26 minutes ago, OutOfTheCentre21 said:

Agreed, all hard to get though. 

 

Are there any left field options? I mentioned Lobb, anyone else? Hogan (a bit romantic too)? 

maattttee id love Hogan back :)

Probably Hogan's best season since us. 

23 minutes ago, Tracca said:

maattttee id love Hogan back :)

He would've handy about now.

1 minute ago, leave it to deever said:

He would've handy about now.

The key thing for me is he's been on the ground for 16 games. Much more continuity and he looks like he's enjoying his footy more as a result. 

Georgiadis on the cheap is our most likely option, but he won't play until at least the middle of next year with his ACL.

JT is a big fan and wanted us to draft him, but Port got in first. 

1 hour ago, adonski said:

Ben is lucky his last name is King 

Guy is terrible, you'd get better output from Jefferson in the seniors this season than what King has dished up for GCS

Frankly both of the King boys are busts, can barely get on the park and output is inconsistent to very poor week to week 

12 hours ago, Jaded No More said:

Oliver has one thing over those other mids. He has great bursting speed and he can pick the ball up off the ground at top speed. It’s why we looked so good with Kosi in the middle on Sunday. Kosi can also pick the ball up at speed and burst through. He’s no Clarry tho because he doesn’t do it 30+ times a game. 
 

I think you are completely underestimating what an impact losing Oliver has had. For one it allows teams to put more time into defending the stoppage, it’s why we’ve reverted to having an extra mid at stoppages, which has seen our forward half pressure drop off as a result. 

Secondly he’s the best clearance player in the game, so we’ve dropped right back in our clearance numbers, where as we usually sit comfortably in the top 2-3 in the competition. That impacts how we play and how much harder we have to defend. 
It also meant we couldn’t play Trac forward as much as we would have liked, when we desperately needed a forward spark.

You cannot tell me that Clarry playing against GWS isn’t worth more than the 2 points we lost by. Or that Geelong dominates clearances in the last quarter like they did, if Clarry is playing. 
 

Any side that misses their best player for 3 months is going to be impacted by it. Maybe May is a bigger loss because we don’t have as many good tall defenders as we do inside mids, in terms of balance to the side, but you can never replace star power like Clarry. To say we are a better side without him is laughable. He’s a 2 time coaches award winner, a 4 time B&F winner and a 3 time AA. At 25. He is a freak. 

Not to mention the defensive work he has started to implement into his game, he was getting quite a few intercepts in the corridor pushing back.

3 hours ago, Hatchman said:

Possibly unpopular opinion but I think the only player that needs a rest is VIney. 

He has busted his backside for the last few weeks and looked visibily sore in the last quarter. If Jack looks sore he's probably carrying something that any other footballer/human would require a stay in an ICU ward. 

Tomlinson was great in the first half but faded in the last quarter - I'd take Hibberd over him

BBB did great work off the ball all night, I thought he played very well.

 

I think this happens when Clayton comes back in, against North or in the final couple of games when we are cemented in top 4, but he deserves one, he's been getting smashed for the last 8 weeks more than usual.

 

-

Edited July 24, 20231 yr by Hawny for Gawny

13 hours ago, 3183 Dee said:

Yet here we are, two games clear inside the Top 4…

It never ceases to amaze me the subjective assessment of some dees 'fans' about where we sit relative to other teams is so wildly different to objective fact.

By any objective measure we are the strongest, best, most successful team of the last three seasons, inclusive of this season.

Assuming the cats don't wn the flag, that will remain true even if we don't win the flag this season (if the lions win it this year they might have a case).

Facts are facts.

This team is the most successful dees team since the 1955-60 unit.

So, the most successful dees team in most dees fan's lifetime

We will end this home and away season in the top 4.

That will be the third season in a row we have finished top 4 (the last time that happened for the dees was 1957-60).

We have been in the top 4, if not every week since the start of the 2021 season, it can't be more than one or two weeks not top 4. 

Three full seasons of being in the top 4 every week is a phenomenal record, one probably only port and the lions come anywhere near  matching - and it's worth noting both enjoy a huge home ground advantage.

Finished top of the ladder in 2021 and second in 2022.

We will finish at least 4th, but possibly as high as 2nd, in 2023.

A flag in 2021.

Finals in 2022, albeit it out in straight sets.

Finals in 2023.

