Grandson of a gun

If anyone thinks the MFC and it's lawyers didn't have this at the forefront of their thinking during the whole process then they've got rocks in their head. Everything done, agreed upon and the wording/language used was to ensure that there would be no issue or evidence upon which the gaming commission could mount a case or remove our license. It was almost the sole reason McLardy fought so hard to ensure there was no evidence that the board of directors influenced games and therefore were not fit and proper people to hold the licenses. Take a breath. They were all over this issue a long time ago...

Glad it's over. Believe AFL used us as scapegoat. Believe McLardy and co fought very hard to ensure current club not screwed for past sins. Believe McLardy and co very pragmatic with all facts of case and achieved very good result given club no doubt held over gun by AFL ( no draft sanctions, loss of premiership points, loss of gaming licenses, millions in court fees etc) Want to move on. Will donate to club to help pay fine. Best way to stick it up everyone- WIN.....

Surely this is worthy of a should he stay or should he go poll????

I see your point OD however i also have a comforting feeling from the confidant and calm manner in which McLardy and Co have addressed the tanking investigation. As opposed to the Adelaide officials with the Kurt Tippet saga and the Bombers officials the other day. The AFL might try to make an example of us however i also believe they know that if they do we are heading to court and an area where the AFL no longer hold the power...

Great job WJ. Thanks for that. Edit: Did they give any indication on when they thought the AFL may make a decision on the investigation? I know it's kind of like asking how long a piece of string is but figured they would likely have a fairly good grasp of the timeframe...

Yeah a good target and might be worth sounding him out during the year and putting in some ground work however still much water to flow under the bridge before the trade period arrives...

Likewise. ShouldBeWorkin...

I'll be in it again. Happy to stay in the Stynes League. Just let me know the league code or whatever. PS i signed up aleady on the Herald Sun site so i don't know if i can view my score from last year, can't seem to find it???

Ok mods, this is getting ridiculous, surely the issues Baghdad Bob, Ron and RPFC are debating have been done so to death and have many of their own threads. This thread was/is meant to be about Dom Barry. Either back on topic or time to lock it down perhaps?

Read a training report OD? It is not a new injury. He is just now getting miles into his legs. Think Whispering Jack stated in his training report from Monday that he strapped on the GPS and churned out the laps... Given your support of Spencer and the fact he needed time i am surprised you are so negative about the prospects of Max. It is a hamstring injury. Grimes had a few issues early on but the club through hard work and correct man management seem to have gotten on top of his issues. Evans has had his fair share of issues but is on track now. There are countless others. I'm backing the club in to do the same with Max and don't believe it is all doom and gloom OD.

Don't agree entirely RPFC. Gawn is on track to be playing early in the year as are Clark and Trenners. They will require time to build up the fitness base and then get some game time into their legs however there is no reason that by about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way through the season that they can't be back and having an impact...

Due to come off it the week before Round 1. He is getting miles into his legs and building up the strength to carry that massive frame. Not overly concerned at this stage as he is on track to be back playing at Casey somewhere around the start of the season. Would have thought as far as LTI's go, he is in a pretty reasonable position...

FWIW I reckon the 9-13 range. But..... Did you get permission from Range Rover to start this poll?

Been away a while guys. I haven't read in depth the previous 11 pages and don't mind the Nickleback suggestion above however this song is a cracker. Don't know if it has been mentioned already but if so no harm in adding it again... Bleed it Out- Linkin Park.

Fcuk yeah. Great news for us for this year. And what i always suspected would happen because it was simply going to be far too messy for the AFL if they went pre-draft before they had all (any) of their ducks lined up- legal action against any decision was/is almost guaranteed and the AFL didn't want the sh1tstorm that would have followed if a pre-draft ruling was made. This allows it to go into next year if necessary from an AFL perspective to ensure they have exhausted every angle but also allows sufficient time for a Melbourne response and any subsequent court action. If it even gets that far of course...

Condition will be near perfect down there today I'm sure. Not a breath of wind...

