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I've read some things on DL over the years. This is one them.

Ben Brown is prepared to earn his spot back in Melbourne’s best side in 2024 – and he could prove the answers to the Demons’ biggest problem. Since joining Simon Goodwin’s team at the end of 2020 Brown, hasn’t found his best football, with 30 goals in 2022 his best return. The 31-year-old key forward spent much of last year in the VFL and could only manage seven AFL appearances. A persistent knee concern has also played a role. But after off-season surgery, Brown says he’s feeling as good as ever. “I had a little cleanout on the knee about four weeks ago, so I’m still building back. I’m due to return in a couple of weeks which will be great,” he told SEN Tassie. “The aim for me this year is to try and get my body in the best place it can be. I am 31… but I’m definitely aiming to get back and playing the best footy I can. “My knee is the way it is and I’ve had issues with that ever since a young Jimmy Webster ran into me at UTas (University of Tasmania) Stadium years ago playing for the Tassie Mariners. “It’s one of those things with footy, everyone has their own little battles they go through with injury and those kind of things. At the end of the day, you put yourself out on the park and you’re just another one of the 22 players out there.” Brown largely found himself stuck behind fellow talls Jacob Van Rooyen, Harrison Petty and Joel Smith as Melbourne scored the 5th most points across the 2023 home and away season. But as the Demons’ availability waned towards the end of the campaign, so too did their accuracy. Melbourne kicked 28 behinds across two narrow finals losses to Collingwood and Carlton to kick themselves out of finals. Brown is a proven goal kicker, having kicked over 60 goals in three consecutive seasons while at North Melbourne, each year at over 65 per cent accuracy. Bayley Fritsch was the Demons’ leading goal kicker in 2023, going at 60.3 per cent accuracy. “I’ve got to get myself to a point where I can really be competitive. I definitely think I’ve got some good footy to play this year,” Brown declared. “I’m definitely looking forward to it. I enjoying my footy at the moment as much as I ever have, which I think is a great mindset to be starting the year in, so I’m coming into it with the right attitude and really looking forward to the year. “Step one ticked, step two get the body right and get out on the field, I’m trying my best to get to that point.” Given his recent surgery, Brown is unlikely to be available for Melbourne's season-opening clash on Thursday March 7.

Probably no surprise, but Caleb Windsor will debut Round 0. His family have been told to make their way to Sydney for the occasion.

Oliver @ 43 is an outright joke. If its based on 2023 performance only, fair enough but then how do you have Sicily @ 11 who missed almost as much footy as Oliver through injury. Just doesnt add up. #muppet.

Love BB. Completed the last missing link in our team ahead of our triumphant flag year. Was one of my few favourite non-Dees players before he came across to us. It would be absolutely massive for us if what he is relaying here is true. Finger crossed.

He's one of the reasons we won the flag in 21. Goodluck Benny

Gee, I get sick of the negativity from some negative repeat offenders on this site.

If it happens it's a bonus.

The guy is doing his best to get back in the ones. I wish him all the best. He is a premiership winning forward, and if he does get his body right he could be a highly valuable addition to the fwd line. He would get the first or 2nd best defender, and still has inspector gadget marking arms that draw free kicks. at worst, he helps our other forwards to be better.

It's a ragebait click generator and it works every year. Robbo's opinion is irrelevant to me.

