Whispering_Jack

Good calling and please keep on plugging Demonland Are you still on 40 second delay?

The minimum criteria for selection were explained at the start of the evening. Generally, they were that a player had to play 100 games or thereabouts but exceptional circumstances were applied where players' careers were curtailed by war. Harold Ball was one such player. He was a member of the club's 1939 and 1940 premiership teams and then, like many of the young men of his time, went off to serve his country in a war where he made the ultimate sacrifice of his life. One of the most moving aspects of the Heroes event last night was the tribute to our fallen who included Keith "Bluey" Truscott, Syd Anderson, Ron Barassi Senior and Harold Ball. There's no question that he was a hero of the club (see A NEW DEAL ). FWIW, if I had the privilege of being on the selection committee I would have argued that you could also extend the exceptional circumstances categories to include outstanding players whose careers were curtailed by injury. Jakovitch was clearly one such player and there's no doubt in my mind that, but for his back injury, he would have been the first Demon to kick 100 goals in a season and, but for the spate of injuries suffered at the club in the period 1994-7, we might have even won a flag during that time. Unfortunately, in any such process, there are always going to be anomalies. I want to say that while checking the facts about Harold Ball I googled his name and the Melbourne Football Club and the first item that came up was the article from Demonland that I referenced above. I was surprised but extremely proud and overwhelmed at the fact that that such a result could be associated with this site. By the same token, I'm thoroughly disgusted that the likes of YM use this forum to constantly carp and snipe about a player like Cameron Bruce whose form might be down a bit recently but who has done enough in the opinion of many others who I hold much more highly, to deserve the tag "hero" at this club. It's one thing to fairly criticise players from the anonymity of a keyboard (and we support your right to do so around here) but the constant belittling of players who work their bums off for this club is getting beyond a joke. As a poster YM, you can be amusing some times, but on this subject, you have demonstarted absolutely no understanding of what it means to be a hero, so why don't you just cool it because you're totally out of your depth.

Hards, I attend quite a few Sandringham games and it is a convenient location for me to travel to from where I live but the Casey option will be far superior in so many aspects. The Casey ground is AFL sized and ground size has been a major bugbear as far as the MFC at TBO has been concered. As part of a Casey deal I believe that the club will get a real property asset, superior facilities and a possible boutique stadium where the less attractive games against interstate games could be played that will turn an actual profit instead of the loss or break even we make these days with such fixtures (this becomes more important than ever with the introduction of 2 new clubs). We will, in all likelihood, negotiate team colours and an identity incorporating our traditional red and blue colurs which will help in developing an identity in a young, fast growing residential area where we can establish new ties with the young families that are moving out there in their droves. Consider this: the three fastest growing population centres in the country are: The Gold Coast The West of Sydney and The SE corridor of metropolitan Melbourne beyond the City of Greater Dandenong through the City of Casey and the Shire of Cardinia out towards Gippsland. In three year's time the AFL will have a presence in all three places and Melbourne will be in place to take advantage of a whole generation of football fans growing up in region 3. If it's done properly, this development could certainly make the Melbourne of the future. As much as I've enjoyed our association with the Zebras, it's time to move on to bigger and better things for the sake of our future.

Wonaeamirri played for Norwood last year. You'd think their website would get it right. I've seen Farmer playing for the Tiwi Bombers and he's very small.

It has to be Cam Bruce making the top 150 surely!

I read the report on Demonology and it's actually very clever and not altogether far off the mark. We need to cut the coach some slack given the problems he has faced in his initial season but I think he should be on top of his match ups and issues such as the accountability of defenders. For us to give a virtually free rein on occasion to the likes of Schneider and Milne is something that the coach must bear the responsibility for such things. It's also an indictment on the club that Sam Fisher and Jason Gram could play a full game and say they didn't know who their opponents were. Even those at the club who are happy to keep losing simply to pick up a #1 draft selection can't be too happy about some of the things that are happening at the moment.

Nick Sautner

Zomer hasn't even played a senior game for Sandringham.

If it's true that the AFL will reduce the assistance funding it gives the club then we should be demanding that we get treated as an equal member of the competition in all other aspects - espescially in regard to fixturing. It's simply outrageous that a club like Collingwood gets the lion's share of attractive fixtures that give it enormous advantages over other clubs in terms of the ability to attract crowds and sponsorships as well as in terms of its ability to win games by having to travel less to interstate venues and never to a ground like Skilled Stadium. If we're going to be stuck on a playing mode that means we play mostly on Sunday afternoons and rarely on the lucrative Friday night and Saturday evening circuit then surely we're entitled to substantial compensation from the body which devises this unfair and inequitable playing schedule?

