The Official Melbourne Team Board

[loopy_cam]

And Another One Bites the Dust
Thursday 8th May, 2008
The official injury list of the club is growing ever longer with star forward Nick Riewoldt forced out of the side due to a knee injury. Riewoldt landed badly while being tackled during last weekends game and is expected to miss at least 3 to 4 weeks.
In other bad news David Neitz's injury has been found to be worst than first though and he could now be out untill round 20. Courtenay Dempsy's injury has also taken longer than first thought and he will be out for a few more week.
There is some good news though with backman Antoni Grover and midfielder Mark McVeigh expected to be available for Melbournes next game which will occur the week after the tribute game.

 

[loopy_cam]

Melbourne Active in Trade Week
Friday 16th May, 2008
Melbourne has been active in trade week. Both loopy and his assistant Casey18 were very keen to attract some top talent to the club and, though they looked at many offers, they only made one trade. The club recieved Mitch Morton and Charlie Gardiner from Geelong in exchange for Brad Ebert and Nathan Batsanis. The club would like to wish Brad and Nathan all the best at their new club. We caught up with loopy for his thoughts on the new recruits.
"Mitch Morton is a promising young forward who we expect to be at the club a long time. We expect him to play most games this year so he can develop into a superstar.
Charlie (Gardiner) is a mature player who adds a bit of grunt to the team. He will help cover for the loss of Riewoldt and will get even better when Roo returns."

 

[loopy_cam]

Neitz Denied Fairytale Finish
Tuesday 20th May, 2008
In a sad day for the Melbourne football club, David Neitz has announced his retirement. In the end it was a very innococuos pain in the neck which forced Neitz into retirement. It is the same injury which has forced Wayne Carey and Brett Montgomery to retire inthe past few years. After originally hoping to come back for the last few rounds of the season, doctors have informed Neitz that doing so might mean further damage is caused. Neitz has decided that rather than leave the football club he will help teach young key forwards like Jay Neagle and Ben Reid all he knows. This will be a major boost for the club. Neitz has been at the cub since the very beginning and he will have a lap of honour before the club's next game.

 

[loopy_cam]

Melbourne's Games Record
Tuesday 27th May, 2008
After many hours looking at every game Melbourne has ever played, historians have come up with a list of Melbourne's games record holders. It has been found that gun midfielder Joel Corey hold's the club's games record with 76 games played. Next on the list is one of the club's other gun midfielders, Cameron Bruce with 62 games.
Recently retired Full-forward David Neitz is third on the list with 60 games played.
Other players to pass 50 games for the club are running back Darren Milburn, quick forward/midfielder Amon Buchanan and retired superstar Matthew Whelan.

 

[loopy_cam]

Best and Fairest Hotting up
Sunday 15th June, 2008
With the season getting close to a finale, the best & fairest count at the Demons is becoming extremely close. The count has shown the great depth in Melbourne's list at the moment with 16 players collecting votes so far. Early bolter Mark McVeigh has been hampered by his hamtring injury and has been put right back into the pack. While youngster Tom Logan has picked up a surprising vote. The leaderboard at the moment has Cameron Bruce, long serving veteran at the Melbourne footy club sitting 3rd on 8 votes. 2nd and 1st place are tied at the moment with the ever consistent Joel Corey and the in form Jonothan Brown both sitting on 10 votes.
With only 4 games to go plus finals, there could be an exciting finish to the Best and fairest count.

 

[loopy_cam]

Jude Bolton Reaches Milestone
Saturday 28th June, 2008
The penultimate round of the home and away season is a very important one for the Melbourne fotball club. The side is battling for a top four spot with a number of clubs sitting very closely on the table. For Jude Bolton, however, the game will take on a different meaning. Jude will be playing his 50th game for the club. He will be only the seveth player to do so in the history of the club, coming behind greats such as Corey, Bruce, Milburn, Buchanan, Neitz and Milburn. In his pres conference, Jude had a few words to say about the achievement.

