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Knightmare seems to love doing what he does. He gets notoriety from it and seems to enjoy watching the players too. I think it's very difficult to be a draft analyst without access to the clubs because you simply don't have the resources available to know any players other than the obvious ones. As a result you have a very strong bias towards the high production players in the mainstream underage competitions, and it's then easy to reinforce those opinions as those obvious players keep putting in good performances. But good, high production underage players aren't necessarily good AFL players, because the roles these players play at underage level (usually a ball winning midfielder) usually aren't the roles they will play at AFL level, as those positions are taken by the best players in the competition. The other part is that it can be very difficult to go against the grain by trusting your eye and risk looking stupid. As a result he just follows the consensus. Ranking players is really hard, which I think people underestimate. Once those on the internet come to a consensus it becomes very hard to break, and then people rank the success or failure of a team's drafting based on that internet consensus .... except that the internet consensus is not a reflection of reality. I don't think he has a very good eye for talent spotting, but I am sympathetic to his draft rankings because it is much harder to formulate than it appears (especially without using a reference, such as the internet consensus). I am vastly less sympathetic to his ratings of a team's drafting/draft grades because it reflects a lack of self-understanding of just how far away from reality he really is.

Interesting to see that 81% of respondents to the survey recognised that we are too good right now. God I’m loving being top dog for a change!

I dont have room for any more merch...

Duryea was a 5th round selection...at that pick you are a development/spec pick. JVR will come in as you say when and if ready, but as a first round pick if he doesn't get a game in his first 3 years he's more likely to be a bust. I trust that won't be the case.

They all saw what we did to the next best teams in the comp. They know it's us .... Then daylight.

I wonder If Trac surprised himself with our first goal. Off one step that was an incredibly powerful kick. It's no like it just made it either. Man that bloke has powerful legs. Which brings me to Sparrow. His goal was not too dissimilar. Given his age, I wonder if we have another CP on our hands. Tom Sparrow's efforts seem to stand out more every time I watch the replay. Such poise and presence for a young fella in a granny. When he didnt blaze away in that first minute of the last and pass to Bbb, was a moment when this kid became a permanent part of this team in my mind. To think he will continue to get even stronger gives us a very tough midfield.

I was chatting to a Richmond supporter this week who reckons, with Dusty Martin back and fit, they might have one more flag left in them ... if it wasn't for Melbourne. In his words, the Tiges are on the decline while we are reaching our peak.

“..haven’t got any worse...” Lols!!!! I’d suggest we’ve gotten better, players improvement plus additions like Dunstan, Tomo etc back from injury. Plenty of competition for spots and room for growth from within this already incredible group.

At dinner tonight up in Airlie beach in far north qld with my two daughters…..and there was another Dees family!! The dad was wearing his premiership cap… my 12 year old daughter was in her “give ‘em hell” tshirt and I had my premiership face mask….he walked passed us and yelled go Dees!!! Loved it 😍 ❤️💙 who would’ve thought that would ever happen in FNQ?!?

Knightmare article rating 2019 draft choices (dated 29/11/2019): Melbourne Traded wisely and secured value in their trade with Fremantle. The move back allowed Melbourne to add pick 28 and a future fourth round pick without a meaningful move back down the order from pick 8 to 10. While Melbourne's trade looks on paper like value was acquired, their first two picks of ruckman Luke Jackson and small forward pressure specialist Kysaiah Pickett are arguably reaches. Jackson, a sub 200cm ruckman is athletic, plays with aggression and follows up well but was arguably not the best available player. Similarly, Pickett while the forward pressure he applies is of a best in draft standard and he has speed and is damaging with ball in hand, his low scoreboard impact and product makes him a difficult sell so early on. Trent Rivers, who Melbourne secured thanks to their trade with Fremantle represents strong value at what after bidding became pick 32. Rivers is a classy ball user off half-back who moves well and can push through the midfield as a ball winner. Grade: C Collingwood Improved their draft hand slightly in the latter half of the draft to increase their involvement without losing a lot. Jay Rantall represents strong value as a basketball convert with elite endurance who does his best work inside winning the contested ball, distributing by hand and moving through traffic. Oakleigh premiership captain Trent Bianco is a second selection who represents strong value as one of the best kicks in the draft and the most advanced outside player in the pool. Trey Ruscoe at 192cm with his versatility to play defence, midfield or forward, is a third solid selection with his skills, mobility, ball winning capabilities and the way he reads the ball in flight and takes marks. Though the question of whether Collingwood should have retained pick 51 to draft key forward Jake Riccardi rather than trade it to GWS who used the pick to draft the VFL's Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal is a question that will be asked given Collingwood's lacking key position stocks. Grade: A Note: Rantall has already been delisted

