The Taciturn Demon

I'm not sure if the forward line is the least of our problems, but the midfield and the whole system of ball movement is absolutely number one.

That's generous. Both Fremantle games were abysmal. The West Coast and Dogs games were right up there in the same category. Both Collingwood games were really bad. We also beat North by three points. We were no longer difficult to play.

I think we need to win a final. (I'm absolutely amazed by how many supporters go with the "we put ourselves in a good position" line when talking about consecutive straight sets exits. It's like losing in a prelim and then saying "at least we won the minor premiership".) The problem is, I don't think we have the list for it. We may on paper, but almost every one of our best players has a question mark over them: Oliver - will he come back better (surely) or extremely good again (plausible but far from certain)? Gawn - incredible that he's still playing this well after being battered for 200-odd games. He may just keep on going, but, entering his mid-30s, it's no certainty that he remains the best ruck in the comp. Petracca - even if he wants to be at the club, a Round 1 game would be surprising given how badly hurt he was in still is. May - amazing that he's got this far with his history of soft tissue injuries. And even if he's as good as ever, we need to stop relying on numerous Steven May contest miracles to win close games - it's completely unsustainable. Kozzie - I'm really optimistic about him, but three weeks without him at the beginning of the season is annoying. Viney and Salem - both make us a vastly better team, but only when they're not carrying something, which seems to be often. I also think replacing Neal-Bullen will be more difficult than it might first seem, and apart from Windsor and McVee, there's no under 21 on the list who I'm confident will be a massive contributor next season. In addition, I don't buy either the "we lost a lot of close ones this season" line (we beat North, who'll finish the season with a percentage in the lows 60s, by under a kick) or the "we get an easier draw" optimism. Genuinely good teams don't worry about the evenness of the competition - they just keep winning. I think a longer pre-season is a genuine plus, however. All that's to say I suspect we're not good enough; it will take some coaching brilliance to make finals, let alone win won. It will be difficult, but it's not unfair to expect a coach coming into his 9th season to be well above average. Is Goodwin the man? Next year will be an excellent test.

Melksham gets an incredible run from the footy department and supporters.

Goodness, that Collingwood game was bracing. A fair few of our under 22s just aren't going to make it. I know you can't just pluck first round picks out of the sky, but if there's a way, we need to find it. Got to give Jason Taylor every chance to flex his professional muscles in November.

Sports Entertainment Network would use terms like "cage free" and "barn fresh" and would continue with 40 reporters per 20 square metres. The AFL would turn a blind eye.

Absolutely agree with this. And sometimes the media reports are flimsy and pathetic - you don't need to make a straw man out of them. But in most cases these feeble stories are immediately addressed, dismissed or just laughed off. That hasn't happened here. Unless this is a case of "he's so wrong that responding would give the rumour unwarranted credit", everything points to the central claim from Morris - that Petracca is so unhappy he wants to leave - being true.

Suck it up, nature, ya whinger.

Nature abhors a vacuum.

I agree. Seems like an annoying person - and that previous work stuff was pathetic, although run of the mill for News Corp - but nothing about this suggests it's made up or grossly exaggerated. There's no hedging or weasel words - he's saying Petracca wants to leave - full stop. With the contract being the important part in brackets, of course. Also, I notice a lot of people talking about two high picks and a very good player. Sure - that would be nice. But the "good player" part just never happens anymore. The moons would have to align in the most unlikely ways - i.e. a star in the team Petracca wants to go to is also unhappy. The best you could hope for is to get a kid with a big upside - Jack Crisp (and picks) for Dayne Beams springs to mind.

I've lamented our work in the centre square for a very long time. That was an enormous improvement against two of the better clearance players (at least stats-wise) in the comp.

It was. But a terrible call to go after him in the first place. Grundy can't mark above his head. He was never going to work as a forward. He was never going to work if we asked him to concentrate on getting back as the extra defensive interceptor. He was only going to work as a (mostly) very effective tap ruckman (although I would say he relies far too heavily on umpires being extraordinarily lenient with their interpretation of holding during ruck contests). That would have meant consigning one of the best Melbourne footballers of the last 50 years and arguably the best ruckman of the last 20 to an understudy role. Easy to say in hindsight, but I found it equally baffling way back when it was clear Melbourne were keen on him.

Is Lukosius just a bust at Pick 2 or is there something there?

It really is. Painful watching him last weekend.

That's the one. Not immediately after the game, but when it became clear this wasn't a wild aberration, but a symptom of very deep problems.

I'm with you. Absolutely understand Harmes' best football was well behind him, and wasn't shocked or angry that he was traded. But Harmes, Brayshaw and Neal-Bullen are real cultural fabric players. We miss their best footballing attributes, but maybe the collective absence of their non-football stuff will be even more deeply felt. I've loved watching Alex Neal-Bullen play for the Demons. He's one of few players (Jones and Robertson come to mind) I've seen improve very significantly reasonably late in their career. Although he may be remembered as a 'role-player' there were absolutely games where, without him - his relentless run and ability to link up - I'm certain we would have lost. You can't say that about too many players.

The market being Justin Reid?

I just want to see them keep trying new stuff in the centre square. Good to see both Kossy and McVee in there at the same time last week. If we have any chance of being decent next year, we need to find a way to become consistently competitive at stoppages again. Now, with very little to play for, is a good time to try stuff.

First time the Dogs have gone negative since the Paleozoic Era.

No more exciting footballer in the competition at the moment.

Oh [censored]. As my primary school-age daughters would say, BURN!

It's incredibly tough. Every time I sit at ground level, watching Max alone exhausts me. It's a relentless barrage of physical pressure. The resilience of all footballers at the highest level is remarkable. But Petracca was in extraordinary pain. They might not have known the extent of the injury, but they could surely see this wasn't the time to take the "suck it up" line. Demanding he return to the field strikes me as both unprofessional and futile. Even if it turned out it was badly bruised ribs, is he going to tear it up? And on the subject of "suck it up", is there a history of Petracca taking the easy option that would make these insistences necessary? I've never seen even a hint of it. Sorry, I'm not having a go at you or suggesting you're making it up. I'm also not saying football clubs should be like kindergartens, where everyone's feelings are scrupulously taken into account. But this strikes me as really poor. If there's truth to Petracca's disgruntlement, I can easily see this being at least part of the cause.

I've now come across this numerous times. Is that true? I understand football is a brutal sport and the airbrushed veneer we see is vastly different to reality "inside the club", but demanding a badly injured player return to the field is nothing less than appalling in my eyes.

I've been lurking on Demon forums and social media communities for 20-odd years and this is close to the best post I've read. The diagnosis of the midfield problem is so well expressed and incisive.

I don't care what history says. In my mind, now and forever, he did it deliberately, aiming the gush, in full knowledge of who Scully was and what was about to happen.