"It is a great honour for me. I love this club. I've been here through the ups and downs and, luckily, there have been a few more up seasons than down ones. I am hoping to spend the rest of my career at the Melbourne football club. It's just a great place to be. All the blokes here are just the friendliest blokes you could find and I'd just love to stay at the club. I still have a burning desire to win a premiership at Melbourne. I believe that loopy and casey are the guys that will lead this club to one. I believe we can win the flag this year. We've been very unlucky to not be firmly entrenched. We've been getting the scores on the board each week but there have just been a few times wherethe other side has played a blinder. If we can sneak into the top four after two wins this week and next, we will be very dangerous come finals time. Although playing 50 games for the club is a great honour for me, the best possible triumph for me would be to be to win a premiership with the Melbourne football club."

Jude will play his 50th game this week in the clash versus bottom 8 side Geelong. This will also be a big game for the club as it will be the first time that new recruits M. Morton and C. Gardiner play against their old club. Both players will be looking to put up a strong performance against ther former teammates. Former Melbourne player Brad Ebert will also line-up for Geelong with the game being his first against his old side.

 

[loopy_cam]

Last Round Thriller in Best and Fairest
Sunday 6th July, 2008
The last round of the season is a desperate battle for fourth spot on the ladder. For four Melbourne players, however, the day takes on another twist. Nick Riewoldt, Jonothan Brown, Joel Corey and Cameron Bruce are all tied on 12 votes in the B&F with just the one game to play. Fast Starter Mark McVeigh was hindered by injury which caused his position to drop.
Corey was the early leader of the four. He racked up 8 votes in the first 3 games. Riewoldt is the opposite. He has racked up 8 votes in the last 5. J. Brown is another who racked up his votes in a short space of time. Between rounds 9 - 12 he accumulated a massive 11 votes with 3 BOG performances. Bruce has also been good with 3 BOGs coupled with a few handy 1 voters.
There has been at least one of the four in the votes in every round this year. It shows their supreme talent. The final winner of the award will not be announced until after the season but all four players will be looking for a good performance in the hope of winning the award which is in its first year.

 

[loopy_cam]

Premiers
Tuesday 2nd September, 2008
The Melbourne football club has reached the pinnacle of the AFL with a crushing win over Adelaide in the 2008 Grand Final. Melbourne started well and led throughout with most players having a wonderful game. Best on ground was clearly the Dees gun centre half forward Nick Riewoldt who was everywhere right throughout. Nathan Eagleton's experience really shone through as he wa another standout performer. A man that has really stepped up this year is youngster Tom Logan and he took his game to another level on the grandest stage with his best game of the year. Adelaide had a couple of standout performers in superstar Gary Ablett and gun forward Brendan Fevola but it was a consistent performance by the whole Melbourne team which got them over the line. Milburn, McMahon, Bruce, Dalziell, Dyson, Simmonds, Bolton and Corey all played superb games and it was these players which got the team over the line.
The celebrations have already begun for the players and they will be sure to make them last a long, long time. There is another thing to look forward to this year though with presentation evening coming up very soon. Coach loopy_cam was seen to be ecstatic about the win but he is already looking forward to the draft and trade period coming up. He knows that it is crucial that he gets the decisions right in order to maintain the Demons current period of success.

 

[loopy_cam]

Cameron Bruce Crowned B&F
Monday 8th September, 2008
Cameron Bruce has today been named the Best and Fairest for the 2008 season. The award went down to the wire with four of the Dees top players tied with one game remaining. Bruce however had one of his best games in the last game of the year which helped him get over the line. Cameron had a few words to say after winning the award.

'It's a great honour to win this award. We have some great players here at the Dees. I mean, Brownie, Joel and Nick are all quality players and it's great running out onto the pitch with them every weekend. I'm extremely happy to win this award but team success always comes before individual honours so we'll all be training really hard to go back to back next year.'

