praha

I think the OP is making reference to the new crop of leaders, not players who were drafted 8 years ago. None of the players mentioned in the OP has 100% proved themselves as genuine match-winners (excluding Brock in the 06 final against the Saints) and leaders, but they will be.

If there is a God, he loves Collingwood and hates the rest of the world. And I hate him.

I have not been a Melbourne fan for as long as many of you. While I was born into the fold, I never really started going to games until 1994. And what a year it was to start going to the footy. I remember our round 1 demolition of heavily fancied Geelong, and watching The Ox kick 9 goals against Sydney at the SCG on father's day in Round 22 to book us a finals birth. I remember being teased and heckled at school for being a Melbourne supporter, of which was pretty much unheard of in a northern suburbs school infested with Carlton and Collingwood fans. I was only in grade 3, but my knowledge of the game increased tenfold within a few months. Suddenly, I could say my 6x tables for as long as I wanted. No one else in my year level could do that. I knew almost every player on every team and I used to pretend I was Tony Modra, taking species on the corner of my couch. I wasn't just a Melbourne supporter - I was a football fanatic. Heading into the first clash against Carlton, I wasn't confident, but yet I didn't really understand the notion of losing, or "underdog". Melbourne was heavily tipped as the underdog, and given little to no chance of beating the near-invinicble 2nd placed Carlton. All week I got it from my mates, and when everyone in the school had to dress up in their favourite team colours, I was the only one in a school of 500 students to be dressed as a Melbourne fan. That, for me, was my darkest moment as a Melbourne fan. I was teased and heckled. I was made to think that being a Melbourne fan was a curse. The seemingly infinite number of Carlton supporters would lay in to me, making me feel like an outcast. I remember it as one of the worst weeks of my schooling days. Then we beat Carlton by 27 points. I remember the back page of the Herald Sun. Chopper Lovell had taken a screamer in front of the MCC in the last quarter. With the sun beaming in on him and his muscles flexed as he soared over a much larger Carlton player, the image perfectly represented Melbourne's day. It was like the kid being beat up and teased at school had finally worked up the courage to walk up to the bully and punch him right in the nose. Melbourne had no fear that day. For many of you, that day might seem like any other win. I'm sure some of you have seen more memorable wins, like the day at Whitten Oval against the Doggies to put us in the finals, which my dad still says to this day was the greatest day of his life (while overlooking the birth of his own three children...lol). But I understand him. For going on 20 years he had endured pain and suffering. And then finally, at the last hurdle, when everyone thought Melbourne would die like always, they stepped up and said "NO!" and steamrolled their way through their opponent. Another memorable moment for me was in 1998. We had been destroyed by Geelong and St. Kilda in consecutive weeks. The media had started to think that maybe the revival of the MFC - a team that had finished last the year before - was finally over, and that the same old poor MFC we all knew would come back up to light. Heading over to Perth to playing a super hot West Coast. No one, anywhere on the planet, expected Melbourne to win. A team that had lost by 150+ points over two weeks was playing a super hot team on their home soil. We had no chance. Then we won. The MFC has definitely endured pain over the past few years. And we've all experienced it. From going from premiership favourite at the start of 07, to bottoming out in 08. In 07 the sun that we all bathed in from 04-06 was finally starting to set, and in 08, the clock was at 4:30am - the darkest time. In 09 we still went through the night, knowing where we had to go, but not quite sure of how to get there. We were blinded by the darkness. And just like I've experienced in the past, the sun has started to rise on the MFC, just when everyone looks down at us from above. Right now, the clock reads 5:55am. The sun is rising, and soon it will be 6:00am - the dawn of a new day.

I wouldn't kick Liam Jurrah out of bed for farting.

5-10 wins and I'll be happy.

Born.

That game against Carlton is probably my earliest memory as a Melbourne supporter. I went to primary school in the northern suburbs, surrounded by Collingwood and Carlton supporters. I remember that week we had to dress up in our team colours on the Friday, and I was the only one in the school who was a Melbourne fan. Out of 500 students. I remember getting teased all day by Pies and Blues jumpers. Winning that game was amazing. 2nd vs. 7th. Absolutely unreal. One of my most memorable moments. Easily one of my top 5 Melbourne wins since I've been supporting. And that very last goal in that video, I remember it vividly. I was sitting in the Southern Stand in the pocket. They replayed it over and over again over the next week. Loved it. And yeah, the ox was a superstar before he did his knees.

I believe it's only for suspensions made during the home and away season He might go for eye gouging.

Crows by 96...

Bulldogs, Saints, Crows or Lions. If it's anyone else I'll cry.

11

They'll try for a trade this year. If not, another year at Casey will be a good way to see him off. Hope to never see him in the senior side again!

2 statements: 50,000 members Lots of money

It's official. TANKING!

I think the slogan needs to be aimed at the generation Y crowd. So it should be: "Supz? We will win heeps of gamez dis yere. Pr0mise."

Godspeed, Wrecker. Godspeed.

So you think it's a travesty that the best player in a team that won only 4 games isn't in the AA team?

Hawthorn dramatically over achieved last year. You can't doubt that. They started playing awesome football, and the young players just got on an unstoppable roll. Everyone thought they were still 2-3 years away. St. Kilda had a great chance from 2004-2006 and ultimately blew it. 2007 they were adjusting to a gameplan, and 2008 saw them back up again. I thought Thomas did an OK job, but they did underachieve for a few years. They had a super team in 2004 when they started 10-0. I am still not confident they can take it this year though. If Thomas held the Saints back, then Daniher tied us to the ground, beat us, tortured us and kept us locked up in an underground dungeon.

2095 for me.... eerie.

Today is the first day of the rise. From here on in, we only get better.

Yes it is Phase 2. The start of the rise. And we won't be playing in the Grand Final next year.

If the Cats, Saints or Doggies don't win it, I want it to be the Crows. Anyone but Collingwood!

That picture has "captain" all over it - strength, anger, dedication. Not saying that other candidates don't have them, but that image is the sort of image that is used for decades and decades. I want him as Captain after Junior. 2010 will be his ultimate year.

He is contracted, so no. I wouldn't condone sacking a young player who is contracted, even if he is crap. May as well let him TRY and develop for another year.