MELBOURNE'S general manager of football operations Chris Connolly has spoken with passion about how the club "exists to win premierships" and will achieve it by clear planning.

Connolly, who played 84 games for Melbourne, addressed the 170-plus supporters and 50-plus past and present players at Tuesday night's Debt Demolition function with some strong thoughts.

Connolly said trading Johnstone came with the need to gain another youngster in the draft and it allowed Jack Grimes to become a Demon.

"It wasn't easy for Dean (Bailey) to trade out Travis Johnstone for pick 14, because he's been one of the champions of our club," he said.

"But it's linked into a plan to give our club an opportunity to experience premiership success, so from the footy department's point-of-view, we'll be transparent in everything we're doing.

"Every coach has a different way of going about their business and there are different ways to skin a cat … but we'll do it the Dean Bailey way."

He also recognised the depth of talent in Melbourne's youth and that Colin Garland should win this year's NAB AFL Rising Star award.

"Don't worry about Rhys Palmer at Fremantle, Colin Garland has been the most outstanding Rising Star this year," Connolly said.

"He's actually had to play on someone and he's played on 'Buddy' Franklin, Jeff Farmer and Jonathan Brown."

Connolly added that young gun Cale Morton had accomplished more than any other Melbourne player had at his age.

"I ask every senior player here, 'What were you doing when you were 18? I tell you what, you weren't playing as well as what Cale is at the moment'," he said.

"At this point in time, we qualify for five picks under 50 and we qualify for three picks under 20 and we'll get the best kid in Australia in this national draft to add to this group.

"We know the trials and tribulations of football that a third of them won't make it – they mightn't be good enough and they might stop improving and other players might go past them."

Keeping the young group together for the next 10 years is also a priority, with the experience of playing with Russell Robertson, James McDonald, Adem Yze and Jeff White to hold them in good stead.

"These guys are the absolute champions we've had in 150 bloody years in the club and they'll leave a legacy [for our young players]," Connolly noted.

He also praised the previous Melbourne football department, headed by coach Neale Daniher, football manager Chris Fagan and recruiting manager Craig Cameron, who oversaw six finals campaigns from 1998 to 2006.

"They allowed Melbourne to experience a lot of finals success and they didn't experience the ultimate, but nevertheless, they gave a lot of good feelings and good finals drives to people who support the Melbourne Football Club.

"Craig Cameron was able to recruit a group of players, who we think, are a great foundation to build on.

"Those three guys are life members of the club ... they're Melbourne people and they delivered to the best of their ability."

Connolly also urged the club's supporters to band together ahead of what promises to be an exciting period in the club's history.

"There's lots of people who aren't interested in us and there's lots of people who want to bring us down and there's lots of clubs that want to tear us apart – that's the environment that we're in," he said.

"But if we stick together and have a clear planning and play with the spirit, where we conduct ourselves in a manner where our decision-making is going to be better than the opposition, then we're a chance to a win a premiership some time in the future.

"The Melbourne Football Club is a very exciting place to be at the moment."