rpfc

All for people having a thicker skin, but that doesn't mean the collective on here don't judge a poster for a needless personal jibe. Online bullying should not be confused with ProDee or Wiseblood giving a customary slap on the way through an argument but don't let that water down the response to the trolls who want to ruin the lives of people through the anonymity and unanimity of social media.

I roll my eyes when I read the anti-AFL nonsense on here from time to time but that isn't a black and white picture; the AFL make shortsighted decisions, head shaking compromises, and can be like treacle with issues that are larger than the game but affect it because people end up playing, attending, and watching the game and they want their values reflected in the game they love. So I would argue that the AFL has definitely done their job and helped this club out of a precarious position. But don't tell me they didn't come to a ridiculous 'disrepute' position on our alleged 'tanking' crime. It was a compromise between letting us off for actually not doing anything other than 'list management' and punishing a club for the perceived evils of building through the draft in an era when expansion clubs were about to take all the talent. That decision, predicated on an off the cuff joke remembered by a former and most likely disgruntled staff member, was utterly ridiculous and no amount of sane, thoughtful, and extensive help from the AFL in other areas will change my mind.

Very surprised to see Lynch in there but they couldn't be rushing him back for us? I know they think we are a good team but Adelaide have enough to hold us off so I can only assume Lynch is good to go. That is a powerful forward line... Glad to see JKH back, hope he can get used to the tempo straight away but it isn't an easy transition. And those that want Goodwin to 'just be straight with us and Trengove' about his status have never been a coach before; you can't be that honest because a) it might not be true if enough blokes get hurt, and b) you don't want to have that dynamic of a player being told he is done. Players know the score, no need to smack them over the head with it to appease sentimental supporters.

Gawn and Hogan are more likely to struggle with form and an ability to run out games, than they are to run into form and fitness and get better. Thankfully they are class players who can contribute giving 60% of their output. Another benefit is you don't lose height being out of form... I expect them to struggle but contribute.

This is a strange Bump. And a strange sentence. Just...strange.

It's Lever. And Hogan is a brute, and an excellent forward when provided with appropriate opportunities. I don't think we are seeing his best because no-one can perform with the year he has had. But the way we play suits him, he will work over his opponent and can lead back with the flight and do 'V' leads where he loses his man with a hard lead back and then a push back at the footy. McDonald does this well too. I am not worried about our forward line, when up and going we have enough weapons to beat any backline.

If you rely so heavily on others to get you the footy - you better have amazing skills. I didn't know that he only averaged 6 CPs a game but that is not a great stat for him. So, yeah, nah.

I'm with DA - where the [censored] were you 4 years ago?! You're checking in with my mental state now because a few Carlton twats think we are mean?!? Nah, mate. Just...forget about it.

Yeah, I don't remember him being that way in the past. Of course, being juxtaposed against Viney, Oliver, and Petracca doesn't help because they rarely go to ground when picking up the footy. My main issue is the glaring wasting of the footy from time to time - looks needless. I would like to put it down to a new system and getting used to the kicks that were 'there' are not 'there' anymore in a new system with a different set of players. But, again, he was better and he will need to maintain it for the next month.

...and Lewis was pretty poor? Do you really think Lewis was 'pretty poor?' How did we win when one of our better players was 'pretty poor'? I know Lewis has been down on what we expect of him and he made 3 awful mistakes yesterday with the footy but he responded on the weekend - he was better and provided enough out of the middle with ANB, Oliver, and Petracca for us to win. I am not about to let warped perception drive the judgment of his game.

Kicked the winning goal...

I know Kent can play AFL footy. He knows it too. The jump from Casey to Melbourne will get bigger the better we are. I would give him another week. He looked scratchy and off the pace but so does Hogan and Max. nteresting to hear about the repeat sprints info, @Nasher - thanks for that. I would not have picked that. I am also backed up by the improvement of Wagner, who wasn't great, but ten times better than last week. If we can win get one off the SA teams and beat NM down in Tassie we will be shot to have a home final...

Isn't ANB becoming a handy little player? I thought his mate Stretch was leaving him behind last year and now it is the opposite. He runs to the right spots, works hard, has aggression and confidence and thinks he can do more than he can (which is healthy for a young player). Looks like he is putting his hand up to stick around when the cavalry comes back to the line.

As much as I disliked Kents game - he looked a beat slower - like Wagenr last week. Wagner stepped up from a F-rated game to a solid C so I assume Kent can make a similar adjustment. Stretch disappointed again. Smith has something about him I like but he didn't do much. Melksham works hard but has a bit of Simon Godfrey about him. Keep Petracca in the middle please! He makes Lewis much better when he falls over and REQUIRES a powerful magician to help him get the ball out of the congestion. Watts back please for Pedersen. I think we are tall enough but understand if MC see Watts as a small. Tyson back for Stretch.

Workrate was up, and he was clever in close when he kept his feet. Don't remember him going to ground so often in the past... Anyway, he stepped up in the first game of a month that we need him to. Had a few other passengers today, good to get a win when you are just going.

All the doom and gloom I have seen here the past week and we could be 4th at the end of the day... Injuries effect how we go about the next month but we can win games because we are a good team, with an attacking mindset, and a ferocious desire to put pressure on the bloke with the footy. If we bring our best, the Blues will have to out perform to beat us.

Hawthorn effectively lost but fixed their percentage... But they can only drop one more and they have Geelong, Freo away, and Sydney in the next three weeks...

Can't omit something not there in the first place... If he was selected and you expected him to be a leader of a performing AFL team you are putting way too much pressure on a bloke trying to save (or restart) his career.

They force teams into kicking bombs into the forward line and it makes Jones look like Glen Jakovich. If we do the same to Hogan and Pedersen - he will peel off and do what he has been doing really well. So it's hyperbole but enough to [censored] us over.

Yeah, I was going to post something similar to this. Love the post, DD36, Watts has been resilient to keep playing footy and to keep playing at the Demons. But that doesn't mean that Boyd is any less resilient - depression is not about people booing you and calling you [censored]. But I did have a think about 'what if Watts took time out 4 years ago? How would that be treated?' I think the most rancid edges of our football culture would have come out...

Needs to reproduce his form of 2016. And keep his censored feet in close... I will back players as good as him to give us a month of footy he needs to give.

We are a win over Carlton away from being 9 and 6. Forgive me if I am not depressed about some [censored] injuries. Get a grip people.

If we keep the attacking and daring mindset - we have enough cattle to beat Carlton. Their midfield will win footy but we don't rely on that and if we are ferocious with our pressure we will win more than enough footy to kick a winning score.

In no way is he 'right' or 'righteous' in his crusade against the media. The corporate media are finally doing their job and holding lies to account and THAT is what he has disdain for - not the shitty journalistic malfeasance that propelled him to prominence and the presidency. The media having a short memory and a desire for worn narratives is not new - I don't know why Dees fans care so much. Perhaps it is because we have been irrelevant for so long that we are unsure of ourselves when it is the Demons that are now in the eye of the shambolic and hyperventilating footy media world.

Harmes. He has dare and run and we are going to need to through the midfield without Jones and Viney. Lewis and Vince are going to have to shoulder a lot but if we are looking for someone to show something over and above what they have before - I think it will be Harmes. And Petracca is needed in the middle for a month... I think he will be shut down though - he would be so damaging. He will be worked over. I don't think he is ready to dominate in the middle for 75% of the game.