Leaderboard

I believe the Footy Dept are extremely happy & positive about Van Rooyen, in fact they believe he will be a very special player, however, don’t expect to see him this year. Joel Smith is currently training as a Forward, and there is growing interest in retaining Tomlinson and playing Petty as a forward.

The Petty option seems a reasonable option, but Howes after missing so much footy is way out of left field. JVR would seem way ahead in the pecking order. Exactly my thoughts - there are several parts to the thumb, some involved directly in hand balling, and others not. Anyway it is a Bulldogs game so surely in the interests of equity he should be allowed to just throw it.

Basically Rex Hunt had a go saying Daisy only had a job due to a gender quota. Talked up Wayne Carey as a superior commentator and that Daisy stole his spot on Friday nights due to her gender. It’s lead to a swell of toxic support online from some seriously sexist and brain dead people, if you can even call them that. Rex is obviously an out of touch old fool. Daisy is one of the most insightful commentators going around. She provides better insight into what’s happening in the matches than most other commentators, especially the blokes old boys club types. She understands the modern game better than players from 2-3 decades ago who spend the matches beating their chests and the best insight they can give is getting a players name correct. You’re best off ignoring the rubbish online if you have any semblance of humanity left. Some of the stuff said about Daisy has been disgusting and shameful.

Must admit I'm a bit surprised to read that. I guess if I was to listen to the pitch alone I wouldn't think much of her commentary, but because I find her to be so good at her job, I simply don't notice it the way I do with Underwood etc. I'm a big fan of Daisy and don't think she is at all out of place commentating on the Mens game. In fact I think she improves it.

Anyway there isn't even a debate. Daisy is the best special comments person in the game right now. The article says Dermott reckons Wayne Carey is superior, I couldn't agree less. Daisy makes Carey look so B-grade it isn't funny.

Pain and functional quality depends on the type of fracture, where it is, and type of internal fixation used. If the thumb does what he requires of it, he’s ready.

Oliver is back and Lever expected to play according to Goody.

...and Dermott is right up there with him. Unfortunately there are a lot of people who just can't see past their prejudices (read some of the facebook comments) and actually believe Daisy has no idea. Good on Simon for setting the record straight...she is enormous and an absolute trail blazer. The game is the better for Daisy.

Luke Hodge is also a shocker - can’t put 2 words together. Nathan Buckley, I like.

I’d rather keep Brayshaw and lose Jackson. To lose both to Freo would be a disaster, given Freo has zero draft/trade capital and is also on the window. Essentially, we’d be making one of our rivals stronger.

Melb v Bulldogs later the same day at marvel. Would have been great had this game been the curtain raiser. I'm sure many supporters of both clubs would have enjoyed.

Just when you think we are getting somewhere as a society, I read the hundreds of comments on these articles online. So disgusting. Bagging Daisy and Kelli - stay out of our game etc. I won’t repeat the rest of the tripe. Why is she being hired by the Cats then you morons?! Daisy is a gun and dead set legend

Watched the Goodes doco on Netflix recently and Dermie said some things back then that haven't aged well. His views on Daisy are also a decade or 2 behind the times. Goody summed it up well.

Some commentators describe whats happening but Daisy describes why it is happening. Simply the best.

Daisy is so good to listen to. Articulate, accurate and insightful. My brother-in-law can't stand her voice which I just don't get. She is the best thing to happen at the Dees for 20 years (apart from the Premiership of course), the best person to emerge out of the AFLW, and the best thing the channel 7 commentary team have done since Bruce & Dennis were together. I also actually like the input of W Carey. It's people like Ling, Ricciuto et al whose special comments are simply to repeat the bleeding obvious we can see on the screen ourselves.

Not MFC related, but I'm publishing "The Big Book of St Kilda Premierships" on Twitter later this year.

Not sure that view is universally shared on Demonland.