The Top Four
Bruce - 15 votes
Corey - 13 votes
Riewoldt - 13 votes
Brown - 12 votes

Runner up best and fairest was a tie between two players. Nick Riewoldt and Joel Corey both shared the award which was also decided on the last day. Both players last game was so good that the voting panel could not split them. Both players were awarded replica medals.

The finals campaign of the team this year was obviously a very succesful one and with this the case, the best finals player was a very sought after award. There were three real standouts in the finals series and they were Riewoldt, Corey and Jude Bolton. All three were great during the most important games of the year but the final award was taken out by Joel Corey. Corey was great in the finals series with several BOG performances. His best finals player award was added to his runner up best and fairest award and it rounded out a very good year for Joel.

The best clubman award was taken out by Mark McVeigh. Mark was a fast starter in the Best and fairest and could well have won that award had it not been for the injuries which struck him down throughout the year. Mark was awarded the best clubman award because it was clear he plays his heart out everytime he puts on the Melbourne jumper and he is also one of the best leaders at the club. Mar puts his body on the line every week and this was made clear when at the end of the year he sustained an injury which threatened to rule him out of the finals. Lesser players would have succumbed to the injury and gone in for surgery. Mark, however, fought through the pain and ended up playing an important role in the premiership winning team.

There were many players who stepped up during this year so the most improved award was another with many contenders. The winner of the award was the underrated Tom Logan. Tom played well throughout the year in a multitude of roles. He is very selfless in the way he plays and is prepared to sacrifice his own game for the good of the team. The highlight of Toms year was a fantastic performance in the grand final.

The rising star award was a very tough choice this year which is great for the future of our club. There were many youngsters who put their hand up and played some great games throughout the year. Jay Neagle and Mitch Morton were strong candidates for the award. The winner of the award, however, was the youngster who had one of the best starts to a career that anyone has ever had. Brad Dalziell averaged 26 possesions in his first season and was great throughout the finals series. There will be many more awards in this young mans trophy cabinet by the time his career is over. You can count on that.

Best & Fairest: Cameron Bruce
Runner Up B&F: Joel Corey/Nick Riewoldt
Best Clubman: Mark McVeigh
Best Finals Player: Joel Corey
Most Improved: Tom Logan
Rising Star: Brad Dalziell

 

[loopy_cam]

The following is the current standing of the Melbourne Senior list. There are some key players out of contract who the club will be looking to re-sign. Coach Loopy_cam has also stated that he will be looking to trade in youth and will also be looking to put his own stamp on the list.​

Contracted Players
Jonathan Brown - $700,000 (4)
Bradd Dalziell - $60,000 (1)
Courtenay Dempsey - $130,000 (2)
Ricky Dyson - $100,000 (1)
Dustin Fletcher - $130,000 (2)
Clayton Hinkley - $65,000 (1)
Heath Hocking - $110,000 (1)
Cale Hooker - $60,000 (1)
Chad Jones - $100,000 (2)
Brian Lake - $171,000 (3)
John McCarthy - $60,000 (1)
Mark McVeigh - $110,000 (2)
Darren D Milburn - $260,000 (2)
Mitchell Morton - $150,000 (1)
Jay Neagle - $100,000 (1)
Setanta O'hAilpin - $100,000 (2)
Dean Putt - $60,000 (1)
Ben Reid - $107,000 (3)
Sam Reid - $65,000 (1)
Nick Riewoldt - $530,000 (4)
Troy Simmonds - $230,000 (2)
Toby Thurstans - $112,000 (1)​

Uncontracted Players
Jude Bolton - $407,000 (UC)
Cameron Bruce - $576,000 (UC)
Amon Buchanan - $325,000 (UC)
Joel Corey - $452,000 (UC)
Charlie Gardiner - $100,000 (UC)
Antoni Grover - $188,000 (UC)
Jarrod Harbrow - $75,000 (UC)
Nathan Eagleton - $362,000 (UC)
Jordan McMahon - $303,000 (UC)
Calib Mourish - $75,000 (UC)
Graham Polak - $193,000 (UC)
Max Rooke - $203,000 (UC)
Sam Sheldon - $75,000 (UC)
Tom Logan - $75,000 (UC)
Ben Warren - $75,000 (UC)​

