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These dreams go on when I close my eyes Every second of the night I live another life These dreams that sleep when it's cold outside Every moment I'm awake the further I'm away. HEART Oh my God, what a Dream I had last night, several Demonlanders were featured! And before some of you start thinking strange… It wasn’t one of those dreams at all. But it remains vivid and live and the scene was set at my training report at Casey. I arrived and then…………. Came the familiar song Daht dar dar daaar Dat dar dar Dat the Dat Dar Dut da dar dar Dar ….. And before I knew it there he Was INDIANA JONES Right before my eyes WOW INDY “Stop STAY out of the light” P.F “Sure Indy whatever you say” INDY Puts out his hand in the light and a turnpike complete with Mumified remains scuttles past my nose. INDY “ This is where FORESTAL Cashed in” P.F “Ä competitor”? INDY “ He was good he was very very good”…. Oh oh looks like we got company! Fence turning around and there standing there was … Bitter but Twisted, WCW and Dazzle Davey 36! WCW “ Where the heck am I? I was making the banner when whoosh Im now here? Oh Bloody hell Uncle Bitter is here as well, what a nightmare, whats your story” Uncle Bitter “ I was talking to my surveyor about putting in extra security at the Mannor and all of a sudden a Whoosh and I’m Here, Fence whats going on”? Hang that’s not Dazzle Davey 36 over there is it”?” Dazzle Davey 36 “ How did I get caught up in this Fence, I want some answers”, quick”! P.F Dazzle man, what have you got in the kit bag, it looks like a protractor, a set square and a Copy of Peter Schokmans book “ Fitness for football” as well as a BMI Profiler and is that a Sonic Screwdriver?? Dazzle Davey 36 “ How would I know Fence, this is your STUPID DREAM?? Uncle Bitter “ He looks totally LOADED with all that apparatus” Dazzle Davey 36 “ Don’t get me started on LOADING Uncle”! Uncle Bitter “ CRIKEY its as Cold as a Mother in Laws Kiss down here Fence. WCW “ I reckon I just saw a Yeti and Two Abominable Snowmen lurking” Uncle Bitter” Hey WCW What do Collingwood supporters order from the Fish and Chip Shop” WCW “ This better be good Bitter and Twisted” Uncle Bitter “ GUMMY FLAKE!!! OH HO HO HO ALL IN UNISON “FENCE WHATS GOING ON”????? Fence turns to Indy and says “ ASK INDIANA JONES”!! All turn to Indy who dips his fedora and smiling sartorially starts to speak. INDY ‘’ Well as you all know I star in the next movie which sets on the mythical but possibly true device called the Dial of Destiny which is sort of a link to time travel. Each universe has a paralell and as I was fidling with this Gizmo I saw a Vision of a Bloke from your past who was a revolutionary Coach by the name of NORM SMITH. Now legend has it that he wrote a lot more about the nature of the game, set plays, strategies, Fitness and so on” Said to be manuscript in length and professionally edited and complex in nature it sets out in almost foolproof form a formula to win Premiership after Premiership after Premiership. As such it’s a mantra for success! Norm worked at a place called Millers Rope works in Brunswick and later took over an engineering business, but one day whilst working at Millers the regular Driver took sick and an urgent order of Premium Twine was sent out to a place called Shire of Cranbourne with map reference to now where this Ground casey fields sits. Apparently