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I reckon we should honour Angus by winning the game. Thats it.

I've had similar debates with people Red, i asked a mate to find me another instance where a guy has sprinted from 50 meters way, left the ground and knocked someone out in an attempt to "spoil" the ball. Naturally he couldn't outside of some very ordinary looking incidents from decades ago. I do believe Maynard wasn't intending to knock Gus out, rather to make a physical statement early in a big final, but he made the decision and it's had massive consequences for Gus and he should have been suspended.

Kossie needs to keep his nose clean. He has far too many suspensions to his name already. I've never seen Gawny go anyone in his entire career. Would pay good money to watch take Maynard down, and then get off at the tribunal for being the best guy ever.

I'm going to assume if he picks the dees he is certain to be a gun who will play 200 plus games fir the MFC. And if he picks the suns he is over rated, and whilst a good average player who carves out a decent AFL career we use the draft pick to instead unearth another Taylor diamond in the rough who becomes an all time great of the club. It's a win win.

Saw this on mfc website about TMac mcdonalds-full-circle-back-to-the-future It is terrific to see him fit, healthy and playing good footy again. This comment from him caught my eye: "It’s a growing group of young Demons taking their place in the senior side that is giving McDonald that excitement about what’s ahead. “I think they call themselves the Mouse Pack,” he says. “Those six or seven of those boys. Van Rooyen, Judd (McVee), Howesy. All that sort of group that got drafted together and just hilarious. I checked that year's (2021) draft and counted 5: MSD - Turner. Nathional Draft - van Rooyen, Howes, Woewodin. Rookie Draft: McVee so I guess there are a few others in the 'pack'. @kev martin @WalkingCivilWar and other track watchers, have you heard or seen anything about the 'Mouse Pack'? Anyone else have any ideas what the name means and who the other one or two players in the pack might be? Love that group growing together just as Brayshaw, Petracca, Salem, Oliver et al did. The 'Mouse Pack' is our future. Great base for mateship and helping keep interstate players here. And of course, build another premiership team. Playing footy with one's mates - does it get any better than that.

Agree Dwight. I also don’t believe Maynard wanted to knock out Gus, but rather make him earn it and it went beyond his intent. Unfortunately we know the rest. I tell you what I want in footy. I want us to win this years’ flag, have Gus present the cup and run the lap with the boys. Then I want the boys to win the next two. Is that too much to wish for? On another note, the AFL MRO/Tribunal decisions, are so inconsistent and random, that they have become nothing more than a joke to the whole football world. Even the time it is taking to finalise the Smith case is simply ridiculous and totally unprofessional in its delay.

The only nail biting part of the 2021 final against them was May going off with a hammy 😂

Keyes is what happens when you buy Fritsch off Temu 😂

From the game preview on the AFL app… Melbourne and Geelong have faced each other in “nail-biting finals in… 2021’ 2021??! 125-42? That final? 😕🤷‍♂️

absolutely then ... tell them to get off our [censored] ground

Crikey, Mr D, I come back to DL to share some fun news and all I get is cheek !!! 🤷‍♀️ My return may be short lived. 😐 As to your question. No, I do not have a lisp in real life. I know what you meant so fixed the comment! 😊 Yes, the real life Luci certainly is 😊 . And a much nicer person! Thank you. 🤗 Double Thank you. 🤗🤗 Don't know what got into those guys today !!! Must be the imminent arrival of a full moon🌖. They clearly didn't check their posts !!! 🤷‍♀️

I would love to go to this game, but I’m leaving for Paris tomorrow. Rest assured that we’ll be well represented in Europe because my MFC cap is travelling too. Allez les Démons!

KFW will play for St Bede's Mentone in VAFA B Section so he can get more game time in the ruck. Rivals watch Saint, free agency switch floated, Hawk's trigger

I think Maynard had every intention of taking Angus out. The Ball had left the area. he executed the Move and connected 100% to the head….😡

I can relate to a lot of what Hamish says here. My love for footy isn’t what it used to be. The AFL played its hand last year with Angus’ incident, and showed us they would always value money and popularity, over justice and equity. If you tear that social contract too deeply you can never earn back peoples belief. Now I just watch the footy and laugh at how much of it is like WWE. Commentators essentially deciding tribunal matters on the fly during games, the way the schedule is constructed, and then this weeks literal wrestling kayfabe with Sam Taylor calling Sydney out - obviously instructed by the AFL to create some faux tension for the media. The AFL has jumped the shark. It pushed its version of reality so far in its own direction that I can’t unsee it’s illusions now.

Gasp! Could @Lucifers Hero really be Caroline Wilson in real life?

i don't really get the "legitimate football action" argument as some infallible excuse a smother is a legitimate football action ,,, but then so to is a bump a legitimate football action however a reckless football action is not. a reckless bump or smother resulting in high contact/impact are equally not excusable by just claiming them as a football action this football action narrative is just irrelevant rubbish

The best part of that interview was the fact that Tom asked to play defense again, at the end of last season. Saved your career Tom. Well played

Its times like this I really miss 'Gus and Gawny'. They would be all over 'Mouse Pack' news! Edit: As Gus is still working with the club, I wonder if they could resurrect the podcast, even if occassionally!

