Grand New Flag

Dees Dayz:I could not agree with you more about the sort of player McLean must become. I have been discussing with my friends that McLean must mould his game into one similar to which Diesel Williams played. Afterall a very slow player who won 2 or was it 3 Brownlows.

I strongly feel Brad Green should lead our club. He is one of two established class players (the other being Davey). He is skillful, clean, tuff, always goes hard and has delived through both good times and bad. Brad Green for Captain! I feel Davey should be his deputy.

I am a huge fan of Junior, and unlike many on this forum I think his form this year (except v West Coast) has been quite good. However, it is clear he is coming to the end of his career with his last season to be 2009 or 2010. This being the case it seems likely that there will be a new captain for the 2010 season and definitely for the 2011 season. So who should it be?

Here, Here Belze!!!! However, this plan will only work if we indeed fail to win 5 games this year. Although I hate this sort of talk pick 1,2, and 18 will make the difference between Melbourne being a premiership team in years to come and being up there but always a good player or 3 off a Premiership team like we were during our last tilt, during the Neitz reign. Like Carlton in 07 (who were 4 wins after 10 rounds, then lost the last 12), we must manage our list and experiment with young players and positions to ensure that we do not win too many games. Personally I don't think we are good enough to win 5 games this season anyway. But we are atleast a 5 goal better team than last year and last year we won 3 so lets learn how to win next year. Scully and Butcher would polish our list and set us for an extended period in the sun with Premierships.

I have just been on the BOM site. It is definitely going to be cold and wet. Most likely with regular heavy showers. The rain band should pass during Saturday night but it looks highly likely that there will still be plenty of rain around and the ground is likely to be about as heavy as the MCG gets after about 30mm of rain. (which is still not that heavy) I disagree that the wet suits the crows, Melbourne's strength in the midfield is its in and under players, essentially all our midfielders are all of this bread. Moloney in particular is a proven wet weather specialist and could well dominate the game. Our weakness is our tall forwards (although both Juice and Miller performed last week). On a wet day the crows tall forwards are likely to be equally as inept, levelling the crows advantage in this area. We have a real chance in these conditions. The last time Melbourne played in the wet was against Brisbane in round 3 of the NAB Challenge Cup this year in Cairns. An under strength Melbourne destroyed a close to full strength Brisbane outfit. Moloney, Mac, Brook were our best. The same players I expect to play well on Sunday. Juice needs to be rested for this game if the conditions are very wet, he will produce nothing and lose the little confidence he gained last week. He will struggle to even make a contest and we all know if he does take a mark he will not kick straight in the wet, windy conditions. Maric should be brought in his place. I would look to play a very small forward line. Perhaps bring Silvia to FF with short rotations on the ball. I am tempted to change my tips to the Dees.

Mousey: I agree totally. My post was not about wanting to lose. Far from it. I want to win as many games as possible and would prefer to win and not get Priority Pick. However, what i was trying to point out is that the reality is we are highly, highly unlikely to win more than 4 games. I hope I am wrong. But if I am not its not all bad news.

