Skuit

My pointless prediction: Gawndy to kick a combined five goals: forward-line problem solved (not actually solved, just adding to future selection dilemmas). Also, MFC vs Carlton to have many wild momentum swings.

Chatting to a (Collingwood) mate and he thinks the AFL are demonstrating a massive, somewhat patronising blind-spot in the opposing manner they've responded to men's and women's soccer. The silliness in trying to divert attention from the Socceroos, to then fully embracing the Matildas. He wasn't arguing that that the AFL shouldn't accommodate multi-code fans, but suggested women's soccer is a far bigger threat to the future of the fledgling AFLW than what men's soccer represents to the AFL. I have to agree with him on many levels, including specific issues as to gender and parental concerns. Not sure what it's like in the US or Ireland (the latter I am a bit familiar with though), but the jingoistic cross-code rivalry in Australia is quite bizarre, albeit driven by traditional state parochialism and other factors. However, both the men's and women's domestic soccer comps have never quite functioned properly in Australia. So why not then embrace rival codes, capitalise on our tribalistic nature and have the domestic soccer clubs derived from traditional AFL and NRL teams? It makes so much sense to me, from both a cost and development perspective. I have little interest in local soccer, but may be piqued by the Demons playing the Broncos. If we had an in-house professional soccer and Aussie Rules program, we may lose some talent to the other code, but that is happening already. At least in this scenario, we can get sporting potential through the door and identify the best pathway fit from an earlier age. Ramble over. TLDR: love, don't hate.

I just got an advert for Duursma's Air Conditioning on Demonland. They also have lines in drive technology and hoisting equipment. While disappointed that I wasn't offered the opportunity to meet singles in my area, I'm sprinkling those tea leaves on a muffin.

That's all part of my reasoning dee-tox, but Tim Lamb must have been a clairvoyant to have worked out that Zane would fall almost exactly at Fremantle's eventual future first! I'm guessing we would have been prepared to trade up to snag him if we had lower picks and saw the potential, but the options and variables have opened up a bit now. Fancy discussing all the permutations over a pint sometime? I'm presently back in the neighbourhood.

I'm still in the not trying our best camp laysie. Take a leaf out of your handle's book, I say. If we can win by playing lazy then we are almost guaranteed a premiership. Win this one with zero effort and we can loaf our way to another flag and still be cherry-ripe for a fresh, relaxed tilt next year with a Bali sojourn in between.

How do you feel about Duursma, as that's how I see it tracking?

Clarry sounds like he is slurring quite a bit. Has he swapped out cocaine for Cointreau? I wonder which tonic is best for weekend preparation? Maybe we'll see him swap out his ultra-hyper handballs for looping laconic Caribbean ones?

This week's medical learnings on Demonland: A) The Lisfranc injury was named after some French general whose solution was to amputate half the foot. B) The Persian army invented high heels to save their cavalrymen from gruesome stirrup injuries. C) Future MFC F/S captain George Gawn may one day take the field with a portion of my ankle. What a website. I will endeavor to stop wearing high heels to give George the most robust tendon possible.

This is undoubtedly true, but just to be clear I'm not a consultant. I just write about the various conpeople and swindlers in the industry, along with the decent folk who also genuinely try to make a difference.

Special request to please reference Max almost single-handedly ruining Cory Enright's 300th with a break-out performance. Gawn had notched up less than 30 appearances by that stage in his career.

Haha. Sorry demonsaw, just being playful. No insult intended - I was born with my tongue firmly lodged in my cheek. However, you did just manage to denigrate the entire industry which currently pays my bills (although I agree with the conning assessment).

Anther oddity is basically having to learn the names of the 46 competitors to effectively do their part-time job; i.e. for ruck nominations and indicating the receiver of free kicks and who an opponent should hand the ball back to. Equally bizarre is that the players also have to know the names of their opponents so as not to incur further penalties, and often their first names as well. Lever getting told to return the ball to 'Eddie': who the hell is that?

If Collingwood had snuck in another late goal against us on King's Birthday do you think any commentator would be dismissing that win? No, it would speak to their brilliance in reining in another contender. See vs Port.

While no one would argue that our forward-line looks like a well-oiled machine, we're still third for points scored this year, and with a better defensive record than the two teams ahead of us. And it's not like our mids are contributing all that much, bar Petracca in a hybrid role. Gawndy have been good for 20 (many of those as part of our forward set up), and Viney and Sparrow have together chipped in about 15. Reality is, our forwards have kicked a lot of goals this year between them. I suppose one needs to consider i50 conversion, but that's a function of our game plan.

You've convinced me to your way of thinking, that we should maybe contemplate competing for this year's flag - I just hope the footy department are on board with such an approach. Even if our first-rounder slips back to say #21, we could possibly package it up with our future first and Freo's second to move back up to around that #17 mark.

You're right. I have no idea. I should have stated that I don't think we will be on the board until probably pick 5, with plenty still to choose from. One thing no one has remotely considered is the potential for us to slide backwards ourselves to secure two late top-tens/early teens by splitting #4 and upgrading one of our seconds.

Lol. I always suspected 'binman' was a take on Oscar McDonald = Oscar the Grouch = the bin man.

ARN seems like a natural fit. Trumps Orlando in the name-stakes. Though Riak is pretty cool.

We're not getting Reid or McKercher. Move on.

Haha. Ignore the meth and $18 pints.

On the subject of Sparrow's poor delivery to Petty, causing an injury, I recall a similar debate raging about someone getting injured circa. 2017 - maybe the Hogan broken leg? Any ideas? To me, it looked like our young brigade (Bowey, McVee, Sparrow, and Rivers) had watched a bunch of videos and were overcompensating for wind that didn't exist. Brayshaw and Salem were also ****housen with the kicking/floating handballs though. I think the latter also got suspended via angry pills in a corresponding match on the apple isle?

Bank the draft cookies. They can select the cream in the mid-field and sell the spares for extra draft-points.

Indeed. I forgot the point about North being list strategy gurus.

Thanks for the explanation demonsaw. I can be quite daft at times. But we still have to consider if we want one flag now or potentially a few in the future driven by drafting in top AFL talent. It may be worth tanking out in straight sets again if our current pick 17 looks like it could be pushed back to 18 and then slide further with FS and priority picks. Our second pick will also slide back. Another 'straight-sets' exit could land us pick 15 maybe, and potentially lead to multiple premierships if we keep our window open between 2025-2028 before Clatracca retires. #selfdeathride.