She predicted we would lose to Port in Round 4. Not likely. Port are such a non-threat The idea that we had no injuries last year is a furphy. We started the season with our KPF 1 Brown and KPF 2 Weid both injured and lucky for us TMac stepped up. We did go into finals with a healthy list though

The last time i went to Vic Park was ‘92 We beat them, with Allen Jakovich kicking a bag. It was a heavy vibe waiting for the train at Vic Park Station. i still have the same scarf, that went to all those grounds, and was at Waverley in 1987 i wore it very proudly during the Grand Final

Victoria Park was known as 'the zoo'. Somewhat disrespectful to animals I think.

If a player has got the right stuff he'll play early ... at local level I've seen any number of teenagers playing in the seniors (early) because they just can't be held back And there is nothing like learning on the job if the structures, systems and those surrounding you have got what it takes Test them early but only persevere if worthwhile. Or, if they are really raw, give them an extended run in the 2's. It's not one size fits all Equally, I've seen any number of players waste their talent and not make it. Some were so lazy (and not switched on) that they weren't even given a chance. And rightly so too And we now have real proof that the current match committee & coaching staff actually know what they are doing

I think that was Austin Bratdke.

I think I get where you're coming from with development now. You can't assume it's some kind of passive process. Head down to Casey, do my development time isn't the right thinking. I certainly want all our young players thinking of themselves as AFL footballers and actively working to improve. But that can be true without such a clear goal of playing round 1 or early. I think we're more process driven these days. It's about ticking off the skills required to play team football and improve in that way. AFL history is filled with guys who played very early then didn't have great careers, whilst others came in a long way off and played 200+ games. I look at Bowey who I don't think once expressed any great desire to be picked in the side. He seemed very relaxed about it when he was interviewed. His focus was ticking off the things the coaches asked with his defensive game. Bowey had the advantage of having AFL ready skills and facets to his game, so it was pretty clear what he had to do. JVR as a young tall might have a lot more to work on, but a similar focus on the process of what he has to do to be an AFL standard team player is what I'd ask him to do. Pretty keen to see how he goes with competing in the air, getting contest to contest and with his defensive work/tackling. If he can impress in those areas he might be closer than I think to playing.

I went to all these grounds. I remember seeing Hassa Mann‘s goal in 1964 at Glenferrie; I certainly remember the final round in 1987 at Western Oval. But strangely, one golden day was at Arden Street, the last round in one of the late 70s, we were getting thrashed and were expected to, and a North player attempted a dropkick. He flubbed it but it was still interesting. The weather was perfect, very early spring, and the day was just golden despite the result. I loved the old football. At 2.10 on a Saturday afternoon something like 10% of Melbourne’s population would go to the footy, which I think is extraordinary.

I have seen us win at every VFL opposition home ground in Victoria. Yet to see a Premiership live ♥️💙 🏆

I was on that wing 10 rows back from fence it was commando type stuff from Clarry.

