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I think in these glory years we need to talk more about the Max Gawn line.. ie As long as we’re within 44 points approaching time on in the 3rd we’re a big chance :-)

19 points down midway through the 2nd will be my signal we're safe.

Spot on Wells on this issue. My view of the Northey years was that the team played right up to the final bell and were never beaten until the end, such was the way Swooper had the team playing from 87 to 91. You always knew the contest was on till the end. (except the 88 GF of course) That's now obsolete and I believe the team, and the opposition, will think it's always winnable/or loseable (from the oppo's viewpoint) with any deficit up to 40 points. The Max gawn Line as you say. In fact Goodwin talked about how the team constantly talked about their Lions comeback game earlier in the year from which thay took self - belief to get them over the line in later games in 2021.

There's some extended footage of Howes here:

Was just out the back yard cleaning a couple fish while listening to the SEN call of the Prelim. Gawny just booted his bomb from fiddy-five and I caught myself getting abit choked up .... Again. Thought the novelty might worn off abit by now ..... Nope.

Introducing our new AFLW correspondent … DEES IN OCTOBER reporting on the Demons’ win in their Hampson-Hardeman Cup over the Bulldogs. Greetings Demonlanders, and welcome to the first match report of the 2022 AFLW season! Melbourne is heading into its sixth season with great expectations and a degree of external pressure, with most pundits predicting finals and many talking of a Grand Final … and more. DEMONS DOMINATE AT THE KENNEL Whatever’s to come, it all started with an away game at VU Whitten Oval on a sunny yet windy afternoon. I stayed away due to the travel factor and putting a bit of a pause on crowds in the current Covid19 scenario. Instead, I relied on the televised broadcast, including some “interesting” camerawork combined with glorious drone work that showed off the venue’s surrounds and city views. The team was as selected, although I spent a fair few minutes early wondering where Paxy was — her missing the practice match had me spooked, but there she was … yet a niggling premonition still nagged at me. Meanwhile, the commentators helpfully informed us that Parry would play second ruck. Likely she will in other matchups, but in this one it was a strange insight given Caris was out there presumably solely for that purpose! Pre-game I was a bundle of nerves after watching the Tigers tear the game apart the night before. Who knew what the Bulldogs had conjured since our last AFLW meeting, which certainly was a day to forget for our team? FIRST QUARTER After losing the toss, the Dees kicked against the wind, and the Dogs had the best of possession early. However, Melbourne’s ball movement soon showed its superiority, coupled with a focused desire to go through the corridor. Hard running (and loose checking on the Dogs’ part) allowed Hore to set up Sherriff for the first goal of the season, five minutes in. At this point I was distracted by how easily you could hear the coaches on the boundary through the effects mic. Not ideal! Caris then had her first go at a centre bounce. The 190cm 19-year-old showed good first-up presence, with a great follow-up handball to get the clearance. A nice mark to Harris 40-odd out from a pinpoint Hanks pass saw our biggest recruit yet get her hands on the ball early. She made a good fist of it against the wind with that trademark kicking style and luckily a strong mark to Gay on the goal line led to the Dees’ second major. Another diving mark to Harris soon followed, but her poor kick forward halted the attack. An excellent short kicking build-up, including my favourite rookie West on debut, ended up with a mark to Zanker, courtesy of some smart and selfless bodywork by Daisy. Zanks kicked truly, which she was clearly happy about, given some past demons in front of the sticks. It was an impressive start, with Melbourne running at 74% disposal efficiency for the quarter, three goals straight, and the Dogs yet to register a major. SECOND QUARTER A strong defensive mark by L.Pearce stemmed repeated Dog attacks to start the quarter, but the pressure built again due to her poor disposal. Again, I found myself wondering, “Where’s Paxy?” and my question was answered in an unfortunate way as she fell to a heavy tackle and seemed very sore. The Bulldogs’ first goal of the game, to Huntington, soon followed. L.Pearce then pulled up sore as well, and suddenly players were dropping all over the shop, including a cruel ACL to the talented Huntington—sincerely, you hate to see it. Any momentum the Dogs were building in the quarter dissipated after that as a noticeable hush fell over the crowd. Once the Dees managed to get it forward, good positioning by Harris chopped off the Dogs’ exit attempt, locking the ball in for the Dees and resulting in Daisy taking a classy kick around the corner—alas, straight into the woodwork. The wait for another opportunity was fleeting, with Harris again denying the Dogs’ exit and getting the ball forward quickly, resulting in a typically opportunistic goal from Hore off a Daisy spoil. Kate Hore: always in the right place at the right time. By late in the quarter, the inside 50s were 10-2 in the Melbourne’s favour, but they couldn’t put it on the board, with six behinds sullying the scorecard. Still, it was a familiar red-and-blue sight to see Bulldogs players looking up from half back with nowhere to go, due to disciplined defensive running. With the clock winding down to half time, Dees debutant Ali Brown took a big hit, resulting in a concussion test. An awesome chase-down of Blackburn by Sherriff, with credit also to the players upfield who left Blackburn devoid of easy options, meant Melbourne finished the quarter off strongly. THIRD QUARTER Early shaky disposals from Tarrant and Birch on the last line were a sign of things to come in this quarter, with the Dees struggling