5 minutes ago, MrReims said:

I highly doubt the penny is going to drop WCW

That’s the plan! I hope it never drops. I’m having too much fun 🥳

The thing I noticed at my first training session this pre season on friday, was an improved level of fitness at this time of year and the increased number of bigger players I saw.

I was shocked at the size of Fullarton, who is muscled up from this season and clearly has the body to impose himself on the field. We will see. 

Also the 2nd - 4th year players muscling up was apparent.

We will definitely be a stronger side physically this season.

50 minutes ago, Ghostwriter said:

I mean the off-field changes. As for on-field, what you say is true: what we see in match sims isn’t necessarily a true representation of what we’ll see on gameday. It can’t be, for the reasons you’ve cited. Besides that, there’s been no sessions at Casey thus far and Casey sessions are where more is revealed, away from prying eyes.

But last year and the year before weren’t anything like this year. It feels as though I’m watching an entirely different Club.

Even small changes, for example: mouth-guards. Pretty sure I didn’t see a single mouth-guard last preseason. Seeing a few this year though. That’s just one of many changes. 

Good points 👻

2023 and 2024 we had played finals the year before so were 2 weeks behind in prep, AND many players were totally knocked about.

This year we have 4 extra weeks of “rest” and very few carrying injury.  Poles apart, and as you rightly said earlier the monkey is off the back in a way. 

On 13/12/2024 at 14:11, Ghostwriter said:

Moreover, Goody has said he’ll debut EARLY in the season. They’re excited about this.

Yep as I said earlier this year the club LOVE where he is at as a player he took feedback and went to work so glad track watchers agree exciting times 

On 13/12/2024 at 18:55, picket fence said:

Great report Demonland and I concur with Mc Adam, this is a potentially serious BUST!

He’ll come good.. I’m convinced but does need some luck re getting on the track 

On 14/12/2024 at 00:02, rpfc said:

We are going to have 27 play Round 1 at this rate.

Big chance to win with 5 extra players…

R1: FB-FF

Mcvee May Petty

Windsor Lever Rivers

Langdon Oliver Sparrow

Langford JVR Chandler  

McAdam Turner Fritsch

R: Gawn Petracca Viney

INT: Salem, Kolt, Bowey, Campbell

EMERG: Jeffo, AJ, Melksham, Billings, Laurie, TMac, AMW

 BEST news of PRE SEASON thus far..

Were currently on trsck to have 90% do 90% — THIS is something to be genuinely excited about folks!!!

41 minutes ago, Tolstoys Nudge said:

R1: FB-FF

Mcvee May Petty

Windsor Lever Rivers

Langdon Oliver Sparrow

Langford JVR Chandler  

McAdam Turner Fritsch

R: Gawn Petracca Viney

INT: Salem, Kolt, Bowey, Campbell

EMERG: Jeffo, AJ, Melksham, Billings, Laurie, TMac, AMW

Don’t mind this other than Campbell. We lack a tall forward option. Jeffo or AJ straight in for him (as good as TC may have trained). Or the coaches put Petty forward and bring Tmac as the defender. Also think Sharp and Lindsay will be very close to the mark if not in the side. 

Edited December 15, 2024Dec 15 by 12345_54321

16 hours ago, Ghostwriter said:

You sound confused PF. 🙃

Sounds like he thinks he has seen a ghost (not unlikley on a forum decidated to demons) 😆

On 13/12/2024 at 07:32, Whispering_Jack said:

Don’t forget …

Who would have guessed that Jimmy Plunkett would become a League footballer!!

 

 

18 hours ago, Dingo said:

Agree.

And he is a premiership player.

Spargo is a very smart player with a great football IQ hope he can get get back on the park sooner that later.

3 hours ago, Tolstoys Nudge said:

R1: FB-FF

Mcvee May Petty

Windsor Lever Rivers

Langdon Oliver Sparrow

Langford JVR Chandler  

McAdam Turner Fritsch

R: Gawn Petracca Viney

INT: Salem, Kolt, Bowey, Campbell

EMERG: Jeffo, AJ, Melksham, Billings, Laurie, TMac, AMW

 

2 hours ago, 12345_54321 said:

Don’t mind this other than Campbell. We lack a tall forward option. Jeffo or AJ straight in for him (as good as TC may have trained). Or the coaches put Petty forward and bring Tmac as the defender. Also think Sharp and Lindsay will be very close to the mark if not in the side. 

123etc  - I must say I tend to agree re Campbell. Has he shown anything at all as a forward option?  I understood that he was really a pure back up ruck, in which case AJ would probably be well ahead of him in the Pedersen mold. 
 

Sharp should be close. Not so sure, at this stage, re Spreadsheet as he hasn’t been in full training yet, has he?

I love Spargo. It's good to hear his injury is improving. I just worry he has missed so much with such a tricky injury.

Really hope he gets fully fit and firing this year and back to his best (even if just in the twos)

6 minutes ago, Benny Dee said:

I love Spargo. It's good to hear his injury is improving. I just worry he has missed so much with such a tricky injury.

Really hope he gets fully fit and firing this year and back to his best (even if just in the twos)

I also wouldn’t expect him to come straight back into the team given the nature and duration of his injury - but who knows?  He did play round zero 2024 with what seemed to be almost zero preseason. Maybe the club will learn from past mistakes - hopefully. 

