hemingway

Love your positivity Big Kev. I was about to self harm reading earlier posts. I feel much better as I turn in. My mind has settled into a peaceful meditative state. Thanks.

Fancy lining up against Noel in his heyday. That face would have been terrifying. It spoke of unforgiving toughness and character. As his face with the 2021 Cup spoke of gentleness, peace and pride. A true great of the Club who linked the past glory years with our most recent triumph.

It’s annoying coming to the end of the season. Maybe it does not affect the players, but the on-going speculation over Brayshaw and Jackson I find a major distraction. Unsettling. Yeah I know that’s the way it is, but I hate it.

Just looked physically and mentally fatigued.

Success like life is temporary. What we must enjoy is the now. Live in the moment because everything else is so fragile. However, this is a time when we should sit back, reflect and take stock of where we are now and where we have got to, and the sheer joy of supporting a successful team without shame, embarrassment, or apology. There is a belief and an energy within the club, administration, coaches and players that is infectious and also convincing. It was a few years ago that Goodwin and others started talking about building a new club, developing a strong culture and creating something special. Despite the doubters, it has happened. 65,000 members is the result. Kids in jumpers and adults swathed in Demon gear is the result. The footy world talking about the club with respect rather than derision is the result. Everyone expecting the Demons to win is the result. The way the club handled the May affair and batted away the media scrum is the result. Having champion players is the result. And champions who love the club is the result. Amazing really. Yes, we will lose matches but gee what a turnaround. We have come a long way whatever measure you use. I love the way supporters quickly identify one another in the street with a smile and a “go Dees” comment. And the enthusiasm of the kids in their jumpers and face paint brings a tear to my eye. I suspect my final words before passing to Demon heaven will be “go Dees.”

Agree, the virus thing, simply pathetic.

Exactly.

Agree with most of this MB. Let’s not make comparisons. Both Flower and Oliver have their own unique qualities that made/make them special. Flower was sublime and Oliver is freakish. Champions in their own unique way.

Colin you were on track but let your petty annoyances about appearance come to the surface. With LJ, the pull of home is strong. It’s not about the money, it’s about going home. He may be happy here and the Club can do all the right things but clearly LJ wants to go home at some stage. Is it now or in a few years? We don’t know and perhaps LJ is in the same boat. He can be happy here and have lots of footy mates but ultimately I suspect he feels disconnected from Perth. It’s the way many of us feel who have moved away from their home base. Living in Japan, how do you feel about this issue?

So true

Summed it up perfectly. Courage, passion, intensity. Certainly one of the most courageous Demons to pull on the guernsey. Also very gifted, a natural sportsman. Tragic he went so young.

Errr, I mean the 4th Estate. Where’s my proof reader. That’s what happens when your dead.

Congratulations to MFC, together with Clarry and his manager for getting this done discreetly without the headlines from the shock jocks of the footy media scrum. Really refreshing that this can still happen without the usual fanfare and speculation from the great unwashed of the third estate. Says a lot for all the parties involved. Well done.

If Gunston wants out, he will be looking for a nice tidy package for 2 or 3 years to boost his property portfolio or other pre-retirement earnings. Seems like he is doing an Isaac Smith who was similarly [censored] off with the Hawks. Although Smith remains injury free and without a significant injury history. So no to Gunston due to age, dollars, and injury history. I would rather there be opportunities for players on our existing list. Much better for our training and development program.

Josh has much bigger fish to fry. The AFL talk provides him with some flattery but it is well below his ambitions and intellectual capacity. Well that’s what Josh confidentially told me.

Yes you are right thanks mate. Must be the rain and cold inducing the blues.

Not sure how you get back that manic pressure when our opponents are bringing more manic pressure each week than we are. Our pressure and run on the overlap are down. I can’t see how it can just reappear. It may be a combination of mental and physical fatigue over 12 months, training loads, the relentless pressure each week. Mental fatigue brings with it physical fatigue. The team effectively conquered Everest in 2021. It’s hard to do that twice particularly in successive years. It’s almost impossible to maintain that edge or appetite. That’s why talking of dynasties was always going to be premature and unwise. We are facing other teams that are playing with the energy and dare that we had in the latter half of 2021. I just reckon that the team looks fatigued. We look slow in mind and body. Time will tell. They need a few wins to rediscover that winning feeling.

Agree. It really is time for Caro to retire permanently. Her opinion pieces have become predictable and her style tiresome. Lately, it feels that she is writing just for loose change and to maintain a journalistic presence both for the paper and for TV. As I said, it has become tiresome.

Yes true. But Max has had a great run given the punishment he has been meted out over the past 12 months. I always had a feeling of doom watching Max each week wondering when he was going to come down with a serious injury. Most of the time, I have been thinking “knee.” He has needed a rest for some time. He has looked spent for weeks. Now he has an enforced rest with a serious injury that will need time to heal. There will be no rushing him back. There has been no doubt that there have been a number of games this year when Max’s on field presence has been the difference. That will be missed along with his leadership, inspiration and ability to lift the team. Testing times ahead.

Spot on

Going with your brother in law. A bad move. Win or lose.

People will have their opinions with or without the facts, I really don’t care. But after 2 losses and a lot of negativity around the team’s performance, it’s just so disappointing that May will not be playing next week. Such an important player to the team’s structure and toughness. Bloody disappointing that’s all.

Agree. Even worse for country fans. Trains are unreliable and can leave you stranded unless you are staying overnight. The alternative is a long car trip in the dark to get home.

Love Jane