to get the ball out of the danger zone. The Bulldogs pressed with a repeat inside 50 creating a set shot goal to Toogood—in this case, she clearly was. The precision kicking of the first half deserted us, causing multiple turnovers, and it seemed the Dogs had finally caught onto the plan and were anticipating the short kicks and corridor play. An injury scare for Mithen prompted great concern in my living room, and a classy finish by Blackburn meant the alarm bells were starting to ring, with the margin cut to nine points midway through the third. At that stage, inside 50s for the quarter were seven to nil in the Dogs’ favour. The damage on the scoreboard would have been greater if not for Birch’s excellent reading of the play and strong marking. Another notable individual effort came from Zanker, who came up trumps in a two-on-two in the centre square and then darted away along the wing, taking two bounces and delivering perfectly to Daisy on the lead in some super stylish play. However, there was a rare lapse from Daisy as she failed to capitalise. With three minutes to go, the Dees scrambled the ball forward. Eventually, a kick by Daisy off the ground directly into a Bulldogs player’s face ricocheted fortuitously to Harris’s advantage. She was clean below the knees and executed a banana, her first goal back in red and blue coming at a crucial time. Late in the quarter, Sherriff added another tenacious effort to her earlier run-down tackle, with a desperate lunge into the goalpost to prevent Lochland from converting. Despite the Dogs’ improved efforts, the Dees steadied to take a 16-point advantage into the last. FOURTH QUARTER I felt as confident as I ever am that we’d be able to run out the game, especially with our injury concerns fading while those of the Dogs just seemed to mount. Still, 16 points isn’t quite “break out the cheeseboard” territory. Sherriff started where she left off with another brave effort, this time going back courageously with the flight for a great mark that saw three players crunched around her. Then, a clumsy tackle by Gay gifted Toogood another set shot, probably not appreciated by her opponent in Tarrant, who had her hands full all day. Toogood’s shot fell short, and Birch made another solid contest to win a free. Zanker continued putting in the hard yards, always on her toes around the ball, getting better as the game wore on — a bit of a pattern for her. A big collision in forward 50 saw two Dogs felled and the Dees capitalised with another neat kick from Hanks finding Scott. Frustratingly, the inaccuracy continued as she failed to convert. All in all, the last quarter was a bit of a grind, with just one point scored until Hore sealed the deal with a snap with a minute remaining. Not exactly scintillating stuff, but a solid enough effort. A strong start, and the ability to respond when the Dogs challenged in the third, won it for the Dees. STATS & STAND-OUTS Zanker led the way for the Dees with 21 disposals (17 contested possessions), followed by Birch (18), Hanks (17, notably at 88% efficiency), Lampard (16 including 5 rebound 50s) and Mithen (also 16). Lampard, Mithen and Hanks were all prominent in metres gained. Surely Paxman’s quietest game with just 8 disposals, though she missed a chunk of game time and after not playing the praccy match, she’ll be (cliché alert) better for the run—barring any lasting effects from that heavy knock. The shining light in tackles, no surprise, was Hanks with 10. Meanwhile, Caris’s 2 disposals belied her ruck impact and follow-up work. An encouraging debut especially when L.Pearce was put out of the game for several minutes in the second. Edmonds topped the hit outs for the Dogs with 14, followed by Caris and L.Pearce with 13 and 11, respectively. Meanwhile, interestingly, the talls led the clearances, with L.Pearce and Zanker having 4 apiece. There was an even spread of markers with Zanker, Scott, Hore, Birch and Hanks all with 4. Harris took 3, drew some defensive focus, crashed some packs, shored up the structure down the line and kicked a goal. Though she faded a bit and by no means dominated, it’s a big tick from me. A young player that caught my eye was 19-year-old Fitzsimon in her third game, her first since early in 2021. It was a solid return game from her, with 12 disposals and some great defensive acts — she’ll be looking for some more opportunities this season. In terms of team stats, Melbourne’s 244 disposals to 189 and 117 uncontested possessions to 83 signalled their control of possession and excellent spread and positioning for much of the game. Their 46% efficiency inside 50 is an area for improvement, and scoring accuracy was again an issue, but 8 marks to 4 helped set up good opportunities. Melbourne’s forward pressure was highlighted by 13 to 7 tackles inside 50, while the Dees also had the better of the intercept possessions (aided by 9 each from Birch and Zanker, plus 8 from L.Pearce), and clearances. Daisy failed to hit the scoreboard, but 8 score involvements speak to her influence in attack, while Zanker, Hanks and Hore chipped in 6 score involvements each. MELBOURNE 3.0.18 4.6.30 5.8.38 6.10.46 WESTERN BULLDOGS 0.1.1 1.1.7 3.4.22 3.4.22 GOALS MELBOURNE Hore 2 Gay Harris Sherriff Zanker WESTERN BULLDOGS Blackburn Huntington Toogood BEST MELBOURNE Birch Zanker Hanks Sherriff Hore WESTERN BULLDOGS Blackburn Bennetts Fitzgerald Lamb Lochland INJURIES MELBOURNE Nil WESTERN BULLDOGS Cranston (lower leg) Huntington (knee) Snell (ribs) REPORTS MELBOURNE Nil WESTERN BULLDOGS Nil CROWD 2,571 at VU Whitten Oval * An asterisk of sorts on this game, albeit one that will likely repeat throughout the season. The Bulldogs apparently had only 24 or so players available for this game due to injuries and COVID protocols, with their backline impacted particularly. NEXT ROUND A reinvigorated Richmond at Punt Road Oval, Friday night. THE LAST WORD Not quite as good as last time our club met the Bulldogs, but that’s a pretty big ask, I guess! And we did get to take the Hampson-Hardeman Cup back to its rightful home.

