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All this talk about Young and Jackson has me yearning for a big glass of beer.

Also I roped my husband to attend and he has only ever seen us lose live once. You're welcome everyone!

Well ... if you can believe Goody on 360 just now .... Trac is no worries! BTW ... This is my first post since the Swans debacle - that's how [censored] off iv'e been.

Finally in and have a ticket in M14 row R. Looks ok,

Simple, Unless he is 100% fit he misses. On that basis he shouldn't and wont play! Stuff this "Up to the player"bulltish, this is a serious injury with the potential to become more serious!

Imagine Hawthorn supporters' disgust at drafting Buddy from WA (pick 5), then leaving Hawthorn in the middle of his career for an interstate team .... when they could have had John Meesen (pick 8) for his entire career! At least you would have been happy that we had a whole career of Jack Watts, rather than that West Australian Nic Naitanui. What a terrible, terrible post.

I heard we were really into Young, but we had concerns his mum wanted him to play somewhere else.

Did you watch the 2021 AFL Granny?

We've won 16 games from our defence. We've struggled with our offensive connection and efficiency for years and if we'd nailed that we could be anything to be honest. The pocket kick whilst a percentage play many times is used by us far too often, so often that players now miss open leading players elsewhere because of their tunnel vision. I would say it's barely a percentage play anymore. Opposition teams load up numbers to where we kick to and use skills and smarts to exit our forward 50 due to our poor forward pressure. Not only is it frustrating to watch. It's incredibly boring and supporters become sick of it very quickly. I just want some life breathed into this side this week. Give us some new looks at players, we've got nothing to lose now. We're not favourites and we are incredibly inconsistent with our form. May as well throw the oppo a curve ball. Especially Geelong if we get through this week. Be bold and show some courage Goody. Clearly what we've dished up against fellow top 4 teams hasn't worked. For once I want to see some genuine match-day strategy from Goody instead of this boring template that the best oppo teams now know how to handle. Give us something Goodwin.

It is pretty frustrating watch us lose to the same teams (Swans and Pies), who play similar styles, multiple times in identical ways.

Would much rather a bloke like Dunstan going at 100% (after a week off) and crashing in hard than Trac hobbling around trying to play as best he can. We need to have a team full of players that are ready to play at finals intensity and if they aren't it's not worth the risk.

Personally I think there’s more of a risk in playing him. Obviously to the player himself as he WILL be targeted. But more to the point the risk of keeping up the facade that everything is fine. We’re in a sudden death final and arguably our best player is down… it’s now or never. I’d be bringing in an in form Dunstan and, as part of that, try to get the whole team to share the load and lift a notch. This isn’t business as usual anymore and now everyone has to do more. Murphy, the doggies captain at the time, went down on the eve of the finals and they won the flag. The whole team responded to that and we need the same ..not playing an injured trac who can barely run and can’t kick straight .

Sydney has always beaten us at post clearance possessions, especially at the G where there is room to take those possessions them move into space. It was far more obvious in the days we played 'bees to the honey pot' with numbers. Now we hold our positions better. But we still fall for it. In the words of recent jargon: 'we are being beaten by what we know'. But it is more than that. We back in our system. For good reason; it has worked well for us in the past and against lesser teams and lesser coaches. With a few exceptions I don't see many tactics to 'take away the opps strengths' until we have to make some moves, in game. Sydney however went in with a plan to take out our play makers: tagged Salem, sat a player on Langdon, put Mills on Oliver at stoppages and not sure what they did to Lever after quarter time to take him out of the game. Right there is the disruption of our defensive wall and disruption of our ball movement coming from our defensive half. The resulting pressure on the ball carrier forced us to over hand ball or pass into congestion resulting in turnovers. What was it 11 goals from turnovers (not sure how many we scored that way). Last time it was 7 goals from turnovers to our zip! That is their MO against us. Again I'm not sure why we were 'beaten by what we know'. If we play them in the GF we need to be a lot smarter. We can't just 'back in our system'; Sydney have shown multiple times they can dismantle it. And if we play Geelong in a PF we can't just back in our system as they have also learnt to dismantled it. Longmire and Scott are the two canniest coaches in the league. But, lets not be beaten by what we know.

