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Thanks for the feedback. I worry i don't talk enough, so throw in lots of umms to get my word count up. For the same reason i often repeat words, like brilliant, curious and incredible. A heads up. If I'm honest I'm unlikely to fix my speech patterns or affectations by next week. In fact I'm unlikely to fix them full stop. By the by, in the spirit of mutual constructive criticism, you don’t capitalise the word um. And, for future reference, binman is not capitalised either. Cheers

We are seeing the confluence of events that is demanding a change in how we play that I hope lasts for the rest of the decade; a change that leads to attractive football as well as winning football. Transition x2 With McQualter coming in there seems to be a real emphasis on something that we have never had a real emphasis on; transitioning the ball from the backline with speed and purpose. (I wrote about this mid last season - that you can read about below - bumped post) Where the ‘confluence’ comes in is the emergence of McVee, Howes, Bowey, and Rivers as the engine of the team. This is where we need to ‘transition’ to this engine, which I will dub - The Transition, and away from the May and Lever driven Defence Only mindset. Now this is already happening and that is great, but it doesn’t mean we are not a contest driven or Defence First team - we will be until further notice, but with this strong in the bow we can now win games in more ways, and avoid being out of games. For the neophytes - last two seasons we have been ‘forward half’ or ‘contest/stoppage driven’ to avoid as much exposure to our backline as possible. This means we kicked long to the boundary (May’s infamous kick out from FB) and progressive movement down the field through stoppage and rushed kick. This means that our forward pressure could kick in and we ‘won territory’ and we ‘won the I50 count’ and we ‘won the expected score’ but we didn’t win the games that matter… Having a transition game and a comfortability with our defence getting footy kicked their way has opened up the ground and has allowed McVee and Rivers in particular to show their value and for our forwards to have space to exploit. Suddenly Fritsch has 1-1s and Brown is leading at the footy in dangerous spots. As an aside, this will aide in JVRs development… So I for one thank Goodwin for his ability to adapt and I welcome… … The Transition. (Demon emoji)

I wasn’t sure if this was a serious topic or just tongue in cheek… but anyone who takes time out of their day to provide content and entertainment for us fans to feast on is alright by me. How you deliver it Binman will/nor should ever be questioned.

I can't help but think someone on DL is the parent of this charming young person. Anyway I would like to nominate them as Mother/Father of the year, they have clearly done an OUTSTANDING job. I am planning on upping my game as a result. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5fqM8FygJX/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link To this child, (free from MFCSS) I wish you future happiness and a life completely different from my childhood in the 70s/80s. (It moves me to think that this child has only been alive while Melbourne has been good...)

I really haven’t noticed it - probably because I’m more interested in the content.

I don’t know if Kozzie can get off, probably not, but Toby Greene’s smashing of Mac Andrew’s head into the turf, after he had gotten rid of the footy, was far, far worse and dangerous and had the very real possibility of causing a serious injury. How the hell was he completely let off? The MRO, without any consistency of adjudicating, is little more than an embarrassing joke.

Agree. As a dees fan in the 70s and 80s, lions fans were kindred spirits. Ditto saints fans. I played for Beverly Hills junior footy club (Paul roos' team). We wore the Fitzroy jumper and sing the Fitzroy song. One of my best mates was a huge lions fan, and I lived in North Fitzroy and kicked around Fitzroy, for over a decade. The Newry was my local - directly opposite Brunswick oval, the roy boys original home ground. And they had some of my favourite non dees players - roos, pert, Wilson and Quinlan (one of the most consistently excellent kicks I've seen). So I always had a soft spot for the lions. It was wrenching, even as a dees fan, when they folded. Just awful. My mate was in shock, and without being flippant, experienced real grief. And I was beside myself the dees would also disappear. When tne roys folded, he became a dees fan. A fully committed, passionate one too. I saw heaps of games with him. But when they became the Brisbane lions, which they should have done from the get go, after a couple of seasons he felt compelled to support them - . A knowledgeable and clued in footy supporter, who still has a soft spot for the dees.