Cats by a point after the bell. Cats by 84 in big final. Not fussed

Think there was early 80s game Princes Park,54 points up approaching half time. was at the Essendon game. Bang. Bang. Bang. All over now 🏆♥️💙

All records are dead and buried. A new era has begun and past failures are consigned to the dustbin.

Me to John Crow So for many years i never actually believed we were safe at any time

Sauntered around footscray and took public transport there and back. Felt great not to feel self conscious in my demons gear go dees

Kicks 3 in the first quarter

In the 90s Chris Sullivan kicked a goal in the last quarter of ‘that game’ that gave us a 47 point lead, supposedly unassailable. Essendon piled on the goals and it turns out that 47 points in a final quarter is actually quite assailable… who’d a thought?

He didn't need to be quick. His ball use and decision making was exquisite.

I closed the last thread because people were getting too political. I’ll allow the discussion here to continue as long as we keep it general and not get political/name calling. Bans without warning for those that abuse.

I too was at the Essendon game next week swans drew with us .Yeates put his life on the line to avoid a loss

Like all the other awful things that have happened to us in my supporting life that game no longer haunts me. Still can't be comfortable unless we're that far in front at three quarter time. P.S - It almost got a new version in 2013 when we were 38 points up 15 minutes into the last quarter against the Dogs and fell over the line by three points. Would have been the Jeremy Howe line, which is also the statistic for screamers followed immediately by turnovers. P.P.S - Enjoy the memories

Who cares. We're gonna unfurl our flag in front of them gameday. Should leave a sign as well. "We stuck it right up 'em."😂

And if BB kicks one is it a "Brown banana"?

NO because there are positions for 1,2 and 3 talls!!! All are not 200cms so stop looking for fanciful reasons not to draft players. Look at his marking in the highlight reels and his record in Colts snd in 5 Claremont games. He is a competitor with a marking habit of stretching his arms like BBB does above the pack. Also he takes congested marks and is good in one on one tussles. I am exhausted thinking how good this "small" tall can be for us in defence or attack. Height is not the only measurement in footy as Mason Cox has found.

May be best to ask @Supermercado his opinion given, I believe, he coined the term in the first place

Her banana goal was so smooth, it can be referred to as a banana smoothie.

Not as convincing win as it should have been, especially after the Dogs lost Huntington. we also lost Paxman to the bench for a long time…something wrong there, hopefully nothing serious. Coincided with our reverting to handball instead of kicking, which was so productive in the first quarter. Still, without Goldrick, Colvin and McNamara we should be much stronger in coming games.