Readers's Top 50. 50. Jamarra Ugle-Hagan 49. Zak Butters 48. Luke Jackson 47. Keidean Coleman 46. Lachie Whitfield 45. Brayden Maynard 44. Oscar Allen 43. Luke Davies-Uniacke 42. Stephen Coniglio 41. Matt Rowell 40. Noah Anderson 39. Jai Newcombe 38. Taylor Walker 37. Jordan De Goey 36. Nick Blakey 35. Zach Merrett 34. Josh Kelly 33. Sam Taylor 32. Will Day 31. Charlie Cameron 30. James Sicily 29. Jack Viney 28. Charlie Curnow 27. Jeremy Cameron 26. Jack Sinclair 25. Rowan Marshall 24. Sam Walsh 23. Shai Bolton 22. Caleb Serong 21. Jacob Weitering 20. Harris Andrews 19. Darcy Moore 18. Dustin Martin 17. Hugh McCluggage 16. Patrick Cripps 15. Connor Rozee 14. Touk Miller 13. Tom Green 12. Tom Stewart 11. Josh Daicos 10. Errol Gulden 9. Jordan Dawson 8. Lachie Neale 7. Nick Larkey 6. Max Gawn 5. Clayton Oliver 4. Christian Petracca 3. Toby Greene 2. Nick Daicos 1. Marcus Bontempelli

Trivia time. I went to Demon Wiki to see who besides Pig had worn 14 and there are some illustrious names but one caught my eye. Chris Aitken is a forward I remember who showed enormous potential but was always injured and I remember he wore number 5. A quick check showed he left Melbourne for the bush but returned 5 years later and at that time wore 14. The trivia is he has a younger brother Nicholas Aitken who is a well-known Melbourne supporter whose stage name is " Wilbur Wilde"

Yes - the Herald Sun is quoting Max that Clarry will play with the VFL team on Wednesday morning, the objective being to ensure that he’s cherry ripe to return and to do so over the long term. I’m good with that and hope he’s not ruled out for Round Zero. In a separate report in the Herald Sun:- WHO DIDN'T PLAY IN MATCH SIM: Tall Tom McDonald (calf), winger Lachie Hunter (calf) and Charlie Spargo (achilles) missed against Richmond but hope to play against Carlton. Harrison Petty was also absent due to toe soreness, with the Demons to monitor him in the next few days. Taj Woewodin (concussion) and Andy Moniz-Wakefield (thigh) are both expected to be available to face Carlton. WHO WILL UP THEIR MINUTES: Key men Clayton Oliver and Christian Salem both played in the back end of the seven periods against Richmond and will be watched closely as they push to play in Opening Round. Max Gawn also just played one half. WHO IS A WHILE OFF: Shane McAdam has had an interrupted pre-season and looks likely to miss the Carlton game due to calf tightness. Daniel Turner (leg stress fracture), Ben Brown (knee), Tom Fullarton (hamstring), Jake Melksham (knee) are also out. Angus Brayshaw has retired.

He's doing everything he can to get back to his best, sometimes the body is a big hurdle but hoping he can clear it and have a positive impact on the pitch for us. Hoping the big man can get on the field for at least half the season.

