Jaded No More

Was sitting next to Geelong players tonight 👀 @TomMorris you’re up

So, Christian Petracca who has played football for 10 years, is better than the Melbourne Football Club who has stood proudly for over 150 years, having invented this game, pioneered the women’s league and had countless other champion players, some of the greatest players of all time in fact, because he has a bigger social media following than our club? Can someone turn Demonland off and on again? We need a reboot.

Why exactly are you anti Gawn?

OOC vs 5 years left on contract

You’re welcome to DM me but Demonland has asked time and time again not to name certain people in public. I have nothing to apologize for. He is a great player and I’m glad he’s staying. Just because I don’t like how he’s gone about it doesn’t mean I don’t want him sticking around and helping us get better and back into contention.

Mate you’ve been here 5 months. Go take a hike or put me on ignore. I give negative [censored] about what you do or don’t believe.

And focus on getting Kosi all the support he needs and wants. We can absolutely not afford to lose him.

I’m trying to justify nothing. Everything I’ve said about Trac trying to promote his brand is 100% correct and my information doesn’t come from the media. I have actual sources because believe it or not, I work in a similar field. I have 0 issues with Trac raising concerns and never once said I do. I have many issues with his concerns being leaked to the media in an attempt to try to force our hand to trade him. I have issues with the fact that leaking this info to the media has caused issues within the playing group. I have issues that our club needlessly was dragged through the mud again for issues that needed to be kept in house. I have only respect for leaders who demand better. I just don’t want them to do it publicly as ultimately it only hurt the club and caused unnecessary distraction.

The point I’m making, which you’ve completely missed in your ramblings, is that the truth doesn’t matter only perception matters. I said plenty of times before that we have no more or no less issues than any other club. What we do have, is an inability to control the narrative. It is damaging to be in the news constantly for all the wrong reasons. I too believe we can bounce back next year, but we have work to do in all areas to get there and that includes our comms. Don’t believe me? Listen to Gawn discuss this very issue yesterday.

I appreciate Trac putting an end to this before my birthday. Very considerate of him.

It’s not even the off season yet. Just wait.

If you think this has not harmed our brand and the perception people have of our club, you’re an absolute fool and you don’t understand anything about the importance of brand management. Anytime your club is in the news for failing to manage a star player, whether true or not, it is damaging. It creates a perception that we are poorly run and have a poor culture. Bury your head in the sand all you like, but the bottom line is, this club has been in the news for all the wrong reasons over the past 12 months and that is not good for sponsors, membership numbers or attracting players from other clubs.

Every Melbourne supporter should and will be happy that Trac is not leaving. Equally I think we are entitled to be disappointed with how these last few weeks played out. It was never necessary for this to spill into the media and become a MFC vs Petracca showdown, where ultimately both our club and his brand were dragged through the mud. I hope we can move on from this and turn our attention and focus to fixing the problems that need to be fixed.

The absolute worst thing any of us can do right now, is punish the club financially. It helps nobody. If you can afford to, please buy a membership and go to games. Not doing so is only punishing guys like Max Gawn who are killing themselves trying to make this club better. It’s not going to make a different to Roffey or Pert or even Goody.

How long you been sitting on this one?

How sad that in all the drama and negativity that continuously follows our club, we have lost sight of the fact that Max is now arguably the greatest ruckman to ever play the game. What an achievement to get 7 AA jackets. Rare company. Well done Max. You deserve a lot more celebrating, but as per usual, you are instead dealing with the negative attention directed at the club that you so passionately lead!

Out of curiosity, once the court case is settled, do you think we would be able to discuss it? I mean outcomes and what is publicly known.

All this club knows how to do right now is talk a lot of empty platitudes. Their actions in letting this club get here, speaks louder than any of their idiotic meaningless words do.

And as always, those who suffer most are the loyal members. That I am thinking of disengaging because I have reached such a level of trauma with this club, is a [censored] sad indictment on every person who is running this club, because most of them would not give a single [censored] if our club folded tomorrow, they would just walk away and find another job.

The sheer fact that despite being one of the best performing sides over the last 4 seasons, we are back as the perceived laughing stock / problem child of the AFL, speaks to an undeniable failure of leadership and governance. It does not matter if the reality is not as grim from inside the 4 walls, the perception that we are a club in disarray once more, is going to cause enough damage that it will impact every part of our club, but most especially our on field success. I just cannot believe that we are here again so soon.

1000% if Pickett left I would be absolutely gutted. Much more so than if Trac left. I hope we move heaven and earth to do what we can to keep him. Whereas with Trac I hope we move heaven and earth to get an amazing trade and move him on.

What ifs? What if what? He only just signed a new deal. Was he not happy to stay? What is a contract even worth anymore?

@Chook in Perth any info on this latest chapter of our never ending drama?