5. Zanker -- a real difference maker in the midfield. Saved the game when it looked like the doggies were going to overrun us. 4. L. Pearce -- doing the Max-style kick behind play thing, and doing it very very well. 3. Birch -- had a great game, but occasionally a bit panicky/unclean with her disposal. Fix that up and she'd have been BOG. 2. Hanks -- as always, a smooth mover and good user through the middle. 1. Sherriff -- both tough at the contest and skillful when the ball was on the outside, a key link-up piece in most of our best passages of play. Apologies: Lampard, Tarrant, Hore, Heath, Gay, Harris (the difference from Cunningham last season to Harris last night was like night and day -- I don't think Tayla will ever quite be the player that her media profile demands, but she'll be a very important structural piece for us).

Ed Langdon 94% TOG for 15.30km per game (normalised to 16.27km for 100%) Jake Bowey 76% TOG for 13.33km per game (normalised to 17.53km for 100%)

The Doggies are a pretty good side so I think our game has gone up a level. Our composure, skills and ability to hit a target was the best I've seen from them yet. Zanker, Hanks, Birch, Lampard, Gay and Pearce got better as the game continued. I love the improvement from Heath, Bannon and Tarrant. Caris looks like she belongs at this level as do the other newbies. Great win!

I was at that game…ugh!

Thanks! I think...

I've quaffed a few on occasion skinny but they're not on my regular slurping list.

I doubt that is a symptom DC. More likely the result of the 57 years wandering in the wilderness.

What will happen George is we will be sent to Casey for the duration of the tournament. When over we will be back to our current facilities. Contrary to a lot of others on here I don't think there is anything wrong with Casey we won a flag from there in 2021.

Surprised how many couldn’t pick Grinter. Although he could be mistaken for Jimeoin.

If the works won't be finished till May, then the turf won't be doing much growing / establishing over the winter period. It will therefore likely to be at least the end of Spring before it will be ready IMO.

Good point I hadn’t taken that issue into account. However I remember they stripped back the other playing surfaces outside AAMI, about 3 years ago, did some levelling and then recovered with new turf. This is the training ground for Melbourne Storm and the Rebels. From vague memory they were back training on it within a month or so?

i think we are all sweating on some detail but i think it inconceivable that we haven't had good input. roffey has hinted very strongly we have and this is an area she has great credentials and experience with

EDIT: The 3rd but the line still stands...

Great to see footy back. I've missed it. Good win great first quarter but still plenty of work to do. Zanker will be the best midfielder in the comp by the end of the year she is just so damaging, when Zanker plays well so do Melbourne. I thought the forward line functioned well even though they only kicked 6 goals Harris, Daisy and Hore all very dangerous. Caris is still well and truly in development mode ATM not up to it at this stage but the game will do her the world of good must be replaced by McNamara next week. Who goes out for Goldrick is a good problem to have. Fitzsimmon or West will be the unlucky ones.

Spouse or offspring?

There's still 21 plus players; we should recognise recognise their effort as much as the men (actually more so as they give up more for less); but if having 2 less players reduce votes: let's make it 5.

khawaja and green going bananas

$64k question, od. anyone's guess is as good as anybody else's guess happy to clear that up for you

Brayshaw’s lack of defensive pressure was previously an issue, but to bring it up after 2021 is just laughable!

I watched Gus and Gawneys podcast when they had Goodwin on. They asked Goodwin who his favourite player was. And the answer was ...... Vines. "You watch his vision .... He's actually half mad." Point being .... If anyone thinks Dunstan is gonna walk past Viney into this side had better have a rethink. And he won't be getting past Sparrow IMO either. He's a gem.

Bowey is already better than Hunt, and I think Hunt is still a reasonable player

Brett Lovett was my idol as a kid. He was a pure footballer, and for a long period of time was an absolute star. It’s easy to rank the current guys higher because they won us a flag, but I reckon Salem has to do it for another 3-4 years before he’s remembered as fondly as Lovett. I hope he does, and I’m sure he will.

Partly Agree Balls about Salo but he needs at least 2/3 more years at his current level before he passes Brett Lovett in our rankings I believe. He will especially if he plays in a flag or 2 or 3 more!!!

Yes, yes we can.

I also saw something recently that said he is now 194cm and pretty sure when drafted he was 192, so still growing. Will start to fill out over the next year or two and can learn under May and Tomlinson.

Put me down for Turner as being a big improver.

Keen for the Rivers one. Reckon he had a deceptively good game.