Contributing to a podcast isn’t public speaking. I like the conversational and relaxed style of the Demonland podcast.

Love the idea of the podcast but guys, you've got to improve your public speaking... too many Ums...especially Binman Just listen to the Adelaide podcast and BInman's stats Its ridiculous....Sorry I had to turn off just couldnt stomach the Ums I'll try again next week and see if youve fixed it Cheers

Current situation is that Swans have lowballed Hayward as they’re happy for him to be the one that goes. He’s currently on $600k a season and was on the “to be dropped list” about 5 times in 2023, but survived due to injuries. Carlton have been interested for 12 months, the Dees interest is a lot more recent. Swans are very keen to retain Florent, and by pushing Hayward out, they’ll most likely be able to.

I don't mind Brisbane supporters. Their Melbourne contingency has got a grunt about them probably from the old Fitzroy crew. They bring good energy and support to their games in Melbourne. And smarter and more knowledgeable about the game than whinging SA and WA supporters.

And a big thanks Binman for putting out the rubbish.

The podcast would be drastically improved if at the start of every sentence Andy said Mum, Binman said Yum and George said Rum instead of Um

I'm not Binman's biographer. You'll have to consult @Binmans PA

Decision seems okay….. Until a Carlton or Collingwood player or Hawkins get off for a similar offence… Bookmark it.. “you know it makes sense”

Um is the loneliest number

I accept the Kozzie suspension, but not Toby Greene smashing a player’s head into the ground, after he got rid of the ball and no penalty at all. Which had more potential to cause an injury? System is f…ed.

This was always going to be the result. It’s not unreasonable. It‘s not a conspiracy theory. It’s not because he’s not a Carlton or Collingwood player. It’s what the MRO guidelines require and it’s part of the AFL’s increasing focus on concussion. We just need to move on, as a club (ie preparing for Thursday) and a supporter base.

I have similar thoughts but probably for slightly different reasons. Since the evolution of tactics in AFL, from an '18 one on ones' style before the mid-2000s, we now have an ability to refine the gameplan far more to suit the philosophies of the coach and the personnel they have available to them. In that time (last 20 years) pretty much every good team has set that balance of attack and defence in a similar way ... except for us. 2005 Sydney - defensive gameplan with great forwards (Hall, O'Loughlin, Goodes etc) and undersized defenders (Barry and Bolton) 2006 West Coast - attacking gameplan with great defenders (built around Glass and Wirrpanda) with ordinary forwards (Hansen and Lynch) 2000s Geelong - attacking gameplan with great defenders (Scarlett, Enright, Mackie, Milburn, Harley, Taylor/Egan etc) with comparatively ordinary forwards (Mooney, N Ablett, then smalls like Johnson etc) 2000s Hawthorn - defensive gameplan with great forwards (Buddy and Roughy) and undersized/ordinary defenders (Gibson, Gilham, Lake, Spangher etc). 2010s Richmond - defensive gameplan with great forwards (Riewoldt, Dusty, Lynch) and comparitively ordinary defenders (Rance for 2017, but just Astbury, Broad, Grimes, Vlastuin thereafter). 2023 Collingwood - attacking gameplan with great defenders (Moore, Quaynor, Howe, Maynard etc) and a bad forward line (Mihocek, Elliott, McStay). We have been different, with our strength being our amazing defence (May, Lever), ordinary forward line but still going for a defensive gameplan. The reason why this is mismatched is because the marginal gain of May and Lever is small when you set up your team to protect them whilst, at the other end, you're asking JVR and Ben Brown to compete against the odds all game (which they aren't really good enough to do). As an example, Richmond beat Geelong in the 2020 GF because the game was tight and congested, with scoring difficult. At 3/4 time they led 46-44 (7 goals to 6), so it was hard to score. In the last quarter they kicked 5 goals to win it (Prestia, Lynch, Dusty, Riewoldt, Dusty). Between Dusty, Riewoldt and Lynch, they kicked as many goals as Geelong did. Defending was easy with the extra numbers - kicking goals against those extra numbers was hard and that's why Richmond's best players were the ones to do it. Conversely, Collingwood could get relatively easy goals in 2023 (Hill, Elliott, Michocek, Ginnivan, McCreery and Frampton had 19 contested possessions between them - about 3 each on average) because they kept numbers forward and relied on their more talented defenders to win the difficult contests. You don't need to make the job easier for your good players because they're going to win you more of those really important contests (like Dusty against 2 opponents, or May one on one against Curnow), so they don't need as much support. But if you can then use those extra numbers somewhere else to make it easier (like supporting Astbury in defence, or playing an extra forward to allow Ben Brown a 1-on-1 and space to lead) then you're helping them enormously. May and Lever may help a defensive plan reduce the opposition's score by 20 points, but an attacking plan could help our forwards kick 30 extra points because they need that extra help a lot more than May and Lever do. tldr; Teams usually create game plans to add support where they need it most, trusting their best players to play well without support. We've given May and Lever too much support when they don't need it, and I am happy that we're now giving that support to our forwards (who do need it). Also sorry it was so rambling!

