We play at Ikon on Saturday 22nd November at 3:05pm

YEAH THE DEES!!!

Hard selection call this week. Unfortunately there will be an unlucky player not playing with Chaplin coming in for Ebert and my controversial selection will be Gall out for Zanker. D.Taylor was too good to be dropped.

Possible Team:

B: S.Taylor, Gillard

HB: Chaplin, Lampard, Goldrick

C: McNamara, Hore, Mackin

HF: Fitzsimon, Harris, Wotherspoon

F: Bannan, Zanker

FOLL: Pearce, Hanks, Heath

IC: Paxman, D.Taylor, Mahony, O'Hehir, Campbell

14 minutes ago, Ghostwriter said:

We play at Ikon on Saturday 22nd November at 3:05pm

YEAH THE DEES!!!

This is good - I can finally go!

I’ll be bringing my mum for her first AFLW game (longtime keen observer!).

12 minutes ago, Deemented Are Go! said:

This is good - I can finally go!

I’ll be bringing my mum for her first AFLW game (longtime keen observer!).

Same. Kids basketball will be out of the way so I can finally get along

26 minutes ago, WERRIDEE said:

Hard selection call this week. Unfortunately there will be an unlucky player not playing with Chaplin coming in for Ebert and my controversial selection will be Gall out for Zanker. D.Taylor was too good to be dropped.

Possible Team:

B: S.Taylor, Gillard

HB: Chaplin, Lampard, Goldrick

C: McNamara, Hore, Mackin

HF: Fitzsimon, Harris, Wotherspoon

F: Bannan, Zanker

FOLL: Pearce, Hanks, Heath

IC: Paxman, D.Taylor, Mahony, O'Hehir, Campbell

Gall had more disposals, tackles and marks than Bannon with less game time. I also think she is more likely to kick a clutch goal if needed. Like you, I know I won’t happen, but I’d leave Bannon out.

Just finished watching the replay after a day of work.

I shed a little tear watching Mick Stinnear she a little tear.
What do you do when your main power forward is out with concussion and your team is getting the wobbles at half time?
You take your other power forward and chuck em in the Ruck!
It takes real gumption and this coach and team has it in spades.

The first half was a template of last week. 3 goals in a row from ridiculous free kicks in the 2nd quarter had us rattled. I watched Mick's presser, it was amazing and incredibly gracious. (can't find it now)

But this team just knuckled down in the second half. It's one of the best finals wins I've seen this club achieve considering the context of our loss the week before.

So many highlights, Kate Hore with her goal from the boundary and I think 4 marks in a row in the backline in the second quarter.
Shelly Heath with that brilliant arm wrestle on the wing which saw the ball go forward for a goal.
The play off half back in the third which ended with a tremendous Wotherspoon mark and goal to set us up.

Two things:
The umpiring:
Well, two weeks in a row, it's been a disgrace. The umpires have shifted momentum with dubious free kicks payed to the opposition right in front of goal. At one point they payed a mark (and ensuing goal) after it bounced off a melbourne defenders back.

We all know how parochial, overwhelming crowd support influences these amatuer umps.
Crowd noise sways umpires!

The support for this team:
As a few have mentioned, we really should have more Melbourne supporters at the game. I appreciate each and every one of you that attends the game and I could hear you through the broadcast. Thank you.
However, I can't help but feel that our club is playing finals and there's just not enough interest (see this thread as an example) from our supporters.
To beat North next week, I think we need a team that puts in four quarters AND a club that turns up in huge numbers to cheer this fantastic team on.

I think I'll start a seperate thread tomorrow when I'm not so drunk, but seriously, we should have at least 7 or 8,000 demons turning up next week to cheer the Melbourne Football Club on to a grand final.
The skills and pace of the top teams in this competition is way beyond where it was 3 or 4 years ago. I think there's a lot of supporters who need to get behind this team. It's fantastic to watch their progression and growth.

Thanks to everyone who's invested in this team. Go Dees
The MFC is in a prelim!
Lotsa love Brownie

Edited Saturday at 11:201 day by Brownie

It s truly extraordinary the Dees finished the regular season second with a percentage of 209, yet North is $1.05 favourites versus $9.50 for the Dees. Unbelievable.

So the market is overwhelming confident about a Roos win.

The thing is, so much of sport is between the ears.

As a hobby, for over 20 years I coached girls and boys junior basketball, from U18's to U9's, at club and representative basketball level. It was incredible how often an undefeated team lost in the finals. Without exaggeration, I'd say teams undefeated in the regular season lost over 80% of the time in the finals.

