The Panglossian

7 left -handers, I note.

Watching Australia play India is like watching a district team playing a Test team. Dont be too confident about Sri Lanka..... let alone the Poms.

I know Handscomb sincerely thinks he caught it, and Kohli annoys me.......but the ball hit the ground. Kohli got a shocking decision. I can’t believe the commentators saying it was out. The whole series could hinge on that decision, and I’m convinced it was wrong. I admired Kohli for hiding his emotions as he left the field. He knew he wasn’t out.

I reckon there’s a “ conventional wisdom” about full forwards that is misleading. Everyone wants a tall full forward who ideally can ride someone’s back and take screamers then kick goals. How often does that happen??? Rarely. Most goals from full forwards are from well-timed leads,a good pass, and a chest mark.( McKenna and Dunstall being classic examples.) So I contend that the most important facet of a FF is speed on the lead, and the football nous of knowing when to lead. Obviously there are times when there’s no time to pass, or space to lead, and a long kick comes into the pack in the goalsquare. If the FF isn’t tall, and the tall ruckman isn’t there, the kick should not be a high one to the pack, but a low scrubber that favours the pacy crumber. Fullbacks are always tall, so the tendency is to put similar players on each otherJust imagine a tall fullback( let’s use Fletcher as an example),with a tall Ff on him. A high kick comes in, and all he has to do is spoil, while the forward tries to mark. You’d back Fletcher to win. BUT, just imagine if , say, Garlett was somehow left “ one out “ with him, and a deliberate low bouncing kick came in. The smaller play would run rings around him( perhaps a Fletcher is a poor example, since he was so versatile, ) My point is that height should not necessarily be a desirable feature of a potential full forward. ps....I’m very happy with TMac, though he’s tall, he times his leads well.

Have to ward off Saints with their high draft picks!

I’m a bit worried that we haven’t recruited any tall forward prospects in the draft.I think we’re a “tall short” as far as forwards are concerned on our list. We have TMac and the Weed, but who else? Tim Smith would be next, I guess, and I think Max will be free to play more up front now we’ve got the big Prussian. I would have liked to see us pick up a tall forward prospect for development. If Frost can’t squeeze back into the backline, perhaps we should give him another go up forward for Casey, in case TMac or Weed miss through injury. Does anyone know if there’s a tall forward prospect in the rookie draft?

Two out of three aint bad! red and Blue in 2019!

Surely we Demon fans must be attracted to Prince of Arran......those colours!!! Meets Yucatan on better weight terms than the last time they met. Apparently Prince was boxed in a bit early in that run, though Yucatan looked very impressive in the run home. Cross Counter has good colours too, and is Richo's tip(or was it Dr Turf?)

I reckon Petracca could be called the Fonz. Somehow I think it suits him.

Duh. Ignorant comment.

I’d like to see May up forward( where he played as a youngster) I can picture him pole-axing a few backmen(eg Rance) It seems to me we have more backline depth than forward, and he could be most useful in attack.

I liked the “think tank”.

Has May ever played forward for GC? I seem to remember him taking a strong mark and kicking confidently for goal on one occasion. Can anyone confirm or refute this? With two-metre Peter and Lynch up forward, plus a backline always under pressure, May would rarely be tried forward for GC, even if he showed promise there. I like our backs and their "back-ups". Could May's strength and aggression be useful forward if we lose JH there.?

I reckon Charlie Spargo is a star of the future.

London to a brick we’ll go to Kardinia Park, and Richmond, Essendon and Collingwood won’t. Its as bad as an interstate game in SA or WA, and we get it at least 80 % of years. AND..........We MUST stop selling home games interstate. This year has shown, that if we are successful, lukewarm supporters will turn up to our home games.