Thanks @binman, I hadn’t noticed that. You might need to have a quiet word with your assistant, @Binmans PA. 😀

It's umbelievable

Possible titles for next week's podcast: Rattle and Um The Um of Us Comfortably Um Um and Ummer Um's the Word Um, Sodomy and the Lash Bah, Umbug!

Maybe he doesn't identify as a proper noun.

$1.5mill ÷ 4 = $370,000 per annum. Is that what you are suggesting? $2 mill ÷ 5 = $400,000 per annum. Is that right? If so, you need to leave the early 2000s and port yourselves into 2024 It would take twice that, or more, to get him to move

It's a baffling aspect of today's world that people get free content with hours of work behind it, yet complain as if they're a shareholder or something. You do terrific work fellas and it has really grown beautifully over the years . If the pod had a flavour it would be umami 😘👌

I think that what you say is actually wrong and is at the heart of how this whole incident is misconceived in the public forum. Jason Dunstall was the only media pundit who actually correctly summarised the incident; Kozzy attempted the smother then actually positioned to push his opponent away. It was in the later motion he actually caught him with his upper arm. The rear footage just makes it appear as though it was a bump, but when youvv no see the side on footage it is clearly evident that he caught him in the motion where he was attempting to push him away. One could argue it was this motion that minimised the significance of the impact and had Maynard tried the same thing, Brayshaw would still be playing today. This is what I believe will be argued tonight - it wasn’t a bracing / bump, it was a push away and the player clearly attempted to minimise the extent of impact whilst executing a footy act. The media spin is ludicrous and is part of the selective punishment issue we have in football. How they didn’t go hard after Maynard, which is not even on the same ball park has me bemused.

I think Selwyn deserves some credit after the Adelaide Sojourn He was able to prepare the side for 2 games in 5 days in hostile conditions. Burgess taught him well Well Played Mr Griffiths

I suspect DeeBlood is actually dermie. Took umbrage at me calling him a clown and joking about his inability to string words together (a joke i rather embarrassingly mangled).

Better check with @Binmans PA and check we’ve got elocution sessions in @binman’s diary rather than electrocution sessions….

We’ve kicked 100 more points than them this season and we are apparently boring? What does that say about them?

The inconsistencies from the AFL does my head in. Making rules up as they occur (ie Maynard) makes me hate and no longer watch games other than my beloved Dees. This game is umpired inconsistently, adjudicated inconsistently and we as supporters are powerless. The clubs are powerless to speak up…… I get the upheld decision, but I can NEVER accept how Maynard, Barry Hall and too many other cases allowing players to play the following week. This institution is corrupt and inconsistent. Why does the club continue with Adrian Anderson Eeek.

