DirtyDees DDC

Ron what do you expect a foundation member to say????

I spoke to Tom early this week and we had a good chat about his contract, what he thinks of the club, the coach etc etc he confirmed that he hasn't even had an offer from GWS and hasn't spoken to them. He is expecting an offer because of the rumours but know its just football as usual. Which goes against the rumour the information above.

He actually asked me if supporters were upset at him for waiting but thats what some footy people had told him. In his own words '18 months ago I was hoping to play an AFL game now there is a real possibility that I could have to make the biggest decision of my life' (don't try to read something into a ten word sentence out of an hour conversation) If an offer comes at the rumoured values his decision will change the course of his career whichever way it goes.

This story broke on the rumour file on Feb 1 2011, but there were whispers late last year about this offer from GWS.

Wolfmother.....weren't you the person who first raised this issue on Demonland last December, after a conversation with someone in the family?

My only connection to Tom's family and friends came from a brief meeting in late February. At that time they thought he'd stay. In fact the quote was 'what the $#&@ is going on here?' in relation to all the stories in the media. It was the first they'd heard of it.

Does Martin's contract come up for renewal this year (together with Wonna and Maric)?

Tom Scully is old enough to understand that it's causing the club a lot of embarrassment and concern he is also old enough to understand that it is very disruptive to the players and the club. If it's money he wants then GWS win out so let's make the decision and get on with it. There are other players in his age group, who are as good, who have made their decision and have decided to stay and show some loyalty, all Tom has shown so far is he is interested in the financial side of things and nothing else. Good on him if he is driven by the Dollar but if that's the case I don't want him around the club because this will come back every time his contract is up for negotiation.

it says a lot to me about the man if this is the way he operates and i don't like what i see.

No. I actually admire Scully for sticking to his guns. He said he would put off a decision till the end of the season, and that is the status quo at the moment despite all the massive media speculation.

Destabilising the club? I disagree. My impression is that the club has been very supportive of Scully through his knee injury and with our media statements.

It has certainly tested our supporters but we better get used to it. Free agency comes in from 2012. If we make the finals in 2013-14, it could be with a very different side to the team against Freo today.

Having always believed he would stay I now believe he is gone. Had a long conversation this morning with a friend with several Melbourne and non Melbourne contacts, All roads lead to GWS then back to Victoria as was suggested last night. He doesn't see himself as a Melbourne player, wants out, will take the money and will then return to play for a power club. We'll take the compensation, spread our player payments around the club, recruit Viney and another top draftee.

I've got 3 sources. Two say he might stay. One says he might go. Looks like we wait till the end of the season.

There is NO law that says he must make a decision before round 22 and why should we expect it from him and not from Sylvia or Morton or everyone else. That is Tom's right as an AFL player. What is the point of putting him in the Casey team if he hasn't made a decision? What are we going to do? Twist his arm? Maybe chinese burns anyone?

It would be nice if we found out now, but if not, then we just have to suck it up and wait. Let's put this thread to rest.

Gee what about Rhys Palmers' fall from Grace. Wasn't he the rising star winner in 2009?

I heard from 3 officials today. One thinks he may go. Two think he may stay.

This is how it stands at the moment - no one knows for certain either way.

Looks like we will have to wait till after the season ends.

The most replies was another thread about Scully that was closed.

THAT'S ME!!!! Hey I started that thread. Surely I'm due for a prize here. Maybe even a discount on my annual Demonland membership!!

As for Schwartz, 'The Age' says his sources are within the MFC. I'm not sure if Schwartz actually revealed his sources.

It was interesting to compare their preparations, noting that the two clubs are coming off different breaks.

Last year we had a longer on-field training session at the Junction oval on the Sunday before the QB clash.

Perhaps this year the MFC chose to use the better facilities at AAMI park and move some of the session indoors.

As for the extra lines on the Collingwood practice oval, check them out. We use the No. 2 oval near AAMI park and the corner of Punt Rd and Swan St. They use the No. 1 oval next to Punt Rd and Boulton Parade. And a correction - it's Gosch's Paddock, not Gosch's Park.

Go Dees.

Or

He's just calling it as he sees it and enough reputable people have told him he's gone.

You can bury your beneath the sand for only so long.

