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Robert Flower The greatest, most fairest, most skillful, most modest, most courageous footballer I have ever seen. How he would be so happy now with our Demons on top. We miss you Robbie.

I spent some time with mine last Friday night. They seem nice.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/time-catches-up-with-robbie-flower-20141009-113odk.html Flanagan also gave a nice little monologue on SEN just before the 2018 prelim

Your roaming correspondent passed by today and noted lots of activity. It seems they have laid down a base of finely crushed rock (the light grey in the pics) and are now non-stop covering it with what looks like a very sandy loam. trucks dumping here there and everywhere and a bobcat smoothing it out. Pegs are laid out showing the final height of the soil. Looks to be about 15 - 20cm. The ground is noticeably wider than before.

Just saw the replay of Jeremy Howe on AFL360 ahead of his 200th and he commented that he is impatient and would love dearly to win a flag before his time is up... it made me feel warm inside.

Seems to me a few people here think GWS will be an easy kill and we can rest players, tinker with positions and gift younger players a game before they are ready etc. I know they aren't fielding the same team as the one that beat us on the same ground last year but they do have some very good players and on their day are a tough opponent - there seems to be a touch of over confidence emerging

Nobody’s ever seen Jake Melksham and Margaret Mead in the same room either…

Langdon on one wing and Flower on the other .... Wow wee man.

Had a skim and not sure this has been said yet.. Re: new cba negotiations. As far as I'm aware players can sign now with a proviso that the contract will increase by the same % as any new cba salary cap increase. Edit: just googled to confirm. Its some kind of 'funds clause', about 50% of players currently have it. I'd suggest if LJ wants it in the new deal, it's his.

Petty back in is good. Now we just need Salem and i will be able to rest easier at night.

I rate Petty well ahead of Tommo, but I’m surprised to see the change made so soon. No doubt our MC know what they are doing. Same applies to the Tracc ‘niggle’ that has been widely reported in the media, and on here. Go Dees!

Im not sure why some folks continue to think Petty would ever play forward given we’ve spent the last 4 years developing and playing him as a defender. It’s not exactly Goodwin’s playbook to swing the magnets on the board - in fact I’d say it’s the antithesis of his coaching philosophy.

Great to have Harry back in the team. I think its better he has a game under his belt before taking on the Tiges

The band down back are nearly all together.

