Deemania since 56

We can probabliy pick the Brownlow winner by the number of frees given across the year to a specific player from Collingwood, Geelong, Essendon, Hawthorn, Carlton and Adelaide. We, at DL, know it should go to either Gawn or Clarrie.....

Long overdue - it is and should be our fortress. It once was...

There is a reasonable comparison, there. Jones would make a great hbflanker - as mentioned, going in to get his own ball, spoiling, linking with run and handball, and passing when he plays with eyes up and is prepared not to bomb the football for distance. Run and carry, possession and retention gain more distance.

Team selection, strategic use of the bench, finding space well away from the communicable (convincible) umpires. That is the strength.

Exactly! From the darkness comes enlightenment - but it does take time. Lewis might seem to be the fire from which the candle flickers.

Well, Diamond, it is not easy to put a finger on it, precisely; there have been so many formative and progressive ideas and tenets across recorded thinking processes, and explanations, in the search for colour, light and movement. Some is progressive, some is regressive, some is mere cant, some is purely beaconesque. The young Florentine diplomat, Niccolo Machiavelli, appeals; I feel that he may have been greatly misjudged and he earned an inappropriate slathering of the darkest type due to his prolific efforts to penetrate the defensive field, albeit that he did achieve the tenets imposed by his father in his education and that of the class from which he inherited opportunity, and emerged, in the finest traditions of Renaissance humanism - albeit early in such chronicles. The period abounded with political measurement criteria, city-state identity and worth, and that of more traditional religious ideologies and intents. These 'dark' forces led our friend to consider the inate suitability for the emergence of social manipulation and cunning via the political leadership of those so aspiring - notably the Borgias (akin to the AFL leadership group) - in an attempt to secure and widen the latter's powers. It led, in general, to some very well-fortified examples of selective outcomes. All of this is a little dark, contaminated by an undercurrent of the great traditions of 'nobles oblige' as the French so often posited it, followed in turn by the English aristocracy. (ie: power classes have a responsibility towards the welfare and betterment of their alleged underlings). The parallels between these ideas and the selection of the MFC team lists this year can be extruded; it has been a battlefield of strong and weak forces acting in wilful, disarming ways (AFL and umpiring) against a torrent of favoured positional assumptions (eg: The Filth, Geelong, Essendrug) for the maintenance of distinct advantage across the environmental operations ($$$$$$..), whilst not actually creating a worthwhile and improving arena (the competition itself) for the betterment of us (alleged underlings) in the overall pursuit of the welfare of the masses (the conceptualisation of the game, itself).

No, but it is a handy utility when writing papers. My preferred reading is in particular scientific texts and reports, and the works of bespoke philosophers and historians on paths to rhyme, recant and reason. Illicit Fourteenth Century Italian commentaries are also worthy of some sustained perusal. And you?

At least Lever made the game as a spectator and has been welcomed by the Club to an annointed seat in the coaching box. Sadly for Tex, he cannot get into the Crows coaches' box because he doesn't understand the rapidity of the converseations so encountered and the Crows' Coach for all his shortcomings, cannot bear to see his Captain reading Donald Duck comics by the bagful when he should be watching the game! Saw something of such a description, yes, but it was quick and actually from a distance, it looked rather benign.

No, I do not; one seems to be reliant of verbal conversations with footballing interests from all walks of life and from these interactions, one is left to one's own devices for the agglutination of general, decently balanced perspectives and commentries given riddance of errant mindlessness. However, on DL, one does see an array of things from posters to which one is not particularly aligned yet on the other hand, one finds interesting and thoughtful missives of greater insight, depth and positing. Most of your earlier postings, for example, were of a better standard than your immediate attempt at drawing a rash conclusion from an unrelated discussion with another but never mind, you were not to know, this time.

Good point. In support, Lever needed to get back to Melbourne for valid reasons. Simultaneously, he also took the money offered as wages as compensation for having to play in the same team as Tex. In a world full of simultaneous events and unique conundrums, it must be noted that the Adelaide Crows were glad of the money that they received, which was far greater than what Lever is paid to be in the MFC team. So, voluntarily, Lever left the Crows to help the financial position of the Adelaide Crows that pays Tex far more than he is worth. Therefore, Tex's complaints about Lever are absolutely counter-intuitive! Dumbum.