Players No-Longer on List
Peter Bell - $410,000 (UC)
Matthew Robbins ($157,000) (UC)
Callum Urch ($100,000) (UC)
David Neitz (v) (UC)​

Draftees - Compulsory
#14 - $77,000
#33 - $65,000
#49 - $60,000

Draftees - Voluntary
#65 - $60,000
#81 - $60,000
#97 - $60,000

 

[loopy_cam]

For teams looking for depth players, the following players are for sale for draft picks.

Max Rooke
Charlie Gardiner
Antoni Grover
Graham Polak
Ben Warren
Sam Sheldon
Calib Mourish

All offers involving picks under 60 will be considered.

 

[loopy_cam]

For teams looking for depth players, the following players are for sale for draft picks.

Max Rooke
Charlie Gardiner
Antoni Grover
Graham Polak
Ben Warren
Sam Sheldon
Calib Mourish

All offers involving picks under 60 will be considered.

Add to this list.

Setanta O'hailpin
Toby Thurstans
Sam Reid
Dean Putt
Ricky Dyson
Cale Hooker
Nathan Eagleton

All of these players can be traded for picks or pick upgrades.

I currently own picks 31, 35, 36, 49, 67.

 

[loopy_cam]

Melbourne would like to announce that Amon Buchanan, Jordan McMahon and Heath Hocking have all been added to the list of players on the trade table.

Full list
Buchanan
Hocking
J. McMahon
Setanta O'hailpin
Toby Thurstans
Ricky Dyson
Cale Hooker
Nathan Eagleton
Charlie Gardiner
Antoni Grover
Graham Polak
Ben Warren
Calib Mourish

Players will be traded for either players with lower contract salaries or draft picks in an effort to gain some cap space.

 

[wheels4]

did u get my pm??

 

[loopy_cam]

Loopy Looks to Strengthen Through Trading
Friday 10th October, 2008

Coach loopy_cam has been looking to boost his sides chances for back2back flags while also keeping an eye on the future during this year's trade period. The trade period has now been going on for over three weeks and still has quite a way to go. Loopy, however, has not been afraid to go after the players he thinks can maintain Melbourne's current successful period for many years to come. There has been a massive 14 players traded out of the Dees list which won the premiership just weeks ago. In that list are big names such as key forward Jon Brown and this year's B&F, Cameron Bruce. We caught up with loopy to have a chat on all trades made so far.

Trade #1
Out: Jonathon Brown, BrianLake, Bradd Dalziell, Pick 16
In: David Myers, Christopher Mayne, Jarred Moore, Pick 31
"This was a really hard trade to do for us. Jonathon Brown was a really good mate of mine and it was hard to see him go. It was something that had to be done though. Jonathon was on a really big contract moneywise and lengthwise so it was tough on our salary cap. You always hear stories about teams having to lose highly contracted players after winning the premiership because of salary cap restrictions. BrianLake was another that was forced to leave. It's hard to do because they're great players and great blokes so you never want to see them leave. We also lost Bradd Dalziell and pick 16 in this deal. Bradd has had a terrific start to his career but we believe his numbers will drop now that the other teams know more about him. What we got in return for these quality players was always going to be good and the players we got are very good. David Myers and Chris Mayne are definitely quality and we believe they'll be 10+ year players for us. We also believed Moore was quite a good pickup."

Trade#2
Out: Jarred Moore
In: Sam Gilbert
"As soon as Jarred Moore was signed from the Coast, we had interest for him. We were looking to replace ageing Darren Milburn with this trade and we believe Sam can do that. He can play in a key position if there are no other choices but he plays his best footy as a rebounding defender which is where he will play next year."

