Demonster

Great get Redleg, the latter. But also knew the former well. Both absolute gentlemen.

After an 8 year hiatus just stumbled across this thread. So relevant now given the excruciating over analysis, furrowed brows and pressed fingers into the breastbones from today's commentators. Dwayne Russell and G Lyon both unlistenable. My uncle was a past commentator on the ABC in the 70's and 80's and is mentioned earlier here from a time when the game was augmented by commentators, not dominated. He was an Essendon player and on my Mum's side. All my Mum's side were Bombers. Dad's side all Demons. My sister sat behind Mum in the car with a Bombers sticker on their side, I sat behind Dad with a Demons sticker on ours. My uncle was furniture at Windy Hill so I always had to sit in the members stand there with my Demons beanie on. I'm 56 now but clearly remember my Grandma telling off another lady of similar age re my Dees beanie to leave me alone, 'he's only a boy!' Reckon it was '71 and I was 7. Fond memories from a different time when from memory the two 45's, both named Smith, would play on each other. Always got a kick out of that. Anyway, Dees were [censored] last night. But [deleted] I love 'em.

If anyone wants back at the Pies for their Howe intervention, having a Weideman in our next premiership side should do it

Jordie's double contribution to the winning goal against Essedon was outstanding, classy and possibly the most important of that brilliant passage. Maybe there is something there on the skill side. He's got this year to finally convince us on the back of a full pre-season.

Been showing the kids recent 1st semi 87 final replay from foxtel ad nauseum so that they'd 'get' Robbie Flower. Aged 10 and 11. They get Robbie. As a 50 year old Flower, Jagger, Lillee have been part of my entire being. I feel hollowed out.

In Darwin now ahead of tomorrow nights game. Not humid at all, pretty comfortable around 20 degrees. The news tonight said expecting a capacity crowd of 12000, and while Dockers are the favourite, Demons will be the crowd favourite. Kids excited about potentially seeing Aussie. Nothing surer than Colin kicking 5? Unless he kicks 6 probably. Go Dees!

Given the amount of lip biting the club has done throughout this saga, I suspect the club has taken the view enough is enough and responded to the Wilson article. It would be incredible to think a club president would come out and lie, and that the statement wasn't very carefully prepared. Wilson on the other hand has serious form. Remember her allegation against Brayshaw that he categorically said at the Norf AGM the club would not play games interstate and so he had a massive credibility issue when they then said they would? Maintained her position despite being shown tv footage that she was wrong! She's completely nuts but no-one has ever held her to account. That may have just changed.

Pull your head in pal. He saved the club, sank $2.7m of his own, or c$5m before tax. And plenty more effort besides. I was there, I saw. You must have contributed more, I guess?

Seems a lot like someone has said to Caro -- the AFL, The Age's lawyer, Ray Biffen -- 'just the facts, M'am'. She's even inserted use of the word 'allegedly'! Given how comfortable she has been previousy with our 'disgusting blah blah' behaviour, it's one of the fastest back pedals you'd ever seen. Indeed, so fast she needs to be s(ch)wabbed.

Caro has always made stuff up. She often uses a throw away line in an article with no substance triying to pass it as fact. I have had sport for years reading her articles and identifying the line. Occurs almost without exception. She's a shocking 'journalist'. On her MFC rants, she said something in an article years ago referring to Robert Flower and the unhappy circumstances in which he left the club, or similar. I had to show it to my non MFC supporting wife to say I have lived and breathed the MFC and never heard about any such thing. But she said it in the article. Just made it up. Has been doing it for an awfully long time. Even on Footy Classified she is often shown to have made things up, but just sits there and says 'well, that's what I believe happened.' I actually thinks she's nuts.

