La Dee-vina Comedia

I don't know who he is or what he did, but Gary Burleigh has departed. See http://demonland.com/forums/index.php?/topic/35320-dees-cut-recruiter-gary-burleigh/ Edit: added link

Not particularly important, but just to clarify, Kate Roffey is CEO of the Committee for Melbourne.

7 spots? Isn't it 8? Or am I miscounting, perhaps due to rookie upgrades or something. Davey Sylvia Rodan MacDonald Davis Tynan Sellar Gillies (plus rookie spot for Couch)

On Twitter: .@melbournefc deny Paul Roos has come to an agreement with Mark Jamar to trade the ruckman who has two years remaining on his contract Note: That's not an official MFC tweet but from Peter Ryan who works with AFL media

While I understand the idea of trading out Jamar, I don't understand why we'd bring in Jolley. What exactly would he bring to the table? I'd rather see Gawn, Spencer, Clark and Fitzpatrick develop as ruckmen (in that order). Having Jolley on the list would seem to hinder that.

Great for Dom Barry that he's going to Ireland. But calling the team the Indigenous All-Stars is a bit of a stretch. Mark Evans is quoted on the AFL's own website as saying, ""The series is a fantastic opportunity for the Indigenous All-Stars to come together as a team and to represent Australia for the first time in the International Rules series against Ireland," Evans said." So a team which includes a player not yet to have played a game in the second worst team in the competition is an "All-Star" team.

Old dee, the opening post said "I am furious that the MFC is not a club of choice for future jets". I disagreed by pointing out Clark and Dawes had a choice and chose Melbourne. Whether we paid over the odds or not isn't at issue. What is, is that for whatever reason, they came. And with respect to Viney, not every father-son prospect necessarily chooses to play with his father's team. Marc Murphy could have gone to Brisbane but decided not to. Viney Jr had a similar choice and decided on Melbourne. While there was a lot wrong with the club under Neeld, those three players chose Melbourne during his time. I can't recall any other players choosing Melbourne (excluding draft picks who have no choice) since Jeff White. If Neeld is to be blamed for everything that went wrong under his watch perhaps he deserves some praise for shifting perceptions enough to get Clark, Dawes and Viney to Melbourne.

I'm not sure the evidence supports the opening post. Mitch Clark and Chris Dawes (and Jack Viney?) all made positive choices to come to Melbourne. As did Paul Roos. And Jack Watts appeared to have a choice and stayed.

One assumes the restructure of the football department has eliminated the need for a board position entitled Football Director. Seems appropriate - otherwise Josh Mahoney and the Football Director might be at cross purposes and once again providing mixed signals to the team. Having said that, I have no problem with people having AFL-playing experience being on the Board. But they would need to bring more than that single skill to the table.

There have been plenty of quality players with numbers in the forties and fifties. For example, Shaun Rehn (52), Robert Walls (42), Allan Jarrott (47), David McKay (43), Richard Osborne (44) and plenty of others. And a player doesn't have to have his father's number to be considered a success. Gary Ablett Jr did quite well without wearing number 5 at Geelong and Jobe Watson seems to have coped without wearing his dad's 32.

Victims of your own success.

Just a minor point. I don't think 186 should be given as much 'status' as it has been given here on Demonland. In truth it has been 7 horrible years with the previous 40 odd not much better apart from occasional highlights. Our renaissance is not about fixing what went wrong on one day in Geelong but what has been endemically problematic for years.

Gee. Not often do people claim watching Melbourne games makes for "an enjoyable afternoon".

If we all keep saying "Heath Shaw for Lynden Dunn in a direct swap" often enough, do you think we could make it happen? Please?

Why? Demonland is always a positive place between seasons.

Depends what you mean by "experience". Josh has the "experience" of actually working at the MFC for a number of years whereas an outsider with experience in football operations does not. Keeping on someone who has MFC experience to assist a new coach who has come from outside seems sensible to me. Only, of course, if he has the capability to do the job, which I assume Peter Jackson believes he has.

So, what has Brad Miller been doing throughout 2013? Has he been an assistant coach anywhere (not just AFL)? Or has he been doing the coaching diploma course?

Is this a statement of fact or a rumour that's on Demonland so people just choose to believe it? I'm pleased to see the suggestion that Watts will play midfield. He has deficiencies in his game which would be apparent wherever he's played, but all those weaknesses are rectifiable. If he gets it right, he could be one of the most damaging midfielders in the game.

Maybe we've all got it back to front. Perhaps Caro tells the AFL what to do and right now the AFL is waiting on her decision.

If lost money from gate receipts and TV rights is the AFL's main driver, we must be a shoo-in to get a Priority Pick. Our performance has been a drag on those particular metrics for years. On a slightly different tack, who was the genius that scrapped the previous formula for awarding priority picks and replaced it with "at the Commission's discretion"? Such a dumb idea that dooms the AFL to this type of politicking. And so easily avoided.

It's now gone international http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/17/single-dad_n_3944395.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

What bemuses me is why Demetriou believes he has to make comments in the media all the time, particularly on matters about which the AFL as a peak body should remain neutral. Nevertheless, I think he's been an excellent CEO (although I don't agree with everything that's been said and done), but I just wonder whether it's time for the AFL HQ to be refreshed.

If first year players can be nominated then in my view Toumpas was clearly the biggest improver over the year. But, if excluding first year players my order would be Watts, Garland, Fitzpatrick with an honourable mention to Spencer.

Have just caught up separately with two very keen Richmond supporters. Both would be happy for Martin to leave Richmond. While neither is connected to the club in any capacity, it still worries me that supporters are that keen to see the back of him. Rings my alarm bells.

So, who's left from the Neeld era? Just Rawlings?