Trade#3
Out: John McCarthy
In: Cameron Wood
"We were very lucky last year with our rucks. We basically only had Simmonds and the young Dean Putt. Putt was clearly not ready for senior action so had he gone down we would’ve been relying on a Setanta O’Hailpin or Graham Polak, before his injury, in the ruck which would not be the best scenario. We knew that we needed appropriate backup for Troy and in big Cam we think we have that. We were disappointed to lose Johnny McCarthy but we understand that you have to give up quality to gain quality.”

Trade#4
Out: Cameron Bruce
In: Daniel Wells
“We have been watching Wellsy very closely over the past few years and were always keen for him to make the move to Melbourne. He’s the kind of player that can win a game off his own boot. We were desperate to keep Cam because he has been a great player for us over a long period of time. He was out of contract and had already been offered a deal by the club which picked him up. We were in danger of losing him through the pre-season draft for nothing so we wanted to at least get something for him and it worked out well for us in that we got Dan.

Trade#5
Out: Sam Sheldon
In: Pick 49
“We understand how strong this draft is this year so we wanted to take full advantage of it. To grab more draft picks we of course had to give up some players and Sam was one of the unlucky ones.”

Trade#6
Out: Ben Reid, Clayton Hinkley, Pick 51
In: Simon Goodwin, Michael Doughty, Pick 36
“All of our trades prior to this one were aimed at securing players for the future. This one, however, was aimed at immediate success. Both Simon and Michael are experienced players who can, hopefully, take Melbourne to premiership glory again next year. We had to give up two promising players to gain these experienced guns in Ben Reid and Clayton Hinkley. We do think we have enough youngsters to fill the holes they will leave. We’ve still got Jay Neagle who can cover for Ben and we’ve got an abundance of quality young midfielders with players like Dave (Myers) and Chris (Mayne).”

Trade #7
Out: Max Rooke
In: Pick 40
“This was another trade aimed at taking full advantage of this year’s strong draft. It was sad to see Maxy go because he’s a player who just bleeds for the club. We think we can pick up a good quality player in the draft with this pick and we’ll back our recruiting staff to make the right choice.”

Trade#8
Out: Jarrod Habrow, Pick 36
In: Ben Rutten, Pick 28
“We were short on a full-back after trading Brian (Lake) earlier and in Ben Rutten we’ve gained one of the best defenders in the comp. As well as nullifying his opponent, Ben can also set up plays from the back line and we will be looking for him to do that on regular occasion. Jarrod was another player who was out of contract and we were in danger of losing him for nothing in the pre-season draft. We offered him a deal which we thought was very enticing because he is a good player who likes to take the opposition on. We really needed to replace Lake though so we reluctantly gave him up.”

Trade#9
Out: Pick 31
In: Justin Westhoff
“This was a very good deal for us which saw Justin come to the club for a second round draft pick. Justin has shown very good form in his first two years in the AFL TM. We were short on a key forward after the departure of Brownie so we really got what we wanted with this trade. We’re very happy with it.”

Trade#10
Out: Jordan McMahon, Antoni Grover, Pick 35
In: Ryan Hargrave, Pick 26
“This was a trade aimed at boosting our versatility down back. Hargrave is another player who can play tall or small down back and provides a lot of rebound. Jordan was very good for us last year and we were disappointed to lose him. Antoni was probably going to be delisted had he not been traded so we are happy he has been given another chance. We also got a pick upgrade which is always good in a draft of this quality.”

Trade#11
Out: Amon Buchanan, Pick 67
In: Dean Solomon, Pick 35
“This was a hard deal to do for us because Amon has been on our list for a long time and has been a great player for a lot of that time. We wanted to add a bit of grunt to our team, however, and Dean can add this. He still has some weeks left to miss because of his suspension but we believe that he will get over that and can be a very valuable player to the club. We also received another pick in the top 50 of the draft which is very important to us.”