Was never going to get off, waste of time & 10k. Kozzie needs to understand he can’t do this anymore, it’s the 3rd time in less than a year with similar actions He’s letting the team down

go to fox footy seems mfc has gone to adrian anderson to advocate - g-d only knows why. can't we get a better advocate?

1996 was a horrible year. Every single know it all from ernie sigley to Neil Mitchell and all the sycophantic football media were adamant that teams needed to merge for the game simply would not survive. TV shows where panels were set up to discuss and decide which team should merge and it was universally agreed by paid morons that the game just could not continue with that many clubs and Victoria. People spoke owith such Authority and if you did even contemplate or discuss the fact that the merger is a bad idea you were outcast as someone who had no sense of financial viability. Classic media cohesion propaganda. I mean even ian Ridley and Mike Sheehan were sucked in and seduced. Bill Guest ... dont even get me started. I was at the merger meeting and 95% of the people there were vehemently against the merger I could not believe that the vote got up. That in itself just showed how lost or how disconnected the game was from the real fans. How did that work? That was the era when money did try to rule everyone and everything but the people power from footscray, hawthorn, Melbourne and others stood strong and that was a beautiful thing to see. Some of these people who were so confident in the economics and demanded for us to understand what we needed are now long passed on. Their grandkids are no doubt dees supporters and loving this era. The game is in a much better State than what it was back then, the sad thing is Fitzroy could have continued in Melbourne in some form No Doubt. Pretty simple economics, keep the admission fee down to a reasonable price for everyone to access, make the stadiums work financially, keep the game clean and sponsorship will come. The game is too good to fail and has been for too long. I'm just glad people power won other moron power. Thank you Brian Dixon, thank you Joseph Gutnick. Thank you Robbie. Big time. RDB thanks but the flip to the no merger side was far too last minute. But still the 2nd greatest Demon of all time. Clarry first. 1996 Anis horribilius. But we won..... by default. "Paid experts come and go but generations of fans dont. I still feel ill about seeing the Fitzroy crew at the last game. That is sad. 2021 says thanks to the people power.

What a peanut.🥜

"here's some more big guys"

If you do not stand up for yourself , your players, your club. the larger clubs and the AFL as a whole will walk over you. as they have in the recent past, (Gus) and for years. Stand up and argue your case. At least you might get a bit of respect from them and media. Smash the bears on Thursday as well, Statement to be made !

Love the idea of you contributing to the forum, but you have to improve your grammar. Too many apostrophe errors, missed full stops, and wrong capitalisation. Sorry I had to move onto the next post half way through. I’ll try again with your next post and see if you’ve fixed it. Cheers

