DemonDave

Here's the side: B: 37. D. Johnstone, 25. D. Gordon, 64. A. Brayshaw HB: 9. M. Gent, 83. T. Bugg, 6. J. Munro C: 69. B. Kennedy, 54. J. Trengove, 59. J. Spencer HF: 45. D. Keilty, 1. J. Hutchins, 15. B. Stretch F: 26. S. Weideman, 48. C. Maynard, 42. J. Wagner R: 34. M. King, 57. J. Kennedy-Harris, 2. B. Fritsch Int: 23. M. Cox, 55. L. Hulett, 5. D. Collis, 35. A. Ferreira, 17. E. Morris, 51. B. Giobbi, 7. Y. Zijai, 27. A. Scott 23P: 72. M. Lefau In: B. Giobbi, M. Lefau, M. Cox, A. Ferreira, D. Gordon Out: W. Collis I think we were too top heavy last week, so would have Ferreira in for Hulett.

Yes Goodwin was there, he and McCartney had a word with coach Plapp before the huddle at each break.

A disappointing day for Casey today, with a sense of dee-ja vu. From sitting in the new grandstand for the first time at this ground, it was hard to determine whether or not the wind was favoring any end in the first quarter, but the next 3 quarters emphatically answered that question. Goals kicked to the grandstand end after qtr time were 21 to just 3 up the scoreboard end. From the opening bounce, the die was set as Nick Meese, all (alleged) 105 kilos of him, stood his ground like the human tree that he is, Spencer seemed more concerned with his opponents positioning than actually winning the ball, and the hosts cleared the ball out of the middle thanks to an uncontested tap from Groot. This sequence was repeated 4 more times in the first 7 minutes, and the day didn't get any better for free agent Jake. It's one of the worst performances I've seem him put in. So much so that Mitch King, who started deep forward in a tall setup alongside Weideman and Fritsch, ended up spending the majority of the rest of the game as first ruck. Another interesting, but not unprecedented in recent weeks, move was starting Wagner on ball. Losing the important Jimmy Munro to what i can only assume was concussion after backing selflessly into a huge pack from a kick in didn't help our cause in the first quarter either. The ball spent most of the quarter in Willys forward line, as their mids were getting the ball quickly to boot out of the middle, and their half backs were working hard to constantly repel our backline clearances. We were probably lucky to be as close as we were at the first break, but no-one was prepared for the second quarter onslaught that followed. Willy sparked immediately playing long direct forward entries that had our usually reliable captain Hutchins scrambling at shadows, Dyl Collis caught outsized in marking contests and Willy forwards using their knowledge of the grounds wind quirks to kick goals from all angles. We got some respite eventually hitting the scoreboard late in the qtr with 2 goals, one a beautifully curved kick from Fritsch from a set shot. The 3rd quarter saw the roles reversed, all of a sudden Brayshaw was in everything, and was ably supported by Kennedy and Kennedy-Harris. Fritsch's 3rd quarter was sublime, he was playing in front ready for a quick kick out of the centre, and a short time later playing from behind outsmarted 2 defenders taking a mark he had no right to. The coach swung Kielty forward as well to push home the advantage, he had a very good qtr at both ends. Angus Scott popped up as he so often does to be in the right place at the right time toslot a couple, and a long range bomb on the run from Kennedy topped off an astounding comeback qtr. The last started perfectly with Casey hitting the lead with the first goal of the qtr, but that was to be it. All of a sudden the seagulls pressure around the packs lifted, and the goal onslaught began to mirror the 2nd term. 3 free kicks for ruck infringements to the home side inside their forward 50 resulted in 2.1, they were diabolical decisions that had me completely baffled as to how the ruck rules are interpreted. As the skys and my mood darkened, the siren thankfully brought things to a close. I must also add that Williamstown have seemingly the most inept scoreboard operator going around. They completely missed a Willy goal in the 2nd qtr onslaught, then missed a point of theirs in the 3rd qtr, so it appeared scores were even whereas in reality the home side still had the slenderest of margins. Without being privvy to the stats, here's my thoughts on mfc players: 15 Stretch- Tried hard, but found himself running sideways rather than forwards trying to find space to get his kicks away when in possession. Just a game in the end. 26 Weideman- I'm getting sick of Plapps match reports saying that