the place was overum with wild animals and the farmers and locals were terrified to go out at night, hence the need to rope of farm land and keep Wild animals at Bay. Anyway Norms Manuscript was in the car and after he delivered the Rope returned to the Car to find the Manuscript GONE!!. He had locked the car and so had no idea where the Manuscript had gone. As he vainly went back to the farm house his car suddenly started sinking into the abyss that is now …. Pointing to the lake where it was never seen again…. So I am here to search for it and return it to the custodians of your Melbourne Football Club via …. YOU FOUR PEOPLE!! You then give it to a guy called Simon Goodwin for some INSPIRATION!! WCW “ WOW Fence what did you have before bed to Dream this stuff up”’ Uncle Bitter “ I can personally Vouch for Fence. He only ever drinks the Good stuff, Bowlers Run Red from Dan’s at $2.99!! Chortlingly good drop Dazzle Davey 36 “ Fence I’m expecting a big fat royalty cheque when this gets published In fact… Do you need a manager?? AND AS QUICKLY AS IT HAPPENED I WOKE UP AND REALITY SET IN!! What a dream, Ä Strange Fantastic Dream. Hmm, it didn’t really happen… DID IT!? TRAINING REPORT I'll start by saying it was as cold as an exgirlfriends stare this morning at Casey. Its stark featureless lanscape drifted seemlessly into the incandescant beackdrop of a bleak rain drizzled day and as iterated it was cold. REHAB T MAC confined to Gym duties and KYE TURNER doing drills with medical staff SKILLS , DRILLS AND MANOUVERS. Various drills consisting of skill implemenations of overall game plan, Run and overlap, quick in tight handball, Kicking to a leading player, ( Something we dont see enough of in MATCH CONDITIONS, plenty of run and carry and high emphasis of ball use to advantage. A couple of things I noted were 1 Forwards were practicing shots for goals from all angles, none of this fancy around the corner stuff , all intent on a set shot routine and repetition of consistency BBB Just did not miss from anywhere. 2 Harrison Petty was training mainly in drills with defenders and Joel Smith with forwards. 3 Clarry ?? Well he didn't miss a beat did all work with main group, and was typically Clarry like. Was he going at Full pace??? This is the million dollar question, and given that at no stage did I see any of the groups in drills going at 100% intensity I would concure then that he did what was expected no less no more. IMV He is right to go so to rule him out already adds another interesting layer to the natrrative and dialogue we have been fed. 4 Fumbles? Well there was a few, and yes it was wet BUT again I bring back the intensity and skill levels required at this level. If you fumble in training , well ya going to fumble in a match where pressure really ramps up. 5 Stand out trainers, not that they were standouts but VINES and HIBBO who were both under some injury clouds were out training. From my perspective I was impressed with Verall, BBB, Grundy, Hunter, Bowser, and Thommo. Melky was clean, and I also thought Woey was very very good and cant be far of a game. Other than that I arrived at 9.30 and left just before 11.00 I did see the scoreboard set up for what looked like match sim however I would doubt whether this would have been done during main session given timelines for play. Think emphasis today was building wet weather skills into broader game style. Cheers P.F

