Deemania since 56

Deflection. (Of who knows what.)

Yet another change for the players themselves - another revamp of instructions hiding the total failure of the Goodwin game plan and its implementation, no doubt. Another series of 'how to play football' all over again, that most probably will infuse further failure and uncertainty in the players. Confusion, mid-season, reigns! All done with limited depth and availability with old trojans leading the way with footy field habits carved in granite. Change just ain't going to happen - not for a clutch of years - with this level of either: persistence in a mask - or Game Plan Mark II. We will persist with failure until we are proven wrong. At that point, we will deny and mask it all, because contractually, we're safe. We know it is necessary but that moment was months ago!

Precisely!

A little creativity and we can rest TMac against Fremantle Dockers, so that at least his recovery (from whatever ails him) and performance readiness are addressed.

One might think that for the FD, this normal expectation is too much to ask. For the fans, members and supporters, it seems, in reality, to have been totally overlooked.

It must have been the onions?

A little AFL consistency would save the trouble of a police state. It's perhaps a little like a corrupt, totalitarian regime intent on its own reign into perpetuity. Think what we think; if not, we can penalise you. Criticism is unhealthy. In reality, privilege to complain at any magnitude will be suppressed.

Knew that, but I have a soft spot for Ballarat, and lived there for 2 years in Pleasant Street very near the Bunch of Grapes pub. My point is that there are beers and there are beers, as we all know. And, there are places and there are places, as we all know. Put the two together and you have some variation - for example, Fourex tastes mediocre in temperate southern climates like Melbourne whereas in more humid conditions such as Brisbane and above, it tastes bloody fantastic! The same with VB/BB. It just tastes great in wet weather. Thanks for your additional info, NSFM, as it happens, when I go to the 'G to see the footy, I usually stay at a rented apartment in the old CUB building, as you mention.

A good to very good nursery for upcoming footballers - competitive environment, too.

Both Viney and Jones, the latter for all of his footy career, invented the 'long-bomb' method, it seems - as fwd penetration has traditionally been our main weakness amongst many. Worse, these two do not recognise it as a weakness; in fact, they had spread the disease to the rest of the midfielders - and only once in the past 2 years have I seen them deviate from this tremendous disadvantage as a style of play.

Tom is in a slump and these are hard to eliminate. It is also the case that the delivery up forward in non-existent. He therefore has suffered in the mid-term from a double disadvantage - suggesting a 'selfishness' of many of our players to just hit the ball on the foot for distance and metres gained. Hope and a prayer football is deplorable - no wonder we are so remiss in scoring.

Indirect statement to perfection. You are explaining something. If I was at the footy and you called that out, I would feel much richer for the knowledge that my opinions match someone else's.

Blatant mistakes to support AFL expectations of winners and losers, favouritism -- players holier than thou and club preferences, influence of the AFL gate receipts conundrum determining winners, losers and those teams allowed to 'catch up' in their scoring during games. Fix these recurring errors in the game or expect umpire abuse. Grandstanding umpires onfield attempting to capture the limelight for the public's entertainment or self-gratification (eg: Razor). Penalise the umpires heavily for affecting game outcomes - even with the slightest indication of repetitive behaviours. All clubs' supporters are due for a fair shake and an even playing field without the goalposts moving ... as these do ... and such supporters can pick it all 'a mile off', without difficulty. Abuse of umpires is possibly fairy nuff in the aforementioned scenarios and to some supporters, there may be many more that are highly irritating; but at the end of the day, it is not supporters who bend the game. Abuse of the England cricket team and its members is definitely an Australian tradition dating back well over a century. Abuse of players (eg: that which happen to Goodes) just ain't on - that is most definitely un-Aussie. If someone abuses me for this post, it will have no impact so feel free.

Hore - value pick and performance Sparrow - seems valuable, performance as expected with scope for improvements, must find him a regular spot to blossom Lockhart - value pick and a roving type, performance variable but at times, clever; should improve with a regular spot Keilty - impressive defender and leap, performance can be good but inexperienced, has good potential and works hard Baker - impressive flanker, terrific speed and agility, sound kick, inexperienced but learning fast, a future best 22

That would be worth waiting for, yet low-key discussion will help the MFC if he turns out to be a potential gun, as well.

