demoncat

I’d be worried about us if I still expected us to be a finals team (like in 2024 and 2025) But it’s clear that there’s been a shift since King was appointed and Trac and Clarry were traded out Happy for this to be a development / settling year where King develops his gameplan and our young players start taking the next step And besides - we finished bottom 6 in back to back years with Trac and Clarry anyway, so what have we got to lose

I’ve had stocks on this kid since I saw his first highlights package in 2024 He’s as complete a midfielder I’ve seen come through the club since Clarry debuted in 2016, and I genuinely think he has the talent to be better He’s going to put this club on his back for years and I’m so excited to see his development this year

It’s a different discussion but this is exactly why I think a change in leadership over the next season or two is a necessity Max is one of the all time great leaders in terms of his onfield output - i.e. putting the team on his shoulders But I think we can respectfully all agree he’s not a high IQ footballer (and the same can be said for Viney) More than ever footy demands that players not only know how to use the ball (skills) but know how to manage in game situations For example, half of Collingwood’s success over the last few years has come solely down to them essentially having on field coaches in Pendlebury, Sidebottom and Howe who know how to manage the game (and it’s not a surprise that, in total contrast to us, they have been able to win so many close games) Its been our biggest weakness for years, but thankfully I think many of our young players look like they could start to address it (there were so many times this year where Langford and Lindsay stood out for their composure and ability to make the right decision)

100% agree Our social media presence has improved markedly over the last few months and I hope we’re considering an overhaul of our logo/branding too There is so much potential to lean into and incorporate the demon, plus we already have an inspired retro option with the flame head which could be repurposed if we wanted to go in that direction Oh and get rid of “Demon Spirit” while you’re at it - it doesn’t mean anything and we’ve had plenty of better slogans in the past (I was always partial to “Give em Hell”)

Love this - you can’t teach instinct!

As someone who works in government, and in an area that liases with multiple Minister’s offices, I can confirm that the timing of any public announcement of a government funded project is dictated entirely by the relevant Minister and the government at large I think Green has likely gotten ahead of himself and was not familiar with how these processes work, hence the indication that an announcement was close when in actuality an announcement is entirely out of our hands Having said that, the lack of announcement at the AGM doesn’t mean the work isn’t being done and that we’re not actually close to securing funding or approval for the project - we may just be waiting for government to commit and announcement a communication timeline/strategy

But I thought we had a really exciting announcement coming? I mean that’s what Brad Green basically said when he was giddy as a school girl at King’s introductory press conference I know that even if things are progressing behind the scenes we can’t necessarily make any public announcements (especially if government funding is involved), but come on, at least throw us a bone

Dees/Bucks fan here - it’s been rough Glad my Packers are getting it together though - it’s what’s keeping me going at the moment 🧀

You’re absolutely deluded if you don’t think Naicos is one of the best midfielders in the comp On the topic of our midfield - I think we’ve most of the pieces for long term success sans an explosive mid fwd type (Bailey Humphrey, anyone?) Bring in Humphrey or another highly rated mid with our first round pick next year, and we’re off

I know you might not be able to publicly post some of your reasons, but I’m genuinely curious why you don’t rate Max as a skipper? Not saying I necessarily disagree given how the past few years have gone (both on and off field), but ultimately if the players are voting him in he must be inspiring some level of confidence from the group

Our biggest gap is in that 24-28 age group, but I reckon we’ll look to bolster that via trade and free agency over the next few years Show some improvement and draft strongly again next year, and we should be able to top up the list and start contending from 28 onwards

Big opportunity for Taylor We’re going to miss Bowey as he was our best defender last year and looked set to thrive with our new gameplan, but it’s a good opportunity for others to step up and cement a place even once he’s back

Bowey 🥺

Can they replace MA Services on our jumper or?

Also on Laurie - I’m curious that he’s been playing small forward as (to your point) it seems like he wouldn’t be getting games at AFL level in that position But then I guess he might not get games playing midfield either…

Reckon he’d be at a 5 for me I’ll give him a bit of a boo but at the end of the day he wasn’t contracted and didn’t express that he was going to stay (publicly anyway…)

Yikes Sport is a business and all that, but he’s not exactly endearing himself to Dees supporters is he?

A question for track watchers / those who have been more involved in amateur / semi professional footy than I have: What are the benefits of doing these drills where the ‘attacking’ group outnumbers the ‘defending’ group as per Andy’s post above? I know that’s the ideal situation we’d want to simulate on game day, but I feel part of our problem has been that we haven’t been able to generate that out number when the pressure has been on in a real game Would it make more sense to try and do these drills with an even number of players, or potentially even a disadvantage in numbers, to better simulate a game day situation? Or is it the case that we’re never going to create that situation on game day unless we practice it in training? It sounds a bit chicken or egg when I put it that way 🐓

Sparrow and Laurie would be two who I’m interested to hear about I said in an earlier training thread that both have struggled for impact in the half fwd role at AFL level, but could have another level to go to if they’re afforded more midfield minutes in a new gameplan under King Any observations are much appreciated!

Yikes you lot are all fun at parties aren’t you 🤣 Believe it or not there’s actually a demographic of AFL supporters - particularly younger ones - who really like when teams bring out retro/unique guernseys You might not like the designs, but saying things like “stop messing with the guernseys” is really giving this vibe:

Would also be curious to hear where Sparrow and Laurie are lining up Both have struggled in the half fwd role at AFL level, but maybe with a new coach and Trac and Clarry out of the midfield, they’ll have a chance to show their wares through the middle of the ground

We already had them as a minor partner last season

Thanking the draft gods that Essendon were dumb enough not to take him Would love to have a pick after them each year to make sure we’re always getting a good player 😉

A reasonable assumption would be that it’s tied to population and our South East Melbourne area has seen significant growth in that regard Of course that’s assuming that the AFL are reasonable, which they aren’t Seems like we’ve just lost out for no good reason 🤷