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Q 1 When is a stick not a stick?? (Answer at the end) Q Does a Picket Fence standing behind a Cyclone Fence constitute an oxymoron? "Try not to stay too static or cute, bananna's decay to brown, squashy fruit! Change is the seed to personal growth, a call to seek your directional oath. And submit to lifes challenges those on the field, results in success a valuable yield!" PF 2021 What a magnificent day to be at training. Reminded me of........ Thursday 4th September 1987 venue JUNCTION OVAL at 4.00 pm approx. 34 years ago. There were thousands there watching the John Northey coached Demons emabark on there last training session before the elimination final vs Nth Melbourne. Why do I bring this up now? Read on..... Training summary, Drills, Skills and Manuevers All drills simulated match conditions and particularly handball run and carry, precise use of the football, taking the game on, pace, pressure and class. All the BIG GUNS were there, Robby, Jim, Big Earl, Yeata, Bails, Strawbs, Danny, Stretcha, Warren Dean, Stephen Newport, Balls Grinter, Dirty Dave Williams, Willo, and what do you know, training was exemplary, exciting, flashy, and done at 100% There were no errors, players were just sublime and skills was the highest I have seen ever! I will never forget it, Nor will anyone else who was also there . Ah sweet dreams are made of these! Who am I to disagree!? Segue Friday 12/3/2021 Perfect day perhaps a tad hot and every known flying insect was also on hand witnessing proceedings, here is my report. ALERT DRONE AHEAD Yep thats right first thing I saw was a drone hovering above players training of course obligatory house music was a Tad better than previous sessions with Jazz influenced seductive grooves emanating from the cavernous sound system. Ahhh that's better NO SHOWS Quite a list Steven May, Majak Daw, Adam Tomlinson, Kossie, Rosman, Weeds, and I also didn't see Vanders or Hibbo, they may have been there but did/nt see them. Also didn't see Bowey but did see Deakyn Smith and I think Baily Laurie walking laps. Also not sure if Gus was in attendance REHAB Ben Brown, Joel Smith , Christian Salem SKILLS DRILLS AND MANEUVERS 1 HOT POTATO/DODGEBALL Consisted of two teams orange and blues all creating options for handball under extreme pressure close in 2 KAMIKAZE RUN AND CARRY Players in criss cross formation choosing cotrect option and giving of with precise handball and or kick 3 TACKLE -GRAPPLE Close in contact ball in flight and grabbing player at moment he gets ball 4 CORRIDOOR MATCH SIMULATION Two teams orange/whites shirts vs Blues in whole ground almost with rectangle boundaries running the ball up and down corridor. 5 QUARTER CORRIDOOR MATCH SIM Same as above but using a 20 meter rectangle to work in OBSERVATIONS Probably the best thing for me was Ben Brown stepping up his training routines he ran laps kicked the footy and looked unhampered and pretty darn fit. His legs look definitively muscly Best trainers today were Nibbler, Clarry, Jacko , Max, Langdon and special mentions to Melky who looks over his injuries. Jack Viney also looked good and although apparently he has been ruled out match 1 he does look almost ready to go. Mitch Brown also joined in main group and moved well but left training slightly early. The intensity of training was better today than wednesday and the integrity and intent seemed to be quick movement, choosing best options and delivering the ball seamlessly. As we know though you can train the house down and still be found wanting in the cauldron of real match pressure. The downsides were the players missing. I think Steve May would have to be doubtful and I'm not sure I would risk Christian Salem at this piont. Thats about it and before I forget the answer to above question When is a stick not a stick? when its a Given I saw one today I broke my personal best 100 m dash time and beat a hasty retreat P.F

Goal assist from Bedford. 67 to 39 Maj has his 3rd. Great goal on the run. Maj has 4 goals. Hilarious Maj has mates behind the goals. Cheering him on In control now. It's 86 to 39 Gus is loving been in the guts. Killing it.

Winners. 87 to 52. Brayshaw, vanders, kozzie all standouts. And Maj of course Thanks to JW my source

I've always made a point of not criticizing the MFC on here, but the absence of any information about this match, with senior selections potentially hinging on it, is shameful. It disrespects us supporters who, after all, are the lifeblood of the Club. Grrrr!

