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Yeah winning a flag changes everything Wrecker You could pick any of the premiership 22 if compiling a favourite players list (all time) I've still got Hardeman, Wells, Flower & Alves from the earlier days. Biffin too and I always admired Callery From the premiership team where do you start? Too many to choose from but Max as captain you can't go past (that clutch goal after the siren against the Cats set everything up - never to be forgotten!)

Genuine point of difference. Effectively an extra midfielder at the center bounce. An absolute beast of a player. Immortality beckons

Yes, but 3AW and SEN sound like they just recorded off the wireless, and playing with the audio has effed up the umpires sound in Ch7 broadcast who now sound otherworldly. Triple MMM then becomes the best option but Luke Darcy m8. All three radio syncs are slightly off so you are watching and then waiting for the reaction. So all in all - I am glad we won the flag and couldn’t be happier!

I read this yesterday https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/amp.abc.net.au/article/100602234

I got mine!

Simulations conducted by Warner Bros and Walt Disney have predicted that when dogs chasing a sparrow converge, the sparrow flits off and the dogs all crash into each other. Football scientists now consider this theory to be proven.

After this year I need to reasess my favourite MFC players. Alan Johnson is still up there. I am wearing number 9 in alot of childhood photos. It was before Neitz and clearly Johnson.

Tim Lamb reading this thread:

Of course nobody knows what his ceiling will be, but he has given every indication that it will be very high. Lets just enjoy his excellent GF and fantasise that he will get even better.

Cause we have the best list in the league by a street. Midfield has 3AAs and the backline has 2 with Salem being unlucky not to join them. Arguments could be made for both Fritta and Kozzie in the forward line. Their midfield has Bont who is an out an out gun but Libba and Macrae are not much more than acumulators that don't really hurt you. Gawn, Petracca and Oliver are far different beasts. Petracca and Oliver are what you call 100m players. They'll rip it from the contest, burst clear with power and speed 40m and boot it 60. Then you have solid workhorses ANB, Harmes and contested monster Viney running through there as well.. Guns in Brayshaw and running machine Lingers on the wings. The healthy splash of very talented youth in Jackson, Sparrow, Rivers, Petty and Bowey. Talls in TMac and Brown who are always gonna be a handful in the air forward. We have a very solid side all over the ground who had stayed fit throughout the year. We were always gonna kill 'em. My only surprise was their dominant 2nd qtr.

Good work Demonstone. Thanks for the challenge. I admire your restraint in not including James McDonald in your team.

No need to search for them. I have collated them here: https://demonland.com/premiership/

Superior fitness and confidence can be powerful things. But sometimes you need a moment. I still think the slinging of our captain to the ground triggered a moment of clarity among some of the players. It triggered that most primal of emotions, anger. It was an affront to the mateship that Gawn and others had worked hard to create. It was an affront to what we stood for as a team. An affront to our collective psyche that we were the best team in the comp. Viney's immediate remonstration and subsequent involvement in the next play ignited the fuel that had sat stagnant in the tank for 40 minutes. Fritta's second, an amazing bit of individual skill, gave the team back the belief they'd been missing. From there it was17 goals to one. Psychologically, I've always been fascinated at the various emotions that can help overcome or worsen sports performance anxiety. A moment of manufactured bravado by Caleb Daniel became the catalyst of perhaps the most dynamic 40 minutes of AFL history. Anger is one powerful emotion and that's the only logical explanation I have to explain what happened on that most surreal of days!

There's been a mistake I already had Rich at 40.

Just talking about the prelim for a second, I saw Tom Hawkins on ch9 sport the other night and he mentioned that he sledged Maxy at 1/2 time of our prelim he said to Maxy this is yours to lose & giving it to him. He said he has learnt his lesson and won't sledge again especially with his 3rd quarter dominance. Don't wake the beast Tom. He will react. .

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

We would take good care of it here in Sydney. I think the club is doing a great job by not being precious about the cup and letting supporters see it given most couldnt get to the game.

Promised myself….and it’s done.