What i meant about Pies, Blues and Tigers fans is that they push back against the media. But they don't accept failure? You're probably right, but ironically that reflexive desire for 'accountability' and not 'accepting failure' is the key reason all three clubs were in fact failures for so long. Fans of the Pies, tigers and Blues had plenty of practice at accepting failing. Feral fans not accepting 'failures' meant all three clubs repeatedly shot themselves in the foot in the form of upheaval at board level and sacking coaches. And ironically the path forward for all three clubs was not being led by the nose by their feral fans' desire for scapegoats and 'accountability'. Take the tigers. Their fans were going nuts at their repeated 'failure' to make the finals under Hardwick. There was talk of board coups and total upheaval. The board, learning from past mistakes, weathered the storm and stayed the course And won three flags to become the best team of the modern era. After a similar period of upheaval and chaos (and failure), the Pies stabilized under McGuire and Buckley. Yes, they ultimately replaced Buckley but he had a decade as senior coach, almost won them a flag and i'm guessing the first positive win loss record of any coach since perhaps Hafey. No way McCrae has his success without that foundation. And the blues? A basket case for decades. Burning through coaches and board members. A board coup always on the cards. Hell, halfway though last season the blues fans, who don't accept failure, were screaming for blood. A high profile board coup seemed inevitable. Voss was in the gun. But the board took the tiger's lead, stayed the course, ignored the baying fans who don't accept failure, and had their best season in 20 plus years. And the only thing that changed was the tune of the don't accept failure crew. The Cats have long been rightly lauded for their excellent administration and governance. I think that was one reason their fans never went full feral on the board to axe Scott. They were rewarded for not conflating not winning flags and 'failure' by winning another flag. Like the tigers, they stayed the course and were rewarded. What does accountability mean in the context of a team, coach, administration and board that won us our first flag in 57 years just two seasons ago, and followed it up with two top 4 finishes? Sure it was heartbreaking to go out in straight sets two years in a row. But only feral fans would really consider that a pretext for some accountability, which in footy speak is sacking the coach and/or board. Is that what we want? Even when we know that history is crystal clear that is the path to failure? On your final point doc, personally i don't agree that we have a stale game plan, or that we have cultural issues (or at least no more than other clubs - i think this is a classic media beat up), but that is another discussion. But i totally agree fans have every right to ask questions. What i find bit frustrating on Demomnland is how often discussion becomes binary and devolves into camps. There is a lack of nuance. It is equally frustrating to be pigeon holed as some pollyanna optimist who is unconditionally positive and refuses to acknowledge issues (to be clear, i'm not saying you are dong so here doc, or have form doing so). It is possible to both be critical of the club AND think we are heading in the right direction. Positing potential reasons for something occurring (eg our forward line injuries impacting our finals campaign) is not making excuses for this playing/coaching group. Being positive about our chances is not accepting failure. The same is true of criticism of the club. I have been very critical of the clubs kicking skills ever since i started posting on Demonland, and long argued that we should be targeting more players with elite kicking skills. And, for that reason was critical of the decision to take Salem not Josh Kelly, and equally critical of the decision to trade Watts. I think my criticism on the kicking skills front has borne out. In my opinion, injuries was the number one factor in us going out in straight sets last year, but clear number two was too few elite kicks. But i'm not banging on about being proved right or pointing out ad nauseum how much better we would be if we had Josh Kelly kicking inside 50. And i am long time critic of the clubs' external communications, which i think is a big factor in our poor relationship with the media and certainly in how various crisis events have been perceived externally. But again, i don't run the club down and bang on about it at every opportunity. Predicting failure is easy. Anyone doing so will be proven right way more often than those predicting success. But a back and forth between those two poles is exhausting. And to be clear, I'm as guilty of anyone as getting involved in those back and forth discussions that lead nowhere and clog up thread after thread. I'm down for nuanced discussion about strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats. But like reducing my consumption of footy media, i'm tapping out from binary, black and white discussions on Demonland this season.

Someone should tell the selectors that Tomlinson is no good! He's played 177 games of AFL football and apparently "isnt up to AFL standard". In those 177 games he has averaged 15 disposals and 5.5 marks! Perhaps it's your analysis, Werridee, that isn't up to standard!

Let’s be honest… none of us will be happy with any of these lists unless the top 10 players are all Dees. 😅

Good things Port weren't wearing their prison bar jumper or else Christiansen would have let it slide out of muscle memory.

When we win the GF 😉 we will have experienced the longest season in VFL/AFL history. Most important to me is no injuries and enough glimpses to have confidence we are on the right track. Being right on top of our game in February would actually make me more nervous than confident.

crazy how much victorians underrate Butters. He won the coaches award last year. clearly top 10