Well that was a lot of tweets....

Picket you have made my day, absolutely love your reports they are unique and really well done. Thanks for making the effort and keeping us updated. Glad your retreat was successful!

I too was at that session back in 87. Another lasting memory was that slow warm down lap at the end of training, so close to the boundary fence you could touch the players. The air was simply electric. And when the boys entered the stadium on the Sunday afternoon, Robbie led the group to fence for their warm up lap, again to the frenzied cheering of the red and blue faithful who had waited 23 years. Genius strategy. We were never going to lose that day. That 6 week block leading into this game is etched on my memory and will last forever.

The jokes on us, Picket has never actually been to training.

Good work Kev - I agree in almost totality. My thoughts... You can have authenticity, empathy, and connection AND be really bloody minded and driven towards goals. They're not mutually exclusive. You want people working from a space of values, not from fear (fear of judgement, fear of getting dropped for not performing consistently, fear of being humiliated). I'm camping at the moment, and my neighbour next door whilst he was setting up his 1983 pop top, yelled at his son to 'pi$$ off' (who is 7 it turns out)... poor young kid... operating in a space of fear... now some of us on this site, think that as 18-30yo, the players at the MFC also need to have some 'good, hard conversations also' - as though the club doesn't forensically examine each players output on game day or training....(like all clubs). We don't like being yelled at, we don't like to be disrespected, and we wouldn't follow a leader who acts like that. It wouldn't happen in any other workplace, if you're genuinely trying to create behavioural change. Hilariously, (my thoughts) - sport is about executing skills, in a space of chaos. It's not cognitive like an IT job, or a psychology job, or as a banker, or a baker. There is time to think and time to compose. Sport is [censored] chaotic, at a broad and at a granular level. Stephen Milne could be a premiership hero if it wasn't for an unlucky bounce. Mitch Morton IS! Cale isn't. In every single passage of play, there is a cm here or there, that could conspire to change the game - it's debatable how much is skill, how much is timing, how much is luck... When we are anxious supporters - we tend to forget that.... None of us were questioning Goodwin's empathic (human??) philosophy in 2018.... Happy Friday to you all... one week to go!

You’d imagine Brayshaw is an absolute certainty next week given he’s had two VFL hit outs. Hopefully he has the match fitness to play major minutes inside the centre with the absence of Viney, where he plays his best footy.

The big man snagged 4 goals for Casey tonight.

Bowie and Laurie have had there share of the footy. Bedford has been in it. Rosmen has a couple of goals. BOG = Gus

I will second that thanks but at the same time the MFC deserves a boot up the backside.

That aged well. Go Casey

Before everyone gets their knickers in a knot there’s live tweets coming from the Casey Demons Twitter feed.

Agree. This has to be said too often. We should curb our desire to know everything and criticising the club for not being open when it is in the club's interest to keep some things underwraps. I assume when such info is released publicly by the club, that they are aware other clubs will know anyway.

I know fairy tails only happen to the Bulldogs and Richmonds of this world but wouldn’t it be nice if this fella can have a major break out season after the adversity he’s been through. We gave a Bennell a chance, it didn’t work out. Hopefully we’re due some good karma with this one.

With Viney out there's a spot in the guts for him. That's where he needs to play.

Is that 4 goals to Maj??

The club is not handling the three teams, one club mentality. There is currently a disconnect between club’s leadership and the men’s, women’s and VFL teams.

Recommend following Box Hills twitter account for updates. They're even mentioning Majak Daws two goals so far. The Casey Twitter feed is an absolute [censored].

@picket fence get down to the ground pronto, thanks

Awesome work Picket, perhaps you've found your own "directional oath" here? Not just a training report but a work of art. memories of 87 tugging at my heart sigh. That remains THE footballing ride of my life. I don't think theres any better footballing memories for me than the lead up to, and the first 2 and 3/4 finals. And yes, Im sure Casey felt a long way from there. I think only winning a GF could better that....hope I live to see it. Maybe 2021?

Casey have a practise game tomorrow? Hence why there maybe a few players missing on the track.

