Deeoldfart

He has a single cell for a brain.

Yep, about 10 years ago IIRC.

Grimes and Jamar for me. No problems with a smaller leadership group, and with the addition of these two we would have all lines covered.

Dunno about a car, but extremely clapped out and well past my best!

Geez. I thought all Demonlanders looked like their avatar. I always pictured you as a very young resident greek, and E25 as an authoritarian Bails, and RR as a purple rhino etc., etc.

The answer is staring you in the face C&B. I'm surprised you can't see it. I'll help you out. It's precisely the sort of culture that all top of the table, professional AFL clubs demand!

Brilliant / timely revival of an oldie that was penned 6 months before I discovered the joys of Demonland!

Good experienced?: YES; mentor to the youngsters(?): PROBABLY best 22(?): SHORT/MEDIUM TERM ONLY leader(?): DEFINITELY NO (not the type of leadership I want to see on the field at any rate) can we cover his loss?: SEAMLESSLY Congratulations MFC for showing once again that the Club is bigger than the individual.

No reason to turn back the clock. The future is all ahead of us ........ and it looks no less bright in the absence of C.Bruce.

A great servant of our Club over the journey, but is in his 'twilight years' and is by no means essential to our plans for 2011 or beyond! A sad way to end a decorated career at the MFC, and I think Cam will regret his decision over time. P

My feeling is that it's the old Col you are speaking about! Over the last couple of years he has matured both on and off the field. Certainly he needs another season like the one just past (but injury free of course!) to prove that he has buried the ghosts of the past, but if he comes through 2011 unscathed, he could be a very good addition to a future leadership group. Maybe just wishful thinking on my part, but I reckon he now has his mind and body in the right place.

Thanks for a great effort E! I really enjoyed the read, especially the references of quite a few 'draft hopefuls' that I havn't even heard of (just one of the problems with living in Canberra).

Excellent work 45. Thanks.

I'm biased, and I know that LJ didn't nominate for the ND (and received special approval to enter the AFL via the PSD), but I hope he can be a serious contender in a few more years.

Yep, with a history as rich as ours, it's delightful to turn back the pages and reminisce for a while, but I have a feeling that the chapters which are about to be written will be very special as well.

My long departed folks were 'one eyed' Essendon fans, so there wasn't much bonding done when footy was on the family agenda ................ but I did enjoy going with them to the G in the late '50s and '60s, and choosing seats in the middle of a red and blue throng while the Dees knocked the crap out of the Dons.

I don't accept that CC "stuffed up the situation". There's no way I would want Wellman at Melbourne, if he had even the slightest preference to be at Essendon with his mate Hird. We need 100% commitment, not 99.9%. And how do you / we know that CC didn't try to nail Wellman down with a watertight contract? There's every chance that Wellman would have been holding both options open until all the boxes fell into place at Essendon. It takes both parties to agree to a watertight contract.

Outstanding season by Rush. Has become a mainstay of our developing midfield, and will be critical to its rate of progress over the next year or two. His heart (workrate) matches the size of his body, and like all of us here, I hope and pray that he can maintain his form and fitness as our window opens.

Like most here, I have reservations based on Thorp's exposed form beyond his junior years, his history of injuries, and questions (rumours?) about his attitude. I'd be surprised if we draft him, but if we do, I'll be comfortable that our FD has done the necessary due diligence, and are prepared to give him another opportunity. (edit: Typo)

Benny has loads of talent and exceptional pace, but as others have said, he needs to build up his engine and improve his consistency. I think he tired a fair bit as the 2010 season progressed, but as he completes more pre-seasons and his body matures, I'm confident that he will run out games (and seasons) much better. If he can do this he will play a valuable part in our future.

James looked a bit like a rabbit caught in headlights in his couple of senior games. I can excuse him that, but he certainly needs to have more strings to his bow than elite kicking skills .......... and not having seen him at Casey, I'm not sure what they are.

I saw a little of Sam as a junior and I was delighted when we drafted him. As others have said, he was lightning quick, made excellent decisions and was a beautiful long kick. If he can return to full fitness and bring those skills to senior football, Sam will complement our midfield to a tee. The jury is still out about what he can achieve at AFL level (especially given his injury), but based on his junior days he is an exciting prospect. He is the sort of player who will bring others into the game.

Yep. I chatted to Schwabby about Fitz around mid season, and he seemed pretty enthusiastic about his prospects, while acknowledging that his kicking needs some work.

That's my query also JCB. He seems a bit injury prone, but if he can stay fit he probably has the where-with-all to be a regular. However, with the amount of talent on our list, I'm not sure where his best position is likely to be. Maybe HBF (with Grimes playing more in the midfield), but he will need to improve his tackling, which can be very clumsy at times.