Skuit

The boys have been talking about only two things all month: the 57-year premiership drought, and the die-hard fans stuck back at home. It's our time. I don't think the message will stray far from this, as well as go out and play the way we have all year, the way they have been coached to do. That's enough motivation. All Goody has to do is get them to believe in themselves, as most pundits and posters on here know that we have a better team.

Please help. I was distraught yesterday to learn that Kayo wouldn't be showing the game live (although I'm glad I found out before the match). I don't own a TV and wouldn't watch it again if I got one. I don't really want to be out in the greater public for the match. So my options are limited: buy or rent a TV for one night (the former is expensive and wasteful, while the latter seems to be an impossibility here in Cairns); get a international pass and VPN to watch it (I'm really not that clued in in how do to that); risk a pirated stream with [censored] quality (not advocating anyone do that, but it happens), or?

Yep. I've finally been broken, and woke up with so much resolve. I love them all, and it has given me renewed respect for all the players that haven't quite made it in recent years. Everyone has contributed, in their own way.

Cross-post from the Class of 2000 thread: Guy Rigoni: “We went over to Todd’s place for a midfield meeting one day and Jack Viney got his teeth knocked out on the trampoline out the back. He came inside and Todd said ‘don’t you cry!’” Andrew Leoncelli: “Jack Viney has always been heart and soul. He was a wild kid. Todd was an unusual dad, so Jack would just be tearing around, kicking the footy, and Todd would grab him and say ‘shut up!’ Olden day parenting, you know.” Brent Grgic: “Todd played when I was playing. He used to drag Jack around and his brother Max. He was a very tough two-year-old! He played the same as his Dad.” Travis Johnstone: “I remember Jack Viney annoying the crap out of us when he came into the rooms. He would go mad, crashing into walls. He grew up with us and now he’s playing.” Jeepers. We know that Jack is special, and I don’t agree with the parental approach (although I grew up in the world of high-level tennis and often regret that I didn’t have overbearing parents – pretty much the only way you can succeed in the sport) – but Jack was reared as a hardened football robot. A flag and Norm Smith medal is the only reasonable outcome. David Neitz: “I had a shot early and I will never forget missing it. It was a left foot snap and you do it in training which makes it sort of gettable. I slammed it into the post. I never forget that.” I’ll never forget that either. On a day where you felt everything had to go right, this was a serious early blow to the confidence (thankfully today feels completely different, and that we can overcome any early set-backs). I still remember my muck-ups in regular under-15 games ffs. I feel sorry that Neita has to live with this. Let's change the story. Anthony Ingerson: “On the ground, I smashed heads with a teammate in the first few minutes. I went to the bench and Neale Daniher was screaming: ‘Get him on the ground!’ The doctor stapled across my forehead and I was back out on the ground within two minutes, with my entire head sideways.” We did get bullied in 2000, but the general carnage was insane. The game feels different today (though last year’s grand final was pretty hectic), and our team feels different. I'm sure that we will stand up to any physical onslaught, even if a couple key players go down. David Schwarz: “Running out onto the ground was [censored]ing phenomenal. The roar was like 25 steam-trains going at once. You couldn’t even hear yourself think.” Troy Simmonds: “I’ve seen the vision of Long’s bump on me numerous times. When I finished up at Richmond they put it on the highlights video! I went to hospital. I do remember coming in the changerooms. I saw my parents there and I was asking ‘where am I’ and ‘what’s going on?” Fire! All of the old boys are tipping us to win, with Oliver, Petracca and Gawn splitting allegiances as to favourite current player and Norm Smith tip. Go the mighty Dees!

Other highlights though: Guy Rigoni: “We went over to Todd’s place for a midfield meeting one day and Jack Viney got his teeth knocked out on the trampoline out the back. He came inside and Todd said ‘don’t you cry!’” Andrew Leoncelli: “Jack Viney has always been heart and soul. He was a wild kid. Todd was an unusual dad, so Jack would just be tearing around, kicking the footy, and Todd would grab him and say ‘shut up!’ Olden day parenting, you know.” Brent Grgic: “Todd played when I was playing. He used to drag Jack around and his brother Max. He was a very tough two-year-old! He played the same as his Dad.” Travis Johnstone: “I remember Jack Viney annoying the crap out of us when he came into the rooms. He would go mad, crashing into walls. He grew up with us and now he’s playing.” Jeepers. We know that Jack is special, and I don’t agree with the parental approach (although I grew up in the world of high-level tennis and often regret that I didn’t have overbearing parents – pretty much the only way you can succeed in the sport) – but Jack was reared as a hardened football robot. A flag and Norm Smith medal is the only reasonable outcome. David Neitz: “I had a shot early and I will never forget missing it. It was a left foot snap and you do it in training which makes it sort of gettable. I slammed it into the post. I never forget that.” I’ll never forget that either. On a day where you felt everything had to go right, this was a serious early blow to the confidence (thankfully today feels completely different, and that we can overcome any early set-backs). I still remember my muck-ups in regular under-15 games. I feel sorry that Neita has to live with this. Anthony Ingerson: “On the ground, I smashed heads with a teammate in the first few minutes. I went to the bench and Neale Daniher was screaming: ‘Get him on the ground!’ The doctor stapled across my forehead and I was back out on the ground within two minutes, with my entire head sideways.” We did get bullied in 2000, but the general carnage was insane. The game feels different today (though last year’s grand final was pretty hectic), and our team feels different. We will stand up to any physical onslaught, even if a couple key players go down. David Schwarz: “Running out onto the ground was [censored]ing phenomenal. The roar was like 25 steam-trains going at once. You couldn’t even hear yourself think.” Troy Simmonds: “I’ve seen the vision of Long’s bump on me numerous times. When I finished up at Richmond they put it on the highlights video! I went to hospital. I do remember coming in the changerooms. I saw my parents there and I was asking ‘where am I’ and ‘what’s going on?” Fire! All of the old boys are tipping us to win, with Oliver, Petracca and Gawn splitting allegiances as to favourite current player and Norm Smith tip.

