PREGAME: Rd 24 vs Sydney

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, The heart beats true said:

Is the DA trolling Demonland, and every team in the comp, and going to run with a huge banner that reads…

’Loading.’

No, but how funny that would be!

The key word isn’t on this week’s banner but it’s sure to figure on one of our finals banners.

It’s also plastered across our DA finals T-shirts which are like our uniform of sorts during the finals. We pay for these ourselves so I’ll spew if we don’t salute. Hashtag expensive pyjama top. 😂

[Deefender 232]

Why would other teams fear the Demons in September when last year they went out in straight sets.

Pathetic.

[dazzledavey36 54,948]

I'm telling you right now, our system is in better place then it was last year to the point where I truly believe we'll play off in this year's grand final.

Bookmark this if you have too.

[binman 43,018]

41 minutes ago, Mel Bourne said:

Melbourne hadn’t won a flag for quite a while before ‘21. Do you think they were “worried” about the other teams going into those finals  

We’re talking about elite athletes in professional organisations here, not “The Karate Kid”. All the contenders know that on the right day, it’s theirs to win. 
 

 

I can't agree with this. 

Professional sport is littered with examples where up and coming contenders are worried about playing individuals and teams that are the real deal and have the record to back it up. 

This is true of both individual sports and team sports.

There are a million examples in individual sports - every Olympic games is littered with them  

Tennis provides perhaps the best example. Of course Nadal, Federer and Djokovic have dominated the grand slam events world tennis for 15 years because they are just so good. But the aura they carry is widely acknowledged as a massive advantage they bring into every slam.

Same is true of Tiger Woods and more recently Scottie Scheffler. 

There are even more examples in teams sport of teams being overawed by, or too worried, about opponents. The most famous is arguably the Laker's inability to take the Celtic's crown for nearly a decade. 

We definitely have an advantage coming into this finals series in that space. A massive advantage. We have the collective memory of 2018 to draw on, in addition to the 2021 flag. And last year's disappointment is fuel not an anchor (becuase we know we have what it takes to win a flag). 

Port have the ghosts of their previous failures in finals as do the Lions. 

And the Pies have to deal with last failure in finals AND the crushing expectation that has been heaped on their shoulders since last  year. They come into the finals knowing that ONLY a grand final will will be considered a success. Which is ridiculous, but there it is.

If the Pies face us week one, they will know they are coming up against a team that has been to the top of the mountain and has been building towards a second flag under Goody since 2017.

The Pies have no collective memory of success , having lost two of three finals, with their only final win last year a low pressure fizzer against a team that had ran out of gas (i'm making a distinction between the Pies team that lost the flag in 2018 and this team becuase they are for all intents and purposes they are diff teams - diff coach, diff method and big turnover in players). 

Of course they will make all the right noises - anyone, anytime blah blah blah - but there is no way that sub consciously the Pies players won't be worried about facing us.  Ask any Pies fan who they would least prefer to play week one of the finals. The answer will be the dees. The Pies players would never say that publicly, but that's what they will be thinking. 

Edited August 25, 2023 by binman

[Fromgotowoewodin 1,606]

13 minutes ago, deefender said:

Why would other teams fear the Demons in September when last year they went out in straight sets.

Pathetic.

I don’t think last years finish is all that relevant, we didn’t choke under pressure we were just crocked by the end. 

That said I don’t think we’ve got the fear factor yet due to the piecemeal forward line. We haven’t put a big score on anyone for a while except the tigers and they were 20pts up late in the game.

I think teams will be worried about us, they’ll know we’re hard to score against but they’ll know they’ll be in the game as we haven’t buried anyone for a long while. We can change that against the swans, or if we have a big QF win then we can start to frighten teams. 

[binman 43,018]

22 minutes ago, deefender said:

Why would other teams fear the Demons in September when last year they went out in straight sets.

Pathetic.

Remind me again how Port, Pies and the Lions went in last year's finals.

[Roost it far 8,285]

14 hours ago, The Jackson FIX said:

Don’t mean to cause any unnecessary concern but Steven May just posted a photo on social of him currently dining at a steak restaurant with a teammate 😬

Well there goes the neighbourhood 

[dl4e 5,851]

15 hours ago, Diamond_Jim said:

?

