood cabal existing in the mid 1990's, isn't it possible that the people involved have matured with age and that they accept the very serious responsibility they've undertaken in precisely that vein?

Not sure if I have set short cut correctly but 'article' is an interesting read

http://www.crikey.com.au/Media-Arts-and-Sp...-Melbourne.html

Go Dees

Mod Edit: And before anyone asks again the unnamed ruckman was Dean Irving who played with WCE before coming to MFC.

Laughed my head off reading this article which I thought at first was a satirical piece aimed at Comedy Channel audiences. Happell must think that the football public and the majority of Melbourne supporters all have memories like a sieve and are prepared to swallow any drivel that's served up to them.

Happell is so off the mark that it's not funny but if he's up to it, I'll debate the merits of the alleged factual parts of his article any day of the week at any venue provided all proceeds go to the Melbourne Football Club Debt Demolition.

Just for starters Charlie boy, Dean Irving would be the first to admit that when he came to Melbourne in 1994 he was no champion - just a good ordinary footballer who (with all due respect to him) wouldn't be fit to polish Brownlow Medallist Jimmy's boots if we're talking in terms of quality AFL ruckmen. The adage in those days was that West Coast never gave good players away and that applied in Irving's case (he appeared once for the Eagles in 1993 before they let him go).

Contrary to what Happell says, the club was not "the most shambolic excuse for an AFL club imaginable". If he would bothered to check his facts (which is what one expects from any journalist worth his salt), he would have discovered that Melbourne was travelling quite well in 1994 - in fact, the Demons made the preliminary final that year (which they lost aginst the ultimate premiers in Perth) and their finals victories over Carlton and Footscray were magnificent and very far from shambolic. Can I suggest that Happell picks up a videotape of the games in question and studies them carefully because the team played exquisitely in those games? Jimmy polled 7 votes in the Brownlow that year; how did big Dean go?

So let's look at the respective records of the players concerned during the time in which Happell infers that Jimmy got a free ride as far as being selected over the hapless Irving whose main claim to fame at the club was that he was hospitalised in 1997 after he was bitten by a spider.

Irving played 8 games in 1994, 6 again in 1995 and had a big year in 1996 with 9 games in a year when the club was badly hit by injury. In 1997, he had two games before he was given the flick. With a record like that most AFL footballers would be expecting the bullet and Irving got it - as Happell mentioned, he was replaced on the senior list by a rookie in Russell Robertson. Anyone familiar with Robbo's record after that would have to agree that the decision to do so was more than vindicated.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Stynes won the Bluey Truscott Medal in 1995, 1996 and 1997 (to go with the one he won in 1990. Yet Happell's twisted scenario suggests that an injury striken Jimmy Stynes wasn't carrying his weight and some mysterious cabal (not to mention the spider) was working to keep Irving out of the team.

Absolute baloney!

The article is an insult to one of the club's greatest - a man who will be remembered at the Melbourne Football Club long after names like Irving and Happell will be forgotten. It's also an insult to a respected football person in Neil Balme who coached the side during this time as well as the other well respected club icons whose reputations this lowly hack who has no credibility on the subject tries to besmirch. Interestingly, Connolly was at the club long before Jimmy became President and it was the old admin of "non-mates" that enquired about the availability of Schwab when Schwab got the chop.

His article isn't worth a pinch of drek.

This is an article about Collingwood - Magpies need leadership and midfield firepower - but it also discusses an issue that many clubs face in their quest for success. Jake Niall asks what path will Collingwood take in its trading and drafting strategy.

"The Magpies can continue down the patient long road they've undertaken since 2004, or they can aggressively pursue Daniel Kerr, Jonathan Brown or whoever might plug either of the club's vast voids — leadership and the midfield. And filling one hole is likely to be at the expense of the other."

If it's a risk for the Pies to seek out Jonathan Brown, then what diabolical path might Paul McNamee have led us down with an offer of $1m a year for five years to get the Brisbane star?

It's clear to me that the better alternative for the Demons is to pursue a youth policy rather than expend resources on chasing high priced players from other clubs - especially those who are getting on in terms of their age.

Here is the letter from p27 of Thursday's HS:

"I bet they will sleep better knowing the MFC will have a home in Casey."