Thanks DZ. In was indeed referring to that hysteria - though i was really just taking the opportunity (albeit in an unrelated thread!) to do some more misquoting of Paul Kelly, one of our great chroniclers and poets - and mad football fan (Adelaide unfortunately). But on the hysteria front, since our loss to the blues i have had an almost complete football media black out. And i like it. Reading the threads on here about various media predictions drives me batty enough, so i'm going to tap out of watching or listening to the footy media this season. No SEN (apart from some catch up of Phil Davis and the bloke from Champion data on Tuesday nights). Maybe the two ABC footy shows on Sunday. Actually just the first one. No Fox 360 or their inane half time 'analysis' (i might not be able to break my last crack addiction). Maybe some of the usually excellent ABC news.com analytical articles (the authors' names escape me, Dean Bilton is one i think) but no Age or Hun articles. I'll listen to the ESPN footy podcast, which is usually (bit not always) pretty good. And read whelloratings excellent site, and maybe some other similar data driven websites. That will do me i think for footy media in 2024. By the by, speaking of the footy media, one of the issues I have it with it is all so 'feels' based. So few analysts actually analyse, and the opinion heads just have vibe based feels. So for example, on the discussion about our fortunes in 2024, as far as i have seen no-one has noted that we finished the 2023 season as the number one rated team by Champion Data (combines the ratings for attack - +2.7 and defence - +12.5). Sure, that is based on data and and data doesn't equal flags. And people seem to hate data. But it is relevant information to include in any analysis i would have thought. Readers or listeners can choose to ignore or factor it in as they see fit. As a punter i certainly look at the data and factor it into my thinking. And, in term of how i assess the 2024 season, the table is not miles off how i think it might play out, including the Giants being a big chance and the Crows also being a contender. The Crows are interesting. The key factor in their rating is they were the number one rated attacking team in the AFL (we were 8th) but only #10 for defence (we were #1). If the Crows sort their defence this season they are definitely contenders and from a punting perspective the 1.81 you can get for them to finish in the top 8 is good value, if that bet was in a bubble (futures bets are never good value). This is the top 8 rated teams: Melbourne +15.2 Brisbane +14.9 Collingwood +14.3 Giants +14.3 Adelaide +13.7 Sydney +9.4 Port Adelaide +9.2 Carlton +5.4

OR you could look at it from the point of view that family culture is excellent to have and that the boys are family oriented and not spending their saturday nights down at revs.

I really like Benny. He is a different Cat, but if he could Kick 30-40 Goals this year, it could be the difference. If his knee needs constant management, then so be it. Give it your best shot Benny, i enjoyed the Podcast he did a few weeks ago. He certainly doesn’t sound finished yet.

Good luck, Caleb! May you wear the number 6 guernsey longer than your recent predecessors!

When exactly has that POS Maynard shown any remorse? All he’s ever done is play the woe is me card. I’ve never heard him come out and apologize to Gus nor have I heard Moore, this so called nice guy speak out against the vile Pies fans who cheered an opposition player while out cold. [censored] the Pies and [censored] Maynard.

McAdam looks pumped.

I appreciate your first post here being used to give such excellent advise - thanks! 👍

I am trying to read between the lines here. Im sure he has had an honest assessment of his injury by all the medicos and the club. We have no idea what that would be so can only go by his own assessment that he is feeling great and going to have another crack. Why would he be misleading the supporters? If his career was in doubt, would we expect him to tell us so? Does he think that by not trying or being available jeopardises his final year? Its such a confusing situation - i don't know what to believe.

Robbo 2. Zak Butters Readers 49. Zak Butters

This thread definitely declines in quality without my tasteful input!

I've put it in my diary for 2028 which is the next time the 11th of March falls on a Saturday.

What, you are not allowed to kiss your wife at her mother's place? New AFL rule?

Thanks guys. I’ll be back on DL when we play in the 2024 GF !!! City hotel already booked for that weekend! In the meantime, I have lots of fun things: restarted playing bridge early January, am indulging in art (skills leave a bit to be desired but its fun), have organized some i/state and O/S holidays. And, of course will enjoy being with family and friends. Oh … and watch the dees!! So a pretty good year ahead! This is a good time to hand this thread over to @red and blue forever who will do a great job for you.

Good thing for him the round zero game against us is in Sydney - he won't have to fly.

Post reported. Enjoy your holiday from Demonland @marieisademon.

