Kieren from Canberra

Last year's game 13 Aug Tonight 1. Players not playing tonight (who played last year): Oliver, Hibberd, Petty, Melksham, Brown, Jordan, Hunt, Jackson Sub: Bedford 2. Players in (who didn't play last year): Chandler, Roo, J Smith, Grundy, Hunter, McVee, Tomlinson, Bowey 23rd player: Jordan Last year 1. 55,705 on a Saturday night 2. Cripps plays after (a 4 & a half hour session) getting off at tribunal. Boo'd heavily in the 1st q 3. Had the Blues won (or drawn), they played finals for 1st time since 2013. Plenty to play for then...and tonight 4. Lingers booed regularly, didn't realise the Blues liked duck for dinner. Geez I miss the hair 5. Dees continued staying top 4 all year with the win (40 weeks in total) 6. This Canberran fan got to attend this thriller 1st 1. Cerra plays after getting off at the tribunal (didn’t play last year, abductor strain) 2. Setterfield to McKay (who's on Maysie) within first 30 seconds. Harry kicks it out on the full, May feeds it to him 3. Milkshakes (game 205) & Viney both miss terribly with shots on goal in first 5 mins. 4. 1st goal Melky after Trac sublime delivery. Brawshaw takes next centre bounce (& plenty more) already up to 3 clearances 5. 6 zip contested marks (we ave'd 11/game last year), 24/18 contested possessions, 4 zip free's to us after 10mins. Tackles 10/7 to them 6. Blues 1st score is a May rushed behind with 8 to play 7. McKay round the corner kick for goal (after run down tackle on Gus). A Silvagni point on the siren gives them the lead. 1.2.8 to 1.3.9 8. Gus (11 disp) & Gawny (& Dogga) enormous this q 2nd: 1. 2nd goal a Kozzy special, superb tackle causes a free on the 50. 33rd goal for the season. Geez I miss the hair 2. 7-4 tackles inside 50 to us 3. 11/4 contested marks to us with 11 to play. Gawn at his best. Free's 10/4 to us. 4. Curnow given [censored] downfield free from Petty off the ball, misses...badly. Petty then saves certain goal a minute later 5. 26/20 contested possy's to us, 13/7 tackles to them, 10 to play. 6. 2.4.16 a piece with 6 & a half to play (average score each team is 87 Dees, 85 Blues at this point of 2022). Lowest scoring half for the year with 3mins to play 7. May & Petty owning McKay & Curnow respectively. Pressure from both teams elite 8. 3rd goal Melky incredible crumb & goal 9. 4th goal Fritta after a downfield free 10. 4.6.30 to 3.4.22 Dees win 2nd q 3rd 1. 5th goal -GAAAAAWNY! Big mark in the 50, goes back & slots it at 15min mark 2. 6th goal - Melky with his 3rd after a lovely entry from Clarry 3. Floodgates open in 3rd. Blues take the lead with 12 to play 6.6 42 to 6.7.43 4. Contested possy's 22/20, tackles 11/9, clearances 8/5 to them 7 & a half to play 5. 7th goal - Dees back in front with brilliant checkside Trac (from Clarry brilliance) goal 6. 6 lead changes thus far 7. Blues win 3rd but Dees lead 7.11.53 to 7.8.50. Brawshaw with 30, 9 clearances BOG. Crippa 24 (15 contested, 8 clearances, 8 tackles) 4th 1. No Blues fans have left the ground. Weird feeling 2. Max's marking a factor. Curnow 4 behinds for the night 3. 7th lead change put Blues in the lead with 14 to play 4. 8th goal (& lead change) - Lingers brilliance on the goal line 5. Get one go our way, score review says Petty touches one as it sails through the middle with 11 to play. Given the result, nice to get one 6. Free's 22/11 to us 10 to play. 9th lead change, Blues lead (J.Martin with 3) 7. 9th goal - BIG mark. Big Benny Brown. Crowd goals wild 8. 13/8 inside 50's, 62%/38% time in forward half to them 4 to play. 9. Curnow finally kicks one (62 for the year, leading the Coleman) with 3 to go 10. 10th goal - HUUUGE Melky mark kicks 4th, first time since 2018. 2mins left 11. With 30 seconds left, Lever famously kicks to the corridor, Hunt delivers to the perfect spot aaand Melky superb to....KOZZY!!!! (10th lead change) • Fritta & Brown (although both applied GREAT inside 50 pressure/tackles) quiet • Backline fantastic; Salem, Hunt, Hibbo, Rivers & the big 3. McKay kicks 3 but gifted 2 by the umps • Hopefully Smith can have a 'Melky' game

