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As an Irishman who follows the Dees because of Jimmy, and Sean Wight, I am very proud today. As a young Irishman in Melbourne, in the 1990's, it was great to have a bloke from home representing us so well on the sporting field. Back then, Ireland was regularly in the news, for the wrong reasons. After his career finished, he gave something back to the city/country that had given him so much. I saw him doing the unglamourous stuff - visiting my employer, looking for funding for Reach. Jimmy's 250th game was a highlight, apart from the Magpies winning. We went to the Blarney Stone in Port Melbourne, sang some Irish songs, and chatted to the players, including 'the smoker'. I look forward to making the statue a focal point for me and my Irish mates, as we continue to support the Dees. I look forward to telling my kids about Jimmy, when they ask why we barrack for the Demons.

I've always been a Dunn critic, but he may well thrive under Roos, a better midfield and clear structures.

Did you watch Dunn's kickouts last week? First time we had a bloke kicking directly to a team mate and gaining between 40-60 metres each time, instead of the chip to the back pocket and then back to the goal square and then a turnover like we have seen for years. It allowed us to get out of danger quickly and turn defence into attack. He also can play back, forward and on the ball. He is very versatile. No IMO Dunn is in the team.

As they should be, with too many families losing a son/brother etc, from a drunken/drugged/just plain stupid, thug's, mindless unprovoked violence.

A couple of years ago the Bluey Truscott night coincided with an AFL Preliminary Final also involving Collingwood.Fortunately, in this day of AFL iPhone apps it's possible to attend the commencement dinner, keep up with the evenings AFL activities and watch the game AND be rude and unsociable to the others at your table - all at the same time!

If anybody thinks Dunn will not be one of the first players picked in round 1 they are kidding themselves. So integral to Roos' plans...

Round 1 predictions: 1) About 15 family and freinds coming to this game (all Demons & Saints fans) 2) Smuggle some bourbon in rather than pay $9 for midstrength 3) Dees win by 5 goals 4) Demons fans stomping the bottom level of Etihad creating a wall of sound 5) Belt out a grand old flag after the game a couple times , followed by a "Roooooooooooos" as he walks around the boundary line. 6) Scarf goes out the car 7) Grand Old Flag played most of the way home 8) Switch to Finey for some post match 9) Get home, feet up, night cap and watch the replay with the lovely. 10) Well if the moods right....

The important thing is that Eddie has come out and backed him. And as we all know Eddie trumps all laws and jury decisions.

Stynes legacy honoured with MCG statue Jim has been announced as the next bronze statue to be erected around the G. A fitting honour for one of the greatest AFL stories ever. Still miss the big guy.

But just as worrying is relying on Terlich, Grimes and Dunn to be the distributors from half back in a final. Luckily I have a solution! Persist with those guys as well as Strauss depending on form whilst we improve as a side. Designate Bernie Vince and Watts in particular as midfielders who's job it is to float across half back to get involved in chains of disposal. Develop more midfield depth and then move one of the midfielders with top skills to half back like Sydney have done with Jarrad McVeigh. I actually think this is in Roos' plan for Vince. If he gives us a couple of years of his best tough in close midfield footy he can then be transitioned to the half back flank to play on a lesser forward and be the distributor. This year is his year to learn about AFL and training etc but another option I'd be fully supportive off would be to move Salem to half back from next year. Beautiful kick, left footed which we desperately need at half back and likes the hard physical stuff so wouldn't be out of place in the backline.

Might not change their chances of getting to finals but puts a big hole in their chances of finishing top 4 and of winning finals. Rucks; Simpson (big, unproven, promising), McIntosh (often injured), Blicavs (undersized, raw) 2nd ruck/forward options: Walker (bit small at 196cm) Key forwards: Hawkins, Kersten (bit undersized at 191cm) That's a pretty benign bunch besides Hawkins. Of course Geelong still have enough talent in the backline talls and with a huge mixture of smalls but key forwards who win one on ones and big rucks who impact games are pretty important. Geelong now look a bit vulnerable in that area. Say they play Freo again in a final and the come up against Sandilands and Zac Clarke then that's a big advantage to the Freo midfield. And down back Freo have Dawson, McPharlin and Johnson, who would really put pressure on the second and third tall Geelong forwards.