It should also include funding from governments and the like. Geelong will be well out in front with an entire stadium being rebuilt just for them (for the benefit of the community my @r$e)

Everyone around him would be telling him he did nothing wrong....and they won a flag and everyone's feeling great down there. So it may not be on the surface right now. But there would be a little voice in his head where he knows what he did and those little voices tend to never go away do they.

50. Will Day 49. Jamarra Ugle-Hagan 48. Brayden Maynard 47. Josh Daicos 46. Matt Rowell 45. Jack Viney 44. Luke Jackson 43. Clayton Oliver 42. Dustin Martin 41. Rowan Marshall 40. Hugh McCluggage 39. Nick Blakey 38. Shai Bolton 37. Keidean Coleman 36. Jacob Weitering 35. Jack Sinclair 34. Caleb Serong 33. Zach Merrett 32. Stephen Coniglio 31. Oscar Allen 30. Taylor Walker 29. Nick Larkey 28. Jai Newcombe 27. Touk Miller 26. Lachie Whitfield 25. Josh Kelly 24. Jordan Dawson 23. Patrick Cripps 22. Darcy Moore 21. Harris Andrews 20. Max Gawn 19. Tom Stewart 18. Luke Davies-Uniacke 17. Charlie Cameron 16. Noah Anderson 15. Connor Rozee 14. Sam Walsh 13. Tom Green 12. Errol Gulden 11. James Sicily 10. Sam Taylor 9. Lachie Neale 8. Jeremy Cameron 7. Jordan De Goey 6. Charlie Curnow 5. Christian Petracca 4. Toby Greene 3. Nick Daicos 2. Zak Butters 1. Marcus Bontempelli

