Jumping Jack Clennett

WJ is very informative, and I like Wayne Wussell's down-to-earth approach.

Tonight's game reminded me of the '87 Prelim . Haw clearly the best side all night. All 50:50 umpiring decisions to the favorites,(Coll) Haw in front nearly all night. Somehow the siren went when Coll got the lead.&! I hope next week is like 87. Haw knew they didn't deserve to be there and capitulated toCarlton. We wouldn't have!

Riley.....ineffectual, underhanded,duplicitous.

Cool...The Filth will carry on...What Neeld has taught them won't be forgotten in 2 weeks.

I've just finished watching the 2nd Semi. I can't believe how hopeless the umpiring was in the first half. There were 19 frees in the first quarter, most of them complete mysteries even on slow motion replay on TV. Amazingly, it seemed most went to Carlton, despite the home crowd's roaring. It was absolutely obvious that the interpretations would differ in the final stages of the game, when they "put their whistles away". There's nothing in the laws to recommend technical frees early, then "free-for-all" late. Chamberlain and his two mates must not be appointed to any more finals. That was a disgrace! Am I correct in my observation that Scmitt was droppped and forgotten after his disgraceful effort at the Adelaide Oval?

It was Neil McMullin. I think it was his fourth game. Never played again. Became a surgeon at the Childrens Hospital. Still a keen Demon supporter.Occasionally has boarded young interrstate Demon reccruits. Has retired from surgery to become a player manager. I wonder if Neil would like "Barney" as coach!

Thanks Demonox. I scanned the posts to see if anyone else made a similar suggestion, but missed it in the Malthouse thread. Perhaps it's worthy of its own thread.

Leigh Matthews....can't stand the thug. What he did to Peter Giles, Steve Smith and Neil McMullin. Someone with a peripheral interest said to me yesterday...."why don't you try him as coach? All the other well-performed coaches have been signed up!" "Too old....the game's paased him by" , I said. "What does that matter? All the senior coach does is motivate. The assistants plan all the tactics. He just co-ordinates it all." he said. I thought about this. Think of the incredible success he had at Brisbane. Think of his greatness as a player. The guy's a winner. Perhaps he's got what we lack. Perhaps it's worth giving him a chance to take up one last challenge? What do Demonlanders think?

He squibbed it b badly running with the flight against (?) Richmond,after a long, accurate pass from Sylvia.

I'm very happy about both!

I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic with your congrats, Jack. Do you think all posts should be about Scully today? I had just been watching the replay of the Port game(partly to see if the umpiring looked as bad on TV as it did at the game). When I saw the players doing that infuriating signal, I saw fit to see what other Demonlanders thought about it. At least I'm not carrying on about kick-ins again!!!

Fitzpatrick played, but may as well not have. Bail was considered fit enough for AFL the week before(actually, he and Nicholson weren't the Scorps' worst, but both kept getting caught with the ball).Bate and Dunn appeared to be trying, but were beaten by better opponents.Warnock battled on, but was beaten one-on-one too many times. Going by the AFL and VFL final ladder positions for North Melb, North Ballarat, and Werribee, it seems North's list is far superior to ours. Yet experts aren't predicting great things for the Kangaroos!

Thanks Dr Drake. I couldn't work out who they were aligned with. I thought North were with N Ballarat...do they share it? They did have Majak Daws and another name or two I recognised, but not nearly as many AFL listed players as us, I'm sure. That Ross guy should be chased, and he's unlisted. As for players just not caring, I hope that's wrong! It didn't look that way to me, but if they WEREN'T trying, they're not the sort of people who should make an AFL list.

Watching the Scorpions on TV on Saturday left me very worried. The side was choc-a-block full of our young prospects.....Gawn, Fitzpatrick, Nicholson, MacDonald, Bail,Bate , Dunne and others. They were playing at second tier level, against a side with nonAFL players, and were hopelessly outclassed, man-on-man all day. Are we deluding ourselves that we have the material, and that they just need to mature? Please reassure me, Demonlanders, that I'm reading too much into that insipid performance by our seconds.