PREVIEW - why not??? I have the time at the moment. Melbourne Vs Brisbane Thursday 11th April. 11.30am (my time) Been a while since I have had a stab at a preview, but why not have a crack? Brisbane fluffed their chance in the grand final against the Pies last year and it appears that both of the teams have a bit of a hangover in the early stages of season ’24. Here we are staring down the barrel of Round 5 and the Lions have just one win on the board against lowly North while we, after dropping the first game in the round that has no number, have won the last 4 on the trot against some reasonable opposition and having travelled to Adelaide for two games in 5 days against home sides and come away with 2 wins. That sort of from indicates the punters have it right installing the Dees as favorites. We have an extra day of rest and one less flight than the Lions with them having to fly back home and then down to Melbourne for the game. However….. there is always a However. However, Footy’s a funny game as they say and I hope that the team prepares and realises that this is going to be a tough game. The Lions have a good mix of talent in all areas of the ground, and we will need to have a few ideas up our sleeves to ensure we are ready to react if and when required. I do believe that the coaching panel have been good at working out and reacting to what is happening around the ground so far this season. DEFENCE: This section of our team is recognised as our great strength and as the best in the league. May, Lever, Tmac, Mcvee, Rivers, Howe and Salem can mix and match with the best of them and against the Brisbane forward pack they will need to be at their best. The Brisbane forward setup has good individual players but so far this season they have not clicked together. Against North last round their forwards kicked 15 of their 16 goals while against the Pies the week before at the Gabba the forwards only kicked 5 of the total of 10. Very inconsistent. It will be interesting to see how and who we match up on in the defence. I think we have them covered at this end of the ground. MIDFIELD: As they say… “This is where the game is won.” I think that will be the case in this match. Gawn and Petracca are our leading lights so far this season with good support from Viney and, in the last game, Sparrow. Oliver with his hand injury is down on his usual standards and statistics but I feel he can only get better and will take a few steps forward in this game. We will need to respect the Brisbane midfield with Neale, Mcluggage and Dunkley looking to be the main drivers out of stoppages with their clearance rate. Against Adelaide Petracca, Oliver and Sparrow dominated the clearances and gave us some good drive. Gawn against The Big O will be interesting. Not because I think McInerney will dominate or even challenge Max but because it will be interesting to see what tactics they adopt to try and control Max’s influence around the ground. It is a tough job for any team. Langdon the Windsor winging their way around the G will also be good to watch. Brisbane named Fletcher and Berry on the wings for the North game and, according to the stats, both had reasonable games. Berry looked to be used more in the middle and managed 5 clearances along with 24 possessions. Fletcher might run on the wing with Langdon and Windsor to have a few rotating opponents. FORWARDS: This is where it gets interesting. So far this season we have managed to have a good even spread of goal kickers in the games. Fritsch has been a standout. He is second in the Coleman behind Hogan at the moment. We will present a few problems for the Lions at the pointy end. Brown and Petty will need to be covered because of their potential to cause problems with JVR and Fritsch also needing to be contained. We have a lot of flexibility with our talls at the moment and I can imagine a bit of a chess game with moves and counter moves in our forward 50. I hope that Kossie gets to play as he is such a livewire. If he is not there, we have Chandler and ANB and a rotating mid to cover there. The Brisbane defence, as with their forwards do not seem to have clicked as yet this season. Last outing against North they looked to have an easy time of it and will find the going tougher on Thursday evening. Our small forwards look a bit thin on the ground if Kossie spends a week on the sidelines. Chandler must be in some doubt so if either or both of these miss it will open the door for a couple of others to get a run. Tough opening quarter but I expect that we will get better as the game goes on and run out winners by a fair bit. Say 5 goals. And then on to a week off.

There is a part of me that feels a bit guilty about these posts from opposition fan forums, but then I have a reality check, dive right in and enjoy them to the hilt. For too many years we were irrelevant or the butt of jokes. Now, we are respected and feared and oppo fans take pot shots at our players (a very high form of flattery). You never know what game day will bring, but at this ,moment, we could annihilate the Bears. And it is a damn good feeling.

The Umpire Strikes Back

I say we start a crowdfunding campaign to buy @binman something to use during podcasts.

Umpire!

For starters, an ellipsis requires a space between each dot . . .

I have no idea. I don't really know which gets more listeners Apple Podcast or Spotify because I don't have any metrics for Spotify. I probably cost "listeners numbers" on the app platforms by doing the live show but I like the ability to take calls from Demonlanders. We wouldn't have found @binman otherwise.

This young man is proof that MFCSS is not in fact carried in the blood or through some evil voodoo curse from beyond the grave. It is instead developed as a Pavlovian response to repeated negative stimuli. If it can be contracted, it can be cured - and we must find the cure and ease the suffering of those unfortunates afflicted with it. It may seem cruel but I think the answer involves frontal lobe lobotomy; however as this treatment is deemed "unethical" by the general public, I propose winning more flags as an alternative solution; evidence is promising in this area, as a recent study conducted in 2021 concluded that premierships seem to provide short term partial reduction in the severity of the condition. Further study required.

Yeah and they scored 112 points against North. Our average points for are still higher than theirs without playing one of the worst sides in the history of football.

Would love an explanation on how our game style is "horrible" I think we've been playing quite aesthetically pleasing footy this year.

Pretty respectful and decent comments that’s no fun