He's got the fitness and form to be straight in to round 1 but what bit about Dunn is integral? He's proven time after time he's a dumb footballer. He's a good athlete with a nice mix of size, speed and skills. He can play on B grade forwards either tall or small which makes him handy. And he's a technically proficient kick who can kick short or very long. But as I said, very silly footballer. Mental mistakes with the ball, silly mistakes off the ball and soft moments attacking the ball. If he plays to his best and minimises mistakes he will be a guy who gets picked every week. If not then Georgiou looks equally adept defensively and a much smarter player even if his kicking is limited. Once Garland comes back there will be competition between the mid size defenders. So far Dunn's career can be summarized as being a guy who got picked in bad teams to fill gaping holes. Post Neitz no FF - ok Dunn can do it. No defensive forwards - ok Dunn can do it. No tagger - let's try Dunn. No medium back flankers besides Garland - oh let's give Dunn a try there. I'd really love to see him play some consistent good footy to justify the years of develop and opportunity that he's had.

Drop Blease for Michie and thank me later.

Missing a Filth Shockers game at Etihad to attend an MFC Function. I can live with that. Next....

Quite so if your only interest in footy is MFC but mine goes a lot further and I find the first game of an AFL season very enjoyable. It's when the real stuff starts and marks the spot in time we've been waiting for all preseason. Watching a replay is of little value when you in all likelihood the result will be known. To organize this function on this night when so many other nights would have been available seems odd to me and rather poor planning.

I find it interesting that this story hasn't been nearly as big as who Jake King hangs out with.

Underestimating Dunn this season I think. Never been a great fan but I think he is now in a space where he has a mature mind, a strong body, has learnt much about the game and his own limitations. I think under Roos he may have his best season ever probably off half back, occasionally going forward for the odd goal. I like him as a run with stopper, with a big body but I don't think he will be used that way this year.

I always miss the stuff the gets removed

This...well there is a big campaign going on at the moment about king hits and Danny Green has been lending his name to it. Good on Danny for doing it. The other night on FOX footy Danny was being interviewed about the campaign and Dwayne and Gerrard were right behind him particularly given Gerrard's relationship with Hookesy who fell victim to a punch as most of us would know. Then as the broadcast continued Dwayne made mention of problems facing Murray Newman (West Coast Footballer), he didn't say what they were but by the way he was portraying it, it seemed some deep personal or family problem. I looked up the net and found that Newman's issue was that he had been found guilty of assault. Hardly anything you would think he needed to be protected about by Dwayne not mentioning it and in light of the previous interview it should have been mentioned. Both Newman and Williams have been found guilty and are awaiting sentence. In light of how the community sees these assaults they will be lucky to not get any jail time. Given that the AFL like to uphold the integrity of the game it will be interesting to see how they handle the situation.

I always rated Vince highly at the Crows. Usually though you do tend to watch a player a lot closer when they play for your team as opposed to the opposition. Watching Vince play on Friday, I struggled to recall a Melbourne midfielder of recent times with that level of class, composure, skill and football smarts. He just continually made the correct decision and executed it. If a quick handball release was required, he gathered cleanly and dished off quickly and effectively. When he was able to find a bit more space, he remained composed, used his time wisely and again made the correct decision and executed it. We have been so panicky in the past that it was really encouraging to see a player who has that innate ability to almost slow the game down around him. Class footballers always seem to have more time than others. Obviously the heat will be greater once the real stuff starts but that was a very, very impressive performance from him.

