Supreme_Demon

St. Kilda getting pick 8# in Free Agent compensation for losing Josh Battle is massive for them. They'll have picks 7# and 8# in this year's AFL Draft. This gives them an opportunity to draft 2 young guns or be a major player during the trade period. It would be funny if they offered both picks to Port Adelaide for Dan Houston or even to us at the Demons for Clayton Oliver. I don't think the Saints are that dumb though. Plus their supporters might burn down Moorabbin if they did that.

Are you serious??!! Far out, I was going to have a heart attack! Please stay a Demon Clayton Oliver. We love you mate! 👹❤️💙

Fair enough. We all get emotional as we all love the Melbourne Football Club. I just would be quite devastated if we lost Clayton Oliver, especially if it was for a mere pittance to Geelong. Anyway, I guess we shall wait and see what happens at the Melbourne Demons Best & Fairest tomorrow evening and throughout the rest of the trade period.

Exactly, blame the media parasites. I just don't wanna lose a star Demon and much beloved player in Clayton Oliver. Richmond are losing 4 of their Premiership players and they are barely getting a mention in the media.

And you know all eh? 🙄 This is a discussion forum. All we can do is speculate. I am allowed an opinion just like everyone else. Tough luck if you don't like it. I have been a Melbourne Demons member since 1998. In the end, it's up to the Melbourne Football Club Board to sort this mess out.

This whole Clayton Oliver fiasco has been exhausting. Gary Pert has a lot to answer for sticking his nose in where it doesn't belong and contradicting what Simon Goodwin has been saying. I don't think interim President Brad Green reads the Demonland Forum. But I would highly recommend people who are Melbourne members send emails to him telling him your displeasure about Clayton Oliver possibly being traded. His email is: [email protected] If enough people send angry emails then hopefully he will listen.

Some exciting highlights. I love how clean Caleb Windsor is with the ball. Definitely a little bit of "Robbie Flower" about the way he moves though!

What an absolute disaster this off season has turned into. Leaks to the media on a daily basis. Players being disgruntled. Lack of clear and honest communication from the Melbourne Football Club. Allegations of the Melbourne CEO sounding out clubs to see if they are interested in Clayton Oliver in contrast to the views of the coaching panel and Simon Goodwin. It has been an absolute mess and we are the laughing stock of the AFL after a mere 3 years since our Premiership in 2021. Sadly, I think it is time for Gary Pert to either resign or be sacked. I say this with a heavy heart as I thought Gary Pert was doing a good job. But it seems like I am wrong. Gary Pert came to the Demons to become our CEO after 10 years at the Collingwood Football Club. He did a lot of good work there. But there were rumours from Magpies supporters telling us that Gary Pert meddles too much with football related issues. Myself, and many others ignored this scuttlebutt. In many ways Gary Pert has done an excellent job. He helped the Demons end their 57 year Premiership drought after the internal football department review at the end of 2020. Gary Pert helped us get our membership numbers up to well over 65,000+ which is amazing. He also helped us finally make progress with the Home Base to hopefully be built at Caulfield Racecourse (if everything goes to plan). However, there has now been lingering cultural issues that have been festering. Some of these relate to individuals and topics we cannot speak of here. But we all know what they are. This has been a dark shadow hanging over the Melbourne Football Club and something which will eventually all come out like "opening a can of worms" in the future impending court cases. Of course, I won't say anymore. Anyway, the main thing is that we have had a horrible 12 months at the Melbourne Football Club. Our second straight sets finals losses in 2022 and then 2023. We also had the much publicised dramas around Clayton Oliver and his behaviours. Then the possibility of him being traded. Which fortunately did not occur at the time. Season 2024 started with the suspension of a player for reasons we cannot discuss here. Then the forced retirement of one of the Melbourne Demons leaders and comradery promoters in Angus Brayshaw after almost getting killed by that vile Magpie thug Brayden Maynard. Then during the season we lost Christian Petrracca to a serious injury, ironically, also against the Magpies. Due to injuries and poor form we tumbled down to an embarrassing 14th on the ladder. Once the season concluded we then heard rumours about Christian Petracca being disgruntled and wanting to leave the Club. Fortunately, this was resolved (for the time being). But you had our former President Kate Roffey make a total fool of herself in a disastrous radio interview. Who admitted to not talking to our star player Christian Petracca much or his family?! Not long after that Kate Roffey resigned. Now of course Gary Pert isn't responsible for all of this as Melbourne Football Club CEO. I did mention that he did a lot of good things. What irked me the most was the illusion that "everything was fine" at the Melbourne Football Club and the culture was the best it had been for years! This was deceitful in my opinion. Especially due to the various controversies that cannot be mentioned here. Further to this why would the CEO in Gary Pert be independently asking AFL Clubs if they were interested in trading for Clayton Oliver?! Especially if the coach in Simon Goodwin wants to keep Clayton Oliver at the Demons! Shouldn't we try to keep a generational talent like Clayton Oliver and work through his issues? Just like the Tigers did with Dustin Martin or like the Giants did with Toby Greene? It really has been an absolute train wreck publicly for the Melbourne Football Club. The media have been like vultures gleefully picking at us. Even so-called Melbourne supporters like Tom Morris have been quite pernicious in their behaviour reporting the Club. I think the best course of action now is for Gary Pert to resign as CEO after the Melbourne Demons Best & Fairest. That way, he can leave with some dignity and we can hopefully salvage things with Clayton Oliver (as well as Christian Petracca) and then start things fresh. It will also make sure that the independent review being done for the Melbourne Football Club is indeed independent. Mark my words, the Melbourne Demons would be better cutting away the dead wood now if we are going to start again fresh in season 2025. Anyway, we shall see what interim President Brad Green and the Melbourne Football Club Board does next I guess? The ball is now in their court to make some important decisions and give proper explanations to us as Melbourne members.

