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How was that pick-up off the ground in heavy traffic by Cranston in the 4th? Ripper.

And another courtesy of 'The Count': Checked out a bit of the rehab group ... - Viney was very clean when they had the footys out. - Joel Smith has put on a really good amount of size - Harmes started there, then moved over to the main oval and ran a few laps before joining in with the main group towards the end. He's really matured in his body shape I think. - Jeffy and Johnstone also moved to the main oval and ran a few laps together, and Weid ran a few of his own as well, has put on a little bit of size, but still has a ways to go Viney and J.Smith were running some sprints and then some 400's together, Smith was smashing him, tho I believe is a fair way ahead in terms of running. - vandenBerg did his own session up at the rooms under cover, did a fair bit of boxing and battle rope stuff, but its very clear that he's been off leg for some time, huge upper body, tiny pegs. As for the main group, as Jack said, the conditions meant that you can take absolutely nothing away from a skill perspective, but it at least looked like they were training to them, in the full ground drills, the long kicks down the line were kicked to space to the advantage of the man, rather than trying to hit a target. - Agree on Hogan, one of the better performers in the conditions, and looked hungry. One of the drills in the positional groups, Hogan had to tackle TMac while Pedo tried to shepherd him, and TMac avoid being tackled by him. Pedo was doing a good job, and it got pretty heated between the two for a second, and Hoges just concentrated on getting rid of Pedo, which he did, before getting back to TMac and tackling him to ground. - Trac is still sublime to watch, even in the rain. Was with the mids all session, and was covering the ground well. - I was impressed with Tyson, and I'm a critic. Was moving really well, noticeably better than last season. - Nobody told Oliver it was wet ... ridiculous what he can do. He walked past me afterwards as well, deceivingly tall. - Hibberd kicked in from a behind during some of the heaviest rain, and it would have gone 60+ - Fritsch took a few nice grab, needs to smash the hamburgers tho - Get on board the Ginga Ninja, I've seen plenty of him in full flight in the NEAFL, and he looked like he was fitting in really well.

I love watching the AFLW - comparing it to the men’s game is not comparing apples with apples. Yes, the skill levels might not yet be up to the (full-time) men’s game but, to me, that just adds to the excitement. Today’s game was super exciting as a Dees fan in fact the effort and heart from both teams was incredible - they were out on their feet at the end of the game. Long may it continue!

Because it directly appeals to a huge portion of the population. Women and girls get to see people just like them doing something that that may now aspire to do. They, in turn, buy jumpers, membership and merchandise; they attend matches and join local teams; they get more involved in the men’s game when winter comes along. The AFL isn’t doing this out of the goodness of their heart- they’re going to make a lot of money out of this brand of football. On top of that, this was a great match and we have a really good win! Get on board!