What more proof that we're better than Collingwood do you need than the unofficial NAB Challenge ladder*?Hawthorn 2 - - 272 76 357.9 8 West Coast 1 - - 148 64 231.3 4 Adelaide 1 - - 119 59 201.7 4 Sydney 1 - - 115 75 153.3 4 Western Bulldogs 1 - - 67 56 119.6 4 Richmond 1 1 208 174 119.5 4 Melbourne 1 - - 98 84 116.7 4 Carlton 1 - - 100 93 107.5 4 Geelong 1 - - 104 102 102.0 4 Gold Coast 1 - - 90 89 101.1 4 Essendon - 1 - 89 90 98.9 0 St. Kilda - 1 - 56 67 83.6 0 Collingwood - 2 -178 228 78.1 0 North Melbourne - 2 - 146 218 67.0 0 GWS Giants - 1 - 75 115 65.2 0 Port Adelaide - 1 - 59 119 49.6 0 Fremantle - 1 - 64 148 43.2 0 Brisbane - 1 - 23 154 14.9 0 * exclusive to Demonland Jake King didn't help his cause one bit today. After the game he was seen associating with a few Collingwood players and I believe Demetriou's office issued a warning that he should cease the practice forthwith.

.... In WA Maybe he thought (IF he thought at all) that he was in Victoria, where violent attacks are (apparently) regarded by our various levels of judiciary as hardly worthy of hard sanction. All too many here just walk from court; tragically for others they then repeat their offence.And remember, deaths are just the tip of the iceberg. Many are left with serious long term physical injuries, and most victims are mentally scarred long term with dramatic social, employment an d family detrimental effects. It is not being over dramatic to say that a serious assault can irrevocably ruin a life.

so the guilty verdict comes through yesterday. and we wait for sentencing. Eddie everywhere goes on radio saying how much the Collingwood football club is against violence etc. then says said player who is guilty of a very violent act is fine to keep training and that they will support him. what a disgrace.

If Ben Reid plays forward (and it will be hard not to leave him there considering how dangerous he is). Collingwood's backline is as follows Talls: Keeffe, Brown, Frost Mediums: Maxwell, Goldsack, Lumumber Smalls: Seedsman, Sinclair, Armstrong, Toovey (from a knee reco), Marty Clarke and possibly Marley Williams if he's not in prison. Plus some kids. Now those talls aren't bad and the mediums are serviceable but that group isn't winning a premiership as a defense in 2014. Like most areas of the ground they do have a lot of talent available eventually and in a couple of years could have a really talented group considering they've got high draft pick Scharenberg and some other youngsters I rate in Broomhead and Langdon but that's the challenge for the Pies. The most cohesive and maybe best backline in the league in 2010/2011 has been deconstructed with the trading of Shaw and moving Reid forward.

I used to go to school in Clifton Hill and fight the local filth. Must admit, I only won a couple.

We'd like more control in Casey but we need to provide them with valuable reason to give up the independence they keep. Realistically unless we've got the dollars to provide them in terms of paying players and running their club they have little incentive to join on to us. Better for them to suffer and stay independent than suffer and be dependent as well. Same thing goes for a reserves side, we don't have the cash to make it happen and we don't have facilities either I would say. If we provide a keen interest in the Casey players (drafting one every now and then wouldn't hurt but at least making sure Casey players get drafted), provide our coaching excellence in to the Casey system and our players commit when wearing the Casey jumper then Casey will return the favour by falling in line with our footballing principles. That's about the best hope we can ask for in the short term. If we wanted to be based full time at Casey fields I think we could do it in a flash and the Casey council would be very supportive. They've already got the grounds and gym and together with some fundraising from the AFL, governments and councils to fund some sport science gear (?do they have cold pools and spas, bike room etc) all they'd need to build is enough office space for the footy department and admin. But it's windy, it's 30 minutes from anywhere at least if not more from where players actually want to live. Not to mention supporters, staff and other facilities such as medical specialists. St Kilda are struggling with Seaford and it's 30 minutes or less from Moorabbin. Casey is further again. I think it remains an option for a primary base but at the moment is best used as a secondary base. Even if controlling a NT team generated revenue I couldn't see it as significant and any publicity would die off pretty quickly. Then we are busy controlling a team that no one cares about. It wouldn't help us draft players. It wouldn't help us develop our players. It would really be a largely unprofitable side project. Not to mention as I said before I don't think the AFL would be too keen to have mini franchises set up in NT league or anywhere else for that matter. I'm all for thinking laterally but the other thing we need to do is keep the main focus on the basics. That was the first lesson from the Schwab era was it not? PJ's got a pretty simple plan - it's to spend as much money as he can get on coaching, developing, sports science, list management and recruiting. Everything else comes down the line from that.

