rumpole

What he said - forward line is inept. The disappointing aspect to my mind was the fact that the numbers in attandeance were poor and there were almost as many Sydney fans there as there were Melbourne supporters. No wonder the AFL shunts us off to far away places. This was our first competitive hit out for the year, albeit only a practice match. It was in a centrally located venue and our fans don't turn up to support their team. They couldn't even use the snow for an excuse. Pi$$ poor.

DEMONS READY FOR NEW SEASON MELBOURNE is confident it can lock in dual major sponsors before its first home game against North Melbourne on March 29. And the Demons are looking to replicate the boon of the Kangaroos' Grand Final breakfast by hosting an annual AFL-endorsed lunch before the start of each season. President Jim Stynes said yesterday the club was close to finalising its sponsorship arrangements for the year ahead. "We've had someone else jump in a few days ago to show an interest," Stynes said. "They have put up a certain amount of money. It is a little bit short, but they could well be a part of the overall deal.

Latest rumour is that MFC will shortly announce not one but two major sponsors. Neither will be kicking in the top dollars but the combined total will exceed the sum of most single major sponsors.

Good to see Ricky Petterd in fine fettle. He deserves success after all he's been through.

For the duration of the NAB Cup you can play your rookies so there's no need to elevate any rookies ATM.

Three strikes for Buddy. You call that fiction?

A couple of points regarding comments made on this thread: I was at a relatively high level meeting of club supporters 4/5 weeks before Xmas and spoke to CC in the presence of others about sponsorships. No mention was made about any deal being anywhere close to or over the line. CC told us it was a hard slog in the prevailing economic environment. I don't agree that the failure to get Mission Foods is an embarrasment. The Bullies finished top 4 last year and have a far superior fixture in terms of the high commercial value Friday night games. We were always going to struggle to seal a deal. We were on a hiding to nothing.

All politics and we are the football getting kicked around. The MCC will have a revolution on its hands if it doesn't resolve the matter, not to mention the fact that it risks the AFL reallocating funds from the doomed West Sydney project to fund the cosntruction of a boutique stadium at Casey Fields that might house up to a dozen games a year when the less popular interstate clubs play local clubs in Melbourne.

Brad Smith was drafted by WCE and had two knee recos so the Eagles applied to have him listed as a mature age rookie. The AFL refused the application. Smith was definitely not going to play the following year. He wasn't photographed training doing ruckwork a week before the application was lodged and the AFL didn't have the mouthwatering carrot of a round 1 bonanza game involving Judd and Cousins as an incentive in making a decision. Now. Can someone please define the word "corruption" for me B) ?

He's the best player left in the draft system going by Burgatron who had him going in the 40's. Who else is available?

According to a report in today's Age (Channel Seven reporter cleared over AFL files), Dylan Howard "has been cleared by a police investigation into the stolen medical records of two AFL players." The Supreme Court granted an injunction suppressing reports of the names of the players involved (I thought there were seven players) and all we all know their AFL club. This means it's quite possible that a number of the members of a predominant AFL team were players who like Ben Cousins were being treated for drug addiction. While I make no excuses for Ben's behaviour and conduct and agree that it would be a risk for any club to employ him in the near future, I would suggest that there's a touch of hypocrisy in the way the drugs issue has been handled by the AFL, the media and even by the courts. Cousins gets disqualified for a year and finds it hard to find a club but seven other blokes who, for all we know, have exactly the same problem as Ben has/had are free to bask in the glory of a premiership without any sanction against them or their club. What value is the AFL's drug testing policy if Cousins could have gotten away without being found positive for drug use or if seven players from one club could get away with playing football, yet be in a situation where they are getting medical treatment for drug abuse? It surely must be time for a rethink on the issue of drugs in sport and perhaps it's time for government to be more active because it seems to me that the AFL is out of its depth on this subject.

That thread at 'ology is an absolute bonanza for defamation lawyers.

Is Montagna the name you're looking for?

Are you suggesting the club wouldn't deal aggressively if a suitable player became available in the PSD?

Hot off the press: Peter German has been appointed coach of Casey and will have a Melbourne Football Club developmental role.

My guess is that the AFL needs to kill off one existing club to make way for GC17. In the circumstances of the global monetary crisis and the apathy of the Sydney public, the West Sydney team will never get off the ground so the only way to overcome the problem of a bye is to make one of the clubs a sacrificial lamb. We have been chosen.

I think back to the time when Brett Lovett was let go by Hawthorn at a young ge, came to Melbourne and became a star. Sometimes players deserve a second chance.

Good advice and don'tforget that injunction's still in place!

LOL

Pure Gold

My reading of the article that quotes the CEO's email and Melbourne's response through Chris Connolly doesn't suggest that at all. I don't envy Connolly having to deal with municipal officers and town planners in finalising the agreement. There's so much politics and double tal always going on and Chris is such a down to earth honest bloke. He's no doubt tearing his hair out having to deal with the situation.

Surely wouldn't be much younger than Green. Add Carroll into the mix and give them # 51 and it's a deal.

Well Green is reported in the Australian today to be looking for a new home with Port Adelaide in the mix. Find it hard to believe that he would go but that's life I suppose!

Why? Most of what he says is pure and unadulterated drivel.

I didn't know these guys but what a wonderful tribute!