Once again, the Demons took the show on the road, this time for their first game at Punt Road Oval. A flurry of outs due to Covid protocols saw five forced changes, and the match shaped up as a test of depth, with a train-on player being the second emergency. Of course, many of the returning players themselves were only left out of Round 1 due to Covid protocols, such is the merry-go-round on which we all find ourselves. The Tigers faced similar issues, including a crucial defensive pillar in D’Arcy, although the quality each team lost and gained was not quite on par. Interestingly, the selected teams were close in age (an average of about 24 each) and AFLW games experience (16 for Richmond and 18 for the Dees). However, the selected team for the Dees have played more of their games in the red and blue, while the Tigers are just starting to gel, in personnel and game style. FIRST QUARTER It wasn’t the start the Demond would have wanted, with a quick clearance resulting in a goal to Lavey within a minute. Melbourne then had some time with the ball and looked to get its short kicking game going, with minimal success due to poor disposal. The returnees looked a step behind the pace and rusty early, and things looked decidedly shaky when another Richmond goal came via Brennan. Richmond was making a concerted effort to avoid easy intercepts in their forward entries, with Conti continuing her excellent start to the season, charging through stoppages and finding the footy seemingly at will. While the notion of “beat Conti, beat Richmond” is perhaps less salient this season, her dominance was a worrying sign. The Demons were let off the hook due to a miss by Brennan, who marked barely contested in front of Magee, and the ensuing ill-directed Tarrant kick-in had me missing the steady but underrated skills of Lampard. The Dees were living dangerously, struggling to clear defensive 50, and hanging on by the skin of their teeth. With seven minutes remaining, time in forward half had been dominated by Richmond, 71% to 29%, and with four minutes on the clock, the Dees were under 40% disposal efficiency. When the ball finally did make it forward, it was Harris vs the world—to her credit, she kept at it and laid a smother, freeing up the hard-running McNamara to pass to Parry, who fell victim to a questionable play on call. Harris, matching up on ex-Dee Cordner at this stage, got her reward for effort in the last minute via a perfectly positioned kick to her advantage by Hanks. The late goal steadied the ship, leaving the Tigers to rue some missed chances. SECOND QUARTER Coming into the second, the key questions were: would Richmond be able to maintain their pressure, and would Melbourne be able to get some control of the ball from the middle? The latter was answered immediately with Mithen and McNamara combining for a quick clearance that saw Hore have a flying shot for goal 15 seconds in. The resulting point allowed the Dees to lock in some much-needed forward half time. McNamara was getting busy, plus tidying up her disposal. A big contest by Harris brought the ball to ground, eventuating in a set shot for Hore 30 metres out, almost directly in front, the blinding setting sun at her back—and suddenly the scores were level. Zanker, who’d had doughnuts in the first, was applying notable physical pressure to Conti, while Mithen also upped the ante, her repeat efforts crucial. Another behind to Hore meant she was 1.2 in four minutes. Her impact was such that when she got the ball later in the quarter, three Tigers pounced in an overzealous manner, resulting in another goal to Hore. A courageous marking attempt from Fitzsimon followed, and now the Dees had big individual efforts everywhere. West began to show her strength around the stoppage, breaking tackles and getting the ball to the outside, while also showing good defensive pressure, important in the absence of Maddi Gay. Most memorably, Bannan submitted her entry for an early goal of the year contender with a lightning dash down the wing, gliding free of her opponent and taking a composed shot on goal. What you won’t see on the highlight clip was the superb vision, confidence and execution that allowed McNamara to take a risky kick on the run, opening up the field and setting Bannan free via Mithen. So, it was the AFLW teen wingers club with some classy footy (and I guess Fitzsimon was part of that club at times this round, too). Bannan doubled down moments later, this time with an accurate set shot, followed soon after by a goal to Daisy from a lucky