demoniac

Can you name the only AFL Senior Coach Peter Jackson has appointed? Hopefully he has learnt from the mistakes at Essendon in his tenure as CEO that saw them decline into mediocrity.

Ok so your expert advice is that by game time it will be 90% humidity? I am up here and it does not feel that humid. And yes I too have experience of the tropics.

Relative humidity in Darwin currently 45% as at 1:54 pm. Champion teams win anywhere, anytime, anyhow.

One of my favourite footy memories was Ge Healy's first game against us for the Swans at the G. We won. Also memorable for being a double header. Have no idea why people bother with any of the footytainment shows. Its very rare that anything of import is imparted.

Peter Jackson is undoubtedly experienced given he was Essendon CEO for 13 years until 2009. However as CEO he has to carry his share of the responsibility for the state the Bombers were in when he left. I don't think he ever realised he was a footy club CEO or that maintenance of the Bomber's financial position was dependent on maintaining the on field performance which required football related investment in facilities and staffing to keep pace with other clubs. The Essendon he joined in 1997 was a leader on and off the field. The Essendon he departed was a rabble with money in the bank. declining relative membership, average facilities and an average footy department Good luck to him at the Dees though!

Interesting number in Jay Clark's anti Neeld rant in the Hun. Melbourne players average skinfolds when Neeld, Craig and Misson arrived - 60. Average players skinfolds they were used to at Collingwood, Adelaide and St Kilda - 50. Hardtack everything I've read and heard says that out fitness levels were simply not competitive under Bailey. Most recently from Colin Garland.

or maybe some around these parts do not understand the challenges the MFC still faces even with the advancements in recent years. We all want to believe that there is a magic fix. We've thrown Boards out with monotonous regularity. If we can just change the Board then we'll have more sponsors, more members, more crowds, more Premierships...

So if we all stop taking out memberships what'll happpen? Yep 'angrydee' there won't be a Melbourne Football Club for you to rejoin.

Then where are they? I've been voting in MFC elections since 1988. This Board is hands down the best we have had over that period in terms of their professional achievements. When Stynes was rebuilding the Board these are the business people who were identified as the best candidates and the ones who simply had to be persuaded to commit their time to the Board. To be on the Board you need to be successful in business and be willing to devote the time to to the club that a Directorship entails.

Then to paraphrase John Kennedy ' Don't just stand there DO SOMETHING'. If you think you have the business experience and the time to contribute get in touch with the club and offer your help.

Such as?

When Jim Stynes stepped up to take the Presidency when no one else would his first choice was to cajole Dees supporting experienced and successful business types to also step up and join the board. This is the board that resulted. Some had previously refused offers to join the board for fairly obvious reasons and it was only Jim's cajoliung that persuaded them. I am still waiting for those who advocate throwing out this board to to tell us who is going to replace them. I don't think you are gong to find it as easy as you think to persuade experienced and successful business types to devote 20 - 40 hours a week to the Melbourne Football Club. And anyone who thinks Don McLardy is out of touch have never had a chat with him about the Dees at a club function or after a game. My Name is Tom Potter And I Approve This Message.

Why would anyone read or listen to Damian Barrett. My fellow Dees fans you have to start consuming media in a more critical manner.

Mick Malthouse would love to have Clark, Hogan, Dawes and Gawn at Carlton. Brad Scott would love them at North.

If only we could fast forward to R1 2014 Clark (26yo, 200cm, 103kg), Hogan (19yo, 195cm, 100kg) and Dawes (25yo, 193cm, 105kgs) in attack with Gawn (22yo, 208cm, 111kg) resting forward. Clark and Hogan are both as comfortable in the midfield as they are in the goalsquare and could swittch between those roles ie Full Forward and High Centre Half Forward. There are not many teams that have 2 key defenders who are comfortable in the goal square and in the midfield. Dawes' role would be to stay inside 50 and contest, mark a few and bring the rest to ground and lock it in. 3 talls may seem top heavy but Clark and Hogan are exceptionally athletic for key forwards. Hogan will have had his rookie pre season plus one more and a full season in the VFL. That my fellow Dees fans looks like the makings of a darn good forward line and would be the envy of quite a few clubs. Hopefully we can see it in action this year minus Hogan.

He was doing some pretty quick laps on Friday at training. Imagine they will be cautious. Clark will enjoy having Dawes and occasionally Gawn inside 50.

Enlighten us then....

It is true that we played a hard running style under Bailey. It was just that it was one way. . Reject the notion all you like. Ask a player about when they were told by Neeld, Misson and Craig what the standards at the Pies, Saints and Crows were. And how far off our players realised they were. Remember that Misson been running pre seasons at the Saints and the Swans for more than 10 years without any player discontent reaching the press until he conducted his first pre season for us.

Gawn is a key player. Hopefully he has made his sacrifices to the injury Gods and will have a clear run from here. 208cm and 111kg. A Ruck who can go forward and take a mark and lay a tackle. There won't be many key defenders feeling comfortable playing on him. Outs Jamar, Toumpas, Sellar, Byrnes Ins Spencer, Gawn, Strauss, Kent Watts to play for Casey and take on the game with his athleticism now he is fit. Toumpas to get some full games at Casey. Team B N Jetta Frawley Garland HB Grimes McDonald Terlich C Evans N Jones Bail HF Tapscott Pederson Trengove F Howe Clark Davey R Spencer Viney M Jones I/c Strauss Kent Sylvia Gawn

Mitch Clark is a B Grade Player? Hmm okay. Happy with Grimes and Trengove as Captains. There are a few long bows been drawn around here and in other places. It is obvious that Neeld, Misson and Craig inherited a group of players not preparing in an elite way. I'd be surprised if the law had not been layed down in that regard. And Its fair to say that Dermie's story has a few holes in it.

If the facts that are outlined are true then its Colin Sylvia who has to grow up. I don't mind a player having a few beers after a game but if you are drinking to the point where a team mate has to pull you up and tell you its time to go home and you are so schnickered you react physically then you've had way more than a few beers and you are kidding if you call yourself an elite athlete. If facts are essentially as above then Colin Sylvia will presumably be playing for Casey for a few weeks. Sylvia is 27 years old and in his 10th AFL season. The words its later than he thinks come to mind.

Ins - Demoniac The stars have aligned. Working from 2pm to Midnight instead of normal 8:30 to 5ish due to a change in law which affects the practice of my beloved employer and comes in to force on Monday.

Hawks BigFooty Board.

Anyone at Essendon who over ruled their long time Doc when he raised concerns about the injectionfest is up for a lengthy ban. I wonder who that might have been.

Schwab had become the story. He was a lightning rod for every footy hack in town keen for an easy story. His sackignation is a pragmatic step to stop those stories. Schwab has also polarised Melbourne supporters with quite a few probably placing him on the Grassy Knoll and Cheviot Beach in addition to his other alleged crimes - tanking/sacking Bailey and Junior) so his departure eases those tensions.