Like most of you, I love the Melbourne Football Club and go almost every week. I have watched through all the pain of the last two seasons and been at the G for our first two hit outs this season. I think we are improving and that the signs for the future are good. However, there is no way in the world we will win 5 games this year. Simply we are not good enough. Last year we won 3 games all against interstate teams at the MCG. Two of these games we one by less than a goal and there were very few other games we were competitive and were a chance of winning. Looking at the fixture the games that we are likely to win are all in the second half of the season. In fact not to round 14 do I give us much chance of a win. R3 Port - AAMI - Considering our record at AAMI stadium, a win would be a loss by less than 6 goals. No chance of winning. R4 Rich - MCG - Perhaps our best chance of winning a game in the first half of the season but still unlikely. Tiger pain and Tiger hunger will not let them lose this one. R5 Adel - MCG - Adelaide would need to put in shocker, they beat Collingwood at G last week and appear to be a far better team. R6 Geel – MCG – No chance R7 WC – Subiaco – Winning interstate is still someway off for this team. We will not beat West Coast at home. R8 WB – MCG – WB simply too strong and experienced. It would take a major upset. Highly unlikely. R9 Haw – MCG – Too skilled, too strong, too much talent. Simply no chance. R10 St.K – Gold – I rate St. Kilda this season, they will come top 4 maybe top 2. We will not win this one. R11 Coll – MCG – We match up well with this group, but they are a likely top 4 experienced side. Very slim chance of winning. Mass improvement from last weekend required. R12 Ess – Telstra – Hard to see us winning away from the MCG. Essendon will probably be too fast and slick for us at Telstra Dome. If this game was at the MCG I would give us some chance but hard to see us winning at Telstra. Melbourne would need to have a great day. Some chance of winning but unlikely. R13 Brisb – Gabba – Can’t see us winning interstate. R14 WCE – MCG – A very good chance of winning this one. WCE will struggle to win games away from Subi and we will probably be due for a win by this stage. R15 Port – MCG- If Ports seasons has not gone sour due to their high expectations, we will have a fair chance of winning this one. R16 Geel – Skilled – No comment required R17 Syd – Manuka – Sydney will not loss this one. Sydney have great support and a great record at this ground. Their experience and big bodies are likely to be too much for the young Dees. R18 Rich – MCG – If as likely the Tiger wheels have fallen off, we are a chance here. R19 NM – Telstra – Outside chance of a win, however NM likely to be in running for top 8 and will not let this one go. R20 Frem – MCG – We could go in favourites, on paper our most likely win. R21 Carton – Telstra – We will almost give this one away if a Priority Draft Pick was up for grabs. If so bet your house we will lose. Even if you get $1.10. R22 St.Ki – MCG – The top 4 bound St.Kilda Men are likely to destroy the tired worn out Melb Boys, our boys looking to the break an priority pick, their men with thoughts on a Flag. No chance. The way I see it we are unlikely to win a game until the second half of the season. 4 wins in the second half of the season would be a good return but would also be about as much as we could hope for. I know we are likely to have a shock win along the way (can’t wait), but we are certainly not going to win more than half of the 6 games I give us any realistic chance. End result: Priority Draft Pick: Pick 1 & 2. Are we this bad: Yes, but the future looks very bright.

Undeeniable: Are you sure this is true? I seem to remember reading in the paper that GC received a large percentage of the first rounds picks. My memory was they received something like 2,3,4,67,10...... Are they only allowed to pick up 17yo with these picks? What I am certain about is that if Melbourne comes lasts and fails to win at least 5 games, Melbourne will receive the #1 pick + Priority Pick (at the beginning of the 1st round as two seasons of under 5 wins). In other words if we fail to win 5 games we will receive the 1st and 2nd pick.

Agreed this deal is massive for the reasons you mentioned above. This is the best thing that could happen to Melbourne FC. Yes, even better than a flag as it genuinly secures our future!! Now we have a home, cultural and historical identity, and commercial support, we can for the first time properly build for a flag. I have been waiting for this to happen for 20 years. Its historic for our club. Full marks must go to Jimmy. I know that our various boards have been trying to do this for at least 15 year with simply no luck. Well done again Jimmy, your a great man.

Relax, the press release was scheduled for 11am. I was given an invite, 10:45am for 11am.

So your saying the MFC was born 1858 from the MCC but independent, at some stage in the late 1800s the MCC took over the MFC, then split in 1984 and now hopefully taken over again in 2009.

The MCCs significance moving forward will be not as great as the past if they don't have an AFL club. I am sure the MCC would like a Soccor and Rugby Union affiliate as well.

The MFC was born from the MCC in 1858. Originally the football club was established as a way to keep cricketers fit during winter. For the next 126 year until 1984 the MFC was a 100% owned club under the MCC umbrella. The problem was the old boys in the MCC still ran the MFC as an amateur club in a time when Australian Rules Football turned professional. Thus Melbourne became a basket case team. In 1984 Barrassi as coach broke the MFC from the MCC so as he and the MFC could finally be free of the weight of doing things "The MCC Way". Much of MCC board were devastated by the split and the MCC has walk around with a genuine chip on their shoulder about this for most of the last 25 years. Since 1984 for the most part the MCC gave the MFC no favours, treating MFC exactly the same as every other tenant despite having over a quarter of its members as Melbourne supporters. The MFC (except on the rare occasion) has not even been able to train on the MCG and been given no home ground advantage. The MCC has teams in almost every sport you can think: golf, tennis, lawn bowls, cricket, shooting, basketball, squash etc. It is only natural that they want a team in AFL. At the end of the day if MFC was to relocate or fold the MCC would have more to lose than any other organisation. For the MCC to maintain its importance moving forward you would think that they would need to have a AFL club under its umbrella as a part of the cricket club. Lets wait and see but this could be more important for our future than winning a flag.

My understanding is that this story is true. I know that the MCC and MFC have been close to a deal for some time This is potentially better news than winning a flag, as it secures our future.