PaulRB

If Malthouse wants to coach after this year, he will find the MFC list and upside irresistible. And I think he wants to keep coaching.

Fevola (30 years old) - 623 goals in 204 AFL games - 2 Coleman Medals, 2 All Australians and 7 time Carlton leading goal kicker Miller (28 years old) - 100 goals in 144 AFL games - Doh! Yep lets take Miller!

Also means the Doggies will be looking for a new coach as well... They too may be focusing on MM, perhaps?

Surely you're not suggesting he'd be a better forward than Juice, Bate and Dunn? Downside is he could have a year like Campbell and we delist him at the end of the year... No Brainer, get him and lets have a real tilt in 2012.

Be interesting to the the above stats with the ladder position of the team we played. While Geelong was a dismal day, we were also playing a likely Grand Finalist, at their home, after a distracting week internally. Last year and this year we are likely to finish 10 spots lower than them on the ladder, fewer games experience, ect... blah blah blah... point is we have under performed and lost against those teams above us (except north and Doggies) and over performed and won against those below us (except Freo, Dons and Syd). Kind of expected, just with bigger margins (both ways) than anticipated. C&B - 2012 will see a constellation of Stars finally emerge for the MFC, have faith.

Interesting how Mitchell has flourished without the captaincy. Has Hodge been diminished by it? Have to say the best captains come from within the group, any player who'd walk on their current club is automatically not captain material at new club (unless new club is on their knees , i.e. Carlton when Judd moved)... the MFCs next captain is at the club, question is who?

Most of the alternatives to Malthouse would also be involved in finals as assistant coaches etc... minimal risk in my opinion, and well worth if we can snag MM.

Why didn't Brad play today?

Looks like an upmarket boot camp for pampered princesses in a weird incestuous TV show...

I'd put Lynden Dunn on Darling with instructions to get into him all day. I'd play Morton on Embley with instructions to hurt him the other way. I'd remind Davie, Rivers, Green and Moloney that they are great football players deserving of the respect they have built over years of quality service to the MFC. I'd tell Jack Watts to play deep, with Jamar, and continue to work hard. So close. Jack Trengove has just publically told Tom Scully he believes in the MFC, and challenged him to lift. And Todd Viney growling in the corner is sending shivers up my spine. Painful as it has been this year, our team has been a soapy from hell, we've been unable to take our eyes off them. Bring on the Weagles! Go Melbourne.

I reckon the players have been given a timely reminder that they need to grow up. And soon. Coaches play a part, but it's players that win flags. As my daughter would say to a number of MFC players at the moment, "Suck it up Princess!" And that message is bringing the best out of the new stars, Watts and Trengove. And it is this new attitude that will inspire others to stay and play for the MFC. Go Dees

Sweet! Got alot of love for that man.

Looks like this year is a transition year or course correction in three parts. 1. Older leaders struggle + Coach struggles and is sacked. 2. New generation of leaders emerge (Watts & Trengove) + new coach is appointed 3. Club emerges stronger than ever in 2012. Perhaps this was a year we were always going to have, just happened earlier (and was uglier) than we thought it would be... Phoenix like from here ;-)) Go Dees

You are right about stats showing anything... An alternate view Games won by 9+ goals and total games won Years - 9+ goal wins - total wins 2008 - 0 - 3 wins 2009 - 1 - 4 wins 2010 - 2 - 8.5 wins 2011 - 3+ - 7.5+ (10.5 likely) wins Looks like the glass may be half full... Go Dees

In retrospect our 2011 draw was less light than first expected, i.e. we play(ed) all of the top 5 teams twice (except Geelong)... sure we also play most of the bottom 5 twice too...

Fair enough 'dee-luded', be good if we could grab one of each (young gun and quality mature mid). I'd like to think we could manage to come out of the TS fiasco undiminished...

You'd have to imagine that Jack Trengove signed up to a similar deal to that we'd be offering Tom?

From the MFC Twitter "Melbourne has raised $758,901 at its annual Foundation Heroes event at Myer Mural Hall - an outstanding effort by the red and blue faithful". Well done

Given Jack Trengove's re-signing for a further 3 years (without publicly holding the club to ransom for a year), I imagine it would be hard for him (JT) to respect how TS has played his hand this year. Well Done Jack! Nothing builds adoration from us poor fans than a young champion re-signing before they have to and demonstrating their respect for and commitment to the MFC.

Great news and JT is quality for re-signing a year out and saving us all from further GWS speculation next year... Be interesting to hear him and TS discuss their various decisions...

The challenge is that tanking can look like player development, and player development can look like tanking. For example if/when the MFC cannot make finals I'd be keen to give games to our boarder line kids (Cook, McDonald, Fitzpatrick, etc...) before the season finished. The motivation is simply to give them a taste of the top level and inspire them for the pre-season to come, yet this may look like Tanking... Hence, the Draft order needs to be set earlier in the year (i.e. after round 17) so that if clubs choose to focus on development they are not tarnished with the Tanking brush. Make the ladder at Rd 17 the draft order (incl priority), simple fix that decouples tanking and development.

The problem if TS was to leave and we get two first round as compensation is that we have to shift the launch date for our premiership window back a year (or two)... Which is a bummer.

Have the fixture have every team play each other once by Rd 17 at which time the draft order (and Priorities are set). I would add that the fixture for Rd 18-24 should not have any top 4 team play any bottom 4 team (based on the previous seasons results)... Solves Tanking and late season blowouts where a low team is trying youth Vs a top team tuning up for finals.

Love that Jack is playing back, middle and forward line, as champions and captains should be able to go where they are needed and where they can turn the contest our way (aka Judd at Carlton). Keep growing Jack. Loved the blind turn goal, made me laugh and remember why I love going to the footy.

I'm excited. Come on Melbourne. If we don't beat them we have to make them very sore and nervous about meeting us in the first final come September. Demon Love Go Dees