The headline screamed, “Be very afraid: Unbeaten Demons have huge scope for improvement” The story was about David King’s warning to SEN listeners that “Melbourne is going at about 70 per cent of last year and they’re already proving they’re 50 per cent better than the rest of the competition”. “They’re 4-0 and they’ve going half rat power.” Whilst the reigning premiers are the only undefeated team in the competition, there are those who would ask the question, “who have they beaten to date?” The answer is teams that occupy positions 9,14,16 and 18 on the AFL ladder. But wait, three of those teams made the finals last year and two made it deep into September. King’s bigger point however, is the one the headline overlooked. Melbourne remains the premier team in contested situations whether in the ruck, through on ballers or via the defence that wins the footy and attacks through the wings and into the forward part of the ground. That should, of itself, be daunting for the rest of the competition but whether the team can improve on that is something that may or may not happen and it doesn’t necessarily prove King’s central theme that the club is head and shoulders above the rest of the competition. Beware of headlines is my response. Indeed, this sort of publicity is unrealistic and breeds complacency. The reality is that the Demons will lose a game at some time and in fact, that day is coming closer as every week goes by. The question is, when and against who? That question might well depend on whether the team continues to remain focused on its aims or whether it starts to believe publicity like David King’s proclamation that the team is 50% above the level of the rest of the competition. Much of our game is played in the head and if the group starts believing that it’s invincible, then the inevitable will happen. You only have to look at the Bulldogs of 2017 (or 2022 for that matter) or to Melbourne’s game against this week’s opponent, Greater Western Sydney, at their last encounter back in Round 16 last year at the MCG. The Demons were heavily favoured to win against the Giants who appeared to be on their last legs after stumbling in the final term against the lowly Hawks the week before. A fortnight earlier, they drew with wooden spooner North Melbourne. Yet, they were up to the fight against Melbourne and maintained the pressure throughout on the inaccurate Demons. The result was an upset. I don’t believe that Greater Western Sydney who lost to Fremantle by 34 points at Optus Stadium last week will manage an upset and a third consecutive victory at the MCG over Melbourne but if the Demons think that it’s going to be a cakewalk because all of the commentators think they’re just too good, then they should park their swollen heads elsewhere. I think that Melbourne will win this game but they need to attack the game fully switched on. I think they can do it and I’m tipping the Demons to win by 22 points. THE GAME Melbourne v GWS Giants at the MCG, Saturday 16 April, 2022 at 7:25pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall – Melbourne 8 wins GWS Giants 7 wins At The MCG – Melbourne 4 wins GWS Giants 3 wins Past five meetings – Melbourne 3 wins GWS Giants 2 wins The Coaches – Goodwin 3 wins Cameron 3 wins THE MEDIA TV live and on demand on Kayo and live on Foxtel. Check your local guides. Radio - check your local guides. THE LAST TIME THEY MET GWS Giants 9.10.64 defeated Melbourne 7.13.55 at The MCG, Round 16, 2021 The Giants were on from the very first clearance of the day when they methodically moved the ball forward to Toby Greene who slotted the first goal after 30 seconds. After a brief respite later in the opening term, the Demons were chasing tail, wasting opportunities and kicking poorly at goal. GWS won the game despite losing the possession count, taking less marks, laying less tackles and going inside 50 less times. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: J.Hunt 29 S.May 1 H.Petty 35 HB: T.Rivers 24 J.Lever 8 J.Harmes 4 C: E.Langdon 15 C.Petracca 5 J.Viney 7 HF: A.Brayshaw 10 S.Weideman 26 A.Neal-Bullen 30 F: K.Pickett 36 L.Jackson 6 B.Fritsch 31 Foll: M.Gawn 11 C.Oliver 13 T. Sparrow 32 I/C: C.Spargo 9 J.Bowey 17 J.Jordon 23 T.McDonald 25 Sub: T.Bedford 12 Emerg: L.Dunstan 27 K.Chandler 37 J.Smith 44 In: H.Petty Out: A.Tomlinson GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY GIANTS B: L.Keeffe 25 S.Taylor 15 X.O’Halloran 33 HB: L.Whitfield 6 N.Haynes 19 H.Perryman 36 C: A.Kennedy 40 C.Ward 8 L.Ash 7 HF: T.Taranto 14 H.Himmelberg 27 S.Coniglio 3 F: B. Hill 37 J.Hogan 23 M.de Boer 24 Foll: M.Flynn 30 J.Kelly 22 T.Green 12 I/C: J.Stein 42 T.Bruhn 5 C.Idun 39 F.Callaghan 17 Sub: 10 J.Riccardi Emerg: 26 J.Wehr 10 L.Aleer 21 K.Briggs 32 In F.Callaghan M.Flynn N.Haynes Out I.Cumming (H & S Protocols) J.Peatling (omitted) B.Preuss (suspended) Injury & Suspension List: Round 5 Mitch Brown - Concussion Protocols | Available Joel Smith - H & S Protocols | Available Ben Brown - Suspension | 1 week Michael Hibberd - Calf | 2 weeks Daniel Turner - Foot | 3-5 weeks Christian Salem - Knee | 4-6 weeks

Dogga vs Zoot

Cox blatantly knees a bloke in the back. Potential to cause serious injury. Outside the marking contest. No 50 no report. rudiculous

Congratulations to Jeremy Howe - who after 100 games as a Demon went to Collingwood so he could finally be a forward. That lasted 2 games and he’s played the last 98 in defence - to bring up his 200. Meanwhile all his mates got a flag sticking with the Dees.

