Deemania since 56

Tend to agree with you, Chazz; there was some confusion that became more confusing amongst the confused supporters and no doubt, with the Club itself on Hogan's coming or going, for quite a few weeks with some very memorable media 'argy-bargy' and sensationalism in the very mix; this also contained the very exposing and somewhat contradictory statements from the inner sanctum of loud mouths and supporters. Loyalty to the Club was everything, in fact, and it collapsed as the nay-sayers suggested earlier, very sadly. Well, the cycle has turned with Hoges no longer at the Club, finding what he feels were greener pastures but we cannot despair, his game and the evolving game plan at the Dees were becoming less associable, less exacting and less effective. We now look to have a multi-pronged attack and better users of the ball. Let's all hope it can send us to heaven.

Vanders and Pike's style, good association. Add Preusse to the mix with a dash of Tracca and Viney and the year is sown up.

Yeah, sat right behind Brownless in the Ponsford Stand - with a bunch of his mates - and he hardly looked at the game after quarter time, just shook his head in disbelief, in between depressed comments and awe at the Dees' game. Great game....Weed was very good.

So that is the origin of my U14s coach's favourite put-down: '...it's no good being where the ball ain't!' Kinda sticks in the mind on game day.

Agree strongly with both MD and yourself; it is encouraging that - even if only in a couple of finals games - the Weed has started to make a difference but defensive skills in that extreme forward role will be critical to a really positive outcome. The Weed has had a few years to make the grade, or to ready himself for the grade, the role/s and the expectations which will continue to change and require minor adjustments as his game deepens and improves. I, too, reckon that we will again be the highest scoring team (kick the most goals) in 2019 and the big Preusse, the Melk and TMac are keys to this, supported by but freeing/releasing the Weed, Hannan and maybe ANB to run riot. Quite a few other forwards will have more opportunities due to the strengthening of our backline and potential penetration from that source, and the midfielders, in their tandem roles, will enjoy picnics on the rug in the shade of the two tall/mobile ends of the ground. Gus, Clarrie, KK and Hunt/Harmes are in my focus, already.

You have just opened the historical floodgates, Hemingway. Thank you. Connolly and Clarrie were highlights for me. It was a great recruiting zone for the Dees and I am sure that there were many more terrific Demons sourced from that League that neither of us have the capacity to remember. Vagg was also a standout - remember that kick and goal from way out at the final siren?

Life is full of extremely disappointing tangents, Eddie, in case you did not realise.

Yep, that is the memory jog that I required - Ky. Thanks, for that refresher, Ding.

I DONE REAL GOOD IN ENGLISH according to my teacher in grade 5.

The GV was once a very large recruitment zone for the Demons, from memory. I can recall several GV players of the past, with the likes of Barry Vagg from Shep and Gary Lyon, from (Tatura?). I also think that that great tap-ruckman, Peter Keenan, in-between smokes on the ground at quarter time and half-time, hailed from that league, too.

Preuss is fast becoming a priority action man with mongrel mobility - in your face. He may be the recruit of the year/decade/or century but whatever, I really like the rapport and support that fans are bestowing upon him - for good reasons he is an attention magnet. Great to hear of KK shining with the Dees, described often in training as 'brilliant', 'great at...', 'speedy' and 'skilled'.

Are we creaming up to the umpiring fraternity so that the terror of the 'white maggot syndrome' does not interrupt our very successful coming season - particularly against the Filth?

E-nuff of this 'nuff talk' as it leads to nuffin. Fairy nuff?

I'm convinced, dazzle.

He most certainly is a '...great kick for goal...' and a tremendous 'snap-shot' exponent, as proven for years at Whoreform. I just wonder if on the forward line whether or not he would get a kick?