Please bring this man back into the side. Our forward line is mess at the moment for a side that is supposedly contending for the flag. Bring in someone with proven forward craft that will nail the shots that a forward is supposed to get.

I think that’s a really poor appraisal of what BBB brings to us. He’s never crumbled at the top level, he trains and plays as well as his degenerative knee allows him. He also supports the AFLW side with coaching. He’s been a great asset to the club. I think he’s cooked but can’t wait for him to prove me wrong.

The happy, Choco getting AFL Hall of Fame recognition. Congratulations and well deserved. The sad, the passing of Matt Rendell, a nice guy that I met a few times, a very good footballer, coach and recruiter. Sincere condolences to family and friends. RIP Bundy.

It appears they've set BBB for a 8 match season. Looked cooked, has knee drained and seems to be moving better. I reckon he'll play this week. Whether it works for us is yet to be seen. From what I've seen of him before the Geelong game he looked done. In the Geelong game he seemed to be moving much better. If he comes in, moves well, takes 6-8 marks and kicks 3 then just maybe he's not cooked just yet. It's pretty clear our whole season is set up only for finals. Nothing else matters. I remain incredibly positive about our chances.

Farris needs to bulk up and be a little cleaner with the ball. Verrall, needs more time. They have been using him as a forward at the last couple of trainings I was at. Moves well for his size,

Apologies if already put in but for the doomsayers have a listen to the Champion Data guy at 18 minutes in on this

Don't know about the next Jackson but I like the look of Verrall. I think he will be player if he gets a clear run with injury. Farris-White is very much a project, a longer road.

