Webber

Demonland has reached new heights of cross cultural quality, comparing the Stanislavski 'method' to Brad Miller's appointment as a coach. I LOVE IT!

What am I missing? The salary cap we are underpaying is not for lack of funds, but for lack of deserving personnel. Sponsorship $$$ are extraneous to this.

No doubt, but how does that help us recruit/attract better players, get a better list?

Yep, there's a whole city full of nongs out there, but they have VERY short term memories, and will ONLY hear what suits their world view, which is largely what the scandal mongering, rubbish peddling, bullying media want them to hear. We know that the AFL is 'unequal', and that largely short term commercial imperatives drive their governance, but the ONLY way to become a beneficiary rather than a victim, is to win games. The problem is that in that scenario, it's becoming harder and harder to make the transition. There is a growing gap between the top and bottom of the ladder, and the MFC are at the bottom. However ruthless we like to fashion ourselves, not being given the obvious opportunity to improve our list will reinforce the gap rather than close it.Given this, the contradiction in policies by the AFL is stark. They state that it is in EVERYBODY'S best interests that making the finals remains a possibility for as many clubs as possible, as late into the season as possible. And it is. They then fail on so many levels to create this scenario. That is their raison d'être, and they're NOT living to it. I put this simple question......if the first 18 picks at this years draft were given to the bottom 6 teams ONLY at this years draft, would the AFL home and away competition be more even over the next 5 years than keeping the draft order as it is?

Rousing stuff Belzebubsy, and great in principle, but you're talking about a club that actually HAS a hammer to swing. There are so many reasons why we can't play the ruthless power game as you describe that I don't know where to begin.

How is a non-marking, non-kicking, non-mobile, single figure possession winning ruckman of any value, other than to the opposition? The modern game sadly is one that has passed Jamar by. He is an on-field liability, tapping abilities or not.

Continue to be amazed that anybody imagines Mark Jamar has ANY trade value. AMAZED!

Obviously Mr. Newbold spoke too soon, forgetting his obligation to undermine any other club when given the chance. There's a power club status quo developing, and we can all watch them use any means at their disposal to protect it. "Whatever it takes".

We'll never know Deanox, until the AFL in their 'make it up as we go along' fashion tell us.

Unfortunately, they aren't painting themselves anywhere. That we didn't get a PP this year will be utterly irrelevant when it comes to awarding them in the future to other clubs. Forgotten, except by the MFC. The AFL don't arbitrate objectively, they arbitrate as a reflection of how they want to be perceived.......by the public at large, and by the other clubs, particularly the cash cows. Put more simply, they make it up as they go along. That they have been spruiking the 'future' of equalisation makes a mockery of this decision, but on its own, it's very very small bananas. And you won't hear any mainstream media to the contrary. Where the AFL is going to strike resistance however is if they don't equalise substantially in other ways as per their up til now vague chatter. The combined voice (in the public and administratively) of the 'disadvantaged' clubs, or shall we say the 'unequal' clubs (us, North, Saints, Dogs,) will be substantial and game changing if the powerhouse clubs are allowed to grow richer in their advantage over the next few years. A groundswell of unhappy football supporters in Melbourne is not something Andrew Demetriou will want to face.

I suspect if anyone on the gossip vine heard about it, they may not have felt it warranted passing on. It isn't exactly big news, as Brad Miller has no profile as a coaching staffer. Good to seem him back though, honest ordinary trier. He frustrated many supporters because we desperately wanted him to be more talented than he was. This bears no relevance of course to how well he'll coach, and clearly he has important admirers. Good luck Brad. Hi Pia

Given that he was a mediocre to average footballer, maybe he's there for relatability with most of our list. Maybe he's also the succession recipient!!!! :)

The club won't be developing Jack, Jack will develop the club!

The reality is that George Stone lives in Melbourne, and travels weekly to Sydney. He's been doing this since 2005. He and Roos have an experienced professional relationship, and GS is keen to do less travelling. It's not an issue of pinching him from Sydney or any choice AGAINST Sydney. If Colless tries to make it an us and them story of theft and subterfuge, he's kidding no-one.

I reckon you're right BH. It sits perfectly with the 'cake and eat it too' policy of AD. He has neither the guts nor the wisdom to do the right thing for the right reasons, and prefers a short termist politics-like approach.

There's a tipping point coming I think WJ. The AFL has stated it's support for greater equalisation, but if current trends continue, the future looks considerably more biased toward protecting the status of the rich/powerful and keeping the others vaguely in touch or not at all. There are some very good operators amidst the struggling clubs, such as Peter Gordon at the Doggies, and with the appropriate mobilisation of supporter sentiment against the status quo, a revolution may occur that would change the shape of the AFL. One of the extraordinary and excellent aspects of footy, in comparison to other codes in this country and others is its egalitarian culture. Nobody excluded, crossing social, economic and racial differences. A governing body that ignores or diminishes this essence will do so at its peril.

I've posted a couple of times on other threads that George Stone IS coming to the Dees, and now their season is dusted, I imagine it will be announced in the near future. Can't reveal source due to confidentiality.

Just what I was thinking. That $900,000 is about their ability to buy a better standard of player, thus keeping Sydney in the top rank of clubs as continued assurance for the game in New South Wales. What it's NOT about is cost of living, or equality.

Nice quote WJ, and so pertinent to the constant revisionism that goes on here. When I first saw Toumpas preseason my first thought was that his hand and foot skills were an exception to all others on our list, truly elite. Then seeing patches of his best play this year, I realised that apart from the fact that being low on confidence in a tragic team can make you look lost, what we have is a faster, taller, potential Sam Mitchell. His decision making and disposal off a step is unique. With time, confidence, and more on field support, that's Jimmy Toumpas

And Colless is NOT gonna be happy when George Stone comes on board. He really ain't gonna like the Dees at all!

Agree P-Man, which is why there is even the possibility of the PP being withheld from MFC this year under pressure from other clubs. It should just be a given, based on performance. It's interesting listening to the Doggies pres Peter Gordon, and his positivity for the future based on the equalisation junket to the US this year. He seems very confident that there will be some significant equalisation measures implemented in the coming years. I guess it all depends whether the AFL governance has the guts to act for the long term, rather than just fluffing the pillows of the current cash cow clubs that you've mentioned. I'm very doubtful Demetriou has the stomach for the change.

Rock solid.

Puzzled by the lack of appreciation for Matt Jones. He's gone from regional footy, to VFL twos, to VFL seniors, to AFL, all in the space of a year, then placed top 5 in our B 'n F, and in one of the worst year's for the club ever, with paltry on-field assistance and dubious coaching. Do you think he can't step up even further with another preseason and all other factors improved?

I've posted this before, but George Stone IS coming to the MFC. I can't tell you my source because of confidentiality reasons.

Jack's loss of pace is a mystery. A lot have suggested he's had an undisclosed osteitis pubis, which is a furphy. The answer is that his foot fracture early season really killed the top 30% of his running mojo. The foot is the 'springboard' from which speed comes, and it would have been playing catch-up all season. He was noticeably quicker in his last 4 or 5 games, and with a full preseason, JT will come back with a bounce. His best is yet to come, and I reckon he, Viney and Toumpas will complement each other beautifully. In respect to Toumpas, he's obviously not at the level of Ollie Wines in respect to his physical maturity, but as he does mature, both his physical capacity and his confidence will grow. His disposal quality, evasive skills and decision making remind me most of Sam Mitchell in his early days as anybody in the AFL, and I'm as confident about his future elite status as about Jesse Hogan.