Whilst I disagree with Y_M's comments about other players who might or might not make the 150, I would be surprised if Jakovich missed out unless the criteria for selection precluded it. So unless we're aware of the basis of selection for the list of 150 it's premature to whinge about who did and who did not make it. I'm priviledged to be going to the night and await the naming of the 150 with great anticipation. Hopefully, the evening will be a success both as an event and financially, that it marks the turnaround from the past year and a half of disappointments and that we're well on the way to producing the next 50 heroes of the MFC.

My 3 year old grandson received an email invitation to take part in the survey. He hasn't taken up the option yet but I'm sure he will consider it as soon as he learns to read.

Just to get things in perspective, clearing two metres wouldn't get you far at the Olympics either. The great Bulgarian high jumper Stefka Kostadinova holds the women's world record at 2.09m !

Quite right Bobby. In fact I wouldn't even be surprised if the club snuck in another forward onto the emergency list just in case Robbo doesn't come up for tomorrow's game. I believe that a similar thing was done earlier this year although not with great effect or impact.

Fixed - it should have read Shane Tregear and Chris Waller. Apparently Acker took a spectacular mark but on coming down threw the football allegedly at Biddlecombe and was reported. No result yet from the tribunal.

Don't worry Sydney, they'll all be back on the bandwagon as soon as we start stringing together some wins.

I saw him today and if Naitanui and Rich are ahead of him for picks 1 & 2 in the draft they must be damn good. Watts has something special about him and Blease has the pace that I'd like to see added to our midfield.

This week's weighting is .80412.

The club's got to make a buck somehow. It's either that or celebrate the 155th at the Gold Coast Convention Centre.

I noticed exactly the same thing myself. Not only that but we've travelled interstate twice already (it would have been 3 times had the Kangaroos obediently laid down and accepted the relocation to the Gold Coast) and played the Cats at Skilled. It's a tough hand to have been dealt even when we were travelling well. It's interesting to make the comparison with Collingwood's schedule to date (we shouldn't insult ourselves by calling it a fixture). So far the pies have played only one top 4 side - it will be 2 by Friday night and two other top 4 teams and made one trip interstate (which they lost). I wonder if they remove the handouts to the weaker clubs whether they will also stop giving Collingwood an extra 8 premiershp points every year.

I'm hopping mad at Mark Robinson's sensationalist article in today's Herald Sun - Players cop a blogging. It seems to me that he hasn't read most blogs very carefully at all. Most certainly there is some negative comment about players on all fansites but I doubt whether this journalist took the time to check with the people who run these blogs as to the lengths we go to in order to ensure that our message boards are well moderated, always remembering that we live in a democracy and people do have a right to their opinions. I doubt whether he is aware of the contributions we make to the club - for instance on Monday night we had a successful evening with Clint Bartram as part of the Demonland/Demonolgy Sponsorship which over the years has raised several thousands of dollars for the club. I think that by and large we are more supportive of our club and its players than are some of the hyenas in the media and it might be time for Robinson to read some of the stuff that he sometimes writes about footballers before he mouths off at the fan sites.

Frees 25-11 in favour of Adelaide - of course they had no influence on the result

Congratulations to Clint Bartram who played on Andrew McLeod today and kept him to 12 disposals (6 kicks and 6 handballs) and no scores. Clint himself finished with 15 touches (11 kicks, 4 handballs) 6 tackles and a goal. You can hear all about it at the Fubar tomorrow night from 7 pm. Don't miss it!

Bailey's doing the right thing for the club. We could have played Carroll, Holland, Whelan and Yze today and we might have possibly finished up losing by 50 points instead of by 76. The coach did say well before the season began that our future was in our 23 and under age group. I say keep playing the side we had today (allowing for form and the inclusion of even more youth) and get the experience of games in their legs. We'll have our good days and we'll have our bad days with the latter strongly outweighing the former but it's the only way to go forward.

GOAL TO CLINT BARTRAM!!! MEET HIM TOMORROW NIGHT AT THE DEMONLAND/DEMONOLOGY SPONSORSHIP NIGHT - FUBAR 16 BELFORD STREET ST. KILDA AND TALK ABOUT IT!!! Apologies for the unashamed promotion of the function

This is the moment. Robbo, Aussie and Flash to boot three each as we storm home!