If being undefeated in the regular season, then in the first final smashing the Hawks who limped into finals, leads to a smidge too much confidence or comfort or feeling of invincibility - then watch out.

Finals are truly a new season. Anything can happen.

Mick Stinear, in his presser, stated in the 2nd half of the semi-final, that the entire season's strategies and tactics, player roles, players' self-belief and belief in each other finally came together. It is so rare for a coach to see this, resulting...

in a thing of beauty the Dees put together in the second half.

They were brutal footballers yet played with such joy and fun. Kate McCarthy commented it was by far the best Adelaide had played all year. Yet, it was like we beat them in cruise control in that 4th quarter.

Such rarefied air would bring tears to any coach emotionally invested in their team and the season.

North has earned every accolade—25 straight wins is an AFL/VFL record that speaks for itself. But Saturday isn't about regular season records or historic streaks, it's about which team seizes their moment when everything is on the line. Our girls found something in that second half that transcends form guides and betting odds. They found each other, and they found themselves. If they bring that same brutal joy to Ikon Park, the streak ends at 25.

So, the official melbournefc Facebook page has posted nothing about the win or the prelim.

Last mention of the AFLW team was when they were at training with the blokes.

I don't think this club is supporting the women like they should.

https://www.facebook.com/MELBOURNEfc?mibextid=ZbWKwL

14 minutes ago, Brownie said:

So, the official melbournefc Facebook page has posted nothing about the win or the prelim.

Last mention of the AFLW team was when they were at training with the blokes.

I don't think this club is supporting the women like they should.

https://www.facebook.com/MELBOURNEfc?mibextid=ZbWKwL

Very poor form. It’s unacceptable actually

If we can put ourselves ahead of North even a bit and then hammer in with the pressure and make everything difficult, there's a real chance they crack.

"There is no moment of peril greater than when apparent triumph is turned to sudden terror."

they need to lose at some point; why not to us?

1 hour ago, Brownie said:

So, the official melbournefc Facebook page has posted nothing about the win or the prelim.

Last mention of the AFLW team was when they were at training with the blokes.

I don't think this club is supporting the women like they should.

https://www.facebook.com/MELBOURNEfc?mibextid=ZbWKwL

And on the MFC website they’ve updated the men’s sessions at Gosch’s but no mention of the women’s sessions. I’ll be so disappointed if I miss their first session back after that win; I’m always keen to greet them as they arrive from AAMI but this is next level excitement!

Have no doubt crocker & his team are going to do there planning this week on how to shut down hore.

9 hours ago, Brownie said:

So, the official melbournefc Facebook page has posted nothing about the win or the prelim.

Last mention of the AFLW team was when they were at training with the blokes.

I don't think this club is supporting the women like they should.

https://www.facebook.com/MELBOURNEfc?mibextid=ZbWKwL

I don't use Facebook, but on X the woman's team has its own page/account., so that may be the case on Facebook. The MFC app is full of aflw content also.

10 hours ago, Brownie said:

So, the official melbournefc Facebook page has posted nothing about the win or the prelim.

Last mention of the AFLW team was when they were at training with the blokes.

I don't think this club is supporting the women like they should.

https://www.facebook.com/MELBOURNEfc?mibextid=ZbWKwL

And the major newspapers have virtually nothing on W online. Both have one article in the first 12 on the Blues getting to a prelim. The rest is filler after the mens draft. Durrsma likes to dance article is the headline on the Sun. wtf.

The hard not to think the editors and trying to stop the game gaining popularity. It’s prelim week FFS. Plenty to write about. North are maybe the most dominant team ever. The Demons final was one of the best W games i’ve seen. If it was low scoring I’m sure there would be article bagging women’s football

i’m [censored] over it

59 minutes ago, dees189227 said:

Have no doubt crocker & his team are going to do there planning this week on how to shut down hore.

Good luck with that! 😂

3 minutes ago, Ghostwriter said:

Good luck with that! 😂

51 minutes ago, Ghostwriter said:

Good luck with that! 😂

More importantly Libby Birch is going have her hands full this Saturday and I hope our forwards to give her a good workout. I can't wait to see it.

3 minutes ago, Langers15 said:

More importantly Libby Birch is going have her hands full this Saturday and I hope our forwards to give her a good workout. I can't wait to see it.

Ugh, I hope Birch has a ‘mare. So glad Edo will be back and if her demeanour/countenance is anything to go by she’s gonna absolutely rip it up out there. She’s pumped and can’t wait for this weekend.

