hoopla

I knew you'd say that Rhino! I just wanted to make the point that the directors were/are accountable .... and that it was open to the members to stand against them if they wished to do. One way or another we have just appointed them for the next three years - and that is where we should be expecting them to focus.(Sorry... I'll move on now!) Yes.... that is exactly how it should be!

Of course it is not a matter of just tossing out the incumbents ..... they had already resigned.We voted them back into office !!. It's not particularly logical to vote first and assess later.

4 of the directors resigned and stood for re-election. Anyone unhappy with their perforamnce had the right to stand against them.You can't have greater accountability than that.

Having said that I had no problem with last night, there is one uncertainty surrounding 186 that is relevant going forward ... and that I would have liked Don to clarify. Someone asked me this morning - "Was anything said about Cameron Schwab's position?"" Is he still under a short-term contract that expires at the end of this season?". The press reported last year that he was on very thin ice. It can be inferred from last night that everything flows out of CS's red and blueprint - and that he is integral to our long-term plans. It might help erase any remaining suspicions about our off-field unity - and kill of any media mischief - if the Board came straight out and said that.

Yes. Positive yet realistic. He didn't categorically refuse to ask questions about last year - he discouraged questions that would just rake over old ground. Clearly he didn't intend to answer questions like " Why didn't you let DB see out the season?" and "Why was he sacked over the phone?" and "Why did you approach Brad Green just before the Geelong game?" etc etc. There was nothing to gained by going to through issues with last years football department. A new department is now in place with a new Football Director - and as Chairman he was bound to make that point. Nothing disturbing about that,He said several times he was happy to talk with anybody about anything.

I can't agree with this. AGMs are not supposed to be entertaining. Take me to a long colourful AGM full of argument, debate, requests for information etc - and I'll show you a fragmented organisation with a divided membership.It was precisely because it was a short positive AGM that I thought it was probably the most encouraging I have been too. Traditionally coaches have not spoken at AGM's. Often AGM's are held when the players are on leave. Neeld was asked to be brief - so that the players could get home for dinner and bed. I'm glad he didn't keep them sitting there so that he could preach to the converted. Whether or not we come to love Neeld depends on our on-field performance. I'm pleased that he, at least, realises that! Jim's departure did introduce an edge of sadness into the night - but the fact that it was a just routine AGM was very much a plus

Nothing to say Jim - except thankyou - and best wishes to you Sam, Matisse and Tiernan

This is a fundamental point. There is no doubt that we have age profile of our membership base is heavily skewed to those who grew up in the glory days. I suspect that many of our supporters are going to " retire" from going to the football over the next decade. This means we are going to have generate a lot of new members just to retain our present numbers. We could attract more new members than any other club without actually climbing up the membership table I have no doubt the club is acutely aware of this - and that it is one of the reasons for our investment in the youthful Casey growth corridor

Not quite true! A skinny person can put on weight with a diet - and weights program- geared specifically to weight gain. But that means no long distance running - and the sacrifice of endurance and flexibility. The "Morton is too skinny" sentiment that has run from thread to thread for the last couple of years is getting a bit tiresome. Cale needs to make better use of his assets - height and running ability- by developing cleaner hands and crisper ball use. . Neeld started with a blank sheet of paper. We should do the same - and give Morton our support.

Agree

True .... and the previous Board initiated reconciliation with the MCC. Gardner, Phillips and Co developed many of the ideas Jim, Don and Co. have run with.

What an absolute load of nonsense. You state that it is a myth that Jim saved the club because he did not personally improve our facilities, build our list or develop Casey etc.. Yet you acknowledge that these things wouldn't have happened without him - and you agree that he inspired and united. What the hell do you expect a leader to do? Under your thesis, Churchill didn't beat Hitler because he didn't get into the bunker with a a machine gun! What has JIm done wrong? Was it his fault that, our Football Director ( Andrew Leoncelli) moved to Sydney - and that no-one else was prepared to step forward to fill the void? I am delighted that so many others have torn this critical post to threads

Even during his promising AFL debut last season, Max's knee was heavily strapped. Either physically or mentally therefore Max had not fully recovered from his first knee reconstruction. "Nonsense", you say, "it was just a habit or a security blanket of some sort". Well - if he needed a security blanket, then deep down he wasn't confident his knee was OK ...... mentally at least he had not fully recovered. In the new article, he makes pointed reference to the fact that the surgeon commented that his "knee looked better than ever". Let's hope than when he comes back this time he will have a bigger upper body - and won't need to rely on a knee bandage. He has huge potential. Players of his his height and mobility can mean the difference between good sides and premiership contenders