My partner's six-year-old daughter just sent me a drawing of the "Demon robot crushing the other team". Her dad is Collingwood, but the rest of her family on that side are Melbourne. I think that's Bontempelli in the bottom-right, and Macrae on the left.

I hope Jeff Farmer is okay - quoted as not being interested (it's not clear if he isn't interested in the GF or simply not interested in being interviewed, saying he is 'happy living the quiet life'). Seeing his celebrations at the MCG in recent times was a massive boon, but maybe he identified that he needed a spell (or that memories of 2000 are a bit too emotional). I also hope it's not related to Kobe not getting a gig - I'm sure that our club is professionally run nowadays and treated Kobe well. Does anyone know what the youngun' has been up to this year football-wise? No doubt he remains on our radar.

After a lifetime of nerves and screaming at the television, I've felt an odd detachment for most of this year, calmly watching each match with the occasional quiet fist pump here and there. Even round 23 failed to launch me off the couch as it would have in the past. I have wondered if maybe I had run out of emotional puff, right as the club was coming good. But no, it's the confidence I have in the coaches and team, like a proud parent having done their job through the multitude of challenges and finally sending their offspring out into the world. Today is graduation day, and I don't feel nervous at all. I'm not even all that concerned if we lose, as I know we have built such a solid team with another gear yet to come. That feeling may change closer to kick-off. I'm hoping Gawny will give us another knowing smile during the anthem, and then I'll know we're ready to roll. I'm also hoping that if we do happen to succumb to the occasion, then Demonland will be a place for shared disappointment and a celebration for what we have achieved - rather than anger and reprisals. Good luck everyone, with my thoughts especially going out to those enduring lock-down and unable to enjoy the game with extended family and friends. In a way, the isolation itself will be a unique shared experience among many supporters, unlikely to be repeated again, and another special chapter in the storied history of the Melbourne Football Club. One final, and emphatic, Go Dees!

Possibly half of my favourite ever half a dozen players have worn the #13 (at least two out of my top 3), with all of those present at Optus this weekend. Go Dees!

LG as a sponsor ran from 1998 to 2003, covering the entirety of Daniher's tenure. Could be a red herring though, with extra signatures possibly collected after that period ad hoc. You say you received it around 15 years ago though, so let's presume it was current at the time and cut off at around 2006. Neale's signature looks different in later life, but we can all appreciate there's a very good reason for that. We'll rule out Daniel Nicholson, in a weird way of signing one's name. Another earlier scribble pretty much confirms Daniher. First thought was Simon Godfrey in the top left - but on checking Schwartz's signature online, this looks like a somewhat horribly squished example, although I'm sure it's not easy signing fabric. And maybe a suggestion of a #5 above it? Leoncelli is a cert below that, and I think S. Febey is likely too (although I'd like to ask the latter some questions about his design, as it looks much more like Stevie J. The original Stevie posts on here from memory - so maybe he can confirm?). What looks like a #21 however could also be the exact same as a random signature squiggle. Stephen Tingay, bless his woollen socks, may also possibly fit the bill here (though definitely not according to other online examples). The one to the right of that and the bottom one are a complete mystery though, yet I would naturally go for Jeff White over Farmer for the lowest one. Hilton however looks the most spot-on to me, though I actually think it's bizarrely David Neitz! Was going to go with a very random suggestion of Brad Green for the former, but doesn't fit with other online examples. Other left-field suggestions included Lyon and Woewodin, but they don't fit either. And not R. Robertson. Thanks for the distraction B_Wright. I'll be up all night on this one.

This may interest you as a member of the medical profession Webber. Last year I was caring for my father with advanced Alzheimer's. One evening he had a crazy flare-up like nothing even close to what I had experienced previously - he was completely out of control. Super anxious and rambling about death and trying to find some car keys to flee the house. I had to call another family member for support, and while I was on the phone a decent sized earthquake struck off the coast of Darwin, enough to briefly rattle the house. Afterwards he chilled right out again, like nothing had happened. I have absolutely no doubt that it wasn't a coincidence. Have you ever heard of anything like that before?

