Deemania since 56

Would eight earn respect, as well?

The umpires are blind to many things, repetitively, for many teams and of consequence, invalidate their functions onfield - leaving players, coaches, fans and umpires/referees of many other sports in the limbo of uncertainties and preferences. The AFL must fix this - fairer playing fields must be more widely guaranteed and assured. There is no excitement or entertainment in the uncertainties of what has become 'pot luck' umpiring. We, as supporters of Australian Rules, appear to be the only code where such continuous umpiring errors exist without review.

It is not funny, it is repetitive and frustrates the hell out of me (and no doubt, many others). How many times do we see - season in, season out - Gawn and Clarrie get head-high bashings, on-ground stomps / falling body-weighted knee drops to the whole body but particularly to the ribs and knees, including an assortment of other violations (known as '...we can get away with these...') with absolutely no penalties from the umpires? Footiscrag are prime movers in this regard, coached to elicit their own free kicks with mere theatricals and to seek opportunities for infringements that are known to slip the umpires' attentions/support their intentions.

Still agree with you on this one, picket - very strongly. He is not the type to interfere with teammates but instead, to lead and play lateral forward opportunities. Maybe one day....a real potential contributor to the effective work of Fritta on the other side.

I'd like to see JSmith up forward to support BBB.

Tomlinson is a bit stiff, I feel. My preference would be to have him on the wing for his space-making and that could release Gus to many possible roles (wherever there is trouble, basically). Hunt did a reasonable shutdown on Weightman and is still capable of those clearance runs we have come to love ... however, hiccups in his disposals still seem to prevail. Salem - we bloody well miss him and what he brings no matter what the stress he may be under. Just hope that Hibbo and Lever come up hungry for the big game contribution. TMac should be looked at for a start from the bench, leaving forward and backline options where necessary. Bedford needs minutes and made a fair contribution - his next will be better, and he has pace and mobility.

Watching Grinter onfield is still a particular treat of being a Demon fan; it is difficult to imagine these days how to explain his sacrifices and 'extra efforts' for the sake of a club that was stressed to the eyeballs and struggling to win a game. He was a tough nut, he was more than merely heroic in games, he was largely unstoppable, he had the best passing foot across all distances that you might ever see in a lifetime; he was also a sacrificial lamb.He, like so many ex-players in his company under his marshalling, alongside so many of his fans and onfield observers stayed loyal to the Club and his guiding brilliance.

Attempting to save face, was the Bont. Well beaten, himself and across his team, there ain't much point in remonstrating with the game's stars once the final siren ends your agonies. Sorry Bont, not impressed. As for Trac and Clarry, hope they got a few well-selected words into the opposition captain, as there is a great deal that could be useful to him sometime in the future, albeit modestly and sensitively delivered. 'Carna Dees!

All signs of an eroding footy club, into a descent of misery.

The pre-game ceremony was the best, ever. To see such a handful of my lifelong footy heroes carrying the flag was almost a tearful observation. Barassi, Stan Alves, Hassa, Greg Wells ... plus the notables of the more modern era ... just knew the game to follow was already won.

Added values to his game from the North Melb days and these appear across the board, characterised by good signs of forward and ground pressure; interestingly, our midfield 'feeders' are starting to better position the ball for BBB so that he runs into to flight and can use his extraordinary reach to mark - clear of the opponents. He was merely 'stiff' to miss a couple of goals last night, otherwise his tally might have been absolutely frightening for the Doggies' players. Our midfielders seem to have learned how to deliver without always bombing it onto the forward's head. Now, let's have an impressive JSmith up there, as well, just as soon as Salem can return to the backline and the entourage of other GF backs get onto the field.

We certainly missed Salem's congested clearances and his well-timed , more thoughtful clearances and play-making. But the menagerie backline actually held up well - enough to confuse the Doggies, that is.

Not even warmed up for the season.

All seems fair, on reflection. However, I'd still like to see Smith play some minutes in our forward line, the closer to goal, the better.

It would be appropriate for us to learn the lessons of the Carlton praccy match in regard to those sensitivities of those who wilfully interfere with what is now 'protection' in the form of game-changing handwashing for their mistakes onfield - when all that the supporting and more general public want is a fair shake of the sauce bottle from the now annointed 'larvae'. Good substitute name, buck-n.

Went fishing for a schnapper report and used the wrong bait, that's all. :0)

Thanks, Mate. I overlooked that item. Still, I hold Yze in very high regard both as a player (former) and now as a coach/tactician.

Adem has a good deal on his mind - I forgive him; his performances over the 2021 season were brilliant - and I am expecting him to now have the 'tools' to do the job on the Doggies (including all other teams) with aplomb. Minor statistical errors occur but seldom de-rail a locomotive.

Rather than cancellation for King, he needs to wake up to himself - and abdicate!

We have to keep Sparrow - build his confidence and he will most likely be another round in the muzzle of invincibility for the Dees.

I'd reckon that the Dogs are going to be twice as 5hitfaced as they were at the end of the GF, as well.

Park bench No. 4, Treasury Gardens. Very comfortable, quiet, vacant and often allows for a view of the stars. Short walk to the tram stop in the morning. Ideal, as usual. :-)

It is dificult to believe; Gawn was more than off-balance at the time of the rapid descent to the ground. Watch his feet - both were in the air - when the 'swinging' element was applied by a nasty little fellow attempting to play David with Goliath. His centre of gravity was thus very high, not near his midriff and certainly not near his legs. The old adage, a 'low centre of gravity' , keeps one stable. A high CoG makes one totally unstable. A raised CoG unbalances and cannot be re-established when avoiding a 'leg tuck' to execute a somersault or part thereof that would lead to an injury most likely . As Gawn momentarily had no base of support with his feet off the ground - David did the 'nasty' on him, due to his already out-of-balance state. Gawn lifted both legs (feet) off the ground before the 'swing' was applied to avoid a twisted ankle (or two) - which may have restricted the rest of his onfield game time. The end product was seen for what it was: a deliberated - although quickly applied - sling so that he landed not on his feet but head first. Daniel (oops, David) will have a moment in the near future to re-visit that incident and may experience some reciprocal exploitation of his balance in such a process.

The more I see of Gawn - over time and into the future - the more that I consider him to be the ultimate Captain for the MFC and, having read his book and listened carefully to his intent and purpose across multiple interviews, broadcasts and journalistic efforts to 'reveal' something special or to raise doubts, the more I feel that Gawn is well-above the crowd, the best expectations and previous, futile efforts to knit this team as one. The players came together acting as one organism; Gawn sowed the seeds for this and clearly, received 200% co-operative contributions from all players to see this enacted.

You obviously have high regard for your mother-in-law, such a worthwhile gesture. I'll let you in on a secret, Dr G - I failed to have the same level of regard for my mother-in-law. She was a classic case, absolutely difficult at the best of times. She has now passed away but still the memories reside. To quote a very truthful joke from Rodney Dangerfield - from several years ago - an apt descriptive might well be: 'My mother-in-law is such a terrible cook and host that we say grace after the meal!'