No. 31

I went to the MCG on Thursday night, early umpiring gifts for the Tigers, a spirited showing by them. The Blues were still good enough to win despite not being that polished. Harry McKay has had good set shot kicking for 2 games now! When Weitering, Walsh, Marchbank, Martin & Motlop become available for Carlton, they can step it up another notch or two. Caught some of Swans v Carringbush on tv last night. Swans looking switched on and polished with a quality midfield. Looks like the Pies didn't 'take the steps' in the preseason but opted for taking the escalator with a bong in hand instead. Loving their insipid start to 2024. A few more losses in the coming weeks (quite possible) could really dent their top 4 push 😃

I had issues last season with my Demons 3 game membership, uninstalling/re-installing repeatedly never worked properly and I had to email MFC before each match I wanted to go to and they would email a separate ticket for me. My Blues electronic membership never had this issue (even if it was clunky at times). Odd as they appear to use the same software. Using a membership card for Blues and Rebels (Rugby) games this year and no issues at all, always works 😁

Blues Swans Hawks GWS Saints Gold Coast Dees Port Dockers

The Tiges are in for a long rebuild, not sure they have accepted that yet but that is their reality. They did get 3 Flags after 37 years in the wilderness so their fans shouldn't gripe too much.

I don't know how sensible it was going that hard at Princes Park on a very hot night knowing an away trip to Sydney was up next.

That was some comeback by the Blues away in Brisbane!

With an inverted cross as the 'cup' and Slayer for the intro music 🤘😁 [I did go through a bit of a thrash metal phase as a teen] lol

Just out of curiosity, anyone know who David S. supports in footy? 🤔

Agree with all of that (I am a Glen Eira resident) and throw in a velodrome at Packer Park in Carnegie South and an Athletics stadium (with a host if adjacent netball courts) in Murrumbeena. Glen Eira is pretty well served with such infrastructure.

Caulfield Racecourse redevelopment plans mentioned in todays Herald Sun. High quality new spectator and horse stabling areas discussed, nothing about other aspects of the RC redevelopment (like MFC training & admin facilities) in this article though.

Hehe, not too bothered by results in pre-season games, just hoping both teams have a good workout but with no injuries.

That is for the VFL side, not the senior AFL side.

Yes, will be on Kayo. I was planning to go to take my young son for a spot of live footy but having second thoughts now given the very hot day predicted for tomorrow ... 🤔

He seems to have a passion for footy, that is why I mentioned coaching. Ultimately, many doors are open for him, inside and outside of footy, which is a good thing for him ...

Sad news. A determined, courageous and skilled footballer. Humble, intelligent and likeable without the footy boots on. He will always have 2021 and he did play an important role in the 3rd quarter turaround to help the Dees to their first flag in 57 years! I hope he considers coaching, seems to have the core qualities in abundance.

It can be a fine line between being a hero and being a zero. As for the media relishing some current problems at the Dees, take that as a compliment. It is better to be feared than be the loveable, non threatening club that never challenges. Everyone in the AFL knows that with some good luck in terms of injuries at the pointy end of the season, this Demons squad can win another flag. That is why they fear you and relish any problems at MFC.

I watched some of the practice match against Richmond and Kozzie looked good in the middle. Worth using for some cameo rotations occasionally.

Anyone follow Rugby here? Melbourne Rebels are in financial strife and their ongoing future depends upon this upcoming season. They need to perform on the pitch (they have a good squad for this season) and to get more bums on seats to show there is life in Victorian Rugby. If you have some interest in this code, pop out to some Rebels home matches. Round 1 of Super Pacific Rugby against the A.C.T. Brumbies is on this Friday night at AAMI Stadium. Carn the Rebs 🏉 https://www.rugby.com.au/news/rebels-want-wins-and-fans-ahead-of-critical-season-2024219

Walsh will have back issues for his whole career after he had surgery on it last year, he and Carlton need to find the right balance for training loads and recovery. Not the first sportsman to face such issues and won't be the last. Will poll very well in the Brownlow in 2024 is my sneaky tip ...

Red & Blue are prominent colours in the flags of both Koreas, South and North 🇰🇷🇰🇵😊 Also, in traditional Korean folk culture Demons are called Dokkaebi 도깨비 Dokkaebi don't have the negative connotations of Demons as in some other Asian cultures. The Dokkaebi can have supernatural powers, sometimes used in positive ways, sometimes not ... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dokkaebi#:~:text=Dokkaebi (Korean%3A 도깨비) are,and at times helping them.

JVR has an edge to him and I can see him developing into a quality forward. I expect him to step up another notch in 2024.

I got a Demons Digital Membership even if I have Carlton Home Game Membership. An additional $19 saving not enough to entice me, rather give some money to the Dees. If we see an upturn in GWS memberships this year, it might be Kayo fuelled 😁

Interesting about the water table being so deep, you could possibly sink one of the ovals to provide some solid capacity for viewing ... 🤔

I would say the likelihood of a boutique 25K stadium at Gosch's Paddock is low. Who will fund this? There would be plenty of local community opposition I would think, perhaps not as heated as at Yarra Park but still substantial. Also the footptint of this stadium may erode into the training fields for the two professional rugby code clubs who train at AAMI/Gosch's Paddock - Melbourne Storm in Rugby League and Melbourne Rebels in Rugby Union (Carn the Rebs!). I would have thought the bang for buck would be much better investing in Princes Park as a home for AFLW. A new 25K stadium at Gosch's would not come cheap whilst Princes Park wouldn't require much investment to turn it into a quality 25K stadium without any local planning headaches.

Is the premiership 'window' for MFC closing? No, not at all. Sure important lynchpins like May and Gawn are 32 now but the Demons have been quite adept with their draft recruiting and free agency gives them options given that MFC has a healthy financial situation. No reason why the Dees can't replicate how Geelong, Swans and C'Wood have stayed in the mix for Premiership relevance for extended periods. I certainly expect the Dees to be in the mix for the top 4 again this season and if the injury gods are kinder to them they can go all the way again as they did in 2021. Will be interesting to see how JVR matures, he looks to be quality forward in the making. Will also be interesting what mature newcomers like Billings and McAdam can bring to the table. Clayton Oliver is a big question mark though. If he can sort himself out then the Dees should be a real force in 2024.