Yes his ground ball work is truly extraordinary for a kid of that size. although not even he had played anywhere near that level, until he actually DID IT and executed perfectly during that 3rd Quarter of a GRAND FINAL That 3 minutes is almost 4th Dimensional Footscray did not exist

From time to time, clubs strike pay dirt with mature age players. There are always a few around in every draft. The most famous one in recent years would have to be James Podsiadly who was taken by Geelong as a rookie (third time lucky) at 29 years of age and played in the Cats’ 2011 premiership team. Fox Sports have compiled a list of 18 mature-age “guns”. The 18 mature-age guns your club could steal at the 2021 AFL draft

On Rohan Connolly's excellent Footyology site, Ronny Lerner has redrafted the 1986 Draft. Three of the players we drafted ended up in the top 10. But there's a catch...one of them was Darren Jarman who actually never played for us. The other two were the Febey's who we drafted at 3 (Stephen) and 16 (Matthew). Was it a good move to draft a player who was always unlikely to play for us? On the other hand, we drafted him at pick 55, so it might have been worth the risk if we had a strategy in place to try to convince him to come. Still, getting 2 of the top 10 (even though it's a subjective assessment) is still pretty good drafting. Three would have been so much better.

I ordered the number 9 guernsey too - then the next year Alan Johnson retired ... I considered painting a 1 next to the 9

From memory, he was at the 50 arc and when Demons exploded out of the centre, Sparrow moved towards the centre and the dogs players retreated at first expecting a long kick. That gave him space. Daniel I think went forward of Sparrow to challenge Oliver. Again giving Sparrow space.

We also nailed getting Jim Stynes and Todd Viney in that offseason, their influence on Max Gawn and Jack Viney created premiership players.

I doubt if any 19 yo has ever had such an influence in turning a GF completely on its head in a matter of minutes. There were rumours that his parents were looking at real estate in Melbourne, which is promising.

There were 2 other drafts in the early 80's (not talked about much or even heard of) Might have been '81 & '82 (for interstate players only) With one of our early picks in those 2 drafts we picked Alan Johnson. But I'm not sure whether any of those players in those 2 drafts were tied to clubs or obligated to those clubs Although AJ did end up playing for us of course Danny Hughes was another

I cant remember who it was, but I heard a long while back that the mistake wasnt picking Darren but not picking his brother Andrew too. In hindsight they felt if they they had picked both they might have come over together. But hey...these things no longer disturb me in any way :-)

For a while after his retirement, Joel MacDonald was flying high with a delivery company called GetSwift. The company was listed on the ASX and considered to be a market darling with Joel's net worth for a short time around $200 million. Yesterday it all came tumbling down with GetSwift found guilty of various ASIC breaches. Penalties are yet to be imposed, but it appears Joel may be banned from managing corporations. Sad to see.

Congratulations to Engorged Onion for filling third place and taking home the Oliver Medal. With all prized now allocated, I can put the rest of you out of your misery by revealing that the factor that links all players in my team is that they share a surname with jockeys who have won the Melbourne Cup. Thank you to all who participated, especially those that supplied the Verry Elleegant answer.

I was hammered mercilessly from Whorethorn Supporters over the Byrne trade at work in the 80’s. I had nothing to say. We made a bad decision (again)

The word ‘gun’ is used way too loosely. Such a term should only be used when discussing absolute greats of the game………….or any one of the Dees 2021 premiership team, as we were a gun team.

You got it backwards!

Just putting this here.

Amazing that 6 mths previously at Marvel our basically second string on ball brigade and defence looked like statues as the Dogs flicked the ball from one end to another in a dominant display that saw us never repeat that form at all during 2021. Only Bailey Smith and Adam Treloar are quick all the others are good runners but what I would call a bit one paced. Looking at us both Trac and Clarry are elite runners Jack V was so good with his hands Harmesy in bursts plus ANB is so smooth and cut them up on the outside ( HIs best ever game in impact and importance) plus no one minds each other and Sparrow didn't have huge no's but had huge impact (probably as much as Smith did with his greater run and possessions). They also had their fastest defender Johanissen parked up forward taking a specky on Bowsers shoulder contributing a lone goal . Even when we were challenged it was clever ball kicking and slowish ball movement that featured rather than their handball and pace. Once our on ballers and rucks got it all together we looked like a well oiled machine. Langers owned the last quarter on his wing with some of the best handball ( and his running) I thought he was Clarry! So it was a combination of all things pace fitness elite team play tactics and our supreme confidence and ability plus their minds ( and bodies ultimately) and maybe an irresistible force at the top of their game ( Remember our third quarter in the prelim really all day perhaps) and our blitz in the last quarter at the Cattery that ultimately delivered US the greatest advantage in CONFIDENCE and LADDER POSITION we were almost unbeatable from then on, despite one game in 28 days prior to the GF. Thank you Burgo thank you and our team stability of no changes hardly all year due to form and fitness enabled us to not only be Top on the ladder but top in performing best on the biggest stage of all, an AFL Finals series and moreover the last third of the biggest game of All. Our preparation was akin to a Bart Cummings horse on Melbourne Cup Day and we duly saluted by the Length of the Flemington Straight!! Let's Hope our stars align and we can do a Mackybe Diva!!.

