iv'a worn smith

Someone began this topic and its going to be discussed whether you want to or not. Fact remains that yes, a bloke has had his nose broken and it was as a result of an incident that previously and clearly would have attracted a sanction. Or do you subscribe to any employer being able to say, yeah well, it was an unfortunate accident, which just an occupational hazard? It is simply about applying the rules in a fair and consistent manner and while you obviously see it as a non-issue, I as a footy follower am outraged by it.

Of course, that was what it was!!!!. Tell that to Nat Fyffe. Whether anyone here likes it or not, the MRP guidelines have been provided and therefore should be applied in a consistent manner.

Once we were warriors

Let's deal in the facts shall we? The contact was high and the force was high - it spread Pedo's nose across his face. Whether it was intentional or not, it was at the very least negligent. On top of that, Merrett has priors. He was reported by the field umpire at the time. As the football world has been told time and time again, if you choose to make contact and that contact ends up being made with the head, then you take the consequences. This incident, at the very least warranted a reprimand for Merrett. For those who subscribe to the idea that the game has become soft, you may well be correct, but while we have the rules we have, let's at least apply them in a consistent manner. By the way, I hear Rod Grinter would like to renew acquaintances with Terry Wallace.

On that logic, Vickery should not have gone. He was only going for the ball in the ruck contest but was simply a bad aim.

unbelievable. It goes to show, if your from a lowly club, you just don't rate, even at the MRP. The fact that they could even cite Viney for his non-bump, yet let this go through to the keeper is an absolute disgrace. How's your nose Pedo?

Of course you are correct, but even lazy and dumb footballers can show some grunt. The problem is deeper than that at Roos knows it.

Perhaps true, so the real answer is? ..........................

WYL, I presume you are alluding to Roosy's previous decree that if he knew of any player who had already committed to another club, he wouldn't play him? Therein lies the conundrum for any coach. Stop playing the guy concerned, and you, by inference, confirm to all and sundry that said player is gone and in doing so, you land the player in the shite for breaching FA rules. In short, whether true or not, Roos simply would not want to know right now.

True, but let's just say, the media source's ties to the MFC are pretty solid

That I don't know. As explained by the source, who is in the media, divulging that information would equate to Frawley and/or his manager, by imputation, breaching the rules governing FA, as they - and it's a joke really - cannot be seen to be giving 'in-principle' agreements to any other club, before the actual FA period commences.

Agreed. Moving ............... moved on

And that is the sad reality that confronts the MFC in the not too distant future. Where will the next generation of supporters come from, if we don't turn this around soon?

reliable source, which I cannot divulge. ....... before you ask

He's Gawn.

I think most on here would agree with you Big Red. However, accepting our yawning deficiencies, is it getting ahead of yourself to expect commitment at the very least.? These guys are professional footballers, albeit many who are not up to it, but it is there job to get the job done nonetheless. I can accept being beaten because we are simply not good enough, but I can't accept people who just don't have the stomach for the job at hand.

OD, I think you and I might be of a similar vintage. I remember the dark days of the mid to late 60's, through the 70's and into the early 80's. Records, which no-one wanted, fell with us regularly being the victim of record which was set. Back then, while I admit we lived on what were then relatively recent past glories, we still had players which made you want to go to footy. Even with their evident flaws, we went to see the likes of Dillon and Parke, who made your heart jump with one effort, only to break the same heart with the next. We had the likes of Hardeman, Alves, Wells, who followed on from Tassie Johnson, Vagg, Hassa et al, as they ended the twilight of their careers. As dismal as things were back then, we had blokes who could play footy and for whom the jumper meant something. Not too mention the beer and the pies were at a reasonable price back then. Our spirits were substantially lifted in the late 80's and much of the 90's. We had a real reason to go to the footy back then. But in this day and age when footy is really just a business, with little, if any room for sentiment, other than the corporate dollar, the only thing that sustains any footy club is it supporters - MEMBERS. As such, I consider myself a shareholder in this industry they call the AFL. And for my years of investment, I am not sure how much longer I can wait for a fully franked dividend. That said, my hand will again go in my pocket in 2015. But I say to team at the MFC, just consider how much longer the 'market' will continue to float you, if you keep serving up that tripe, week in and week out. As PJ said at the start of the season, the MFC had for too long betrayed the members trust and that trust had to be earned again. The incalculable in all this is, how much longer will the "market" wait? Time to stand up guys. It ain't just going to happen.

