AllenIsLord13

Yeah, as the guy above said, we get hyped up on all the youtubes and promos... i recall seeing the Watts youtubes and thinking we had a stellar pack-marking, dead-eye kick from anywhere within 50, especially the set shot! Then i was reminded he was playing 18yos... then he had that gamewinning set shot against Freo at which point i mentioned "this could be The Breakout/ Naysayer Smasher Game!" - missed, Deez lost, Watts up with that! Key positioners take at least 2-3 years (and then we pray they don't come from WA/ Collingwood when they strike form!)

arrr not a looker amongst em!

Is the kid just keeping it real, ie keeping a realistic edge on expectations, when he gives his second answer? All i could think of was, "its a Miss Staker!" What type of player are you? A mobile tall forward with the versatility to go back or play on a wing. Which AFL player do you feel you resemble and why? Brent Staker. Someone who is versatile but can play up forward or back depending on the team’s needs and structure. What are your strengths as a footballer? I can read the play well and can play a variety of positions. Also marking and kicking at goals. What parts of your game would you like to improve? I need to improve my strength so that I can have more influence in a marking contest. Which AFL team do you support and how did you come to barrack for them? Western Bulldogs. My dad has barracked for them ever since his older brother played for them. I followed him. Who has been the biggest influence on your career so far, and why? My parents and brother have always supported me and come to games. They had the belief that I can do whatever I wanted to do, and football is no exception. They also sent me to boarding school to improve my football.

Neita's 'retirement' is an interesting contrast against The Unfortunates... Basically was the only one there allowed to exit on his own terms - granted he had more credentials being club captain and all, but maybe it was the lameduck manner in which he exited which prompted the "Whatever It Takes" Over 30 Policy! The only issue i have with most The Unfortunates (mainly White, Robbo & Junior), is that the club could've definitely used a Ruck, Key Fwd, and Elite Tackling Midfielder in the years after their departure - ie massive upgrades over, say, PJ, Newton & Bennell - and given their desperation, likely would've played for dirt cheap performance-based contracts (*I'll also admit Robbo's presence would've hindered Jurrah's growth, but we still haven't settled on a full fwd line (David Hale?!?) and also, when we have our regulation 14 season-ending injuries, always pays to have back-up!)

Still fail to see how i am the bitter, disillusioned, etc etc one when I am the one actually appreciating our "failures" being the past 20 years!! Fact: there's 17 other clubs who don't win a premiership every year - so by your logic, we should take zero away from any success we've had in the past - be it Finals campaigns, unearthing quality new talent, Brownlow medallists... I'm possibly the most optimistic Deez supporter year-to-year! The only thing that caused me to write a vitriolic post was the recent consistently poor manner in which we've treated our veterans on the way out, which reached an apex with Bruce - still, i'll get over it in time, as i am a true supporter!

I'd say its in line with Our Lord And Saviour, AJ: 6 possessions, 2 marks.... went on same season to bag 11 (plus The Scissor Kick Heard Round The World) + 3 Brownlows and another 8 in the elimination final

"classic Melbourne supporter" - i'll take that! Disrespect/ disgregard our past at your peril! i'm completely on board with the new movement, but the way in which half ppl here have been slamming Bruce and our so-called "average years" is hardly fair, and kind of self-destructive dare i got out on a limb and say that our mid to late 90s forward line was possibly the best evers? Deal with it!

Most glaring insight from Sheehan: "Brad Green becomes the club's most experienced player on 220 games, Aaron Davey is next with 139, Brent Moloney, Jared Rivers and Colin Sylvia the only others with more than 100 to their name. By contrast, Collingwood will go into next year with 14 players with more than 100 games, and the Magpies see themselves as a developing group." Not to compare ourselves directly to Pies, but even with, say, Cats on the rise there was a solid foundation of veterns mixed with exciting youngsters - we've now consistently lost some of our best veterans over past 3 years to the point we're reduced to 5! (nearly only 3 with Rivers and Moloney averaging about 10 games a season!) Be interesting to see how Hawks go this year with their "mixed" recruitment policy (tho chances are could end up like North!) Question for the future: will we end up doing some "topping up" with seniors in drafts when we get close?

so waddya mean fella? No player since 64 deserves ours, or MFC's, respect? Must be pretty short convo's when you explain to people why you love the Deez!

