rpfc

1 hour ago, waynewussell said:

I'm joining some dots here, and I may be way off the mark. I'm not worried by that because no harm will be done sharing this. I've got the impression that big Max has taken a step back from the captaincy role he has filled so admirably. He needed to get away from it all. He was definitely worn out by the turmoil swirling around MFC in 2024, he said as much. I felt he was happy to take a back seat during the community camp, and I get the same feeling watching recent sessions at Gosch's paddock. Happy to be wrong on this... but we may see a transition in leadership in 2025. Shoot me down!

Weren’t you one of the people that shot me down a few months ago for suggesting he do that? 

You may have even vomited on my post indicating as such..

7 hours ago, Deespicable said:

Toby looked an absolute ripper at training today - a slightly bigger version of Jack Viney and with similar confidence.

Reports do not completely confirm that he's our Academy kid, but if he is then we finally may have got payback from the system that stole Mac Andrew from us.

He definitely looks top-10 material to me and given he doesn't turn 17 until Dec 11, he should have plenty of upside.

Given we have already given away our top pick for 2025 draft, we will need to be shrewd finding enough points to cover for him. And what a coup if we also get Kalani as well next season.

Please tell me you are basing that ‘top 10’ assessment on more than training today.

10 hours ago, 45HG said:

ALSO! I can’t believe I’m not a moderator, anymore. 
 

What did I do wrong?

11 year bump!

Closest thing to time travel we will ever see. 

Dearest 2013 rpfc, it got better then weirdly very bad while we were very good. We won but my past self (you’re future self) couldn’t go. It was in Perth. 
And then we won again, but they played that at a training ground outside Brisbane. I couldn’t get to that either.

You know what, never mind.

2024 rpfc 

37 minutes ago, DubDee said:

Any chance we can get Neale Daniher to hide in the woods and fire a few rifle rounds at the lads to keep them sharp?

Crazy that that was only ~20 years ago. He’d be sacked for that these days

#PCgonemad 😂

If he actually did that he probably should be fired for that then

1 minute ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

Any clash guernsey that isn't white or grey will be fine. Happy enough with our current 1975-1986 retro royal blue version though. 

Yes, grey and white are the colours of weakness and surrender, as opposed to the years at the MFC circa 1975-1986…

4 minutes ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

No shame in that rpfc. 

Shame shame but different

1 hour ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

Guys like Max and Vines have hitched their footballing fortunes to those of the Melbourne Football Club. They are one and the same. Christian Petracca's fortunes are hitched to Christian Petracca, who happens to have a 7 year contract with the Melbourne Football Club. Same same but different. 

I want to take exception to this, but I don’t know what you’re talking about.

29 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

Preseason with The Brand?

Boooooo

1 hour ago, dazzledavey36 said:

I'm confused by this response @rpfc? If you want me to break it down further then I will, only because that what you were elaborating too.

When i say its a big year for our whole playing list, i say that to include the regular depth players at Casey. I'm not someone that sees those guys as simply filling in the numbers. Now days depth is just as important then ever before.

For our team to take the next step further into finals, we need everyone playing at their optimum level week in week out. Now i know this is difficult on the more younger players so you alter your expectationonnthose guys. But pressure for spots could not be more crucial for 2025 then we've seen over the last couple of years.

We saw the complete lack of depth when we were hit with injuries this year and guys like Fullarton, McAdam, Laurie simply failed to step up when we needed them too. When Gawn went down with injury the fact we had to use a makeshift ruckman in Petty/JVR ahead of both Verrall and Fullarton just shows that if you're not in form at VFL level that it has a huge ripple effect on our senior team. Clearly they have identified this as a need and went got Tommy Campbell. 

Guys going into their last year of their contracts such as Billings, Spargo, Fullarton, Woewodin, McDonald, Melksham, Hore, Sestan, Verrall are fighting for their careers and I would hope this gives them the extra motivation to really push themselves. If they're putting pressure on our senior AFL players through their own form at VFL level then that's a healthy place to be in.

In terms of our main AFL regulars. Majority of those guys simply need to stand up and perform next year if we are aiming to get back into finals. 

Guys like Salem, Oliver Sparrow, Lever, Bowey, Petty all simply had a poor year through combination of injury and inconsistency of form. Realistically majority of the names listed haven't performed at their best since the 2021 season so I think the microscope is going to come hard on them if they dish another poor year.

We need another spike of incline for guys like JVR, Windsor, Rivers, Pickett, McVee, Tholstrup, Turner and I'll even add Matt Jefferson because we saw a huge improvement this year in his Casey performance compared to year one, so he's definitely on the track track.

These guys could play a crucial role in taking that next step. I could easily see JVR kicking over 40 goals next year. Another year where's he's gain valuable experience and more maturity in his body. He wants to be the top dog and he's certainly got all the attributes to be.

Then it's guys like Gawn, Petracca, May and Viney. We just need them to be doing their thing once again. They've carried and performed on such a consistent level for a number of years now that you just become accustomed to the level of expectations. If all four can stay fit and healthy throughout the year then it will go a long way to determine if we can play finals.

I was just making a joke. Appreciate the deeper response tho.

As for depth - it’s all about who they are replacing IMO. Most can play a role.

8 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Well it's true.

Quite. 

(To camera) And that’s all the show we have for you today. I hope that helps. You can spend the extra 59 minutes in your life GOING OUTSIDE FOR ONCE.

See you in March.

28 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

The whole playing list.

Surgical analysis.

