All this online vitriol about Clarry’s weight. We need to stick fat people! 

16 minutes ago, Dee Zephyr said:

A mate sent me this about the state of footy journalism these days.  Not sure where to post it, but this was a good clip I thought. If you have 17 mins to spare it’s worth a watch. 

 

Thanks for this. Having worked with journalists for many years (80’s & 90’s) it was very insightful. 
McClure, Cleary and especially Tom Morris are absolute junk, who should be struck off and given the electric chair. 
Cleary is nowhere near as bad as the other two, but anyone employed by Craig Hutchison has to be under a cloud. 
Wilson is old school who does a lot more research, and I don’t think her opinions on Perth Lifestyle are to far off the mark, but it’s just my opinion 

AFL Media is Full Blast 365 days a year now, it’s all about volume, not content 

 

Quick poll:

How many of you here who frequent Demonland hate Clayton Oliver and wish nothing but the worst for him? Anyone?

Didn't think so.. 

30 minutes ago, Queanbeyan Demon said:

I did myself a Molly Meldrum and decided not to read this thread. Here's what I recon has occurred.

Discussions have lead to a cascade of vitriol, where uninformed comments quickly spark heated debates. Anger seeps through the threads, with posters lashing out at each other over misunderstandings or differing opinions. The conversation devolves into a battlefield of words, each side entrenched in their viewpoint. Frustration mounts as the back-and-forth continues, with little room for constructive dialogue. Ultimately, the thread becomes a testament to the chaos of online interactions, where resolution is rare and tempers flare easily.

welcome to the internet, yr gonna love it

5 hours ago, Deestar9 said:

Instead of these emotional uninformed posts maybe listen to our captain who describes the type of role Clarry has been playing for the club ..a very unselfish role that will change because of Trac’s unavailability…before you post such rubbish…

Why a different role???

He got 35 possessions against the Doggies round two, playing how Clarry has always played 

Contested ball, tackling & running full pace out of congestion dishing off & getting other players involved 

Thats how he became one of the top three players in the competition 

I don’t believe this stuff about his fitness, he’s had 15 weeks of competitive football, and now he’s losing fitness?

Need just let him play the only way he knows 

Im sure he realises that he owes the club

6 minutes ago, layzie said:

Quick poll:

How many of you here who frequent Demonland hate Clayton Oliver and wish nothing but the worst for him? Anyone?

Didn't think so.. 

Of course not, but the lack of EMPATHY for a one of our very best who has gone through a hell of a lot (more than most know), is staggering. 

It is fine to suggest he’s down on form. Do you not think he and the club are aware of that? Is there any suggestion anywhere that he isn’t working hard to get back to his best?

But maybe, just maybe, the fact that he’s doing well off the field is just slightly more of a focus right now than his on field performance. 
 

We are shocked and saddened when McCarthy takes his life, but we are so happy to get stuck into players who are “overweight”, “useless”, “out of form”, “slow” etc without caring at all for what they are going thru personally. 

The fact that Oliver is playing at all this year, and with a smile on his face, is a goddamn blessing and he has done more than enough for this club to be given grace from the fans, as he has been given from the club. 

Since his debut he has never missed a beat until last year. He was dominating games at 18. So he’s having an average season. It happens. 

(I am not having a go at you btw!) 

Edited June 26, 2024Jun 26 by Jaded No More

7 minutes ago, layzie said:

Quick poll:

How many of you here who frequent Demonland hate Clayton Oliver and wish nothing but the worst for him? Anyone?

Didn't think so.. 

I think this is taking it slightly out of context.

Everyone wants him to succeed but would admit that his year has been below par compared to our expectations of him (if expectations are that high we are going to be let down given his last 12 months). He needs the next pre-season to get himself into the right physical space to allow him to be his best self and build a proper base.

He will be much better in 2025 provided he can keep himself right off field.

What we can't have, is his performance against North where he allows his frustrations to negatively affect the whole team.

Edited June 26, 2024Jun 26 by FearTheBeard

2 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

Of course not, but the lack of EMPATHY for a one of our very best who has gone through a hell of a lot (more than most know), is staggering. 

It is fine to suggest he’s down on form. Do you not think he and the club are aware of that? Is there any suggestion anywhere that he isn’t working hard to get back to his best?

But maybe, just maybe, the fact that he’s doing well off the field is just slightly more of a focus right now than his on field performance. 
 

We are shocked and saddened when McCarthy takes his life, but we are so happy to get stuck into players who are “overweight”, “useless”, “out of form”, “slow” etc without caring at all for what they are going thru personally. 

The fact that Oliver is playing at all this year, and with a smile on his face, is a goddamn blessing and he has done more than enough for this club to be given grace from the fans, as he has been given from the club. 
 

(I am not having a go at you btw!) 

Here here, we’ll said

Favourite ever Demon & a hell of a good bloke as well 

4 hours ago, FearTheBeard said:

Haven't missed a game home or away this year, don't tell me to have a closer look.