I no longer get, read or consider 'The Advertiser' because of their football journalism - it is so poor. I gave it up years ago, for want of decently balanced perspectives and commentary - another thing that Adelaide does not offer.

Yep, yep, yep, yep. Half fwds do need to spread as soon as Frosty looks like running. Options are the key to what appears inaccurate kicking. He can kick 50m easily, he can run and carry another 40m before that with what looks like relative ease, and does the 'don't argue' just as well Dusty. That's nearly 90m of progress - better than Dusty. Midfield receivers need to be on their toes for this, as well as his handball that is long, fast and fairly accurate - better if these receivers are close in to his line of progress or prepared to run alongside as assault pioneers. ANB comes to mind, as does JSmith and Spargo. There is an arc of about 6 players, sometimes more, who could be getting into space to maximise what Frosty is offering; this arc is about the same as ground width and usually about 40 metres deep into the front 50 - that is a phrigging big space if eyes were open and brains activated. Nice bit of positive playground. Goodwin, again. Oh, well. Nice thinking .... 2019, Lewis?

Definitely Kent in that mix - he's ready again.

As we are talking 'gap filing' so often this year on DL, I firstly agree that the fullback does need support of a variety of types to take advantage of a superior last line, second last line of the defensive set-up. My issue is with OMac; he seems to particularly need a great deal of support in every regard - and constantly - excepting a bare minimum 'few' occasions where that support might not have been available and luck more than skills enabled a clearance before another opposition rebound. I watched OMac close-up very carefully for two quarters against the Crows, and from a distance for the other 2 qtrs. He looks lost, goes roaming a does not stand shoulder-to-shoulder with his opponent, and is slow to respond once that his eyes/brain confirm that the ball or an attacker is coming into the hot spot. When necessary, most of the time, he is caught out of zone due to the same slow reaction or readiness to compete. When he competes he is often just brushed aside and takes up a 'roving' position out of the pack, melee, contest quite some distance away - and out of harm's way. Our team must overcome this and so does by providing a double workload on all others defenders attempting to do those things that support OMac whilst still providing their own functions with opposition players and the critical moments of game proximity, and nearly all of OMac's role, as well. Sad realisation but true, and suspected most of this season. Let's get a big-bodied, mobile, certified fullback into that spot right now - one who sees ball, gets ball and who does not need so much 'heavy support' to do his job.

Very good point.

Very sound thinking.

Not as silly a concept as some might think; Smith is developmentally impressive. In addition, Hibberd was quite a forward asset with Essendrug, using his run and carry, bulk and his good kicking.

Spargo seemed to be roving to Gawn quite well in patches around the ground - an old-time concept, I know but it was the best way to describe it - and with some confidence from other players at stoppages. He attracted some close defensive attention from the Crows, in effect to free up other Demon fwds where, without the rain, some considerable scoring may have resulted. Spargo's pace worried most defenders on Saturday night, and caused some disarray with the Crows backline - with the ball coming in quite regularly, both low/high and fast. In these regards, with experience and improving strength at the contest, Spargo looks like he is going to be 'the goods' in future Demon ball movement.

Strongly agree, Mazer. The situation has worsened to the point of reliability, not predictability, as it can happen at unexpected or unbelievable moments of a game.

Further, enjoy the off-season, Tex, as the revolution within the Crows appoints another person as captain. Too many Crows players have had enough.

TMAC was my NO. 5. My spectacles must have been foggy, again. Sorry

1. Gawn 2. Oliver 3. Petracca 4. Melksham 6. Fritsch

It wasn't a tactic of the Crows, they brought the ball back as there was nowhere else to go - the Dees were circling ahead ready for a rebound re-entry into the 50m zone and the Crows defenders were by then, well out of position to stop it. All this swap 'n change of directions actually wore the Crows down, they lost speed, momentum and energy to continue with an assault. In that regard, we were clever ...

For the MFC and finals, that will be very important. Now the Crows are next to no chance, a win for them against Port will be very helpful for the MFC. Go Demons, 'cause of a Crows win against Port.

bring in both Vanders and Pedo - targets, bodies, kickers, shakers, as we have the TEAM performing again with some being carried.