Dr. Gonzo

I'd take anything she says with a grain of salt just like everything else on here. Even with a good track record she would only be reiterating speculation she has heard from "insiders" at the club. Who knows what that may amount to. Make no mistake though, if they do charge us with tanking it will be one of the biggest stories in the history of the game so I'd prepare to batten down the hatches.

Look I don't disagree with the sentiment but in a situation like this, even if you win, you lose. The AFL will control our destiny long after any court case ends. If we were in the position of a Collingwood or West Coast I might agree but we rely on the AFL to prop us up from going out of business, let alone any other considerations like fixturing/broadcasting etc. And really, despite what anyone might say here I find it hard to believe anyone thinks it wasn't our intention to secure picks 1 & 2. Knowing and proving are obviously two different things which is why all this will depend on what kind of evidence the AFL has. If they have documented evidence of a clear strategy to ensure we lose games it's a no contest. If it's just subjective opinions against other subjective opinions well thats another matter.

You can't fight city hall (or rather you can but you'll lose).

For those interested; I've always thought it would make a great doco to do something on the merger, not just between us but also proposed mergers between Fitzroy/Bulldogs, Fitzroy/North etc that also fell through. Would love to have the time and resources to do it one day (would need to see if I could source footage of the Dallas Brooks Hall and Camberwell Civic Centre other than the brief clips on That Was The Season That Was 1996 - the atmosphere in those halls that night was fiercely electric and not necessarily in a good way.)

I wasn't around but I hear 1981-1986 were pretty horrible (in fact 1966-1986 were pretty horrible!) but we finished 3rd (and should have been 2nd) in 1987.

1995 we just missed finals, 1996 & 1997 were horrible years think we won the spoon in 1997 then made prelim in 1998. We also had a poor finish in 1999 then made the GF the next year. We also boomeranged from a poor finish in 1993 (10th? albeit with a 50% winning record) to a prelim in 1994 and then of course there were the 2001-2006 yo-yo years under Daniher although admittedly we didn't rise to top 4 during those years. And of course we went from a poor finish in 1953 to GF the next year but that's all ancient history now.

Yeah me too SD64 - however I've changed my reserved seats this year (only changed them two weeks ago) so that may be the reason??

The bankers and profiteers would disagree.

That's true for some people. For me some of the best times I have had have been on drugs and I seriously believe I would not be the person I am today if it weren't for marijuana, LSD & MDMA. I've used alcohol many times as well and would say that it can be good also, but for the most part is one of the most useless drugs with some of the worst side-effects. Drugs are certainly not "evil"; they are not good either, they just are. Their benefits or otherwise come down to the person using them, similarly to alcohol. Some people drink alcohol and it acts as a social lubricant others use it and they turn depressed or aggressive usually because they are stupid or have underlying problems to begin with. Similarly with other drugs they all have their pro's and con's it is not a one way street. Drugs like LSD & MDMA can and should be used in psychotherapy but due to the fundamentalist policies of the US imposed on the rest of the world over the last 40 years unfortunately this has not been the case. The problem with footballers using drugs (aside from the fact they make their living from keeping their bodies in peak physical shape) is that for the most part, footballers are meatheads with low levels of education and so they are far more likely to feel the negative effects of drugs and are far more likely to use drugs like meth or coke which have fewer redeeming qualities when used in those circumstances and are probably as likely as alcohol to get them into trouble. Despite that I really don't see why players should be tested unless the claims are that these drugs are performance enhancing. If not then they should not be tested (particularly off-season) and it should not even really be an issue unless it starts to effect theit performance or they begin to suffer from addiction. As in society at large the best course clubs or the AFL can take is to educate players on the effects of the drugs both short and long term and move away from a punitive system. Of course if a player is found using drugs in the lead-up to a game the club has every right to suspend them as they would if they went out on the booze.

Finals. That is the aim and my expectation at the start of every year. Then these expectations are readjusted depending on how well/poorly we are doing

I agree OD it may seem stupid or trivial but the stupid thing is how difficult it seems to be to get something like this right.

Watched the Grand Final there this year, was pretty good and the foods alright as well (most Fridays they have a spit roast going probably Saturdays as well).EDIT: BTW your idea of a shuttle down the Yarra on match days is great - while the Wharf isn't exactly too accessible by train (though Spencer/Flinders St are close enough) you could drive in park around that area or at Crown and catch the boat down to the G. Solves the problem of waiting in traffic on Punt Road/Wellington Pde as well and the food will be much better than you get at the crappy MCG outlets.

Yeah so anyway, the membership pack sounds great can't wait to get mine!!

Positive feedback is one thing but choosing not to purchase memberships this year if you cant get one at the tent round 1 is another. Surely turning up to the game half an hour earlier and just waiting in the queue isn't too difficult? If you get through quickly you can even have a kick of the footy with your kids in the MCG carpark.

Did you ever think that maybe the people at the Demon Shop were telling you the truth? That they couldn't sell you a membership there this year even though it may have been different in the past? What do you want them to do if that's the case, you can't draw blood from a stone. This is what's wrong with the club instead of unity within there's always this selfish crap about "what's in it for me" and "how do I benefit". Really it's not that big a deal you can always go online to buy them, ring up 1300 DEMONS, or just go to the members tent at the next game. Pretty petulant attitude to have to say that if you can't get them at the tent round 1 you won't bother joining at all. The other option is of course to turn up earlier and, if there is a queue, to queue up and wait your turn.

Nah mate, there's at least two of us here!

To paraphrase Homer Simpson, he's just passionate like all us Greeks. MFC website says he's the first MFC player of Greek heritage since Luke Beveridge (must have been on his mum's side) - and it's about time too.

He's not soft, he's Greek. Will prove to be a steal, cannot believe the Giants went O'Rourke over him.

From a competitive perspective perhaps. Financially, no way in hell.

Just make it 17 games over 18 rounds everyone plays each team once plus a bye (or over 19 weeks with an extra week for State of Origin and/or U18 carnival) - alternating H&A each year and travelling to WA, SA, NSW, QLD once each year. Either that or divide the ladder based on previous years ladder positions so teams who finish 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16 in 2012 play twice in 2013 and so forth. Easiest, fairest and most transparent way available.

Well he is from Adelaide.

Just quietly, that's not always a good sign...

I agree, but then again that's what I thought when we drafted McLean, Sylvia & Moloney. I still hope we get Wines but it seems our recruitment goes round in circles constantly trying to catch our tail. After Brisbane dominated we tried to bulk up our midfield. After that we were too slow so tried to recruit "skilled athletes" (debatable how skilled or athletic they were) - now with our list being too skinny and outside we are going back the other way getting in Viney & (probably) Wines to go with Jones. I'm not saying I don't want Wines, and if we got O'Rourke I'd be thinking "here we go another Morton" - I guess I'm just too jaded by our prior drafting and will wait with baited breath to see how it actually turns out.

I don't mind the idea of "Casey Demons" for the VFL. Would help us with our push into that area, not that I'm ever going to trek down that way.

I doubt it - EnergyWatch only came on board in late 2011.