I mean c'mon, there isn't another club that comes close to matching our record in the last 3 years.

And of course that includes Collingwood, who have a great home and away record for one and a half seasons. And that's it.

Yet for some, we are an average team (a good team doesn’t get beaten by - insert any team outside the top 6 here - !), full of fatal flaws with a coach that infuriates them (he plays favorites!, he is so stubborn!) and a team full of bog ordinary players.

Beggars belief.

The 'what did the Romans ever do for us' skit in Life of Brian comes to mind.

Edited July 25, 20231 yr by binman

49 minutes ago, layzie said:

The key thing for me is he's been on the ground for 16 games. Much more continuity and he looks like he's enjoying his footy more as a result. 

Haven't seen enough of him but his marking is still strong. We desperately need a chf that can mark. Melksham was wonderful against the Lions in this area. Jvr makes the effort but doesn't seem to hold too many as yet. Bbb is struggling to get to the contest. I'm grateful our smalls are back in form as I don't see any solutions to fix this.

21 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

Georgiadis on the cheap is our most likely option, but he won't play until at least the middle of next year with his ACL.

JT is a big fan and wanted us to draft him, but Port got in first. 

The thing I wonder with Georgiades is he isn't a big key forward, he's more a medium forward.

I think we need a bit 196/197cm strong key forward in the Hawkins, Mitch Lewis, Larkey mould.

1 hour ago, DistrACTION Jackson said:

The thing I wonder with Georgiades is he isn't a big key forward, he's more a medium forward.

I think we need a bit 196/197cm strong key forward in the Hawkins, Mitch Lewis, Larkey mould.

I don't disagree, but I don't think there are any of these types available at the moment. Larkey was my great white hope, but he's chosen to stick with North. Naughton seems doubtful, but would be really good if he doesn't re-sign with the dogs next year when OOC. 

Hopefully Jefferson becomes that player for us. He looks to be developing nicely at Casey, just needs like 10-20 more feeds per day.

26 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

I don't disagree, but I don't think there are any of these types available at the moment. Larkey was my great white hope, but he's chosen to stick with North. Naughton seems doubtful, but would be really good if he doesn't re-sign with the dogs next year when OOC. 

Hopefully Jefferson becomes that player for us. He looks to be developing nicely at Casey, just needs like 10-20 more feeds per day.

Yeah I agree with that, there is unfortunately not many key forwards available.

Tex would've been handy🏃‍♂️, can seriously still play

26 minutes ago, Dee Zephyr said:

Tex would've been handy🏃‍♂️, can seriously still play

Signed for another year with the Crows. 

He is a questionable human, but is aging like fine wine. Kudos to him, has had an unbelievable season. 

3 hours ago, layzie said:

The key thing for me is he's been on the ground for 16 games. Much more continuity and he looks like he's enjoying his footy more as a result. 

100% and has matured imo

3 hours ago, Jaded No More said:

Georgiadis on the cheap is our most likely option, but he won't play until at least the middle of next year with his ACL.

JT is a big fan and wanted us to draft him, but Port got in first. 

I don't mind the idea but we have JvR now who is similar in that they're both slightly undersized, but have good athleticism and can crash a pack.

The wild rumour of Oscar Allen that @adonski referenced would be perfect. Otherwise Naughton or a King twin are the established forwards I would go hard it. Wouldn't mind Todd Marshall either.

Can't imagine any of them being available though.

41 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

I don't disagree, but I don't think there are any of these types available at the moment. Larkey was my great white hope, but he's chosen to stick with North. Naughton seems doubtful, but would be really good if he doesn't re-sign with the dogs next year when OOC. 

Hopefully Jefferson becomes that player for us. He looks to be developing nicely at Casey, just needs like 10-20 more feeds per day.

