D4Life

Nervous over the preseason, particularly with Oliver struggling the Brayshaw having to retire! The first Freo game was horrific, followed by Trac going down against the Pies totally finished it!

17 coaches fail every year, maybe only 16 as someone usually gets praised for improved performance, likely Mitchell this year! While I don’t necessarily think Goodwin is a great coach, he has taken us to a flag, and multiple finals. Last year we were very close, had any one off Melksham not gone down in the last game, Brayshaw hit in shoulder rather than head, and Grundy used in the finals, I think we may have won another flag. Even the recent efforts against Port, GWS and the Lions, particularly Port with a weaker and ill team losing by a kick have been solid efforts and well coached. Dogs was disappointing and we don’t seem to be able to match up to Freo at all! Many Swans supporters don’t like Longmire, for 10 years Cats supporters said Scott only won one flag that was gifted to him! Then he won a second in a 14 year period! Coaching is a ruthless business, Goodwin might not be the best, but is a long way from the worst! When you judge this years effort look at what happened pre season and injury wise: - Brayshaw retired, was in our best 5 players last year - Smith suspended, almost the perfect sub, providing cover in multiple positions forward and back - Oliver limited pre season, winner of two coaches award best player in league, four B& Fs - Trac missed half season - May missed 5/6 and played multiple with broken ribs - Petty disrupted pre season never 100% - Salem pre season disrupted - Bowey, Lever in season injuries - Spargo missed the season Oliver and Trac are 2 of top 10 players in the league when fit, almost impossible to replace, May is one of top 3-4 backs in the league. The fact we’ve been in the mix this season is a testament to Godwin’s coaching!

Everything with hindsight and additional information is easy to judge! The role of a club doctor is undoubtedly a challenging role. Duty of care is a major challenge for the clubs, hopefully the Demons are reviewing their process.

It would do the club well to reflect on duty of care for the players. Sending Trac back on against the Pies was dangerous and reckless at best. The players are typically brave beyond belief. I also think it rarely helps in game! This will be major reason he is [censored] at the club, he will have got medical advice on what a huge risk he took! Looking at how Carlton’s season has fallen apart, can’t help but wonder if sending Weitering and McKay back on in games when likely concussed, has impacted their teams collapse! Looking after the players our greatest asset from a clubs standpoint and for their individual health should be paramount. Fully understanding players carry injuries, but the type of injury needs to be taken into account!

It would be fantastic if you’re correct, but I fear you and Binman are drinking from the same trough! No Trac, Clarry, and May leaves 3 of our best five missing! A win at People’s/Heritage/Metricon/???? Would be Marvellous!!!!! Go Demons!

Happy to have a beer and discuss Demons any day. However am away next month. 👍

At the top end of the talent spectrum, if Petracca and May play, Butters and Allir don’t you have a very different result.

2024 PROS - Windsor will be a gun - JVR continues to improve, what a competitor - Rivers and McVee both stepped up this year - Kossie greater impact on more games - Turner showing signs as a forward, but , occasionally getting ahead of himself vs team thing - Somehow remained competitive and in the hunt for the eight until now (win two of Giants, Blues, Lions, Port) and who knows! 2024 CONS Season heavily impacted in preseason: - Brayshaw career finished 😢 hope he is ok for living rest of his life - Smith - Oliver, mental health and more, very limited preseason that led to average season - Petty limited pre season, major impact on his year - Grundy should have given it one more season Big injuries in season: - Trac - May carried broken ribs lot of the season - Lever, Bowey, Salem all missed chunks of season - Viney obviously carried injuries through most of the season, what a warrior - Max - Spargo maligned by many on Demonland, but valuable in that 16-23 player range and connection into forward line 2023 Reflection - still feels like Melksham doesn’t go down in last round and we actually use Grundy in finals and what might have been Trading: - Hunter, Schache, Fullarton, Billing’s, Mcadam not worked (maybe a full preseason and Mcadam might show more!) Everything is easy in hindsight when it comes to trading 2025: - a fully fit Oliver, Trac, Gawn, Petty, Viney, And May, and there is hope - kids improve unexpectedly e.g. Jefferson or Brown take an extra step - a good draft pick or two - we need to nail one or two decent trades, maybe a Lynch for a 2nd pick and future 2nd get a Ben Brown effect(who helped us win a flag) - finish 13 this year and get a really good draw Take Trac and May equivalent out of Port last night and have fit Trac and May playing for the Demons, game looks very different! All is not lost! Final point, give Oliver a full preseason, hopefully a clear head and we have a multiple All Australian, coaches award winner and 4 time B&F winner back, I can’t believe how many Demonlanders want to write him off! Go Demons!!!!!!!

