D4Life

This isn’t aimed at Demon supporters just a general observation! Aussie Ang P manager of Spurs is getting hammered in the press recently about his job under threat! Out of a squad of circa 25 senior players, he is supposedly missing 10. 1st choice players in keeper, Vicario, Van de Ven. , Romero, ( Davies backup) Odobert, Richarlson, Bentacaur suspended, Udogie. They win 4-3 against United and he is getting hammered because Goalkeeper makes two errors! They lose 4-3 against Chelsea where two of his players give away two dumb penalties- almost equivalent of player 70 meters out in AFL, I’ll push him over to give him a 50 meters penalty! Supporters and press hammer the manager, whenever team loses, rarely is a pragmatic view taken. More hysterical few loses sack the manager versus: - missing 5-6 starters from the team - playing kids and bench super thin - don’t blame the manager, keeper gifted two goals, otherwise it’s a shutout against MU - don’t blame the manager, two dumb penalties against Chelsea The Treatment of Ang provides an example of how supporters and the press all too often ignore facts, for sensationalistic headlines or overly dramatic conclusions! 18 teams in AFL, only win flag winner, last year for the Demons: - Oliver not fully fit all season - Trac gone half season - May ribs carried most of season - Fritsch and Petty foot/leg injuries carried from 2023 - Lever & Bowey injured in season 6 plus weeks - Salem preseason interrupted likely never fit - Brayshaw lost before season started - plus more - Club board & management seemingly a number of dumb things Add up all of the above and 11 wins a reasonable result! Destruction by Dockers twice and poor efforts against Pies are the results that made me want to puke! I would be much more upset if I was a supporter of Giants (choke in QF), Dogs (heartless finals performance against Hawks), and Dockers (not making finals)! Demons looking at 2025, fingers crossed for luck with injuries, a few lucky breaks during the year and a finals spot is ours for the taking!

Agree with one proviso, the talls /midsize particularly Turner ** and Fritsch really have to put pressure on and defend!

What rankles for me is the cheap shots the Pies take and we do nothing about it! Look at the final in 2023, Cox tried to take out Max at first ruck contest, Maynard tried to take out someone on back flank missed them, five mins later finished Brayshaws career! Cox tried to roll over another players leg, could have broken it! They are the filth for a reason, I want to see our players bury them as a 23, smash them in tackles, if they take a cheap shot, pay it back double. At some point enough is enough! Aside from being tougher/harder against the Pies, when you reflect on 2021, May, Salem, Hibberd tackled/bumped fiercely and the Demons need to find that fierceness again!

I’d like to add a quick thanks to all the posters who provide training reports, I greatly appreciate all the comments. Helps keep footy and the Demons alive, until the season starts!

Look at last few years flag winners: 2024 - Lions great run with injury and lucky Giants choked when 45 points ahead in Qual final. Still GF day won easily! 2023 - Pies lucky with injury, win 3 finals by combined total of 12 points! Snuck a flag! Still feels like with any luck approaching finals in 2023 we win that flag, Melksham playing best footy of his career goes down last round, Fritsch fractured foot, Brayshaw taken out, any of those three not happen, I feel we win the flag! 2022 - Cats era finished too old, get a great draw, have a dream run with injury, comfortably win flag! 2021 - Demons great run with injury, dominant finals campaign, run away with flag! Today Demons are seen by many to be finished, but compare favourably to Cats of 22 in age demographic of stars. May 33 (hopefully better run with injury, should hang on for one more year) Max 33 (with support next year, can look forward to another great year, he is not get any smaller), Viney 30/31 (fingers crossed). The rest of our stars Trac and Clarrie both under 30 and seem fully fit! I rate Kossie and Fritsch as guns in their positions, I’d take Kossie over Charlie Cameron who is seen as best small forward in comp, does so much more defensively, as a mid forward Fritsch stats over last four years match up well with most. JVR will be even better after another pre season and Turner with a little bit more confidence in that he belongs will have a good year! But going back to the last four years premiers, luck with injury is #1, leads to having a fit team that can run out games, a good drawer helps with managing older players, luck in games that are close helps, perhaps that will to win is not luck! Providing our luck holds over preseason and during 2025 we can give it a real crack, top 4 and then onwards! But Lions won from outside top 4 this year - Daniher injury free and holding up in the finals, who would have thought choking Joe starred in the finals! So top 4 a nice to have! While many have anti AFL sentiments, due to fixture and range of things that skew the competition, that there are probably ten teams that could win next years flag is a testament to the draft and salary cap doing the job pretty well, of providing some levelling of the playing field! Particularly when compared to competitions like EPL, NBA etc. Demon supporters keeping your fingers, toes and everything crossed for some Lady Luck in 2025!! You just never know what might happen!!!!!!!!!! Go Demons! 😃

If he could deliver what Mihocek has for Collingwood over last 5 years would be an outstanding result!!

Thanks for all your combined efforts during the year, the three of you do a terrific job! Hope all works out fine and pass my best wishes onto each of you!

When is it?

Not sure how to change the title to: Xmas joy for all podcast! Praying for a flag podcast!

Andy, George & Binman waiting for your season review, draft wisdom and building optimism for 2025 podcast!

Agree 100%, but it’s time to leave things behind, and get on with making finals!

Agree, any Demon supporter booing Petracca would be shocking. Premiership player, Norm Smith medal winner, should be fully supported so he wants to stay and help create future success. The club seemingly got a number of things wrong, hopefully Petracca can be a key part of getting them right on the field again.

Geelong have a few benefits no other team have access to: - government funded stadium, freeing up cash flow for other spending - unique ground with 9-10 home games and 99% crowd for cats supporters, influencing umpiring - 7 away games split between MCG and Marvel so 3-4 at each, so they know both grounds well, reduces away ground disadvantage, plus their supporters can attend, reducing umpiring bias - real estate in Geelong cheaper that adds 10-20% salary cap benefit - Geelong/ Western region is a goldmine for players returning “home” - lucked out on father son over the years! They also have a stable administration, recruited well, and seem a good club. Richmond tried topping up after last flag and it didn’t work out. Melbourne have continually gone to the draft and picked up good younger players, so I’m hoping our drop off won’t be anything like the Tigers. However, Our trading last 3-4 years has been poor.

Looks like I put this in wrong thread 😃

Absolutely, we had injuries to almost all our key forwards BBB, TMac, Petty when he was breaking out, Fritsch foot fractured, then Melksham goes down in last round playing football of his life, Clarrie went off the rails mid season, Brayshaw taken out by that scum in first final! We were very unlucky with injury in 2023! Any one of the above had been 100% for the season and I think we would have won the flag! Next year with a solid preseason and luck with injuries Demons can give it a real shake! we still have top end talent in: Petracca, Oliver, Gawn, May, Fritsch and Kossie emerging stars in: JVR, Windsor & Rivers proven premiership players: Viney, Lever, TMac, Langdon premiership players with something to prove: Bowey, Salem, Sparrow, Petty, Spargo (2024 injury ruined) Up and coming: McVee, need to step up: Turner, Chandler, Kolt, AMW, Howe Draft: one of 5 or 9 to be top 18 and if both top 18 would be great!! External pressure off Goodwin and some new assistants will help and Jones can only help with the Petracca, Oliver turmoil!! I think there is a lot to be positive about! Also off field starting to settle will help. Smith on board will help! Go Demons!