the conditions weren't conducive to Sam's game, I've seen it many times this year. The fact is Fritsch found a way to get on the end of leads and affect many many more contests than Weideman managed to. And just like in the afl, when he found himself clunking one and having a set shot on goal he fluffed it. A wasted stuttering development year. 34 King- Thrust into the majority of the centre bounce work due to Spencils failings, i thought he battled manfully but was ultimately beaten. There's plenty to work with here for the future though, he looks like a future ruckman. Obviously needs to put on several kilos and develop his core strength as he had the chance to take a couple of big pack marks today but couldn't quite hold them. 37 Johnstone -Is a bit harder at the ball than i realised, didn't ultimately have much of it or any discernible impact on the game, but definitely making incremental improvements in his game. 42 Wagner - a surprising start onball didn't ultimately last, he did get a fair bit of it early but his disposal ultimately let him down time and time again. Whether that be an errant kick or a slow looped handball that pressured the recipient, he was his own worst enemy today. 45 Kielty- started slowly but got better as the game went on, taking several crucial intercepting marks. In our best half dozen. 48 Maynard- battled well, albeit a lot of his possessions are in heavy traffic a la Oliver so can go unnoticed. Also pushed forward well to have a few shots on goal. 54 Trengove - played off half back most of the game, was ok. even at this level now his possessions look slow, and a couple of his clearances went out on the full. What can't be disputed is his tackling which was outstanding and his leadership. He pulled all the defenders into a huddle during the 2nd qtr goal spree and tried valiantly to get them to structure up better. 55 Hulett- when i look at stats from his games this year I'm amazed at how little of the ball he has. Today was no different I'd be amazed if he had more than 5 possessions all day. He did lay 2 nice tackles in the 1st qtr once he came off the bench, but that's it. Will be lucky to his spot next week. Delisting looms. 57 Kennedy-Harris- I didn't mind his game, was good in the 2nd/3rd qtrs particularly. His workrate and 2nd efforts have definitely improved this year. 59 Spencer- Possibly the worst game I've seen Jake play.. Banished to full forward/ bench/ relieving King for the last 3 qtrs after his embarrassing opening term. 64 Brayshaw - easily our best today, started off half back, but soon swapped with Wagner and found himself the catalyst for all of our good chains of play. Wether in an under or on the outside, his football smarts, composure and balance stood out for the last 3 quarters. Will be interesting to see if tigers tag him next week. 69 Kennedy- played well after a slow start but wasn't alone there. His ability to get in and extract the footy, as well as find space on the outside meant his workrate was rewarded with plenty of touches. An atypical 2017 vintage BenKen game. 83 Bugg- If Spencer wasn't out there today, he'd be my choice as the most disappointing player of the day. Played I the same wing for the whole game, but was rarely sighted. Not sure if he was being tagged, it's rare to see him have this little impact at vfl level where he usually dominates. Special mention goes to Bailey Fritsch. I know I'm not Robinson Crusoe here in pointing this out, but this kid is seriously talented and could play afl round 1 next year. Listed at 189cm and only 81kg, he somehow plays taller than his thin physique would seemingly allow. He effectively plays as a key forward, yet it's also unmistakable his resemblance to Robbie Flower. Not only does he wear #2 and is a left footer, it's his ability to snake his skinny body through traffic or to outbody an opponent that makes him such a hard matchup. A lay down misere to be drafted. Bring on the tigers!

Richmond

Fritsch the pick of the forwards. Took an absolute screamer in the first quarter. He's a dead ringer for Robbie Flower in the way he looks and plays. Spencer annihilated in the ruck, king has done marginally better but still beaten

Max gawn and nibbler are here. As are the injured vfl players Vanders, flipper, white McKenna. Disastrous opening 20 minutes to that quarter, Willy were taking of handed marks, dribbling through goals from 50 out and simply doing as they pleased. A bit of a lift after that from the two Kennedys and Maynard at least makes it semi respectable.