He is overweight, he was never the most athletic build but he's clearly overweight. Refer to picture, he is miles away from being fit.

 

You think that photo is clear proof that he is overweight? Those arms are clearly just rippling with fat folds. Not so much on the waist in comparison. Surprising.  In short, I don't think the photo tells us anything except loose clothing tells us nothing.

35 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

Of course not, but the lack of EMPATHY for a one of our very best who has gone through a hell of a lot (more than most know), is staggering. 

It is fine to suggest he’s down on form. Do you not think he and the club are aware of that? Is there any suggestion anywhere that he isn’t working hard to get back to his best?

But maybe, just maybe, the fact that he’s doing well off the field is just slightly more of a focus right now than his on field performance. 
 

We are shocked and saddened when McCarthy takes his life, but we are so happy to get stuck into players who are “overweight”, “useless”, “out of form”, “slow” etc without caring at all for what they are going thru personally. 

The fact that Oliver is playing at all this year, and with a smile on his face, is a goddamn blessing and he has done more than enough for this club to be given grace from the fans, as he has been given from the club. 

Since his debut he has never missed a beat until last year. He was dominating games at 18. So he’s having an average season. It happens. 

(I am not having a go at you btw!) 

Pretty much nailed exactly how I'm feeling Jaded.

We can only judge by what we see on the field, this can be a good and bad thing. The fact is we just don't know what is happening behind closed doors. For all we know, the guy could be slugging it out on the track at the moment but simply down on confidence, which most of us know can make any of us a shell of ourselves at work/home/anywhere.

The one thing you can't accuse Clayton of is complaining and he's obviously doing the best he can in the spot he's in. 

I was happy for the initial critique of his game on Sat but it's time to move past that. I'm ready to see what he can do on Fri night. He needs our support and we'll give it. 

I think he has had a pretty good season considering where he was at 6 months ago.

The main thing that it appears that his life is moving in the right direction and in time is football to the levels where have admired. I know he is on a big contract (as usual the media use this as leverage to make themselves relevant and why I no longer listen to them) but I think with a solid preseason we will see the best of him in 2025. 

 

42 minutes ago, FearTheBeard said:

I think this is taking it slightly out of context.

Everyone wants him to succeed but would admit that his year has been below par compared to our expectations of him (if expectations are that high we are going to be let down given his last 12 months). He needs the next pre-season to get himself into the right physical space to allow him to be his best self and build a proper base.

He will be much better in 2025 provided he can keep himself right off field.

What we can't have, is his performance against North where he allows his frustrations to negatively affect the whole team.

I'm just trying to show that despite some of the criticism, I'm very confident that everyone here loves Clayton and is not trying to disrespect him in any way.

Your views are a good example of this, some might not like but why would you, someone who turns up every week want to disrespect one of our stars for no reason? I would hope that people don't associate hate with everything that isn't pom pom waving support. 

24 minutes ago, layzie said:

I'm just trying to show that despite some of the criticism, I'm very confident that everyone here loves Clayton and is not trying to disrespect him in any way.

Your views are a good example of this, some might not like but why would you, someone who turns up every week want to disrespect one of our stars for no reason? I would hope that people don't associate hate with everything that isn't pom pom waving support. 

I think a lot of Melbourne supporters are apologists for just about everything and everyone to do with the club and it’s why they get so upset when we start criticising our own. 
 

Have to set minimum standards for all involved regardless of how good they have been and that will build a stronger culture.

 

8 minutes ago, FearTheBeard said:

....

Have to set minimum standards for all involved regardless of how good they have been and that will build a stronger culture.

 

But what supporters say here has no effect on miniumum standards within the club.   So it doesn't matter if some supporters are in the view of some others over-forgiving of faults.

19 minutes ago, FearTheBeard said:

I think a lot of Melbourne supporters are apologists for just about everything and everyone to do with the club and it’s why they get so upset when we start criticising our own. 
 

Have to set minimum standards for all involved regardless of how good they have been and that will build a stronger culture.

 

There’s a really big difference between supporters expecting maximum effort and output, and supporters piling on a player who is clearly doing their best after a very tough time in their life. 
 

Of course we all want Clarry to be the best mid in the AFL again. I’m sure he wants that too. But until I see solid evidence that his form is due to something he isn’t doing, rather than something he can’t control (eg- lack of pre season, hand injury, mental health etc), then I don’t see the need to judge him or criticize him. 
 

I didn’t like how he handled the tag vs North. But likewise I understand his frustration at always being held at the contest. The fact he never receives frees for being blocked. Or his general frustration at his reduced output. It’s not an excuse and he needs to do better, but he’s also human. 

Edited June 26, 2024Jun 26 by Jaded No More

5 minutes ago, sue said:

But what supporters say here has no effect on miniumum standards within the club.   So it doesn't matter if some supporters are in the view of some others over-forgiving of faults.

Exactly. We’d all like Clarry back in B&F form but setting minimum standards on an internet forum isn’t going to get him anymore kicks on the weekend

2 hours ago, Dee Zephyr said:

A mate sent me this about the state of footy journalism these days.  Not sure where to post it, but this was a good clip I thought. If you have 17 mins to spare it’s worth a watch. 