Just another Judas. Who cares.

Dieter thanks for that. It's probably the best AFL related interview I have ever seen. Actually, It's definitely the best I've ever seen. Informative, interesting, funny, insightful..... I guess I could sum it up by saying that I never liked Razor Ray until I watched this YouTube clip. He is my kind of human. edit: Should add that Robbo is now on my watch list for a follow. Wow he is good behind the mic.

I've watched several games and read quite a lot of draft material, players profiles, stats etc... I wouldn't put a lot of stock into my opinion but from what I've been reading there is a consensus in the quality of first approximately 10-12 picks, after that there seems to be a belief that its quite even and you can throw a blanket over the next 20-30 prospects. The first 12-13 picks haven't deviated much from other phantom drafts that are out there. Some other names around the mark of the later stages of the first round are Draper, Sonsie, Butler, Knevitt, Taylor, Owens, Roberts. I feel this draft is even harder than last year to predict due to covid interrupting a second straight year. Some kids haven't been exposed much since u16s. Players like Sinn, Sonsie and Chesser were tipped to be top 10 candidates at one stage but haven't had the continuity to showcase their skills. It's one reason clubs would be wise to hold a SSP pick over for next year's mid season draft should players not drafted this year show massive development next season. There are more knowledgeable draft people on here than me, @ChaserJ might be one that can illuminate us further. As for Blake Howes, he's a 190cm forward/winger that's been described as being one of the most athletically gifted in the draft pool. Runs a quick 2km and is a great mark overhead. Would probably slot in nicely but I think we could take any number of players in different roles that would slot in well as a developing player. A nice write up on him here and a highlights vid. https://central.rookieme.com/afl/player/blake-howes/

I think we are about 10 years away ‘NFL Films’ quality productions. We are still dealing with partly shaved Brown Bear named ‘BT’ standing with his back to the camera in the rooms after the game looking for people that are too awkward to avoid talking to him.

When I first saw his name I thought you were taking the p!ss but it seems that he's real.

I take it the comments about Sparrow's kicking and 'decision making' are meant to be funny? The 'low percentage long goal' - made with Bulldogs players charging at him - was one of the goals of the year. The second one at the start of the 4th he spotted Brown with a long and penetrating kick. It was superb - and recognised as such by Bartel on the radio commentary. Just as well he didn't pissfart around looking for options spied from the comfort of the lounge chair. Bit different out on the ground.

Bit of blood around it still but this is what I got today

B: RICH, ANDREWS, HENRY HB: DALE, MOORE, SALEM C: LANGDON, NEALE, MCCLUGGAGE HF: NEAL-BULLEN, DARLING, FANTASIA F: SPARGO, RIEWOLDT, MCDONALD-TIPUNGWUTI FOLL: GAWN, BOAK, WINES IC: VINEY, DRAPER, PARKER

Please watch.

True, but they did it to themselves by blowing the last few rounds of home and away. Contrast that to the team who finished on top, became masters of their own destiny and earned themselves little travel and a stable living/training base.

It would be good if you could select one of the various radio commentaries on the DVD to watch the game instead of Ch 7 One of the lads over on BF has stitched the radio commentary from MMM, SEN, 3AW, K Rock and ABC to the Ch 7 video. It makes great replay watching with the different audio tracks. SEN particularly good with Gerard Whately and Anthony Hudson.

Someone told me I should look for the '4k edition'. Does anyone know what that means? Is it the winning margin?

100%. The only issues id see here is licensing and use of the other radio streams. All roads lead back to the AFL so im sure they are on top of this. Id also like to see an audio option where the team & coaching panel do some commentary - almost like a 'directors cut' type of thing. Not sure 4K would be an option as the channel 7 camera's at the ground are probably not capable of that level yet given they still broadcast in a poor man's HD (720p) format.

Id pay top dollar for a streamable/downloadable 4k version with all radio commentary options, and pre/ after match interviews that I could buy through Google Play or Apple TV or something and watch on any device

I've purchased the DVD because I'm a sucker. I may as well have purchased it on Laser Disc or 35mm as I'll be able to watch it the same number of times. The DVD should come with a USB drive so I can actually watch it on a medium that I still have access to.

I'll wait until it comes out on VHS