Yeah the idea of Zorko or Mitch Robinson targeting Trac’s injury on Friday is a horrifying and not in any way unrealistic one. We need Trac healthy for the next several years, and resting him this week is a no-brainer as far as I can see. If Trac is genuinely crucial in order to beat the Lions, then that should tell you we don’t have what it takes to beat the remaining teams.

I also don't see the point of playing Trac on half a leg, literally. I know he is a champion, but if we beat Brisbane and playing ends his season, we are worse off. We CAN beat Brisbane without him, but we CAN'T win the flag without him.

It's ridiculous because you write as if "4 quarters of relentless pressure" is some sort of magic kryptonite to beat us. it's the formula to beat every single side in the competition.

I reckon we are genuinely treating the situation with compassion. He is young, he is uncertain, so we are treating him well and supporting him rather than pressuring him to sign. A hard sell might push him further away.

Whateley on AFL 360 said in his segment with Goodwin and Hardwick that the narrative around Jackson to the west has changed recently. Goodwin maintained the give him all the time he needs line. I reckon it's likely he stays.

I hope he didn't say anything controversial.

did jeelong 3 times last year just saying

I like it. Tape up a good shoulder and see if we can fool them.

I got tickets in N11. Close enough for Zorko to hear me, but far enough way for him not to be sure who it was. 👍

I have a comment on last year's finals series. We played Brisbane, Geelong and Western bulldogs. All teams who couldn't apply much pressure and didn't play man on man footy. This year our hardest games have been against teams playing high pressure man on man, like Sydney, Collingwood and Carlton. my question is: can the demons find a way to play against the man on man style and kick away again? It seems to me like our model stands up against certain teams but not others.

it's quite simple if you're a true demons supporter you'll be there no matter what

This is sound and rational. Trac already has put in an enormous season for us; injury of some/any description is reason to not play him against Brisbane, allowing for an extra week or so for significant recovery. It will break Trac's heart, it is disappointing for the fans; it transfers much of the responsibility for Trac's contributions to several 'cruisers' in the team (including thoughtful football) and is an important, highly motivating reason why the whole team should lift. Brizzy have players returning so our effort needs to be 100% across four quarters of team football. Should we win the game then Trac is ready for the next battle. If we lose the game, Trac is ready for the next season with less compromise across the board. We have the talent to win the game and the necessary personnel - stand up, Dees. I feel the same way about playing TMac and to a certain extent, Salem.

Luck isn't the sole reason for those 5 losses. But in four of those losses we led by at least 16 points, and in three of them we led by 20+. We were on the wrong side of two close games (first Sydney, second Collingwood) and we did enough to put ourselves in a winning position in the other two, plus honestly the Geelong game. What concerns me is less that we're 0-5, more that each one's been similar - starting well, fading mid/late, and in all bar the second Collingwood game unable to press far enough in the fourth to stem the tide or score enough to win. In those five games, we kicked 6.10 in the fourth quarters compared to 20.13. I fully believe we're capable of beating Brisbane, then Geelong, then (likely) Sydney to win it from here. But it's going to take a concerted effort to not be run over in the fourth quarter as we have been each time we've played a top 4 side this year.