1 hour ago, Jack Vineys Anger Manager said:

I don't use Facebook, but on X the woman's team has its own page/account., so that may be the case on Facebook. The MFC app is full of aflw content also.

Yep, I get it to some extent but why two seperate channels.

Melbourne AFLW FB page has 2.6k followers

MFC official FB page has 199k follows and has no women's content from our finals campaign

My point is, we are one club.

My other point is, we as club supporters should the flooding Ikon this weekend to help get our team over the line.

Considering the umpiring that got both the lions and the crowd back into the game in both 2nd quarters, I actually think it's critical we have a huge parochial crowd there to help sway this game.

The club should be pushing every channel hard to help get supporters at the game.

Let's face it, the AFL ain't

I'll kick an email to the president today I reckon. It's not good enough.

Any others, feel free to give the club a ping.

Our club is in a prelim this weekend

1 minute ago, Brownie said:

My point is, we are one club.

My other point is, we as club supporters should the flooding Ikon this weekend to help get our team over the line.

Exactly! The Dees are playing in a prelim and it’s at an inner city venue and tickets are only $15 and it’s gonna be 22 degrees and sunny.

I don’t expect people who aren’t interested in the W to magically become fans but ffs would it kill folks to turn up? It doesn’t matter if you don’t even care about the result, just being there is enough and making a ton of noise is gold.

Don’t think for a second your presence won’t make a difference, coz it will, it really will.

This should be in my begging thread but we’re here now so ima carry on.

Bring your kids, too. They get in for free and there’s so much fun stuff to do, and I know because every week I join in said fun stuff. Heaps of free stuff to take home, too. There’s a photo-booth and face-painting and skills practice and these are available for the duration of the match, not just beforehand.

JUST BE THERE!!!

21 minutes ago, Ghostwriter said:

Exactly! The Dees are playing in a prelim and it’s at an inner city venue and tickets are only $15 and it’s gonna be 22 degrees and sunny.

I don’t expect people who aren’t interested in the W to magically become fans but ffs would it kill folks to turn up? It doesn’t matter if you don’t even care about the result, just being there is enough and making a ton of noise is gold.

Don’t think for a second your presence won’t make a difference, coz it will, it really will.

This should be in my begging thread but we’re here now so ima carry on.

Bring your kids, too. They get in for free and there’s so much fun stuff to do, and I know because every week I join in said fun stuff. Heaps of free stuff to take home, too. There’s a photo-booth and face-painting and skills practice and these are available for the duration of the match, not just beforehand.

JUST BE THERE!!!

Righto, I've sent an email to PG.

The club can do more to urge it's supporters and members to do more.

We should be swarming the joint in Red and Blue

I think the reason they did that is because every time they posted AFLW related stuff on their regular Facebook page they got inundated with angry incel posts from misogynistic supporters say they don't want to see the content about women. Sad little men.....

Edited 8 hours ago8 hr by Katrina Dee Fan

1 hour ago, Katrina Dee Fan said:

I think the reason they did that is because every time they posted AFLW related stuff on their regular Facebook page they got inundated with angry incel posts from misogynistic supporters say they don't want to see the content about women. Sad little men.....

Yep, I reckon you're spot on KDF.
I reckon if the club posted stuff this week urging support:
a: the sad little men (slm) would be piled upon
b: just take the oportunity to remove the SLM from our pages

This club should not let SLM stop us anymore!
I highlighted to PG how happy I was with the AFLW team's social media content. It's really cool.
It's just that the channels and pages silo the club.

2 hours ago, Ghostwriter said:

Exactly! The Dees are playing in a prelim and it’s at an inner city venue and tickets are only $15 and it’s gonna be 22 degrees and sunny.

I don’t expect people who aren’t interested in the W to magically become fans but ffs would it kill folks to turn up? It doesn’t matter if you don’t even care about the result, just being there is enough and making a ton of noise is gold.

Don’t think for a second your presence won’t make a difference, coz it will, it really will.

This should be in my begging thread but we’re here now so ima carry on.

Bring your kids, too. They get in for free and there’s so much fun stuff to do, and I know because every week I join in said fun stuff. Heaps of free stuff to take home, too. There’s a photo-booth and face-painting and skills practice and these are available for the duration of the match, not just beforehand.

JUST BE THERE!!!

If BOM predicts sunshine I predict rain.

For the gamblers out there Melbourne are ridiculous odds at $9. I don’t think the agencies know how to set the odds properly on AFLW. North are great but you shouldn’t see odds like that in a prelim both sides deserve to be there