Big Gun

Sounds a good idea considering the little physical work he has been able to do since KB. Makes sense using this camp to get sufficient conditioning into himself in readiness for day 1 preseason. However, would love to know the actual dates of the camp to see if there was any scope to delay leaving so he could attend the B&F. Can’t help feeling a huge opportunity being missed here to address the loyal fan base with a short address emphasising his commitment to the red and blue. Just seems very convenient but will give him the benefit of the doubt guess.

Great news. So far, so good. Congratulations and thanks to all involved from the club. I think we all understood when the feasibility study was commenced that this was going to a long road to fruition but glad it has progressed to the next stage. Really do appreciate everyone’s efforts. Now the really hard part of the process starts and no doubt will throw up numerous hurdles to be overcome. I do wonder however if there is a plan B or C also being investigated (at least locations identified) in case the Caulfield project hits a fatal roadblock moving forward. If there are still other options being looked at as possibilities, what are they? I know Yarra Park ended up being a “no go”. Would be awful for the Caulfield option to fall over next year after having then spent the best part of two years working on it only to then be right back to square one. Need to at least have a few other possible locations identified. I’m sure they would have a few other options on the table that they probably identified when starting the project. Would love to know if anyone know’s what they may be.

I have faith in Max, Goody and the Football Department to smooth over any remaining players rumblings, if there are any. (Fingers crossed). However don’t have the same level of confidence in the club managing fan perception and fallout towards Christian.

Regular reader but rarely post however I am finding my thoughts and emotions around the whole situation changing by the hour. What is wrong with me? It was good news over the weekend wasn’t it??? Having been a few days now since the ‘staying at MFC’ announcement, my initial happiness and joy has for some reason dissipated somewhat as my brain runs over the possible consequences and doubts are setting on how I will feel when I watch the Dees next year, and more specifically, Christian. Reading the comments posted so far, seems there are a few buckets that people will fall into: 1. Will never look at him the same way again and will not cheer anything he does. Should have traded him this year. 2. Will never look at him the same way but will cheer him anyway while in red and blue. 3. Time will probably clear my head from negative thoughts towards him and will be back to loving him unconditionally when next season rolls around. 4. Love Christian and always will. I think I am currently in bucket 2. Hoping to move to bucket 3 in time but will have to see how that pans out I guess. I also have been thinking that I hope the club are putting in place a clear action plan about how this will be managed with the fans moving forward. Based on a couple of the clips shown last night on Footy Class and On The Couch, Eddie was quite clear that in his mind CP is a Dees player next year only and the big clubs have that time to get their ducks in a row to get him in 2026. There was also one that showed CP in a radio interview last year saying that Dees have small crowds and the demographic is quite old (with a look of disgust on his face). Media are going to be constantly over this whole thing again next year and while I am currently probably in denial that he will ever leave, a little voice inside says it is quite likely he will. How are the club going to manage this next year? They need for fans to embrace Christian to make him feel loved but not sure many will forgive and forget. What strategies the club adopt to mitigate the anger some fans have towards him will be interesting to see. Can’t be seen to be pandering to him either. Will the club ask him to do an interview explaining events and reasons it all blew up the way it did but saying how much he loves the club and the fans. Could they go the other way and restrict his media commitments in case he might be a loose cannon and cause another media pile on. If so, this may fly in the face of ‘brand CP’5’. Another year of continued speculation may tip some supporters over the edge. Time will not heal these wounds for many. As Christian would put it, ‘to be honest’ I think we are in for a rocky ride folks and the club must have firm plans in place to minimise fallout from loyal supporters and not just rely on time healing our wounds.

Tom Browne was doing his usual update on the ground with Tim Watson and said it as they threw to the break. Said he had just heard that Steven May has had a set back with his groin which could keep him out until July. Don't shoot the messenger. Just reporting what was said. Have also seen when googling a couple of other people say they heard the same thing. Hope it's not so but prepare yourselves. Doubt the club would report this one if true anyway as they already know Demon supporters are angry about the reported condition he came back in not to mention the views of many on the trade to begin with.

Been reported on the Channel 7 pre-game today that May has had a major set back with his groin injury and will most likely not be back till July.

