Wiseblood

And that is counted against him for today, yet not counted for the previous two wins? No player is perfect, and we had plenty off the boil today.

Funny how this thread doesn't pop up in the previous two weeks, or the two games prior to finals, when he was terrific. Then the usuals come out to pot him in a game where 20 players stunk it up. Funny that.

I'm pretty flat after that. The Eagles mugged us from the opening bounce and everything they did turned to gold, both from a coaching stand point to even parts where we would smother a ball and it would still land in their lap. Everything that has made us so good in this finals series abandoned us and we didn't know what to do. That will come with experience. BUT... I am still super, super proud of the boys for not only fighting on today, but for all they have achieved this season. Every single supporter would have taken a Prelim Final appearance at the start of the year, and we KNOW how good this side can be. We have shown so many positives this season, from the emergence of a variety of players, to how much our game plan has improved and evolved throughout the year. So, even though this is a really tough pill to swallow, stand up and be proud. The Demons are back, and while we might have been vanquished this time around, I'll be backing in the coaches, players and us as supporters to come back bigger and stronger next season. I can't wait for 2019 already and what the future will bring for this club. Even facing a loss like this, how couldn't you still find a way to smile about just how good things can be in the very near future? It's great to think about, even as flat and disappointed as I'm feeling right now. Bring on 2019 and a Demons premiership!

No, we don't. I'd be stunned if we had any interest at all, especially after we just acquired Lever, re-signed Oscar and have Frost playing terrific footy. We don't need him at all.

Yep, but with the form Frosty is in, I think Footy IQ is all that Kennedy has on him right now. Frost has the size, the pace and the strength to go with him in pretty much any situation. Plus with Kennedy not 100% fit I doubt he will be as dangerous on the lead, so Frost may even look to run off him a little as well. Either way, while I believe their forward line can be one of the most dangerous in the competition, we have the players to cover them. Our backline in the last two weeks has been super and I do think we can keep them to a beatable score.

Thanks mate, I appreciate that! Good to be back and able to post a little more often! And I agree re: Darling's strength in the contest, which is something that I think is a little underrated... well, by me anyway. I'd like to think Smith can do with him round the ground and on the lead, but he might need a chop out if they look to utilise Darling one out. However, with Kennedy not 100% fit, they might look to use Darling further up the ground which will be to our advantage.

I reckon there is a good chance Smith plays on Darling, and Oscar takes the resting ruck with Frost on Kennedy. Just my two cents, but I think Smith could be the perfect match up size wise and pace wise for Darling.

Spot on, PD. His selection is not about what Fritsch doesn't bring to the side, but what Smith is able to do match up wise. It's not a knock on Fritsch at all, it's more about the size the Eagles have up forward and ensuring we counteract that. 5-6 weeks ago they didn't have Kennedy so Frost and Oscar were enough. Not this time. Plus, it allows someone like Hibberd to play a more attacking role off half back, interchanging with Salem and Lewis. I think it's a smart selection as well.

Are there? You and a couple of others doesn't constitute 'many' in my book.

Fritta is stiff, but they obviously have a clear role in mind for J. Smith, one that probably frees Hibberd up to play a more attacking role alongside Salem and Lewis.

No change, to me, makes the most sense. However, if the selection committee feel that Joel Smith is the right choice for this weekend's game, and Fritsch is the one to miss out, I'm not sure I could argue with them based on the decisions that have been made recently. They know what they are doing, and while I'll be shattered for Fritsch, he might get a run in the GF if they feel he is better suited to the match ups in that game.

A holiday? I wish, mate. Have a bit of time up my sleeve but won't be taking it until after the Dees have won the flag in just over a week's time!

Hey mate, Thanks for the tag. I'm still around (been swamped with work, sickness, my little girl got sick as well etc) so I haven't been around much lately. I'm hopeful that it's all passing now though! I've been enjoying every bloody minute of this and what makes me even happier is that I know everyone here has been enjoying it as well. No matter how negative, positive or in between we've been, we can all enjoy this together as passionate and faithful Demon fans. It's just amazing. Thanks for thinking of me and I'll hopefully have more time to enjoy this with you all in the next few days! Go Dees!

Article on the HUN saying the same thing. Wonder how we swing a decent deal with our first pick being in the 30s?

Lots of big words in there, Shakespeare. Well done. Some think even reasonable discussion of trading a contracted player who has given no indication of wanting out as stupid. Yes, it can be stupid. Others, which included myself much earlier in the thread, went over the top in our defence of Jesse and our belief that this thread is stupid. As I said, plenty from both sides.

And there is the problem they need to fix first. It's not an easy one, but they need to create a better culture that supports players long term. As a new club they should have focused on this first, yet they seemingly focused on everything else but this and they are now paying for it, and they are paying for it harder than any other club has in the last few decades. When they fix the culture they'll be okay... I think.

Reasonable discussion can still be full of stupidity. There's been plenty from both sides.

He has been in the system for 6 years now and there is nothing to suggest that output will change. I'd agree otherwise, but he has been playing AFL for long enough to show more than he has. I can't see Goodwin being interested but I've been wrong before.

One thing that might also work against us looking at Mayes is his hardness around the contest. We know how Goody likes his players to work super hard, put pressure on, lay tackles etc. and I don't think Mayes brings this on game day. It's why Garlett can barely get a look in these days. For a quick comparison, I looked at Christian Salem's stats compared to Mayes' stats from 2017, which is the last time he played a full season and both these players spend most of their time at half back. Salem has had 78 tackles for the year. In 2017, playing across half back, Mayes had just 38. That's less than 2 a game. I know that's a very small sample size, but I just don't think Mayes really fits the profile of a player Goodwin would be interested in. I just want to stick an edit in here as I feel some might think I cherry picked a little with Salem as he is pretty tough around the contest. So I looked at Jayden Hunt as well, who in 2017 played pretty much the whole year off half back. He had 69 tackles.

Which is interesting when you consider he is only two years removed from being AA. He has some talent but clearly doesn't have the consistency at the moment.

Gold Coast is the AFL's problem. It has nothing to do with equalisation. They've been a problem since day one and have been absolute poo ever since. You can't really blame these players for wanting out. No culture, no facilities, no fans.

I'd back them in too, Moonie. If they recruited him and wanted to use him off half back then I'd get behind the decision - after all, our track record of late has been terrific and, as you say, our culture and development has improved out of sight. I'd still be super surprised if we had any interest in him but if we did then I'd support the decision based on our track record from the last few seasons.

I don't think any of us would be against it - the bloke is a very handy ruckman and we've been crying out for some time for a back up to Max, not a stop gap like Pedersen or T Mac. What I'm interested in is what we have in store for him - are we guaranteeing him game time? He spent all year in the VFL and I can't see him slotting in to our side either, so I'm curious as to what discussions we are having with him that have him interested in playing for us next season.

Maybe, but prior to Melksham coming to the club he was still a best 22 player. Sam Mayes is barely a best 30 player at the Lions. That's a big difference to me. Not to mention the inside knowledge Goodwin had of Melksham before we traded for him. He knew exactly what we were getting and we are now reaping the rewards of that. We don't have the same intel or knowledge on Mayes. And it's for that reason that I can't see the club pursuing him in any manner over the off season.