Lifted from BF with a big thank you to Captain Jack: As noted earlier conditions were awful this morning. It’s hardly rained in months in some parts of QLD yet there we were in weather ranging from light drizzle to heavy rain.As such skills and structures were not great/hard to make out.The first part that I saw was a full-ground drill that was mostly about ball movement and started from loose balls in various parts of the ground. The players had to run hard and cover plenty of territory as a new ball would be released a long way from the previous contest.Towards the end the players split into four groups based on size/role - talls, smalls, midfielders, wingers/flankers - to do various contested drills and one-on-one or two-on-two scenarios.I missed the first hour of the session (likely a lot of warming up anyway) but here are my thoughts organized by player:Rehab/touch group included Harmes, Viney, J Smith, Garlett, Johnstone, Weideman (who looks a good size)Hunt watched on - no obvious issues but he was dressed for training and didn’t take any part at all.Vandenberg also watching - didn’t look like he was training at all.Hogan good hands overhead in wet was a highlight of the session. Others battled with the heavy ball. Good 1/1 win v Lever in the only contest I saw between the two. Ferocious in tackling drill v Pedo/Gawn - looks fit and hungry.In the full-ground stuff Hogan and McDonald were lined up at opposite ends the whole time, which I found odd. Would have thought they need to get some chemistry together. Then again it was good weather for ducks, not key forwards, so not a big deal.Jetta seemed to be matching up on bigger opponents including Hogan - I think an interview with him mentioned this as a focus (good move given how many times he gets hung out to dry by his teammates).Lever vocal from boundary during rests - will be in the leadership group surely. Didn’t quite do the full session - watched on in the second half with lower back iced. Maybe just copped a knock there.Gawn taped up right thigh - cork? Looks huge otherwise. I am concerned that wth Spencer gone he doesn’t have another mature ruckman to test himself against but he looks in amazing condition as has been reported. As for King and Filipovic, both look to have filled out a bit but the latter in particular is very raw still. Trouble if Gawn goes down.Petracca clearly trained as a midfielder today and was encouraged to use his better fitness to work on his two-way running. Not something he’d be too used to, I imagine, as a highly talented junior. Other than that his clean hands with the wet ball were a highlight. Gee I’m excited about what he can bring this year.Tyson showed good skills and moved freely.Melksham played deep forward mostly. Used his kicking skills to good effect going inside 50. Given that Garlett was running laps they might be prepping the Snake for a deeper role early in the season along with Bugg, who did the whole main group session.An amusing quote from Goodwin: “mids standing around doing **** all, get forward to help Hoges!”Our new Cult Hero “Sideshow Bob” Baker looks a likely sort - good size, good confidence in tight situations - still learning the team ‘rule’s though and may have got carried away once or twice when he should have handballed out of trouble.In general goal kicking was no good in the wet but oh well.Wagner’s kicking skills still a worry - looks risky and flukey. I will continue to not really rate him as a player for now.Hibberd bombed a few long torps from kickouts.Balic looks ok in contests - bit of size about him. Hard to see where he would get a game round 1, behind a number of similar wing/HFF types but is somewhat AFL-ready.Oscar looks bigger but still was matched up against Keilty/Filipovic in tackling - would like to see him against the big dogs. Given Frost’s size and reportedly better positioning skills as a defender I would hope he can take the biggest forward because Oscar is still building up his body.Spargo slight and struggling with fitness by the end - expected. Battled manfully in the tackling despite giving up plenty of size even to the likes of ANB. Don’t think we will see much of him this year.Fritsch is also very very slight - bordering on Frail Cale Morton size. I think he’d need to take Hannan’s spot, with the latter offering plenty more physicality and grunt at this stage.Brayshaw a slight concern - did most of the work but was not in with the main mids. In the tackling/contested work he was with the second-string group of flankers and young kids. Might be kept out of the real contested stuff for a while as he builds confidence.Jones + Vince were out there as playing coaches at times - as veterans they would need a lower volume of training. They mostly skipped the physical/tackling aspects which is fair enough. Earlier Vince and Lewis both trained in the back line as we know - but I struggle to see a spot for both of them in the same team.Stretch, Salem + JKH training with Tyson, Oliver, Petracca - those six along with Jones and Viney (and Maynard) would make up the bulk of our midfield rotations you’d think.Please ask for clarification if I was rambling incoherently above.

Great win girls! 4 goals from free kicks to the orange mob. I see the AFL love fest is alive at all levels of footy.

Go Pickles Cranston !!!!!! What a great last half.

Watched parts of it and clearly the players are developing for sure. Fitness is way up on last year. The physicality and endeavour is incredible. Skills are not quite there but have improved. I don’t know what you’d expect from players who are year 2 into a semi-professional competition.

I'm not the greatest fan of AFLW (as a spectacle), but our team wears red and blue, and that's enough for me! I even found myself yelling at the box this afternoon, and cursing at the umpires on more than one occasion. I must be warming to it! Well done Demons!

The game this arvo is just down the road from me so I will go and have a look. I hope we play better than last nights game which was poor. To see the game at the ground will also be interesting.