This aspect of his game has always been a strength - just the bloke to regularly take that ball out of the backline in 2019 - if it can ever penetrate near the last line of defence - with our threatening forward line running berserk into spaces or midfielders doing their flat-out run and possession routines nearing the goalmouth. This team offers so much ... like tanks on the battlefield ... clearing riff-raff, penetrating deeply, controlling direction and approach, sheltering the forward eschelons like assault pioneers ... can't wait ...

Love it, Daisy... although it is hypocritical to acknowledge that stance, after so many umpiring interruptions to the Dees' game across the past few years and bleating about it on DL as a regular feature of our footballing outcomes. With more wins, and with a very well respected game week after week, the 'white maggots' might wane a little just like Razor Ray did; our game really improved - or let me say, out tendency to lose matches hit a low point.

Been literally months since I've heard of - or considered - 'the white maggot bias'. Hope it does not re-appear in 2019 now that we have done a stint in the finals regardless of its negative effects.

Interesting and very observable point of view. One would think that Preuss has a role to play in this, to elicit some return 'hurt' as a gesture of goodwill and sharing. He'd most probably donate some protection - he seems to have a generous nature and by the looks of him, has plenty to give!

Well said, McQueen and strongly supported - he certainly is not an ectomorph or an endomorph.

Strength and desire, most certainly. Technique covers everything else including reliability for instinctive behaviours and actions, on the road to a successful outcome.

In this photo, you can see his balance clearly, leveraging from one side of the body to the other due to leg power at release in his leap. This assists him to land laterally, one side or the other, in the tackle and to overcome his opponent's force direction and efforts. Hence, Vanders gets very few '...in the back calls...' when in the process of tackling. A compensatory opponent pain dosage is often donated should the impact have the correct geometry to nail the bastard into contact with the ground and his body force over the top of it all. From our perspective, not even Nureyev could choreograph a prettier or more elegant pas de deux. All is generally assisted by his bulk, his strength in the upper body as well, in his '...gonna getcha'...' attitude and in his role as a 'tough-nut' using unusual force attributes whether in contact with the ground or alternatively, having taken off (in flight) with a particular fall-point in mind. As you can also see in this photo, Pendlebury was doing his best to overbalance down the midline in a forward direction, milking a free kick if he could. Friggin' ineffective, Pendles, bad luck but you are dealing with Vanders so get out of his way because it ain't gonna help your match stats.....

'...handled...' was certainly better in the prelim but still occasionally messy and inconsistent. Not to worry, the real benefit of Vanders, as seen in the prelim, is that opponents of all shapes, sizes and egos are too scared to try to take the ball off him, or to get in his way when obtaining the ball.

Give you a tip on moscato, similar to the consumption of rough Italian red wine and Chianti: take a very small pinch of white pepper, sprinkle this onto the surface of the wine in the glass, wait 20 seconds, taste. It takes a hard line with the acidic nature of the wine, improving its quaffability immediately. The principle is this: bad wine is often overly acidic - notably the reds but also there are cases with whites, such as moscato. However, under that acid, there are often some great varietals and flavours that many people enjoy. White pepper is highly alkaline. By sprinkling a contained amount (a very little amount) on you acidic wine, the alkalinity counteracts the acidity of the '[censored]' wine, directly. Many a glass has been made very, very drinkable as a result. Don't do this in the bottle as you'll add too much pepper and get a 'warm-hot' effect throughout the wine. Do it to wine already poured into a glass with a very small pinch. White pepper is an amazing substance. As I was waiting for the pharmacist one day, a bloke seeking some advice told the pharmacist that every time he sneezes, he has an orgasm. The pharmacist was intrigued; he asked: 'Are you currently taking anything for it?' The man replied: 'Yes, white pepper inhalations.'

Painfully true - but one hopes that the Dees have learnt a lesson or two and now have the infrastructure and game to avoid those 'flat' moments - and uncontrolled possessions. It appears to be the case but is still building; of course, it will be interesting to see just how far we have come. Six hours or more of weekly training, over ten months of the year surely can lead to a better 100 minutes of a footy game.