Heard others say the same about Jefferson. I do hope your wrong about nobody available. I hope we are looking far and wide and outside the box. Jvr is great but still developing too. We don't really have the luxury of time with our current list. Most of our key players are around the 26 yo range which is good news but we need to get cracking on fixing our forward line. Grundy and Gawn helping out was a bandaid. Not saying it wasn't a good one. Tmac showed signs of his body letting him down in our premier year. Bbb not long after. While not as old as Tom Hawkins who is still traveling well, guess the club  thought they would both continue to be productive so it's unfortunate that we are where we are. Schache has been disappointing. It took a long time but it was great to see Goodwin doing something different with Petty but he seems to have shelved this. He may not have too many options and have to revisit it this year .Don't get me wrong , the club has been wonderful in recruiting but alas has not out of fault, fallen "short of talls" up forward. At this stage it may even be worth trying Tommo there. We may even go with two mediums in Fritta and Melksham. I feel sorry for Spargo but I do think we had too many smalls. We need some more marking injected into the team. Melksham did a good Tmac of old impersonation against the Lions with ten marks. I think Jvr will fullfil this need in the next year or two. If Bbb is in this round and doesn't do more I think he will be out for good. Maybe he's doing more than I know he but at the end of the day needs to mark more and score more goals. Also needs to apply more pressure. Discounting Schache, we only have Grundy or Smith to take his place. We may say we are not trying to make Grundy a forward but we need him performing in this role and  not just because it makes Max play better.Seeing Kozzie and Chandler back to their best is comforting in knowing we can kick a hundred points even without the talls on fire. Maybe the clock has run out for Bbb. I also think it's a mistake not to let Tommo play . If Petty is fit let's put him in the mix up forward. While they may seem they are competing for the same spot, we could still play Melksham and Fritta play together and like Cwood have a medium sized attack. Melksham does struggle with consistency. For me with a fit Petty, our fwd line is Jvr, Petty, Milk, Fritta, Chandler and Kozzie. Goody has shown good judgement in trusting the latter. If Petty is fit and plays in defence, it's a shame for Tommo and waste of a very talented player. Which leaves a spot for Grundy or Smith. I think I  prefer Grundy but only just. At least Smith comes in as the perfect sub.  It's not panic stations up forward because as mentioned with Chandler and Kozzie back on song it takes the pressure off. Also When Oliver is back Trac can drift forward more and do his Dusty Job. Hopefully Oliver is back soon and Jordan comes out. I'm not sure who would need to make way for Fritta.

3 hours ago, binman said:

 

Facts are facts.

This team is the most successful dees team since the 1955-60 unit.

So, the most successful dees team in most dees fan's lifetime

We will end this home and away season in the top 4.

That will be the third season in a row we have finished top 4 (the last time that happened for the dees was 1957-60).

We have been in the top 4, if not every week since the start of the 2021 season, it can't be more than one or two weeks not top 4. 

Three full seasons of being in the top 4 every week is a phenomenal record, one probably only port and the lions come anywhere near  matching - and it's worth noting both enjoy a huge home ground advantage.

 

 

 

If you cannot or do not enjoy being a Demon supporter, you sure as hell were not around in the 70's or 80's

Just smile   we are the tops, some weeks you might wonder but overall we are the best,   Go Dees

3 hours ago, binman said:

It never ceases to amaze me the subjective assessment of some dees 'fans' about where we sit relative to other teams is so wildly different to objective fact.

By any objective measure we are the strongest, best, most successful team of the last three seasons, inclusive of this season.

Assuming the cats don't wn the flag, that will remain true even if we don't win the flag this season (if the lions win it this year they might have a case).

Facts are facts.

This team is the most successful dees team since the 1955-60 unit.

So, the most successful dees team in most dees fan's lifetime

We will end this home and away season in the top 4.

That will be the third season in a row we have finished top 4 (the last time that happened for the dees was 1957-60).

We have been in the top 4, if not every week since the start of the 2021 season, it can't be more than one or two weeks not top 4. 

Three full seasons of being in the top 4 every week is a phenomenal record, one probably only port and the lions come anywhere near  matching - and it's worth noting both enjoy a huge home ground advantage.

Finished top of the ladder in 2021 and second in 2022.

We will finish at least 4th, but possibly as high as 2nd, in 2023.

A flag in 2021.

Finals in 2022, albeit it out in straight sets.

Finals in 2023.

I mean c'mon, there isn't another club that comes close to matching our record in the last 3 years.

And of course that includes Collingwood, who have a great home and away record for one and a half seasons. And that's it.

Yet for some, we are an average team (a good team doesn’t get beaten by - insert any team outside the top 6 here - !), full of fatal flaws with a coach that infuriates them (he plays favorites!, he is so stubborn!) and a team full of bog ordinary players.

Beggars belief.

The 'what did the Romans ever do for us' skit in Life of Brian comes to mind.