Yeah I get the system im just saying last year we should have been paid for showing up. Us, the long suffering fans who had to sit through that crap. I know we need money but im just pointing out that not everyone is on big bucks. But hopefully that people who are donating donate a good amount because then it means we have had a few wins. By the way Id be giving PJ a pay rise after what he has been able to get done in the past few months.

Yes and I thought he was good, but my faith in Dunn is still next to zero. There is a reason I have referred to him as Lynden Dumm for a long time, yet again I hope he proves me wrong and flourishes under Roos, but excuse me for being extremely sceptical.

You're doing it wrong. Very strange night for the AFL to schedule Pies v Dockers. Didn't they look at the at the foundation club's social calendar!

Strauss was good with his disposal if he was in the clear, but was beaten for the ball in contests most of the time. That really worries me. Terlich is hard, fast, but capable of the odd very bad clanger. Then again last week he wasn't alone.

I'll store this and send it back to you at season 's end OD. I think (from memory) you have been predicting between 12 and 16 for us this year. I bet I am closer than you!

Flat track bullies North, when everything is going their way they look great, when it's not it goes to the other extreme

I honestly believe that we should play Hogan at CHB for the bulk of the year. Could be better there that Glan Jakovich was, could swing forward anyday. With Fitzy, Clark/resting ruckman, Dawes and Howe there we will be too top heavy. Will put less pressure on him, he would learn a lot from the likes of Brown and Riewoldt and teamed with Chip, Tommy Mac and Judy, they will make a fierce defensive unit.

Why should we start worrying now about what here makes sense and what doesn't? Hasn't been a problem before. :-)))))

Just on this 'Hogan not ready for Rd 1' stuff... We do have over a month to go and practice games against Geelong and Hawthorn... This period we are in now - this period is the 'getting ready for Rd 1 period.' If he is playing in this period, he is going to be a chance for Rd 1.

how does this system work, are we paying them to win? If i'd know that i would have taken out a big loan from the bank bloody years ago!

There are a number of things I might argue with the sides mentioned above. However, in our current situation, there is only only one bloke with the smarts and ability to play CHF. Dawes. Fitzy would run around in circles and, while Hoges will play that position in the future, let's not cruel him just yet.

Would love to have caught up with you OD. Actually had a disappointing day in that regard. Biffen was going to come but had to have his stomach pumped due to an "OD". I thought Moon might be there but he couldn't spell Gosch's so was unable to find the place. I was also looking for a bloke standing on his own and being avoided by others but couldn't see one - Stuie apparently was absent also.