I don’t think that is true. Last year we were banged up, we couldn’t win many second halves. Even in games we won well in our streak last year. This year in the last 6 weeks, we have nailed our press against good teams. We have won contested possession against good teams. Apart from last week, we were fine in last quarters. The gap in forward connection is structurally fixable to some degree, also trust can increase and make an impact, and simple decision making can also improve that execution in final third. I think the rest of the year will play out like this - we will get it together against some teams and smash them with our press funnelling deep entries and goals, win a ho hum 5 goal dominant game, and then we will have a couple of games where we will struggle to kick 10 goals, and we will see if our team defence can keep them to 8 goals… Never out of a game but also rarely destroying teams out of having a chance. We are a huge chance this year unless Port or Geelong click into Red Hot September. All teams have deficiencies. Ours are important, but because of team defence - it is coverable.

Nice of Steve Smith to score his ton during half time.

We should take care of our own business and not expect anyone else to take care of it for us. Do that and it won't matter what other teams do.

This tweet provides an interesting example of how the footy media often uses data to create a narrative and/or advance a specific argument. Let's say Montagna wanted some data to strengthen his argument that the demons have a 'scoring issue'. He might use this single data point - and the tweet itself - to make his case. He and King use a single data point all the time to do exactly that (ie advance a specific, often narrow, argument). And just as Justin Giuliano does with that tweet, they often use a psychological technique called 'framing'. Framing, which i think has its origins in advertising, is very widely used in advocacy, government, campaigning, polling etc etc. The goal of framing is to influence the recipient's thinking to achieve a specific aim or advance a specific agenda. In the case of advertisers, the aim is to sell stuff. For government, it might be to promote a particular policy position (a classic example, that is often used to demonstrate the framing technique, is the language the Labor and Liberal parties use to dehumanize people seeking asylum in Australia by boat). In his tweet, Giuliano has used framing to influence reader's analysis of the data in the tweet - the dees have 'scoring problems' This is achieved by an explanatory para that primes readers to read the chart through the lens of the dees' supposed 'scoring troubles'. And doubles down on that framing by comparing us with a team in historically poor form - and uses a shocked emoji to not so subtlety ram his point home: 'Another perspective of the Dees' recent scoring troubles is looking at points scored per inside 50. Whilst Dees are 8th overall this season with 1.61 points per I50, they are 17th over the last 5 weeks (4 games), only marginally better than the Eagles (1.13 vs 1.11)😮' What i would like to see is Champion Data and the analysts in the footy media help educate footy fans on how to interpret and understand data, not use it to prime them to prima facie accept an argument they making. Without getting into the discussion about whether we have a 'scoring problem', here are the contextual thoughts and questions i had when reading the chart to help me understand what it was saying and put the data into some sort of context: Unlike the Eagles, we are a forward half team that looks to trap it in our forward line, and if we can't do so, set up a wall to increase the likelihood we will turn it over at half forward and re-enter our 50 That model means the ball is often coming back into a very crowed forward line because almost all players from both teams have pressed up into our forward half Logic suggests that a crowded forward line makes it harder to score, which probably helps explain why we are still only mid table for points scored per inside 50 even when traveling well What then are our re-entry numbers in this period, have they dropped off too? Are our tackles inside 50 stats relevant here? Have all teams dropped off in that stat in the relevant time period (that's to say is this a league wide trend we are tracking with)? Is the drop of consistent and/or correlated and/or explained and/or interconnected with other relevant stats (eg accuracy)? Is there any key personnel differences that should be factored in (eg no genuine second tall in these four games)? Logic suggests young players will be impacted by fatigue more than seasoned players (as evidenced in the drop off in player ratings and pressure points for young players in this phase of the season) How much weight then should be given to the fact that with JVR, Chandler, Kozzie and Chandler we have a very young forward line that is very likely to be struggling with the rigors of an AFL season in this period? If we are comparing the dees to the Eagles, how young is their forward line? The sample size is very small - only four games Who were those four games against (answer: Freo, Blues, Pies and Cats)? How much weight should be given to the quality of the opposition (by way of contrast, in that same period, the Pies played the Roos, Eagles, Dees and the Crows)? How much weight should be given to the fact that 25% of the teams in the sample are one on top of the AFL ladder and have a very strong defensive system? Is it relevant that we had 9 more scoring shots than the Pies? In the four games in the chart, should the conditions be factored into the analysis? As an example of the relevance of the above question, the Blues and Cats' games were played at night in cold, dewy conditions and the cats games was also wet and slippery conditions - logic suggests that it is harder to convert inside 50s into scores in such conditions Given 50% of the games were played at night and 25% of the sample size were played in wet conditions, how much does that skew the results? What were the conditions the Eagles played in - are we comparing like for like? What is AFL average score to inside 50 ratio in wet conditions? How much weight should be given to the fact that 25% of the sample size is at a ground that is different in shape and size to every other AFL ground, is hard to score at and the narrowness of the ground makes for crowded forward lines? How much weight should be given to the fact that 25% of the sample size is against a team (the Cats) that has a massive home ground advantage, plays the ground well, trains on the ground, and has created a defensive system perfectly suited for that venue (not to mention having one of the best key defenders in the AFL in Stewart)? What is the dees historical score to inside 50 ratio at Kardinia park? What are other teams score to inside 50 ratio at Kardinia park? Historically, how important/significant is score to inside 50 ratio in terms of it being a useful indicator of the chances of winning a flag, ie does it actually matter if we are down on that stat? What was the dees score to inside 50 ratio in the corresponding period last year? What was the dees score to inside 50 ratio in 2021 home and away season? What was the dees score to inside 50 ratio from round 16 in 2021 and 2022 (ie should we expect this stat to improve- this would be useful to know, because if the answer is yes, then it might be an issue of concern if it doesn't rebound)? What was the dees score to inside 50 ratio in the 2021 finals series? What was the score to inside 50 ratio for the winners of the last say, 10 flags? Why was this particular time frame (five weeks) chosen - because it suited a particular narrative? Why do he choose, for instance, not to go back another two week and include our loss to Port and the demolition of the hawks - that would give a more representative sample size (ie the last six games versus the 8 previous games)? Do we have a 'scoring problem? Alternatively, we could just accept the author's framing, and simply agree with what we are being primed to think - the dees have 'scoring problems'.