If the week when preseason training melds into scratch matches with other clubs, is the first marker for the beginning of a new season, then this has certainly been a torrid opener for the Melbourne Football Club in its campaign to remain a leading AFL premiership contender in 2024. The Demons were already under enormous scrutiny from the media and football’s fan base (including their own) after consecutive straight-sets finals exits, with Clayton Oliver’s well documented woes, the Joel Smith ban for a positive drug test, a mounting injury list that is heavily skewed against its forwards as well as the spectre of the off field scuttlebutt surrounding the long running battle in court with a former club chairman. It would be fair to say that very little improvement was seen in the situation during the week although, I do maintain that some small rays of light still presented themselves on the horizon. More of that later. Sunday’s match simulation was a bit like Melbourne’s recent weather. The game against Richmond opened brightly with 20 minutes of magical sunshine and five goals, followed by an hour of drenching rain and ten consecutive goals against, during which time the team’s style and cohesion was neither recognisable nor existent. There were moments of sunshine in the next stanza, the lead regained and lost again, then the heavy weather returned in the final term when the Tigers were more fierce in general play against a team lacking the rhythm of life required to win four points that weren’t even on offer. Jack Viney and Christian Petracca were the standouts and Kozzy Pickett was at times special a la Bruce McAvaney among many others who played out small cameo roles. Like Jacob van Rooyen who was clunking the ball well in the early proceedings. Newcomers Jack Billings, Caleb Windsor and young pup, Kynan Brown all showed something, youthful Will Verrall had nice half leaping around in the ruck (but perhaps not yet ready for senior action) when he replaced skipper Max Gawn who called it a day after two quarters (of seven) but not before booting a late goal at the end of the deluge. He then joined the 14 absentees, the ill, the injured and suspended, sitting on the sidelines as the team limped to a 23-point defeat after four quarters. But all was not lost … yet. Clayton Oliver and Christian Salem returned to the football fray in the fifth quarter, several classes above what was a VFL level after-game in three stanzas. Clarry warmed the cockles of our hearts, picking up hardball gets at will and booting the goal of the year deep on the boundary. Let’s hope he gets himself fully right for the all clear to play ASAP because he has too much talent for it to be wasted. First round draft pick Koltyn Tholstrup impressed in his outing as Melbourne slowly edged closer to Richmond and finished two points in arrears at the final bell. Some people still believed the end of the world had come. The team was given three days off but if you thought the rest period would be uneventful, you were wrong. By Monday morning, the critical reaction to the first up February scratch match loss ranged from indifference to apocalyptic. Some felt for the club’s safety in the wake of its various woes and things got worse on Tuesday with the news that Joel Smith was facing four new anti-doping rule violations from Sport Integrity Australia — three for trafficking cocaine and one for possession after his phone records revealed text messages to other players allegedly offering the drug. A news item appeared in the Murdoch press which quoted an unnamed source suggesting the 28-year-old was being "scapegoated" by the club which prompted the response from the club that "Joel has made it very clear that he has no issues or concerns with anyone at the Melbourne Football Club." Some not unexpected editorialising followed from the usual suspects in the media who appear to have been carrying on a vendetta about the club’s culture for a number of years. Read between the lines and the verdict was that the club’s dynasty was over with only one premiership to show for it. I want to comment about some of the editorialising in the media on the Joel Smith situation and allegations of poor culture at the club. Perhaps the more prominent critics need to take look in the mirror and reflect on their own behaviours in response to other such controversies of the past and, in particular, the way a certain club reacted in not dissimilar circumstances. I expect when the outcome of the current investigation is revealed, that our club faces up to what occurred with the proper responsibility that the situation warrants. No denial, no obfuscation nor blame-shifting as we saw elsewhere a decade ago. The acceptance of responsibility if and when the circumstances so deserve will be one of the measures of our culture. More turbulence on Wednesday with rumours swirling that the career of Angus Brayshaw who played such a pivotal role in the achievements of that dynasty was about to end due to ongoing issues with concussion that have stalked him throughout his career. The hammer blow came on the following day when it was confirmed that the Demon champion was retiring from the sport at the age of 28 after recent scans revealed microscopic changes in his brain after he was knocked out in last year's qualifying final by a mistimed smother from Collingwood defender Brayden Maynard, for which the Pies player somehow avoided suspension. A premiership player highly regarded for his football prowess and strong leadership, Brayshaw, who has been at the Club for nine years is much loved by the players, coaches, staff and supporters. Brayshaw walks away with five more seasons still to run on his multimillion-dollar contract, which expires at the end of the 2028 season, having played 167 games for the club. He finished third in the 2018 Brownlow Medal count and had two top five finishes in the Bluey Truscott Trophy for club champion. He will always be remembered for his courage and resilience epitomised in the goal that put the Demons in front in the third quarter of the 2021 Grand Final, after which the team was never headed. Some quotes from a shattered hero of the club:- “I am devastated that I can no longer play the game that I love, but I respect the verdict of the medical professionals, and the importance of putting my health before my career. “I am really proud of what I have achieved over the past decade. I have been able to live out my childhood dream and while it’s been cut short, I am forever grateful to everyone who has been involved. “Concussion is a massive issue facing our game. I hope from this, a terrible result for me personally, can come some positive outcomes for the future of player safety.” Brayshaw is certain to maintain some role with the club in 2024, his loss as a player will be difficult to cover. The manner of his leaving, his wonderful words in the hour of disappointment at the premature retirement and his positive demeanour together affirmed the solid culture of resilience that his legacy at the club will hold forever. The weekend couldn’t arrive too soon after all that but I did promise some rays of hope on the horizon. There was no apparent sign of any organized training during the week so no new injuries that we know about so far plus … There was a well attended season opener at the MCG which marked a welcome return to football after the venue was used for three concerts by an NFL groupie which decimated the surface of the ground which is now under repair. The Coterie sponsored function, on the other hand, saw a lift in spirits. Firstly, there seemed to be much optimism about the return to training of a number of the injured brigade. I won’t go into any detail because nothing was “official” and therefore best to wait until we see visual evidence of their return. Secondly, the speeches from coach, captain and the club chair were all positive, inspiring and reflective of a fair degree of confidence for the coming season. Similarly, the interviews with players from every line including the newbies. There was a wonderful tribute to Gus who understandably wasn’t in attendance only hours after his retirement announcement. I sense that the composition of next week’s Community Series Practice Match against Carlton at IKON Park will be as close as possible to the expected Round Zero lineup in Sydney, give or take Kozzy Pickett who isn’t available for the latter match up. I think that after all these years, I’m pretty good at reading a room. There seemed to be an undercurrent from players and officials that they are quietly seething at the poor rap, some of it insulting, they’ve received from sections of the media of late and that they are ready to show their resilience emphatically on the field of play which is, of course, the only sane way to respond.