1 year off qualifying his life membership too!

From the thread title alone, i thought it was the early betting odds for this week's game!

Morris, Kielty Maynard our best for mine so far. Kielty back to the form he showed into the leadin to last year's finals. Bugg also starting to have an impact We've really stopped in this last quarter though

Still no confirmation of this from the club on Pedo, but we'll assume it's announced at a time that suits the club, great news for a very popular clubman. As far as outs at end of season, delistings for mine would be Kennedy, Lumumba, Trengove, Hulett, and from rookie list White. I'd then upgrade Maynard. Which gives us our 3 draft pick minimum. Of the OOC's, ANB is the first priority, followed by Frost and Vince, and Mitch King who's effectively in his first year. The others are all touch and go. Keep the rest of the rookies for 1 more year.

You don't believe our side is young? I always take note of this stat every week in Burgos Round Review, it's been consistently like this all season, here's a snapshot of the last 5 weeks: Experience differential Games: GWS Giants (2467) v Melbourne (2138) Goals: GWS Giants (1417) v Melbourne (1231) Average age: GWS Giants (25 years, 154 days) v Melbourne (25 years, 116 days) Games: North Melbourne (1947) v Melbourne (1193) Goals: North Melbourne (1781) v Melbourne (1103) Average age: North Melbourne (25 years, 71 days) v Melbourne (24 years, 85 days) Games: Port Adelaide (2363) v Melbourne (1759) Goals: Port Adelaide (1691) v Melbourne (1093) Average age: Port Adelaide (25years, 82 days) v Melbourne (24 years, 78 days) Games: Adelaide (2251) v Melbourne (1656) Goals: Adelaide (1855) v Melbourne (1052) Average age: Adelaide (25 years, 215 days) v Melbourne (24 years, 211 days) Games: Carlton (1903) v Melbourne (1644) Goals: Carlton (1114) v Melbourne (1039) Average age: Carlton (24 years, 233 days) v Melbourne (24 years, 180 days) It's not an excuse, but part of the reasoning for our inconsistencies and late season drop-off can be at least partially attributed to the demographic of personnel we put out there each week. Quite simply we're the lesser experienced and younger side every time we run out. Carlton and Brisbane have lost 5 out of the past 5 and 4 out of the past 5 games respectively, Brisbanes win only because they played Carlton. We're miles ahead of these teams.

Mcstay is, ahem, Mcstaying at the Lions for another 2 years, signed a new deal less than a month ago.

First time we've ever won the week after hosting a Darwin game... I specifically watched at the ground who it was that was to be the 7th defender charging into the square at the first bounce and what impact they'd have. It was of course Nibbler, and sure enough he got the first disposal off. Notice that he then also works his way all the way down the ground to be poised to score our first metres from goal if they have allowed the advantage for Tommys free kick. Nibblers workrate is extremely impressive I'm glad he's translating that Casey form that i saw last year into the seniors.

The Sporting Globe has hosted the last two interstate games, Gold Coast and West Coast, and they've been enormous nights there, been to both. It's the next best thing to a social club, as you get to share the euphoria of a win, or the emotional roller coaster of a loss, with like mindeds. The beer selection there is awful (they did have David Neitzs' beer, Brewmanity Social Beast on for the first game but not the 2nd) but members do get 20% off drink prices so that helps parlay the indifferent range.