“All in all, this has been a very good trade period for the club. We now have five picks inside the top 50 of the draft which will hold the club in very good stead. Good times are ahead for the Melbourne footy club.”

 

[loopy_cam]

If there is anyone out there with a pick below 50 that they are not planning on using, I would be willing to do a deal in which I upgrade a pick you will use for it if interested.

I currently own picks 26, 28, 40, 46 and 49.

 

[loopy_cam]

'09 Leadership Group Announced
Saturday 25th October, 2008

Melbourne has today announced the men that will lead the club throughout the 2009 season as the club looks for back to back premierships. Key forward Nick Riewoldt has been named captain of the club after a stellar 2008 in which he played a key role in the team's success. Nick signed with the club in 2006 and since he has been here, he has shown that he is a great leader both on and off the field.
Nick will be joined in the leadership group by vice captain Joel Corey and deputy vice, David Myers. Joel has been at the club a long time and is one of the teams most important players. He really leads by example in everything he does. Young David is just 19 years old and in only his second year of AFL football. Despite his short stint at the club, loopy_cam believes he is one of the greatest talents he has seen and he just reeks leadership potential. Both players will be looking to provide support to Nick as the club aims for continued success.

 

[loopy_cam]

Melbourne Take Schoenmakers at #26
Saturday 13th December, 2008

Melbourne have taken exciting forward prospect, Ryan Schoenmakers with their first pick in the 2008 national draft. The 189cm key forward from the Norwood football club in SA was touted by many to be a first round selection but he slid to 26 giving Melbourne the opportunity to take him which they duly did. Coach loopy_cam was ecstatic that Ryan fell to the Dees first selection, this is what he had to say immediately after the selection took place.
"Wow. We're really happy that Ryan lasted till our pick. We thought there was no chance that he'd last until the second round, let alone side to us. He's a little short for a key position spot so maybe that's one of the reasons he may have slipped. The good thing is, he's still growing so he may be able to fill a key position post in the future. We think, however, that he is best suited to a Ryan O'Keefe type role. He's got great athleticism. That is one of his greatest strengths. He's also pretty quick and has a great set of hands. We were really happy to get him as we rated him as the twelfth best player in the draft, so to get him at 26 is fantastic."
Ryan was also very happy to be drafted. This is what he had to say.
"I'm really happy to be at Melbourne. They're a great club with a really great history. Loopy did talk to me early on but I don't think they thought I'd be available at their pick. I can't wait to get out and start training with the boys. I suppose it's good I got drafted to Melbourne so I can wear the Red and Navy just like at Norwood."
When asked whether there were any players he was looking forward to meeting in particular Ryan had this to say.
"Nick Riewoldt has always been a hero of mine. He's a great player and it'll be great to be working with him. I really just wanna meet all the boys and start training."
Melbourne still have 5 more selections in the National draft (40, 42, 44, 46 and 49) and two in the pre-season draft. Sam Lonergan and Tom Hislop are both training with the squad in the hope of getting picked up in the pre-season draft.

 

[loopy_cam]

Melbourne Welcome Five More New Faces
Wednesday 17th December, 2008

Melbourne have finished off the draft strongly with five new players being welcomed to the club. The club had five picks in the third round of the draft and this is how it panned out:-

Pick #40 - Michael Walters
Height: 177cm
Weight: 75kg
Michael is a supremely talented midfielder/forward who was recruited from the Swan Districts in Perth. He has great ability with both hand and foot. He has good awareness, agility and can win the ball in contested or uncontested situations. An AIS/AFL Academy graduate, Walters represented Western Australia in 2008.

Pick #42 - Sam Wright
Height: 188cm
Weight: 76kg
Wright is a versatile utility who can play forward, midfield or down back. Wright averaged 18 disposals and one and a half goals a game after playing every match in 2008. He has been likened in both looks and playing style to current player Dale Thomas.