Well, at least he got that part right. McIntyre is a politician who is appealing to the heartstrings here. Those nobs from the Melbourne FC are, in his view, stealing, the municipality's land.

That's rubbish.

The Demons are being asked to be a partner in the development of a community asset, to put money, resources and people into it, to enhance its value and the value of the amenities available to the people of the Casey municipality. This development will also help put Casey on the map and bring substantial future revenue to the people as well as give them a much needed first class sporting facility in the heart of a rapidly growing region.

There are definitely deep seated problems in local government when you have people like those in Maribyrnong almost scuttling the Bulldog's development and McIntyre attempting the same with Casey Fields.

false....

Dont know where you got this from, if its from that guy from demonology he also stated jimmy would be on the footy show last week and he wasnt.

Greg Miller and Mark Thompson are on the couch tonight

Sorry 'bout that ... but I did say (apparently)!

What was that the bloke over there says about Strawberry Fields and nothing being real? B)

On the Couch - Fox Sports 1 at 8.30pm.

The President will be on ... (apparently)

Rod Curtis, he's the night sports editor of The Age. Hardly a "budding hack journo".

We haven't played a night game this year so what's he doing sticking his nose into our business?

by JVM

In between football seasons, one of the bigger news items doing the rounds was the story of how the North Melbourne Football Club reinvigorated itself under James Brayshaw to a point where it managed to stave off a substantial push from the AFL for it to relocate to the Gold Coast and then rebuilt its membership to record numbers. The Kangaroos are not out of the woods yet but, with solid on field performances to match their off field repositioning, they have gained the respect and admiration of many in the football world and have assumed a stable condition.

The new patient in the AFL's intensive care ward is the Melbourne Football Club whose condition is approaching critical. Off the field, the Demons have performed woefully despite also recording record membership numbers thanks to a late surge when Jimmy Stynes took over the club's chairmanship mantle. However, the books show that it is trending to a loss of somewhere in the region of $2 million and a debt of around $5 million. The situation has been described as "perilous" and the instability around the club has been characterised by the movement of key personnel through the club's revolving front door.

The on field story is not much better - some might say it's worse. There have been a few improved displays of late but even the best of days have been marred by patches of mediocrity. Last week, the team started like a house on fire against the Dockers at Subiaco but the flame was almost extinguished by half time. An 80 point turnaround between quarter and full time left us all with as pathetic an impression of a struggling football team as you can get.

The only redeeming feature of the 46-point thumping at the hands of 14th placed Freo was that the team Melbourne put on the ground had accumulated less than half the number of games and the playing list was nearly 2½ years younger per player than its rival on the day. With players of the calibre of Brad Green, Brock McLean, Jared Rivers, James McDonald, Brent Moloney and Russell Robertson missing through injury and some handy older players on the outer, the reasons for the club's critical on field condition has been obvious for all to see.

Things are unlikely to get better this week as the AFL's two major hospital cases Melbourne and North Melbourne shape up against each other for the second time this year. The Kangaroos will be hoping to consolidate a place in the top eight while the best that the Demons can expect is to climb a single rung of the ladder if they can somehow win the game. They could also do so if they lose but only if they do so by a lesser margin than their nearest rivals, the West Coast Eagles.

Melbourne might well be hoping for victory to divert attention away from the off-field controversies that have raged during the week but it also needs to prove that it's not quite on the deathbed yet. To achieve that, it needs to put up a better showing than it did the last time these teams met.

THE GAME

Melbourne v North Melbourne at MCG – Sunday 27 July 2008 at 2:10pm

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall Melbourne 83 wins North Melbourne 62 wins 1 draw

At the MCG Melbourne 54 wins North Melbourne 30 wins

Since 2000 Melbourne 7 wins North Melbourne 6 wins

The Coaches Bailey 0 wins Laidley 1 win

MEDIA

TV Channel 7 - delayed telecast 3:00pm

RADIO 3AW MMM 774ABC KRock

THE BETTING Melbourne to win $4.75 North Melbourne to win $1.16

LAST TIME THEY MET North Melbourne 18.19.127 d Melbourne 11.13.79, Round 4, 2008, at MCG

Melbourne had opened the season with two awful defeats at the hands of Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs and then showed promise of hope with a much-improved performance at Geelong. Against North Melbourne however, they looked like rank amateurs. The Kangaroos dominated from the first bounce and only their atrocious kicking for goal prevented the game from becoming a complete massacre. Once North started finding its targets up forward it was virtually all one-way traffic with Thompson booting five and Edwards and Thomas three each. Fortunately for the Dees, only Thomas will be on hand to do damage this weekend but there are plenty of other Shinbones capable of getting the goals when the team is on song. The bad news is that Melbourne's better players on that day were Brad Green and James McDonald. The former will miss again with a hamstring injury and the latter has been missing for a few weeks with a groin problem and is by no means guaranteed a game this week.

