Deemania since 56

In his sixth year of ever-improvement expectations, why bother?

My parallel observer of the TV coverage of the game counted 10 hits to Oliver's head (most from behind as haymakers) before half time so I guess the effects were quietly carried across the rest of the game. As we know, Max gets his unfair share of these head and neck clouts each match despite the failing, oblivious eyes/decision-making of the snot goblins.

I'd like to see Petty having a couple of runs as a forward instead of 'you know who'. Some specialist coaching and experience might be very handy. There is quite a deal of skills and intellect in the forward's role, and perhaps, he might display these to good effect.

Petty should be trained as the backup forward.

...and how many non-performance games must we endure from the Weed until he gets the Casey practices blocks needed for his ever-hopeful improvement in form, desire, effort, onfield ingenuity, mongrel, development, (better stop there!) The whole team almost by-passes him - he must be regarded as a waste of delivery effort.

I'd reckon EM would be better understood, now that he has passed through some recent trials invoking an interesting footballing history lesson on ego and aptitude. The Filth may be better off without him. His media interests would also be better off without him. 'Good riddance' is a quote that I hear often in conversations from many footballing addicts, from many varied AFL club supporters. It's harsh, but it is rather frequent when the topic comes up (this topic surfaces rarely now since his departure from the Presidency of the CFC).

Save yourself a fortune, if still playing and wish to improve the sticky hands situation. Buy some Kiwi Dubbin, use that and carry a rag in your socks.

Max King, StKilda full forward, ex Demon down at Casey - not selected for the big time. Bit of a gun, better than the Weed.

Keep these thoughts current and public. You never know.....

Apparently I had AstraZenekar, and waiting for the second shot in late June. Absolutely no reaction, not even needle-site irritation. Always had a strong immune system avoiding bugs and reactions to certain exposures. I put it down to 15 Marlboros per day, killing the bugs for me. Of course, that is absolute rubbish but it is consoling in these highly critical times :-)

That would suffice - otherwise we might think (as is the current thinking) that we are a man down per match due to repeated selection.

...and to think we gave up on King. Who is next? Petty?

As a policeman directing traffic at Camberwell Junction, he'd (Parke) stand close to the tramline at the intersection, enabling me and a mate to knock his peaked cap off his head each morning on our tram going to school. Always met with smiles and laughts, always pretending to be irritated, always straight back on the job at hand. He must have been a good bloke, too, don't you reckon?

Always something cynical. Oh well, I liked Greg Parke despite his kicking being erratic. He gave us terrific possessions and his handball was excellent across distances to a teammate.

That is most probably what is wrong with his grab. Too far forward in the competition and too early to occupy a space in the forming pack. He needs to consider entering the pack on top - he has the height and leap - but to come in from either side of the pack relatively late, at the front - he has a light frame to assist with the elevation required. Then he would be less likely more often to be brushed, pushed, bodied aside or into 'useless land' where the mark just ain't. He would also be less likely the suffer so many blatant 'arm chops' from opposition defenders. He would also be less likely to be injured as this is a key fear his body language portrays. If he was built like Greg Parke, none of the above would matter. But he ain't.

Agreed, Hibberd must be on Cameron - a real 'stopper' will be required - one that is a physical beast, as well.

His movement is what makes him potent. He's already a good kick, a good mark, a good anticipator and reader of the game. Same for the re-newed TMac - movement clears the zone and creates a definable target for his teammates.

There is one element of the free kick continuum worthy of consideration - in terms of handouts and game-levelers. Years of appreciating footy had taught me that it ain't the number of frees you get (nor the differentials between teams awarded frees during matchplay), it is really just a blatant matter of WHEN, WHERE and WHY the free kicks are awarded. Some teams are blessed with oodles of frees in the backline. Some teams are blessed with oodles of frees in the forward line - particularly near the goals when a 'catch-up' circumstance is required (this equates to rigging a win, in reality). Ask yourself: Where would you rather earn a free kick? When is it most important to be awarded a free kick near the goals in a game of footy? How many matches in an entire season are won from the award of free kicks or the contrasting 'overlooked' incidents that should be awarded a free kick in front of goal but were not for some unexplained reason that many experienced spectators cannot articulate - let alone understand? For the purists among us, '..heil, heil the conspiracy theory...' (simply because it is logical evidence of 'the fiddle' with games. For the optimists among us, '...it's all just fine...the umps did a good job...'

Cerra is OK, ready for the next step. The Dees may be that stepping stone, and there is a strong culture of competition and game structure(s) from which to benefit at the Dees - at present. He ain't no Brayshaw; the little brother would be an ideal asset onfield, and imagine those walks onto and off the ground (at the end of a game) holding hands with big brother, Gus. Just lovely! I am sure that Gus would ensure that he was well cared for in the Red'nBlue! As for Merrett, do we wish to enter into a contest of bidders for his services given our recent recruitments from elsewhere? Would he be so vital to our line-up? Nah!

These are simple - but essential - qualities that he frequently demonstrates. For very useful, good players, these qualities far outweigh the negatives.

Yair, they done real good, didden thay ?

Progressively, the attention that the Dees receive in the media has been extremely scant. Once on top of the ladder approximately half-way through this season, nothing has changed with lauded praise for the Doggies, Carlton, Geelong and all the interstate teams outside of Melbourne. This disregard - and that is all it could be called - has its origins in the attiutudes and preferences of the AFL itself, mirrored in the umpiring we receive first hand from the alleged 'rule experts', otherwise known in many circles as the 'snot goblins'; and, they do live up to their name. What we receive in the second hand is the oversight of our Club in the media who would support maximised moment-to-moment populations of the 'popular' clubs (and thus, the subsequent advertising revenues heavily proferred) attending to repeated coverage of such popular clubs and the [censored]-fringe addicted to the toothless praise of opportunists and bias-laden content. We become familiar with the drivel and its intent. Over time, such is the way of the Demon - left navigating a topography of exclusive neglect. The Kangaroos have the same problem, interspersed with occasional comment for success, albeit very unreliably anticipated. We ARE on top of the ladder. We receive minimal coverage for this. We are on our way to a Premiership play-off and it is most likely at this point of the season, we will prevail against the odds and win the bluddy Cup. Still, do not expect a fanfare in celebration of our footballing success to date, in future weeks of the fixture, nor in the GF from either the media or the AFL, nor the snot goblins on gamedays who will always keep the MFC handicapped so that we do not win matches too easily. Rules are rules, as we all accept. Rulings by umpires are another matter for another cause. These are additional reasons why our hearts beat true.

I have noticed this super opportunity, as well. It's almost a question of how far Pickett could penetrate to deliver directly to the forwards. The pack assembles around Gawn, however it knocks the hell out of him to: (a) get there, and (b) stay on his feet, securely. There are a couple of options available and these are highly legitimate and sensible; Kozzie positioning is one of these and secondly, Harmes' dash is often available, as well. Both of these options, in the absence of Langdon, are entirely feasible and provide more certainty of a possession retention than that long bomb to a contest (Gawny just ain't going to be able to take so many hits from behind and maintain his fitness, strike rate for a mark, ability to play on/relocate to better effect.

Those 'blocks' were very obvious yet not picked up by the snot goblins in the contest. Was it a case of score-evening by the umpires? (Yet again.)

Yes, Jordan is looking quite like a selection revelation - so much so that he could well be a champion for the Dees with that little bit more experience and opportunity. He's quite a reliable contributor; at this stage of his career, he seems to possess all the correct signs. Some 'wing-time' was only a suggestion for his diversification as a player as I feel that his attributes would manage the job rather well.