Pick #44 - Matthew Broadbent
Height: 189cm
Weight: 81kg
Matthew is a hard-running defender who can also play run-with roles, he is courageous and has clean hands. His long kicking was a feature for South Australia at the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships this year.

Pick #46 - Jake Edwards
Height: 192cm
Weight: 89kg
Jake is a former west coast rookie in the AFL TM. He is a key forward prospect who is still fairly young at just 20 years of age. He has played five career games and impressed during those games enough to be given a one year deal at Melbourne for 2009.

Pick #49 - Jarrod Atkinson
Height: 185cm
Weight: 84kg
Jarrod is a mature age recruit at 23 years of age. He is a backman who is lightening quick. He can also move into the midfield if needed.

 

[loopy_cam]

Lonergan and Hislop the Newest Demons
Saturday 10th January, 2009

Melbourne have picked up two tough in and under midfielders with their two picks in the pre-season draft. Both players were training with the club before the draft and always looked likely to be picked up. They will add some extra grunt and depth to the Demons imposing midfield outfit. Both players resumed training after the christmas break with the main group last monday and will be looking to secure a spot in the best 22 with strong performances on the track.

 

[loopy_cam]

Jumper Numbers Presented
Wednesday 14th January, 2009

The jumper numbers for 2009 have been presented at the clubs jumper night last saturday. There weren't any major surprises with who got which jumpers. Captain Nick Riewoldt got the number 12 he wanted while vice captain Corey will wear the number 11. The Dees first pick in the national draft Ryan Schoenmakers has the number 3 guernsey. The full list of numbers are here:-

1. Jay Neagle
2. Heath Hocking
3. Ryan Schoenmakers
4. Ryan Hargrave
5. David Myers - Deputy Vice Captain
6. Andrew Swallow
7. Dean Solomon
8. Daniel Wells
9. Michael Doughty
10. Mark McVeigh
11. Joel Corey - Vice Captain
12. Nick Riewoldt - Captain
13. Sam Wright
14. Sam Lonergan
15. Sam Gilbert
16. Tom Hislop
17. Matthew Broadbent
18. Justin Westhoff
19. Courtenay Dempsey
20. Sam Reid
21. Dean Putt
22. Setanta O'Hailpin
23. Christopher Mayne
24. Jude Bolton
25. Ben Rutten
26. Cale Hooker
27. Cameron Wood
28. Toby Thurstans
29. Ricky Dyson
30. Troy Simmonds
31. Dustin Fletcher
32. Mitch Morton
36. Simon Goodwin
37. Jake Edwards
38. Jarrod Atkinson
39. Darren Milburn
42. Michael Walters
44. Tom Logan

During the night coach loopy_cam spoke about the club's tumultuous off season.
'Their have been quite a few changes to the list since the end of last year. I'd like to welcome Walters, Atkinson, Edwards, , Goodwin, Wood, Rutten, Mayne, Westhoff, Broadbent, Hislop, Gilbert, Lonergan, Wright, Doughty, Wells, Solomon, Swallow, Myers, Hargrave and Schoenmakers to the club. They have all settled in very well and are all pushing for a spot in the starting 18 for round one.'

In an attempt to fire up all players, loopy released a suspected best 18 and reserves team. He hopes that this will make the players train extra hard to either stay in the best team or force their way into it. The teams he named are below:-

Best 18
B: Doughty, Fletcher, Dempsey
HB: Hargrave, Milburn, Myers
C: J. Bolton, Goodwin, Wells
HF: Solomon, N. Riewoldt, Logan
F: M. Morton, Westhoff, Lonergan
R: Simmonds, M. McVeigh, Corey

Reserves
B: Atkinson, Rutten, O'Hailpin
HB: Broadbent, Thurstans, Hooker
C: Dyson, Hislop, Gilbert
HF: Mayne, Edwards, Schoenmakers
F: Wright, Neagle, Walters
R: Wood, Hocking, Swallow
I/C: Putt, S. Reid

Loopy believes that with this group of players the club can go a long way into the finals and win back to back premierships.