Why so

That would mean no Casey game which is the worst of both worlds

Sorry I meant interchange listed players.

[Gorgoroth 12,963]

1 hour ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

That’s what the Club wants to convey, too.

Besides warning the other clubs to “BE AFRAID. BE VERY AFRAID” (prefaced by “THE DEMONS ARE COMING”) on the banner, our theme this year centres around one word which I’m not allowed to share but which will be revealed after this weekend when our finals campaign begins. This word denotes having complete control over others and is disconcerting, or even menacing, for the other seven sides. 

Be afraid, very afraid. The demons are coming…

 

Oh boy… this smells like a Carlton slogan…

[Deebauched 1,220]

15 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

Well there goes the neighbourhood 

As long as he's not eating it with mushrooms from Leongatha  he should be good to go.

NOTE,Geez that woman looks guilty. She served a different meal to her kids and had a book on mushroom foraging and toxicity levels in her bedroom. Her ex husbands response on being invited to the dinner was NOOOOOOOOoooooooo.

[Webber 10,468]

14 hours ago, The Jackson FIX said:

Don’t mean to cause any unnecessary concern but Steven May just posted a photo on social of him currently dining at a steak restaurant with a teammate 😬

And a prime-cut steak in French is called an ………?

Edited August 25, 2023 by Webber

[Mel Bourne 4,515]

1 hour ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

With respect, and you likely don’t realise it, but this sort of talk undermines the whole intent of our finals series. The message the Club is trying to send is YOU SHOULD FEAR US… COZ WE DON’T FEAR ANYONE. The idea is to instil this sentiment. Everyone needs to be onboard with it, fans included. 

WCW, I get where you’re coming from. You’re a lot more involved with the club than I am, and it’s important that you maintain the directive.

As for me, I choose to believe my comments in a quiet corner of the internet don’t actually have any bearing on our finals campaign whatsoever, and I would regard any opinion to the contrary as being more than a tad irrational. 

I genuinely believe we’re a contender, but as for the “fear factor”, I also believe Fagan, McRae, Hinkley and Voss would well and truly be ratcheting-up the same methods of psychology at their respective clubs. Some seasons this factor has more weight to it than others. If one team has shown a particular dominance over all the others during a season, the fear runs high among their opposition. The point I’m trying to make is that with regards to this particular season, I’m genuinely not feeling the fear-factor emanating from any club. It’s more a “respect” factor. 

Again, I really do believe we can do it this year, but I’m not under any illusions that another club couldn’t either. I hope this doesn’t read as negative. It’s actually a positive, as I think the tight nature of this year’s season (and the mutual respect it breeds) has made for a really enjoyable one. 

Edited August 25, 2023 by Mel Bourne

[Roost it far 8,285]

My guess is that Turner will replace May in selected side

[Deebauched 1,220]

No Grundy for what is likely a dead rubber?  geezuz

We need him. What if Gawn gets injured. JVR is needed up fwd not running around the ground getting belted.

The wagons will be circling his home shortly.

[Jaded No More 68,950]

1 hour ago, deefender said:

Why would other teams fear the Demons in September when last year they went out in straight sets.

Pathetic.

Because we are the only side in the 8 that has won a flag this decade

[Demon17 5,188]

1 hour ago, deefender said:

Why would other teams fear the Demons in September when last year they went out in straight sets.

Pathetic.

Absolutely zero logic to this post but I'll bite anyway for fun.

Why?  2 examples of evidence

1, Cue 1967:  Barassi gets the Blues into the finals for the first time: Out in straight sets, . Win the flag the next year.

2. Last year Trac had a broken leg (technically). This year?  Leg looks fine to me. Ergo last year vs This year  comparisons invalid. (He also had 9 other mates carrying injury)

David King currently loves the Dees for the flag annd he would know!  Just foir fun - Cats get flogged in the 2021 prelim - win the flag next year,  etc., etc.

Sheeeesh.

[Demon17 5,188]

27 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

My guess is that Turner will replace May in selected side

Great call. I wondered about this, and May is the injury I fear most for Sunday.

[deelusions from afar 1,810]

15 hours ago, dworship said:

I know we've missed him and it's good to know the Club has been busy cloning him while in rehab.