Nibbler’s value has significantly increased with rotations dropping to 75 and the return to full length quarters. The boy can run as far as the day is long. Couple that with what looks to be a spell of strong form and It wouldn’t surprise me to see him playing the majority of games this year. This game is must win IMO. If we don’t, it’s not an overstatement to say that Goodwin immediately goes on notice. He’s essentially done that to himself by stating in so many words that top 4 is the pass mark. We simply ,must start the season on our home ground against Freo with a W.

I don’t care what Max or anyone else says. Preferably don’t say anything at all, well not until you can win games of footy, and, hopefully, consecutively, even try winning a string of games. Then try winning enough close games to be in the bloody 8 at season end. Try winning finals games. Words no longer mean anything. But how do you feel? How will you feel at the end of your career if you are associated with a team of losers, a club that attracts derision. Is a laughing stock. You may have lots of money, but how will you feel about your footy career? Will you feel a failure, will your team mates feel that they are failures ? Or will you and the Coach simply move on? Will you get over it as you and your team mates sip on your Pinot Noir in the wine bar and blame others? Just win games, win the close ones. Until then I will mute the sound coming from you and Simon or the next coach’s mouth. I will not bother reading what you have to say. I will remain totally detached and increasingly lose interest in the season. I will forever remain loyal but I will have lost the emotion I have for my team. I will remain detached. I will take more interest in other clubs and the results of other games. It will be purely of academic interest as to what happens. All of us Demons want to see you as the new Richmond. Tough, resilient, successful and proud. Do you have it in you?

Daws effort may have opened the door for him next week

Probably start Bertram on the ground ahead of Bennell & maybe Miller ahead of Bate. Apart from that looks good ?

Probably the best way to get him up to match fitness.

The biggest changes I think will come at selection where teams last year really pushed towards 7 defenders, 8 mids, 7 forwards. I think most teams and especially a side like us without a lot of versatile players will keep the 7 defenders rotating through the backline in order to find a cohesive defensive unit. But the forwards/mids combination might shift even all the way to 10 mids and 5 forwards. For example in round 1 we might go with Jackson, Tommy Mc, Pickett, Spargo and Fritsch as the primary forwards, and then Gawn, Tracc, Oliver, Harmes, Langdon, Baker, Brayshaw, Jordon, ANB, Jones all rotating through the midfield. I'd imagine Tracc and Oliver will rest at full forward, possibly Harmes too. Whilst Jordon, ANB and Jones will get called in to the midfield to save bench rotations. It's why Melksham is such an important player for us really because at least in theory he can play forward, on ball and wing. And hopefully in time guys like Laurie (all 3 spots) and Rosman (forward/wing) might be too.

From someone at the game 32 to 55 Maj to Kozzie to Vanders. 50m penalty Goal. Maj doing well in the Ruck Haha Gus got fooled a beauty. Box Hill player called his name and he handballed it straight to him.

I am disgusted at the MFC over this. It is pure [censored].

Majak kicked 2 in the second

Yew Maj!

It’s all about Wins. Thousands of MFC Supporters are sick and tired of losing I have at least 5 mates who are dormant Supporters they have had enough

What is with the lack of inanity and exclamation marks? Has picket been trolling DLand this whole time? I’m confused, but thankful. Cheers picket.

Got a feeling BBB will play next Saturday.

We need a T Mac miracle if we are going to salvage the first part of our season. In the two practice matches he has shown nothing to suggest that such a miracle will be forthcoming but we've lived in hope rather than expectation for so many of the last 50 years...

This connects to something troubling me last night. Who in our team can overcome whatever it is that holds them back from being better than average. Gawn did it through application. Hunt could be a Langdon but what is he missing? (probably a seperate thread.) Our coach made the most of his playing career and I sense he needs to draw on that a bit more. Hardwick in the clip reminded them about their process ( a theme we hear from SG) but in the end he was talking about the man in the jumper. Goody needs to tap more of the man he was when he was wearing a jumper.

Yes it is

Jesus.

Quite honestly I wish they would SFA and just play. They didn't look particularly angry on the weekend.