 

The 3 stooges.

20 hours ago, Fat Tony said:

I’m not convinced he will ever get back to what he was. The speed of the game has increased and I fear this year might be a glimpse into what we’ll get over the next six years. 

I see Oliver as an inside midfielder only due to his average kicking. And without elite speed, he is an average midfielder on big money. I can’t see us winning a flag without elite mids. 

I’m not entirely opposed to trading him  even though I see no way it could happen but this is a truly ridiculous post, perhaps the most ridiculous I have read here and I’ve posted some doozies! 

I've got faith that Clarry will get back to his best next year.

He's having a down year and we all know why.

He's had a very short pre-season but he's too good a player to fade away.

I predict he'll bounce back to his best which is elite.

He's a champion and we should support him.

 

 

50 minutes ago, FearTheBeard said:

I think a lot of Melbourne supporters are apologists for just about everything and everyone to do with the club and it’s why they get so upset when we start criticising our own. 
 

Have to set minimum standards for all involved regardless of how good they have been and that will build a stronger culture.

 

Just think Clarry has copped enough negative press & disgusting comments from the AFL media & opposition supporters that we should stick fat with one of our own

 

2 hours ago, Billy said:

Why a different role???

He got 35 possessions against the Doggies round two, playing how Clarry has always played 

Contested ball, tackling & running full pace out of congestion dishing off & getting other players involved 

Thats how he became one of the top three players in the competition 

I don’t believe this stuff about his fitness, he’s had 15 weeks of competitive football, and now he’s losing fitness?

Need just let him play the only way he knows 

Im sure he realises that he owes the club

That’s because the dogs don’t defend so he had the liberty to run amok. 

I also listened to that Gawn interview and I think we just wait and see how we can get him involved more. Unfortunately he might be tagged again this week but you’d imagine he’d have no excuses against West Coast.

I’m 100% backing Clarry to get back to his best. It might not happen completely by the end of this year but he’s too good of player to fade into obscurity. I’m tipping his 2025 will be huge and he’ll remind us how good he really is.

1 hour ago, Jaded No More said:

There’s a really big difference between supporters expecting maximum effort and output, and supporters piling on a player who is clearly doing their best after a very tough time in their life. 
 

Of course we all want Clarry to be the best mid in the AFL again. I’m sure he wants that too. But until I see solid evidence that his form is due to something he isn’t doing, rather than something he can’t control (eg- lack of pre season, hand injury, mental health etc), then I don’t see the need to judge him or criticize him. 
 

I didn’t like how he handled the tag vs North. But likewise I understand his frustration at always being held at the contest. The fact he never receives frees for being blocked. Or his general frustration at his reduced output. It’s not an excuse and he needs to do better, but he’s also human. 

Good teams and coaches get around that and limit the tag.

Just now, demon3165 said:

Good teams and coaches get around that and limit the tag.

Indeed, but it’s hard enough when we are missing Gus, Trac and playing a clearly sore Salem, plus a very raw Trent Rivers.

What fans refuse to understand or acknowledge is that Clarry is getting tagged because teams know that at his best he wins games. If he isn’t playing who do they try and limit? Viney (since Trac is now out). So who does that leave us with to win the contest? Sparrow, Kosi, Rivers, ANB? It’s not enough  

North tagging Clarry allowed Viney to have a match winning performance. You can drop Clarry tomorrow and whoever you bring in to replace him won’t get tagged and still wont rack up Clarry’s “poor” numbers. 

He is down on confidence and output, but he is still better than anyone else on our list who could replace him. 

5 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

Indeed, but it’s hard enough when we are missing Gus, Trac and playing a clearly sore Salem, plus a very raw Trent Rivers.

What fans refuse to understand or acknowledge is that Clarry is getting tagged because teams know that at his best he wins games. If he isn’t playing who do they try and limit? Viney (since Trac is now out). So who does that leave us with to win the contest? Sparrow, Kosi, Rivers, ANB? It’s not enough  

North tagging Clarry allowed Viney to have a match winning performance. You can drop Clarry tomorrow and whoever you bring in to replace him won’t get tagged and still wont rack up Clarry’s “poor” numbers. 

He is down on confidence and output, but he is still better than anyone else on our list who could replace him. 

My knock on Oliver has been his disposal and his rush to to get rid of the pill as soon as he gets it, he has pretty good pace and in late 21 and 22 he started  being more an outside player this year he's trying to be the inside player again.  

Time for the coaching staff to set midfield blockers or start him on the H/F line and then work him into the game, if he's starting at the first bounce run his opponent away from the contest and keep running him around never stand still, let's see what they do against the lions.

 

On 25/06/2024 at 13:27, waynewussell said:

Kindly remind me of another Demon who has this record since 1964

Jimmy. Minus the premiership but plus Brownlow and 87 night premiership (my favourite premiership, thanks Bret)