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Sorry its late Demonlanders but had a few things on so I'll get straight to the main points If Clarry plays on Sunday it will be the greatest feat since that bloke from Galilee allegedly walked on water a couple of thousand years ago. He performed a fitness test of sorts but clearly did not want to use his injured hand. Harrison Petty and Bailey Laurie were NO SHOWS at training I think Daniel Turner came of second best in a match sim and took no further part in training, I say think coz I was a bit far away. If it was him then another piece of bad luck. T Mac was in rehab and did a few light drills and could return within expected time frames Joel Smith Likewise was involved in some match sims and then completed run throughs. He did have a slight limp though If Petty misses Tomlinson looks likely Hard to get a line of who of Weeds, Mitch Brown gets the call up. I don't think Van Rooyen is in the frame. Weeds was bustled out of a few contests, but Mitch Brown kicked a couple with some clever play. I reckon Max will play quite a bit up forward Dunstan WAS part of main Mids group Chandler slipped a few times coughing ball up to his eternal frustration Best trainers were Jack Viney, Trac, Dogga, Langers AND Nibbler. Spirited session for the most part and selection will be interesting One other thing. Reporters were teaming in the ground today but do you reckon the Fence was any chance to get in. Nar no way known! GO DEES Best to all P.F

Which AFL team did you coach to a premiership again?

For many years, I bemoaned the lack of good literature about the Melbourne Football Club and since the flag, there have been some good additions to that category. Now, there's a great new book out written by journalist Ian Munro, a Demon fan from way back (and I believe a Demonlander too!) who examines the highs and mostly lows of the era between 1964 and 2021 and tries to make sense of the 57 years of heartache that accompanied that time. Here's the link to the website if you’re interested in buying what should be a welcome addition to the bookshelf of those whose hearts beat true ... Between the Flags “There have been idle moments during retirement where I have flirted with the idea of writing my version of Melbourne’s history since I was a boy in the 1950s. After reading “Between the Flags”, I’m mighty glad I refrained. Ian Munro’s work is a magnificent review of all the trials and tribulations at Melbourne in the 57 years between premierships, culminating in the 2021 flag. I loved the detailed history, the author’s passion, the colour, and, finally, the explosion of unbridled joy that came on Grand Final day in Perth.” - Mike Sheahan, journalist.

Another premiership?

Might stick an episode of aircrash investigators on instead of the game, something a bit more relaxing

Your delightful air of superiority remains undiminished Saty.

I only read this forum. Mainly for the comedy, the game day thread is entertaining, but the Team Selection wins hands down. We won a premiership last year, we have had a few ups and downs but we are still top four So selection must be do something right AMD is in NT, maybe his housemate JVR is with him, prefer that instead of rushing in a player who is developing nicely in the VFL without any pressure. Bowey is understandable, the extended bench predictable

The social media manager at MFC clearly knows about this cesspool of a thread and is toying with everyone.

