Jumping Jack Clennett

I think the most significant decision in the game was the decision NOT to penalise Duyrea(spelling?) for deliberate when he and Cameron chased the ball in the last few seconds. Would have been a shot for goal from about 45m out.....probably a crucial point. So the pure free kick count doesn't reflect completely the good fortune a club receives from the umpires. Also, another point of inconsistency of the umps is when they call play-on after a free or mark. Sometimes they call "play on" when the player takes half a step off the line, then decides not to play on. Other times they don't call it. Other possible benefits of umpiring decisions not reflected in the free count are.... how long they give a player before yelling play on, 10metre kicks marked and paid, throws not called, etc. The Dogs do well in all these adjudications, and have done so for decades.

I think Stevic's testimony was reprehensible. As I suspected, he tried to ingratiate himself with the players by not incriminating a star. In doing this , he's let down his fellow AFL umpires, and all umpires at all levels of Australian football. It's noticeable that ex-player media( like Jonathon Brown), and players like Treloar and Petracca , are also reluctant to be too critical of Greene. A bit more understandable from them, since they're in the "Boys' Club". But Stevic's performance was unforgivable.

i just watched the replay of our loss to GWS earlier this year. They worry me, even without about 4 of their best players. I think they'll kill the poor , old, slow, Cats. Most Demonlanders obviously think differently..

I actually feel guilty on the rare occasions (like Saturday night), when we get more frees than the opposition!!

But the total number of possessions was equal for each side. So the Dogs weren't first to the ball any more than Essendon. So then the argument changes.........the Dogs must tackle better. But they seem to get away with high tackles, throws,front-on frees etc more than any other side. They even overcame a hostile crowd in Launceston. I don't know how Tasmanians could have a soft spot for such an unlikeable team as Essendon. The question remains....."How do the Bulldogs do it?"

They’ve done it again! 4 mysterious frees to Weightman for 4 goals in the wet. Last time I looked it was 20 frees to 12, despite equal possessions I know they won by 49 points , but they were given a leg up. Bomber fans will be furious!

II'm pretty impressed by GWS, and expect them to beat Geelong.

It's very relevant to the Demons. GWS will be playing us in a fortnight, and he's vital in their chances against us. He does well against us. He should get at LEAST 2 weeks. What Stevic says is irrelevant. He might try to ingratiate himself with a star player by saying there was nothing in it. As posters have pointed out, the crucial point is the possible influence on young players if this isn't taken seriously. One factor is, however, that the AFL pretty well runs GWS, and wants it to thrive.

We need him out for 2 weeks. They'll kill Geelong. I'd rather face an in-form GWS without TG.

Oh no ! Thats’s the end of our double chance!

That’s right…… I got him mixed up with Meese, who I think we got from Norwood

We got Austin Wonneamarri and James Sellar from Norwood, too, I think. Remember Ozzie in that great comeback from 55 points down at the MCG v Freo!

It’s be better for us if Geelong come back and win this. Very unlikely!

David McKay of Adelaide comes from a keen Dees family. His grandparents used to sit behind us at the MCG, sometimes bringing him as a little boy. I wonder if Joel Smith barracked for us ,or North. CP went for Collingwood, but I think he goes for us now.

PHEW!!!!!

This is too serious to be whimsical.

A friend just rang in panic about the possibility of Mrs Gawn having her first baby during the finals, making it impossible for Max to quarantine in Perth. Does anyone know when she’s due?

Interestingly, in view of tomorrow's epic match, Tom Wills played for both Melbourne and Geelong.

The umpire was only a few yards away, looking straight at the incident. No report. No Footscray players remonstrated.

How could anyone have checked this stat?!

I can’t see the relevance of this “ one-off” stat from round 2. .Is it trying to show the Dogs DONT get a dream run?

I think the fallacy in the reasoning above about the Bulldogs is apparent when the number of possessions is taken into account. The Bulldogs often have a large differential greatly in their favour, even when the opposition has more possessions.So the man with the ball in the opposition is being penalised. They must be far better tacklers than any other side.

I think our persistent tendency to be on the wrong side of the free count is crucially significant in our prospects of becoming a powerful club. I think we need a strategic approach to fixing this. Here are some suggestions from me, and I'd welcome other Demonlanders to contribute..... 1./ invite senior umpires to training. Tell them we're worried about our players giving away too many frees. Ask them what we should do to stop it. Especially invite umpires who have been noted to treat us badly(Nicholls, No.22, Margetts ) 2./Instruct our coaches to study footage of the Bulldogs, to try to determine how they do so well with frees ,year after year . 3./ Without complaining publicly about the umpires, make it clear, through the media, that our free kick differential is unacceptable to us. I think umpires need to be aware that some free statistics look bad. It's been noticeable on occasions ,when the half-time stats are bad ( say, 12 to 4), there appears to be an attempt to even it out. It's as if the umps have been informed of the discrepancy. 4./ On field....be polite to umps. Chat to them happily in the rooms , and before the bounce while waiting for the ads to finish.Always pick up the ball for the umps and hand it back with a grin after a skewed bounce. It's worth trying to ingratiate yourselves. It might just turn a 50:50 our way soon after. I loved Max's comment at Docklands that day in 2020 after a dubious ruck free.."that's ruck-craft, bigboy!"...BUT..he's suffered with adjudications on 50:50's ever since. What do other Demonlanders think?

NicNat has a beer-pot. He was totally stuffed before the lightning. A half hour break, and he was full of life again, taking one of his very few marks at CHF for the first, rallying goal. McGovern also looks overweight, so the break was a godsend for him,too.

Weid can't hold a mark in dry, still conditions. He would be a liability tonight. I'm not writing him off altogether. The guy has had no chance to regain form with the reserves not playing etc. Please don't play him tonight!!!