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As part of a fresh 2020 campaign (following a solid, injury-free preseason, smart recruitment, delistings, and devising an ACTUAL gameplan), we need a new captain. One, not two. And preferably not Viney. I like him, but he's been off the boil for a long time, and Jones won't/shouldn't be around much longer. We need leadership. We need goals kicked when they count, tackles that can't be broken, and vision. We need somebody to lead the group, and show the rest that there is a standard and it won't be compromised. Who do give the role to? I think Maxxy would be great, but I also worry that it might be too distracting for him, he already does so much.

Do you give away the most ridiculous of free kicks. Why as the most experienced player in the team are you the most undisciplined? Why do you confound us with your stupidity?

I did a thread a couple of years ago detailing how sides are defined by their senior players and their fortunes tied to theirs (senior/prime: 23+ year olds with 70+ games experience): http://demonland.com/forums/index.php?/topic/29466-the-outlook-senior-players-in-2012/ There were two aspects; where they are placed with regard to the rest of the competition and how they fare in their Pre Season as preparation for the season is a massive indicator of a players season In 2012 we had: Green, Moloney, Rivers, Davey, Sylvia, Jamar, MacDonald, Batram, Bate, Dunn, Frawley, Jones and Clark. 8 of those 13 were in the last year or second last year. In 2014 we have: Cross, Jones, Jamar, Vince, Byrnes, Frawley, Dunn, Garland, Clark, Dawes, Trengove, Watts, McKenzie, and Grimes. Only 5 of the 14 look like they could be in their last or penultimate season. Those bolded battled bad form and injuries in 2013. Now, how this group compares to the rest of the AFL is subjective but I just wanted to point out how much this group has been improved over the last two years. How they fare this pre-season will determine how much we can improve. Where do they sit in the AFL? Get them fit and find out I guess...

Apologies in advance if other people think this is merely duplicating what others have said in other threads. But there have been so many duplicate negative threads recently (with just cause) that I thought this warranted its own. It's our darkest days at the moment. I know we've been promised that the light at the end of the tunnel is near & are sick of the spin going into every new season... but this guy is a light in a virtually starless sky. When he was chosen as co-captain, I thought it was because Grimes had not been able to string a full season together (prior to last year) and they did not want to be playing without a captain most weeks. Trengove had obvious leadership qualities but was very young as we all know. In hindsight and from afar, it looks as though Jones and Clark would have made good (perhaps better?) captains. However we don't see the day to day workings at the club and so watching this interview, I got a glimpse as to why he is one of our captains. http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2013-04-17/recovery-claims-untrue-trengove He's what 21? Considering the media pack that is swarming around us at the moment, the composure he shows in that interview gives me confidence. He's on message and his determination and steely resolve in the direction we are going shines through. He's missed the pre-season and has been slammed from pillar to post for being too young to lead by people that couldn't actually have any real idea. His form and speed were disappointing last year (maybe due to injury) and the start of the season has been tumultuous for the club - but he stood there, answered all the questions without giving them the "quote" for another negative article. I used to cringe when hearing previous captains such as Green or Neitz spoke to the media. I don't with Trengove and have equal faith in Grimes. Now of course the obvious response is that this counts for zip if he/they can't lead on the field. But they can. With no pre-season, he's got better with each game. He was down last year but (as all the coaches said so many times last year) he lead the team in nearly all the defensive indicators and his work rate was good despite getting less of the ball. People forget that many teams had him as the #1 pick in 2009 for being able to do it all and despite what you think of our ability to develop young players, in Trengove I see the same focus and desire to be the best he can be that Nathan Jones had when he started. We all know how much Jones has improved and I think Trengove has more raw talent / potential than Jones did. Similarly Grimes captained a team that had Kruezer and Cotchin in it - he can play! We've been getting killed in the midfield - can't be an easy place to be playing for a young footballer - but with Gawn knocking on the door, Trengove and Blease getting fitness back, Sylvia finding form (can he do it every week?), return of McKenzie and the injection of M Jones, Terlich, Kent, Evans, Viney & Toumpas we might not be as far away as some think. It's amazing how much better your attack and defence look when your midfield improves. I still think Trengove was unfairly thrown to the wolves in being made captain so early in his career, but with all he's been through outwardly he shows no signs of it affecting him. Perhaps it has made him stronger - made him grow up much faster than what would normally be expected of a young AFL player. With Grimes, Jones, Clark and Viney around him we have a good young leadership group who are selfless, tough and uncompromising - these guys can and will change the culture of the club.

I've alluded to this in other threads, but I feel that it needs its own topic. Melbourne have consistently stated over the off-season that these two players were specifically brought in to address the dearth of experience and leadership across our playing list. However, when efforts and cool heads were required yesterday, very few stood up. Namely, the Jacks Viney and Grimes. If these two blokes are in the team next week, I will chuck a massive tanty, as immature as it may be.

Something is seriously wrong at our Melbourne Football Club. We have slumped to one of our lowest points, and I don't need to provide the detail as to where we're at, it's plain and obvious for all to see. What's most troubling is the uneasy quiet of concession by members and supporters that we no longer even care to feel the hurt any more. This spells very dangerous times for the club. In such a position, we tend to seek answers as to what's missing, or what we can do to turn things around. Is it the coaching staff? Is it the players? Is it our foot skills? Decisions making? Willingness to run? Is it the administration? Is it the strategy? Is it the recruiting? What can we change?... The reality is that like all AFL clubs, we have a capable administration, playing list and coaching staff. Capability doesn't bring success, nor does it even bring competitiveness. I love Australian Rules Football because it is not just by measurable and definite qualities that can ensure success, as success comes to those who believe that it is theirs to take, and that they can take it. The MFC lacks confident self belief. The players don't believe that they can win. The supporters don't believe that we can win. The coaching staff must be beginning to have doubts. The administration must also be doubting our ability to win. The thing about confident self belief is that it holds a very strong inertia. It's contagious and self affirming. It feeds on itself, with success breeding confident self belief, and confident self belief breeding success. It's distinct from false or extrinsic belief, it can't be learned. It must be boldly asserted. It's elusive yet real, I know myself playing that I could do amazing things when confident, and the opposite true when I wasn't. The other side of the equation holds equally true. The lack of confident self belief ensures failure, which in turn compounds the lack of self belief. Like any unsuccessful person or organisation, this is the condition we find ourselves in. We often look to the wrong things to resolve this condition. Changes to the personnel (be it playing, coaching or administration) are not an effective remedy to the condition, as there is never a complete turnover of personnel. Every MFC player that runs out shares a common thread of Red & Blue with every player who has played. There's a large part of last week's team in every round. It's been that way for 154 years. Even if there were a wholesale change in personnel, the condition exists in the entity of the club itself through the image it has in the mind of the general public. We can't dig ourselves out of this hole by changing personnel, so let's just kill that idea here and now. How can we develop confident belief? Here's a positive. Confident self belief is contagious, so once we start to develop it, the inertia of it can help it to feed itself. The difficult part is finding out where it comes from at such a low point. This is something which can't be forced, but may be taken by any true leaders at the club (whoever they may be), and then slowly transferred. There is an opportunity for every player on our list to simply become great by starting to lead. There's nothing formal about leadership, it's open to all. Where and when this spark will come I don't know, but a good starting point is an awareness of this. Every player and official at the club needs to know that they are capable, that they do have the ability to win a premiership, all they need to do is just assert it, because success is there for the taking, but only for those who are prepared to take it. Who will stand up?