hemingway

Roos has respect and credibility. Lyon has non. His opinions are irrelevant. It is sad to see what he has become.

Like many others he has developed some mongrel and is prepared to take it up to his opponents. i am proud that we have a team that is becoming as tough as nails that will not take a back step. We have become intimidating rather than being the intimidated. No more sissy's at Melbourne.

How ridiculous. Interstate clubs I get, but don’t like. But Geelong, get a life.

Only 2 points but the Cats are ordinary. Been about as spasmodic as the Dees.

He has two sides. Good and bad.

The week and the weekend suddenly has taken a turn for the worse. Massive loss. Hibberd brings so much to the team. Quad injuries are difficult to heal. A serious tear could be season ending. Please wrap Max up in cotton wool.

In your opinion.

We are talking at cross purposes but never mind, that is the norm on social media. However, I disagree that Jones is one of the reasons why we have been poor for so long. Blame Board, administration, culture, coaching, recruiting, poor skills, training methods, fitness, rehab, game plan etc. Jones is not one of the reasons.

Nothing to do with sentiment. Jones deserves recognition for his contribution over the years not criticism over perceived shortcomings in 2018. Father Time catches up with everyone. He appears to have lost a bit but his credits outweigh his debits. The success or failure in the weeks ahead will not be due to Jones. It will depend on the coaching staff and the whole team .

Call it leadership, guts, determination, leading by example, never say die. I get a bit bemused at reference to leadership groups, "leaders", and, opinions, even moral judgments, about a persons qualities as a leader. Leaders can comprise individuals with a range of different personality types. Team success does not determine whether an individual has been a capable leader. Military history is littered with the bodies of great leaders that fought on the losing side or who fought in a losing battle. Gallipoli comes to mind. Like many on the battlefield, Jones has been a shining beacon of virtue during the dark years. Sure, he is not as skilled as many and he has deficiencies in his game, but no-one could doubt his mental toughness, perseverance and never say die attitude. During these years, he was the only Demon that came anywhere close to being captaincy materail and when the honour was bestowed on him, it was richly deserved. When most of his teammates went missing in action each week, Jonesy was always fighting it out to the very end. He led by example, but most of teammates were incapable of stepping up to the plate. He has been an outstanding person and player over many years and deserves the respect of the club and its supporters.

That's great and gives all Dee fans a nice warm inner glow, however, the Club still needs to offer him a contract commensurate with his worth on the market.

Nothing changes. Since the days of Barassi, clubs have sought the star player, and like the Melbourne Auction market they seem prepared to pay ludicrous sums to get their man. Its almost as if the adrenaline rush to be in the hunt gets to them. They believe their man is the answer to their prayers and they don't want to be beaten to it by another cashed up club. ? North. Its a high risk strategy given the likely return on investment and the high risk of injury. Who can forget the Demon player grabs.in the 1970s such has Templeton, Molloy, Tilbrook, Moore etc. Some were better than others but generally, they disappointed and certainly did not win us a flag. Lever is the most recent example and despite his promise, he has gone down with a knee injury that is likely to keep him out for 12 months and who knows beyond that. There are going to be a lot of nervous supporters and club officials, particularly, the bean counters who are going to be watching nervously from the stands. I am all for targeted recruitment but we also need to ensure that there is enough money left over in the kitty to pay the money that will be offered to Demon players in coming years. Already the price of some of these guys is going through the roof. I would rather keep Oliver, Petracca, Brayshaw, Fritsch, Hogan and the like than risk all on an elite player from another club.

Tasteful as ever Biffen

even the MCC Shiraz has gone off.

almost our home ground. at least we win there. the MCG is becoming a cold depressing lifeless concrete mausoleum.

you are excused Daisy. its getting harder and harder for some of us just trying to say the right thing. and when everyone keeps talking in acronyms it makes it even harder

This is a statement more apt coming from Uncle not you Daisy. I thought you were a sensitive, new age bloke

A great player. One of a group of Hawks champs that contributed to their great success and could turn matches. It is not just the magic goal or mark but the impact on the whole team. He may not have got most possessions or goals but how he did it and when he did it was at times pivotal. He also caused confusion to the opponent with defenders being led a merry dance. His presence gave opportunities to others. Sensible decision to retire. Recent seasons we have seen Cyril drop off due to motivation, injury and fitness. He had definitely lost a yard.

not sold on the coach or the need for balance ? are you pedantic or a man who knows his mind ?. or maybe I have missed your point completely, something that I do all the time. I read so many posts and I scratch my head in wonder over the depth of analysis and detail. I think well, it cant be that complicated, its only a game of footy. In the good old days, we would go along and watch the game, buy a copy of the Herald post match, read Alf Brown's reports of the game, maybe buy a copy of Sporting Globe, watch Pelaco Inquest or World of Sport (depending on whether you won or lost), listen to one of the doyens of the game, agree or disagree on the 3 votes, and forget about the game until League Teams on Thursday night. Those great men of the game who have gone to footy heaven would shake their skulls in wonder and roll over.the other way.

Could be a good thing or a bad thing OD. Breathe of fresh air with a person that has no allegiances and doesn't buy into past myths, stories and accepted ways of doing things or someone who comes in to make his mark and creates distraction, disruption and disharmony. However, we know that there is no good outcome without success on the field. And for that we need, top notch players, a top notch team and a top notch coach. . All these things must be in balance.

Can't imagine what the problem could be Febes. Do you? Perhaps they went to the game on Sun. Perhaps they had to spend an embarrassing few hours with expectant sponsors. Perhaps they prefer to be roosters rather than feather dusters. . Perhaps Simon is not talking to them. Perhaps they are actually passionate Demon supporters.

Fair comment Wise. The biggest hole in our defence was Petty. He was not able to do even the basic negating role, let alone provide any support for others. OM was generally not to bad but at times he looks completely exposed both in the air and on the ground. When the ball comes directly to him one on one, he's generally not too bad and at least gives a 50/50 chance of stopping his opponent marking. However, he still lacks intensity and ferocity at the ball and his opponent. Lever had that in spades. He also had great speed getting to a contest and great intercept ability. We miss that so much. As soon as the opposition move the ball into their forward half quickly our defence inspires no confidence and looks completely exposed as if they have their feet in sand (excluding Jetta). So what to do ? There appears no solution other than to try make the most of a bad situation. Frost must be tried and given some continuity of games. He has height, pace and ability to rebound. He has deficiencies as we all know but so do the other defenders currently in the side. He brings something that we lack. We need to move or drop Lewis who is slow and a complete liability with ball in hand. Reluctantly, I think we need to consider moving TMac back to CHB. I know, I know but we need to do something, as the shambles of our backline allows our opponent to salivate with unbridled relish and indulge in the most hedonistic picnic imaginable. I know nothing about Keilty but unless he has some toe and can do the basic things well, I would not pick him.

Agree, we are a slow side but gee, Harry was incredibly slow both in movement and decision making. Perhaps, this could be partly due to nerves and struggling with the faster pace and intensity of the game, but even so, he appeared to be moving in quick sand. Like Oscar, he seemed to lack energy and intensity, a bit of a relaxed walk in the paddock as if playing school or park footy. He is miles off playing senior footy.

Agree. Also from personal experience, reference checking is not done or poorly done in all organisations whether it be the corner store or large sophisticated organisations.

Spot on.