From The Lions Share on AFL site- a great read as a whole to get insight and perspective and a fair link with Melbourne trades but this excerpt is enough to give even the most pessimistic Demon a little glimmer for 2014- The key forward Jesse Hogan Prior to the trade period we had determined that if we could not bring Tippett into the club, we would seriously pursue Jesse Hogan via the 17-year-old mini draft. Jesse, who played centre half-forward for Claremont under 18’s and Western Australia, was identified by our WA scouts very early in the year and we followed him closely throughout, both before and after the Under 18 championships. We had met with and interviewed Jesse in WA and through our discussions he had become quite happy with the idea of coming to Brisbane next year and learning his craft under the tutelage of Jonathan Brown. We had offered our pick No.8 to GWS prior to the trade period in order to keep us in the race. In fact we were growing quietly confident that we may well land Jesse as we had made the most prominent bid in the early stages. However, when Jack Viney was not bid on in the father/son bidding process, we felt that hurt our prospects as it left Melbourne with picks three and four to trump us. We understood that the Bulldogs preferred Jack Martin, while Port Adelaide had expressed no interest in Jesse. Once Jesse tested so well at the NAB AFL Draft Combine in the shuttle run we knew we were likely to be trumped. In anticipation of that we offered pick 8 and 24 - but the next day Jesse ran an exceptional 3km time trial for a boy of his size. While his football talent had been clear to us, the combine emphasised his work rate and determination. That display certainly seemed to be enough to prompt Melbourne to offer their pick three and 13 (which later became 14) and our hopes of bringing Jesse to Brisbane were dashed. Nevertheless we wish him well in his AFL career.

Don't know if any of you heard Harrington on SEN? They played a clip of Wallace discussing Melbourne's trade where he stated that Melbourne identified the older players/leaders at the club had perhaps been too scarred by the past and weren't the type of leaders to teach our young players about success, hence the experienced premiereship players and players with great work ethics. Prendergast's words were something like Terry has hit the nail on the head. The reason for the heavy trading was two fold. They needed to address some serious issues in the forward line with the lack of strength and presence up there currently but with a view to the future too (read: HOGAN). They also needed to address the midfield which they have done in part with Viney, Pick 4 and Barry (And will continue to be addressed), but the second major part of it was to bring in really good leaders, known hard trainers and blokes from premiership clubs and successful organisations to teach our players what is required. He spoke well. It is a shame meat heads like Barrett, Ralph, Denham and co can't see the forrest for the trees but that is why they are (hack) journalists...

LOL. Love it WYL. Is Phil Scully the white version of Saul's bodyguard!?!

Not a chance.

When a bloke you want is contracted Ralph you unfortunately do not hold the whip hand. Dawes had two years to run on his contract. He wanted out but Collingwood didn't have to let him go (just like Ryan O'Keefe a few years ago). See also Brown at West Coast... So you have to give something to get something. Many people (i don't know if you were one of them) said Pick 12 for Mitch Clark was way overs and silly by Melbourne. After 10 rounds this year they were eating their words... Brisbane used Pick 12 on Sam Docherty who is yet to play a game. Sam may become a very good player but Clark was exactly what we needed. Dawes filled a desperate need and is still young enough to have a long term impact at the club, coming through with the young leaders. Pick 20 may net a very good player, but it may not. Dawes fills the need we have now but it is still a long term decision. You talk about it being "overs" without there being any chance to see a result as yet. How can you possibly declare it as overs without a result? People say Sydney paid overs for Mumford- I'd back it in that Sydney disagree given the results achieved and the key hand Mumford has played. Back on the topic of Pederson. He is in a similar situation at North in regards to being contracted. North hold the whip hand in terms of letting him go or not. It depends on how badly we want him and how badly North want to get rid of him. You cannot know though if the price is overs until the deal is done and games are played. Surely, through his actions to date, Neeld has earnt the trust that he and his recruiting department know exactly what "value" Pederson holds and what they will be willing to pay. If it is pick 49 then so be it. If it is 33 then so be it. They have earnt that trust. But that is the hardest thing for many supporters to acknowledge.

Close DemonWA I am certainly the grandson of a (still living) Melbourne champion however i'm not a Cordner.

Sad to see you go Riv. Loved your courage and you were a great servant of the MFC. Shame you could not experience more success here but i wish you all the best at Geelong (except of course when you come up against us).

Great job Mark Neeld and the recruiting team. You have strengthened this list whilst still bringing in high level young talent. Clark & Dawes- The towers we needed that are also great leaders and role models. Byrnes- another leader with premiership experience from a club that has been the benchmark for a long time. Viney, Barry, Pick 4- top end young talent and in Viney's case, driven like no other. Hogan- everything to be the best acquisition of all. He is building both the now and the future. I believe we will see the on field results follow too. Very happy Demon.

Thanks God It's Over. Welcome aboard Jack.