 

[loopy_cam]

Title Defence Starts Well
Sunday 5th April, 2009

Melbourne have made their first steps towards defending their crown of premiers with a convincing win over the Brisbane Bears. The win puts Melbourne fifth on the ladder and they look set for yet another succesful year on the field. We caught up with coach loopy_cam who had this to say after the game.
"Obviously I'm very happy to get the four points. We played a very well-rounded game today. There were alot of players who contributed. Our defence was solid with Hargrave and Gilbert providing good run and the midfield was good enough to get it to the forwards regularly and Mitch (Morton) and Justin (Westhoff) were good enough to convert. We're really happy with the result, especially considering we've still got Spike (McVeigh) and Solomon to return in the coming weeks and Riewoldt didn't play to his usual standard. We've got room for improvement which is a very good sign considering the magnitude of the win."
When asked if any changes would be made to the side for next round's clash with West Coast, loopy said that there had been a few players who showed good form in the reserves. He mentioned Myers, Rutten and Hislop as three players who would push for selection.

 

[loopy_cam]

Anouncement on Activity During Trade/Bidding Period
Monday 19th October, 2009

Just so that everyone knows, loopy_cam has today stated that he will not be around too much during the early part of the trade/bidding period. "The next two weeks will be pretty busy for me so I will not be involved much. After that I will have more involvement with my time being more free. Thankyou."

 

[loopy_cam]

Melbourne Look Forward to Active Off-Season
Monday 30th August, 2010

Melbourne are looking to put a dissapointing season behind them quickly as they prepare themselves for a strong off-season. Loopy_cam had this to say on what his approach for the off-season will be.
"We were obviously very dissapointed in the way the season finished. We thought we had the list to challenge with the top sides but evidently we aren't quite there. We will be looking to rectify that over the off-season with some big signings."
There have been some suggestions that the Melbourne list is too old and they need to 'bottom out' before they can once again rise to become a top contender. Loopy was adamant that this was not the case.
"I can see where people are coming from with that call. We have looked to have been on a downward slope since the premiership in '08. I think that people who are suggesting that haven't taken a close enough look at the list. We've got the young guys coming through. Guys like Picken and Mayne are quality young players coming through and we believe that they can take the next step. We've got a few young guys out of contract also like Walters and Dempsey and we will be doing all they can to keep them at Melbourne."

 

[loopy_cam]

Melbourne Start Trade Period With a Bang
Saturday 16th October, 2010

True to his word, loopy_cam has been aggressive in the early stages of trade week with three trades already being completed despite the window having been open for less than 24 hours. Melbourne has welcomed ruckman Hamish McIntosh, midfielders David Zaharakis and Jed Adcock and promising young key position players Jack Fitzpatrick and John Butcher. Loopy had this to say on the incoming players.
"We're very happy (with them). Our first priority was to get a ruckman and in McIntosh we've got one of the best. The other guys we've got are all seen as long term players so it's good to get them all on long contracts. We think Zaharakis, Adcock and Butcher will all be pushing for places in the 18 as early as next year. Fitzpatrick is a bit of a longer term project player but you never know. If he shows good form he will also be given an opportunity."
Melbourne had to say goodbye to Sam Gilbert, Sam Wright, Brent Prismall, Cameron Wood and Liam Picken in doing these trades and we wish them all the best in their future careers.
In other news, Melbourne has re-signed promising youngsters Michael Walters and Matthew Broadbent and the experienced Michael Doughty. Talks are also underway to re-sign Dustin Fletcher, Courtenay Dempsey and Tadgh Kennelly and they are expected to sign soon. There has also been rumours that Melbourne a targetting a big name player in the pre-season draft with Michael Rischitelli, Scott Thompson and Jack Watts being named as possible candidates.