free kick, making it six majors in a row for Melbourne. Zanker had an opportunity after the siren and missed, but things were looking good. THIRD QUARTER After a quiet third quarter under the close attentions of Goldrick, Brennan found some space, and set up another early quarter goal to Lavey who left McNamara in her wake. Paxman’s chance for a quick reply from 50 fell short. A couple of 50-metre penalties against the Tigers, a dangerous tackle paid against Harris, plus a few sloppy in the backs from both sides signalled the game had gone up a notch in aggression. Harris continued the theme with a couple of physical marking contests that left Richmond players on the deck. A lot of the play occurred between the arcs, with neither team able to take the ascendency. Magee — learning the new stand rule along with the rest after a season of Gaelic footy — gave away a 50, which was exacerbated by a lapse in concentration that left the new mark unattended, allowing Dargan to take full toll with two minutes left. Keen to make amends, Melbourne pressed forward, and Daisy used all her experience to draw a free kick, turn and drill a pass to Paxman who kicked truly. Again, Zanker had a late chance after the siren, and came very close but was spoiled across the line. Notably, the midfield combined to keep Conti to four disposals while Zanker attempted to clamp down on Brennan in the middle. FOURTH QUARTER The high intensity was sustained by both teams throughout the fourth; clearly, neither felt it was over. However, the Demons seemed content to maintain their lead rather than be particularly proactive in adding to it, happy to rack up some repeat stoppages and kill some time. To their credit, the Tigers didn’t lay down, sparked by a ripper goal from Conti midway through the quarter. Another 50-metre penalty cost Richmond dearly, as Hore took full advantage, running forward hard and passing to Fitzsimon who sent a high kick in the Harris direction. An attempt to spoil to the line failed, with quick thinking by Petrevski allowing her to dribble towards goal, where a fast-recovering Harris toe-poked to capitalise on a shambolic yet match-sealing passage of play. After that the Dees saw off several forays forward from the Tigers, with players getting back to grind it out, particularly Hore and Daisy who ran the game out well defensively. A goal to Brennan due to a rare ruck error from Caris with three minutes to go had the commentators fired up, but after Richmond missed a few half-chances, it was done and dusted, and likely already had been for some time. STATS & STAND-OUTS Conti led the disposals for Richmond with 25, followed by Paxman 23, Hanks 20, Mithen, McNamara 17 (13 kicks), West 16 (11 handballs). The latter three also led the markers with 5 each, demonstrating the pivotal role of their spread. Harris had 3 disposals for 2 goals, with her physical presence key. Notably, the Tigers had the top 7 tacklers. McNamara led for the Dees with 5, followed by Caris and Hanks with 4 each. L. Pearce with 5 clearances had the most for the Dees, trailing Conti with 8. L.Pearce also dominated the hit outs with 17, while the undersized Seymour who rallied hard for the Tigers had 10, followed by Caris with 9. The young player that caught my eye was Bannan, with her 2 goals from 8 touches demonstrating the breadth of her skills — that amazing dash down the wing, and the classy set shot to back it up. While the inside 50s were even, Melbourne’s marking capacity and efficiency told some of the tale, with 52% to 37% and 10 to 3, respectively. Melbourne also had much of the play, with 228 disposals to 179 and again dominated the uncontested possession 130 to 91. A total of 50 marks to 19 again reflected their hard running and ability to hit up targets to pick their way down the ground. Hit outs, at 28 to 11, showed the supremacy of L. Pearce, ably assisted by Caris, against a less experienced, solo opponent. MELBOURNE 1.0.6 6.3.39 7.6.48 8.6.54 RICHMOND 2.1.13 2.1.13 4.1.25 6.2.38 GOALS MELBOURNE Bannan Harris Hore 2 Paxman D Pearce RICHMOND Brennan Lavey 2 Conti Dargan BEST MELBOURNE Hanks Paxman Hore McNamara West RICHMOND Conti Lavey Brennan Seymour INJURIES MELBOURNE Nil RICHMOND Nil REPORTS MELBOURNE Nil RICHMOND Nil CROWD 1,572 at the Swinburne Centre NEXT ROUND Melbourne head to Casey Fields for the first time in 2022, against a winless but hungry St Kilda team, next Saturday afternoon. THE LAST WORD Again, a dominant quarter set up the win, and the Demons have now won seven out of their past eight games.

