Fitz Fitzpatrick

I totally agree with that. i dont understand the fascination with Churchillian speeches and captains needing impeccable media skills. lets just win some ****ing games of footy first then we can worry about the fairy floss. this is the AFL , not X-Factor

I dont know, 3rd eye. hoping im mistaken with all this otherwise in my opinion its a half baked solution for a critical vacancy.

My biggest question of the night is regarding an issue that no one has commented on which I find suprising, unless Ive misunderstood the explanation. THat is, Greg Healy's placement as CASUAL Football Director. Please correct me if im wrong but does this mean that the MFC, a club competing with sprting powerhouses for a premiership, has filled this absolutely critical postion with a Casual appointment. Why is this not bothering anyone. Why is everyone over the moon about Healys appointment in a casual capacity. to me that is the biggest negative of the whole evening. It has been brushed under the carpet. I am hoping i have misunderstood this and welcome any comments on this matter.

i read a lot of posts regarding moloneys media capabilities. thats the least of MFC worries at the moment. i wouldnt say Ling was ever going to be an eddie mcguire but he did a fair job as captain

my moneys on Moloney being Captain. He had an off field indiscretion but through his actions on and off the field following that issue, Moloney displayed that he understod that behaviour was not to be tolerated and then backed it up with a B&F performance. His response to that situation spoke volumes to his character i believe. I think that over shadows his night out and Neeld would see that. Lets not get too hung up with this off field stuff. The real good captains are the ones that can lead by voice and by example. I think Moloney is the guy on the ground and in the rooms that will get in teh ears of the team or an individual. Forget the media fluff, its leadership in the trenches the club really needs now. Moloney is Neelds kind of guy

This isnt good news at all. if true it means that half of the pre season has slipped by and the players are still not putting in as hard as the coaching staff are requiring. I cant see how this is a good report? It shows that Neeld has not been able to extract from the senior players the heart and dedication he feels is required - and its January!

do you think sheedy was the reason Fletcher wobbled the goal post?

think about it guys. those names just listed. MFC has potentially(POTENTIALLY), a very, very potent forward setup. get the midfield right and the dees are going to really demoish some sides with that goalkicking fire power. I would love to see Seller put at CHF for a couple of games. he dosent need to do much more than provide contests and lead up, which apparently he was quite good at. with him and Clark taking key backman, watts, howe and jurrah are going to have a field day. Throw Davey in the pocket and thats a fantastic forward setup. Of course a few things have to go right such as improved delivery, more wins in the stoppages but thats a potential premiership forward set up

Gold

thats the job ahead of GWS, to get some of those league supporters to switch the channel. Ive never said this will be an easy task but I think its a necessary evil. Theres only X amount of corporate dollars in the Australian economy. At the moment the AFL has a large slice of that. I strongly believe that slice is threatened if the AFL dosent try and get exposure in Australias largest and fastest growing population centre. Will it work? I cant say, RobbieF. I hope it does.

I dont know how old you are, WYL, but i also think they will have to throw some cash at it for a while, which is exactly the point of my first post. It isnt in the interests of any clubs for GWS to not have success. the sooner they have success on the field and at grass roots level the better. what are your thoughts on the suns? do you think theyll have a better chance of success? it seems theyve definitely gone about it in a more structured way. i think GWS has gone in very under prepared but who knows wh

no, i work for a wealthy mexican bloke on his private yacht. off to the bahamas for a few months so he can use it. shes a 65 metre motor yacht. these phillipino guys are great lads.

i am also worried about the perception of the expansion and am concerned if they do not go about it the right way it may become a big money pit. its all about the kids and auskick has to get in to the schools. its a long term project but will need reasonable on field success in the meantime to keep the interest in the playground. Sydney siders being sydneysiders, their supporters will always be fickle in comparison to Victorians but that is a tough yardstick. you guys are nuts about sport - love it!

yes i love it out here. got a few phillipinos on board as well so have had handpass lessons on deck with the sherrin. cant count the amount of times its nearly gone over the side though! saw a nuclear sub surface a few miles away yesterday. damn, those things are huge!

Yes, its definitely a long term project and no guarentee. I remember growing up on the gold coast in the early 90s. surfer's mcdonalds had a stack of bears tickets on the counter next to the charity box so you could take a few tickets when you bought a big mac. we used to grab a pile of them and try and sell them at the gate.....didnt really understand the law of supply and demand at that age!!

haha, it is lovely out here. currently 800 miles west of the canary islands. big swell but lovely weather. lots of tuna running so have a couple of lures out.

haha, yes i just might do that. they are league and union nuts actually. Footy is popular in WA and SA and the AFL must not neglect the footy states. however, but you made the point - the population is smaller there. Exactly right. Corporate/tv big wigs are interested in the population areas. By square km, footy is the most popular code in the country.

Yes, we'll wait and see. Im currently in the middle of the atlantic ocean on a yacht and re reading my posts i see my replies arent too structured - sorry guys , must be a bit tired. I guess my point im trying to get across is that we should be careful for what we wish for when we "hope" GWS is a failure. initially we all might get a " take that sheeds" feeling but a strong NATIONAL comp is good for the dees. I applaud the work the board has done to remove MFC debt but Im under no illusions of melbournes corporate "clout". perhaps over the years the club will become bigger, financially stronger but for now we most definitely rely on AFL income stream for the clubs existance. If the AFL can, over the next few decades, get a toe hold in western sydney then that can only be a good thing for the league and its melbourne based clubs.