Didn't see that move coming this week.. Petty v Tomlinson On the sub .... Smith is the perfect sub. He can cover the big man down issue On Petty.. he strikes me as an agressive backman willing to take the play on. Tomlinson on the other is an excellent defensive backman but lacks that play on thrust. Just watching the Essendon replay and Smith definitely showing glimpses

I first read that as 'childish club'. I thought to myself . . . Chook, you've nailed it again.

Petty must have trained the house down. Great to have him back - a key player for us.

Indeed.

Give it a rest Nev. He said we’re in “ok shape” down back and, in his opinion, we’d be even better if Smith came in for Tomlinson. The statement makes perfect sense. You don’t have to agree with the premise.

Seems to be getting smaller.

Magpies have lost 3 games in a row now did Daics have any more kids??

I just assumed they had crossed to him in his old folks home in Del Boca Brisvegas for a first hand account of the invention of the goals/minutes theorem…?

Put Brisvegas under serious pressure and I reckon they can be broken. They have some very good players, but as a team, something is missing

Do I have to draw you a pic WCW. It's what the maid tries to avoid!!

Smith unlucky. If he hadn't lost his place due to Covid protocols, you'd expect that he'd still there. Now fighting to get back in against Hunt, with Hibberd looking over his shoulder.

People make their choices given what's in front of them at the time. He was just a Dom Sheed pearler away from having one hanging around his neck. I have no animosity towards Jeremy, even with what appeared to be a slight on the club in some of his commentary over the years. Good on him for getting the double century. It's quite the career... and is just one chapter of who he is.

You need to update your name 13, maybe to 15…?

I suspect that if it was just a 2 year extension it would have been done. I think we are looking at a longer period, if he is happy to stay.

56,841

The other advantage for Petracca not playing this weekend (or anyone else who might be sore) is that because our previous game was a Wednesday night and our following game is a Sunday night (ANZAC eve), there are 17 days between those two. Missing this week provides a longer than usual break to aid recovery.

I was in the boat of just playing Petracca forward for majority of the game but now I think he needs to be rested. This is the same knee that he did the ACL and I think we just need to give him a rest and back out depth and also the likes of Oliver, Viney etc to solider on. I want a fit Petracca for the reminder of the year and if it means taking a week or 2 off then so be it. We brought in Dunstan for this exact reason so let's see what he has to offer.

Petracca being quiet and playing fwd more in the last two games looked to be primarily about protecting his knee. But there were other benefits. If I read the tea leaves correctly there is a bit of early season experimenting with roles and tactics: 1) for the Ess game Goodwin said they had some strategies for Petracca's role if he was tagged and how he could best help the team. We got our answer: Neutralised McGrath. Oliver and Brayshaw ran amok. vs Port tagging Petracca and keeping him forward diminished Drew's impact despite his good stats at a time when Port could have done with him in the midfield. In that game JJ and Viney took over as prime movers from the relatively quiet Petracca and Oliver. 2) Resting the mids fwd instead of using interchanges and playing fwds eg ANB, and other players eg JJ for longer in the midfield. 3) Reducing Petracca and Oliver's midfield time reduces the crash and bash toll on their bodies. iirc this was raised as a concern of the club, by a poster who usually has good intel (sorry forgot which poster) once Jones and vandenberg left so we recruited Dunstan. If my reading is correct how good is it to experiment while still winning games. Pacing ourselves nicely in terms of ladder position, building momentum and tweaking the game plan tactics. So some silver linings in Petracca not being fully fit/being tagged.