Verrall honestly just needs to barrel into Grundy a few times in the first quarter and he will have done his job - any possessions are a bonus. Schache clearly doesn't have the intestinal fortitude to be a ruckman, and I hate the idea of throwing JVR in the ruck against players 15kgs and 15cms bigger than him - we're just going to destroy him.

Good luck finding them on Saturday 11th March.

Ragebait is an excellent description. As adults, I find it strange behaviour to go around telling other adults that you believe someone is better at something than someone else!

A whole heap of Open Training Sessions have been put up on the MFC website. https://www.melbournefc.com.au/teams/training-times Gosch's Paddock Tuesday 27 February 8:30am onwards Saturday 2 March 11:45am onwards Saturday 11 March 11:45am onwards Saturday 16 March 8:45am onwards Tuesday 19 March 11:45am onwards Friday 22 March 8:45am onwards Monday 25 March 11:45am onwards Casey Fields Times will be updated here when available.

NO TRAINING AT CASEY TODAY😱

Your at the top of your game. A sport you've played since you were a kid. A career forged with friendships and passion. A very lucrative career that can possibly see you financially well off for your future family. Then along comes some fanatic and ....... . I'm sure he'll still be involved in footy and the club will look after him but it would be rough watching from the sidelines especially when someone else is still playing. The fact the AFL let that someone play a grand final is a complete disgrace.

I would like to see Tholstrup get a bit of a run. Gives him some confidence that he could be in the mix this season, that he gets an understanding of the level required, and we/they get a look at him.

Exactly. If people expect to see much out of this match, they will be disappointed. Carlton played Geelong in similar conditions last week, and it was the most appalling display of AFL football to watch, with turnover after turnover after turnover. It was just too hot to bother. We should know, it will be like playing in Darwin, so with a game only 10 days later, don't expect too much exertion.

We’re never out of it with Petracca, Oliver, Viney, Lever, Gawn, May, Kozzy in the team. yes we have had issues off field but our issue has been injuries since 2021, when you pay a fortune for two forwards that cannot stay on the park (Brown and McDonald) you’re always up against it. list management is how you continually show up and perform, losing Gus is like losing Selwood to the cats, he cannot be replaced, I have doubts on this year because of the loss of Gus and not what happened over the preseason. We could potentially have $2.2-$2.5 (loss of Gus, BBB, T-Mac) in cap room next yeah, we we can bring in a decent forward, back and ruck to help supplement our older guys, we’re hanging around the top four until Viney retires. Lamb has the biggest job next offseason, if he isn’t working the room of every other club this year, yes we will be a one hit wonder, if he can add some pieces around Petracca, Oliver, Viney, Lever, JVR, Kozzy look out. I think we’ll miss finals this year and really draft and trade in heavily next year. Goody was very “us vs the world” in his Gus tribute, I got the feeling he was trying to convince the players more then the supporters base. Im there round 0 cheering on the boys!

The thing that drives me nuts about the Brayshaw/Maynard incident is that I thought that the messaging for years has been if you do not show proper duty of care for your opponent, and they are severely injured with a head injury then you get suspended. He opened the door for suspension the moment he went up and didn't show care for the opposition player.