I received the club email from SG this morning letting supporters know we will see an improved performance against Richmond. I think we can all see many the issues that the team have at present and its fairly obvious that we are an easy team to play against. However, I think there are many questions we loyal supporters would like answered. (Some of these I understand would need to remain in-house). Here's my long long list. Feel free to add more (I found it quite therapeutic) - What are the reasons for the huge drop off in performance from last year? (Apart from off season surgeries etc) - Did the coaching staff see this coming? In hindsight, were there warning signs? - Fitness seems low compared to other teams. Apart from surgeries etc, is this correct and if so, why has this happened? - Some players seem heavy to my untrained eyes. Not saying fat, just too bulky. (eg Petracca, Hibberd). What are the coaches thoughts? - Did players all come back in the shape expected? (apart from May who we have heard was behind levels expected) - Are some players playing hurt? (eg TMac, Hibberd, Jetta, Weid etc) - Is there any unrest within the group or towards coaching staff as there appears a huge disconnect at present? - Why has the desire and intensity dropped off so badly? - Why do the players' energy level seem so low? Again is it fitness, diet, desire? - What's happened to the work ethic that drove us to the finals last year? - Are there players who got ahead of themselves this season? - Has a new game plan been introduced that they are struggling with? If not, do they all have amnesia and forgot it over the off season? - SG has denied we are slow. Does he really believe that? - Have the club over rated the list? - What do the club see are the list needs for the draft / trading period at years end? Seems to me like there's holes on every line. - What do the coaches think of the players' body language during the game? I see them with their heads dropped, bending over exhausted, little enthusiasm. - What are the leaders doing on field to help lift team spirits, performance and motivation levels? - Is there a motivation problem for some reason? - There were few positional moves against the Saints. Why was this? - How does the club view the depth of our list? Seems to me to be quite shallow on players who could play AFL. Reckon our bottom 6 yesterday are solid VFL players at best. - What has happened to the Ruck / midfield dominance from last year? Have we become too predictable with hit outs and running patterns? - Has the introduction of 6 6 6 stuffed us up this season? - Why do the forwards all seem to lead to the same spot?

Long time reader but haven't yet posted. Until now. I have always been a supporter of Bailey and quick to defend his time as coach. When he came to the club there was a load of dead wood he had to clear out and under the current processes in place, this was not something that could happen quickly. I wasn't one who really believed we were going to seriously challenge the top 8 this year let alone the top 4 like some had us pegged. Thought we would continue to slowly make further progress, some up's and downs, but very competitive and a genuine chance to win any game we played. Unfortunately as is clear for all to see, we have not made progress at all and I now for the first time seriously doubting our coach I don't ask much. I want our players to be hard at the ball at all times - many are soft as butter I want our players to be stand up when the going gets tough - we fold like a pack of cards I want our players to hold there head up high and inspire each other - we drop our heads as if resigned to the fact they can't win I want our players to believe in themselves, the coaching staff and the club as a whole - body language is disgraceful as is the game plan (seems to change each week). I want to see some leadership on the ground. At least one player give the guys a rev during the game and demand they come along with them for the ride - we are rudderless. The thing that really changed my opinion on the coach last night was the interview that Jarrod Rivers gave during the game. He said that all they can do is have a dip and see if they can continue to close Carlton down (or words to that effect). At the time we were only two to three goals down and while it did look like the floodgates could have opened at any time, I was really looking for a strong statement from one of our leaders. Something to show the supporters they were really looking at winning the game. There just seemed an air of resignation about it. This is where unfortunately Bailey has now lost me. If the players don't truly believe they can win a game, what hope have we got. It's the coaches job to instil this into the team and motivate the players to greater heights. We seem leaderless on the field. There seems to be a general acceptance to go along with the status quo when we are getting beaten. I want someone to stand up when we are looking down the barrel and say - come with me boys and we will turn this around. Get tough. Get nasty. Please show me you really care and really believe in the jumper. We have two tough one's coming up and I want to be surprised. I want to come away, win or lose, and have my faith in the program restored. Show me you care. Show me you are resiliant and fight with everything you have. Show me you have pride in the jumper and that this club stands for something that really matters to you.