@binman has alluded to this on the podders, but usually when we play Geelong down at the Cattery, it's much later in the season, where we are struggling to kick straight, not necessarily struggling to generate scoring shots mind you. For example, last season we each had 23 scoring shots, we kicked 8.15 and they kicked 11.12, but the last time we played them at the MCG, early in the season was 2021, where we beat them comfortably. Again, no Dangerfield that day either. So I think it'll be a different game to what we've seen since 2021. I don't think we'll struggle to score, but what's interesting for me is whether they can get through our defensive system.

Australia would have to build another data centre to cope with the demand on the servers during the Match day thread.

He's twin brothers are also handy up and coming footballers. Club are keeping an eye on already.

I despise Geelong

This list needs to win another, we all know it. You only need to look back to last years finals to see what a wasted opportunity looks like. We had the Pies on toast and forgot the butter.

I'm not sure too many D'landers will know this, but bad kicking is bad football.

Probably a bit of a learning curve for Joey in this position Deever. Mostly played off a wing or as an outside mid at Casey. Keep in mind his last game was his first full game for 2024 as well. Rnds 1, 3, 4 & 5 he was coming on as sub. Doesn't really allow a player to find the pace and his feet in a match on such limited minutes. Reckon he'll improve slowly as he gets more game time in general and more time in this particular role. He'd want to get a move on though as he'll have Bowey & Salo chomping at his heels in the next few weeks.

Except the 2021 prelim that is.

Anything less than 60k is a fail

@Blistering can't quite tell if this is a wind up. But I'll assume not and play with a straight bat. The high half forward (HHF) role has become one of the most important in AFL football. Daniel Hoyne from champion data said many times last season that the key reason for the blues' turnaround was sorting the HFF role. Cotteral for example has become super important to them. That's because the HFF role is key to the transition game and turning turnovers into scores and defending turnovers. To excel in the HHF role a player needs to be an elite athlete with a huge tank who can cover ground quickly. Similar to the role langers plays as a winger, it Involves gut running from box to box, in soccer parlance. In footy it's forward pocket to back pocket all game providing defensive cover in defence as part of an all team zone defensive system. The defensive cover includes direct defensive actions in rhe opponents forward half (ie helping our defence) like spoiling, smothers and tackles. And indirect defensive actions like blocking switch options or sprinting to a mark to stop a player immediately playing on. The HFF does those same defensive actions when the ball is in our forward half - with the indirect actions being critical in terms of making it harder to transition the ball from their back half. When we transition the ball from our back half the HFF gut runs to get ahead of the ball to either spread the opposition (ie an opponent has to run and cover him) or be an option to kick to. The latter includes being a target inside 50. And of course in addition to all of that, snag the occasional crumbing or stoppage goal. Some HHFs might be more forward orientated and play a bit closer to goal. Chandler is a good example. Others might have assists as a kpi and be one of the players teams want kicking inside 50 (though all will be expected to hit up leading targets). Miers is a good example. The best HFF in the AFL? Nibbla hands down. Don't believe me? Have a listen to Andy's brilliant interview with Kade Chandler. From 13.17 in the player at the top of this page Kade discusses the small forward role (but is referring to the HHF role). He defines it much more succinctly than I just have and pumps up nibbla as the HHF exemplar.

This is a perfect example of a tautology.

“Very sensible Pies Fan” there is the first problem. Yes it was all Angus’ fault to them… Revenge is Best, Served Cold…..😡

From his letter to the AFL: "The tribunal and match review panel are single-handedly destroying the game. You are making it impossible to play in good spirit, you're making it impossible to adjudicate and you're not far off making it impossible to support". To write that, I would think he has the blessing of his parents, Gus and probably mfc since the Brayshaw family is very close to the club. It is about time someone in the industry called this out. No way the servile AFL media has the courage to do that. Go Hamish 👏 💪 👏 !!!

This paragraph especially Protect the head at all costs, obviously unless a head knock is as a result of a football act, but then it depends on how hard you get hit in that football act and if the player had any other alternatives, but also the player needs to take into account the potential to cause harm, but of course it shouldn't depend on the outcome of the opponent, unless of course it does result in a concussion, but even then it depends on the intent, but of course a player is entitled to attack the ball with good technique, but it doesn't matter if the opposition runs in head first like how every kid playing the game growing up gets taught not to do, but then of course it depends on the state of the game and the time of the year, it depends on whether or not we need to make an example out of someone, but then don't forget if they have had a clean record in the past and do charity work, but then obviously that can only matter once and never again because from now on that doesn't count, and it depends on the player, and the team they're on, but really it all boils down to protecting the head because we're seeing more players retire from concussion than ever before, but we will still let a guy play next week after punching someone in the face in the goal square because it wasn't hard enough to hurt them.