Eventually inaction (on Scully's and his Management) becomes too obvious.

There are no REAL reasons why he wouldn't begin negotiation in some form other than the reason being because he's already gone.

Yes there are, for the same reason that dozens of other players wait till the end of the year.

They believe they can get a better deal.

I checked out the training this foggy cold morning at Gosch's park.

The Dees had a short and sweet session. Some one-step kicking drills, some handball, and a few shots at goal. Sylvia trained with this group.

Rivers, Frawley, Bartram, McDonald and McKenzie were in a separate group. They walked the boundary and did some handball and kicking drills. Someone told me they were just doing a separate training program - so no cause for alarm.

In summary it was a nice friendly session and everyone looked ok.

Then i thought i would wander over to the Collingwood training oval. They started their session as we finished ours.

I'd love to say how slow they looked and how they lacked skill. Sadly ...not so.

They are a seriously big unit with great kicking skills. They went through a longer, harder session with emphasis on match drills and firing shots at goal from contested possessions. They are 2-3 years ahead of us in physical development. The only skinny looking kid in their line-up is Andrew Krakouer.

They also have different lines on their practice oval compared to ours. In their forward zone they have straight lines leading out approx 30 degrees each side of the left and right goal posts, and they draw further circles or arcs withing the 50 metre line, creating a couple of rectangular spots just forward of the goal square.

An assistant coach told me it was designed to set up various zones near the goals. He was surprised when i told him we did not have similar lines at our practice oval.

We have a number of players who look underdone compared to their team (Gysberts, Evans, Scully, Morton, Gawn and Howe).

I think it's great we are giving these kids a chance in the big game; just don't expect them to perform miracles tomorrow.

However 2013 could be very different. Go Dees.

Cook kicked four and should have had more (and that rotten Fevola stole a mark off him in the second). The stats have him at only 81 kg but it looks like he can play football. I'm happy to have him spend the rest of the year at Casey. He's got good hands, good feet and a good head. He just needs to bulk up and improve the defensive side of his game.

Blease did some very good things; maybe he needs to copy Stockdale and increase his work rate.

Garland was quiet, yet he will probably play next week.

No Change.

Int - Jones, Gawn, Jetta, Evans.

Em - Bartram, Bate, Petterd.

Looks like Nicholson gets a guernsey to start the match. That's a good move. We need a quick left footer at 183cms with good disposal. He could fill a spot on the backline, or pinch hit in midfield. Go Dees.

Greater Western Coast?

Oops. Teach me to type when sober. correction on the way.

Great article that one.

Rich man's Mitch Robinson..... love it

Yes. Jordie McKenzie IS a rich Man's Mitch Robinson. I wish I'd said that. I probably will.

WJ I sprawled these threads endlessly begging we pick up Tom Lynch and no-one bought it.

Come draft day, it was the last on their pick I think it was 12 and we had pick 14, and they read out Tom Lynch.

I was absolutely devestated and honestly saw our chance to rise quickly go with missing out on him. I guess time will tell..

We picked Cook as our first draft pick at 12. GC called Toms name out at 11 but they also had picks 9 and 10 which they used for Prestia and Gorringe.

They could just as easily picked Lynch at 9 or 10, and the MFC recruiters believed that GC were simply playing games by picking him at 11.

I don't think it's a coincidence that an article on Morton appears in the same edition as a story by Gary Lyon about St Kilda trading Brendan Goddard to GWS. It's been rumoured for a while that Goddard may go there. Perhaps Gary is suggesting we use similar tactics with Morton.

I have no evidence, because there isn't any.

All I can confirm is that nothing has been signed. Mate of mine works for Hutchy and the mail at Croc Media is that GWS is confident, only because of the fact that they can offer so much more than us.

They shouldn't be so cynical about the intentions of a 19 year old that just wants to play footy and be successful. The kid recently moved into a place with his sister in the SE suburbs of Melbourne and I just can't see him leaving his family here in Melbourne.

And Mike Sheahan is an old Melbourne supporter with the same hang-ups many Melbourne supporters have surrounding "what makes our club so special to override all that money" and I also think 'Gubby' Allan is abusing his friendship with him by being deliberately coy. Constant speculation and doubt helps GWS.