Great show guys – I loved the passion and robust conversation, all done in a respectful way. Reading through the replies on this thread, it made me think of that fast disclaimer at the end of superannuation and investment ads… “Past performance is not an indicator of future performance”. I don’t assume @binman and others are implying that because we went through a similar form drop last year, that it must mean this year we are a certainty to improve as we did across the final seven games in 2021. But to highlight that the football department knows how to peak at the right time, and that they may likely do the same again this year. MAY. Not WILL. In all team sports that have a post-season, the teams expecting to be there at the pointy end, all have periods where they look toward the finals / playoffs beginning. In the NBA (82 games) and MLB (162 games) there are periods where they accept that losses will occur due to fixturing and the need to rest and then load up the fitness of key players across a long season. Across foreign and domestic competitions like these, you need a greater than 70 percent winning rate to guarantee optimal post-season conditions (home ground advantage in US sports / double chance in AFL). Further, there is no additional benefit to running at an 85, 90, or 100 percent winning record once you guarantee the double chance. Now in an AFL season with only 22 games, you couldn’t guarantee this earlier than round 16 (going 16-0). The question becomes - do you do everything to bank those 16 wins as early as possible and then begin preparing for finals and risk it being too late? Or make judgement calls in season to prepare for the finals in the best possible way while also doing your best to (first) qualify and then finish top 4? Reading through this forum in the off-season, the collective wisdom of users identified that we would become ‘The Hunted’, that opposition coaches will be studying our style and dissecting it, and coming up with strategies to beat us. If we worked that out than so too did the football department. They would likely have looked at the fixture and considered each game through that lens. They would have developed a strategy on how to manage the teams mental and emotional energy given that we would be a lot of teams ‘grand final’. They would have set targets for where they aimed to be at certain points in the season, and how they would adjust various fitness and player management schedules based on those metrics, e.g. aim to be 7-2 (or better) at round 9 to implement an aggressive loading schedule versus a record of 5-4 where a more moderate loading schedule would be applied. This strategy would be tweaked and changed based on injuries, team form, and the quality of opposition we face. That is why it is risky to compare 2021 to 2022 too closely. In 2021 we (mostly) played poorly against bad sides whereas in 2022 we have only lost to top sides. Firstly, our fixture is different and secondly, we’re the benchmark in 2022 when we weren’t in 2021. I’m sure this is highly biased as a dee’s supporter, but it has felt as though most teams this year have really brought the heat against us for at least a half (relative to their overall quality). I can’t be the only one who has felt that. You don’t want to exhaust the team mentally and emotionally by trying to raise the stakes for our players (across 22 games) to the same level that opposition players have instinctively purely because they are playing the reigning premiers. No coach or player wants to lose any given game of football. However, the FD will have what they are willing to change and risk in order to win any given game, based on their season strategy. If a team is so superior in quality and application that it can juggle it’s finals preparation objectives while also winning 22 straight games, I imagine that is what would happen. Goodwin and the FD will plan for, and go into each match with a plan they think gives them the best chance to win the game within the context of the larger season objectives. They will have things they plan to try / test out in game, and small tweaks to the gameday tactics they will utilize to win that game. What they can’t account for is the oppositions desire and application, and the changes in tactics they implement to wrestle back control of the game. Goody may or may not have had answers to the tactics Geelong used to control and win Thursday nights game. However, what he now has is additional tactics that Geelong and other teams might use to beat us in the remaining (up to) 10 rounds of the season. What opposition coaches do not have is the counter measures Goodwin may employ to counter those tactics. Whether that is by chance or by design is (almost) irrelevant because the opportunities it presents are the same in either scenario. The Bulldogs played an almost perfect 1.5 quarters in the Grand Final and got 19 points up. Goodwin had faith that our preparation would allow us to weather the storm and eventually wrestle back momentum. And that when we did, we’d have the explosiveness to pull away. At this point in the season, we will soon learn whether there is method in the madness of our form slump, or if we’re just not as good as we hoped we would be this year. But while we’re in 2nd and with more points For and fewer Against than at the same time last season, I’ll put faith in the FD that delivered us a premiership.

Sparrow maybe but Jordon has been one of our most consistent, racking up 20+ possessions on the wing which is elite.

He's making the scissors sign. Oh no! It means he plans to cut and run.

We have won our last nine interstate games. Lets make it ten.

@picket fenceyou needed this

102 pages of absolute Sh$&@ Well done lads

That will make Heppell, Hopper and Hooper, surely a law firm in the making

In binman’s defence, he’s never claimed that loading is the pivot of all our ills, only that it simply has to be a significant factor when one applies logic and history. What his work on the podcast (at the risk of repetition, the best Dees podcast) in fact adds is a sensible appreciation that footy success or otherwise comes down to multiple variables.

The fact that Freo are now wanting Lobb to stay, might be due to someone not coming to them.

Surprised with the negativity, Port dont have a ruck and have been average against top 8 sides this year. We will bounce back and win this.

He’s not Oliver tho

Second time for Petty and the Vid? Hunt deserves back in, hopefully he makes the cut tomorrow night.

interesting stats from Goodwin's presser - we're 5th on the ladder for scores from f50 entries over the last three weeks, so things are actually working not TOO bad personally i don't want gus moved into the midfield - his best footy is played as a half-back interceptor

Well there you go, I thought he was playing rock, paper, scissors with Max.

Two years would be nice right about now Luke.