I will never forgive Colonwood for going the man, and sucking us into trying to retaliate in ‘58. The better side lost, thanks to nefarious tactics, at a time when sportsmanship was an expected virtue ( eg when Ray Gabelich clapped Barrass on the victory dais in ‘64..... not like Peter Moore chucking away his runner up medal) I can’t help wishing the worst for the Mudpies. I’ll never forget the threatened feeling Demon supporters had at Victoria Park, whereas their supporters enjoyed the lap of luxury at our home ground. i just can’t help wishing the worst for Colonwood. I’d love to see a big internal split, leading to fundamental administrative destruction. Call it jealousy... I don’t care! Go Met Coke!!! Do to them what you did to us. They don’t deserve to be where they are! They’ve done well to overcome injury, but they’ve hardly beaten any good sides( except an overconfident Richmond, and us), and most of their injured players are back now, just when they need them. A pox on you, Mudpies...Go Met Coke!!! Inject whatever it is that has given you your three flags, and stomp on the baskets.

I like Robbo,but at our home games he hosts stupid sprinting or spekky competitions, instead of revving up the Demon supporters. I agree with previous posters who urge us to try to build up the “cauldron of hatred” that interstate clubs, Etihad clubs, and even MCG tenant clubs develop at their home ground. Geelong have been perennial finalists, however mediocre their list, by having 8-10 games a year with enormous home ground advantage. iSimilarly for SA, and WA clubs, with 11 games per year with that huge advantage. And....We MUST stop selling home games!! Onfield success will draw more money from sponsors than the money gained from selling games to NT. Lets have a few easy home games at the G against Bris ,GC. and Freo, where they have to put up with a stadium with no one supporting them. It would help to occasionally play WCE and Adelaide at home, too.

I thought Box Hill had by far the better run from the umpires, who exuded inconsistency and diffidence. Could someone please explain to me that last free they got dead in front after we marked it.Was it no 15, play on, then Petty was deemed to throw it? ( I think he thought the ump was going to say no 15, but he didn’t, so he pulled his handball, expecting to be paid the mark)

Standing near the interchange bench during a game, one can see how easy it would be to make an error and have 19 (or 17) on the field at any time. They are running on and off, sometimes 2 or 3 at a time. Players often seem uncertain if they should go on. Mistake or deliberate , the penalty should be to forfeit all score during the time they breached the law.

In the fifties before the game, the entertainment consisted of a military band. ,who would split up ,with a small group (“ the ball”)marching through small goal posts, for a “goal”. I used to like the goal umps in their butchers’ coats and big white sun hats. After a goal, they would collect the right hand post flag first, then collect the other flag from the other post. Sometimes that was how you could confirm what score it was before they waved the flags, if you missed the quick finger signals. Also , the boundary umps, in their brilliant white shirts and shorts, and long black socks, sprinting back to the centre, knees high, then doing perfect “drop punt spinning” throws back to the similarly dressed ump, before prancing backwards to the wings. Also, all the police coming out to line the boundary line,once there were a couple of minutes to go( how my heart sank in ‘58!)

Hawthorn perpetuate that myth about the Demons kicking with a strong northerly for 3 quarters. Don’t forget, Buckanara was kicking into that “ gale” after the siren, and still maintains he’d have made the distance easily BEFORE the 15 m penalty. His kick from 35 m went through post high. Yes, the wind was on and off that day, but Hawthorn were just making excuses for their lucky win when they were short price favourites pre-match( just as North and Sydney were the 2 weeks before). Hawthorn had a field day with the umps that day. Their experienced players knew how to manipulate the umps( eg the Buckanara dive in the Grinter tackle) No Hawthorn supporter will acknowledge that Kennedy hit the post in Q4,and the( unsighted )goal ump gave a goal....despite advice from Jimmy. I have video proof of this fact. As in all finals that year ,we’d have been rank outsiders in the GF v Carlton. We beat Carlton 3 times the next year, including in the finals.

Geez.......I hope it’s not about big Max!!

There was a fair bit of time left after Froggie's goal. The ball went deep into their forward line. Magpie Ian Graham nearly marked, and could have been paid a free, but wasn't (times have changed....good on you, Ron Brophy!) Barry Bourke cleared it and the siren went. I'll never forget the joy! Like Dante, I expected us to keep winning premierships year after year. It's been pretty rough since then, and the many thousands of Demon faithful should be proud that they've stayed with the Demons so long, for so little reward. That's what's made the last month so good!

Wasn't it Jack Grimes bumping$cully?

I’m disappointed that you’re being flippant now, Master Rackham. You were my best hope. Btw, do the Auld Lang Syne fanatics know that men are supposed to hold hands with each other when they sing it?