THE TEAMS

MELBOURNE

Backs Matthew Whelan Colin Garland Matthew Warnock

Half backs Chris Johnson Daniel Bell Lynden Dunn

Centreline Cale Morton Cameron Bruce Simon Buckley

Half forwards Colin Sylvia Matthew Bate Aaron Davey

Forwards Michael Newton Brad Miller James McDonald

Followers Mark Jamar Clint Bartram Nathan Jones

Interchange Paul Johnson Addam Maric Stefan Martin Shane Valenti

Emergencies Nathan Carroll Jeff White

In James McDonald Addam Maric

Out Paul Wheatley (calf) Austin Wonaeamirri (soreness)

NORTH MELBOURNE

Backs Shannon Watt Michael Firrito Daniel Pratt

Half backs Gavin Urquhart Josh Gibson Leigh Harding

Centreline Matt Campbell Daniel Harris Brent Harvey

Half forwards Lachlan Hansen David Hale Corey Jones

Forwards Scott McMahon Drew Petrie Lindsay Thomas

Followers Todd Goldstein Adam Simpson Daniel Wells

Interchange Shannon Grant Blake Grima Sam Power Brady Rawlings

Emergencies Leigh Brown Matt Riggio Jess Sinclair

In Blake Grima

Out Ben Ross (ankle)

Field umpires McLaren Fila Hendrie

If you go purely on form then selecting the winner of this game is a no brainer. The Kangaroos have collected some impressive scalps this season including top four teams Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs. They were unlucky to only share two premiership points with Sydney in that extra man on the ground fiasco earlier in the year. The Roos are on the march with wins in three of their last four games and their only defeat in that time came at the hands of in form St. Kilda who they led for most of the game. The Demons were given a flogging by Fremantle after quarter time last week after an excellent start and prior to that their form could best be described as "indifferent".

However, the Dees are back home at the G where their form since the Roos comprehensively beat them earlier in the season has been more than competitive. Further, their chances of winning would significantly increase if they could hold North Melbourne’s small running players led by Brent "Boomer" Harvey but also including the dynamic duo Lindsay Thomas and Matt Campbell and an old stager in Shannon Grant. The likes of Matthew Whelan, Clint Bartram and possibly even Colin Garland will need to be on their toes if they are to shut down these players who are all dangerous in front of goal. The big question is who will tag "Boomer"?

Some of Melbourne’s younger brigade are showing signs of tiring after a tough season and it’s interesting to see Jeff White, James McDonald and Nathan Carroll named in the initial squad, suggesting that Dean Bailey has recognised the arduous nature of a long season on novices at this level. At selection, the Demons have again lost one of their most consistent performers through injury - this time Paul Wheatley who will sorely be missed.

I think this game will be a lot closer than some people might think and I've selected North Melbourne to win by the narrowest of margins to make it three in a row for them for the first time this year. They will win the game because they will be more desperate given that a finals position is on the line. They also have the benefit of coming off a nine-day break against a team that has had two days less to prepare and is a young side coming back from a trip to Perth.

North Melbourne by 8 points.

HEALTH MATTERS by JVM

In between football seasons, one of the bigger news items doing the rounds was the story of how the North Melbourne Football Club reinvigorated itself under James Brayshaw to a point where it managed to stave off a substantial push from the AFL for it to relocate to the Gold Coast and then rebuilt its membership to record numbers. The Kangaroos are not out of the woods yet but, with solid on field performances to match their off field repositioning, they have gained the respect and admiration of many in the football world and have assumed a stable condition.

The new patient in the AFL's intensive care ward is the Melbourne Football Club whose condition is approaching critical. Off the field, the Demons have performed woefully despite also recording record membership numbers thanks to a late surge when Jimmy Stynes took over the club's chairmanship mantle. However, the books show that it is trending to a loss of somewhere in the region of $2 million and a debt of around $5 million. The situation has been described as "perilous" and the instability around the club has been characterised by the movement of key personnel through the club's revolving front door.