According to AFL Tables no one had any disposals in that match, with presumably all 14 of our goals soccered off the ground.

Are you going to brave Coco's AmDam?

Possibly the most welcome interloper on any of the club's forums. A credit to yourself Ash. Cheers for your kind support over the years, and hoping you have a great day on Saturday like the rest of us fools.

So outside of Richmond (which I still can't bring myself to rate as a decent team), between me, you, BillyBeane (COLA mention) and MT64 (ongoing West Coke), the last legitimate premiership was achieved by Collingwood in 2010. But they also had a truck-load of F/S and priority bonuses (including Daisy Thomas, Heath Shaw, Travis Cloke and Josh Fraser). Maybe Port's 2004 triumph is the purest example, though I have no recollections of what Port received in draft concessions on entry into the AFL?

I'm not sure if I've ever been in greater agreement with a post on Demonland. In an odd roundabout way, we can cover for JJ, but JJ can't cover for a number of contingencies. Experience alone should be a factor. Jordon is 20 and will get his turn.

And a couple streets from my last house(boat)!

Love that you're at number 13. I have ridden past this house every match this year on my pre-game routine to the bottle shop:

Definitely bringing the Charlie Spargo vibes.

Since the 2016/17? Bali away fiasco the club has nailed everyone of its jumpers and most of its marketing. The Red-back looks awesome. Who cares? Let's win a premiership!

Seems wildly unfair that anyone on here can slag off any one of our players or coaching staff and wind it back with a 'schucks, I got it wrong' mea culpa, but gloating is considered so unseemly in comparison. And I use the term 'mea culpa' deliberately, we simply wouldn't be here on grand final eve if a lot of our fans and posters got their way last year. Anyways, [censored] it: I've always thought Simon was the right guy, and my record will reflect that, and I feel especially chuffed with this recognition for Goody for what he has turned this team into. Go Dees! And for anyone still deflecting to (the undoubtedly influential) Yze and Choco as prime instigators of our flag charge, look up confirmation bias and then go back and reflect on our past four years as a club under Goodwin.

Jack made me cry last time out, when he lifted Gawn off the turf.

I'm a firm believer that satire should be as understated as possible, but you still have to give a slight hint DeezNuts. Also, why do the commentators always refer to Stevic as Matt Stevic in full? Until this thread I've never been sure if his name was Matt Stevic, or Matstevic with a mystery given name. The same thing makes me okay with being screwed over for Mac Andrew as an NGA, as I'm sure he will take on the unlikely Scottish name of McAndrew during his career, and I get annoyed by small things, apparently.

The phrase 'It's on like Donkey Kong' denotes a readiness for some fierce competition. While Donkey Kong's famed nemesis Mario comes from the Mushroom Kingdom, he's clearly of Italian stock. Less clear is what's inside the barrels that DK relentlessly hurls at Mario, but they may well be barrels full of cash. I'm getting distinct Lygon Street vibes here. Meanwhile, Frankie Valli is also of Italian heritage, as is the name Cerra. I'm not sure what Cerra means in Italian, but in Portuguese it means something like 'closes', and I think can be used in a way similar to close your mouth (or Shaddap You Face) - or 'pipe down' in English, bringing us right back to Mario. I also recall something about Mario raising a 'flag first' when he reached the conclusion of a stage before taking on the end-boss?

Nothing mentioned so far in this thread remotely bothers me. I love fancy cheese. I buy it with my Basics Card. Never been to the snow, and don't have my driver's licence let alone own a Range Rover (I'm currently borrowing my mum's bicycle). I'm not sure why anyone would remotely care about overworn stereotypes, delivered by toothless morons eating meat pies. The only thing that riles me is outsider perceptions that our current team has been built on the back of an AFL leg-up, through priority picks and free agency overcompensation, when it often feels quite the opposite. The only decent AFL-backing we have been given is the one never mentioned - the installation of Peter Jackson, which then brought us Roos. We received pick 3 as compensation for James Frawley, as per the formula and in a demonstration of why the system was built as it was. Buddy Franklin is irrelevant. We haven't benefited from free agency player-wise, outside of an injured Tomlinson. Our last priority pick was Scully in 2009, which we have since parlayed, as did the Dogs with 2005 priority selection Ryan Griffen. Meanwhile, our opponents this week were handed a free number one last year, and have another top-three talent arriving via father-son this year. (They also landed Treloar for the equivalent of about pick 60). Our first real NGA prospect is now likely off the table. We have Jack Viney as a F/S (26), while they have Tom Liberatore (41), as well as Hunter (49), Cordy and Wallis. All done and said, we will have an equal number of former top-ten picks running around on Saturday. I expect once the feel-good factor wears off, this narrative of AFL hand-outs will start to become more prominent once again. I don't recall a sentiment of unfair advantage around the Cats and Hawks dynasties, and they benefitted from F/S and priorities way more than us.