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Teams that have scored over 140 in 2018 Melbourne - 3 times Everyone else - 0

More good news with the club signing up three of our promising youngsters! Get around them! http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-05-28/good-news-comes-in-threes-for-dees

Meanwhile on the Bulldogs bigfooty "changes for round 11 v Melbourne" thread, they're steeling themselves for a fighting underdog rebound ..... We are deadset screwed next week. Melbourne should be planning for a 100pts + win They are already 48 points up on Adelaide at HT FFS. Going to get ugly. What will reduce the margin is the Dogs having two extra days break, them travelling back from NT. Etihad is not an advantage anymore against them. They beat us easily there in 2017. Melbourne will be the best team we've played this year, looking awesome today: pace, excellent field-kicking, goal-kicking - all those things we lack really. All those early draft picks and some astute recruiting have created an impressive line-up. So far this year we have kicked 97 goals, Demons have kicked 160. We're screwed. All we can do is stack the team with defenders and hope for the best. At what stage to we plead the mercy rule we have kicked 10 goals the last 2 weeks they have kicked close to 50 goals so if that average applies 25 goals to 5 goals 120 point margin. Whats the default losing margin for not turning up in football? In soccer it is 3 - nil which is pretty good when you're certain to get smacked by 20 - 0. Logically Melbourne should be winning this easily, but they’re definitely due for a down game, it will be an 8 day break versus a 6 day break in warm weather and they’re coming up against a team where they will be unbackable favourites. Here’s a fun fact. 21 quarters is the record for most quarters won in a row in AFL history. If Melbourne win all 4 quarters against us they are the new record holders.

Heart and soul. The two words that you would describe the bald headed, brute of a man who combines courage and class and someone that we are lucky enough to be able to call captain. He has stuck through thin, thin, thin, thin and thin and his heart is as connected with this club as anyone. There were times and times when this man could have left our great club and I would've shed a tear, but I would not have been bitter in the slightest, but with his back against the wall and a huge climb ahead, time and time again he stuck with us. It's an old adage, but I think if you cut this man's veins he really would bleed red and blue. So get down to Etihad stadium this Saturday to support our great, loyal man for 250 magnificent 'heart and soul' games. Thank you for sticking with us Nathan ❤️ P.S. as if you needed another reason to head to the footy this weekend...GO DEES!!

Why has it taken so long for the so called experts to realise this simple fact? It was apparent from the start. Clayton plays his own game unlike anyone before. His vision, awareness and football smarts are outstanding but, in addition, his ability to win the ball in close and distribute quickly to advantage set him apart. His tackling, running, contested marking and strong kicking would almost be enough even without his extraordinary talents. I have noticed that his "don't blink or you will miss it" hand passes are catching on amongst his teammates who have improved greatly in their disposal. It also helps that when we are winning players are willing to run to good positions to receive.

Here is the article: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/melbourne/melbournes-jake-melksham-has-become-the-afls-oneonone-king-inside-forward-50/news-story/dab7157a6984a8090831b8205849f9d3 For those that cannot get past the paywall, the crux of the article is this: Jake has won more one on one contests inside 50 (9 out of 14) than any other player in the competition. Since Round 6 we have also retained possession of the ball a ridiculous 93.3% of the time when Melksham kicks the ball inside 50. That's 20% better than anyone else. This bloke is having a stellar year and is a big reason why we've been so good since the Richmond game (where he kicked 4 goals and have Rance an absolute bath). He is continuing to prove that he is a fantastic pick up for the side and, at only 26 years of age, still has plenty to offer in the years to come.

I especially liked Petracca, after his third, willing Hogan and those around him to ‘keep going, keep working’ despite being 13 goals up. Gus was simply magnificent. We’ve still got all of June, July and August to go before the main stage. A footy season is a marathon, not a sprint. The boys are playing hard, skilful, exciting footy. The pressure must be immense. It’s great to watch. Its funny being a lifelong Demon. Who gets anxious in the last qtr when the demoralised, 15 goals down opposition kicks two-in-a-row?! On to the Dogs...

You’ve gotta love these blokes - the essence of Demonhood. I have Aussie’s last jumper which I purchased at a club function just before he injured his ankle. He still plays up in the NT and I saw him kick a few goals during the season for the Tiwis. He was in Alice yesterday for the curtain raiser. The tall feller goes ok too.

That can be a great feeling. My neighbours, here in Adelaide, are not talking to me this morning as I have a little 'Demon' red and blue flag wafting in the breeze just outside my front door. Let me elucidate: the whole street is not talking to me. They are all hiding inside and their Crows flags have been taken away and are hidden somewhere - however, it is the morning for the garbage to be collected by the local council so I can guess where half of these Crows flags now reside. Good onyer, Dees! Not just a win, a total shellacking!

