deespicable me

14 hours ago, pingu said:

I thought Sparrow produced one of his best performances in the second half. He really stood up around the contest, worked hard through the middle, and was able to push forward and hit the scoreboard.

Last week I asked whether we might be expecting too much from our young brigade. I thought they responded strongly in the second half. Most of them had first halves they would want to forget, but the same could be said for plenty of Dees players. There were fumbles and missed disposals everywhere early, yet Langford, Lindsay, Windsor and Kolt all lifted after the break and helped bring Kingy’s game style to life as the Dees overran the Blues.

Hello panel members and thanks again for your efforts.

I would also like to sing the praises of Sparrow with respect to stepping up through opportunity. I was excited this year to see who was going to fill the supposed gaping hole in our midfield left by the departures and injury to our magnificent Grand Final midfield.

I would like to suggest that if Petracca was still with us and had a hamstring injury, we may well have lost this encounter, because no-one would have stepped up. Last week and for the first half this week we were smashed at clearances and stoppages and all the media were suggesting our midfield will condemn us to the bottom regions of the ladder. But in the second half I think we really saw the emergence of a midfield that is learning to compete, where players might have been challenged by King and finally responded. It was terrific to see and Sparrow was a real stand out in this area. I am confident of continued growth.

I think we'll find some players really coming on under King. The belief of players like Kolt, Sharp and JVR and the confidence they will develop to really show us their abilities may be the reason we will become a top 8 side. King looks like a real mentoring type coach in the Fagan mould. We've yet to see his angry side, I've got a feeling it will take a bit to come out. But it's silly to write any player off under a new game plan and coach. Kolt was good on the weekend, I hope and also think he won't be developed just as a tagger but to set him a task obviously agreed with him, as King said. To get the trust of the coach and feel he belongs and can contribute will be fantastic for Kolt. I have high hopes.

12 minutes ago, Ghostwriter said:

That was last year in round one. It was the inaugural ”Jim’s Game” (inaugural and clearly the only one 🤷‍♀️). And I don’t wanna seem picky but that wasn’t Irish music. It’s a religious song called Lord Of The Dance and was written as an English carol by an English songwriter. NOT Irish by any stretch.

Also, being picky again, those gals weren’t performing Irish dancing, nor were they wearing traditional Irish dancing attire.

End of Karen outburst

Fair enough, but once again I refer to the second part of my post about Music snobbery and also I know I was definitely doing the Irish jigg and I think Jim was Irish too and would have been jigging away as well (to be sure, to be sure)

9 minutes ago, Demonstone said:

You reckon that insulting and alienating a proportion of our member base is the way to increase our numbers?

The Irish jigg was a lot of fun after every goal. I'm not a big fan of music snobs (not suggesting any of you guys are that! Oh no no no)

It's simple. I don't want to see TMac or JVR in the ruck. Just imagine JVR, who has had a very good pre-season and is possibly on the verge of a break-out season as a full-forward, was to get injured backing up for Max in a centre bounce. This site would go into meltdown. And TMac is still possibly our best option at full back, given Petty doesn't look strong enough, so he just isn't a viable back up. Heath is the only option and his game against North suggests to me he has value in the side.

I think both Max's should play, especially against St Kilda this week. Heath was very good against North and against Richmond we were short a tall after Kentfield went down. Using TMac or JVR against either TDK or Marshall is stupid. Heath has to play.

We've definitely got the best players in the league..........

It's just their playing for other clubs

I actually think it will be easier to sign young players with Tassie looming large coz I don't think many 20 year olds will want to live in Tassie.

Don't get me wrong, I love Tassie, but I'm old and like Pinot and Mona and wilderness and I actually think in Harvey's case it was more the case of there is a strong bond forming with the youngsters in the group and they are on the verge of an exciting period (hopefully). Also the "clean" air left by the departures of giants of the football club means they can make it their club.

"Checkers". Mihocek. Finally clear from the filth that has weighed him down, he'll have a career best year and all the Filth sooks will sook it up big time!!

22 hours ago, Little Goffy said:

What is chronic failure in the face of every advantage.

Me at golf

5 hours ago, DeeZone said:

Or utilise the players we already have available, Langford, Windsor, Sparrow, Rivers, Culley, Langdon, Lindsay as well as Kozzie, Steele and JV, we have options and we must utilise what we have now not what we wish we had. Who knows what King and Co are planning but I’m sure it won’t be what we expect.

I like that we have opportunity. I am sure this year we will see a player or two lift to a level not far off Oliver and Petracca. I will be disappointed if, at the end of the year, Viney and Steele are still there in our top 3 midfielders.

6 minutes ago, rjay said:

A disaster I would think...

Pphhhtt! A drop in the ocean compared to Victoria's debt.

8 minutes ago, Oxdee said:

Once you lose speed the game goes past you. Oliver prime example. Not sure where Steele will play without leg speed

Rubbish. Oliver has plenty to offer

4 hours ago, demoncat said:

a moot point

I love a moot point

He trained really well on Monday at Gosch's🤭

Went down this morning which was my 3rd trip this pre-season.

It's obviously so very early yet without the senior men back but still I have seen enough to make a few judgements and observations.

