tiers

If two ruckmen are to be played then both need to have the versatility to fill other roles. Even Maxie. Unless and until we acquire a tall, mobile marking forward who can complement TMac then perhaps a tall not-so-mobile marking resting ruckman playing out of the forward pocket and presenting as a target could work. I recall the Jako 10 goal game against roos where Darren Bennett filled this role with aplomb. Two talls are still valuable. It's up to the coaches to find their roles.

How good was White before they denied him his run and leap at the centre bounce. Clean and direct knock out to team mates. An outstanding feature of our great game. What a curse the AFL rules committee is. And how good were our fleet of left foot runners - Yze, Woewodin, A McDonald and Powell. Add Rigoni, Leoncelli and Johnstone and we had a weapon. How come we could never take full advantage?

Cometh to us.

The other Grimes. The other Morton. The other Holland. The other Jakovich (didn't get injured).

Robbie.

A vote not given implies a vote "against". Can't do it.

Impossible to vote against either. It gets harder tomorrow - Schwarz v Neitz. Messing with my mind.

Not funny and disrespectful to my choices. Those who know, will know who I mean. 2, 3, 5, 9, 31.

In 60 years of watching, these are the ones who made me proud to be a demon (in numerical order). 2, 3, 5, 9, 31.

A top five is easy. Stynes, Schwarz, Neitz, Wight would all be worthy candidates along with Lyon. To have a contest between any two of this group is disrespectful and unbearable.

This is becoming too hard. Whoever I chose will be up against Neitz in the next round and, in any reasonable sense, I would pick all three to be in the best team that I have seen in 60 years. Even worse, the chosen one out of these three would most likely have to go up against Jimmy. That is going too far. I can no longer participate in this process. So whilst I would select David ahead of Sean I will no longer submit a vote. Next time let us be asked to name a top 5, 10 or 20 so that we do not have to tear ourselves apart pitting heros against heros. It's just too hard.

Robbo spent as much effort spoiling Neeta as winning the ball himself. Think of how many times he joined the marking contest and made it harder for Neeta. Neeta would have kicked many more goals if not harassed by Robbo (where were the coaches?). Neeta's record is unsurpassed at our club. Neitz for me.

Toughest choice yet. Brett was simply outstanding and for many years was, in my opinion, the best classic hbf in the league. Rarely beaten in any contest and his disposal was always to advantage. Nathan has been an outstanding warrior for our club whose efforts can not be overstated. But for all this, he was not better than others who played the same role. It breaks my heart to deny a champion and club captain but Brett was too good to overlook. Brett for me. Nathan to repechage.

White was a great ruckman until they changed the rules. Jimmy was Jimmy. No contest. Stynes for me. White to repechage.

Wasted. The week's rest due to the draw cost us both momentum and desire.

Can we stick to footy?

Todd was everything that has been said - a tough, determined leader who made up for his average skills by above average efforts. Aaron was none of the above. He was just the perfect footballer with poise. vision, class and the ability to lift or swing a game and could, with his twinkle toes and smarts, come close to what only Robbie had done before. Aaron for me.

Firsts, seconds and under 19s is a model that worked very well for a long period of time although with drafting under 19 players can no longer be tied to a team beyond their under 19 year. In the meantime they can learn the game under a senior AFL team. Change the system so that each team can have only 35 (or any other number) on their official lists but players can be readily added or removed from their lists using the seconds and under 19s(temporarily) if warranted. Enhance the appeal of the seconds and the under 19s with club loyalty. Who cares about u18 Dragons when you can barrack for Demons u19. In the barren years after '64 watching the seconds and u19s play in finals and even win flags was a lift to our spirits. They were Demon flags.

I was on the hf line on the Punt Rd side of the ground and had a direct side on look at the incident. Barassi and Dean both had a piece of the ball, Dean was on his knees and RDB was standing up trying his hardest to knock the ball out of Dean's hand with a downward motion of his fist. He did not touch the Dean's face and it was a a complete fake. The whole incident was in the open and there were no other players around. Who in their right mind would believe that RDB would deliberately strike an opponent in such a setting. The umpire and the tribunal were demented. Four weeks for this possibly costs us a flag. No wonder we dislike the umps, tribunal and all officialdom.

Powell was part of the pack including Woewodin and A MacDonald - three hard running, front of pack, goal kicking left footers. Together they were a formidable and at times unstoppable force. It was the threesome that was destructive. After losing 2001, by 2002 the coaches had destroyed Woey and the effectiveness of the pack was all over. Sad but at least he never showedd something extra at the sainters than he showed with us.

A pure 24 carat gem of a man and player. The benchmark for all who follow in his footsteps.

Success breeds success. We had a chance in the 90s to start a run at success but blew 1990 and were overwhelmed by weagles in 1994. It was in the period 1995 to 1997 that it ended. Decimating injuries stopped all our momentum in these three years and we could never regain it even through we played finals 5 out of the next 9 years. We lost our home and home ground advantage to the money needs of the AFL and broadcasters. Training at the Junction Oval was tough but we still made a GF and other finals. Poor coaching and even poorer development cost us dearly - I still cringe when I remember that Green and Bruce were not much better after many years than when they started. I had predicted that 2020 was to be our year. Not to be but maybe next year. Go dees.

How good was the game? Not the result but the free flowing contested footy with no umpires interference (the incessant play on if the player takes time to find a target) and the open centre bounce where a ruckman could run and take a leap. White and Simmonds were outstanding and made the game look better (I know there are knee injury issues but there needs to be a better answer than the small circle and the repeated pushing and shoving). Its time to tell the umpires to shut up and let the game flow. The players know best. And what about white jackets and hats for the goal umpires - got to be better than the tee shirts and baseball caps. All these replays have displayed to me that the game was better when there was no "kicking down the line" and constant switching looking for cheap stats. Traditional kick ins from the square were a better means to restart the game and create a contest. What's worse, listening the BRuuuuuuce, Dermie, Landy and others reminded me that they were old hat 20 years ago but they are still with us. No wonder I don't miss footy as much as I should. Gil and the boys have neutered the game and it is less like real footy than it was. After the virus society will have to start again. This is an opportunity for our beloved great game to go back a bit and realise what made it great. It used to be a fast moving and attractive spectacle, now it is a dour struggle. That's all. Off the soap box.

Garry scored more goals, more all aussies, hall of fame and team of the century. He was a dynamic and courageous leader who could be potent in several positions. Brad was a champion, durable and dynamic at times but never rose to the levels of Garry. Lyon for me.

Just watched today the 2000 PF. Can't go past Farmer. He wasn't called the wizard for nothing. Yze to repechage. Farmer for me.