When I'm watching live at the footy I try to look ahead of the play to the players who are about to have the ball kicked to them instead of just following where the ball is. It is hard when you're wrapped up in the game but I try to catch myself and look ahead of the field to get an idea of the behind the ball play. There was one play in the Essendon game, the one where Wanganeen kicked the snap from the MCC pocket, where I looked ahead and Smith got completely lost in the play. He was ball watching and standing about 10-15m in front of Wanganeen. Wanganeen doubled back while Smith was looking upfield and when the ball came down Smith was caught miles out of position and Wanganeen had plenty of space to work in and snap the goal. I'm sure this isn't an isolated incident and reminded be of last year's QF when he got turned inside out by Cameron a couple of times. This is my worry with Smith, he doesn't know where to position himself and gets outsmarted by players with higher footy IQ. His athleticism is undeniable but if he's not getting led to the ball I feel he worries our defensive structures too much which is a huge issue considering the type of game we play.

If (and I say if) the rumours are true that Gus is wanting more mid time, and if Trac is rested, and if we pick Dunstan to replace him, how do you think Gus would be feeling? I’d suggest he’d be pretty peeved which may not help his contract negotiations. You could argue that we should do what’s best for the team - yet Gus has been really performing at AFL level (possibly the best form of his career to date) while Dunstan has not been a standout in the VFL. With the option of both of Petty and Smith being available this week, that could free Gus to play in the mid, without weakening the backline. I believe Gus deserves first crack at the mid spot, if it’s available, and certainly well before Dunstan.

I think you are right. If it was a simple 2 year deal then I can't see why he wouldn't have got it done already. My suspicion is that we are trying to push for a long term deal and his management is, rightfully, playing hardball... probably calling Tim Lamb after each game going "mate the price has just gone up another $100k". And we could also be trying to get a few other 'smaller' deals done, or even perhaps trying to lock Oliver away long term which may enable us to up our offer to Jackson, as perhaps Oliver would be happy to accept more years at less coin like his best mate Trac. I think if Jackson was keen on going back to WA the jungle drums would be beating very loudly. He is too much of a hot commodity for this sort of stuff not to leak from 'inside sources'.

If you watched the previous game then you will see (hear) it's a blessing there was no commentary.

None of those will happen

Given the onfield impact he had in what were very poor teams (for the majority of his career), imagine the damage he would be capable of in our current team 🍆

Agree about all the potential benefits of trac and Oliver playing slightly different roles. Last season I was def in the camp of wanting the club to use the bye period to rest key players who were banged up and/or carrying niggles. And was surprised they did not do so as it pretty standard practice. They really only ever rested Salem (and maybe Jackson a game?), who had a calf issue iirc for a number of weeks. But again iirc, he was only rested for the crows game and came back in for the next game, which was against the doggies. Maxy was the best example of a player who was clearly playing sore who I thought could do with a chop out and a week's rest. In the wash up of the season it became clear a key philosophy of Burgess and Goodwin was not to rest or manage players, even those with carrying minor injuries. Resilience seemed to be the mantra No reason to think we will change that approach this year. Indeed the evidence seems to suggest they are not - rivers for example clearly looks hampered as does tracc. So I doubt trac, or anyone else for that matter will be dropped if they are sore or have minor to medium grade niggles.

Two of the above, occasionally wear to games otherwise in the draw and hope the kids enjoy them when they’re older (and much bigger).

when yr an oft-injured player who is offered a nearly guaranteed $5m over the next 6 years i imagine it's hard to say no

Happily take that at this stage. Would be shattered to see him go after just 3 seasons, particularly if we don't win the flag with him this year.

Nice bunch of poppies. Or are they fuschias?!!!!

Last week we won with Oliver and Petracca both being role players with Petracca spending a lot of the game forward. The week before Oliver ran amok when Petracca stayed forward taking one of Ess midfielders who tagged, with him and out of the action. We need Petracca cherry ripe for the next game vs Richmond so if his knee needs protecting then rest him. But Petracca on the field even if he plays predominately forward, stops the op from going all out on Oliver. Whether or not he plays this week we should still win. Dees by 20 points.

Weids vs Batman