Must admit, I absolutely hated the first game I watched. The skill level reminded me of primary school football. I was embarrassed to watch it. But as more games were played, I could see not just the rapidly improving skills, but the physicality and commitment of the players. In fact, the Women were playing the type of physical football that I wished our men had played during the 40+ years I have been watching. If you can see past the gender thing with its obvious differences, and view it through the Red & Blue of the Guernsey, you might just get some enjoyment out of it. Ask the players how they feel about it. I'm confident they would say they are not simply Women Footballers, but they play for the Melbourne Demons. Pride in the jumper, total effort, and respect for the clubs history is all I ask from them. The fact we have a side that is fun to watch is a nice bonus. I'm a fan.

The QLD fans will be chuffed with that news.

Hi Brendan. I strolled down for a few hours this morning. It was a little bit wet which was annoying because I’d just bought a new pair of suede loafers that I was looking forward to breaking in. I think they look nice with white slacks which are cuffed at the bottom. I caught up with a Goody almost straight away. I noticed he was wearing the same polo shirt as he wore on the flight up. I asked if he only brought the one shirt on the trip, he just got up and walked away. He’s a bit of a jokester like that. The team split into two groups in preparation for a non-contact match simulation. Apparently Tyson forgot the bibs so they were deciding on how to differentiate between the teams, I yelled out that the team with Petracca should just go shirtless. After the game the players headed inside to the gym. I asked who could bench press the most, apparently Pedo and Frost are tied. Their max bench is about my weight so I said I’d be happy to have a bit of a competition between the two and see who could bench me. Unfortunately it was a closed door session so I had to leave.

Article here detailing plans being pushed by MFC hierarchy to have a new facility built to accommodate the Football Department and club administration. https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/melbourne-football-club-considering-new-training-facility-next-to-goschs-paddock/news-story/ef692ba70fd95c0c2334174f443f7284 It’s in keeping with Bartlett and co wanting to keep the club central, visible and associated with the city of Melbourne. (There might even be a merchandise store that isn’t terrifying to visit)

Wtf? How is ‘[censored]’ censored on a football site??? (The word is FLAG but replace the A with an O)

That game was so much better than the rubbish last night. Great to see the Demons get better later in the game. So often the girls run out of energy in the 2nd half

With Daisy, was the match winner for us. They had a real physical crack in the last too. I enjoyed that. Stuff the lower quality skills, the Dees had a WIN!

It’s the Spanish version of a BLT, Jamon Lettuce and Tomato.

I think the AFL are making a mistake bringing new teams in over the next couple of years. The talent pool is obviously not there yet. It's paddock footy with a huge marketing budget.

Big feature on the ABC tonight on 7.30 report about MFC womens players and what they have given up to play for the club Here is at least a write up: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-01/aflw-women-career-injury/9380274 and the video link: http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/meet-the-aflw-players-who-sacrificed-their-day/9385274

Thats what sisters are for. Ace High would have brained them if there was another 100m.

Addictive Nature held up at a vital stage and Ace High finished off well I thought behind the speedsters.

Should be a good race Wadda, a first time for everything. My sis visiting with her kids saved me a trip to Casey. I can enjoy the rest of the days racing.

Maccas probably at the TAB....ha....Ace High looks good...here we go!

Great. Whats your final Tri combo Macca....? If Ace wins, it will be the first High Chaparral to win over 1200. Would be awesome.

Ive ended up taking Addictive Nature/F/F and Global Glamour/F/F @ Rosehill. R7.

Yeah its a dangerous ploy, but i still like it. At the end of the day you have to bet on something.

Good win Bye See. 1 best bet gets home. Well picked Macca.

Yep, quaddie done for me too, had Snitty 1 out.

Ouch..

No whip, hands and heels to the line. She could be a beauty this mare. Impressive indeed Macca.

Eurack did it on the bit ... very impressive!

I think you have decided for me lol, time to pack the zinc....

Yes Macca, I didnt even bother to look at Brisbane or Adelaide races. It's quite often trainers take their horses to Adelaide during Victorian carnivals for the simple reason you stated above. Small fields, some say it's "money for jam". Fiesta landed a few big bets too, I've also seen some big bets go down the drain in these early races. The TV showed a bet in excess of 23k the win on 'Last Week' in the previous at Caulfield. It looked like the horse went around for practice.

