rpfc

Absolutely, but that really is not going to be affected by moving the intra club back or forward a few days, having it at Gosch's, and having the players stick around for an hour after.

What a missed opportunity... The only positive from such an inward looking, misguided, and low key effort is it kept a lid on Hogan Hype ©...

So while form is difficult to take from matches such as these, there are a few things we can take from it - new positions for players, positions for players, and possible projects. Positions Garlett as FP. Hogan as CHF. Salem as HBF. Lumumba as backman/wing. Frost as tall defender. Projects Frost swingman? Salem as HBF... What else?

Yeah, I am not suggesting it is a good idea. The money would be better spent trying to get people to come and watch us play good footy. The club rung me up last week and asked me if I wanted to donate my 'Free Young Demon Membership' (or whatever it is) to an underprivileged kid. So he can go to the footy, and so we might cultivate a prospective Demon supporter. That is effective use of money. Well done to the club for making this simple decision to ask those that haven't given their 'FYDM' out to give them to kids and get some good PR, and try to cultivate a direct relationships with people. Spend money on initiatives like this. Talk to people. Get them to the footy. Get them watching decent footy. Higher ROI than a money sinking shop in the city or shallow advertising.

Pretty effing small advertisement... Why don't you spend that waste of money on actual advertisements then? A shop in the heart of the city to sit there and literally 'look pretty' and nothing else. Keep working on the Online Shop - more and more people buy online anyway and have a look into a cost effective way to advertise and get the awareness of the club out there. But all of that is moot if your team stinks...just stinks...57 losses in three years? Only idiots and diehards follow this club at the moment.

Yeah, losing by a point when you have kicked 15 goals 10 because someone has 5 goals 2 is a bit silly.

DE% would be good instead of Goal Accuracy or whatever that one is.

...and those who post benign opinions.

Keep playing over byes. Makes it interesting. Can get you back in the game if you are switched on.

3 pts for HBs. Yeah, whatever. I am ambivalent. Like the idea of spoils as the best defenders in the game would be relevant in a game they are irrelevant in. But understand if it is too hard basket stuff.

He had an excellent rookie year, the second year blues seem to affect a great number of players but if he keeps it simple he should do well this year. Would love for him to develop as a forward who spends time on a wing this year but he is just a boy still.

Hogan re-signed until the end of 2017 so let's lose our minds over something else...

Double grabbing is a confidence issue. When you are confident in your timing and strength - you meet the footy at the 'right time' constantly - when you are unsure of your ability to get your fingers and thumbs in the right spot and meet it in the air at the right time - you will double grab it.

I am happy if they went with no first year players but form and availability may put pay to that. Of course, I would like to see Vandenberg given a chance but sometimes chances come at the wrong times for individuals to capitalise on them - I wouldn't 'ear mark' any first year player for Rd 1.

Yes, I find myself a bit callous about it; "he wouldn't have been much use this year so if it had to happen, better to do it now." ACLs aren't the end of the world they used to be.

Trengove's injury already meant a rookie could play Rd 1. Now two rookies can play... Yay...

Fans can have a few moments to curse their fortune. Sometimes footy sucks.

I think you are stretching the definition of 'champion' then...

Poor kid. Good thing we are better equipped than ever to deal with ACLs.

You have never had a passive aggressive dessert-based conversation?

Take a breath, mate. And I am not saying get rid of them, I just don't like them - I wish the club didn't need them.

They were very close to beating Hawthorn in the Prelim. Are we close to Hawthorn? The ladder doesn't lie, but those games against PA have led us astray in my view - I think we will be better next year, but worse against PA.

What if they 'work' us out? They are obviously a wildly superior team and with a few tweaks - they might think they should blow us away. I understand the desire to say 'we were only a few well placed goals from doing the double over PA' but on the other hand, we were a few well placed goals from beating absolutely no-one last year.

That's not true. The 'consensus' was more disappointment that a player of his toughness couldn't make it, and then there was a desire for him to be rookied - the rest is history. No-one on here wishes the players ill-will, and we all hope they can become a consistent Demon. But they have their deficiencies and their bad luck and some players work through them and some don't. And some just shouldn't have been chosen to be AFL players.

You always need to have a balance of outside and inside players - I don't think they are playing the same role really. Watts is a high HF who will be asked to patrol about 80m out and get the ball inside the 50 with his feet. Toumpas may have the same skillset but he won't be able to play a high HF role - he might be on a wing and got through the backline. These two will benefit when the team gets first use of the footy and when we move the ball quickly from defence and get space for them to get into - but these aspects rely on others to get them the ball. We just have to get the footy out of the middle more, and to move it quicker out of defence.