No. 31

On the way home from work and listening to SEN (just after 6pm) and Kane Cornes having a dig at MFC's crowd size in the MCG finals match against Brisbane Lions last season trying to deflect that Port Adelaide v GWS for Saturday has only sold 37K tickets so far ... reckons Lions supporters made up over 20K+ in the 62K crowd last year so Port's ticket sales aren't that far off ...

Eddie is a nuisance 🤦‍♂️

I grew up in the Demons old Melbourne recruiting zone in S.E. Melbourne. MFC players used to come to teach us footy skills at primary school so I always had a fondness and affinity for them. Robbie Flower came to one of our footy clinics, I remember being pretty excited and made sure I traded footy cards to get his one. My extended family were largely either St Kilda or Richmond supporters (depending upon which suburb they first lived in when they arrived in Melbourne from overseas). I baulked at supporting either of them for some reason despite the attempted bribery to join their ranks and once I found out that I was born in Carlton (at the Royal Womens Hospital) I declared them as my club. The Blues were flying high in the early 80s and my ethnic compatriot, Val Perovic, who featured in the 1981-82 Blues Premiership sides sealed supporting CFC for me.

I had SEN on during part of the day in the background when working and caught the take of some Rugby League bloke on the Maynard "footy act". Very interesting comments, said unequivocally that if in Rugby League, Maynard would definitely be rubbed out for 4 weeks! Interesting viewpoint from north of the Barassi Line. Did anyone else catch these comments?

Actually, I outed myself earlier this year and even had some other Demonlanders confess assorted connections or sympathies with the Navy Blues after my post [I now call them my Blues Brothers 😁] BTW, Ron B was Carlton's most famous No. 31. Tom Alvin ('87 Premiership side) coming in as the second most famous Blue to don the No. 31 guernsey I would say. In the event the Blues get up on Friday (I will be there with the hordes of other Navy Blue Zombies* at the 'G) I won't come here to gloat as that would be disrespectful. I would probably even feel a tinge of sadness mixed with the elation of the Baggers being back in the big time. The Dees are my 'second team', I watch all their matches and even occasionally go to watch them live as I have a membership this season. * reference to Robbo on AFL 360 last night describing the Carlton fans after defeating Sydney last Friday ... he needn't fear us, Zombies lust after brains for food, he will be safe! 😁

Yes, Martin is a big out. However, don't underestimate the fact that Cerra and Walsh are back and both now have had 2 games into their legs, they are primed for a big game(s) I suspect. The real revelation about Carlton in recent times has been the unfashionable role players like Acres, Cottrell, Fogarty, Cincotta etc rather than the 'big name' players. They have been incredibly impactful in recent times 😮

At the risk of becoming a social outcast here, time to nail my navy blue colours to the mast. Yes, I am a Bagger, was born in Carlton and have supported them since I was wee lad! 😁 I think Friday's game is very much a 50/50 prospect and will be a close one. Some outs for the Dees, some outs for the Blues. As for the view from Parc des Princes, I think the Baggers are quietly confident. Reality is the Blues have only lost one match in the last 3 months and that was essentially the dead rubber against GWS in Round 24. So I don't think it is a case of misguided hubris. Carlton are a good side and in form. I think for the Dees to win this they really need Fritsch and Pickett to have a significant scoreboard impact. May the best team on the night win (with no ARC controversies) and then go all the way, via Brisbane, to beat GWS on the big day 😁

Port could on their day but are a bit flakey defensively at the moment. GWS certainly could, very good side and currently in form!

On SEN just before they said the AFL is not appealing.

Yeah, noticed the spelling after I posted.

Just saw this on Twitter, is this a legit account? [Edit - spelling of @ColLingwoodfc is suspicious]

Losing Angus most certainly had an impact. It is one thing to lose a player in the lead up to a game, you can think about alternatives, move the magnets around, prep someone for a different role at training. Different dynamic losing an important player in such circumstances early in the 1st quarter. Still, better composure up forward would have seen the Dees win this.

Jack Martin will get 1 week. 2 weeks is excessive. He is a big out for the Blues but it may be that Jack Silvagni comes back in.

I am the opposite, have always got in first on the laptop as opposed to the mobile ... the mysteries of Ticketek 😊

Heard this mentioned on the Sunday Footy Show this morning. Apparently Neil Mitchell will push this on 3AW on Monday and I just see Mark Robinson pushing for this in the Herald Sun online a few hours ago too. Despite my antipathy towards Neil M. and 'Robbo' its actually a great idea given Ron's amazing history at both the Demons and the Blues. Thumbs up from me 👍

Umm, the Blues do play home games at the MCG 😊

Hmm, not sure about that. I think the term 'sleeping giant' refers more to some very large but hitherto quiet supporter base that is about to be re-awakened. Think Richmond from 2017 or Carlton now 🤔 I think many quiet Dees came out of the woodwork in 2021 and now its more a case of creating new supporters rather than engaging dormant ones. We are in a high migration growth cycle and it is the perfect time for the Dees to market themselves to those new to Melbourne,new to footy to get a club to barrack for. No reason why MFC can't keep building its supporter base to narrow the gap between them and the bigger supported Melbourne Quartet.

70.5K is an awesome membership result. Shows the Dees are clearly on the rise and have broken from the pack of the 'smaller' Melbourne clubs. The Melbourne name, the pedigree of being the origin club for the whole code, elegant club colours and current highly competitive squad places the Demons in a great pisition to tap into new supporters, which I think is already happening (just my anecdotal observations). Should be aiming for 75K+ in 2024 👍

Interestingly, his younger brother, Ollie Hollands has been a first year revelation as a winger for Carlton. Shorter and much thinner than Elijah but Ollie is a real competitor, may not look it but is tough as nails, not afraid of contests and will run all day.

Spot on. Toby whilst being an amazing footballer is a thug. I don't buy this whitewashing of him for a second.

I haven't watched him play but reality is there are some high draft picks who never really make it and there are some who just take longer to develop and mature and real bargains can possibly be found there.

I was at Marvel Stadium tonight. The Blues wanted to make sure Charlie got his second Coleman Medal and he did. Well done, deserved it. Cripps & Docherty rested. Walsh, Cerra & McGovern got to dust off their injury cobwebs with a run. 'Bruise free' footy after half time whilst GWS played with real purpose and intensity for keeping their season alive and trying to get past the Saints on percentage.

I am hoping the following final would be against C'Wood after they lose to the Dees in Week 1 ... (1st v 4th).