You are right. Attendances up there are rubbish but the league tv ratings for the past 2 years have been higher than the AFL ratings. A lot of people from QLD and NSW that i speak to all say they prefer to watch aussie rules live than league live but they prefer to watch league on tv The other codes are very well supported. Its just not popular to go watch the games live. I understand that. Ive been to a few league games and was bored ****less.

Yes, perhaps youre right with that. Theyve gone very heavy with the young kids early on and I think a lot will "come home" before GWS sees them develop. In Brogan, Cornes and even Macca, I see a bit of desperation in recruiting the veterans. Its clear GWS found it harder to attract talent than the suns did - no suprise there though! As for the compo for losing players, I agree how compo is not that flash, especially if the Dees finish mid table. Im not sure how else the AFL couldve done it though. They couldve given the teams the same pick as what their player was taken at but that wouldnt work for clubs who lose gun players that were taken lower in the draft. For example we couldve got next years 1st pick for scully. No complaints there. That same rule would mean that if the club had lost trengove it would receive pick 2 next year. Now for mine, trengove is more valuable than scully, so that rule would not have worked so well. perhaps better than what they set up though.

I do agree WJ, that the GWS expansion has not been handled well. I agree that grass roots footy outside metro areas is being neglected and that the AFL did not properly protect the existing clubs to this expansion. However, I strongly believe, the AFL must expand its support base if its to remain a strong comp. A lot of footy supporters that grew up and live in melbourne amongst the fanatical fan bases dont quite realise that outside victoria the AFL is not really that strong. Of course it has supporters all over the country but its different to Melbourne. I live on a yacht in Europe and work with 5 other aussies. Im the only one that dosent think its a a poofs game played by boys in tight shorts. Now if it was a truly national game that wouldnt be the case. AFL needs to fight very hard to become a national game. A successful GWS is necessary. The AFL are so keen to avoid a Brisbane bears repeat that they have created rules to the detriment of the existing clubs. I know that and unfortunatley Vlad has taken his eyes of the footy a bit in that regard.

Western Sydney is the only place to target. I agree, it is a risk as its such a league/soccer area - but - its one of the fastest growing population areas in the western world. Tasmania is already footy mad. Also , its a low population base which equals low corporate/tv dollars. i doubt the networks really care too much how many people in launceston are sitting up watching the footy on a friday night. I do definitely agree the AFL is not putting enough in to country footy and i think its a tragedy seeing these local clubs dying. It is a big ask to convert western sydney in to footy fans but I believe it has to be attempted. It has to get in to the schools and GWS must have some success reasonably quickly. The AFL was clearly the most watched sport in the country a few years back, however Rugby league now has that title.

I disagree with most posters sentiments of GWS. Like it or not there is a battle of the football codes going on in this country and im not referring to Rugby or league. It is common knowledge our government incredulously wishes to expand our population to 35million in the next couple of decades. Where are these people going to come from and what sport do they play/watch? - Soccer! If the AFL dosent gain a foothold in NSW and establish themselves as a national code the code will get soundly beaten. Sure, some people long for the days of watching games at vic park or the western oval but i dont. I want a league of highly financed clubs, employing the latest techniques to create world class , elite sporting teams , playing in front of packed stadiums. without big tv rights deals the afl will not be able to survive as we know it. We need as many kids from the entire country playing footy if the AFL is to continue to bag the biggest sponsorship/corporate dollars. I want GWS to turn every Western sydney school kid in to a mad keen footy supporter. If GWS fails, every club, including the MFC, loses out. A lot of people dont seem to get this. What would a rise in popularity of footy in NSW do to the next TV rights negotiations? Without the AFL paying out millions to the clubs how do you think MFC would be able to afford to hire Craig, Misson etc. Where do you think the AFL gets this money from? If footy wasnt such a popular code where do you think the AFL would get the money from. Lets all look at the big picture guys.

We lost our future in tom scully?!! are you for real? why does everybody keep thinking this guy has jedi powers or something. one player , - even if he is as good as judd, how many premierships has carlton one since judd joined them? OR, how did geelong go after losing their Messiah, ablett jnr? im so sick of this rubbish about scully being the second coming or something. the club dodged a bullet - imagine trying to re sign JT etc in a few years time with bugger all room in the salary cap because the club paid overs in an effort to out bid GWS. 2 compo picks which give the club a chance to secure a couple of top line(not necessarily guns) mid fielders which will give the midfield depth is potentially more valuable than one kid on twice as much money as his fellow mid fielders and all the internal resentment at contract time that that would cause. Please everyone, ....... dry your eyes and get over Tom Scully!

YES! hallelulah! why do so many people give a fat rats clacker about the scully situation? some of these posters are like 10yr old school girls jilted by the pretty girl in the class room. why do so many people give a toss? carlton havent yet won a flag with judd in the side - all these people that think scully was the answer obviously dont know their footy too well. an even side wins premierships, not a side with one guy on rockstar wages and the rest of the team ****ed off that their getting paid peanuts comparitively. drop the scully rubbish once and for all, get over the fact that not every 20yr old in the country loves the dees as much as we do , and lets discuss INTERESTING topics for a change. Build a bridge, posters.