The on field story is not much better - some might say it's worse. There have been a few improved displays of late but even the best of days have been marred by patches of mediocrity. Last week, the team started like a house on fire against the Dockers at Subiaco but the flame was almost extinguished by half time. An 80 point turnaround between quarter and full time left us all with as pathetic an impression of a struggling football team as you can get.

The only redeeming feature of the 46-point thumping at the hands of 14th placed Freo was that the team Melbourne put on the ground had accumulated less than half the number of games and the playing list was nearly 2½ years younger per player than its rival on the day. With players of the calibre of Brad Green, Brock McLean, Jared Rivers, James McDonald, Brent Moloney and Russell Robertson missing through injury and some handy older players on the outer, the reasons for the club's critical on field condition has been obvious for all to see.

Things are unlikely to get better this week as the AFL's two major hospital cases Melbourne and North Melbourne shape up against each other for the second time this year. The Kangaroos will be hoping to consolidate a place in the top eight while the best that the Demons can expect is to climb a single rung of the ladder if they can somehow win the game. They could also do so if they lose but only if they do so by a lesser margin than their nearest rivals, the West Coast Eagles.

Melbourne might well be hoping for victory to divert attention away from the off-field controversies that have raged during the week but it also needs to prove that it's not quite on the deathbed yet. To achieve that, it needs to put up a better showing than it did the last time these teams met.

THE GAME

Melbourne v North Melbourne at MCG – Sunday 27 July 2008 at 2:10pm

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall Melbourne 83 wins North Melbourne 62 wins 1 draw

At the MCG Melbourne 54 wins North Melbourne 30 wins

Since 2000 Melbourne 7 wins North Melbourne 6 wins

The Coaches Bailey 0 wins Laidley 1 win

MEDIA

TV Channel 7 - delayed telecast 3:00pm

RADIO 3AW MMM 774ABC KRock

THE BETTING Melbourne to win $4.75 North Melbourne to win $1.16

LAST TIME THEY MET North Melbourne 18.19.127 d Melbourne 11.13.79, Round 4, 2008, at MCG

Melbourne had opened the season with two awful defeats at the hands of Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs and then showed promise of hope with a much-improved performance at Geelong. Against North Melbourne however, they looked like rank amateurs. The Kangaroos dominated from the first bounce and only their atrocious kicking for goal prevented the game from becoming a complete massacre. Once North started finding its targets up forward it was virtually all one-way traffic with Thompson booting five and Edwards and Thomas three each. Fortunately for the Dees, only Thomas will be on hand to do damage this weekend but there are plenty of other Shinbones capable of getting the goals when the team is on song. The bad news is that Melbourne's better players on that day were Brad Green and James McDonald. The former will miss again with a hamstring injury and the latter has been missing for a few weeks with a groin problem and is by no means guaranteed a game this week.

THE TEAMS

MELBOURNE

Backs Matthew Whelan Colin Garland Matthew Warnock

Half backs Chris Johnson Daniel Bell Lynden Dunn

Centreline Cale Morton Cameron Bruce Simon Buckley

Half forwards Colin Sylvia Matthew Bate Aaron Davey

Forwards Michael Newton Brad Miller James McDonald

Followers Mark Jamar Clint Bartram Nathan Jones

Interchange Paul Johnson Addam Maric Stefan Martin Shane Valenti

Emergencies Nathan Carroll Jeff White

In James McDonald Addam Maric

Out Paul Wheatley (calf) Austin Wonaeamirri (soreness)

NORTH MELBOURNE

Backs Shannon Watt Michael Firrito Daniel Pratt

Half backs Gavin Urquhart Josh Gibson Leigh Harding

Centreline Matt Campbell Daniel Harris Brent Harvey

Half forwards Lachlan Hansen David Hale Corey Jones

Forwards Scott McMahon Drew Petrie Lindsay Thomas

Followers Todd Goldstein Adam Simpson Daniel Wells

Interchange Shannon Grant Blake Grima Sam Power Brady Rawlings

Emergencies Leigh Brown Matt Riggio Jess Sinclair

In Blake Grima

Out Ben Ross (ankle)

Field umpires McLaren Fila Hendrie

If you go purely on form then selecting the winner of this game is a no brainer. The Kangaroos have collected some impressive scalps this season including top four teams Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs. They were unlucky to only share two premiership points with Sydney in that extra man on the ground fiasco earlier in the year. The Roos are on the march with wins in three of their last four games and their only defeat in that time came at the hands of in form St. Kilda who they led for most of the game. The Demons were given a flogging by Fremantle after quarter time last week after an excellent start and prior to that their form could best be described as "indifferent".