Feel very sad for Matt Rendell and his family, watched his son on 360 last night such a shock for them all. I felt very proud for Mark Williams a genuine Legend of the game, so happy that he received this recognition and I hope that he ends his footy life with the mighty Demons., Mark is such a colourful character and it would be great to work with and for him.!!

I honestly can't see how he gets back to full fitness this year. The only thing that would get him a game right now is his incredible aerobic ability to cover the ground, and it would be a minor miracle for him to regain that having missed half a pre season and half a season. He was in poor form earlier in the year even before this latest setback, and we are already carrying an underdone Gawn. Two big men who can't get out of first gear is hardly ideal. Add to that BBB, and you are left with a very immobile and slow forwardline. As for JVR, I would rest him for rounds 21-23 and bring him back ahead of finals. He is giving us a good contest, and of all the forward this year, he has been the one to nail crucial shots on goal at critical times. I reckon he would thrive in finals, and it would be a mistake to drop him. If he has a stinker in week 1, then you can review it. But he deserves to play. I also want to see him play alongside BBB. I think the protection another really big body will afford him, will totally change his game.

Feels like you’ve gone full doom spiral @praha. I’d be really keen to know what our inside 50 conversion looked like in 2021. It’s never been our strong suit. I can’t accept that we never looked like beating Port or Geelong. Geelong FFS we were leading for most of the game! Port we absolutely looked like winning at 3QT and I’ll continue to argue we were quite good in that game despite it being in the wet and on the road. And Fremantle was a game we should have won had we simply kicked straight. A lot of what we are doing on game day is what we need to do to win the flag. It isn’t enough right now because we keep missing easy shots on goal and wasting good scoring chains with bad kicks inside 50. I agree that it isn’t as simple as flicking a switch but I can’t accept we’re closer to falling apart than putting it all together.

Alan Scott will be delighted !!

I think Browns a long shot but I was wrong once before about 26 years ago

Both JVR and Brown should have been named on the ground, Chandler and ANF both very lucky and don’t fill me with any confidence. I’d love to see Joel Smith and Fritsch playing alongside Brown and JVR, two tall, two mobile medium and a couple of small forwards (not the four that had made our forward line impotent) would be a handful for any defence in the league. Hopefully the coaching staff make amends for dropping Tomlinson after his best game for the club and bringing in an underdone Petty (at least he wasn’t played forward). We badly missed Bowey’s composure last week.

The Uncle Bitter convoy has arrived in the fair Hamlet of Burra on route to Alice. The locals are very excited of course. I'm currently enjoying a libation at "The Burra" and , I must say the dining facilities are very pleasant (albeit rustic)!

Playing tMac over JVR if we've got Brown playing ain't going to happen. We can't have 2 defensive liabilities in our forward line ever again. We've already got Fritsch who I actually think has improved this year.

Verrall was a top under 18 ruck prospect. he is very mobile and a good pick up. Pity he got injured but has all the attributes to develop into a solid AFL footballer

Totally agree, think they have been managing him. He is most definitely in our best fwd line. And if you look back Grundy and Gawn had the most impact forward of the ball when Brown was playing. I think he unlocks a different dimension up there. All of a sudden teams have to defend BBB, JVR, Gawn/Grundy and Fritch on the lead and in the air.

Binman? More like Clingman. I’m here all week, try the veal.

Hopefully they will also be skewed by the final 9 weeks of the season (inclusive of finals) - you know, like they were in 2021.

If I had to recommend an employer with excellent job security, it'd be the MFC

Can't imagine we are putting BBB on a plane unless he's playing. Bowey has to come in.

Just watched pure footy podcast with hoyne and kingy and he was saying without the footy we are better than 2021 we are number 1 by a fair margin just need to tidy up what we are doing forward, kind of gives you hope I suppose seeing these stats and history shows they mean a lot when we get to the pointy end. Ben brown has to come in imo he straightens us up, also we need clarry back asap as trac can go forward as he is number 1 in the comp for generating a scores when targeted going forward from rounds 1-9 petracca played 31% forward we averaged 106.9 points rounds 10-15 6% forward we averaged 67.6 points petracca has been targeted 13 times forward this year with 92% score rate which is insane and number 1 in the comp by a fair margin. so going forward bbb to come in Bowey to come in and petracca forward 50/50 if possible I know that may not happen till clarry is back but worth trying give brayshaw and sparrow and kozzie/Rivers more midfield minutes

BBB had a great start to the year - something like 10 goals in the first couple of games before coming out of the side. The main thing for mine is the f50 movement. We need to create space in there but instead end up all leading to the hot spot which makes it easier for opposition defenders to work off their man and spoil / intercept. If there are set leading patterns into different areas there is a better chance to hit a target when they are isolated.

It’s still June - I haven’t seen a AFL premiership flag awarded until September and on the odd occasion October! Our injury list is small, assuming Oliver’s hamstring comes good and Hibbo recovers, we can hopefully hit August and September being very close to having a best 23 available. We improve the forward line 10-20%, kick straight for goal and we are in this years flag hunt up to our eyeballs! Pies are a very good team, but high risk might not stack up under PF/GF pressure! Port on fire at moment, but how will their young guns in Butters, Rozee and Horn Francis be travelling in September and they don’t get home ground umpiring favouritism at the MCG on GF day if they make it that far! Brisbane game style and having to play any finals in Victoria, sees them falling short. Coming from position 5-8 is unlikely, no matter who it is! As long as we stay relatively injury free and make top 4 we are right in the hunt for the flag, that will be won in September!!!

you new here? 😜

I was impressed with him from what I watched of Casey on the weekend. Think he will be a player.