If we stay in the top 4 for the rest of the season, we'll have been in the top 4 for all bar 2 rounds since Round 1, 2021. The two exceptions were Round 2 this year (fell to 8th after losing to Brisbane) and Round 5 this year (fell to 5th after losing to Essendon).

4 hours ago, binman said:

It never ceases to amaze me the subjective assessment of some dees 'fans' about where we sit relative to other teams is so wildly different to objective fact.

By any objective measure we are the strongest, best, most successful team of the last three seasons, inclusive of this season.

Assuming the cats don't wn the flag, that will remain true even if we don't win the flag this season (if the lions win it this year they might have a case).

Facts are facts.

This team is the most successful dees team since the 1955-60 unit.

So, the most successful dees team in most dees fan's lifetime

We will end this home and away season in the top 4.

That will be the third season in a row we have finished top 4 (the last time that happened for the dees was 1957-60).

We have been in the top 4, if not every week since the start of the 2021 season, it can't be more than one or two weeks not top 4. 

Three full seasons of being in the top 4 every week is a phenomenal record, one probably only port and the lions come anywhere near  matching - and it's worth noting both enjoy a huge home ground advantage.

Finished top of the ladder in 2021 and second in 2022.

We will finish at least 4th, but possibly as high as 2nd, in 2023.

A flag in 2021.

Finals in 2022, albeit it out in straight sets.

Finals in 2023.

I mean c'mon, there isn't another club that comes close to matching our record in the last 3 years.

And of course that includes Collingwood, who have a great home and away record for one and a half seasons. And that's it.

Yet for some, we are an average team (a good team doesn’t get beaten by - insert any team outside the top 6 here - !), full of fatal flaws with a coach that infuriates them (he plays favorites!, he is so stubborn!) and a team full of bog ordinary players.

Beggars belief.

The 'what did the Romans ever do for us' skit in Life of Brian comes to mind.

For so long top 4 would have been the best most rarest Xmas present. 

18 minutes ago, titan_uranus said:

If we stay in the top 4 for the rest of the season, we'll have been in the top 4 for all bar 2 rounds since Round 1, 2021. The two exceptions were Round 2 this year (fell to 8th after losing to Brisbane) and Round 5 this year (fell to 5th after losing to Essendon).

stop giving me stats, they just suit your optimists narrative....still an average team though... 😁

Edited July 25, 20231 yr by Engorged Onion

4 hours ago, binman said:

It never ceases to amaze me the subjective assessment of some dees 'fans' about where we sit relative to other teams is so wildly different to objective fact.

By any objective measure we are the strongest, best, most successful team of the last three seasons, inclusive of this season.

Assuming the cats don't wn the flag, that will remain true even if we don't win the flag this season (if the lions win it this year they might have a case).

Facts are facts.

This team is the most successful dees team since the 1955-60 unit.

So, the most successful dees team in most dees fan's lifetime

We will end this home and away season in the top 4.

That will be the third season in a row we have finished top 4 (the last time that happened for the dees was 1957-60).

We have been in the top 4, if not every week since the start of the 2021 season, it can't be more than one or two weeks not top 4. 

Three full seasons of being in the top 4 every week is a phenomenal record, one probably only port and the lions come anywhere near  matching - and it's worth noting both enjoy a huge home ground advantage.

Finished top of the ladder in 2021 and second in 2022.

We will finish at least 4th, but possibly as high as 2nd, in 2023.

A flag in 2021.

Finals in 2022, albeit it out in straight sets.

Finals in 2023.

I mean c'mon, there isn't another club that comes close to matching our record in the last 3 years.

And of course that includes Collingwood, who have a great home and away record for one and a half seasons. And that's it.

Yet for some, we are an average team (a good team doesn’t get beaten by - insert any team outside the top 6 here - !), full of fatal flaws with a coach that infuriates them (he plays favorites!, he is so stubborn!) and a team full of bog ordinary players.

Beggars belief.

The 'what did the Romans ever do for us' skit in Life of Brian comes to mind.

You make a good case.

But to vicariously quote the writer of Mad men through the character Don Draper...

" What is happiness?

It's a moment before more happiness."

I thought one flag would be enough. No way , not now that I've tasted one. Ignorance was to some extent better. And yes before anyone says it....there's no pleasing some people.

2 hours ago, layzie said:

For so long top 4 would have been the best most rarest Xmas present. 

Too right.

How good is it to only have an academic interest in the whole wild card round discussion.