It is interesting that people are celebrating his inside mid contribution when he has also been just so brilliant once the play spreads a bit. Most of his posessions against Adelaide were listed as uncontested, but you wouldn't say they were generally loose or soft posessions. He is looking like a master of an aspect of the game that we've had a weakness in - getting to the right spot at the right distance from the pack, anticipating the movement in order to receive the ball and then have time to do something useful with it. Clayton Oliver now has a target as good as his aim!

No change. We can rest during the week. Train against the Bulldogs.

Could probably just copy & paste one of the responses from the Changes vs Bulldogs thread this week: no changes. But there's no harm in a brief reminder of the following: 1st Contested 1st Contested Differential 1st Centre Clearances 1st Scoring 1st Inside-50s 1st Marks Inside-50 1st Goal Assists 1st Least Opponent Marks 1st Least Opponent Kicks 1st Least Opponent Inside 50s The areas where we are still letting ourselves down 2nd Clearances 2nd Metres Gained 2nd Turnover Differential 2nd Intercept Differential 2nd Goal Accuracy 3rd Contested Marks 3rd Total Tackles

It definitely doesn't translate perfectly haha

But apart from that they’re fairly optimistic... It’s amazing what some beltings do. Like peak Hawthorn and Grant Thomas’ Saints, half the battle is won before the ball is bounced.

From Gawnys presser this morning

Out: Crows In: Bulldogs [censored] NNNEEEEXXXTTT!!!

It's ok guys I'll take the credit for our turnaround.. My first daughter was born just after the Essendon game. Since then we've been on-song! She's the good luck charm

It's almost like having a new recruit in the team. So happy for Gus.

I’m literally still shook from this win. Shook to my core. Woke up at 6:30am in Paris. Went to get a croissant and a terrible coffee then sat and watched the game (on a terrible WiFi connection that froze sporadically), and literally could not believe what I was seeing. This was a team and a game I have not seen before. It was actually perfect. The way we played, our skill execution, our spread. Unbelievable. I think finally we are September bound!!! Btw, Viney is a dead set freak. He was phenomenal in only his second match back. Beast mode well and truly activated.

Second game in, you're supposed to put in a shocker. This gun gets a lazy 35 touches and is inspirational and desperate as usual. WHAT A FOOTBALLER❤️

As a developing list we were rapt with rising star nominations; as a developed list I am rapt with consecutive 12+ goal floggings!!!!

I see that powerhouse Carlton are playing this Friday night, again. Well done, AFL House. You deserve your poor ratings.

Them’s fighting words. Of all the things I love (wife, family, Demons, the order varies week by week) Paris is well intrenched. Yes, you have to watch the footpaths, but the beauty, the culture, the food, the history. And Parisians are unfairly maligned in my view. I would happily visit every year. Off topic, sorry.

Very pleasing to see. Harry Petty is going to be a gem and there's absolutely no pressure on when he will make his debut.

A mate of mine said this Dees side reminds him of his Cats side of 2007....

I actually got grumpy. I did a bit of 'FFS! Bury them!' mutters, and then I laughed as I remembered I hadn't seen a display like that in so very long. It's nice to feel arrogant for a change.

Weirdly (and I’m sure I’m not the only one), I still don’t rate Richmond and they won the premiership - I guess credibility takes a long time to set.

Jones - outstanding all game Hogan - continued memorable year Brayshaw - in impressive form Neal- Bullen - proving doubters wrong Petracca - unselfish and dynamic Melksham - valuable and classy T.McDonald - significantly wasn’t important Smith - certainly a bull Hannan - quieter but valuable Spargo - knows his limitations Gawn - dominated centre again Viney - Viney of old Fritsch - love his finesse Harmes - hard and valuable Hibberd - outstanding attacking defender Jetta - was rarely troubled Lever - everything is justified Lewis - intelligent and safe O.McDonald - continued to excell Oliver - tireless and impressive Salem - mistakes but classy Vince - dominated taller opponent

Everyone called me crazy that Oliver will be a better player than Petracca when we drafted him.. Everyone called me nuts for saying he will be a Brownlow medallist before he even played a game... Everyone told me to seek help for the abundance of love and man crush I had on him when I saw him out on the training track for the very first time... We're all now having the last laugh.

Keep the Alice Springs game and get rid of the Darwin game.

I had a quick look at the Crows game thread on Bigfooty for some light entertainment... only got half way down the first page and this one popped out.............

Jones debuted Rd. 17 2006 vs. Western Bulldogs. The then Reverend coached Dees were victorious by a margin of 51 points. 12 years later, he's celebrating his 250th against the Bulldogs. A win this coming weekend would be symbolic of the journey, for better and for worse, that this club has been on for the past 12 years. With pretty much one constant, Chunk Jones has remained a loyal and unquestioning servant of this great club.