If we don’t make a prelim - it’s a failed year. That remains until May/Gawn retire for any season we have few injuries to stars. These expectations are the price of having this galaxy of stars.

Defenders win premierships Forwards sell memberships

It’s weird that Trac is classified as a forward. While he spends some time forward, he’s clearly a midfielder. He averages nearly 30 touches a game, approx 7 clearances a game, spends most of his game time around the ball and averages less than a goal a game. We’d love to have the flexibility to play him more forward at times, and we’d love for him to improve his scoring accuracy (28% and worst in the league!), but fact is he’s a midfielder and shouldn’t be part of these rankings. On another note, these rankings are dog****. I’ll eat my hat if Mitch Lewis is better than Jeremy Cameron, Tex Walker, Hawkins, Finlayson etc. Larkey being down the bottom of the list statistically equal with Hipwood is also a laugh. Credibility of these rankings is zero. There’s gathering data, then there’s analyzing data. Champion data can perhaps gather data fine, but their analysis is as accurate as a blind 4 year old [censored] themselves while watching Teletubbies and ranking things based off color.

History heavily suggesting a solid Dee’s win.

I just listened to Goody's press conference and he says TMac 'is probably 3 or 4 weeks away at the moment'. I'd suggest they're targeting Rounds 19 or 20 for his return, so that we get enough time to adjust to the forward system with TMac and Brown in it (both of them potentially) and to build synergy again with the other forwards and the mids. Goody mentioned the word synergy and we know he values continuity to build cohesion and improve ball movement, so it'll be interesting to see if Tom is ready as well. JVR might just end up being the unlucky one this year, because I can't imagine we'll play JVR, TMac and BB in the same forwardline if we continue with Max or Grundy forward. Also going from Goody's presser, he says Max and Grundy are working from a rucking perspective, as we've started to get our clearance game going recently, but that we'd like to see more of them forward of centre. So the forwardline around Round 20ish (injury and rehab permitting) should have all our talls available: JVR, TMac, BB, Smith and Max/Grundy. If Selwyn and the conditioning team can get TMac ready to go in time and maintain the fitness of everyone else, plus get Clarry back to normal, we'll be really well placed to attack those last 5 weeks. We won't be going with the two defensive talls (May and Lever by themselves) again either by the sounds of it, unless it's completely out of necessity. I took Goody's comments to mean Petty stays back now. Particularly, if we have BB and TMac to choose from in time. With the exception of Bowser for Hibbo this week, likely changes will come in the forward half if BB comes in. If so, it'll be interesting to see whether they give JVR a rest or drop Smith. The pressure for spots is really heating up, which is great and will be compounded again when we try to fit Clarry back into the midfield.

Verrall's size is coming along nicely. Good prospect to follow with interest.

Hibbo a massive loss

Which means we're following the 2021 set up, except I assume it's JVR for TMac staying in. I think we have to use Grundy as the forward with bursts in the middle personally. More like how we utilised Jackson. And when Max isn't rucking or floating behind the ball, he's resting on the bench and JVR or Brown are doing the inside 50 ruck work (as Grundy stays behind the ball).

Sounds like Brown and Bowey are likely ins going of Goodys presser. Also, reading between the lines, it sounds like they will stick with Petty back as the preferred set up for May and Lever.

64,939

100% agree (assuming we don't get hit with injuries to multiple key best say top 10 players). In fact, i think an argument could be made, that not making the GF would be a fail (with the same caveat).

Agree! He's ready and much needed.