While tempting that finishing 11th likely gives you a top ten pick after typical argy bargy around draft picks and benefit of a longer pre season, finishing top 8 gives finals experience and getting used to winning vs losing for younger guys! I think MFC and Goodwin would take make the 8 every time! supposedly draft top 20 while pretty good not many standouts- so maybe top 10 pick not as advantageous as other years!! Anyway, I’d rather see the Demons win than lose!

Might make it as a forward with an injury free preseason! Would just like to see him injury free for the next 3 years and will have a very good key position player over that time.

Agree 100%! I’ll take a fit Oliver with a preseason over any draft pick trades!! He has only won four B&Fs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gold Coast are unbeaten at home, feels like we’ve lost to the Pies in every clutch match we play against them of recent times! Tough run home will take close to our best to win the 3/4 games we need to win to make finals! However we finish up, plenty of positive signs in the last few weeks, a full pre season into Trac, Oliver, Petty, and Salem should position us well for next season!

A strange season it is! Even Swans lost to the Tigers! Hope the Demons bring their best, kick straight, Freo have a not so good day, and we might bring home the bacon! Go Demons!!

Umpire 22 is a shocker for the Demons!!

Great win Demons, missing Trac, Max and Gus for mine 3 of our best 5 players last year! Seeing, Rivers, Windsor, McVee, JVR and Turner of the young brigade all step up was terrific. AMW, Kolt are both showing positive signs! Melksham has got better in the last two years, I’m not sure why, but he has lifted and last night you could really see his impact in the forward line. Perhaps competing more and selfless in his ball usage might be the difference, I thought he was gone two years ago, but delighted to be wrong. Kossie celebrated his 100 with some freakish moments, when he went under Mckays arm and out the other side was incredible, he is just fantastic to watch. Langdon, Viney, May, Lever, TMac, and Oliver after 1/4 time all stepped up! Petty not in stellar form, but competed and played role he was asked by coaches! Pressure, tackling, supporting one another to the nth degree was our one wood tonight, plus who knew, we played wet weather football! What a great result!!!!!!! Go Demons!

Yes their response to Brayshaw being ironed out in Maynard’s third effort to hurt a player in first 10 mins of a game, just showed they are in the majority a pack of dead s..ts!

It’s now or never for this season Demons! Bring last weeks performance for four quarters, just don’t go totally defensive with 1.5 quarters to go!! Go Demons!

Agree, the worst!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Agree on the rules

Agree umpires are influenced by home crowds, particularly interstate and at Geelong where typically home team fans 95% plus of the crowd! Umpires make errors, are blindsided at times, thought Blues got away with 2-3 one handed throws that led to goals in the first! We did get a bonus goal when McGovern? Wasn’t paid an obvious mark. while typically I don’t think umpires try to disadvantage particular teams, when Umpire#22 appeared at the start of the game, I did think this won’t be good for the Demons, and he didn’t disappoint, seemingly biased against us as always!

As soon as #22 turns up, you know where not getting any 50/50s it’s like 10 vs 90! But it wasn’t umpires that cost us the game, it was a combination of Carlton starting hot, playing very well , and the ball falling in their laps in first quarter.

I was very interested in expected score last year, but after the finals lost interest! I’m sure they do analyse all aspects!

Expected score counts for nothing at the end of the day. We beat the Pies and Blues in last years finals on expected score. Unfortunately Pies won the flag. Expected score win and you lose the actual game = bad kicking is bad football!!!

Pettys best half of football this year was down back. If he starts badly up forward, I suggested to swap Petty with TMac, not a permanent move. Also TMac seems in better shape this year movement wise, versus last year where his movement was more like turning the Titanic!

I feel Marty Hore is like JJ was, gets ball, stops, looks, looks again, everyone manned up and then kicks it! Plus fumbles a bit! Much prefer stick with giving younger players a go than Marty! I realise many others think he is good, but not for me. I would like to see Hunter come in, probably Woey go out, as the one change this week! If Petty starts slowly, move him back and TMac forward for this week.