Dr. Gonzo

And who is responsible for creating that culture/environment? He's not going to be out of the league, if he is still good enough to play senior footy then the club owes it to itself and the members/supporters to sort it out. Even if the club did think it best to part ways, the manner in which this is playing out is shambolic. A good club would have that discussion with the player and his manager and try and work on a solution, not go behind the players back fishing with other clubs only to have it leaked in the media and the player lose his trust in the club. The MFC is amateur hour at the moment, it reminds me of the bad old days under Schwab, Pert has to go he was a big part of the problems at Collingwood and he's brought those issues with him to Melbourne. Seems the only thing he's learnt is how to avoid being the subject of any reviews so this time he's made sure he's heading those reviews so he can't get the [censored].

Stop blaming the media for reporting on the clubs dysfunction and start blaming the club for being dysfunctional.

The club is a basketcase. We had two generational mids that we built a team around and got a flag while still in their mid 20s. Within 3 years we've reverted back to the basketcase we've been for 60 years and both those players (on long term contracts) want out. Heads must roll, the nuffies in charge are going to kill the club.

It is on the club for failing to manage it.

Not those heads more like it

The media! The media!! I heard this phrase on an NFL podcast yesterday and it is very apt - stop pointing fingers and start pointing thumbs.

Bang on the money @ChaserJ, it is despicable of the club to leak this [censored] into the media just to save their own reputations amongst the supporters to save their own hides.

What cultural problems? We have the best culture Pert's seen in 40 years in the game 🙄

Pert must go immediately.

The "shafting of Pert" is not solely down to the Clarry issue but that could be the final straw

PM me too please

The father-son rule was nice and quaint in the semi-professional league but in a fully professional competition with equalisation measures like the draft, salary cap etc there should be no father son or academy selections. It just gives free hits to clubs for no reason other than luck. Just because Marcus Ashcroft played for the Lions why should they get first dibs on his kids who may both end up being the best players in their draft? The team on the bottom of the ladder with #1 draft pick should have the choice of all available players and if he wants to go to the Lions/they want him then let them trade up to #1 to get him. If they can't satisfy a trade then it is bad luck. They probably should've changed the FS rules after the Cats got the Abletts, Scarlett and Hawkins.

Thanks for the links and the time to respond to me. Just to reiterate, I don't believe this is a media driven conspiracy, the media care about eyes on their product and car crashes sell better than good news stories. If it bleeds it leads, right? I don't agree with Hawk the Demon about everything, I do believe the current administration have run their course and it is time for an overhaul. That doesn't necessarily mean the board but it does mean the Pres/CEO and head of footy should go. I am not a Peter Lawrence supporter, I don't know him from a bar of soap. I do think his actions have been blown way out of proportion by the club and certain posters on here and that's why I may seem to be defending him - even if I don't back him I do back his right to have his say on the club. People complaining about receiving emails from him just come across as sooks or stooges for the current admin who btw spent plenty of money on ridiculous court cases that could have been settled. So your position is that certain individuals involved with construction companies have sought to overthrow the admins of several clubs to get a foot in the door on the construction of their new home base and Peter Lawrence is their proxy for Melbourne? Seems a bit far fetched to me considering there is no guarantee at all that we will ever see construction of a home base let alone have the board convinced to go with a company linked to a board member they have had legal troubles with. If Lawrence has been a large donor and player sponsor it seems his allegiance to MFC runs pretty deep, deeper than Pert, Roffey, our ex-Pres (HWSNBN) etc....

What we have now is not leading to any of those things. The people running the club are incompetent. I agree that leaving it up to the members to vote isn't a recipe for success but the mob in there at the moment have burnt any goodwill they may have had. 2021 is in the past, the only premiership I care about is the next one and the current administration are proving they are not fit to lead us there.

The club is a basketcase with these clowns in charge. Pert needs to go now, he was a huge cause of the issues at Collingwood and it seems he hasn't learnt from last mistakes. [censored] him off so we can get a proper review done without his fingerprints all over it.

It doesn't need to be closed, if you don't want to read it then don't.

If the players think he doesn't take his footy seriously and is only focused on making money/building his social media presence they need to take a good hard look in the mirror. Would they rather he join in JS's What's App?

Luckily anyone wanting to run in opposition to the clubs appointed board members will have the opportunity to raise any concerns they have with the members via the media so the members know who/what they are voting for. Oh, wait.....

Give me a break, you can stick your fingers in your ears and be wilfully ignorant to the issues at the club if you want but when the clubs best player in 60 years is so [censored] off that he wants to leave and when the "culture" has been allowed to deteriorate to the extent it has over the last 18 months under the watch of those running the club I prefer to hold those at the club accountable. Supporting the club is holding them accountable, it is not being a mindless cheerleader to some of the blow-ins using it to pump up their CVs.

Nothing reported has proven to be incorrect, has it? Stop blaming the media and look at the people making decisions at the club.

Blame everyone but ourselves, that'll work out well. Shooting the messenger etc

Is it so hard to believe that the people running the club have not been that great at what they do? Easier to believe in a media driven conspiracy? Peter Jackson and to a lesser extent Roos laid down the foundations for this club and after 5 years we've [censored] it up against the wall again. They've had a golden opportunity with the '21 flag to grow the club/cement out position and they've wasted it.

Don't like the hard stuff, what happened to Bloods Culture?

Sydney don't have the mongrel of the Lions. It is clear Brisbane came out with intent from the first minute. Swans didn't want to match them which is a disgrace for a team that had the minor premiership sewn up in June. One of the greatest premierships today by the Lions considering they came from 0-3 (2-5), considering the offseason they had, considering the had to win from 5th, had to win two knockout finals on the road, had to come back from 44 points down halfway thru the 3rd quarter of the semi, had to come back from multiple deficits in the Prelim and then romped it in with ease today. I don't mind the Lions as a club, there's a few players of theirs I dislike but you have to admire what they've achieved.

Probably end up buried in the top draw like Cam Schwab's "Andrews Report" that never saw the light of day.