Last year after 18 rounds we were 13 - 3 - 1 with a percientage of 127.8% and having 2 losses and a draw in the previous 5 games. This year we are 13 - 4 - 0 with a percentage of 132.6% and having 2 losses in the previous 5 games. Round 19 this year (as indeed last year) we play Western Bulldogs. They were second on the ladder at this point last year. Last year we lost to the Bulldogs and then were undefeated for the rest of the season. I could live with that again.

Rex and Dermot could easily have made their case that, in their view, networks make gender based appointments. And that they prefer male commentators eg Carey. They did not need to drag Daisy or any other female commentator into it. Very, very poor to expose her to pillorying on social media for something that was not of her doing. They got their 'click bait' but a fine young woman is being disparaged. They should be ashamed.

Jones is very good but his high pitched giggling can be annoying. Daisy is a very solid special commentator. BT is a mistake riddled commentator and it's an indictment on channel 7 that they hadn't adequately prepared a (Friday night/marquee/AFL grand final) satisfactory succession plan post Bruce and Dennis who both left a legacy as VFL/AFL football's finest commentators of all time.

From the club this morning.

Bevo says its a media beat up: https://www.afl.com.au/news/802956/bevo-blasts-afl-over-head-high-tackle-crackdown Sorry Danger and Bevo in my view you need to get the rose (freekick) coloured glasses off. In Bevo's case lets call a duck a duck rather than blame the media.

I can't look at this 'John', it scares the hell out of me. Whenever I see a player going head first into a tackle I just can't help but yell at the TV...I know Sachse was an accident but some players are trusting their luck by deliberately going into the oncoming tackler. These players need to get weeks for not only putting themselves at risk but also the poor player (tackler) who would also have to live with it for the rest of their lives.

The longer he doesn’t debut, the more expectation rises. I’ve now read him compared to Dermie, David Neitz, James Hird and David Schwarz (I reckon the closest 😜), and given he’d be expected to play the Tmac role, him too. Hope he’s ready to bear the load! Given Tommo’s game on Sunday, I’m getting bullish again on the Petty forward idea, despite knowing it won’t happen because he hasn’t been ‘prepared’ for it.

Great analysis @binman. I would love to see the Weed come back and hit the finals like he did in 2018, but this time get the medal. I think he has the ability but I'm not confident we'll see it happen.

I've still got the first TISM single that I bought back in the 1980s, the title of which would not pass the censors on this site (initials are "D.O.M.F."). It's a 7" single that came packaged in a 12" cardboard sleeve that was glued on all four sides, so you had to break into the packaging to get to the actual record. Those wacky funsters!

Bedford had 17 pressure acts in 69% game time. This is his job. No surprise to me that since Bedford has played to offer repeat speed and pressure we have kept Pickett closer to goal and he has looked more dangerous. Unless we go the extra tall which I think would cost Melksham I cant see him getting dropped.

Oliver looked ginger at training today, as did Bowey and Petty.

That may be the best option. Petty may be the best tall forward bridge to a longer term option.

Two weeks ago I was told by a Player Agent based in Perth, albeit not Luke’s Agent, that the offer is 8 years at 10.3 million from Freo.

That's just an uninformed opinion you've tried to pass off as a statement of fact. Was she hired by the Cats coaching panel as a PR exercise as well? The AFL Media Association 'best analyst' award just PC gone mad?

Listening to Rex on the radio was shocking, you’d have no idea about the score or even who had the ball, was all about bluster, BS, and nicknames. It was terrible when no other stations were calling and you had to listen to him. BT is the modern day equivalent, really embarrassingly bad, but some people must like him, and it takes all types. Carey & Dermie are very good when talking about playing as a forward, but don’t provide much insight on current day strategy. Daisy is a star, articulate, explains what’s happening and why. This would be to complex for Rex to understand and why he doesn’t like her! If she added in an Abletttttttt or Yibbydeeeyabbydee, he would appreciate her more!

On content alone and not gender, I find Daisy more insightful than just about anyone. Was Carey the gun of guns, yes he was, but he is also proper FIGJAM and the hoary reminisces he offers doesn't actually give me much idea on tactics, which Daisy does offer. Daisy knows her stuff, gender has nothing to do with it.

