PREGAME: Opening Round vs Sydney

[Demonland 72,161]

The Demons head up to Sydney to open the 2024 AFL Season against the Swans at the SCG. Who will debut for the Dees? Will Clarry be recalled to the team? How many players will make their debut in the Red and the Blue?

[DubDee 25,847]

Billings, Windsor should debut 

I’d give Clarry another week to build up after a very interrupted pre season

 

[SPC 3,549]

Unrelated, but K Dog will be a 200 game player, bookmark it! 

[gs77 4,237]

Just now, SPC said:

Unrelated, but K Dog will be a 200 game player, bookmark it! 

He looks hungry.

[SPC 3,549]

Just now, gs77 said:

He looks hungry.

Dog hungry 

[Timothy Reddan-A'Blew 5,118]

Related to the thread title, though not to the OP's particular question, what outcomes affecting next week do we hope for from the Swannies' Bears clash tomorrow?

[dl4e 5,851]

Just bring clarrie back. He is too good a footy player. Windsor to debut. 2nd ruck is a good question. Schache is not up to it.

[Dee Zephyr 19,267]

2nd ruck was probably Fullarton’s until he hurt his hammy. Was having a very good preseason up to that point from all reports. 
Will one VFL game be enough to consider him for the Swans ahead of Schache?

 

[DeeSpencer 25,679]

FB: McVee May Tomlinson
HB: Rivers Lever Bowey 
C; Windsor Salem Langdon 
HF: Billings JVR ANB
FF: Chandler Fritsch Laurie
Foll: Gawn Petracca Viney 
Int: Howes Sparrow ???? ????
S:????

Oliver: not yet for me
Key forward: Schache, Fulllarton or none?
Small forward: K Brown, Woey, Tholstrup, AMW?

My guess is Woey as sub because we are yet to debut someone as sub under Goody if I recall correctly. Woey can also play wing, on ball, forward so we have versatility.

Sydney are too good a structural side to not play one of the talls although they probably get an early night if they don’t deliver. No idea if Fullarton did enough today.

Small forward (if Clarry isn’t picked in the midfield), Kynan Brown? Tholstrup? Or is it AMW time? 

[Flemo56 396]

Clarry in because he’s, well Clarry.
Tmac aging better than we think, I’m hoping. 
Bring on the youngsters Windsor, Tholstrup

FB: McVee May Tom Mac 
HB: Rivers Lever Bowey 
C; Windsor Salem Langdon 
HF: Billings JVR ANB
FF: Chandler Fritsch Trac
Foll: Gawn Oliver Viney 
Int: Howes Sparrow Fullarton Tholstrup
S:Hore

[whatwhat say what 22,744]

B: McVee - May - Tomlinson
HB: Rivers - Lever - Bowey
C: Langdon - Petracca - Windsor
HF: Neal-Bullen - van Rooyen - Billings
F: Schache - Fritsch - Chandler
Foll: Gawn - Salem - Viney
I/c: Laurie - Howes - Sparrow - Pup Brown
Sub: Woewodin

would love it to be oliver in for laurie 

[Demonland 72,161]

 

[pingu 75]

I'm feeling very positive about this match after watching us against the Blues.

Surely Clarry plays.

Billings and Windsor are a lock as the Demon debutants.

[YesitwasaWin4theAges 6,702]

6 minutes ago, pingu said:

I'm feeling very positive about this match after watching us against the Blues.

Surely Clarry plays.

Billings and Windsor are a lock as the Demon debutants.

You would be, it made you signed up on Demonland.

Welcome @pingu

Edited February 28 by YesitwasaWin4theAges

[YesitwasaWin4theAges 6,702]

Going on the performance of the lads tonight, I would say Clarry will be missing from Round Zero and possibly Round 1 if we defeat the Bloods.

[Skrull 107]

how do we cover the loss of kozzy for this match ?

[pingu 75]

1 hour ago, YesitwasaWin4theAges said:

You would be, it made you signed up on Demonland.

Welcome @pingu

I signed up the other week. Found the website through the podcast. Thank you. 

[binman 42,899]

14 hours ago, pingu said:

I'm feeling very positive about this match after watching us against the Blues.

Surely Clarry plays.

Billings and Windsor are a lock as the Demon debutants.

I doubt clarry plays, and I hope he doesn't.

Agree Billings and Windsor are locks.

And I think Howes and Brown will also debut (Brown for koz, comes out round one).

I wonder how often it's happened that a top 4 team debuts three draftees in the first game of the following season.