You need your eyes everywhere following the races D77 ... had standout/best bet written all over it! And the tri paid 172 with the fav winning in a 6 horse field. 'Fiesta' looked impressive winning the Widden Stakes at Rosehill.

Im thinking i might do what i do with Quaddies sometimes and take 1, 1, F, F. If the standouts get up, then its fun hoping for a roughy in the last 2 legs. Ive done ok with this method in the past at times.

Ah i found the NSW race feed, and watched the 2yo Race 3. http://www.racingnsw.com.au/ ....hard to believe theyre all born on the same day.....

Just won the second in Adelaide, payed around the $3 mark.

That sounds like trouble D77, have fun at Casey.

I do like Dainty Tess Macca. At the moment I'm thinking Dainty Tess and Volkoff for first and second in a tri with 5 others for third. I was looking forward to a session in front of the telly watching some good racing but the young ones all of a sudden want go watch the AFLW game all the way out at Casey. I'm in a spot of bother here.

I like both Snitty Kitty & Bedford Wadda It's too late now but I didn't see 'From Within' as a standout ... will only mention horses from here on in that do standout (like 'Bye See' & 'Don't Give A Damn) Like your thinking there with those quinella's ... we've got quite an array of choices when we include 'Eurack' and those that you have mentioned. By the looks of it both @Demon77 and myself like Dainty Tess at Ascot later on too (Race 6)

Good luck with the quinella parlay Wadda. That would be some effort, I'll be cheering for you. Racing.com have televised Sydney races in the past but doesn't seem like it today according to the listing anyway.

Restless in the barrier, not his day. I pressed one of those buttons that allows you to miss a parlay leg, so no problem. Now, i did something Ive never done before, parlayed 2 quinellas....! At Caulfield, R6 Crystal Dreamer and Snitty Kitty, into R7 Willi Willi and Bedford. They seem like standouts, which worries me, but i thought id do it anyway. Racing.com doesnt have Rosehill?

'From Within' never threatened. Never looked like it.

Unfortunately ive been preoccupied the last few days. Ive had a bit of a look, but i cant add much to what has already been noted. Ill put a few trifectas on following along the lines of what has been said with regard to the Expressway Stakes. Also im gonna put a parlay on Sydney R1/2 R6/9 R9/8 place only. Ill come up with some more later and we can post as the day goes along. Good luck!

Could be a case of great-minds-think-alike there D77 ... there's some comfort in a horse shortening in the market! I haven't done multi's or W & P all that often lately so the shortening of the odds is quite noticeable ... the Tote odds are still reasonable so maybe it's a case of waiting a few hours. I can put my trifecta's on at least. With the multi's I'm probably just going to do a few 3 pick multi's for the win. Each way as well on our Best Bet line-up. And I've got Dainty Tess on top along with a bit of value in 'Volkoff' (12-1 on the Tote - 18-1 Fixed) Volkoff is meeting Caipirinha 3kgs better from their last encounter.

I was thinking the same Macca. Eurack into $2.40 fixed now. What are your thoughts on Dainty Tess in the Scenic?

Kopi Lewak is out of Race 5 The fixed odds have come in a bit (in a general sense) ... I'll wait for a bit before putting my multi's on.

Runners no longer required at AFL level. The interchange with 90 rotations is sufficient to get the messages out there i.e about 1 rotation occurs each minute....more than sufficient. Mike up the water boys to shout at the players from behind the boundary if needed. If you have ever had to be a runner, it is a frightening job trying to get to a player during play, especially as they get beyond the junior ranks. The ball moves so quickly and you cannot get "in the way". You can't enter the 50 while either side is kicking for goal. Chasing fit young players to get a message to them is bad enough. We already see them scrambling to "get out of the way" at the AFL level. And the Maxwell situation shows how they can exploit the placements on the field. Get rid of them for the big boys.

Read the above article while breaking my fast. Daisy is very articulate and the article provides some insights into what a well rounded person she is. She is the type of figure needed in schools to provide an inspiration and role model to young people - young women in particular.