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Geez this place bounces wildly back and forth on Sparrow. I said this after the 2021 grand final and I'll say it again now. He's a great role player who has limitations with his disposal but absolutely busts his backside and always cracks in hard. He had 0 CBAs today so naturally his disposals are down. 6 score involvements is solid work though. And his effort is all over the tracker sheet. 2nd in sprint distance. 2nd in average speed. 4th in total sprints. 2nd in average speed in attack. Stop with this madness that he'd get dropped for a kid.

So once again the journos and numpties on Twitter spent yesterday having a go at Melbourne about the crowd - where were they? why do they play Melbourne games at the MCG if they can't fill it? They'll always be a nothing club, blah blah blah. We've heard it all before, right? Here's my perspective: - 44,000 is still higher than the 2023 crowd average of 35,000 - the crowd yesterday was overwhelmingly Melbourne, yet no one was saying "where are the Bulldogs fans"? Why is that? Oh, because they're the darlings of the league. - The TV was focusing on the Shane Warne stand, rather than the Olympic Stand which was pretty chockers from where I could see - Of the 9 games, yesterday's crowd was the 4th highest of the weekend. No one was criticising the other games that had lower attendances than ours. My take is this - the media and the meatheads couldn't pick on Melbourne, couldn't pick on Goodwin, couldn't pick on Oliver, so let's roll out the barrel on the usual rubbish. Because Melbourne. I'm sick of [censored]....

Massive get for the club to get Clare back. Awesome from Gary Pert. A revamped social media team and communications on the way. Hopefully some of the good stuff we saw in 2021 is coming back. Stoked 👏🏼👏🏼 I guess Perty does listen to feedback! 😆 Story here by Josh Gabelich Dees boss lures Pies footy manager following Wright sabbatical

Saw TMac sitting on the "G" for about 5 minutes after the game just soaking it all in. It was nice. He's been such a great servant to the Club and I think he thought, as did many of us, he may have played his last game at the top level and to get a go again was really important for him. I hope he and BBB have great years in what will probably be their last.

How good is it to be super confident a player will hit a target by foot, or failing that at least not butcher it straight to an oppo player.

You've well and truly misunderstood me jnr. To be clear my point was Goody deserves a lot more credit for his tactical innovations than he gets. Full stop. As an example, as i said, whilst he didn't invent the all team defensive zone or the use of the zone off, third man intercepting defender (Hardwick deserves credit here) he has absolutely perfected the model. As i noted, he began working on it way back in 2016. The model is now the gold standard defensive system in the AFL. The proof is in the pudding - we have had the best defence for at least three season now. On the back of that we have won a flag and made top 4 three years in succession. Teams like the Port and the Dogs who have not developed something similar are going nowhere. The Lions might be the exception to prove the rule, but the fact remains they are yet to win a flag under Fagan. In addition to implementing a defensive system with key similarities to ours (with Moore playing the Lever role), albeit a more aggressive one, the Pies developed a ball movement method that was specifically designed to break down our defensive system, such is its brutal effectiveness, through fast ball movement. The Giants defensive system is almost a carbon copy of ours, and the Swans and saints employ very similar systems too. Ditto Freo and Blues. For the sake of argument, let's say you are right that 'blind freddy' could see that we needed better key defenders than Frost and Omac. How does that change the fact that Goody developed a sophisticated defensive system that has become the AFL template for defensive systems? Bringing in may and Lever would have changed little if they were not the cornerstone of the defensive system he was developing and implementing. Port brought in Alir, who is a star as it was obvious to Freddy they needed to do something about their defence. And he is a brilliant interceptor - perhaps the best in the AFL. But Port haven't implemented a sophisticated defensive system as evidenced by their woeful points against record under Hinkley. And so Alir hasn't moved the needle on their defensive issues. And if it was just about bringing in elite defenders, then Lever was not the player to target as he is average one on one. Tomlinson would have been a better target back then if all we needed were better key defenders. Again, many posters one here and plenty of media types knocked the dees at the time for spending so much capital on Lever given he was 'just an interceptor'. Plenty would have preferred we chased a gun forward. Or a pure lock down key defender. At that point only the Crows, tigers and dees had a specialist intercepting defenders, now every team does. Blind Freddy could also see the dogs needed to focus on sorting out their defensive system from 2018 and go out and target some elite defenders. But what have they done? Turn Naughton from a CHB into a KPF, draft JUH and Darcy and trade in Lobb. What have they done about their woeful defence? Well they finally got a interceptor in - Jones, a good player, but he's undersized and 33. Genius. So Blind Freddy might be able to point out decent players that could be replaced by even better, AA players, but Freddy seemingly ain't so good at seeing massive issues with team's game plans and methods.