From Bigfooty: All a bit ho hum, really. Looking forward to taking Melbourne out of the finals. We can’t pressure like Sydney is and we won’t get Melbourne so off. Plus we have no idea against Melbourne whatsoever Melbourne look very fragile, skittish even. Blueprint to beat melb is clearly shown by pies and swans this year. High pressure and switched on defensively as a whole team. Whether we are capable of producing that consistently across 4 qtrs is the big question No way we can play Mitch and mathieson on the G. Need runners on the G. Let’s see if we’ve learnt our lesson Playing smaller in the forward half critical I think Sydney just showed as well you need a **** tonne of pressure so Melbourne's wingers can't frolick away Melbourne lost all structure in their forward half tonight. It was beautiful to see. Bring on the Demons. We have nothing to lose. We lose, and it is what it is. Melbourne lose, and it's straight sets in a year they were meant to have their dynasty. Melbourne have been very beatable all year, it’s really only us that have made them look like invincible. Zorko to rip the Deamons hearts out by playing his best game for the year and totaly refusing to engage in the niggle. The only difference with the Dees is they defend, Tigers don’t. Only slight spanner in the works for us. One of my biggest observation was the Swans ability to stop the ball at the source. Constantly intercepting their handballs in close, not allowing the release kick. You need to be there to pressure them not necessarily with a tackle, but deny that first link in the chain. Swans did it all night. They didn't wait for Dees player to take possession. They literally crashed into them so there was no clean exit at all. Who would've thought. Melbourne struggle against teams applying pressure... FWIW they aren’t overly confident on Dees board. Because of the kerfuffle last game I reckon this is going to be a nasty game. If we are in the game at half time, I will back us in. They're too busy arguing about the % of Dees supporters in the crowd from last nighy Always, there have been soft kills everywhere last few years and we’ve missed every one of them. The fact that they've belted us every time is going to do their heads in if the game is competitive into the last quarter. My favourites: How am I supposed to concentrate at work all week? We have no smart small defender that can go with the skinny Melbourne bloke. Forgot his name. Kicked 6 in last years GF. He's going to chop us up.

Jackson to stay, Grundy to come over. We will be the kings of the long bomb to the forward pocket for the next decade!

Not sure if this has been posted but Gary Ayres Award (Best Finals Player) voting from the Game 10 - Steven May 8 - Luke Parker 3 - James Rowbotton 3- Jake Lloyd 3- Clayton Oliver 3- Callum Mills

Bet he still kicks a point…

Phew!

Unbelievably confident group of supporters considering they lost both games this year by 10 goals. It's funny how one average game by us and all of a sudden any team out there thinks they can beat us. FWIW, I'm wary of the Lions. I just feel it's not going to be as easy this time and the pressure will go up a notch. If we lose on Friday night this season will be an enormous fail.

Some are posters defending the long-bomb deep to the left-hand pocket tactic because 'it won us the premiership". So I went back and looked at where the GF goals were kicked from. Food for thought.

I have a feeling you might get you wish. But I maintain the position that if we need to play somebody with a hairline fracture just so we can beat the Lions, then our season is over anyway.

Ratugolea from the cats is rumoured to be looking around. One year left on the contract. I wouldn't mind him as a forward / ruck pinch hit for a relatively low cost. Rate him higher than weid and more mobile than b.brown. Would be happy to see him in demons colours

I get how most are feeling. More than a whiff of straight sets, banged up team and a lions outfit that will be hunting for revenge. Far from a guaranteed victory. Late start, late finish. Another ticket to purchase. If you're on the fence, I'd implore you to get along. We of all people know that finals absences can happen quickly, and we never know when we might get back to this position again with some key planks in our team starting to get on. Its largely the same team that gave us a flag last year. They're probably not at our best, but they deserve our support. As for the game, I attended many games when we had a less than 5% chance of winning. Comparatively this couldn't be more exciting with a PF on the line. Plenty of premier's have lost a QF - get along and support your team.

Remember when Fyfe tried to play thru a ‘hairline’ fracture years ago? Didn’t end well. Petracca shouldn’t play against Brisbane. Bring in Dunstan.

Happy 18th

I was in M50 on Friday night. Too bloody quiet! At the start of the third quarter, when we kicked those multiple goals, I stood up and shouted at the rows behind me to get involved! They pretty much all (about 3 rows) just looked at me like I was a crazed [censored]. A lack of passion. I can see where Petracca is coming from. I am sick of going to the footy and being shouted down by the likes of Sydney and Fremantle supporters. Seriously! As John Kennedy said, JUST DO!!!!

