Deeoldfart

A much better footballer than his CV will show. Well done DRod, and all the best for the future.

If this is fact, we would have to assume that the Club is 110% certain that Craig is totally clear of any potential implications in relation the drugs scandal which is still under investigation.

Yep. Reported on ABC radio in Canberra this morning that up to 100 NRL and AFL players are being investigated. If accurate, It gives some focus to the "blackest day in Australian sport" statement.

Yep, and this is a beautiful piece.

Yeah, I know ......... you heard that from an impeccable source close to the Club.

You are a true 'Christian' 'bub!

Renewal was 'no brainer' for me and Mrs Deeoldfart plus the usual Redlegs membership for the kids' Christmas gift. No matter how tortured the journey might be, the destination will make it more than worthwhile, and if I'm no longer around to see another flag (a real possibility given my age and the way the Dees have traveled of late), I will rest in peace knowing the joy that awaits my kids.

That's not a new revelation, and Lynden is far from being Robinson Crusoe. Compared to many of his team mates he has had a solid year,

6. Dunn 5. Toumpas (I'm now convinced) 4. N. Jones 3. Terlich 2. Sylvia 1. Spencer

Jack Viney by the length of the straight. He already plays like a seasoned midfielder and it's hard to believe that he's only 19 with a handful of senior games to his credit. He's already taken over the mantle as clearly our #2 midfielder, and imo would be getting game-time in most, if not all other teams. In 3 or 4 years I expect him to be influencing games a la Joel Selwood. While Terlich and M. Jones have been serviceable for us, I doubt that they would be playing regular seniors for most other teams. Kent has had a solid debut season and might turn out to be good (or even very good), but at this point he is a long, long way behind Viney imo,

Thanks for that Supermerc. Solid CV for the job based on the following snippet : "De Crespigny later served as the AFL's Business Development Manager and Manager Corporate Partners before moving to the ACT and becoming General Manager of Brumbies Rugby for the Rugby Union side."

Except if it's bad, which I hope and pray it isn't!

Don't waste your time Cunnerz. Logic goes over his head.

This quote from Neil Craig is the one that really stood out for me: “The element that has really impressed me about Jack is that he really cares about wearing the Melbourne jumper; playing for Melbourne is more than just playing AFL football and he has great passion to change the perceptions of the Melbourne Football Club."

Well done Jack, first for winning the Rising Star nomination and second for officially becoming Jaded's favourite.

6. Viney - I know who I'd want with me in the trenches! 5. Trengove - probably his best for a couple of years 4. Mckenzie - subdued the influence of Fyfe / Mundy 3. Dunn - mostly dependable, with only a couple of 'brain fades' 2. Silvia - worked hard, but disposal let him down too often 1. Spencer - continues to make it harder for Jamar ?, no names, but there are a couple I definitely wouldn't want with me in the trenches!

Not only that wyl, but took his first breath just a few months before our last flag. I'm looking for omens and that HAS to be one! Well done Glen, it's now time to shake the tree.

Thanks as always KC! Great that the Scorps seem to have regained some of their sting, and with (hopefully) a few key inclusions for the finals, they might just be there for a long time.

Time to lift your game Jack! It's time for you to arrest bragging rights from your sis.

6. McKenzie 5. N. Jones 4. Viney 3. Garland 2. Watts 1. Spencer

.......... and more than a few Melbourne players (and staff) I reckon.

Wow. I remember when that tower was built .......... always a different time of day depending on which clock face you looked at! I haven't been down that way for maybe 25 years. How about my other old watering hole, the Red Bluff Hotel? .........still a pub or (more likely) an apartment tower by now I guess.

Geez mention of the Beauie pub brings back some fond memories (of the 60s in my case, and definitely before white shoes came into vogue). I hail from just up the road at Black Rock, but attended Beauie High. At that time Black Rock was part of the Dees recruiting zone, but I think Beaumaris might have been in StKilda's. Johnny Beckwith was recruited to the Dees from 'the Rocks' and went on to captain the (then) mighty Demons to two premierships, and earn a permanent place in VFL / AFL folklore for his precision kicking from the back pocket. This thread has digressed way off course, but isn't it nice to be discussing the Dees in a positive vein?

In some ways I've been lucky, because I've been fortunate enough to taste the glory (albeit a long, long time ago), and it's well worth the wait I promise you. Hang in there Doreen, we'll be right!

1981 and 2013 were similar in that most of us were full of hope at the the start of the year, and destitute before year's end. But that's where the similarity ends in my view. In 1981 we had 'the Messiah' as our new coach, and most believed that a return to the heady days of the 1950s and '60s was imminent. We had been told by the man himself that it was a "five year plan" and we believed every word. We still had hope in spades. In 2013 we have had Mark Neeld and a stand-in coach, and even our most fervent supporters know that we are light-years away from being competitive with the best. Most of us are still looking for hope, or pinning what little we have left on an un-named coach, a handful mostly tryers, a CEO who has been with us for a few short months and some untried youngsters. I've been a Demon from the early 1950s and will be until I draw my last breath, but 2013 has come close to breaking me.