Deemania since 56

...umpiring...

JSmith does need a little polish on kicking, handball and passing - but his attack in packs and his hands/clearing were very good. He can certainly get up there to repeatedly spoil the opposition's big names! Tougher than his dad was, too. Keeps improving, game to game.

It did look like Lewis had found his mojo tonight. He looked very good in the fwd line and his long shots were terrific - true Hawthorn style from 50m. Overall, his kicking was fast, long and accurate; his passing was critically good.

Watched him at the game, tonight. Nibbler ran and ran, to provide enormous coverage on the Crows slipperies out to the flanks when noted players let them go to the abundant spaces. He slowed most of the Crows attack from Half Back through to their Fwd Line. His second half was really much better. I reckon that he did a good job of it, too - and may be a backup next year as a tagger alongside Harmes. I was really surprised how far Cheney has improved, dodging, twisting, changing direction and using his beefsteak to perfection hitting Demons hard, often and clearing the ball. His kicking is above average, now, too. He took over the fullback role well, from Talia - looking like a fit Ray Biffen in most things that he achieved. The real change in him is experience and confidence to do the hard stuff - as he promised as a Demon but didn't produce across a game - and to take unexpected marks for his limited height. Great game, great 3rd quarter but it looked a little like a re-hash of the Geelong game until we slowed the Crows down - they really were exhausted in the last quarter.

Your post was so inspiring, Demons11, that after zero thought, because I was not going to attend the match, I am heading off in 5 minutes to the train station to get to the Adelaide Oval relatively early, have a beer, get a seat and watch the Dees hopefully anihilate the overconfident Crows.

Err, not sure about left field comments but it was a knockout at the footy, once.

Amazingly accurate, just calculated the same result : WC 108pts, MELB 70pts. My crystal ball then enabled me to analyse the number of queries raised on the umpiring errors. No. of Queries: Nil.

..and that explains why the White Brethren have done so much to influence game outcomes this year ...

Knockout idea! Turning up early for the Reserves grade game, settling into the atmosphere, information in abundance about the players to move into the next level, decent umpiring ... another opportunity for an early meat pie with sauce to complement the one you have just before the start of the main game ... all good!

Not another press conference! Please! hah=hah

Not allowed to watch another game? Severe effects...was that from 'she who must be obeyed', the cardiologist, the psychologist, the shrink, the local health welfare agency, your boss, your best mate, your drinking pals? I've taken up self-medication for those personal moments watching, reviewing, analysing MFC games - a decent bottle of Johnnie Red or Talisker, some ice, matured cheddar and a dose of multivitamins beforehand. Believe me, it is nearly working a treat! Takes away much of the twitter and blistered from the post-match analyses and the umpiring status quo.

Spot on! In earlier, real football days, the hum and atmospheric feel was an absolute pleasure with which to interact or just merely soak up.

It is logical and sensible, and necessary, and once again, overlooked.

Wrong, intensity is a creation and execution ideal for the training track.

Very true, going to the footy itself is not half as good as it was before all the 'hoodoo' that exists today. A pie, maybe a hot dog, a thermos, a few beers, the anticipating 'hum' of the expectant crowds - no matter which teams were playing - the civil nature of the community of spectators, emphasising tolerance, a piddle at half-time with polite strangers, a quick smoke or two, no razzle, dazzle or imposed focus on irrelevant 'crowd entertainment', and better umpiring. The only real benefit of 'being there' is receiving a live view of your team in order to assess, speculate, understand, interpret and respect their efforts. Hey, you could even get a return train fare, ground entrance and a seat, the mandatory football nutrition and liquid refreshments, a Footy Record and a bag of hot jam doughnuts after the game for the walk to Richmond Station amongst friends - all for less than $25! Take us back, Gil because secretly, we are still all living the dream.

He (Vanders) came into the team raw, as far as recruits go. Playing in a mishmash of secondary interstate teams, not the glory box of VFL 'reserves', affiliate junior teams such as Casey, for example. Virtually unheard of, as a footballer. Hitting the MFC, he began to shake the ground with multiple Stirling performances, intercepts, marks, what appeared to be both cheap and hard-fought goals, tough contests and tackles, some footspeed for one so big and still very mobile. His recuperation has been lengthy but according to Club reports and a myriad of observers so commenting, he never lost it, he was persistent, he was determined, he did not shirk the issues in one way. He has recovered now, a highly commendable achievement and testament to his endeavour. We should be bringing that endeavour back to the football field in the AFL team. He is an inspiring bloke with real football smarts and skills. He is more value than at least three or four players (unmentioned) who have been selected with some consistency. Let's get it done, now!

Clear evidence, Febes.

Good comments, but it must be realised that the AFL has virtually nothing to do with any planning that is '...equal and unbiased...' i'd therefore guess that with this maxim in place, and its consequences, next to nothing will evolve that is anything near where it should be regarding the fixture.

All good. Reminds one of the footy with which we kinda growed to, like. This remedy might well fix it all.

Just re-assessed some possibles since that post 24 hrs ago. 'Ruthless' is necessary in a competitive world. It is not necessarily heartless but revision is usually good and if not, it is informing; whereas 'stupid' does not quite fit the bill, but thanks for that, anyway. Sometimes I'd reckon that posters such as yourself are indicative of a need for singlemindedness to get out more in order to be a little less self-transfixed and personally critical, and to see how the others about us might think from time to time. However, enjoy the game.

Lewis, JKH, Harmes, most likely.

A squared + B squred = C squared, where C squared + fairness = a 60 point win for the Dees, provided that the umpires do not interfere for the Crows' benefit at their home ground - but the temptation for them, and the AFL, is to entice as many Croweaters to the 'G as possible for the finals, and gate receipts. Good luck, MFC.

Frost has got to take Walker from the start and play off the slow dunderhead for rebounding - but eyes up rebounding to assist his delivery to a teammate. I would not play OMac this week unless he is prepared to drop back continuously to protect the last line - I'd put Pedo in at FBack and have the Weed in one Bpocket and Jetta in the other. HBFlank would be the OMac spot with Jones rebounding on the other HBFlank. OMac can be benched if we need more run - Kent comes in off the bench.

Nope, the sole purpose of the further changes is the continuous rights of umpires to further interrupt the game for intended outcomes. $$$$$$$ at the turnstiles.

Enlightening perspective from the tables. SD is a good measure representing a team's recorded aptitudes (positives). It just amazes me that whilst Richmond is deservedly 'at the top' on the 'aptitude' scale, the MFC is a clear second in its performances this year without the 'wins on the board' that the latter is obviously due. However, an overlay of the reasons why we are struggling relative to other teams is needed for that vital information which explains and/or demonstrates our actual likelihood of not making deep progress into the finals. As I harp on about umpiring and officially organised results of games before players even step onto the ground, my conviction of this occurrence is strongly supported by evidence of this nature not published (or pursued) in this statistical offering or in any allegedly official, honest evaluation of the games that are played in this AFL competition. The evidence stems only from an observational perspective of the conduct of game after game, game after game. Team strengths, aptitudes and game dominance tendencies are measured in such statistical analyses; the power of intended outcomes is only observational and highlights the dreaded evidence of an uneven playing field where umpiring opportunities consistently overturn such aptitude evidence into outcomes of game loss - the ugly head of vested interest and distinct preference - for hidden reasons - is reared. Explain that, AFL!