I know you come from the old school of "he doesn't play for us anymore", but I for one (goes with my username) was happy to see him getting a kick and continuing his career - I think we got the best from him, and moved him on at the right time. His kick to hit up fritta in the grand final was not only the best kick I ever saw, it was the start of a massive turnaround in that grand final.

Sparrow had a job on Dale and did a good job curtailing his influence. Just because you can’t see a player execute their role, doesn’t mean they aren’t doing it. I would keep the same side and give Petty another week. Remembering that we are about to hit a very short break between two Adelaide games and Ben Brown won’t be able to play both. Petty can come in for the Port game and give Ben a rest.

The crumb goal Chandler got was a case in point, the kick to brown wasn’t great and Khamis was a chance to mark it but BBB with his reach was able to spoil it to the front where Chandler was waiting. That’s the sort of stuff that’s been missing and it gives the small forwards a chance to do their job. I know the Schache point has been done to death but my biggest disappointment isn’t that he’s not Tom Hawkins or that he doesn’t kick 8 week on week but that he doesn’t compete and bring it to ground at the front of the pack where his teammates can do their bit.

Please no. Less is more.

Probably been said earlier but just wanted to send some kudos to Billing’s. For a guy rated lowly for his defence was solid across the half back line, with some telling tackles and defensive acts especially later in the game. I was really impressed with his game! Well done Jack Billings.

Same old Goodwin...stuck in his ways, doesn't listen, no plan B, can't coach. Oh, wait a minute. We won. Thant can't be right. Fake news.

Another under the radar but highly effective game by Nibbler. Gets little recognition but is a great contributor.

I don't. Not only did he upend a guy, which we know can be dangerous, but when the guy hit the ground, he actually kicked him, not heavily, but nevertheless a kick. That is a big no no. That is not getting off. 1 week is pretty good I would have thought. PS: Just re watched it several times. It's not a tap, its a kick and he deserves 1 week for that at least.

I’m only a quarter into my replay but McVee has started this year so well. It’s hard to remember he’s still only a second year player. We are onto a massive winner with Judd. I like what I’ve seen from Howes so far too.

Can Matt Hill commentate every game?

I have concerns about BBB being able to play many back to back games. Hopefully the club and Ben carefully manage his load. He doesn't need to play every game and I would be very comfortable if the club rested him regularly through 2024.

He was in the back pocket as part of his turning circle after a lead from FF 🤣

So, at the end of Round 1, we have a new leader … 25. Steven May 20. Jack Viney 18. Clayton Oliver 11. Max Gawn 10. Jack Billings Blake Howes 9. Christian Petracca Christian Salem 4. Bayley Fritsch Judd McVee 2. Kade Chandler Adam Tomlinson 1. Jake Bowey Caleb Windsor

I really like McV kicking in from Fullback; he has a good boot and delivery arc; it also releases - where necessary - May's good marking upfield, his aggressive distribution and unsettling of opponent packs and hopefuls. In time, when back in the gameday, it will release Bowser for his clever space-making, accurate passing and beneficial plunder into forward progress of the ball to great team effect.

cudos to the recruiters for Hore and Billings and the selectors for returning TMac to the backline.