Haha That makes 2 of you

In its own quiet way our season is slowly unravelling. You need a lot of luck to win a premiership, including with injuries/availables, and the Lady isn't smiling at us.

Jontee, Spud and Neil Crompton have come up with the correct answer but, with all medals awarded, will have to console themselves with a virtual participation ribbon. The answer is that the team is named in alphabetical order by first name, the nicknames being used to make it a little more challenging and requiring some lateral thinking. Due to the ancient nature of some of the players, this teaser suited our more mature posters. I had to stop at "T" because I don't know of any player whose first name begins with "U". Anybody know of one? The team with actual first names: B: Alan Gale Brian Roberts Christian Salem H/B: Don Fraser Edward Whitten Frank Hughes C: Graham Farmer Harry Vallence Ian Hampshire H/F: John Newman Kevin Neale Lance Franklin F: Matthew Burton Neil Clarke Oliver Wines R: Peter Keenan Quinton Narkle Robert Skilton 19th: Stephen Kernahan 20th: Terry Wallace

What an absolute pleasure to randomly scan this photo, & to my delight, see my long passed grandpa's photo. He was a trainer for the under 19's. Sincere thank you to Star of the 80's for sharing. This has made my day.

Won't happen.

The Last Hurrah by Adam Woolcock (our very own Supermercado) and, if you have the stomach for it, The Great Deepression by the same author. Max's book. The Grand Old Flag by Lynda Carroll (she should update it now to include 2021 and maybe beyond) and the classic "100 YEARS OF FOOTBALL. The Story of the Melbourne Football Club 1858-1958" by E.C.H. Taylor.

You're killing me MFC just announce it already!!!

LOL! Goodwin said 'Oliver has been high maintenance in the first few days', wanting to play this week. That's Clarrie! Raring to go. Not this week.

So good to get a training report, you are a DL legend Picket!

I disagree on Tommo mo. He was playing terrific footy before his serious injury. Maybe he just needs more time - it's fair enough to give him another chance as he can play that Petty role.

Signed for 2 decades

Andy Moniz-Dakefield I presume.

I think everyone wants Laurie/JVR more out of boredom than anything else. I’d imagine stats show that most debutants have limited impact. Goodwin will have been tinkering with game plan, with sides now clearly taking short options through the corridor. He’ll rightly back this group in to have a crack at it with a tinkered plan. Settle everyone.

Outs: the Ginger Ninjas; Clarry, Petty and Bowza Makes us weaker on paper but the team is still strong enough to win imo

Terrific as always picket!

We’ll said Chook, Jordon has been great this year, plays one poor game & people want him dropped

Ian has been keeping this project very secret. I am often sitting with him at games and I didn’t even know about it. He is a great Melbourne man. If you’ve been sitting on Level 2 of the G in front of the coaches boxes over the years you’re bound to have heard him 😂

My money is on a debutant based on everything. Although, it will be a slight let down because of the teasing content this morning... I'll be excited for the debutant none the less.

A game plan can’t be assessed as working or failing if the players are simply too fatigued to execute it. Any game plan that doesn’t fit a teams fitness level (and skill and experience level) always looks dysfunctional, but because we are wedded to the game plan, we continue to use the same one during this period of fatigue because we want it to be purely instinctive for the players. Yes, there could be better short term outcomes if the game plan is changed while we are fatigued, but only at a possible loss to long term performance. When the fatigue isn’t there, the hope is that all the pieces that currently look so dysfunctional will come together. From a speculative point of view, perhaps one of the reasons why loading appeared to stop 3 or 4 weeks before finals in 2021 was to give the coaching group some weeks of non-loading affected games to properly assess how the game plan looked to allow some tinkering if needed.

Is it possible to leave luke jackson discussions to the other 100 page thread?

It's not in Darwin, it's in Alice Springs. Personally I love the fact the club has developed such close ties with the Santa Teresa community, it reminds us that as a not for profit organisation there are commitments to the community being met.

Petty stepped in and took his spot. Petty is a better player case closed

I'm choosing to believe it's true but just for today. A person can dream!

Maybe that is a sign that it is two years!! And Howes' cryptic caption of 'Thursday vibes' is another sign...am I clutching at straws... ...an announcement today...???