Thanks for the response. I asked the same question to a couple of members who are certain he is going, and got no answer.

Tom wants be a successful player and a part of a premiership team. Tom has said that nothing has been signed. The Melbourne Football Club have to convince Tom that his best chance of becoming the greatest player he can possibly be will occur if he stays at the MFC. Money will be a factor in the negotiations, but so will location, family, our coaching line-up for 2012, and the teams' performance this season.

The kid is a professional, and a born 'do as I do' leader.

I cannot stress this enough - Tom will be a great.

And he will be a Melbourne great.

RPFC - you've been quite positive throughout all the speculation about Tom that he would be staying at Melbourne.

Others have been adamant he is going, and Sheahan, Barrett, and Ralph from the Herald-Sun say he could be heading north to GWS.

Do you have any evidence, or is it just a gut feeling?

Those wizards at the "Bomberblitz' website also reckon he will go. That sounds like firm evidence he'll stay.

Gawn, but not forgotten.

I watched him against the swans and he was so terrible. Great to see him return to form. He even set up a goal with great disposal. Well done Jarryd.

The guy who should be bagged is ch 10 commentator Luke Darcy. He strongly implied that Davey was pretending he had a leg injury during the St Kilda game.

You can bold McDonald and Davis as well, theyre both on our senior list...

And Is that Cameron Johnston on the interchange bench too?

As far as I am concerned he has made his decision. There is only one reason why the door has been shut. If he hasn't gone yet then his actions are very selfish and will continue to destabilise and ferment uncertainty at this fragile club and quite frankly if that is the case he can get lost.

Just about every other high profile GWS candidates have been more engaging and eager to sort out their position on the matter. A player of his stature should have been secured a long time ago. If not it is either through incompetence at the club or he had decided to leave a long time ago thus leaving us high and dry.

Once again..do you have any proof, or do you just have a gut feeling that Scully is leaving?

However (injuries accepted), there is no excuse for lack of commitment. Two comments this morning on the channel 9 footy show highlighted the point. Dermott Brereton mentioned that LJ would not need an ice bath, because as sublimely skilled as he is, his intensity at the contest is, at best, tepid. Shane Crawford said, "when it's your turn, you've got to go" - read Aaron Davey. Jack Watts was a highlight for me yesterday, Evans was solid for a debut game, Gysberts is and will be a gun and it is good to see Maric getting more of it, but these guys need to see that they are playing at a club that has strength in its mindset, a mentality that you're there for your mates and the club and that we will never say die.

I ask only these questions. Who instills the required passion and discipline? Who makes sure that a culture exists within the club that sees the playing group left in no doubt what has to be done?

As a supporter of the MFC for 40 plus years, what I cannot accept is a what I perceive to be as a lack of commitment at the contest and what I consider to be a discernible lack of team spirit, which is the fabric of any club, which aspires to greatness.

Who has the job to get that right? Who has the capacity and footy acumen to make sure it is corrected?

There are better ways to assess the commitment of a side than singling out one player or relying on the commentary of one media personality.

We beat the most defensive team in the league in clearances, tackles and contested possessions. That takes commitment. Unfortunately commitment in itself does not prevent skill errors such as Bartrams pass in the third quarter.

At the start of the year we would have been rapt to hold St kilda to a 20 point victory margin. Yes they've lost Hayes and their other key players are out of form, but they were not missing 5 of their best dozen players. We got beaten, but we were level with the Saints in the 3rd and we had periods where we played better football. That is not the form of a rock bottom side. The 7 matches in 2008 that were lost by margins of >75 points. That's rock bottom.

For the first time in years we beat the Saints in clearances, tackles and contested possessions, yet we still lost because we made too many crucial errors.

There were times when our ball movement was first class and a new option for the Dees is using Watts as the 'go to' man in the middle because of his 90% disposal efficiency rate.

If Evans was a first round draft pick, we'd be raving about his great first game. He reminds me of Scully with his ability to get the ball. We forget that he wasn't even our first pick in the rookie draft.

Wasn't it Aaron Davey who ran backwards into a marking contest in the first quarter? It was on the Saints' forward line and I think it happened before Tapscott was hurt.

Davey got crunched; the ball spilled free and Melbourne cleared the ball out of the backline. That took some courage.