'I think he also says that the vote was not rigged in anyway and there is nothing to say that of those who didn't get in, more were going to vote anti merger.' Nuggett - I have it on tape from the media coverage of the night, as well as being there. No-one arrived at Dallas Brooks Hall to vote yes. The number outside, locked out and not allowed to vote, was thousands, not hundreds. Any fair-minded running of the vote would have delayed the vote and allowed all votes to be cast. The queue wrapped around the entire Dallas Brooks block. Anyone who doesn't think Melbourne supporters have passion did not witness this event. To watch it now, 13 years later, it is incredible. The panel from Talking Footy, who kept crossing live to Dallas Brooks Hall, were shocked and at times speechless. Also, Barassi initially backed the merger and many voted with him. He changed his mind at the death but unfortunately votes had been cast. As part of the Demon Alternative we were manning the phones and dealt with scores of people wanting to change their vote as a consequence, but were too late to lodge postals. The Board at the time comprised great Melbourne people, and most are well and truly back in the fold. But they got that one completely wrong, and didn't care much for opposing views.

We are very close on the sponsorship front. The club is being very innovative, and when locked and loaded supporters will be impressed. Total package better than what Footscray got with Mission Foods.

Sat next to Colin at a club function during last year - said he prefers to play up forward. BBP - good crack at a team. Newton the only weakness on paper for mine....solved when the Watts boy eventually gets going, and some good names to come in.

For posters to say no-one cares about losing another Victorian club is simply wrong. There was a huge out-pouring of feeling for Fitzroy when they went under, and a large degree of disenchantment with the AFL with how it was done. This despite it being inevitable for several years....very unlike the Demons situation. Fremantle to their great credit was the only organisation that gave them any kind of respect with a very, very moving send-off. Either time dims the memory or some here were too young at the time. What is true and which has been noted here is that supporters are happy for a team to go to the extent it makes their own team safer. But the fact of losing a Melbourne side would sit well with no genuine Victorian football supporter.

Dwayne's rhetorical question comes from ignorance. He is from Adelaide. He can never understand the passion that Victorian's have for their game - founded and created in Victoria. I doubt there would be a genuine Victorian football follower who would not want all the previous VFL clubs to survive. Would a Victorian care about the survival of an interstate club? I doubt it. Would an interstater care about the survival of a Victorian club? I doubt it. Dwayne is from Adelaide and that is his prejudiced perspective. Dwayne to be truly credible should begin every opine on anything to do with the AFL with, 'Being from Adelaide.....' To ask the dubious question about Melbourne, without having any sense of understanding that 5 million Victorian's have zero care factor about the WA and SA concoctions, simply indicates a lack of perspective.

Strewth - this topic began with a couple of inspired suggestions to boost membership with the aim being seemingly to generate more ideas. It then degenerated into a worthless and completely distracting argument. Jarka, you may well have made some valid points, but that is not the point. You are obviously a deep thinker and it would be far more helpful for the the Demons if you chanelled your thoughts into helping the Demons rather than giving a rat's as to whether Redleg is a lawyer or not. BTW, with that monika (is that a word?), I'm tipping he is!

Watts, Miller, Rivers, Garland, Warnock, Martin - there's 6 KPP's for 4 possies, plus the potential for PJ to play that role, and then 3rd tall types in Frawley, Dunn and Bate, and possibly Newton. Reckon we are set there. We needed pace and skill, skill and pace, and sounds like we have got it. Also like the X-factor mentioned with a couple of the later picks in verious bio's. Obvious area of focus in the next 2 drafts will be rucks. Should win the flag in 2013 I would have thought - probably play off in the 3 after that, losing one. Overall Demon flag tally by 2020 should be 15. Nice.

The prelim against the Weagles was at the WACA - was there. Feral. Had a great chat to Stinga on the night of the 150th at the after party. Really nice bloke and mentioned he was doing the conditioning work down at St Kilda. Hope he was chuffed by being surrounded by half-a-dozen highly boozed and balding 40+ year olds telling him how good he was!

I do recall being a young man playing country footy alongside senior players past their prime and learning a truck-load about what is required. Don't forget the value of that.

I think there has been some excellent analysis of our game plans and styles in this thread, and I pretty well agree. Game plan or not 'though, I am absoltely baffled as to why we can't handball and kick to a Melbourne player rather than the opposition. These are fundamental skills that players have developed well before they are drafted (otherwise wouldn't be). This has nothing to do with game plan, and a lot to do with confidence. But confident or not, I still do not understand why league players can consistently not execute this fundamental skill. I have seen all games other than Hawthorn this year, and believe we have got the ball as much as the opposition, surely the most difficult part of the game, and do just not use it. Game plan shmameplan - for some bizarre reason, our players just cannot kick or handball accurately.