Crunch the numbers folks. Win these next two, which we'll be backed to do, and we're 9-3... With Saints, Dogs, Suns in the back end of the year. A healthy list, an effective gameplan, a willingness to switch. Playing for each other. No weaknesses over the whole ground. The best Ruckman in the league. The highest scoring offense. One of the best, if not the best contested ball winners. Obviously it won't stay this great for the next few months. Noone will make it easy. But we're a serious side. Even the great football unwashed has us as a top 4 side with Sydney, WC and Richmond. Strap yourselves in folks. The time is now.

I know a few of the Casey watchers were all over him, but the impression I got was that he was an undersized key forward with a better than average leap. I was expecting a poor man’s Jeremy Howe, which didn’t excite me much. Nobody told me he would be a gun wing. He covers heaps of the ground, plays a tough brand and is so clean with the ball. I can’t believe our luck. By the way I reckon it’s a huge endorsement for the Casey system. The fact that players like Fritsch and Smith chose Casey as their clubs of choice to get noticed by the AFL system, then both got selected by Melbourne, sends a loud message to all players wanting a shot: come play for Casey; if you’re good enough, you will be noticed and given the chance to develop. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

They recently had an article on clubs and numbers, I opened it expecting it to be 31 for the Demons, it was actually number 11 and discussed Stynes onto Gawn. After reading it, I couldn’t help thinking it should have been number two, Robbie Flower and Nathan Jones, two of the biggest giants of the Melbourne Football club over the last 5 decades Well done Chunk, you are a dead set legend. Leave this game in a blaze of glory, hopefully with over 300 games and having experiencing lifting cups 13, 14 and 15!

None of us like the idea of selling games but the way the club embraced the Heart of the Country concept yesterday made me proud. Translating the song, wearing the indigenous guernsey a week early, the exchange of tributes before the game were symbolically powerful. True, the locals seemed to favour the Crows though not entirely. And the sponsor would have been rapt with Daisy's 20 minute travelogue with BT on Seven. Then there are the health initiatives the club has started like the program against glaucoma which began a few years back (when Jim was still with us, I think). The result aside I think we might have to continue with this game, make it a real statement.

Neither have the Eagles!

Too true. A poll on at what point in the game did you stop being anxious would be interesting. In my case a few minutes into Q3 (which is a record since the 1960's).

Just finished watching the game. Holy sheep s**t! A few observations: Don's Lollies - Couldn't help but notice the hedonistic amount of confectionery in the Adelaide coach's box. Pyke had a massive bowl of lollies right next to him; open bags of snakes, jelly babies and other sugary, artificial fruit items strewn over the desk. All before the first bounce. Talk about thinking you've 'got the lollies' before the game's even started. His early sugar high then descended into a messy comedown by 3 quarter time, the diabetic hallucinations riddling his brain as he tried to stare into the players' souls. All to no avail. Ease off the lollies, Don. Hand Job - Man, how good were Hogan's lightning hands today? Might have had a few private lessons from Clarry. Impressive. Work For It - One image that stuck out to me in the first quarter was that of Hunt and Pedo doing running exercises during the game. This sums up the current mentality of the club for me. Kick back, watch the game in front of a fan and cheer on the lads? Nah, go and run laps and prove you're going to bust the friggin door down like Jack Nicholson with an axe if you want to get a game. Ruthless. Nice Try - To the marketing/comedic genius in the crowd with the dodgy hand-written banner hanging on the fence reading 'Jesse Hogan - come to Freo': poor effort. At least wait till we play the Dockers. Or not beating up on teams by a bazillion points. Or not when he's still contracted for a further 18 months. Jackass. Shut Up - To he clown in the crowd (or was it on the PA as a 'crowd engagement'?) squawking like a crow after every Adelaide goal: stop it, you're embarrassing yourself. Clown and/or club The Big Sticks - I love how we're bucking the current AFL-wide trend of missing goals. Innovative. Keeping Up Appearances - A poster on the Game Day thread commented that they thought Viney has put on a few kegs. That could be true, but I tell you its his haircut. He's trimmed away the boyish longer locks to a more meat-and-potatoes, I'm a captain, get-the [censored]-outta-my-way, Sergeant Hartman kinda look. Hard ass. Trying to Pick BOG - Good luck. What a friggin awesome moment in time for our club. Start dreaming a bit people, [censored] is getting real. GO THE MIGHTY DEES

'Apparently lever walked past the 5aa box after the game and had a chuckle and gave them a 'signal'. What a dead set [censored].' LOL keep up the great work Jakey.

I’m tipping a disappointing 70 point victory. And no change, obviously.

Instead of pornhub tonight I might just swing past the Adelaide game day thread.