I'm sitting next to Roosy as he's doing an interview at the Café ATM so I'm stickybeaking a little bit. He spoke of Michael Voss and his tenure a little bit which could make for interesting reading. Anyway... It is perfect weather for the boys - it's freezing. Duffle coat represent because it's just too cold. Heck, maybe I'm going too far with the scarf but whatever. A few of the Casey boys are here so I WON'T recognise everyone, damn it. A lot of the group are playing a very amusing, highly entertaining game where they hold a ball in their hands with an additional ball coming in and they have to handball their ball away to a teammate before catching the ball that's approaching them, if you get my drift. It really is a laugh. Teams: White: Evans, Westrupp, Gawn, Trengove, Barry, Jetta, Blease, Hogan, Tapscott, Kent, Michie, McDonald, Spencer, Clisby, M Jones, Strauss. Blue: Pedersen, Toumpas, Cross, Dunn, McKenzie, Frawley, Salem, JKH, Hunt, Grimes, Riley, Viney, Terlich, Nicholson, Byrnes, Tyson, Howe, King, Georgiou, Watts, Harmes, Vince, Dawes, N Jones, Bail, Fitzpatrick. This along with the Casey players I mentioned before. More in white than blue, looking at those sides blue have a far far stronger side on paper. Clark, Garland and Jamar doing rehab. Fitzy walking laps with Gawn. Few stretches, runthroughs etc, short kicks too. A very solid crowd coming down for a look. Brr. Ruckmen not doing short kicks except for Spencer which is VERY understandable. Few short handballs now. Short kicks and a bit of 'groundball' as they call it. Casey boys are attacking it at 100k an hour which is good to see. They too want to show their worth. Another drill, down the line kicks, hands and all. Don't mind the look of Pedo at all. He's looking good. 'Turn and go' encouraged. We saw this at times on Friday night. Brand new drill I haven't seen before. Kick from a pocket with three blokes running up through the corridor to deliver inside 50 at the other end. More drills. To quote Millhouse: 'When are they getting to the fireworks factory???' Proper umpires doing this intraclub, although when Matthew Nicholls is one of those umpires 'proper' is a very loose term. Mammoth, mammoth, mammoth crowd here at Gosch's. Two/three deep in some places. We almost need a footy special from Richmond the crowd's that big. More full grounder drills. The same as what we've done all pre season, think the crowd just want the game to get going. IT'S HAPPENINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG THE INTRACLUB Few senior blokes leaving. Jones, Toumpas, Dunn, Pedersen, McKenzie, Riley, Frawley, Howe, Vince etc. Doing some sprinting. Quarter 1 Viv Michie on the burst, winning the first clearance. Already a goal to white and it's one of the Casey boys. White 1.0 (6) Blue 0.0 (0) With the omissions the intraclub is better for it. Blue inside 50 now. Holding the ball against one of the Casey boys though. Fitz with the dukes up and takes an uncontested mark. One behind. White 1.0 (6) Blue 0.1 (1) Goes down the ground eventually and big Max (Gawn) takes a pack mark. One behind. White 1.1 (7) Blue 0.1 (1) Although Blue progress 60m down White wins it back and Gawn takes it on the lead again and goals. White 2.1 (13) Blue 0.1 (1) From the clearance Tappy goes down and cannot put weight on his right ankle initially. Ouch. He walks off slowly. Max Gawn with his third mark inside 50. Misses the lot but doesn't make the distance. A Casey bloke hits the post. White 2.2 (14) Blue 0.1 (1) Blue goes coast-to-coast very quickly through Tyson and Salem kicks a goal much in the same vein as Frank Lampard would. White 2.2 (14) Blue 1.1 (7) Jack Watts with the clearance. Inside 50, Dawes gets a bit of a cheap free after a push from McDonald. Dawes goals. White 2.2 (14) Blue 2.1 (13) Ball movement both sides quicker now. Watts looks like he's playing as that quarterback role. No score for the reminder of the quarter and it's quarter time. Quarter 2 King's getting monstered by Spencer. Imagine him against Naitanui. Viney giving out don't argues at will. Loving it. Salem with a mark inside 50. Goal. Blue 3.1 (19) White 2.2 (14) Tyson roving a Spencer hit, loving it. Westrupp shows some foot candy but gets cleaned up by JKH! Wow. Dawes takes a nice mark on the dive. Goals from 45 out on the boundary. Blue 4.1 (25) White 2.2 (14) Blue on top now. Byrnes with a set shot, misses everything but Fitz takes a mark and goals. Blue 5.1 (31) White 2.2 (14) Another F50 from Blue. They've taken over. Dom Tyson reading hitouts, Wattsy getting a fair bit of it. I'm liking this midfield setup. Something to warm the hearts of opposition fans. Watts with an intercept mark. King with a mark inside 50. Goal. Blue 6.1 (37) White 2.2 (14) Terls out the middle to Fitz but Fitz screws the kick inside 50 and turns it over. SPENCER HITS A TARGET to Hogan, who kicks short to Trengove. Goal. Blue 6.1 (37) White 3.2 (20) Half Time. Quarter 3 Spencer grabbing it out the ruck haha. Salem looking alright once again. Possession footy from Blue as we've seen on Friday night. Kent out on the full. Boys on the sideline willing Kingy on haha. Tyson turns everyone inside out and nearly nails goal of the day. Blue 6.2 (38) White 3.2 (20) Fitz takes a mark to the delight of Jonesy and the boys!!! It's a (very questionable) goal. Blue 7.2 (44) White 3.2 (20) Blue killing it. A rushed behind again. Blue 7.3 (45) White 3.2 (20) There's another shot which hits the post as I type. Blue 7.4 (46) White 3.2 (20) Bit of contested ball, in dispute. Hogan eventually takes a mark, shot at goal, just doesn't make the distance. Blue 7.4 (46) White 3.3 (21) Low scoring quarter which ends with the scoreline. Dawes is sitting out, a bit of a massage on his calf. Hope it's not serious. Game over by the looks of things. Update: Dawes has ice on his left calf, not sure of the severity but he looks pretty uncomfortable on the sideline.