I agree - how quick we forget! Bruce gone, and within 24hours the entire [online! ie not truly representative] Deez fanbase has jumped off him like Shawn Michaels dumping Marty Jannety through a barbershop window! Everyone here is pretty big on predictions, ie the complete unknown...Gysberts, maybe - he bolted out of the gates, then came back to earth with a thud! Bail got some good garbage stats but is still untested. Tapscott and Blease done nothing. Morton has been promising that "next year is his year!" for past 3 years! Dunn finally started showing some flashes... But reality is, for better part of last 3 years, what we KNOW is that its ONLY been Green, Davey & Bruce! Models of consistency in faces of adversity AND the last link to times when, y'know, used to finish in the top 8! He will be missed, regardless of the unbridled optimism we have in our list every year...

Please learn to read accurately. From 2000 - 2006, Deez were in Finals 5 out of 7 years Topped only by WCE & Lions, Matched only by Bombers and Port! So yes, we were the 3rd most successful finals-bound team up until that point, and you now have a new-beaut statistic you can tell all your mates about - that is, if you dare to revisit the "bad old years"! Case closed!

why is there so much resistance here? Stop playing the man and go the ball! Admit the policy is ridiculous! Sure there may be "no room for sentiment" in the footy dept - but, correct me if i'm wrong - NONE of you are actually in the footy dept, and are actually "fans"?? Notwithstanding Bruce not playing in the GF - him and Green were there when we used to win!! Regularly!! When we used to be the 3rd most successful finals-bound team of the decade outside of Eagles/ Lions (before 2008!) How can you refer to this as a "failed past"!?!? Sure, my assessment of White is coloured, but are you re-writing history in saying that was a great move?? Name me one good ruck between White -> Jamar... Point about Hale was that we were willing to offer anything more than a pie & a Coke for a guy who couldn't even make his teams best 22, and is - at best - uncoordinated! But we'll play hardball for a few extra dollars on a true proven club man who's now apparently wasted his best years helping out a club which in the end showed him zero respect! I realise there's flaws in his game - but outside of Scully, Davey, Grimes, Green and Sylvia - there's a pretty short list of guys on our team who when they get the ball we don't have to hold out breath on where the disposals gonna go! Accusing me of wanting to be more like Collingwood?? Sounds more like that's what you guys want with an average age of 22, but without half the resources or a 3-time premiership coach! My first post may contain innacuracies (please feel free to correct them), but that's becoz i'm passionate about this club, passionate about how shite this policy is - and can't believe the abject apathy on here for a true club stalwart!

Sorry to go against the grain here of "too bad, so sad, slaters Brucey", but what else would we expect from forum commentators! I've joined today purely to comment on this debacle, and what a fine debacle it is/was! How can we trust Old Bailey with the whole "yeah, he'll be coming back on the shizer deal we're offering him, no worries" - yeah, that worked out a treat! Good on Brucey for sticking it to a club which has SCANT regard for any club loyalty, and a hard-on for a youth policy which apparently does not factor in qualities such as "talent, skill, is he in our top 6 B&F"! This stems back to letting go of Jeff White (31yo) who was still a top 5 ruck at the time! But nah, we had to go with our awesome "youth" (this is after getting rid of Jolly, whatever happened to him?) and its taken us 10 years and blind luck to stumble across anyone better! Then Yze, admittedly at the end, but still valuable role player, when there was NO-ONE better at the time! Old MacDonald - shunted out purely becoz "too old" - nothing to do with stats, leading club in hard ball gets, tackles.. And now, They Call Him Bruce - surely not asking for a max deal. Just asking for the club to show him the same loyalty he showed them when he stuck with them thru the rollercoaster and complete bottoming out - OUR LAST REMAINING LINK TO THE 2000 GF! But sure, why would we need 'finals experience' when we can just keep trotting out untested rookies and saying "they'll come good" when ~70% have never played a winning season!!! *cough Cale Morton cough* This "policy" is a travesty. How do you let a guy walk who will now show you via Hawks that he DOES have 2 good years left in him, has always been a positive leader at the clubs back when you were struggling to string back to back wins, wins a B&F 2 YEARS AGO! So now the Hawks will make the "massive blunder" by giving 2 years to an apparently crippled hindrance on a "team moving forward"... seem to recall they did something similar with another fella, Stuart Dew was his name, and what happened that year?? Although we are all pumped up about our youth, and they are the future - let's not forget where we exactly are right now! An outside chance to maybe finish 8th at best!! Like we couldn't use some veteran talent? And if you really have so much blind faith in the recruiting/ R&D side of the club - two words for ya: DAVID HALE! WTF! I'LL STILL CALL HIM BRUCE!!