Was there too. only kicked 2 goals in the last quarter. Both in time on. Chopper Lovell and Sean Wight. Got up by 9 points.

Two Redlegs memberships arrived in the mail on Friday. Eighteen consecutive years for me and my fiancé having her first ever membership. Guest passes are all but over….

I've posted this before, but it belongs in this thread. In round 20 of 1982, my Demon mate and I went to Victoria Park for the first (and last) time to watch Melbourne play Collingwood. We found standing room in a packed outer but soon realised we were surrounded by a seething mob of dirty, ugly, loud, abusive, obscene, smelly and toothless black and white supporters. Almost without exception, they were drunk, smoking like chimneys, swearing like wharfies and even at this early stage of the day fighting amongst themselves. Rather than relinquish their spot in the crowd, they were peeing where they stood. Some of the men were just as bad. We started well with the wind but the Pies had regained the lead by half-time. The third quarter was all ours with eight goals and in the last, we kicked another eight to finish all over them by nine goals. Glenn McLean was magnificent that day, marking everything in sight and earning the three Brownlow votes. Collingwood were so impressed that they traded for him and you will rapt to hear that Glenn went on to have a wonderful two-game career with the Pies. Having kept very, very quiet all day for fear of attracting the wrong sort of attention, the beers (ice-cold cans!) finally got the better of me and this is when I did the craziest thing in my life. As Mark 'Jacko' Jackson kicked his seventh to seal victory, I let rip with a loud "Go Demons!!". Things then went eerily quiet in the outer as hundreds of pairs of beady eyes bored into us. I looked at my mate, he nodded and we turned and ran as fast as we could towards the exit and kept going all the way to Johnstone Street where we jumped on the first bus we found. It didn't matter that it was heading in the wrong direction, we just wanted to get away from that horrible joint. Only my drycleaner will know just how frightened I was that day.

We stay fit and can have minimal injuries, we will generate more success. the Boys want more It doesn’t come easy and i think they understand that. The Captain’s diary is a great read

One of the funniest and Scariest thinks I have ever witnessed was a Victoria park. For some unknown reason there was a hot dog stand in the middle of the crowd opposite the social club end, and I saw 4 Collingwood supporters tip the hot stand to an angle of a bout 45 degrees, with the hot dog guy madly clinging onto each side of the booth, (and hot dogs sliding along the counter) until one of the local constabulary, casually looked across and said "I think that will do boys", and they tipped him straight again

The thing most likely to stop us being top 4 again won’t be other sides but injuries in our own. Like the Tigers during their flag years and the Swans in their one we were incredibly lucky with our injury run last year.

I know a few members of Taylor Duryeas family. He was told by Hawthorn when drafted in 2009 that they'd take 3years to turn him into the player they wanted him to be. Made his debut rd3 2013. I know VR's a different beast but we're in a similar position to what the Dawks were then and he'll get a run when Goodwin and co. are happy with him. Not before.

And they are all still so young…

Yep, that's my thinking. I remember in the dark days when we recruited Lucas Cook. In one of his first interviews he talked of playing at Casey, developing his game. It seemed like he did assume it was some kind of passive process. There was no aspiration...I really worried about him from then on. As you say our approach has changed significantly since those days in drafting and development. He did have the skill set... ...and coming into a backline with Lever, May and Salem was also a huge advantage. The lessons he would have received from them are priceless, not to mention playing against the best...these are the things you don't get at Casey.

Still seems hard to fathom at times, even if I have watched the replay over forty times.

Its gunna happen. All our players will get even better. Buy your tickets asap.

I went with a great tigers mate too and watched Mark? Lee punch Peter Moore in the back of the head at every marking contest but... Half way through the 3rd I looked down and saw 4 tinnies had come adrift from the bogans in front of us. Every now and then I pushed them closer and closer with my feet. Late in the 4th it was obvious that they had been forgotten so I casually bent down and put them in my mates bag. As he packed up to go he looked in and I could see his brain ticking over. (Please dont say anything). On leaving the ground he said 'Dont you ever do that again'. Tasted divine.