However, the Dees are back home at the G where their form since the Roos comprehensively beat them earlier in the season has been more than competitive. Further, their chances of winning would significantly increase if they could hold North Melbourne’s small running players led by Brent "Boomer" Harvey but also including the dynamic duo Lindsay Thomas and Matt Campbell and an old stager in Shannon Grant. The likes of Matthew Whelan, Clint Bartram and possibly even Colin Garland will need to be on their toes if they are to shut down these players who are all dangerous in front of goal. The big question is who will tag "Boomer"?

Some of Melbourne’s younger brigade are showing signs of tiring after a tough season and it’s interesting to see Jeff White, James McDonald and Nathan Carroll named in the initial squad, suggesting that Dean Bailey has recognised the arduous nature of a long season on novices at this level. At selection, the Demons have again lost one of their most consistent performers through injury - this time Paul Wheatley who will sorely be missed.

I think this game will be a lot closer than some people might think and I've selected North Melbourne to win by the narrowest of margins to make it three in a row for them for the first time this year. They will win the game because they will be more desperate given that a finals position is on the line. They also have the benefit of coming off a nine-day break against a team that has had two days less to prepare and is a young side coming back from a trip to Perth.

North Melbourne by 8 points.

if petterd goes back to the gold coast, i will be fully pissed off. we have to sign him on a 3 yr contract asap

So will I.

I think that Petterd along with Clint Bartram are only going to keep on improving - especially with a full pre season behind them.

I agree with everything Chopper said about Petterd except for the comment about Sunday's game being "his best game so far this year." His game the week before against Williamstown was at least its equal. This means that he's played two high quality games in a row at VFL level so he can't be too far away from a return to the Demons.

Yes but our entire football department will be based in the redeveloped Southern Stand, paying virtually no rent and having exclusive use. This is a good decision. Bubble dome was always a wank and should never have been part of our plans. It had ongoing costs in the vicinity of $500,000 per annum (don't quote me here, this is just what I heard) Jimmy is making our home the MCG. All games there, training that Gosch's Paddock, Gym at the G, Football dept. at the G. Closing off the top tier when we play low pulling teams, meaning we can make money each and every week. This is a watershed moment, albeit a little scary

That seems to be an accurate figure based on which Jimmy told the meeting I attended earlier in the week.

I've been a strong supporter of the club's policy of pushing youth into the team at the expense of the older group who won't play a part in the club's next assault on a flag. At the same time however, we also have to appreciate that most young players in their first, second and even third seasons tend to tire after a long, hard season. With so many young players in the side last week we fell away badly after half time at Subiaco.

For that reason, I think it's time to start bringing some of the more experienced players into the team and resting a few of our younger players. That sort of management might be helpful in ensuring that our younger players develop at an appropriate rate rather than succumb to some of the injuries that tend to plague them if they're overworked in their formative seasons.

On the basis of their form at Sandy, I'd give Nathan Carroll and Adem Yze a go this week.

I love Convict Creations. If you look at the other club profiles, he makes a pretty concerted effort to insult every team equally based on their prevailing public perception (e.g that Collingwood supporters are ferals, or that to barrack for Essendon is to throw your support behind a soulless corporation). They're all written with tongue firmly in cheek, but he still manages to give a pretty good account of the history of the clubs and the code in general. In fact the site in general is a great starting point for anyone curious about any given Australian sporting code, artistic movement, political party or whathaveyou- it has alot of brief, highly entertaining rundowns of pretty much anything having to do with Australian culture and history.

You have to read that article with a thick skin, basically, because he's pretty much taking the piss.

It's good light hearted entertainment.

The morale of the story is never take seriously someone who can't spell the name Barassi.