I rang in to Demonland tonight & was thankful Andy & Binman gave me some time to share my thoughts on this great team we barrack for. Here's what I said & what I feel. I'd like to share my thoughts on the Redlegs as a whole circa 2023. As a club, we're in rarefied air; a men's, women's & VFL Premiership all within the last 2 years. A recruiting, administrative & conditioning team that made impeccable decisions for almost 10 years. The highest paid up memberships in the history of the club. A pool of generational talent signed to long term deals. A strong list of youngsters pushing our best 22 for team selection. A destination club that has attracted All Australians, Best & Fairest's and previous club captains. A team of A list assistant coaches. A coach that tasted the highest success in his playing career & now also as a head coach, that not only learnt from a genius & passionate Demon fan in Paul Roos, but is young enough to relate to his players, young enough to grow with his players & young enough to be around for another decade which creates an environment of trust & cohesion. If you think back to your amateur team sports days, be it AFL footy, local cricket or even indoor soccer, when did you, as a team, create success? When you had consistency & cohesion & trust. When you had the same 22 fellas running out to kick the sherrin, the same 11 blokes going out to field, the same 5 friends putting on shingaurds. Why, because you built patterns, game plans and trust in their abilities. You could anticipate what your team mates were going to do & when they needed your help. The Dees finally have this. Stability, trust & importantly genuine class. What we don't have is a recent history of it. They're learning to be successful. Just as we as a supporter base are learning with them. We're not used to this success, being the favourites to win every game, being in every game, no longer being thrashed each week. But what I consistently see when I read frustrated fans' posts on various platforms is that we should be better. And it's this word I'd like to analyse. 'Better than what' is what I would like to ask. Is it possible to win every game? Of course not. Is it possible to only lose 4 games in a season. History would suggest not often. It's been decades since we've had this kind of heat. Teams need to play at their very best to beat us. So each week, we are playing the very best the opposition has to give, week in, week out. This takes its toll on the boys; you simply cannot be up every week. You simply cannot be 'better' all the time. This not an excuse, or a defeatist attitude, it's a fact. We all know the cliches; you don't win flags in 'insert any month except September', you have to peak at the right time, you must finish top 4 to win a flag. They're cliches for a reason, because the better teams have fulfilled these cliches better than other teams. As Binman says, if you have all the pieces in place as we do (talent, good governance etc), the key determinant is injuries & increasingly suspensions. These are the things to concern yourself of. Not the team itself. In the cut & thrust of battle ie the home & away season, it can be hard to pull back & see the bigger picture. What is it? The future has never been better. It's ok to be angry at losses but let's get behind them rather than walk away. Let's be that club that turns the umps whistles our way with our own noise of affirmation. Let's continue to pay our membership, to buy whatever merch we can afford from the Demon shop to assist the club to find a spiritual home for us congregate; not Casey or Gosch but a real home. Let's not feed into the collective anxiety that if we don't win a flag in the next few years, we never will again, but rather strive for sustained prolonged success. Because then the flags are inevitable. Simply my point is, trust in this team, this collective organisation. The club has never been in a better position. If we can't enjoy this now, when can we enjoy this team?

Hi Dees friends, I'm a Canberra fan coming to Melbourne for the next week. Wondering where I can find out when Dees training sessions are on (& where)? Many thanks in advance, go Red Legs 💙❤