Not at all. I admire what McRae has been able to do in a short amount time, but at the end of the day, they lost their first final, only beat Freo by 20 points and then lost their prelim. It's a system that doesn't stand up in finals... so far. Yes, absolutely. They're great to watch. A bit like us under Daniher. And the Bulldogs in 2021. That's all well and good, but I'd rather a so called 'dour' system and style that wins you premierships. Clearly you'd be happy just going deep in finals and looking good. I wonder how you'd be viewing us if the shoe were on the other foot. Given your glass half empty approach to most things Melbourne, I'd wager you'd be saying exactly as I have above. That you'd prefer winning flags than looking good. And just on the unbelievably exciting and fast paced brand, this is a furphy. Goodwin's style is incredibly exciting and fast paced earlier in the season (many on Demonland often lament that we started the season with more dare, just as they did in 2021) and in the 2021 finals series delivered arguably the most comprehensive finals series of all time. But I'm sure you'll say, oh, that was 2021. Well, the more negative and defensive style still delivered 2nd spot last year, despite us not being able to run out games in the second half of the year. This last point is not a game style problem, it's a fitness problem. If you want to win premierships, you have to be one of the fittest teams out there and then still it takes a huge amount of luck and other factors going your way. Yeah, sure, arousal levels. Okay, they've got arousal levels off their crowds. I'd again argue that playing contested, uncompromising football is a pretty good way to inspire and motivate players as well. But yes, I'd love a bigger crowd. This is hardly going to be changed by playing a more attacking style. We have the best supporter to member ratio and our attendances are bloody good for the size of our supporter base as evidenced by currently breaking the home attendance record, which eclipses our huge crowds in the 1960s. Well, actually, it can be argued. Our second half of last year wasn't helped by our predictable ball movement, but fitness was clearly the number one downfall of our game in the second half of last year - you couldn't dispute any other way given we were 10 zip, it's all about our failures in the second half of the year. However, in the second half of the year, we led against Collingwood at 3/4 time of both games against them, we led at half time in both finals and we led at half time against Freo in Round 11, were 2 points down at half time against Sydney in Round 12, we beat Brisbane by 10 goals at the MCG in Round 15, we beat Adelaide in Adelaide by 5 goals in Round 16, we were 4 points down to Geelong in Geelong at half time (we drew level just before 3/4 time) in Round 17, we beat Port in Adelaide in Round 18, we led to 3/4 time against the Bulldogs at Marvel (a game that was not a Melbourne game at all - a shoot out), we beat Freo by over 7 goals in the West in Round 20, beat a desperate Carlton playing for their season by 7 points in Round 22 and mauled Brisbane by 10 goals up at the Gabba in the final round. Collingwood have been a more consistent because they've been fitter over the last 12 months. That part cannot be debated or denied. But to argue their brand is more consistent is to miss the point. Our brand was super consistent last year. This year, we've been less consistent IMV, but still sit inside the top 4 with the 2nd best percentage, -4% to Collingwood, who have won 3 more games! The thing about Collingwood is they have consistently fallen over the line against teams. They rarely control games. Eventually, that belief in the come from behind, attack at all costs will dwindle and they'll be left with self doubt and their system will leak goals. Will it happen this year? Let's revisit this point at the end of 2023. They have a very strong offensive game, no doubt. So did the Bulldogs in 2021. The Bulldogs game style was reliant on handballs to chain out of contest that could be stopped at the source. This protected their unsophisticated defensive system. I wouldn't say Collingwood's defensive system is unsophisticated, but it does rely heavily on the likes of Moore and Howe to intercept and Quaynor to win 1v1s, and to take territory with their kickers. Our system used to be very reliant on May and Lever. To an extent it obviously still is, but we don't rely on May and Lever taking intercept marks to score or to stop the opposition from scoring. And IMV, our midfield is superior to Collingwood's, but less skilled by foot. And again, their brilliant win loss ratio is of course in part to their offensive, take it on game style, but without superior fitness they would not be coming back repeatedly in 4th quarters or being able to defend turnover. Take away their come from behind victories and I think you'd find their record to be heinous. As I say, they're rarely in control of games and they're always chasing. It means they're very vulnerable to mental fatigue. Again, this is a wait and see what happens in the finals series and the back end of 2023. I made the crude comparison merely in terms of their stoppage focus (sending +1 and +2 to contest, which we did prior to 6-6-6) and their ability to be exposed on defensive transition. Their defensive personnel is better given Moore, Maynard and Howe, but the latter two are undersized and usually rely on intercept and get shown up against bigger opposition (think Geelong and Brisbane). I'd take our 2018 midfield over their 2023 midfield, but then they have more elite ball users than we had, which is foundational to their game. 2019 is irrelevant. I was merely comparing game styles. And yes, I expect Collingwood to come back to the pack when sides go to work on them, which they are. Whereas, Collingwood were in all three finals and managed to win one. We both made a prelim. Their 2022 finals campaign was better than ours (clearly) for their prelim effort, but again, this is a side that has failed to make a GF. Yet, the esteem with which they're being held in is one of a premier or at least someone that got close in a GF. They didn't even make it to one! Again, I suspect if the shoe were on the pessimist's other foot, you'd be decrying our inability to get to the big one and that our game style, although getting us wins during the H&A season, had failed to get the job down when it came down to finals pressure. I doubt you'd be talking about the positives of arousal levels... We were vulnerable in the second half of the year, because sides knew they could overrun us then. Conversely, in 2021, sides realised we'd strangle them and rarely give them a sniff, because we were the fitness team in it. Again, we were ahead at half time in both our finals and in our second final, we'd beaten that opposition less than a month earlier on their home deck by 10 goals. That was the story of our season. That we'd consistently fail to run out games. Nothing to do with game style or arousal levels or some other furphy. Perhaps. This is your half empty approach again. Wasting our talent? Really? We're 4th FFS. Get a grip. Anyone would think we were languishing on the fringe of the 8. By the way, are you back from swanning around in Europe yet or are you still picking and choosing when to come to games? Don't tell me you're refusing to attend games because you don't like the game style.

