Dearth of Demons

Notwithstanding gun Bomber recruit Brendon Goddard joining the Bombers’ leadership group almost immediately he arrived at Windy Hill, we couldn’t help noticing that free-agency/trade/draft period recruits Chris Dawes and Shannon Byrnes have joined the Demons’ leadership group. Further highlighting the move, we noticed that Mitch Clark, last year’s Demon saviour, also joined that group in his first season with the club.

 

Forget tanking. Who was the genius who decided to create an expansion club-like list for an established club? How can three blokes who wouldn’t have been automatic inclusions in the leadership groups at their previous clubs be walk-up starts in the Demons’ leadership group?

 

It doesn’t matter if the Demons tanked because they shot themselves in the foot while thinking they were aiming at the stars.

 

Does someone carry the can for this? Who chose a Cale Morton at pick 4 five years ago: the same Cale Morton traded away a few months ago in exchange for pick 88? Who invested so much faith in Tom Scully, but failed to read that he’d opt for a fat pay packet? Is there too much hope and not enough hard-headed decision making? Are expectations — say, of Jack Watts — unrealistic? Scully too was touted — not just by the Demons, admittedly — as something pretty special, but his performances thus far haven’t matched the hype.

 

Longer term, we have to wonder whether Melbourne Football Club ever recovered from the defection of Ron Barassi, the sacking of Norm Smith and the loss of status attendant with sharing their MCG stronghold with Richmond in the 60s?

 

Aside from the yo-yo years of the Neale Daniher reign, the club that was the powerhouse of the competition through the 50s and early 60s has delivered bugger all and it doesn’t look like improving on that any time soon.