Skuit

46 contested possessions in the past fortnight. Against two big-bodied mid-fields. Insane. Can someone with Twitter ask Champion Data what the two-week and three-week records are? (This question was asked re. tackles earlier in the year and quickly answered).

Ben reminds me of an enthusiastic young Labrador with boundless energy and the equivalent trainability. If North tell him to stay, he'll stay.

Something just doesn't feel right in the middle since Gawn's return. The opposition are sharking the taps and seem to then have open exits. I don't have stats or vision but I suspect it is how we are setting up - with an expectation of a ruck advantage. Not blocking or hustling or reading the hand as well as we were when we expected to lose the tap. And perhaps Gawn is trying to do too much to stamp some ascendancy when he's struggling to otherwise have an impact. He can't seem to bring himself to just drop it at the feet. He ran into form in the first half last week and it worked - otherwise, our whole structure seems to have been effected (i50 entry-points etc.) In the process, we've lost the impetus of Pedo from the middle and then from the team entirely. I suggested when Spencer came back from injury and Gawn was still out that we may overlook Jake as it's perhaps better to know you're going to either win or lose the taps than have to play to a 50/50. But I think Gawn's return and lack of impact has allowed the opposition to set up with the expectation they'll lose the tap. Or that something could simply be a bloke named Nathan Jones. I'm sure it won't happen, but I'd like to see Pedo go back to first ruck, and have Gawn start at full-forward and ruck the forward-50 with his trick-bag. Let our mids know it's up to them to extract the ball. Would also love to see Maynard given a crack but this is a game for our A-team and Jones and Vince (with a stopping role) are significant upgrades on JKH and Trenners. In: Jones, Pedo, Vince. Out: JKH, Hogan, Trengove.

How about that Clarry, huh? Losing to North is getting a bit annoying.

Not according to my passport, but my girlfriend says we are all the one and the same and exist in the single sensory continuum from Paul Roos to RuPaul. You should consider changing your username to Destroy Hate.

Still being managed though T.O.G. And you can tell when it's happening, as it coincides with our flat-spots in the centre.

I find this OP somewhat disconcerting in a Smegal/Fight Club sense.

You might be right Danelska. No one has used a 'love' emoticon for a single one of my posts yet, while I'm in turn struggling to venture beyond the emotional safety of a casual thumbs up.

If the Adelaide match in Darwin is anything to go by then some light rain and a slippery ball is not a help. It exposed our lack of ball-handling class and makes our high-risk quick-movement playing style all the more difficult to execute. Maybe heavy rain and a hard slog would be more to our suiting, but it would also benefit North's slower big-bodied mids and turn it into a crap-shoot. It also hampers our recovery for GWS. We may be a hard, contested team, but we play dry-weather football.

While we're here. In the profile link, underneath 'Profile' is the subhead 'My Attachments'. My partner is a yoga and meditation teacher and is forever trying manage my game-day anxiety and post-match irritation by exploring the root of my fears and through other Buddhist gobbledygook. Can we change this to just 'Attachments', so I don't have to ponder my life and its place in the Cosmos every time I log in with the simple earthy desire to hear people bickering about Oscar MacDonald? Cheers.

You ruined the bit where people have to ask me what it was. I'm downgrading my experience of seeing you on my stroll as just pretty good.

Place your bets here on the future Demonland club-house champions in each category of emoticon usage. Sad: Angry: Shocked: Love:

I once went for a walk and saw something amazing.

17-5 AFLX Finals Wildcard. OOB last-touch penalty. Just freakin' stop already.

I think we went in unchanged after beating a South Australian team earlier in the year. Stay away from the omens thread.

Well that was an anti-CorMayx.

Forgetting Old Man Sheeds for the moment - two swipes from Roos in recent weeks I've found extra reassuring (not that I really needed it). System over talent re. GWS - and questioning Collingwood's list and recruitment strategy;: http://www.sportingnews.com/au/afl/news/roos-slams-collingwoods-recruitment-failings-afl-magpies-pies-paul-buckley/1uhzk1md4h7bp1xvbiejhok6k0 It just reinforces that Roos was ever-mindful of these factors while dragging us up off the canvas.

Maynard started out off half-back with the Scorps, no? Think JT or else JKH may be on the block.

Lolz Bulldogs and their Bernie Quinlan curse. Tippet now? Still looking for a replacement after all these years. Why don't they just employ a forward development coach fcs? They think they're Sydney but they're doing it wrong.

A question to the community - is there any correlation between those who have played football or another team sport, or those of a mature vintage, and a steadfast distaste for the notion of co-captaincy? For the record, I played junior footy into my late teens (as well as other individual and team-sports since), and am in my mid-30s. I'm also fine with joint captains.

Welcome aboard DeesNuts, although people might think you're a sock-puppet if you're in agreement with me and post late at night. And likewise, I agree with your assessment on Trenners - his biggest influence last week was in short chipping to find a target and relief from pressure in defence. While at times the chips reminded me of a forgettable era, those skills transferred to half-forward could be very handy when entering a crowded 50. Unfortunately though, I think it's a matter of trying to continue to instill these same skills in our current HF personnel, as JT doesn't have the capacity to goal from long-range and may be a bit unfleet of foot to apply the required forward pressure. I would also question his ability to take the daring option when it presents.

I'm curious. For those with the patience to venture onto opposition fan-sites, which Demons players have sparked 30-page discussions on their potential poaching? Probably not 30 pages, but I'd be interested to hear in general who opposition fans think they can prise free, the currency suggested, and their perspective on these players as compared to our own.

Roos trolling Sydney every chance he got.

Pushing up from one's respective end is a Kundalini technique to address our problems with the 'release-valve', and depends on a strong spine and soft hands when engaging in elevated contact.

It was the captain's version of, 'just kick the bloody thing'.