Ain't that the truth!!!!! It wasn't all that long ago, when Paul Roos was still coaching the Swans, that he observed after we destroyed them at the 'G, that we were certainly going to be a team to be reckoned with in the not too distant future. Come the draft table, Bails was shafted yet again and the rest is now a matter of a very painful record. RIP Dean. Why is it that so often, such bad things happen to such good people? Karma is biting us on the proverbial, as it has done for so long.

Some 'commendable' close losses - if that's possible - over the journey thus far. But after yesterday, I really could not find one positive. Yet again, we have become the AFL whipping boys, the butt of jokes from opposition supporters and the rest are from the just don't care faction. As is well documented on here, we are paying now for a decade of the false belief that first round draft picks would cure all our ills, without ever considering the basic requirement of any footy club that development from within is just as important. Unlike many that have be in and around this footy club over the last 10 years, Paul Roos is a proud man, and as such, won't stand idly by and let the malaise continue. That is my lifeline in this appalling phase of our history. As laid back as Roos persona may appear to be from the outside, I get the feeling that after yesterday, he will take no prisoners in the off season. Long overdue in my view, but he is the man to do it. I would rather get belted, but see the potential of a few kids running around, than the cohort of hacks we have at present. Time to give the kids a taste.

In Roos I trust. Previous years of stuffed drafts will evaporate into the ether I am sure. She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes.

He's done it - Yesssssss

I was a great supporter of the Casey alignment at first, but comes a time when you have to re-examine its worth. How much does the MFC tip in a year to Casey and what is the return on that investment? Regardless of the what is at stake at VFL level and any possible affect on our AFL players, no player likes to be sent to "Siberia" and walk off the ground after a flogging. Over the VFL journey thus far, more and more AFL clubs, including the Bullies, have reverted to their own "2nds". The Box Hill Hawks are Hawthorn run in all ways, other than the retention of the Box Hill name. I have no doubt the MFC are looking at the situation. I know from one Casey parent, that she is ropable at the affect the alignment has had on non-MFC listed Casey players, including her own son. No doubt a vested interest there, but she tells me the feeling is shared by quite a number of parents. To some extent, this alone has caused a dislocation of the alignment. It would be an opportunity cost for the MFC not to look at the alternative.

And what an obviously caring partner you have DD. Regardless of what x0 birthday it is, sometimes you deserve a little and warranted self-indulgence over the kids. Your husband is such a thoughtful Demon.

Our defensive pressure is key here. From the very beginning of his tenure, that is what Roos said he would concentrate on in his first year. But I have to say I get tired of the scribes and commentators who keep saying that if ​they kicked straight the game would have been over a half time. The inescapable fact is that if a goal is kicked, the ball goes back to the centre for a bounce. A brand new play ensues and the circumstances become markedly different. Time spent in the forward 50 is certainly reflective of dominant possession, but to suggest it automatically should translate to the scoreboard is to ignore reality, that once a goal is kicked a different centre bounce set-up comes into play.

Back in the late 60's and 70's when I played suburban footy in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, our theme song was a little less tuneful than most and certainly lacked lyrical imagination. While our footy club belted this out after each and every win, I later learned that the anthem was 'borrowed' by many a sporting club. In a later incarnation it evolved into the catch cry of the Australian cricket team. Brings back fond memories for me, as jingoistic as it may be. "Two hands, two bands, two dozen cans, beneath the Southern Cross we stand, God Bless our Native Land, [insert team name] Up the old red rooster And more p155 Eloquent in its simplicity is it not?