It's interesting that the vibe seems to be Lever had an average game. I thought he was terrific. He had 8 score involvements- only maxy, Billings and tracc had more. He also had 17 disposals and was part of a group effort that shut down lobb, naughton and weightman. He was a key to how well we transitioned from the back half.

Really good get. Also, congrats on her marriage to Gerald Yourthoughts! Welcome back Clare Pettyfor-Yourthoughts

#bemorelikecollingwood 😆

You don’t have to yell

Credit when it's due. T Mac did well and deserves another game.

It was pretty convivial aboard my Watergardens train post game. They know we own them. We know we own them. What's to argue about?

Typical week on Demonland after a loss eh... How lucky are they AFL as a junket organisation, that the majority fans are so emotionally attached to meaning of one single game and the fortunes of the club, that they spend thousand of dollars of membership each year and 10's of millions on punting annually. They've curated it well.

I was very impressed by Windsor. There were little things he did which don't get a stat but which won us the ball at the contest, or enabled us to break from a contest. Plus the run-down tackle to win holding the ball inside the Dogs F50. He's got smarts and speed.

Sounded like he was calling the trotts, and I don’t mean that negatively. Purely commentated the play, unlike BT, Darcy and Brayshaw’s tripe.

I forgot to mention the "best" bit. The late surge to the 45-point margin meant our percentage increased over Geelong's, and means we are in the 8. It keeps our streak alive (we've been in the top 8 every week since Round 1, 2021). No idea what the record is, but we're now at 49 (I think) H&A rounds in a row.

Great day to be at the G, 30oC a bit warm , 44,000 in the stands mainly ours, reasonable crowd noise hard and tough in the first half. It was a relatively stress free game to watch we took everything that the Dogs threw at us and didn’t buckle. I said to my wife and daughter at half time let’s see just how fit we are in these hot conditions and we weren’t disappointed the longer the game went the better we looked. Team work was excellent and as mentioned by earlier posters TMac, BBB , Salo and Marty Hore were all rock solid, our stars Max, Tracc, Clayton,JV, Steve, Rick, Jack Billings and ANB all starred and they were all supported by our young brigade lead by Riv, Kozzie, Chin plus our relative new boys all pitching in together. Very satisfying win….!!!

There was a wonderful moment late in the last quarter where Clarrie ran to the bench after a magnificent goal assist effort. The Demons crowd stood and clapped and cheered him for that and other obvious reasons. Showing him love and respect. Kayo did not show this scene at all. Disgraceful editing. Doesn’t suit their narrative.

kudos to 2 of the favourite whipping boys. Seeing Tmac on the backline made me very nervous but watching him really closely at the game I thought he was fantastic. He made great decisions about when to play off and support other defenders and when to lock on one on one. I was expecting a howler or 3 with the ball, but his disposal was as good as any of the other defenders today, taking short and powerful kicks that hit the targets with 83% efficiency (according to the stats). also BBB - presented well, clunked a few, but used his gogogadget arms to get the ball to the ground in pretty much every contest he was involved in. both of them have bigger challenges ahead, but I was shocked we picked both this week after compromised pre-seasons, and I was wrong.

He had 20 kicks, he's only ever had more than 20 kicks once. Brilliant game. If he can have 10-15 kicks a week and spread the way he did today, he'll be an integral player for us.

Sicily is out suspended. Huge loss for the Hawks.

Are you talking about the post game, on ground, interview with Sarah Jones @leave it to deever? I beg to differ. Clarry was the headline of the summer - like it or not. I think most of it was complete BS quite frankly - but it is what it is. Neither we, nor Clarry, can wish it away or pretend that millions of people aren't interested in Clarry's recent past. Sooner or later Clarry has to talk to the media. He's a superstar who generates clicks. I saw the interview as a positive. For example: Jones is a decent person who asked respectful questions about his summer Clarry answered the questions with dignity and honesty Max led, as usual, by riding shot-gun. Better Clarry re-enters the 'hyper pathologicalised' AFL world (yes, I'm talking about you Wilson, Cornes and Craig Fetishison) via Sarah Jones and Max than any other method IMHO.