Every time I've been down to Kardinia Park the last 5 or 6 years the price for a ticket for travelling fans has been at least $50 for lousy seats in a forward pocket. I assume it will only be more extortianate now they have the new works to pay off. (not to mention all of the Government money they somehow also received...) AFL Crowds average attendances for 2017 are: Team Games Total Average Richmond Tigers 13 665,480 51,191 Collingwood Magpies 13 640,351 49,258 Essendon Bombers 13 622,174 47,860 Carlton Blues 13 539,638 41,511 Melbourne Demons 13 536,315 41,255 Hawthorn Hawks 13 487,703 37,516 Adelaide Crows 13 482,369 37,105 Geelong Cats 13 460,108 35,393 Western Bulldogs 13 459,540 35,349 West Coast Eagles 13 444,637 34,203 Sydney Swans 13 444,035 34,157 Fremantle Dockers 13 417,125 32,087 Port Adelaide Power 13 404,155 31,089 St Kilda Saints 13 394,870 30,375 North Melbourne Kangaroos 13 341,379 26,260 Brisbane Lions 13 262,378 20,183 GWS Giants 13 247,404 19,031 Gold Coast Suns 13 183,943 14,149 Looking at those numbers, there's no way Aints or Norf could justify their inflated gate prices. North only in front of the two franchises and the struggling Lions.

Hard to believe its the same player that I saw for the first time play VFL at Vic Park in 2015, back then he looked gangly, ungainly and I barely saw a hint of the blistering pace and ability to take the game on. It was early days then of course, after almost 2 full years of injury wilderness and most of us barely even knowing what he looked like let alone how he played, but he's been a superb win for our recruiting staff and their associated scouting networks... Just love to watch his ilk play, taking the game on and the crowd roaring in anticipation!

A ripping bloke to sit down and have a beer with and talk demons, this is a terribly shocking revelation. RIP Hibby, you'll be sadly missed.

You beat me to the punch here WJ, 3 of the more interesting footy/sport writers gone from the Age in the last 6 months! Add Peter Hanlon to that list sometime last year and Jesse Hogan with his cricket articles due to medical reasons... Wonder if they give Leaping Larry L's column the old heave ho as well, he's about the interesting writer left, albeit in an abbreviated humorous column rather than full blown journalism. At barely 40 pages most days, and an exorbitant cover charge daily, it's getting harder to justify it.

Mitch White is still only a rookie anyway, so that needs to be factored in when discussing in/outs

If, like me, you're over 30, the good news is you would qualify as a "senior" in this Counter-Strike tournament! https://www.kotaku.com.au/2017/05/dreamhack-hosts-seniors-competition-for-counter-strike-players-over-30/ Let the good times roll!

Yep this is league wide, here's the whole table, Taylor Walker leads it and he's equal 2nd with Selwood, Gray and Fantasia: http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/ft_player_rankings?year=2017&rt=LT&st=GA

His form this more has been at a consistently high level, all the more remarkable that he recovered from that hamstring injury in the JLT. Here's our leading goal assists stats for the year, for someone who asked: Rank Player Games Total 2 Christian Petracca 8 11 10 Clayton Oliver 8 8 58 Jeff Garlett 8 5 58 Nathan Jones 8 5 58 Mitchell Hannan 7 5 58 Alex Neal-Bullen 6 5

Not to mention the AFL listed Newton, Terlich, Michie et al. We were regularly racking up 500 disposals last year with all of these plodders who, while not upto it at AFL level, were dominant at VFL level, most of them consistenly getting over 30 possies a week. Add in the fact that last year we had Jake Spencer in the ruck dominating down there every week, Tim Smith consistently clunking marks next to Weideman, occasional cameos from Dawes and the likes of Salem, and the emergence of Joel Smith, and there's a huge void of experience and polish down at Casey this year compared to last. I'm not surprised by their drop off in form at all, remember last year was one of our best years injury wise in a long time

I dont understand the rationale of scheduling all these Casey games at night either. Not only is the lighting barely adequate for a training session, let alone a VFL game, so poor is the visibility over the other side of the ground. It's also significantly colder in the middle of winter at night than during the day, thus more dew and obviously less spectators. I've been a couple of times but doubt I will this year at night so poor is the viewing and the quality of play. Whose decision is it to schedule this many of our home games at night, the league because we are one of the few teams to have lights, or is it a Casey initiative to try and be a bit different? Thanks for the report though Melon22

What's offensive is convicted cheating neanderthals like Ricky Nixon's opinion on Daisy