McNamee Dumped.

http://news.realfooty.com.au/sport/paul-mc...80723-3jmn.html

Game, set and match.

1. WCE - Naita.

2. MELB - Rich.

3. FREO - Yarran.

18. MELB - Vickery.

In a dream world

Fantastic. It's started already and it's still July!

Since you mentioned it, here's a bit of WAFL watch.

Daniel Rich had only 9 touches (4 kicks and 5 handballs), 1 mark and kicked a goal in Subiaco's big win at the weekend. In another game, Swan Districts had at least four major draft hopefuls in their team including Nick Naitanui whose states of 4 kicks, 9 handballs, 1 mark and 10 hit outs were nothing special. Chris Yarran had 9 kicks, 4 handballs 2 marks and a goal while Neville Jetta got 13 disposals (7 kicks) and 3 marks. The best of them statistically was Clancee Pearce with 13 kicks 10 hanballs 6 marks and 2 goals.

Time to have another look at Pearce's performance for WA in the Under 18 final match. His stocks could be rising.

My alternative strip suggestion is not to have an alternative strip.

He is, though, known to be keen on the idea of an experienced football person joining the club, which has been further weakened by the resignation of chief financial officer George Savvides.

Savvides, recruited by Harris three years ago, was regarded as an efficient and popular member of senior staff. He is expected to leave early next month.

I don't know anything about George Savvides and this is nothing against him personally but if he's the CFO then surely he's the one responsible for the fine mess we're in at the moment i.e. at least two years of performing well below budget and this year staring at a $2m loss. How are we weakened by his resignation?

This thread bring back memories of what some Carlton supporters were saying a year ago about Bryce Gibbs.

A summer or two in the gym and 20 more games experience in Morton's legs will change this appreciably.

If West Coast get the spoon and take Rich ?

If Melbourne end up 14th ?

Thoughts ?

Hartlett is a standout prospect for mine, along with Ziebell, Deboer, Yarran, Cornelius......

At least the talent pool is deep.

After yesterday's debacle, it's unlikely that Melbourne will end up 14th. We're a game and percentage behind Fremantle and they still have to play West Coast so even if we beat the Eagles later in the year, we're still a fair way behind them. The likelihood is that we'll finish 15th or 16th and if Watts gets picked up ahead of our pick or if he doesn't nominate, we'll get Rich or Naitanui.

FROM SHIFTER'S WRAP: UNDER 18 ALL-AUSTRALIAN TEAM

Backs Nick Suban (Vic Country) Michael Hurley (Vic Metro) Clancee Pearce (WA)

Half Backs Stephen Hill (WA) Jordan Lisle (Vic Metro) Rhys O’Keeffe (SA)

Centreline Mitch Robinson (T) Matthew Deboer (WA) David Zaharakis (Vic Metro)

Half forwards Hamish Hartlett (SA) Lewis Johnston (SA) Tom Scully (Vic Metro)

Forwards Tyrone Vickery (Vic Metro) Jack Watts (Vic Metro) Michael Walters (WA)

Followers Nick Naitanui (WA) Jack Ziebell (Vic Country) Ranga Ediriwickrama(NSW/ACT)

Interchange Daniel Rich (WA) Shaun McKernan (Vic Metro) Steele Sidebottom (Vic Country) Kade Klemke (NSW/ACT)

Coach David Dickson (Vic Metro)

Assistant Coach Danny Stevens (NSW/ACT)

Fox Sports 1 (Channel 501) is showing the following programme today at 1.00pm

AFL: Under 18 Championships Wrap

AFL. Matthew Campbell and his panel of experts discuss the recent Under-18s championships and look at which young footballers' lives will be changed forever when AFL clubs sit down in November to select players at the National Draft.

So when does Rhino get suspended for his incessantly demeaning comments of Adem Yze?

Double standards if you ask me. :angry:

There's a difference between fair criticism and blatant attacks on individual players.

Double standards or not, this discussion is over. It won't hurt YM because he supposedly banned himself for 6 months a few weeks back.

Let's concentrate on the Melbourne Football Club and not on any individual poster who might have breached our code of conduct.

And now for those who have never seen it before - WHO'S ON FIRST. This one was filmed before I was born but I must have seen it at least three times in the late 50's and early '60's. I don't think it was ever particularly funny but it always used to have audiences rolling down the aisles. Enjoy!