Ha!  We can only hope!

 

I think I meant:

Bench of: TMac, Fritsch, Sparrow and Turner

Sub: Smith

VFL: Tomlinson, Woey, Laurie

[Guest]

43 minutes ago, Mel Bourne said:

WCW, I get where you’re coming from. You’re a lot more involved with the club than I am, and it’s important that you maintain the directive.

As for me, I choose to believe my comments in a quiet corner of the internet don’t actually have any bearing on our finals campaign whatsoever, and I would regard any opinion to the contrary as being more than a tad irrational. 

I genuinely believe we’re a contender, but as for the “fear factor”, I also believe Fagan, McRae, Hinkley and Voss would well and truly be ratcheting-up the same methods of psychology at their respective clubs. Some seasons this factor has more weight to it than others. If one team has shown a particular dominance over all the others during a season, the fear runs high among their opposition. The point I’m trying to make is that with regards to this particular season, I’m genuinely not feeling the fear-factor emanating from any club. It’s more a “respect” factor. 

Again, I really do believe we can do it this year, but I’m not under any illusions that another club couldn’t either. I hope this doesn’t read as negative. It’s actually a positive, as I think the tight nature of this year’s season (and the mutual respect it breeds) has made for a really enjoyable one. 

Firstly, thank you for not pulling out the tiresome ‘everyone’s entitled to their opinion’ chestnut.

The bolded sentence above is what I question. A team who thoroughly dominates all other sides is indeed to be feared. But that’s not the only way to achieve this effect. What we’re doing can absolutely unsettle the others to the point of fearing us. In terms of “mind games” I think we’re #1 and of course that’s not all that’s needed to go all the way, but it’s sure not harming the cause.

 

 

[Mel Bourne 4,515]

11 minutes ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

Firstly, thank you for not pulling out the tiresome ‘everyone’s entitled to their opinion’ chestnut.

The bolded sentence above is what I question. A team who thoroughly dominates all other sides is indeed to be feared. But that’s not the only way to achieve this effect. What we’re doing can absolutely unsettle the others to the point of fearing us. In terms of “mind games” I think we’re #1 and of course that’s not all that’s needed to go all the way, but it’s sure not harming the cause.

 

 

I am not going to question the powers of the Demon Army! Maybe (definitely) I’m biased, but there’s a particular energy behind the goals these days that we haven’t seen the likes of for a long time, and I’m certain it plays heavily into exactly what you’re talking about. Keep doing what you’re doing! 

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, Mel Bourne said:

I am not going to question the powers of the Demon Army! Maybe (definitely) I’m biased, but there’s a particular energy behind the goals these days that we haven’t seen the likes of for a long time, and I’m certain it plays heavily into exactly what you’re talking about. Keep doing what you’re doing! 

Wise move. 😉 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Gorgoroth said:

Be afraid, very afraid. The demons are coming…

 

Oh boy… this smells like a Carlton slogan…

Yep. That’s the spirit! Expect things to go south.
They brought their we’re coming thing out of desperation at a time when they were absolutely 💩 Can’t compare the pair on this occasion. 🙂

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,799]

57 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

Because we are the only side in the 8 that has won a flag this decade

I hadn't realised this (although I recognise it could change if the Bulldogs replace GWS). And given the most recent premiership from all these teams was in 2012 there will be very few players, other than most of ours, with premiership experience playing this September.   

[kev martin 9,939]

3 hours ago, deefender said:

Why would other teams fear the Demons in September when last year they went out in straight sets.

Pathetic.

Wow, that is not even seeing the glass half empty. You have poured it down the sink.

Do you think we have the "Collywobbles"? 

Do you think that is on the minds of the opponents? If so, we have already won the psychological game.

Much better at playing the "G" (hope we get a few games there), hurting from those losses last season, we are a very good consistent team, with plenty of game options and we play with muscle (first time I have seen this in many years).

Edited August 25, 2023 by kev martin

[Gorgoroth 12,963]

15 minutes ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

Yep. That’s the spirit! Expect things to go south.
They brought their we’re coming thing out of desperation at a time when they were absolutely 💩 Can’t compare the pair on this occasion. 🙂

It was a joke, the use of the word smell I thought might give that away…

Obviously not.