Firstly on the running, there were 4 or 5 groups running at intervals and with some players getting passed and at one stage one group going in the opposite direction it was hard to keep up with but I was very impressed by Kolt who blitzed his group by almost 40 metres. This was a quality group with Culley running very strongly in second with Windsor and Langford 3rd and 4th going okay. Sparrow and CJ had a good battle in one of the other groups, AJ easily won his group powering away to beat JVR who did well to get up for 2nd with Lindsay bringing up the rear and another really good battle was Kentfield and AMW. AMW just sat on Kentfield and got away in the last 50 metres. He looks good even though he's not yet back in the main group. New recruit Berry got lapped by Kolt and ran last by a margin but completed the task and it was nice to see Kolt make his way across the oval to Berry to chat and encourage him. Kolt has real star quality about him, he is probably one of the players who can step into the vacuum left by Tracc and Oliver leaving. I know he's barely in the top 22 let alone the top 50 of the AFL but there is something about him and if his footy can rise to a break out season .... well anyway he has started his pre-season well.

Another who looks like he might rise to another level is Jai Culley. Has put himself in everything from contested mid work to impressive forward play and he, like Kolt is very fit. In one end to end drill he played forward, always found space and finished well, with a few classy dribblers ala Kate Hore (obviously without the pressure). He is a nice size and most often outmarks smaller opponents which makes him dangerous floating forward.

It was great to see Fritta and Salo turn up and contribute. They are super classy without match day pressure and laced out their passes with ease. At one stage they competed in a simple one on one marking, wrestling, scrapping drill with the ball being kicked in from 40 metres away and it was great to watch. Fritta got the best of Salo probably 3 of the 5 contests with finger tip marks or body positioning and Salo won the other 2 with equal class. TMAC wasn't beaten in any of his match ups. Jefferson won a couple of his with nice contested marks.

On TMac in the ground drill he was sighting, positioning himself and intercept marking quite a bit and with the emphasis on keeping it all flowing he would play on and 3 or 4 times in a row he was going to CJ who would just turn and sprint,....and invariably run into trouble. It's like he's playing British bulldog, he goes left, then right trying to find a way through. Frost ball is back, he's going to be a lot of fun.

Our kicking is poor, we were missing targets under no pressure, just running quickly, and goal kicking for a while there was horrendous. I think they were working at about 20%. Worst offender was JVR who was working at about 10%. Heath probably shouldn't be forward and is nearly marked by me for Casey, but AJ was good and kicked well. He is another giving himself every chance to get a gig.

Steele was in jumper 22 and he actually looks a bit like Howes with their thin tashes so I had to concentrate on him a bit coz he doesn't do anything flash, but he is a quiet achiever, just rolling around like he's in second gear, moving the ball on to the next bloke and rarely if ever missing a target. He will be good for us, no doubt.

Anyway I love this time of year, it renews my faith in the team and you know, the boys are going ok. Thanks

Taylor looks a gun. Having looked at 5 players from this draft he is the best, closely followed by Sharp. That'll do. Looking any further just breeds confusion. Get 'em in.

Please if we take 7 & 8 to the trade table can we rule out Pickett. He is speculative and a worthy pick post 30, but not for our top 2 picks

I preferred the other medium tall in SA's National side who won everything. Mitch Marsh. I reckon he's got more upside than Schubert.

Schubert 5 years in for 15 games and a touch of promise, then he wants to go home. Oooh yes please.

1 hour ago, Roger Mellie said:

Just looked at the footage from the game above (as opposed to highlights). What an odd player. Everything about him seems odd, unco, awkward. Even his handballs look like pie floaters. His ball drop is unco yet he hits targets. Even his gait looks painful. I don't think he's a Schache type but not sure what he is. Need more footage, I think, to form a rank amateur opinion.

My rank amateur opinion has seen enough to pray that Taylor passes on this bloke. He will need 4 years in the system filling out etc, etc. Haven't we been tortured enough.

I'd like to give a bit of love to Phillipou. Been mentioned a couple of times only and in my completely uninformed and useless opinion (with so little research to the point that I really shouldn't have an opinion) but heck, every bloody half informed fool and his dog have put forward their two cents, so Phillipou for me

28 minutes ago, Vagg said:

So, I just reckon this whole thing of Player Contracts is a farce. I reckon that, if both Club and player agree it's best for the player to move on, then that means both parties agree to cancel the Contract. This would therefore mean that there is NO on-going commitment to pay part of the player's salary at his new Club. The Contract is dead and buried, and the player then negotiates a new contract with his new Club. All liability on the former club is then ceased.

But, what would I know?!!

More than the bozo's in our footy department. Worst all-time deal. Ever

A lot of the interstate teams aren't old enough for Father/sons yet. They will be coming through in the next 5 or so years. Then we're really fu##ed

Get him back and put him through rigorous weekly testing for anything illegal running through his system, catch him out then sack him on the grounds that he broke the conditions of his contract. Or threaten to unless he takes a pay cut, or a payout.

Sounds a bit messy eh. Oh well lets go with the 3rd rounder.

4 hours ago, Demon_spurs said:

If he was the same player we would have got pick 12

What!!? He's not the same player. Has he morphed into someone else. Taken some poly juice.

He had a down year in 2025 at 22, suffering injury for the first time. He has so much footy in front of him. He is a great pick up by Fremantle and we just rolled over.