Alright then, that is it! I am furious now! I was originally a big supporter of Gary Pert as CEO! I thought the Collingwood rumours were rubbish. This is the final straw! Brad Green needs to sack Gary Pert NOW!!! I choose Clayton Oliver over Gary Pert!

Hmmm David Teague eh? Is he any good? I think he was Carlton coach for a little while. But was he involved with Richmond's Premiership success as an assistant coach? I would rather we approach Cameron Bruce or Justin Leppitsch or Brett Ratten or even Adam Simpson.

All good. I found his contact details in an old email. In any case, I hope that Brad Green makes the effort to reconcile with Peter Lawrence for the sake of unity and shared love of the Melbourne Demons.

What perplexes me is how can the coach Simon Goodwin and the CEO Gary Pert be on different pages?! Shouldn't Simon Goodwin be making these decisions? If he wants Clayton Oliver to stay a Demon then he should do so. Gary Pert should not be contradicting what Simon Goodwin wants. That will only cause further drama and resentment. This speculation is not helping the Melbourne Football Club at all. In fact, it is ripping the Club apart regarding a beloved player in Clayton Oliver. We need to see leadership from those in charge at the Melbourne Football Club. We want to know what the hell is going on?! If Gary Pert is behind pushing out Clayton Oliver then Gary Pert needs to be sacked! I suggest all Melbourne supporters who are angry with CEO Gary Pert regarding this whole fiasco about Clayton Oliver to send him an email. Gary Pert's email can be found here: [email protected]

Elite kicking skills should be a non-negotiable for any players we draft to the Demons. Centre clearance ability is also crucial.

That's a damning indictment on the Melbourne Football Club Board, if true. Why wouldn't you try and resolve this peacefully? It sounds like there is a lot of bad blood between the Board and Peter Lawrence. I just hope Brad Green can speak to Peter Lawrence and sort this out otherwise this issue will continue to fester and may even cause more expensive court cases to eventuate! My only question to Peter Lawrence (if he reads this discussion forum?) is does he support the building of a Home Base for the Melbourne Football Club at the Caulfield Racecourse? This is a paramount issue that we all need to support and make sure gets completed in our lifetimes.

With Bailey Smith nominating the Cats, I don't know how they have any draft capital to also obtain Clayton Oliver. The Melbourne Football Club needs to hold Clayton Oliver to his contract. We have all the bargaining power. I am also angry that the CEO Gary Pert thinks he can act independently from the coaching team in determining the future of a player. Especially if Simon Goodwin wants Clayton Oliver to stay! If this is found to be the case then I want Gary Pert sacked for meddling in football affairs without the consent of the rest of the football department. I have been a supporter of Gary Pert as CEO. But this Clayton Oliver (and Christian Petracca) fiasco has been a PR disaster for the Melbourne Football Club. Heads need to roll and Gary Pert needs to go. Otherwise, we will have a massive downturn in memberships next year due to losing beloved star players!