1 hour ago, monoccular said:

 

123etc  - I must say I tend to agree re Campbell. Has he shown anything at all as a forward option?  I understood that he was really a pure back up ruck, in which case AJ would probably be well ahead of him in the Pedersen mold. 
 

Sharp should be close. Not so sure, at this stage, re Spreadsheet as he hasn’t been in full training yet, has he?

0 as a tall forward option. He’s a back up ruck, that’s all. We saw how that went with Grundy. I believe Jeffo will take the leap and take the spot but we will see.

 

Sharp has been in full training. Reckon that wing spot is his with Langdon on the other with Windsor off halfback. 

12 hours ago, picket fence said:

I knew WCW, was WCW from a few of her interactions she wrote about earlier this year from training, as I was also in attendance on at least one occasion. I saw her again on Friday and remembered but as for your good self, I now assume that  you were one of many hovering with her on Friday. Still a touch of X Files about it🤪.Would love her to get back on Demonland, very entertaining commentaries!

#notsureifserious

1 hour ago, old55 said:

#notsureifserious

#SadlyIsTotallySerious

On 14/12/2024 at 21:41, picket fence said:

Folks, this is seriously X files like stuff!🤣

 

On 14/12/2024 at 16:51, dazzledavey36 said:

For a small forward he simply doesn't score enough for me. His best tally for a year is 18 which is poor for a small forward that's been in the system for 7 years.

I know goals aren't exactly everything but this is my point about sharing the load in terms of scoring avenues. That's why I listed the smalls for Brisbane and their ability to impact the scoreboard and spread the load.

 

Yeah would be nice if he hit the scoreboard more and that probably comes from his lack of distance in his kicking as well as playing further up the field (half forward rather than crumbing around the feet of the contest 30 out). He also gets back to help a lot in defense but doesn't gut run as much forward so doesn't get those opportunities for the Joe the goose that others do. Whether this is by design/coaching or not is hard to tell for mine. He can be a very creative player though.

7 hours ago, monoccular said:

 

123etc  - I must say I tend to agree re Campbell. Has he shown anything at all as a forward option?  I understood that he was really a pure back up ruck, in which case AJ would probably be well ahead of him in the Pedersen mold. 
 

Sharp should be close. Not so sure, at this stage, re Spreadsheet as he hasn’t been in full training yet, has he?

I remember being impressed by Campbell when we played North in Hobart in 2021.

He took two strong marks up forward , and nailed the goals from  about 40-45metres.

17 hours ago, Tolstoys Nudge said:

R1: FB-FF

Mcvee May Petty

Windsor Lever Rivers

Langdon Oliver Sparrow

Langford JVR Chandler  

McAdam Turner Fritsch

R: Gawn Petracca Viney

INT: Salem, Kolt, Bowey, Campbell

EMERG: Jeffo, AJ, Melksham, Billings, Laurie, TMac, AMW

TMac has been the best of the defenders at this stage of preseason. He comes in for Lever, who is still to join main group.

On 14/12/2024 at 19:03, Adam The God said:

In 2018, we scored the most points by some margin with 2299 PF.

That year, Hogan kicked 47, TMac 53, Melksham 32, Hannan 22, ANB 27, Fritta 17 (he played some minutes behind the ball from memory), Petracca 19, Garlett 18, Jones 15, Harmes 15, Spargo 14, Gus 14, Gawn 13, Oliver 12, Weideman 10. 

So 72 goals from midfield (Viney contributed 2 goals) that year, and all of our forwards got a "lick of the ice cream" as Goody used to say. This was off the back of hard running, fast ball movement, and extremely central ball movement that often saw a remarkable number of goals kicked by us from within 30m. This interestingly was a hallmark of Collingwood's premiership year too.

The other thing worth noting from that spread of goalkickers in 2018 is that we tended to favour two talls (TMac and Hogan) with support from Melksham, Fritta, Hannan and a young Trac. We seem to love the two permanent talls now, supported by a ruck/forward as that's what worked so well in 2021. I hope we're a bit flexible and experimental with this like we were in early 2023. 

But a forwardline of JVR, Turner with Fritta, Trac, Kozzy and Chandler with support from Melksham, AJ and Jefferson, I'm confident we can generate some strong scoring power again with different ball movement.

I also think it's likely our defensive prowess will suffer slightly in this renewed push to open up our play through the corridor, occasionally exposing us back the other way, but our defensive mix in 2025 will be lightyears ahead of 2018, with a bunch of premiership defenders in their prime. The one question mark is on Lever and what his interrupted pre season will mean for him and our defensive exploits. But it may mean Petty TMac and May are the three headed defensive triangle.

Consensus seems rather than that main goal scorer, if the two tall forwards (whoever they be) get 60 between them, that should be enough.

5 hours ago, waynewussell said:

TMac has been the best of the defenders at this stage of preseason. He comes in for Lever, who is still to join main group.

Lever should be right by R1 mate 

On 14/12/2024 at 11:25, DistrACTION Jackson said:

Looks like Noah Yze is doing a preseason with Casey judging by our insta photos today…. Would be good to see him play the season there 

What’s with all of these father/son players popping up everywhere? I mean, my father was an aeronautical engineer, but me…

On 15/12/2024 at 15:10, Red and Bluebeard said:

Sounds like he thinks he has seen a ghost (not unlikley on a forum decidated to demons) 😆

or maybe a spectre or a jinni?