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The players were on the paddock early, so it was difficult to see who had light duties as most are already in the main group. Harry Petty running and kicking in his rehab phase, though still in runners. K.Turner in boots, but still in his running program. Hibbo training. Will Verrall training. James Harmes training. I cannot see Clayton Oliver. No BBB. No Jake Bowey, asked a staff member, and they said progressing well in the concussion protocols. He also said, they know they won ugly against Carlton and expect a close one against Collingwood. Extensive training session. Plenty of running and a drill I haven't seen before. They play keeping off, using an outside circle of players with the defenders inside. A kind of soccer warm up formation, but a larger area. Ball movement drills using 3/4 of the field. One group with the mids passing it round by hand, till a whistle and they find an outside runner that comes from the defensive group, who delivers to leading forwards. Two groups, one looking inside, the other towards the boundary for the runners. They are finishing up with more running. "Another ten and we go again". Tmac is observing from a wheelie frame, as his foot is heavily bandaged. End of the session. A few stay back, goal kicking and some pair up for ball handling, Sparrow and Laurie, Salem and McVee, and Verrall in for some extra running with a trainer on his shoulder.

Threat title looked like my cat walked across the keyboard. Love what Judd is bringing to the team, not bad for a rookie selection!

Footy is full of lies But I'd rather be labelled as a snow-goer than simply known as the filth, scum or ferels. So there's an upside!

I have a ticket to Mondays game, but am willing to swap it for a tour through Europe. DM me if interested.

My husband’s favorite thing about me going every week, is that for 24 hours post game I lose my voice and so I’m silent. He calls it the “post match bliss” 🙄😂

😊 RD 12 | Jaguar Electrifying Performance

I will say this, if I see Pies fans sitting in our reserved seat area I will get them kicked out. It’s happened before and they were drunk and aggressive. I don’t pay hundreds of dollars a year to sit with filth!

That suspension still makes me furious. Four weeks was ridiculous. By that metric De Goey should go to jail Chandlers suspension last year was equally frustrating.

DEMONLAND:

I went to both Collingwood games last year and swore they were my last. The overt aggressive support is no fun to be around. Gone are the days of the fun banter between supporters. At Collingwood games it's a barrage of froth, bubble and aggression. I'm no prude but I'm not interested in being around scum who swear every second word........in saying that I'll be there on Monday!

Every week there are predictions of omitting Spargo, ANB or Sparrow. Every second week Pickett gets thrown in. Yet, in the last three years there have been two more earthquakes in Melbourne than omissions of any of the above.

my favourite comeback to 'gone skiing' during the football season is 'ugh...as if we ski LOCAL! japan or aspen only, daaaaaaaaaarling' being fickle elitist rich snobs is one of the best stereotypes in sport

The clip doesn't show my favorite bit of play from the Judster against the blues. He had the ball right on the boundary line, feinted and everyone around him seemed to just stop, perhaps thinking the ball had gone over the boundary line - which i exactly what i thought had happened watching live. It was weird - normally players with the sort of natural time the judster has is the one who appears to be standing still, but in this instance, it was everyone else who stopped! (I think the bit of play i'm talking about is actually the very first clip of the Judster in that video - and if so, is cut off right before the good bit)

has a turn of speed that helps with 1:1 defending, positions himself cleverly in the contest, is a smart decision maker, and a good user there is heaps to like

You're kidding right? Sparrow has been fantastic since returning from his week suspension. No way he misses. Chandler, Spargo or Tomlinson are names off the top of my head that will miss before Sparrow does.

Been having similar discussions/arguments lately with a collingwood supporting workmate. Today he was bagging our attendance to games. I told him our average attendance was pretty good. He didn't like that .... Jumped on his phone and found we were 6th in the league behind the Big4 and Geelong. He didn't like that either and quietened down.

I've been reliably informed that exposure to the sun isn't good for a blister.

He's good in the wet then.

You don't want to be playing your best footy in June. Grand finals are not won in winter. They are really looking for the bye. You can't expect a young player like Daicos to be up all season. Yes, they lost and their defense was porous, but don't you love how they don't go into their shell and stick to their game plan. I know they lost, but geez don't you love watching them play. I know they lost, but i can't see the dees beating them with Sidebottom and De goey back in the team. Yada Yada Yada

Thanks as ever @kev martin for a really informative summary of the session. Very much appreciated mate.

If you have friends who are Pies fans, you should find better friends 😂

I hate Collingwood supporters, but on September 25th 2021 I promised myself I’d never miss another Melbourne game I could get to. If we lose it’ll be horrible, but if we win -god help them all.

I've been to every MFC home match this season. Please excuse me for not going on KB. Quite simply the filth people do my head in with their constant booing, yelling "ball" every few seconds and the ridicuous "USA, USA" chant. I hate the filth (to quote my ex wife)"with every fibre of my being". Although she said it in a different context. I promise to go to every other MFC home match this season ... and even matches at Marvel !! Am I forgiven?

I'm going to be in the AFL Reserve. May Got have mercy on my soul.

The game's a week away and we're in full-on competitive mode already That's the spirit!! My wish ... a one point win (after the siren) after Spargs receives a dodgy high contact free kick (with Ginnivan watching on)

I've found that as well. An example was in our loss to Freo, a supporter was claiming loudly that "if Lever plays again, he will never watch again". I am bewildered. Really unhappy people, or have such high expectations, or maybe entitlements. Where we have have been in the past 50 years, and where we are at the moment. That way of support doesn't add up?