37 minutes ago, Engorged Onion said:

An aside:

Now that ANB has gone, which player becomes the biggest whipping boy if they fail to have a big year!?

Some will be booing our best player??

So there’s that

Big wrap for Dan Turner to get 10. They must be pretty certain he is that 3rd tall.

Well I guess it’s a good thing we don’t have our first round pick next year, won’t have to worry about burning a high pick on the kid. The clubs rarely screw each other over in these instances. They know they will get karma and right quick.

There are different types of ‘big years’ needed, and some overlap: big career year, big comeback year, big year for Dees to succeed, big developmental leap year, etc.

Big years for their career

Howes - with Petty (presumably) coming back, it makes it even harder for Blake to cement a spot but I hope we can keep him around as I think he has a bit to him.

Petty - injuries have ruined him lately but needs to return to form quickly for the sake of his mind not just his body. 

Comeback

Oliver - what is he for the rest of his career? He might never recapture his manic ability to win the footy and distribute and power out of stoppage but can he get back to some sort of form.

Developmental Year

JVR - has the opportunity to make a leap being the focal point. Still won’t have protection from the number 1 defender but maybe our gameplan can make it easier for him to succeed.

Chandler - I hope he can take the leap to being one of the first picked in the forward line in the absence of ANB. He has the talent and the desire, does he have the discipline and the confidence?

Sparrow - now or never Tom. Trent made the leap past you in the middle. Perhaps the door is shut with the influx of midfielders into the frame for 2025…

Big for the Dees

Oliver | Petty | JVR - already mentioned.

Petracca - our best player needs to get back to his best for us to get a sniff to be top 4 again

Gawn - he is the eternal flame, god help us when it gets dark.

May - Petty back will take some pressure off but he is needed to have another great year.

Rivers - is he a better mid than Oliver? If he is then he will be massively important to our fortunes.

Pickett - can he continue a banner year with another? And stay on the park?

Lever - can he help us modernise our gameplan? And get us going?

Its no surprise that these are the best players, but it does get one excited about the possibilities.

3 minutes ago, Demonstone said:

Pragmatist:  somebody's going to have to wash that bloody glass you know.

Nihilist: what’s the point of drinking anything

14 minutes ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

I hear ya rpfc but it is the silly season so if someone wants to make a pantomime villain out of a sports personality that's been a bit of a tw@t I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. 

Sure, but here on the forum dedicated to this team we all love - we like to keep good players at club yeah? Some on here lost sleep over who we took with the 3rd last pick in the draft…

Pantomime is a participatory type of theatre so we have our part to play don’t we…

43 minutes ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

Whichever way you lean regarding BP5, voicing that opinion on here is hardly going to affect his decision making or demeanour regarding the MFC. I mean, if you had his content & media manager would you spend any time on here? 

Ok, again, I am not trying to argue against voicing that opinion on Demonland, I am trying to argue against that opinion wherever it is voiced.

Presumably, I am reaching people that live in the real world? That might impact even in a small way the proliferation of the toxic and tedious environment that has been created…

21 minutes ago, John Demonic said:

Did you get your mum back on tracc? 

I asked her if she could name the number he wore on his back, and left the conversation with that silence.

Just now, rpfc said:

Cue the meme 

Found it:

I just wanted to use that meme 

1 minute ago, Gorgoroth said:

If anyone is missing, its not Clarry, But Kate Hore.

Cue the meme 

38 minutes ago, demoncat said:

Fair points, but just on the relationship between Trac and his fans - I’m not saying I was personally effected by it

Moreso that his lack of attempts to display anything other than a cursory commitment to the club this year suggests that positive fan sentiment was not a priority for him, and some of the reporting that came out around his intentions of why he wanted to leave also suggests this 

Just like we can’t control whether he goes, we also can’t control if he stays, and I don’t think a few stray comments on a forum will be the difference for him, so let’s not get too caught up in it 🤷‍♂️

Yeah, I don’t care what DemonBro69 says on here - I just see Demonland as the precursor to underlying sentiment of Dees fans. And that permeates through to game day, interactions on the street, and general ‘conversation’ in footy media (talking about thirsty little men).

Even my ‘hardly follow the footy’ mother told me last week that “we’re off Petracca” with a look like she just ate a lemon. 

I just think we, as fans, can be the beggars to our own demise in this story or we can move past it and help to tell a new one.

1 minute ago, demoncat said:

m8 if Trac cared what the fans think he wouldn’t have kept us in the dark for two weeks and done so little to reaffirm his love and commitment to the club since 😭

Not that he owes us anything - it’s entirely his prerogative and I don’t think it’s healthy for us to get into parasocial relationships with athletes no matter how much we love them on the field 

But by the same token people can make a few jokes and observations based on his behaviour - it’s a two way street 

I’m not saying you can’t do it, m8. Only that this underlying sentiment will be felt and will impact. What is said at open training sessions, on social media, at the games in the tunnel, and yes even fan forums are discussed amongst circles around players if not the players themselves, has an effect especially if it is so targeted at a player and his motivation.

Finally, you talk unhealthy para-social relationships but you talk of ‘being kept in the dark’ over the issues that CP5 was tackling. You, and others, intimate he doesn’t care about the club, fans, fans reaction. Everyone cares. No matter what ivory tower one creates; look at Elon Musk - the worlds richest man as the worlds thirstiest little man.

I am just alluding to the reality we can create for ourselves where we can help the club support someone to stick around and be a part of the Demon family.

We are going to drive him out of the club aren’t we? We are going to self-fulfil this prophecy…

Petulance begets petulance.

And what do you guys think the above is?