Goodvibes

It's understandable that most of us have focused on the young talent that was on display yesterday but I'd like to acknowledge the work of the coaching staff. They've copped a fair whack from Demonlanders regarding their game day tactics throughout 2017 but they got it spot on yesterday. Our structures held up impressively. Hawthorn very rarely had the ability to move the ball laterally across halfback. This is their bread and butter but we forced them either into error or to kick long regularly. And they love to use their kicking skills to pin point targets inside 50. In addition to working our backsides off to pressure their halfbacks, the defensive run from our midfield was excellent, rarely allowing Hawthorn time to deliver with purpose. We were well prepared, well organized and the team had the right mentality to action the gameplan. What excites me most is that it is a gameplan built around winning clearances and working hard into space and having 22 players understanding their role when they don't have the footy. We now have a critical mass who get it and believe in it. Hard at the contest and hard running is not new but is so much easier to talk about than to implement on match day. We implemented it for four quarters against Hawthorn and we did it with a bunch of kids.

Thanks mate. Felt really positive before the game and decided to just go with it and carry on like a lunatic. The sound was on mute enabling me to provide the commentary for the whole bar. Two older Hawks supporters made the mistake of ordering a bottle of champagne halfway through the last. Maybe took a little too much pleasure in highlighting the audacity of their drink of choice given the unintentional suggestion of premature adulation on their behalf. Glad the boys backed me up. Hope you had as much fun mate!

Had the great pleasure of watching the game with two close Hawks friends and a bevvy of Hawthorn supporters at a local pub up here and I think I can safely say I represented the red and blue with the vociferous support they deserved. Called the game midway through third when we'd answered their challenge. We were always going to win today. One for the true believers and the break out statement game we've all yearned. Whose shout?

And those who recognise the obvious effort put in by our team yesterday do? We put in a genuine four quarter effort yesterday. You can question our decision making, our ball movement, our forward structure, you can even question the talent of the bottom 4 - 6 players out there but you can't question the effort of the 22 who played yesterday.

That really hurt. Yet 3.5 hours on, I'm convinced the core of premiership team was on display today. I feel sorry for those who can't see it.

It's Randle and this is the gameday thread.

A very special memory for me. The tear in the eye of my Dad after the game I'll never forget. And the German Club afterwards was brilliant. Not sure how many times we sung Grand Old Flag that night.

Move on to what? Watching the team we love with Jack Watts firmly entrenched in the best 22, regularly impacting games and in some cases having a big say on the outcome? It's hard not to talk about how much he's improved when he's improved so obviously. Yet you're the one dragging out his draft position. Looks like you're the one who needs to move on. Appreciate what you've got and enjoy the second half of the Jack Watts journey.

He got a lot of positive attention this week so it was good to see him back it up. A less mature player may have focused more on trying to kick the goal of the game again but he was solid defensively and hard at the contest and found much more of the ball.

And just while I'm in the stats mood, Gawn now 130 plus hitouts ahead of his nearest rival. He's only a goal behind Goldstein and is averaging more possessions and more marks. How much fun is it going to be watching Max on Brownlow night?

Hogan eases into fourth on the goal kicking charts.

Can we add winning in the NT, which we haven't done since 2011 (7 games all up) just so we can break three records in one night?

Jesse Hogan. We're almost taking him for granted. Second year of senior football. It's incredible. Youngest team in the comp with Brayshaw, Oliver, Salem and Weideman still to come in. So much improvement left in this mob.

I agree. His left boot gets your attention straight away but for me it was his work in close, clever use of hands and the ease with which he dealt with the pace of the game when he first started that got me excited. It's great to hear that he gained greater exposure (albeit one VFL game) to the midfield and did well. Like Hunt, I think he has the potential to play in the square but Oliver, Petracca, Viney, Tyson and Brayshaw may mean that rarely happens. These seven form an incredible young midfield group. If they realize their collective potential, I can't see how we won't be competing for premierships in the near future.

I was very excited about Hunt after seeing him live on the Gold Coast. What impressed me most was how combative he was and how he used his speed to impact the game defensively. You could see him growing in confidence even back then in terms of taking the game on and breaking lines. He could be a very dangerous half back flanker for years to come but like most, I'm projecting forward. Many see him as the answer to our outside needs. And whilst I agree he could certainly fulfil that role, I'm a little more bullish. I think he has the potential to really develop an inside/outside game and be the midfielder we've craved for decades. I hate outlandish comparisons particularly in the lead up to the draft but I can see a little bit of Fyfe in his game. He looks to have a frame (much like Fyfe) that will continue to develop. Like Fyfe, he has the ability to explode from contested positions. And whilst his kicking needs work, this is a role that doesn't necessarily require elite kicking skills. Whilst wins are important, I'm very impressed with what I'm seeing right now. It's been a good year. The progress of Gawn, and the advancement of Viney (when injury free) and the belated arrival of Watts have been huge. By the end of the season I'm hoping Hunt will join that trio in the good news stories of the year. To think we have Brayshaw, Oliver, Salem and Weideman to come into this team, with Melksham on the sidelines and talk of Hibberd and Prestia. We're developing a top 4 list and I'm baffled most of Demonland can't see that. Yes, we have holes but one of them (speed and flair) looks a significantly smaller concern after the past 4 - 6 weeks from Hunt.

I'd offer Roos the Ambassador of Quan position.

Hunt - Could be anything.

And the significant annual salary Tayla is now receiving courtesy of AFLQ certainly made a difference. Tayla spoke glowingly about her time playing for Melbourne. It's a shame we couldn't keep her but she's doing some very important development work in Queensland and the family factor is significant. Brisbane were also trying to bring Katie Brennan back home as their second marquee signing. As I understand it, she's decided to stay with a Victorian team. I assume that means she'll stay with the Western Bulldogs. Hope Melbourne is being really proactive with it's attempts to get the very best second marquee signing to complement Daisy.

If you were told we could have both and give up a 2016 second rounder for Hibberd and a 2017 first rounder for Prestia, would you do it? If both players wanted to come to Melbourne and we were keen, we'd find a way.

How can you be so definitive? In 3 years this footy dept has never made public statements during the season about our interest in opposition players. Can't you see why members of a footy forum might be a little bit interested in the motives of our CEO?

Exactly, I don't think he spoke "out of character" as was suggested above but as a football dept we're very careful about what we say publically and we're very good at presenting a consistent message. For whatever reason, we want it to be known that we're keen on Hibberd. It's not a big deal but it is something this administration has never done during the season before and that's why some find it interesting.

PJ doesn't say anything in public that hasn't been carefully considered. Without wanting to be labelled a conspiracy theory nong, I definitely believe PJ had a purpose for saying what he said.

So Essendon is upset with us approaching the management of Hibberd. We must be close.

8 makes sense. 4 in Victoria and 2 in WA and QLD were a given. I'm not sure South Australia has fully committed to the development of female footy over the past decade but seem to have stepped up over the past 12 months. I'm not sure they have the depth of talent to be anywhere near the others. Likewise GWS will need to really work hard to find the talent to remain competitive. It will be interesting to see if the SA and NSW teams are filled with many Victorians as well as potentially WA and QLD girls. Anyway, it's a pretty special day for those involved in female footy. The last 24 months have been amazing. The first couple of years will be a little rough but by taking the leap, elite women and girls from other sports will follow and the standard in 5 - 10 years time should be impressive. It will be interesting now to see how they divide up the talent regarding franchise players and how the draft will be structured. It's all got to happen very quickly. I hope they haven't left it too late.

Did the double and broke the Nasher curse. It's been a good day!