Puts on muscle, encourages fearlessness, cardiovascular conditioning. Sounds OK to me. Given his father is Gary Lyon, I'd reckon he would be receiving heaps of appropriate advisories, preparation and further training, plus some skills transmission along the way as there are still a few years left to shine. It's all good news at this point. With the Wizard's son making progress and nearing a meaningful footballing age as well, things are really shining. There may be hope, afterall.

Again, that was quick!

The loss of Frosty was a case of extreme bad luck - his game would have contributed to managing the Filth forwards, enormously, given the structure that we had - and lost. Salem was hurt as well and carried on - but I am sure he was still affected across the game by the collision with Frosty.

Sums it up - fitness can be built, consistently, in specialised cases where the need exists. He is not fast, true. Improved speed can be built, consistently, in specialised cases where the need exists. He can relieve Max, true. He is a presence weapon in the fwd 50 arc, true. He brings the smalls into the game for their ground-level activity and by his protection, true. He will continue to learn given the correct coaching and experience, true. Something is badly amiss .... true, and it is selection protocols, favourites and hand-baggers where too much is expected of too few, too often and it penalises their longevity.

He is an inspiration when he jags one. Another task completed on his way to 100 tasks per game.

Have the same problem with the new driver - practice is fine, on comp day, I try to hit it too hard, and off to the treeline goes that little white devil to hide for an eternity in the rough and the fallen branches and twigs (cockatoo country). And, then I lose a stroke on the card. It's as bad as a missed goal.

That is the exact kind of thinking we need. Add Schwarta to that list and get it done!

That is extraordinarily expensive. Shame, wasted good idea. I'll keep on enjoying my home-brewed Kilkenny (I import the hops myself from England, the dry malt compounds and concentrates, the 3 yeast varieties, etc., just to be authentic to the recipe.) It still only costs me 28 cents per 700ml bottle, after 5 weeks secondary bottle maturation in my garage steel cupboard @ 24 degrees C. That's about $9 per slab - and after 5 years of making this particular brew x 4 times per year - it is just as good (if modestly said, 'better', than the Real McCoy) so maybe I will have the handbrake make me up some original Demon labels to complete the job. This typing is thirsty work - seeya!

That is what we have been emphasising all year, and last year (in itself, a fluke of a season), there is no usage of space on all grounds that we have played on from our forwards. It is almost as if a 'clearance' was a backline 'trick' for their exclusive use - Hibberd and Frosty do well in this regard, as had Salem and of course, Jetta, when fit. It can be reversed in operation for the forwards and it is easier, as well, because it would be movement to space without possession of the ball. Rather, it is movement to space to receive - and usually without a defending opponent over the top to spoil such a 'receive'. If this is not developed, it will continue to look as though our forwards will only attack the ball (when nearly always in congestion) when it is directly in front of goal and preferably, terribly close to those goals. Hence, we limit our scoring ability by rejecting 60 per cent of our forward entries. Time for some laterality, indeed. That is where the space is - and always will be - to get rid of an opponent, to take an unhindered receive, to provide the initial target for the midfielders and to kick goals, continuously. It will take practice (what is wrong with training?), it will take some non-90 degree set shots at goal (that our current forwards do not like nor do they execute these well) and it will take the bloody midfielders in all their glory and kick/'distance achieved' glory to think, look, deliver to space just as those on the top of the current AFL ladder seem to do by preference.

This is 2019 and one year beyond some good games, not his best games; these were 3-4 years ago whilst the side was in the doldrums. He is a team legend and so he must realise, as well, that the worm turns with age. Sentiment is good by all means, but it is costly. We can look back at some of our great players (eg: Neitz and Lyon) - the side was not particularly strong and one of the reasons was because those two were played too long - costly sentiment dominated. We missed an opportunity for some great recruits with dress circle tickets held in reserve, unused. Retirement is a bitter fact of life no matter who you are and what you have done in the past. Lewis, Jones, Garlett, Viney, TMac, Hibberd might be so characterised.