Deemania since 56

We have a tendency to put a good deal of pressure on the Weed, don't we? He has taken a long time to produce what he did in the last breaths of the 2018 season, but it was most probably a sign of his readiness for greater things - improvements over time is a long-held tradition. He will have a better time across the whole season in 2019, and this is his 'well-earned privilege'. We need him to step up with confidence this year - with a concentration on presenting for the ball, getting the ball and putting his great kicking skills to work more regularly. Onyer, Weed - keep plugging.

Thank heavens that I hit an improved score off the back nine, this morning. It negated the tears and the incredibly hurtful overnight distress that I had read on DL yesterday - about poor old De Goey (from the Filth) and his significant injury. Interestingly, across the past 5 hours since arriving home, not one shred of disappointment returned.

Nicely balanced team for Rnd 1 - lots of possible yet effective swings within it, like the interchange, love Frosty at CHB, OMac is going to have to feed Frost, Salem and Harmes very well to hold a spot, fwd line looks tremendous.

That is Essendrug's problem. Ha-ha.

This is just like losing the sole-tenancy of the MCG as the home ground. We even went to a little white number (spew, spew) for the TV stations to differentiate with impostor 'blues' adopted by other clubs. We were therefore encouraged by the AFL to lose our identity - then tolerate a stolen element of our identity for the purposes of visual clarity. If ya canna see da footy, don't go ... listen to it on the radio....

We had the greatest jumper and still should be wearing it - the royal blue and a crimson-red; only the brighter blood-red jumper was an acceptable alternative. Both were lively, smart, identifiable and distinct. It bred the killer instinct that we are fighting to regain.

Thanks for that, Saty. The descent of an ease of approaching trepidation at any gradient is a welcome thing. If he does play, Gawny need not bother to upset him, I am sure Preuss will flatten him at some point in a contest.

Baked beans, chilli con carne-style, with chopped habanero chillies, shaved Parmesan, avocado cubes and lime juice with thick wholemeal/grain bread, hand-sliced from the loaf! Hotter than hell. A couple of cans of Carlton never tasted so good.

A mate just told me that he reckons .... '....closed doors to teach all the backs how to smack Cox, all the mids how to smack Grundy, and all forwards how to outnumber and confuse the Filth defenders under the new positioning rules...' And that was just the pre=season 'friendly' match.

Hurrah! This is a very prominent in my mind, too. It shows that something very good is happening.

Nice post and quite revealing. As for the Filth, it is very sad (for them) that age is creeping up on their experience base and with that, a few years (the more the better) in the doldrums could possibly be a consideration and outcome for/of this list. The cynic in me thinks this is going to be a test for their injury management and for their list refreshment in order to be competitive.

He lived across the road from Central Park (Scott Rd, I think???) in Malvern and would often come over to us little kids.... sniff the air and say footy was a disgusting game ... as we kick-to-kicked in the rain to imitate Bill Barrott, or Ron Barassi, or Fred Swift, or Jack Clark, or Ted the Whitten. In summer, he'd clap from the boundary line as we played cricket (as productively as Bill Lawry grave-yarding the Poms) and we took that as eventual approval from Mr Dunstan.

A Place in the Sun - yep, indifference to AFXL would be strongly supported by Keith Dunstan. Except, he would have hoped that such contempt would be contagious and thus, affect the H&A season as a natural progression - and that would not be appropriate. Gotta admire his long-term commitment and the amusing way he promulgated such thoughts.

Contested ball in a player crush where no room exists for clean clearances. Typical.

Ascension is a normal developmental phase. One Captain.

Of course it is possible - and team-wise.

That is an easy option, but impossible as far as luck might be concerned. I really agree with Dr. D on this one; we most certainly need a rucking-height forward with a deep understanding and ability to kick 'em from anywhere - hopefully from 60 metres out to the worst possible boundary location close-in to the goal mouth. Absolutely. Preuss would be my pick for this provided that there is an excellent and regular routine coaching process for forwards in general to convert with higher accuracy than what has been historically provided. Hell, we pay them to convert, professionally. At training, take the guys aside for some concentrated routines - someone like Schwartz or even Aaron Davey could do this - get them into habitual basics and finesses for all types of shots at goal, from all angles and from static attempts to those attempts on the run - blistering accuracy is needed to win that flag. This should be a repetitive training mantra and process - we need to be lethal in all regards to win the flag. It just ain't gonna happen if we merely assume that it will be 'right on the night', and a poor percentage return with 100 shots at goal per game is too indefinite.

Bluddoath.

More than just rehabilitation, for which a late start to pre-season training would be mandatory, anyway, we have endured many 'preventative maintenance' operations lined up for surgery and close attention to reinforce a natural hesitancy to the season's pre-cursor preparations. This does not necessarily mean that we are time-poor in our readiness for 23 March and beyond. It really means that we are a responsible club. If we have a problem in this changed cycle, perhaps it is one of an inadequate pre-season dance card presented by the AFL this - and last - year. In many regards, it can be seen that the pre-season comp/offering is aiming to be another AFL gate-receipt windfall, not a legitimate series of practice games in which injury and strain-related issues may well abide but the costs in terms of player expenses can be contained and would remain relatively meaningless, for most. We must bloat and stack up our assets in cotton wool at this stage of the upcoming H&A season. In any case, our supervised training commitment this year, whilst just slightly delayed, has been prolific, well-reported, progressive and gradated, and responsible. We will in all likelihood come out of that player race on gameday with gnashing teeth, growling confrontation and sustained impetus. It could be added that we have rare depth, as well, which is full of laminated thoughts and outcomes.

Personally, I value his reports - the photography is commendable and memorable - I do not need individual copies - and living in Adelaide makes any training attendance impossible yet there is no let-up about needing to know who, what and when players are progressing, preparing well and performance standards. Thanks, Sat, for these valuable inputs and your consideration to responsive DL members.

Good points of thought and discussion, hemingway. Goody is bringing the packet of biscuits as you say. I still wish that Paul Roos had the energy to be there, too; both working away at the task of a Premiership run/series. Roos' passion for the Club stood out.

That Jaguar diff is still the best ever fabricated... the cornering 'catch-up' is phenomenal.

How bloody typical ... of the AFL.

Practical point of view and it makes good sense, Clint. Overall, I'd like the Club jumper to traditionalise - similar to the earlier days of the 70s and 80s - with advertising if one must to meet the costs associated with footy these days as sponsors do much for our current circumstances. I'd really like to buy a MFC jumper for each of my grandsons to wear (for about 2 years as they will grow out of them so quickly) but as you say, sponsor on, sponser off, new sponsors, old or passed sponsors make this similarly confusing and redundant for such a purpose - and for brand recognition associated with the MFC. Them's the breaks!

What an interesting, levelled-headed, articulate young man. A credit to the concept of footballer interviews. Onyer, Gus.