The Panglossian

I reckon the penalty of reversing a free kick for an indiscretion is too severe. It's really like 2 free kicks in one. The side loses the distance they were going to achieve PLUS the other side gets the benefit of a kick. It's often given for very minor offences, and can change a game ,...e.g. Carlton's lucky win against Freo. A more logical penalty would be to just ball it up. That would be equivalent to the normal penalty for a rule infraction...i.e. one free kick( in this case , loss of a free kick). What do other Demonlanders think?

That was the game where Footscray got that very significant late goal from a mysterious free against Max. Max came out with the gem...”that’s ruck craft, big boy!” We had all the momentum and looked like winning at that stage.

We won our last 3 games at Victoria Park. All most enjoyable!

Just practise, practise , practise. Any number of supporters would volunteer to collect the balls and return them to the kicker.

Here I am, Titan!!! When we are less than a goal behind, with very little time to go, Gawn should do a dummy lead out wide, taking the opposition's spoilers and crumbers with him. Another marking tall(??Petracca Weed or TMac) and lots of our crumbers should lead to the centre circle. It's mandatory for the defenders to go straight up the centre in these circumstances. Our guys should be drilled in this basic set-play. I reckon the "safe" option of kicking wide to Gawn works only about one in 5 to 10 tries. Another of my hobby-horses is the necessity for our players to know there's less than 20 sec or so before a quarter or half, time break, and especially before the end of the game. It's frustrating when one of our players has the ball in the centre, there's 15 sec to go, and he does a short kick back or wide. There's no downside or risk to ROOSTING the thing toward the goalsquare under these circumstances. If the oppsition get it, there isn't time for them to rebound up the other end. 20 sec to go could be signalled with a red light or placard from the interchange area.

I noted that incident where Lockhart “didn’t take his turn”,and thought he was a definite “goner” for next week. But my attitude changed in the third quarter afterHawthorn’s 3 goal comeback. All of the Dees ‘ 3 quick follow-up goals started with quick, accurate handballs from Lockhart just backward of centre. That was the end of the Hawks.

“The Red Fox” should be the top of the list.....not 50th!

I have about 20 years’ worth of scarves from 3 family members clogging up cupboard space. My wife has put her foot down....she wants them out. I think someone offered a solution once before on DEMONLAND. Can someone remind me of a good way to dispose of them? I thought perhaps the club could use them to drape over seats if we play again this year in Melbourne with no crowds. ( eg when we play an MCG final in Sept. with no crowd...as I confidently expect!)

I just wish AVB would get it occasionally.

I played for Uni Reds, under legendary coach, Kenny Frencham , in 1971/72. There were quite a few Demon diehards in our team, and I wonder if any of them are now Demonlanders like me. We played against Reservoir, Fawkner, Brunswick Districts, Jacana, Merlynston, Brunswick Districts and Westgarth All Blacks( captained by Pastor Doug Nicholls' son.) We struggled. The next year we joined the lowest level of the VAFA. Less physical! I wasn't sure which forum to post this in, but this seemed the least inappropriate! It'd be great to "swap notes" with any of my ex team-mates. I'm sure they will have stuck by the Demons all these years!

If only he hadn’t dropped that sitter dead in front early in Q1. I’m sure we’d have won. ( to say nothing of Pickett missing from 10 m out straight in front.) I

I can’t stand seeing such scathing criticism of Viney. It’s hard to think of any player who does more to give his all for his club. He throws himself in , gets the hard ball from impossible positions, then does his best to move the ball on from congestion. What a gutsy team player! I admire him greatly, and it hurts to see fellow supporters suggesting we should trade him. Keep fighting for us, Jack, you’re a Demon through and through!

Harley must be injured.

What fantastic spirit and endeavour our guys showed. An ounce of luck, and we’d have won. Does anyone notice how Geelong get away with quick throws, and we don’t? Surely Tommy should have had a free when hit by Henry!

We want the ball more than Geelong. Keep it up and it’ll be a great win!

How good are the Dees!? We knock off Carlton on their home ground, then they beat the Cats at their dung-heap! But Hawthorn and Carlton don’t know what it’s like with 30000 Cats fans pumping up the players, and influencing the umps. Essendon and Collingwood don’t know either.

I'm amazed our club leaders either turned a blind eye, or somehow failed to recognise his life-style. I thought that sort of behaviour was mainly at West Coast. Brock should have gone there. He would have had a bonanza. Was it endemic at Melbourne? Are any players like that now?

I have been watching old games on YouTube while on the exercise bike. So few wins, I'm watching a few losses now. I just saw that 2007 Ess game at Docklands,Danners last as coach. Yes....we were 17 up with 4 min 25 sec to go. Then the UMPIRES!!!. made three diabolical decisions. Lucas's first was a result of a very definite throw. The next came after Bruce was tackled by the legs, in what the commentators described as a "professional free" ("cynical foul" in soccer).....NOT PAID.!! The other goal came as a result of a dubious holding the ball("?dragged it in") in our forward line, when the umps had otherwise "swallowed the whistle". Melbourne had fought back brilliantly after being 30 points down early. I remember walking away from that match feeling absolutely cheated. Otherwise, I had eradicated it from my memory.

So courageous. I remember when Sean Wight stood in the "hole", knowing L,ockett was coming with the pack at full speed. He kept his head up, took the mark, then was made to "pay" by Lockett with his knee right in the middle of his back. Though it was a late, vicious assault, there was no 50m paid.

I think Paul O ‘BRIEN had a recurrence of his ACL injury at Essendon when he jumped in the air to celebrate a goal, and landed awkwardly, ending his aaAFL career.

I persuaded my mate to accompany me to that game. He wasn’t happy with me!

I was at that Windy Hill game.( at the outer, opposite ,end). I think Clark’s mark was about on the 50 m line, so he had to clear 55m at least. He tried a torp, and got hold of it ,but it fell a metre or so short. Can Demonlanders remind me of games where we’ve won with a kick AFTER the siren. ? I can think of a few wins JUST before the siren ( eg Gold Coast last year, Schwartz knock to Leoncelli in Adelaide, TMac v West Coast on the MCG), but no wins after the siren come to mind(unlike several losses AFTER the siren.)

The turning point came early in the 4th Quarter, when Yze and Robertson, who were both starring, clashed heads during a gutsy marking contest. They both had to go off, and Adelaide got back on top.

Like yourself, I'm told, Bobby. Don Williams used to take hangers( front cover of footy record for ages), dash out of defence bouncing it, then kick long drop kicks! He was spectacular....and tough.

I remember that shocker well. That last goal came from a long kick out of defence. A football nonentity, Brendan Ryan of North , amazingly opted to punch the ball on rather than take an easy mark. It rolled 30 metres to Schimma, who took 3 bounces then slotted the winner from the angle 40m out, seconds before the siren rang. It's etched in my memory, as was the '87 North game , where Clarkson won it with a set shot after the siren, in his first game! There was another one against Footscray on the MCG,where Darcy was given a mysterious free against Stynes in the ruck, with no time left He kicked the winner.