FlashInThePan

I did not know that was a saying Deever. Live and learn. I’m always nervous, no outcome is guaranteed. But it is not like the old days where my hope was entirely artificial, jollying myself along. We will turn up, we will grind out a win or GCS will get it but they will have to work like hell to earn it. That nervousness makes the game more exciting. Go Dees !

Haha, I'm with you LG. Membership years between 2007 and 2017 should be like dog years

This We watched two teams with good attack and contest games but poor defence last night. The score line proves that unequivocally. The blues are going to be tougher to beat with that midfield firing and both Curnow and Mackay clunking marks. The blues were actually the scarier team from my view as they are starting to get their 2 way running game going. A number of times they managed to get an outnumber in defence through a number of their midfielders gut run. Their defensive structure still looks lacking though and Mcgovern has a fair way to go in trying to emulate Jake Lever. I'm going to have to take back some of my disparaging comments about their list. Adding Cerra and Hewett has totally reshaped that midfield, the emergence of Kennedy has helped too. I'm really looking forward to playing them, the midfield battle will be something to watch.

I’m just loving being the competition bench mark. I have to remind myself that I shouldn’t expect EVERY article to reference us. After all the years of being condescended to I now feel as smug AF. But I am trying really hard not to do the same thing to others. TBH I’m not always successful.

These numbers strike me as completely predictable. People are keen to go but nervous about exposure. The MCG parking situation really doesn’t help if there are people not keen on public transport yet. All the media hand wringing is just trying to make a story out of nothing.

I actually think it is the opposite. Stars can make you competitive but systems win you flags. That is demonstratively true for the 3 dynasties this century. That cats team you mention was a basket case, with all the players you mentioned until they had a come to Jesus (that nearly cost bomber his job) and bought into the team system. Hawthorn stole one off the back of raw talent but then slid back to obscurity until they bought into Clarkson’s system, that system bought them the 3 peat, they kept winning even when individuals with massive talent left (Buddy). Richmond were the same, perennially struggling until they did the review that nearly got rid of Hardwick. Instead they doubled down and bought into ‘the Richmond way’…system.

Sorry PF, I think it’s 4-6 i don’t know what is going on but despite the fact that Salem is absolutely one of our most important players, I am completely unworried (just in case that is not a real word- don’t hate me dworship). Does this mean my MFCSS is cured?!

Did anyone mention 426??

I really rate Smith and you can take it to the bank, he is our next great defender. He won’t be dropped and even if he played a mediocre game, which he didn’t, he needs to be given some continuity so that he can develop. I didn’t see in Bedford what the coaches obviously see. He has a pretty good set of wheels, maybe the fumbling was just nerves. He dropped a pretty basic chest mark on the wing/half back and had to really turn on the jets to save the situation. I haven’t seen enough of him to say to know whether the dropped chest mark or the incredible evasion characterises him most accurately. Whoever makes room for lever and hibberd will be stiff but there is no way you’d left either of them out.

I can’t wait to watch the replay. I really don’t like hating on the umpires but from ground level it really looked like some baffling calls, all going one way.

Gus warming up with the backs

There is s video of Kate Roffey accepting the 2021 premiership flag in this afl.com article, really worth taking a look: https://www.afl.com.au/news/717064/-time-to-pay-back-that-debt-this-year-s-for-the-fans-declares-gill I am so happy that Kate is our club president. She is not only an outstanding speaker but just an outstanding person. Her inclusiveness and clear love for all the players, staff and demons fans is really heartwarming. I'm so looking forward to this season, Go Dees!

Get rid of Foxtel and spend that money on Kayo. That show (and every other show and game) available live or from the start. I still resent the money but at least with Kayo I am getting exactly what I would have wanted out of Foxtel.