If I'm right, and Laurie plays, we will have 7 players 21 and under in our game against the swans:

JVR, Bowser, Laurie, McVee, Howes, Windsor and Brown.

When you consider that best 22 players in Koz, Sparrow and Rivers are 22, 23 and 22 respectively, we have a very solid core of young players (and petts and chin ate only 24).

It's possible we will have 9 players 22 and under against the swans.

That's a profile usually only a team in  rebuild phase would have. 

By way of contrast the pies have the oldest list in the AFL.

And how many players under 22 running around last night?

Edited February 29 by binman

[leave it to deever 17,511]

24 minutes ago, binman said:

I doubt clarry plays, and I hope he doesn't.

Agree Billings and Windsor are locks.

And I think Howes and Brown will also debut (Brown for koz, comes out round one).

I wonder how often it's happened that a top 4 team debuts three draftees in the first game of the following season.

If I'm right, and Laurie plays, we will have 7 players 21 and under in our game against the swans:

JVR, Bowser, Laurie, McVee, Howes, Windsor and Brown.

When you consider that best 22 players in Koz, Sparrow and Rivers are 22, 23 and 22 respectively, we have a very solid core of young players (and petts and chin ate only 24).

It's possible we will have 9 players 22 and under against the swans.

That's a profile usually only a team in  rebuild phase would have. 

By way of contrast the pies have the oldest list in the AFL.

And how many players under 22 running around ladt night?

 

I thought Bowey was back to his best.

Gee we were quick at times.

Young Windsor's legs hardly seem to be moving but he just steals away from other players.

Salo in the middle is a lock for me. Well played Goodwin.

Maybe if Clarry plays, Tracc can go fwd.

We will miss Kozzie who played a ripper. His tackling and pressure doesn't stop. It's the sort of game I always hope he delivers. I know he's been around a few years but maybe this is the season we see the star quality in him(consistently)

Max is like a good vintage red. 

I was very impressed with Jvr who showed Curnow up. He doesn't look huge but he times his leap perfectly. I don't want him in the ruck. He is a natural fwd. Preferably a chf. 

Do we keep Schacke at FF until someone else is fit?

When is Fullerton ready to help out Max?

Great to see Sparrow play like he did. I've always thought of him as a Petracca 2.0 but he needs to keep stringing together some more games like this.

Viney. Just a rock solid leader who gives his all and shows no signs of aging.

We have a great influx of young talent coming up so goodbye to those who have said goodbye to our premiership window.

And as I said before if you believe the narrative that we are on the way out, then I feel really sorry for Carlton supporters.

Yes it's only a practice match. But Carlton were a team that almost made the grand final last year so it must count for something.

Personally I think we beat them by a lot more. Once again our kicking at goal at times was wayward. But praise must be given for our bullet like and accurate i50 kicks and corresponding marks.

Despite his poor goal shooting, Fritta looked like he was over his foot injuries and moving very well.

Billings is a great addition to the team and he proved it last night.

There's no four points but for a practice game it's the next best thing.

Go Dee's.

 

 

 

[Damo 3,355]

I actually thought Schache showed more last night than Id seen before. His disposal is normally quite good and he buttered up for a few marks and ground balls. Tommo I also saw encouraging marks and disposals from. 

Not saying they would be 1st 22 every week but I was quite relieved they held their ends up, in consideration of my expectations.

[Little Goffy 14,522]

10 hours ago, pingu said:

I signed up the other week. Found the website through the podcast. Thank you. 

That seems backwards compared to the normal path, but we go in aaaallll directions around here.

Don't mind the crankies, they just like yelling at each other about things going back as far as Barry Prendergast!

[Redleg 40,895]

13 hours ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

Related to the thread title, though not to the OP's particular question, what outcomes affecting next week do we hope for from the Swannies' Bears clash tomorrow?

Grundy and Gulden hammy strains would be a good start.

[Dannyz 2,739]

It's a shame Andy Moniz Wakefield was injured and unable to show his craft in either of our two practice games.

He's a like for like replacement for Kozzy and it would of been good to see what he brings at AFL level. 

[In Harmes Way 7,767]

33 minutes ago, Little Goffy said:

That seems backwards compared to the normal path, but we go in aaaallll directions around here.

Don't mind the crankies, they just like yelling at each other about things going back as far as Barry Prendergast!

He's got a lot to answer for.

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,752]

12 hours ago, Demonland said:

 

I see that the AFL's own media people can't work out whether next week should be called Opening Round or Round 1 so they've used both.