Thanks @layzie! Rex and Dermie. You can close the thread now, mods.

We all say that when we’re going to lose a young gun, name another 20yo ruckman that has played 50 games & practically turned the Grand final on its head with 40 minutes of brilliance Think of the upside in 5 years time when most ruckman are just hitting their straps Ill be gutted if he goes, watching Fremantle get 10 years of fantastic footy from him

Kemp is someone who looks really good when you see the highlights but has a few holes in his game that don't show up there ... and they're pretty important ones. He's a great size and a nice, smooth mover with some toe. But he doesn't win his own football, which is a massive problem for a league footballer. Without fixing that he'll never become the 193cm midfielder that people were wishing for but rather just a marginal third defender who needs to improve his defence and kicking. For mine (and it's just my opinion) he's a player that reads like a champion except for pretty much the only non-negotiable of a good AFL footballer.

Do you live with your ex wife? That must make it difficult on so many levels.

Not to do with LJ, but would you look at Brodie Kemp at Blues. 193 cms and not getting a game. Mids too strong and key forwards hot, keeping him out.

This is classic Demonland. Someone revived a thread that’s 4 YEARS OLD, and now it’s splintered into 3 extra pages of people screaming No, a side argument about when forgiveness should and shouldn’t be given, and a thread within a thread about an 80’s alternative band. Bless you all.

It's always about the money but if you've got great systems, structures & standards the money will flow as a matter of course So the custodians wait for the proverbial to hit the fan before acting? Bad governance

I wouldn't touch Grundy, he will be 29 next year and his form has been average for 2 years. I would rather stock up on draft picks for our next generation of premiership players.

Now let me get this straight picket - you're saying you're opposed to DeGooey coming to the Dees ?

Yeah, that's not happening.

Would love it if the top 4 were: Geelong Melbourne Brisbane Any team that can beat Geelong and our QF is vs Brisbane at the G.

Do you reckon we can get Dwayne fired for this hypothetical oblique future racist reference? THIS IS WHAT CANCEL CULTURE IS FOR, PEOPLE!

well i already had my left hand finger on the caps key for the preceding * so I thought what the heck, in for a penny, in for a pound sometimes i just live dangerously

But that's not our game plan. Wasn't last year, and isn't this year. Create an aeriel contest, if no mark make sure an opponent doesn't mark it and bring it down to a predictable spot so your mids, half forwards and small forwards can score or create a stoppage. Failing that, put huge pressure on the defender who wins the ground ball and force a turnover - either a missed handball or a dump kick. Which we bounce back inside 50 because we have set up our wall. Rinse and repeat. As you note, seperation for the forwards also means seperation for the defenders. That creates more space and one on ones, which is fine if that is your method. That's how Port like to set up, so they can isolate their three key forwards.The blues have a similar set up. But that set up doesn't work for us because we want congestion not space from those long kick to a crowded forward line (as opposed to the kick to a player all by themselves inside 50 we create when are swarming forward from hb The two methods were on display in Sunday's game. Our defensive sytem renders their sytem next to useless, as evidenced in our last 3 or 4 games. That's because, like freo and the cats, we zone off brilliant and have a goal keeper role. But once we turned up the heat, our method started working, we got rolling and they couldn't stop our offence . The method worked, in large part due to Brown's work rate and contests. Most of kossie's goals were a function of our method, as were several others. My favourite was Jackson's goal, that started with nibbler's desperation and crazy smart handball to viney. All that said, we will need a second tall who can play tmac's role. We have sorely missed his up and down the ground run and his smarts in aeriel contests, for example the blocking he does for bb. I reckon weed will come back in, not this week but perhaps round 20 or 21. He'll be super clear on what his role is and goody will give him his shot. Maybe two games to prove it's his spot. If he doesn't make a compelling statement, goody had jvr, or even Smith as options.

I always call Trent Rivers "He'll never be an old man river" but it hasn't quite taken yet.