Hamish Brayshaw’s open letter to the AFL spices things up sets out the incompetence inconsistency in a passionate rebuke https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-02/hamish-brayshaw-writes-open-letter-to-afl/103794000?utm_source=abc_news_web&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_web

I’ve watched that game several times. We had them on toast. Fritsch and TMac kick very gettable shots and we’re in the Prelim. Wasted opportunity, we’ve now got GWS, Geelong and Carlton pushing hard to be better than us. The next 2 weeks will give us a guide but this year above others we can’t afford injuries and we have to go top 4 and get a QF at the G. Saturday night feels like a massive opportunity to get a very important 4 points and show the comp who’s still the boss. I will say that we’re performing far better than I thought we would 8 weeks ago.

I’ll be fffing livid if we finally have an A grade father son and he heads to a franchise coached by Hardwick. That’s like waking up from a nightmare into a nightmare.

Hunter in was my thought too, for the same reason ie strong, seasoned player. I was thinking Windsor might he sub. But I think you make an excellent point about our need for speed - generally, but particularly against the cats who are both quick and also play a back half, transition game. And Windsor out, Hunter in is a bad combo in terms of leg speed. So, I'm changing my prediction to no change.

SON OF A GUN TO SPEND TIME AT DEES by Riley Beveridge MELBOURNE will welcome talented father-son prospect Kalani White into its program this week, as the club vies with Gold Coast for access to the gun youngster. White, a strong-marking 200cm defender, isn't draft eligible until 2025 but will be able to join either the Demons under father-son rules or the Suns as part of their Northern Academy program. The athletic key-position prospect is able to join Melbourne due to his dad, Jeff, playing 236 games for the Demons between 1998-2008. But he is also able to join Gold Coast, having relocated to Queensland when his father's playing career ended. The teenager, who turns 17 later this week, is in Victoria ahead of the Gold Coast Academy's Coates Talent League clash with the Dandenong Stingrays on Sunday and will spend time at Melbourne in the lead-up to that match. White will not be able to train at the Demons, due to being a bottom-age prospect, but will observe a series of sessions and player meetings as part of his time at the club. The youngster caught the attention of AFL recruiters at last year's under-16 carnival, where he was named as the All-Australian centre-half back. He also played forward throughout that campaign, kicking two goals against Sydney's Academy. Speaking to AFL.com.au in March, Jeff said his son was enjoying the opportunity: "He's really looking forward to it and having interest from Melbourne and the Suns, he likes being a part of it and talking to the recruiting officers and finding out what he needs to improve on. It's a unique position to be in but in saying that he's very dedicated to getting better." From: Rivals keep tabs on Saint, free agency switch floated, Hawk's trigger

Looking forward to him in red and blue next year kicking 35 goals and giving Gawn a nice chop out in the ruck. Just what our side needs, will be an astute bit of business!

Hunter wouldn’t be replacing Windsor. It either Laurie or woe. Can’t imaging Laurie being dropped after 2 goals which leaves woe. Not sure woe has offered too much since coming in

Parents should've named him Larry

Eddie looked after other clubs when it gained Collingwood more. "Giving" us Queens Bday ensured that Collingwood got another prime time, MCG game as an away game every year, getting them extra MCG games. He also got to publically talk about all the things he did for other clubs, making them out as good deeds or sacrifices. Meanwhile they got everything they wanted in terms of draw exposure etc. Don't think he did it for anyone other than Collingwood. Good negotiators find win win solutions not compromise or win lose situations. Meaning he got more than he would have otherwise.

A bloke I coach with who is a Geelong supporter was bragging today about how they'd smash us this weekend and said Cameron is playing a decoy role. And I said Cameron and Hawkins are playing decoy roles? Wowee. What a forwardline. The smalls and mid sized forwards are the ones that tend to trouble us. Let's see how we go. I'm looking forward to when I see him next week after a Melbourne win.

What all of us have in common is waiting a long time coming for our last flag. My kids born in the 1980’s are not dissimilar to you. They literally had to wait a lifetime, be it 30 to 40 odd years Me, I was alive for our flag in 1964, so it had not been a lifetime waiting. But it was over half a bloody century waiting! That is a very long time. I was resigned to think I may never see us get one while I was still alive. As a footnote, I have never enjoyed going to the footy as much as have in the last few years. Dream of perhaps seeing us snag a few more. 🤞GO DEES !!

He and his twin younger brothers are all mad Dees, which theoretically should help

He's a Dees fan and may follow in his father's footsteps. But equally, he's grown up in Queensland and may choose familiarity to play with his academy mates. IMO best not to assume.

Comparing Geelong and our stats is interesting. Despite our new style, we are a way behind Geelong this year in scores from turnover and defending turnovers. In fact, based on averages in these areas we are looking at a 20+ point loss. Also they are +6 ahead at scoring from defensive half. However, Geelong may be #1 at defending turnover but are #18 for stoppage clearance differential and #14 at opposition scores from stoppage. I wondered if they had played good stoppage teams to be leaking so much, but they have only played 1 of the top 8 teams in scoring from stoppage. So in other words they don’t defend stoppages well. I think we can improve our stoppages a lot as well. Despite not being at our best this year, we are still ranked #6 at scoring from them and #1 at defending them. So if we want to focus on where we can really hurt them, we would be working on stoppages at training and aiming to break our 2021 prelim final score from stoppage record.

Can we have weeks on top of the ladder since 1896?