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I've just finished reading Ian Ridley's book recounting the process which saw this club come very close to becoming the Melbourne Hawks. It was a gift many years ago, but only just got around to reading it. Has anyone else here read it? I was to young to remember any details from the dramas of 1996. For those who do remember I'd be interested in your thoughts on that time, that night at the Dallas Brooks hall, and your thoughts if you have read the book. The thing that stands out to me, and this is also the opinion of Robbie Flower who wrote closing comments in the book, was that while the merger was the alternative that would most likely see the club achieve it's objectives, this benefit was not weighed up against the loss of identity that would've been involved. The middle ground didn't appear to be examined. Also the gospel belief that the salary cap would increase by so much without broader growth in club revenues was somewhat naive. The support of the players for the merger was a surprise, as was the sound financial footing the club was currently on when the proposal was considered. I thought it was cash but we were chasing their home ground and facilities. There are also many stories about how the vote was conducted, does anyone have any experiences they could share about this process?