Re 3 talls, I think Salem makes a huge difference to our ability to play 3 talls. He will take a while to get his touch back, but I watched him closely last week and his positioning is just elite. Whether it’s pushing up towards stoppages to stop the out the front exits from the opposition, or just being in an annoying position to mop up the scrubby kicks forward, he puts himself in positions that bring our interceptors into play. The last 2 weeks have been our statistically best defensive efforts this year, and Salem is a key reason (along with evening up the stoppage numbers since Clarry went down).

Thanks Kev and all posters very informative and entertaining as usual, hope Clayton and Hibbo hot to trot next Monday. Really looking forward to how we stack up against the Pies.

Can’t see Sparrow getting dropped. Most pressure acts vs Freo and second most vs Carlton. I reckon his suspension cost us 4 points against Port.

I wonder what crowds would be like if there was no alcohol served at the footy. I go to watch the footy, not network or to have drinks with my mates. As far as I'm concerned, you may as well stay at home if you spend half your time in the bar. But again, some MCC nuffies go purely to network. I'm not advocating no alcohol at games btw, just that I think a significant portion of the crowd wouldn't attend without it. It's become so engrained in the fabric of footy. The last few weeks in the MCC has been intolerable. People stand up in front of you 25-30 times a game, mid play. They don't even wait for stoppages anymore. I'm sorry to hear this about your co-worker. That's pathetic.

This will probably be an unpopular thought but I actually didn't think Tomlinson played a bad game, and I don't think it's a coincidence that Lever had one of his best games for the year with him in. McKay is a bloody good footballer and was getting regular (and quite often unpressured) service, getting hands on the ball hasn't been his problem it's the finishing that's been his main issue. I personally think Tommo stays, as does Smith. Unless there are absolute gun footballers that are direct replacements (say a Petty or Oliver) I say given them a body of games to prove their worth to the team. Our backline functions better with to key pillars complimenting the Lever interceptor. And JVR and Smith seemed to have space from each other which is actually what Roo needs, space to have his opponent one on one. I would expect more from Smith going forward, but giving him one game and dropping is going to do nothing for him or the team. Bowser for Hibberd Sparrow for for Oliver (Sparrow Sub)

maybe he's just wearing his cloak of invisibility.

And if we do watch the commentators say " oh they were due for a loss, they have been up for so long, you can't keep up that pace all season, De Goey missing has cost them" blah blah blah.

You clearly don't sit anywhere near Mrs Dw or myself. I had to move from where I was sitting for the Carlstink game because I was making a small child cry, I was that loud.

What, in jail?

You wonder how De Goey gets 3, for concussing his victim, putting him out of that game and the next and Kozzie gets 2 for no injury at all to his victim and he jumps up smiling and pats Kozzie on the bum. How is it only one more for De Goey in those circumstances? Surely it’s only 1 for Kozzie, or 4 at least for De Goey. No wonder the system is a farcical disaster.

A little mid season reminder... form ≠ possessions

Tomlinson stays. 7 cm taller than hibberd. No cooincidence imo May and Lever had best game of the seadon with 2021 looking defence. Hibberd in for Bowey. Maybe takes Elliot

Il be there also... feels like the biggest game we've played since the GF. I hope we bring our a game...

Still haven't answered the question @JimmyGadson.

100%! Our supporters seem loudest when they are bemoaning their own team. I've started calling for free kicks even when I know they're not there just to get the noise levels up and start putting pressure on the umpires. People around me were doing the same in the Freo game especially when we got within a kick or so. The players feed off the energy and noise of the crowd, anyone who doesn't think so is deluded.

Well in my job I deal with a lot of lawyers and doctors and I know plenty of Melbourne supporters. I guess it just depends on which demographics you mix with 😉

At the Freo loss old mate up back of our bay kept yelling that Harmes shouldn't get another game, and that he should go back to the VFL, because that was his standard. Admittedly Harmes did quite a few stinker things that day, but he's got a well earnt premiership medallion and a memory of kicking that brilliant pass to Fritta that turned the game that old mate will never have.

I play up on it too. Was in a pub in Taralgon with my MFC scarf on a few weeks back and joked to my gf that it was a stop off on the way to Baw Baw from her place. Asked the barman if they had any cheese boards i could try. Then on the other hand in a pub in Newbrough wearing the scarf, I was asked what that '[censored]#t' thing I had around my neck was. Classy. Amazing the guy could talk without any teeth. Probably a Collingwood supporter.

I'd reckon even with a smaller supporter base, a lot of Demon fans have been making the effort to attend games this year. At work we have a Demons chat of about 20 people (tiny, I know), mostly based in Melbourne. At least 5 of us are interstate and we are all travelling down and meeting family / friends to support the Dees at on Monday. Further, at least 3 or 4 of us (myself included) all independently arranged to go to the Suns game. Now, obviously this is an incredibly small, anecdotal sample size... but none of us spoke to each other about whether we were going to games. So the effort is heartening to see!

These clowns are the only bad thing about the site in reality. We have a club that won a flag 2 years ago, has the best 3 players of the last 30 years in the team, and has a crack every week. I enjoy this footy parallel universe to the previous 50 years and the incessant negativity / baiting is moronic, low brow and juvenile. Always the same posters and I have neither the will nor inclination to engage but it is almost always a frustration.

I really liked the look of JVR on Friday night he has footy nous and steely determination great teamwork and kicks goals and he really earnt this nomination. Well done young man, so glad we didn’t rush him last year it has paid off in spades. Looking forward to a long career in the Red and Blue.!!!!

David Schwarz?