Bit verbose for you joeboy, but i agree. I went to the game and have struggled since to assess the performance. But in hindsight, i reckon you're right. The team were not really up for the contest, bar a handful of players - in particular jetts who was ferocious at the contest all game. Trac barely got out of a canter. Pollyanna noted the dogs had 24 more clearances and had 51 more contested possessions, which supports this perspective. When was the last game, practice or regular season, where we had 51 less contested possessions than the opposition? For that matter when did we last lose the inside 50 count by 23. It really did have the feel of a practice match - and as you say that vibe was reinforced by the team they selected. Yesterday, I got around to watching the post match presser and goody was the most relaxed I have seen him in a presser i reckon. Sure he said the performance wasn't good enough, but with no real angst or feeling. It made me wonder if the club approached the game as hit out rather than being fully wound up. And a chance to give some of the younger players a chance to make a case for selection. When i saw the two mid fields i had no expectation of winning. It was just never going to happen. Add to that the low energy of the team, something i suspect might have been orchestrated (ie they made it clear to the team the focus was on the practice not the win) and I'm not sure much can be taken away from the game. I get the general angst about the performance but i wonder if the Tiger's game is a better gauge of where we are at. We selected a much better team , played the reigning premiers, who fielded close to their best team and we were clearly up for the game (the tigers too, though perhaps not as much). And we won. Some random thoughts about the game; It is worth nothing that we were ahead at half time (or close to it). Yes the dogs probably should have been 4 goals up - but they weren't Given our energy, their lineup and the fact we had such a young team, it was no surprise they dominated the second half I concur with the comments that the younger players who were given a chance to show their wares failed to make a case, with the possible exception of Bowey - and him only because he can kick! Hunt should be told to only kick the ball 50 metres, or not at all if a long kick is not on he needs to handball it For any number of reasons, watching live is so much better than on TV. One reason is you can really see how critical running and covering ground is - and who is working hard and who is not. Nibbler worked his guts out and Langdon too. But Harmes didn't. In the last quarter Harmes lost a contest. The player he lost it to (the young fella who played on Tmac in the last) ran off him and won the ball again later in the possession chain down on the dogs half forward - with Harmes trailing 20 metres behind. I think it set up a goal. not good enough. Can't see Baker making it. Simply does not get enough of the ball. Sad to say but Hunt might not either - and for much the same reason Gawn is the best mark i have seen since Teasdale and Dempsey - and he is seemingly even more athletic this year I am not so critical of the constant long bombs by may from kick outs. I thought they might have been experimenting with taking advantage of the extension of the player on the mark. May was kicking it from 30 odd metres, and easily covers 50, so the ball was getting to a marking contest 80 odd metres from goal. At the contests we almost always had two bigs, though didn't take many marks. Yes they rebounded from that contest quite often, but with our A grade mids we will win out share of those balls and the next kick is inside our 50. We did win some and i think got at least one coast to coast goals from the tactic Our terrible foot skills remain our biggest issue. I was sitting on the 50 metre arc on the city side wing and got a birds eye view of Bont and Mcrae going to work with their inside 50 kicks, ability to kick diagonally and Bont's shot at goal from 50. Beautiful. Sure they are top shelf players, but Daniels is an even more reliable kick and across their best 22 they have 5 or 6 other excellent kicks. We butchered the ball again. And missed dinky little 20 metre kicks under no pressure (Hunt says hi). Even basic things like kicking to a free player in space so he doesn't have stop to mark it seems beyond us (Langdon says hi) Our kicking issues mean we need Melksham to step up, puts pressure on us to fast track Bowey (who you can tell from a small sample is an excellent kick), have to get Salem in more offensive positions, we need rivers to go to the next level, and possibly get Fritter up on the half forward and more into general play I thought Spargo was better than many suggest - but maybe i need to watch the replay The best game i have seen Lever play. He was awesome. Looks more confident in his lateral movement and looks to be bigger and stronger. This year we will get our dividend from recruiting him and Lever. On watching the replay, it is pure joy to watch a game of footfall without having to listen to the peanuts that masquerade as commentators. Get the AFLW crew to do AFLW, and [censored] of Lyon, Brown, Riewoldt, BT et al. Hopeless everyone of them (except Daisy - keep her)