We definitely lost because of 50m penalties. That is not even a question it is rock solid fact. We conceded 8 50's and had 6 goals scored against us directly because of them, since we lost by 5 points I think everyone can do the math in their head. That doesn't mean they were wrong though and focussing on that just distracts from the lessons we can take away from the game. There was a lot to learn from that outing, but unfortunately it was a bit skewed by the lack of intensity. Our back line was all at sea but it is hard to tell how much was their disorganisation and how much was lack of pressure on the ball carrier. We are likely going to see the occasional game with a makeshift forward or back line or midfield during the year, I was hoping they might run an experiment like this in preseason to get a look at what we need to focus on at training to reduce the impact if we get hit with COVID during the season. I think there is plenty there to look at. In other news, Gawn needs to set a better example with the umpires. As a leader he needs to get his face and body language under control. The whole team seems to have taken his lead in having a whinge every time there is a call against us. I used to get quite a chuckle out of watching his face when he'd get a ruck infringement called against him. That is no longer the case, getting lippy or remonstrating against a free has a real possibility of losing us games this year. We also are going to need to embed the idea of getting the ball straight back. Hopefully we have time to drill that and reduce the practice in our players.

There is no doubt from his response that they know who leaked the documents. Now we just need someone to leak that name 😉

I can't believe I just invested 20 minutes in trawling through this thread. Not a single fact or even a piece of information that might be a fact. Those of us who don't work in the club can only judge performance by results. We are not privvy to current commercial and growth strategies. If someone puts some facts in front of me I might have an opinion but what is going on here is absolutely childish. If we judge how the club has performed in the near past we can only applaud. Some facts have been laid down about commercial success and improved financial position. These are all in the public record. Our membership growth looks solid but we are only going to be able to judge how well we have capitalised on the flag after this year is done. All of this innuendo and 'I know a terrible secret but I can't tell you' rubbish is an absolute waste of everyone's time.

I really just want to LOL, but I am trying to keep in mind that this was me a couple of years ago... what the hell, LOL

I can’t believe we are talking about Hannan as if he would have made any difference. I recall mentioning in the lead up to the granny that he has never so much as played 2 good quarters in a row for us much less 2 games in a row. The guy is an okay attacking half forward flanker, who can get on the end of a couple. He may as well have not been on the ground and at no point did I think of him as being a credible threat.

Not at all, happy to elaborate. I’m fixated on the likely COVID impact during the season. I think we, and everyone else, are going to have our depth seriously tested. Teams that can absorb change and maintain their system are likely to do better than teams that can’t. i understand the counter arguments, maybe we just play the ball in front of us and worry about the future if/when it comes. I just think this is a good opportunity to see whether we can structure up well with some of the next gen players playing.

This will be an interesting game. I would have thought we would use this opportunity to look at some kids. We really need to know how well embedded our system is with the guys who are pushing for spots. I don’t think winning or losing is that important in a practice game, we just need to make sure we are ready for the year ahead.

I really want to highlight this. The media and to a certain extent the umpires seem to have decided that there is some kind of positional hierarchy where midfielders are on the top and every other position below. The all Australian team is stacked with out of position midfielders as the selectors try to get them all in. The Brownlow goes almost exclusively to midfielders. Now we have this narrative that playing on the wing is a demotion from being in the square for the bounce. Mostly it is systems based teams who win flags, only systems based teams win multiple flags. For a system to work you need ALL areas of the ground playing their part, they are all critical. The all Australian selectors should recognise the best player(s) in each position. Whether someone is critical to the club’s success is not based on what role they play, it is based on whether we have someone else who can do that role as well. Watching Gus at the practice match reminded me of how much you miss when you watch on TV. He is just constantly roaming up and down that wing, holding his width, closing out the fat side of the ground and moving to be an outlet when we get possession. I personally think Gus is critical to us, but what I am really trying to push is that everyone is too focussed on the guts. We should be giving more recognition and glory to the ruck, the wings, the forward and back flanks, etc. edit: fast should have been fat

Sparrow is playing the Viney role. He’s going pretty nicely

I don’t think they are going to rotate players. Weed and hunt still in t-shirts

This Hornet kid certainly draws a lot of frees

I can see dine fresh faces at the NM bench. Looks like goater is getting a run