Impressed with BBB’s mobility. Shades of 2021. At one stage in the third quarter he was deep in the back pocket hustling the ball over the boundary line. No one seemed to notice.

Nice bit of revisionism here. In 2018 we had Frost and your love child OMac. We were the number 1 team for beings scored against when the ball went inside 50. Blind Freddie knew we could never compete for a long period with those two as our key pillars. As for Hogan, there are a multitude of reasons the club got rid of him, none of which can be discussed on here. Its fair to say that its taken until last year for him to grow up and become the payer we all knew he was capable of being

Well said …(even though it will fall on deaf ears) today at the G was like watching a game from dare I say it..2021. Often with our wins over the last couple of seasons they weren’t satisfying or exhilarating..today was. As our new game plan becomes more entrenched & connections are built with new players in new positions…we will play better. There will be hiccups along the way but I loved what I saw. I was so proud of our supporters who gave Clarry a standing ovation…we’re back in the 8 !!

I have noticed that finally our kickins are more random. In fact we appear to be kicking less to the left. Hoo[censored]ray!

The strange one was when a review was called when the ball was still in play. TMac was over the ball and got collected in the back of his head, as a review was called for a point, but the ball didn't cross the line. They then balled it up at the top of the goal square. Such an advantage to the attacking team, as they set for the stoppage and set to hold the ball in the area. Just pressures the defensive side. A really unbalanced call. AFL need to let it play until a stoppage occurs and then call the review, though that is also fraught with problems. Maybe review as the play continues..

Were there a new record number of score reviews today? Annoying and pathetic. Perhaps they just need to revert to goal umpire's call, and the guys in the bunker can look all they like and if 100% certain it was wrong then stop play and recall it. After all it was done on the ANB goal v Carlton even though there was zero let alone 100% evidence that it was touched.

.....and with good reason. He has freakish skills that make him so important to our side. Yes, he probably tries too often for MOTY, but he bounces up quicker than anyone else I have seen, so remains a ground ball threat in these contests. He is an amazing talent, still years away from his peak. Happy for him to just do his thing, except suspensions!

What a game from Clarry. After I thought he wasn’t fit last week he destroyed it today. Rapt and hope this is a start of a great new journey for him. Billings was extraordinary. A few Saints mates said he could play and he showed it today. Was hoping BBB and TMac could etch out one more year and this was a great start. Great game, go Dees.

Speak for yourself. Me and Clarry need 17 days indoors now to recover. It’s a good thing Bowey had a week off.

Amazing how hope, faith and expectation return after a win. After pretending to be detached from footy and behaving like a wise and sensible adult trying to get through the Freud series on net flix ) I am reading DL, looking at stats and generally behaving like an excited kid. My Collingwood supporting wife already has head in hands and using profane language to describe my elevated mood. Amazing what an emotional game this is, and how irrational is our loyalty, prejudices and thought process..

I was recommended this podcast by a work colleague early last year, big shout out to mad dog Matty and it has become a staple of my podcast listening week. If I don't get through the show on my commute then I will finish it off on my nightly sojourns walking the dog through the mean streets of Ivanhoe. Thank you to Andy, Binman and George for all the effort you put into this podcast and know that the indepth analysis that you provide is much needed and appreciated especially after a loss. I don't have a question but a comment and it highlights how good our recruiting and trading has been. Thought Billings had a solid game and he provides a great link up between our midfield and our forward line. Windsor and Howes both look like they belong at AFL level. I reckon in a few weeks we'll be talking about Howes being the Judd McVee of 2024. Thank you for your time and as Binman is fond of saying at the end of each show. Go Red Leggers. Yes I do listen right to the end.

He did; just before BBB gathered and baulked someone, broke a tackle and ran into an open goal. was expecting pigs to fly past on my way home.