Deemania since 56

A lack of experience abounded today but still, it was a hit-out in which we could see many of the newbies. Our absent players may well have instilled more control and containment over the Toiges' runners and spreaders - but these players were not there on the day. We fought it out with apprentices and that is a good sign. Keilty was good - he's the ruck back-up and Preuss ought to be at FFwd - with the Weed in dee pocket. TMac can handle CHFwd but was off today, just a little. Good game to watch and augers well for the coming season - with our replacements returning across the next few weeks.

Noticed the tastelessness of that headline, Dieter. Even here in Adelaide, we had half-hourly radio bulletins of the worsening Nar Nar Goon bushfire circumstances ... and Bunyip ... and I thought back to my hiking days when younger around that area and how delightfully vegetative and rugged that area really was - with fresh drinking water trickling in the creeks. We must all hope that safety of the locals is achieved, Preussy included.

yeah, snooker ain't the game it used to be....

With all of the justified concern over player fitness and team depth this coming season, ain't it just going to be amazing and inspiring when they all hit the ground together for the first time, and line up on match day as a totally unbeatable team of great footballers with immense team pride and interactivity.

Addressing these issues (with surgery at various levels of depth) and more gentle and time-consuming training/readiness agendas in place, it is better for the whole team to have dealt with these requirements prior to the start of the season or, for example, midway through the season, or by largely overlooking or even ignoring latent problems in/with players where these could well fester, leaving a severely handicapped depth listing nearing the end of season - when we should be knocking off other finals aspirants without mercy or concern. Notice - ameliorate - fix - prepare - test - win responsibly. A good footy mantra.

Powell was a very good asset and very reliable - we certainly did miss his presence.

Also comes across as humble, a resident of that great footballing learning curve, anticipatory for improvement and learning about the game more deeply, and ready to give it his best after an inglorious baptism with North. Indicators so far are very much within the trend of considerable improvements to his game on the eve of the start of this season, his potential contributions and his support for the MFC and its team. I like the boy!

He articulates the questions well, remains topical and discreet. He has long been our best spokesperson. There is no clowning around or cluttered chatter. Great Captain material from the spoken language point of view.

The bubble must burst according to physical laws ... there just ain't no surface tension between the ears.

Dyson was interesting as a footballer and yes, he could kick. Bennett was exceptionally good, as well and a better kick than Dyson. However, overall for each kick and/or delivery over distance, consistently, there has not been one better than Rod Grinter.

Someone off DL has said the same, on quite a few training sessions. 'Better hands, he's in!' he reckons.

Brewdy!

In support of this; I would think that Hardeman was so talented, attacking and valuable at CHBack - regardless of his height coz he had the build and a phantastique leap at the ball with vice-like marking skills (never saw him drop one) - that he would be up there alongside or ahead of any of the very talented CHBacks that we have ever had in any team. Just on more recent flashbacks, he was far better, for example, than the very creditable likes of Ingerson and Wight - and perhaps, on a par with the young Neitz when he played at CHBack - albeit a totally different type of player and role between the ages. No kidding!

I'd drop Viney from this team and place Johnson on the HFFlk, ..... ah, oohh, mumble ... too hard to select or leave players out. Why can't we pick of Best 35 Players, instead? G Lovett was a ball magnet and very attacking in his disposal ... nope, too hard to pick such a team.... sorry. They all look good on this offering but each could be manipulated ...

1. (Almost) booted up the laptop to access Demonland around 5 times per day for news and profiles. 2. Took up golf again, playing in solitude, every day from the light of dawn in order to 'deep-think' the Dees for 2019. 3. Planned my travels, fares, routes and accommodation across to Melbourne (from Adelaide) according to the footy fixture and booked these in advance of the start of the season. Gotta go .... golf course is 16 kms away and it will be daybreak when I get there ....

Wearing 'greens', great vintage, McQ. Still, better than the safari suit.

Pretty accurate.

Hassa Man in front, centre, blue s/sleeve shirt.

It is absolutely not like a grunting camel - the IQ demands of a camel who can serenade are far greater than Tex with a microphone.

Magic.

Fank Duck for that.

Preuss, given more 'team time' is going to be the answer, if not at ffwd, then a commission around the chfwd *area* in-between ruck support. I will personally miss Hogan and do so, already - a very good footy head and capability - but Preuss can kick 'em from some distance whereas Hoges had to be inside 40m and find space to so do. Double-difficulty. With the Weed and TMac deep fwd with their skill sets, then I'd stab at our gapping problems having been overcome, supported by Gawn on the occasion, with Joel S readily thereabouts and our great fleet of run, carry, feed, space masters who are less subject to altitudinal illnesses.

Three strikes is like a horse on the horizon, disappearing into a neo-Gothic mist and strongly running free and confused now that it has bolted. It's going to take a helluva effort to get him back into the paddock.

The rub remains with the combination; Gawn is our 'best of all time' as a ruckman; Preuss is the other part of a combination with dangerous forward potential, a training agenda in the game plans as he has years ahead written on him, and what appears to be a killer instinct as a big bloke. Supports Gawn to a 'T' one would think. There are other elements emerging in the alleged best 22 that support this combination in the air, around the ground, in the heavy stuff, outside the heavy stuff, all acting in a game plan of organised chaos, two-way mobility and speed. We are stronger with this combination, more reliable and lethal, and well-supported by one another across the board. Go Dees; the scratch match just oiled some joints, the season will benefit from the massive increase in cylinder displacement.

Stretch does go in for the ball and often wins it, clearly. His disposal is suspect and he drops the ball high. Some coaching is needed and once this is ameliorated, he'd be a bona fide gun. He is also often left in the midline without support/protection/screens, and with incoming opponents or a player crush, he must dispose as a last resort, again often. His hands need to be operative with teammates nearby, more often. He would benefit from stitching up a play or two with the likes of Harmes, Oliver, Hunt or Spargo/Jones, for example, to concentrate on nearby feeds at this point.