I would like to keep playing Spencer and see if he is better second up. He doesnt get to string many together. Keep Gawn for later on. I reckon many remember Mark Jamar as a good ruck but forget how slow/stiff he is. He also doesnt win many in the ruck, just negates the other ruckman IMO. Having said that, because we have so many on the bench, NAB cup is perfect for him to only play 20-30% of the game, as I doubt if he can go much more. Spencer has a red hot go, and its good see a big man ready to get low for a ball, not stand around waiting for it to come out.

Spencer had more hitouts than any other ruck on the ground on Friday. You can add up the combination of the Richmond crew but he was basically working on his own with some help by King & Pedersen neither of whom you would call ruck men at this stage. I think Spencer has been harshly marked for that bad kick. Being at the ground I thought he did a lot of good work around the ground and held his own in the ruck.

Did you watch the entire game or just the first quarter. In the first quarter he had 2 horrendous moments. 1 when he turned the ball over flat out to a Richmond player and another when running through the centre he panicked and dropped the ball leading to a turnover. From there he bounced back and hit targets perfectly for the rest of the night. I'm willing to excuse the kicking mistakes because they happened in the first quarter of the first game of the year. I'm more worried about his lack of defensive impact. He seems really good at trailing opponents and then trying to get a punch in and not getting it done. Mainly he has a lack of desperation. I don't think he's soft because he doesn't back away from contact but he's a bit bruise free in that he needs to dish out some bruises by going harder. Has to play like his career is on the line in defence and that every possession an opponent gets is an insult to him. Terlich isn't much better as a small defender. He often even is further behind trailing his man than Strauss. But when the ball is on the deck or when he is in the correct spot for a spoil he'll hit it at 110%. Clisby is the one I want to see because he has good attacking instincts and reasonable skills but I think is a slightly better defender than both Strauss and Terlich but then again he's also quite short which is a pain.

I don't understand how bad Spencer is in the ruck. He's tall, strong, got a decent leap yet gets out bodied so easily. I thought that would change this year and he'd be a better tap ruck than the Richmond guys. He didn't get slaughtered by them but he didn't win the battle either. I can put up with some Spencer uncoordination around the ground if it comes with his great work rate and speed but he has to win the ruck. Stafford needs to get in to him now.

There is also no point in a ruckman who is seldom on the park.

It would make my weekend if North could do a job on that most arrogant of clubs Carlton and take its pompous coach down a couple of pegs today.

You get nothing out of being soundly trashed except zero confidence.

I loved Sylvia and wanted him to succeed, but if was clear a long time ago, Colin played when he could be bothered and that became ingrained and we did not have strong enough coaches or captains to make him lift or drop him. I no longer card about Sylvia and I hate Freo, I hope they lose every game.

Jordie "Frenzy" Mckenzie!

So Stingrays is your real name? And for the poster who opined that 'Captain Blood' was the best nickname ever - and it is a beauty - I prefer 'the galloping gasometer'. Probably meaningless to anyone who (a) doesn't remember Mick Nolan (B) doesn't know what a gasometer was and © doesn't remember the Arden Street Oval. But those who do will possibly agree that all those things combined seamlessly into the descriptive nickname which I seem to recall was invented by Lou Richards.

The way of creating a nickname is simple. Just add a Y to the end of their name. Examples - Wattsy - Howey - Grimesy - Clarky Need I say more?...