I think the current problem, with playing certain sides has emanated from winning a flag with a certain method. IMO this has allowed the FD to become sort of arrogant/stubborn, in that they refuse to change the method/game plan/selection in any way to suit the current circumstances, which are different to last year. We don't have a fit Tom Mac. We don't seem to win last quarters. We don't seem to be applying as much pressure and for as long. We are susceptible to pressure being applied to us. Our disposal efficiency is down. Our fitness may not be at the same level as last year. Many players have suffered injuries, or are out of form. We haven't blooded any new players to improve depth experience. Rival Coaches know our game plan and have worked out tactics to deal with our game plan. Rival Coaches have said we are very predictable and their players are coached as to what we will do. We appear to be slower than last year. The arrogance/stubbornness, comes from apparently not accepting that our game plan may not be what it was last year, as a result of the above factors and probably more I haven't mentioned and just sticking to the mantra of "our game plan will win the day if we do it better. " Well maybe it can't anymore, because it has been worked out, or we simply can't do it any better because of the factors above and others. Then again, we could be in a PF after friday night and that is a pretty good result.

You are certainly passionate about this supporter noise Dr G, but perhaps your message needs to be wider spread as I’m sure you are preaching to the converted on here. Just a few general points I’d like to add: - we are obviously, in the main, a far more conservative bunch than the pies, tigers and blues supporters - but they are not collectively called “feral” for no good reason. Although 80k turned up to Fridays game, there was no condition of entry that said they must make a lot of noise during the whole game. Your highlighted sentence above almost implies there is. - Think back to 2018 and the 2 finals we played. The noise was overwhelming because the brand of football we played then was fast and chaotic and generated so much fan excitement. As a team this year, we have been playing a really conservative, safe brand of football that is frankly uninspiring. Far too few exciting passages of play per game to really get the juices flowing and vocal chords singing. Improve our game plan and you will see a big difference in the level of noise. - our amazing cheer squad make an extraordinary amount of noise and it is a shame that it is not more infectious amongst the rest of the crowd. Perhaps if other supporters knew the Demon Army chants, that might assist in getting more noise participation. Perhaps if there was one particular chant that could be taught and collectively voiced (led by the DA) when we need a lift, that might help. Just a thought. May your voice be joined by 60K like minded supporters this coming Friday, Dr G, as the devastating realisation that our season could possibly come to a crushing end. If that doesn’t inspire noise, nothing will.

the ticketing system is like Melbourne's Fwd 50 entries.. everyone knows how bad it is.. but nothing ever changes.

It would be nice if the small forwards we had got front and square occasionally.

sadly I will drag my body along dc!

For mine, Petracca plays: While in the midfield Oliver is less likely to be tagged. We need Harmes or Brayshaw to mind Neale Even parked in the goal square he is dangerous as his many snaps out of pack goals show. He is unselfish around goal and if he can't kick he will hand ball. Petracca will attract a midfielder or a defender when forward. Not playing him just makes Brisbane's life easier. I just can't see any player we bring in being better overall value than Petracca.

I'd prefer JVR to replace Melksham. I've watched a fair bit of VFL this year and the kid takes a great mark and is a quality set shot. He'd take a lot more pressure off BBB as a leading forward option than Smith would. We should have given him an opportunity six weeks ago. Goodwin really hasn't rewarded good form in the vfl much at all this year or punished poor games in the seniors. I'm pretty dirty with Melksham's misses opportunities but I doubt anyone will get dropped. Is it stubbornness by Goody? I dunno. I feel like creating some more tension for spots might outweigh the benefits of backing your regulars but it's not going to happen. If we drop this next final what does it say to JVR who has been consistent all year while watching BBB struggle and Gawn not perform forward. Dunstan, who failed with his opportunity mid season but absolutely dominated that first final Chandler, who has been playing absolutely manically the last few weeks. Casey has been a bloody solid team all year who have responded to a lot of challenges and knuckled down and won (apart from one game). I would have liked to have seen more rotation between the two teams all year. But nope.

Both looked good in the VFL earlier today.

All good points. But we are 0-5 against the 3 clear best teams in the comp. Tough to argue we have been unlucky 5 times in a row.

The old “we supporters know best but the coaches are too stubborn/stupid to listen” is my absolute favourite thing on footy forums.

Not a rumour... Just my opinion. Dees should be chasing both Joel Amartey and Hayden McLean from the Swans. Both can play Forward and Ruck.