This may be due to the unsettled situation in Alice, I thought that the ground looked very hard last year a bit of rain may make it a bit easier to play on. We were fortunate last year very cold in the morning but beautiful and sunny low twenties come game time. Good luck to all supporters that are attending would have rather played GWS last year than Port they have a lot of supporters and the flight back to Adelaide we were outnumbered. Lol.!!!

You think the style of football they play is better than our style? Their style leaves them incredibly vulnerable to the counter, and is basically just rolling the dice with every play, adding numbers to contests and hoping numbers win out. We've been here before. We tried that in 2018. It's vulnerable to a sophisticated defensive system and to pressure. The mindless idealisation of Collingwood is quite bewildering on here. Is it a case of the grass is always greener or do people just swallow the media narrative? And make no mistake, Collingwood drives clicks and sells papers, so manufacturing an unbeatable aura around them (despite failing to even make a GF last year) is profitable and beneficial for media outlets. If it were the Bulldogs or the Saints, or even GWS or Gold Coast, the hype would not exist. Simple as that.

Yes mate, the boy from Shepparton United. Whilst their is still water to go under the bridge with most kids during their 15's and 16's year level, Onley is a kid with serious talent. For his age he's already quiet tall for a midfielder (193cm). Previous to this year he was alternating between forward and back before they switched into the midfield where he absolutely dominated. Certainly one to keep and eye on.

Unlikely...if not there's always Uncle's stash! That's assuming they don't crack in the boot of the Bentleigh on the road trip up.

According to the above we are ranked No.1 slightly ahead of Pies nothing to do with 2021.!! So we are doing a lot of things right straighten up the kicking in the second half and who knows.

People look at the prelim and grand final in 2021 and somehow think this level of perfection is sustainable or even repeatable. It is not. We were never this good during the H&A season and we will probably never be this good again. It was a freak performance that was up there with one of the greatest finals performances of all time. The more we expect to see it again, the more disappointed we will be.