layzie

English is torching us with those field kicks

Joke

Wake up Adams. That was park football stuff

Totally

I'd say it would be horses for courses depending on who we get and their experience. For instance if Longmire does come, I'd wager he's picking his staff or at least has a very serious say in it.

One of the stranger contract decisions we've made in recent times.

I would love to see Cameron Bruce back at the club in some capacity. Development coach/assistant at Hawthorn during the 3 peat, some time at Carlton and Lions midfield coach since 2022 overseeing big change. I reserve the right to be way off base with this, but I always thought he was someone who left the club possibly disgruntled with the way the club was treating their senior leaders at the time ie. Junior, White, Robbo, Yze. I would love to see this come full circle and for me would be the most exciting addition since Yze returned. Someone from the Clarko/Fagan tree is always a plus as well.

A good slant on it LITD. Something I had not considered.

"Football doesn't wait for anybody.." Never a truer word spoken..

Coming from someone who was willing to go to GWS back in the day, that actually concerns me. If this opinion forms part of the general perception around the league in regards to our list, culture, home base and so on then we should probably be taking notice and getting our heads out of our rear ends.

Congrats Ed. Great athlete, great player and most importantly great guy. I will be pretty disappointed if he doesn't play till 40.

Do people still write letters to clubs to show their gratitude? Or is it all just tweets and Xboxes now?

This is an extremely underrated comment. We chose to distance ourselves from the Jackson brass and I was never sure why. It would be wrong to say that Pert didn't have some success but after where we had come from and having had to start from a long way back it could have been beneficial to see Mahoney installed in that position and let the ship sail on with what we had built to that point. A sliding doors moment. There's only one person who can explain the thought process behind this decision and I doubt we'll be hearing from them anytime soon.

I'm feeling more and more that the likely outcome is these two being at MFC next year. The one important day that I am looking forward to: The day the new coach has their first formal conversation with one Christian Petracca and one Clayton Oliver. Cards on the table, vision and plans for these guys how they fit going forward. If they buy in then the challenge is for the coach getting them back to somewhere near their best.

We need him. Probably need him healthy too.

I get what you're saying 100% Adam, it's the eye test. I agree that the ball movement and style was starting to take shape, it was one of the reasons why I was still undecided on whether he should be here in 2026. Yes there were games where it may have looked good because of what the oppo was giving us eg. St Kilda's stagnant movement in the first 3 quarters or West Coast just being garbage but the signs were there and it would be silly to say that we weren't trying to change. As for Richo being on the selection panel, if true I'd find it another ridiculous decision in a long line of them.

I'm keen to hear more about this, genuinely. A player delisted after a couple of years who may have played a handful of games, minimal spotlight from the media, opportunity to pivot their career while still young. Versus The face of the club for 9 years who led us to the ultimate prize, under the microscope in the media often with many sleepless nights and had to deal with peanuts like us criticising him every other week. I understand what you're saying LITD but surely they're different things?

Thank you Nasher, I was worried for a second that being sad about it was silly. As mentioned it may well be the correct decision and they can be brutal in this business, but it doesn't mean that for a moment we can't process a feeling of loss. I encourage everyone who has been hit hard by the news to go by this mantra which is helped me a bit these last few days: "Don't be sad that it's over, be happy that it happened." Simon is not like other coaches we've dismissed that have receded into the night. 9 years and the ultimate success sees him as one of us for life and he'll always be welcome at our club.

The memories remain

I'll see you in the 'Is Amorim the right guy?' thread..

Thank you Simon for breaking the drought, we are forever grateful. You are always a part of the Melbourne Footy Club.

Today I've been miserable. The body isn't cold yet and there is so much water to go under the bridge. Most of us have never farewelled a premiership coach so this is very new. It would have been so nice to get a proper chance to say goodbye, but as quickly as our ill fated dynasty went out the door, so did Simon it seems. Im not ready to talk new coaches, im not even ready to do a heartfelt thankyou to Simon. This is NOT like any other coach sacking we've had. Simon is one of the most exceptional people we've had come across our club in recent times. His demeanor, his commitment to personal growth, his communication and rapport with players. I think it will hit some people some of the traits we are losing when hes gone. I'll get there. The sun will come up tomorrow and it will be business as usual. This may well be for the best. We will bring a new coach and unleash a new plan that we can hopefully get behind. That day is not today. Today is for a little grieving.

Not warming to the experienced/possibly need convincing names that are coming up here. Need a fresh start with someone on the up as an assistant and in the know for where the game is at currently. I like the suggestion of someone like Montgomery.

This. I really don't want to hear from the players right now and how much they loved him. On at least 6 occasions this year they have literally mailed in effort and put him in a terrible spot. I was still undecided on whether Goodwin should have stayed or not but the playing group has fallen well short of their end of the bargain.

You sound young. I don't like that.