Apparently Carlton are chasing Graham Wright too but for the role of CEO? There's an article about it here: https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/wright-stuff-ex-pies-footy-boss-sounded-out-for-blues-ceo-role-20241002-p5kfai.html

Wow! Alot of exciting young talent there. With pick #5 in the 2024 AFL we could take one of the following: ● Harvey Langford ● Sid Draper ● Sam Lalor ● Finn O'Sullivan ● Josh Smillie Imagine if we could be fortunate enough to grab two of these players? I would be willing to trade away our future 1st round pick (in 2025) so we could manage to snaffle another pick in the top 15 to 20 in this year's draft. Would definitely be inquiring about Brisbane's and Gold Coast's first round picks due to points required for Father-Son pick (Levi Ashcroft) and NGA player picks (Sam Marshall for Brisbane and Leonardo Lombard for Gold Coast). Possibly GWS too if they have any points needed for NGA player picks? Richmond will have ALOT of early draft picks with so many of their players moving to Fremantle and West Coast. So we might be able to do a deal with them if they are willing to take a future 1st round pick from us for one of their early picks and they'll "death ride" us in 2025. Anyway, I am sure Jason Taylor is looking at all those sorts of possible scenarios.

I think Jim Plunkett did a good job initially. But perhaps his message got stale? I assume this news is part of the external review happening. Hopefully this opens the door to Jimmy Bartel and/or maybe Rory Sloan or even a Joel Selwood or a Luke Hodge taking on a leadership consultant role at the Demons?

I am neutral regarding Peter Lawrence. But if he is calling for transparency from the Melbourne Football Club Board shouldn't that be a good thing? Why couldn't Kate Roffey sit down with Peter Lawrence and reconcile things BEFORE they got to court? Or did they hate eachother's guts? Was there a huge personality clash between the two of them? Anyway, I hope Brad Green can "break bread" with Peter Lawrence and sort out these issues with him. I would be possibly open to supporting Peter Lawrence joining the Melbourne Board (if he gets enough votes and other Board members are willing to work with him). However, my only condition to supporting him is if he is willing to pay back the court costs that the Melbourne Football Club had to pay. Why? Because we as paying Melbourne members had to unwillingly endure that cost. It may seem unfair, but I assume Peter Lawrence is a wealthy man, and that money wasted on court costs, could of been invested into Club facilities at Casey, looked to promote membership in young people at schools, or even gone into a fund for our (hopeful) new Home Base at Caulfield Racecourse.

A wonderful interview! Fingers crossed Clayton Oliver stays at the Demons! 🤞

Pretty succinct. My own open letter would be pretty similar. An independent review needs to be independent. Otherwise, it is pointless. Gonna be one hell of a tense event at the Melbourne Best & Fairest on Friday night! Hopefully Clayton Oliver shows up! Christian Petracca sending a brief video message from Europe would be nice too. If he has time to do 2 or 3 minute Tik-Tok videos for cooking he could send a quick friendly message to Melbourne supporters at the Best & Fairest. I think President Brad Green and CEO Gary Pert will need to be upfront, honest and forthright with their explanations of what is actually happening at the Melbourne Football Club if they give speeches at the Best & Fairest. Whether that actually happens or not....we shall wait and see?!

I don't want to lose Clayton Oliver. In fact, I will be devastated if he leaves the Demons. But if we are forced to trade him then we need to get 2 first round draft picks. We should not accept anything less for a champion player.

I always liked big Preussy! Would love to see him squash Brayden Maynard into the dirt! Unfortunately, I don't think he could take an overhead mark?! Plus he was always injured. Would prefer him over Tom Campbell though.

Let's hope a few questions are answered at the Melbourne Best & Fairest. 1) What is going on with Clayton Oliver? Is he staying or going? 2) What is going on with Christian Petracca? Is he happy and have his issues been reconciled? 3) Why did Kate Roffey resign as President? Was it because of the radio interview or other matters? 4) What is happening with the external reviews of the Melbourne Football Club Board and the Football Department? 5) What is required as part of the next stage of the Home Base at Caulfield Racecourse? What is the ball-park figure estimated cost? 6) What is coach Simon Goodwin going to do to turn around our misfortunes for season 2025? I could go on, but I think those are the most pertinent questions that should ideally be answered.