I sincerely hope our new coach puts a flat ban on our players doing "the penguin"...i.e. flapping both arms at elbow level(as if patting two dogs at once). I think this is done to signal to team-mates that it's time to play defensively, in an attempt to maintain the status quo, before a break, or during an opposition "run-on'. I noticed Jamar and Moloney doing it a few times during the Port game. There are two reasons I think it's unwise:- 1. It not only alerts your team-mates, but it alerts the opposition of your team's tactics. If the opponents know you're going defensive, they have nothing to lose, and can attack with less fear of the consequences of a turnover. Thus it tends to be counter-productive. 2. I'm not a believer in "safe" football. For the reasons outlined above. I think it's a throwback to the days of "tempo football", which we've never been good at, and does not seem to be used by the good sides now. At times it might be necessary to slow the game down, but there should be some secret signal used amongst the players, so WE know what our tactics are, but the opposition don't. "The penguin" was used frequently at Kardinia Park this season!

What about Hussey's catch!!!!

I was at the game yesterday. It was interesting to compare the atmosphere there to the atmosphere at a Melb v. Port game on the MCG. Hoopla,have you, too, had this experience? If so,you must understand the difference in home ground advantage for the Adelaide/Perth sides compared to Melbourne. The parochialism of the Adelaide crowd was exemplified so perfectly yesterday when they actually booed the umpires off the ground!!!!

Great post, Pitmaster! And so spot on. I like your description of Schmitt!! But I would have used the word "henchmen" rather than "accomplices"! And I reckon it's fair enough for us keen supporters to have a thoroughly justified beef about the umpiring on a club's unofficial website. The holy joes who "never blame the umpires" can wallow in their self-righteousness.We didn't play well, but we played better than Port, but they won because of the biased decisions. It's a one-eyed view, but we should be able to express it on a supporters' forum.

Absolutely right, Webber. I was at the Adelaide Oval yesterday, and it was clear from the start that there was immense pressure from the crowd on the umpires. It would have taken a lot of courage and knowledge for the umpires to adjudicate fairly. They showed neither.

There were 2 or 3 minutes to go. Gosh it was exciting! We thought this was the start of great things for Barass!

Steven Clarke at Windy Hill with a big torp that just fell short. Can't think of any where we won. Can think of a few where we lost. Egan at Geelong nearly got there in ?'05 when we won by a point(?2). Was Jurrah's goal in Shanghai after the siren, or seconds before it?

Let's get back to facts, here, Roostit(love your pseudonym!). That vote was completely shonky and was going to be legally challenged(undoubtedly successfully), if the Hawthorn vote got up. But there was no chance of the Hawthorn vote getting up, since they saw it as a take-over by Melbourne(exactly the same reason as many misguided Melb members voted in favour.) So I've got a grip, Roostit, and I'm glad we're still the Melbourne Demons. We never could, and never would, sell our soul to Tasmania, because we're Melbourne through and through. Don't accuse ME of name calling. They ARE the Tassie Waverley Hawks. You're the one who mentions the Melbourne "pansies". That sickens me.

I didn't say they were dumb. That was you. I didn't bag them for selling games. I just said they have become the Tassie Waverley Hawks,,.....nothing to do with Hawthorn. We've survived in our own identity. One day some of our draft picks will turn out to be champions like Franklin, Rioli and Hodge. There's an element of luck in recruiting, and I don't think we've had it for a while. When we do, we'll challenge the Tassie Waverley Hawks as the Melbourne Demons.

Thanks"La Deveena". Unfortunately this is exactly what I thought. So we won't be able to repeatedly use this tactic, unless sides make the fundamental error of "manning up " to try to defend our kickins. As suggested above, we must employ multiple different tactics ,according to our opponents' response.