Joining the throng of Melbourne supporters in the change rooms immediately after a win at the ‘G’, chatting to the players as they rehydrated with cans of VB, and joining them in rousing renditions of both verses of the Grand Auld Flag. There were plenty of wins back then too. Of course, it was a male only domain.

Grand final replay will be a ripper in round one. Not a fan of timeslot for young families sake but cant wait to watch it. I guess dogs have more to play for...revenge etc. But we have the task of winning a cup at the Mcg so we will need to channel our granny efforts again. Kudos for the afl for this concept. It will also be good to see some Nt games again.

Action Jackson doll.

Covid paranoia will make the changes for next week. And why would you drop Fitzsimons ?

Ah yes the old suburban footy grounds. I have vague memories of Glenferrie oval but I was young back then, My favourite ground was the lakeside oval. Can srill remember the freezing days watching the mud splash standing near the Melbourne grog squad behind the goals or being camped under the channel 7 rickety stand on the wing. The 2 I hated the most were Kardinia Park and the Western oval. Don't know why it is just the way it was. Vic park, Windy Hill and Moorabin were a breeding ground for the most despicable urchins to be bred in Melbourne but they did have that interesting factor to them. Yic park was definately the end of the sewerage grounds in Melbourne. I have a fond memory of the Junction oval especially as it was the only place I saw a live premiership. Prahran in 78 Princess park was the most soul less and boring place as well. I do miss the suburban grounds.

So you don't think he should aspire to play round 1. I'm not saying he will or he will even be looked at but surely he should be doing all in his power to play round 1. He's got to want it...that's all I'm saying. Maybe I didn't express myself correctly.

He was a truly wonderful gentleman. Friendly and always willing to get into a conversation about footy. I remember him once at Trevor Barker Oval Beach Road Sandringham when Melbourne was still affiliated with the Zebras. I got there early and we were watching this gangly young ruckman, Stefan Martin who had come down to play VFL after a year with Old Haileybury. Scotty was fascinated by the fact that Martin had scored a 99.75 in his VCE and we discussed why someone with those qualifications would want to play in the VFL ressies. He was great company for a while before wandering off into the rooms to get a scoop that would enable him to come up with another one of his punchlines. A real character. Condolences to his family.

Are you sure that was mud 🤔

Jackson is a remarkable athlete and also capable of playing a role for which he was the standout option very early on really. Being able to hold up in the ruck in year and even more so in year 2 meant he was just about a lock in the side and could play quiet games. Further to that if the draft is a Bell curve then JVR at pick 19 is really miles from Jackson at pick 3 and somewhere between Weid, Pickett and Bowey, Laurie, Spargo, Sparrow, Rivers, JJ and even Petty. Of all those players he might remind me most of a key forward version of Sparrow. Athletic, decent build, likely to have a crack, but with a fair amount of development work to really contribute and find a role behind a number of strong team mates. But there's a range of options from Bowey's flag in 7 games to someone like Spargo. Making a real difference in year 1 as a skinny kid but taking unitl year 4 to really put it together consistently.

Still cant fathom Norf letting Bbb go. I hope he has a great pre season and plays a full season. He still has several seasons left in him and if he topped the h and a goal tally for 3 years in a low team he could do much more with us.

Raiders 7 Bengals 24 Patriots 27 Bills 30 Eagles 17 Buccaneers 41 49ers 17 Cowboys 14 Steelers 6 Chiefs 31 Cardinals 34 Rams 27

Raiders 21 at Bengals 31 Pats 20 at Bills 35 Eagles 13 at Tampa 31 49ers 28 at Dallas 31 Steelers 17 at KC 35 Arizona 28 at LA Rams 34

Sad news. Was a big part of my footy replay watching childhood. RIP & Keep Punching Scotty.

Loved his halftime punchlines during the VFL days, very sad. RIP.

That would have been about 15 years ago. Hard to believe that Stef’s still playing all of those years later.

I'm not sure even that's a requirement now that he's hit (and will hopefully be keeping) form. His arms are so long and he manages to get the hands at the end of them right at the apex of the ball's arrival.