Percy Beames

Good piece and it's always terrific to see one of our war hero-Demon champions receive due recognition. The only quibble I have with this piece is that it seems to tip toe around the circumstances of his death. Other accounts have suggested Harold and his mates were in effect executed - or rather murdered by being bayoneted - on a beach after being confronted by Japanese soldiers. Actually, a second quibble is that the photo with Wilfred Smallhorn is not commented on, but at a guess I reckon Wilfred is actually "Chicken" Smallhorn, a rover who played 150 games with Fitzroy and who was a media commentator when football was first on telly in the 50s and early 60s. Chicken's record would have been worth a mention. He'd also have roved against my avatar!

For me Goody's speech was a veiled message to Christian Petracca in particular about putting ego aside. I thought it was quite pointed in that sense and it reminded me of the quote from Gus Brayshaw about sacrifice that featured in Between The Flags: 'It's easy to sacrifice when we can tangibly see the results'. Probably a message to the whole playing group but in particular Trac.

Many thanks all. I reckon I'll take FTB's advice if I make it up there. Otherwise the Army might score an extra flag waver!

I am thinking I'll head north for the Suns match next month. Can anyone on demonland suggest the best seating areas at People's First Stadium? Also, does anyone (WCW perhaps) know the area that has been assigned to the MFC contingent?

Crickey, it makes such a difference when people who really care about the club get together to talk Demons. That interview covers so much territory and from two different generations of fans, yet they make so much sense. Should be more of it.

Watching Saints and North. How has Dwayne Russell got a job?

It's a joke the way Collingwood-supporting journos say that fans will stop hating Collingwood because they are playing such an attractive game style under McCrae. It's been claimed so often by these delusional fools who sit in the rarefied atmosphere of the commentary boxes. The truth is that exposure to real Collingwood supporters behaving as they do in their natural element means the rest of us will maintain the hate...or loathing as the case may be. I know a couple of them who are OK and sane, but mostly they are scum. Part of me is dreading going to Monday's game, but like others on this site, it's what I do.

The key to your first point is our mids creating more opportunities for our forwards, which they will probably succeed in doing, and then it's a matter of our efficiency upfront. Secondly it becomes an issue how much pressure we can apply to their delivery forward and exits from our forward half. We've all seen teams try for the quick breakout as a way of beating us and that will be their Plan A with the four calls up front.

Thanks to those who post these interviews. I'd never hear them otherwise.

Crikey what a thriller. It’s always good for the soul to beat one of the old enemies. Almost as bad as Collingwood, that Carlton mob. Won a lot of premierships early in the game and reckoned they were better than everyone else even back in the Thirties when they hardly won anything. I’ve dusted off the old Underwood since I am very unhappy with what I read on Demonland last night. I would have written earlier but I had a couple of Abott’s Lager bottles to finish off. A few of the Melbourne boys worked at the brewery and I always like to support them by drinking their product. What is it with the negative nellies complaining about beating Carlton. From what I see only some chap calls himself Wiseblood, and another fella Nasher seem to get it. This was what we in the newspaper trade used to call a “meritorious victory”. Good word that, meritorious. Look it up if you don’t know it. That’s what dictionaries are for. The way I saw it the Melbourne boys were set for a 50-point win until fate took a hand. Even without young Hore, who has just about inked in his name on the team sheet this season, the backline was standing up. Once the lad Petty went down you could see the backline becoming disorganised. Well why not? Hore has proven himself a very able substitute small defender, good in the air and on the ground. Petty has not been there long but made good spoils and was taking strong contested marks until he was hurt. Now coaches in the old days, like Ivor and Checker, liked to keep their backline settled. One of my old coaches from up Golden Point way, I forget which, used to say the back six had to play like a unit, a “yoonit” it sounded like, like six men become one they know each others’ games so well. That can’t happen on days like yesterday, which is why, when the game opened up in the third quarter, Carlton could almost keep pace with us, because the backline was struggling to work like a “yoonit”. Seven goals we kicked in that third quarter. The way the game is played now that’s smart work. Seven goals one behind after kicking 7.11 in the entire first half. Now that 7.11 should have been 11.7 but the way we have struggled this year in front of the big sticks that third quarter was a ripper. And it was only with the back line losing key players that enabled Carlton to keep within five goals, like I said. Now the last quarter, that was tough. Three blokes down now, like playing with 17 men in the old days, that is hard yakka. I see the boy Brayshaw said he’s never been so tired on a footy field as he was at the end. It’s rare that one team dominates all day. Carlton was always going to have a purple patch, and that fella Murphy did ‘em proud, but Murphy really did his best work once the Demon boys were tiring from the lack of interchanges. I saw at the last change it was something like 19 fewer interchanges even then. Give us a fit group and we would have rolled right over them. People have also been moaning about the fact that Carlton was missing a couple of key players and that’s fair enough, but I don’t think that fellow Casboult would have had the same impact if the younger Curnow was there. Or Silvagni? Would he have had the same opportunities? Maybe, maybe not, but you can only beat what they put out there on the day. I was so surprised by the negativity on demonland that I took at look at talkingblues instead. There was the usual bad stuff but even a few Carlton supporters realised that without our injuries they’d have been out of the hunt. Make no mistake: this is one to enjoy. This was a win that took spirit and character and our boys were equal to the task. Carna Red Legs.