I'm not sure that I completely accept this - for it implies that the "moral based" argument is less than fully "rational" To me it is entirely rational to focus on the "positive" when considering the contribution of those who have a track record of quality service. Some would argue that to seek to find fault with legends /heroes is less than helpful - if not destructive. Well written Kento. I withdraw my comment completely. As you have said it was based on your first sentence taken out of context - and was therefore entirely inappropriate The thrust of my post was my frustration at the negativism of others - not your little factual error. Your opinions are well worth reading ( quite apart from the fact that they seem to be the same as mine!!)

I saw James' surgeon a few days after the operation. He said that for injuries of that type the operation was as clean as he had ever seen. About a month down the track he commented that James was on track to come back in record time. He also said that he was impressed with James attitude - and with his obvious commitment to the MFC. His onfield performances to date have not convinced me - but clearly he has an up-side. We need him to step up - because the "Bartram option" is not good enough.

Sorry mate...all Board positions are voluntary positions. I can't take seriously the views of anyone whose opinions are based on the extraordinary misconception that Jim and Don and Co do what they do for money!! So am I. Amazed , disappointed .... even ( as a Melbourne supporter) embarrassed! Well VOD - you might be Very Old - but you are also Very Wise : Well said!!

We don't yet have the full picture on the reporting structure through to the Board. I would presume that the Executive responsible for sports performance (Neil Craig) would have some sort of reporting line to the CEO (Cameron Schwab) .You would hope that reporting arrangements do not encourage Neil and Cameron to operate independently of one another. The press have fueled a perception that last year Cameron spent too much time on Football Department matters. We don't want to go the other extreme of removing admin, marketing, community relations from the core football business they support

Have read your postings with interest, Yoko ....thankyou. On the (limited) basis of attendance at one session,it seems to me that your comments on JW's training are spot on. On the day I went, his energy and enthusiasm stood out. At the end of several drills, he had a laugh with a mate- but then he screamed out encouragement to the next bloke in line- and charged back into the fray. The fact that his face wasn't lined with tension didn't mean he wasn't putting in. To the contrary he used his voice to add a level of intensity to all the competitive drills. My mate who has always been sceptical about JW's potential had to agree that he was very impressive that day - not just for his obvious handling and kicking skills - but also for his enthusiasm

Trouble is that the face of the Fox Footy Channel will be the face of the President of one of the competing clubs. He has already stated publicly that he will try to "destroy" one of the interstate clubs if it tries to pinch ( within the rules) one of "our players". How can he credibly promote the competition into markets he has ridiculed?

Does that mean we've all but got our second sponsor .... or that they have finally decided that they'll have to go with one?

I think what he means is that we weren't fit enough to turn around and run back hard the other way! You are right. Davey has been nursing injuries for a long time - and he might be under strict instructions not to risk a recurrence by pushing himself to the limit. Blease might be on a program designed to improve his strength and power rather than his endurance. The fact that he may not yet have the aerobic capacity of others doesn't necessarily mean that he is not working hard enough. To the extent that we don't have inside information on things like that - I'd prefer to give the players the benefit of the doubt. Correct. I'd like to think that he is doing exactly what the fitness staff have told him to do. Neeld and co may have decided that he is not a natural mid-fielder and that - given his history with injury - modified his program accordingly. Some will jump all over this .. "Bullsh - he's just soft!".... but we don't actually know.

What was worse..... we picked the weaker of the two first!!

Agree. It certainly takes the gloss off the positive financial outlook set out in our Annual Report.

The Cockatoo Collins boys!!Both plucked out of school to play a Friday night game at the G against Geelong. Huge fuss about them .... long-term potential through the roof.David never played AFL again - and Donald got maybe 2 other games I guess they don't belong in this thread - because despite the initial publicity- they were Nevercoodabeens Back on topic - its hard to go past Allen Jacovich

The article was about "change" .... and to that extent it was interesting - surely? A lot of it may have been about the softness of our previous regime - or simply about the exponential development of the game as a whole - but it was interesting to read about the "all or nothing" approach of our new coaching panel. I have no doubt that all the other clubs have lifted the bar as well - but I wonder whether they are experiencing quite the same cultural change as we are.