I think there has been some excellent analysis of our game plans and styles in this thread, and I pretty well agree. Game plan or not 'though, I am absoltely baffled as to why we can't handball and kick to a Melbourne player rather than the opposition. These are fundamental skills that players have developed well before they are drafted (otherwise wouldn't be). This has nothing to do with game plan, and a lot to do with confidence. But confident or not, I still do not understand why league players can consistently not execute this fundamental skill. I have seen all games other than Hawthorn this year, and believe we have got the ball as much as the opposition, surely the most difficult part of the game, and do just not use it. Game plan shmameplan - for some bizarre reason, our players just cannot kick or handball accurately.

The Melbourne Board is individually, (wo)man for (wo)man, as capable as any in the comp. Changing them will do nothing. I would have thought any 15 yr member would be wise and experienced enough to see this given the number of board turnovers we have had over that time. Apart from magic, the only answer is on-field success. If we wallow on the field, everything else follows - membership, merchandise, gate, sponsorship etc etc. Whereas the opposite is true. Having said that, out greatest albatross remains our home base. This Board, unlike its predecessors has done something about it with the new stadium facility. This should have been better addressed years ago, and was Joe's no. 1 priority (11 yrs ago!!) - he put $3m of his own towards it. The Board must be congratulated on this. If we can hang in there without a knee-jerk reaction from the creator of this thread, and the AFL, climb the ladder and with our own home, we will be OK. This administration will be in a position then to consolidate our finances, similar to how Geelong has harnessed their succes. BTW, we are in this position because we were forced to vacate the MCG for the greater good of the venue servicing all Melburnians. We have never been appropriately compensated, by the MCC or AFL. For Demetriou to come out the other day looking for a solution to Richmond's playing surface by advocating they get to train on the MCG without addressing our circumstance was quite simply outrageous, and indicative of the AFL's apalling attitude to the Dees - suspect he might have copped one in the goolies from a Demon in his playing days - let's hope it hurt.

Harsh on Brown-dog. He was close to all-Australian (in '04?) and was a very important part of our side. He has been one of the better performers this year. There is nothing wrong with 30 yo's per se. If they are the best player, and better than a 20 yo while your team is in contention, you play them. The fact is that the bulk of our 30 yo's are depth players that have become regulars this year through injury. Even next year however if Bizzell is still on the list, and is better than Frawley, you play Bizzell. There is nothing wrong with young players doing an apprenticeship in the 2's, it may even be beneficial. Fundamentally the best player should be played. To use a cricket analogy, I would have rathered Australia played their 35 yo's and won the Ashes and the World Cup than to re-build and not win. The challenge is ensuring there is sufficient youth coming through at the same time. Melbourne has an excellent crop of under 23's which means there is absolutely no need to panic and start sacking 30 yo's other than through natural attrition, as long as they are the best player for a spot. The other fact is that only 3 of them are in our best 22, which is probably very comparable to the rest of the competition.

That's be Voss's coaching career there and then I'd reckon. Good choice to go drinking with Steven Lawrence & Fraser Gehrig.

Nealey was a great coach for us at different times - turned us into a very good team. If Todd Viney was at the beginning of his career rather than the end with ND, we would have won many more games and possibly a flag. We have just not had anyone since Todd (Brock will be the one however) who can put their hand up at a centre bounce and do what ever it takes to get the ball after the opposition has kicked 3 goals in a row. May have helped stopped some of those losing rolls we get on. Favourite moments: 1. Having a [censored] with him after a great SCG victory in the pub over the road in '98 I think. 'Great win' I said. 'Yeah, wasn't bad' was his laconic reply with trademark massive grin. 2. Testra Stadium (in '04 or '05) when Junior looked like he might have hurt his knee, and ND went straight to the rooms after the game before running back out and sticking his thumb up at the camera mouthing 'he's alright'. Congratulations to Neale and thanks for taking great care of our club both on and off the field for the past 10 years. He is a very fine man.