Dee-tonator

Media pundits and some posters are talking as if Melbourne have no choice but to let Oliver join Geelong for whatever scraps we get in return. Not so. It's time to get tough, tell other clubs to back off, and warn Oliver that the club will fine or suspend him for any further infractions. Melbourne have given him a contract that ensures he can retire from a game a wealthy man. The club has also gone out of its way to support him when he experienced off-field problems that have had an adverse effect on the team's performance levels. Metaphorically speaking, his response is apparently to kick Melbourne players, officials and fans in the teeth. The notion of letting him leave for a likely mid-teens future draft pick, while still playing a hefty chunk of his salary, is frankly insane. Having seen how the Petracca and Oliver sagas have played out, one thing is now certain. Very few clubs, if any, will be offering seven-year contracts, even to superstars.

Suggested message to other clubs: Our minimum requirement is that (1) you take over Oliver's full contract and (2) we require an elite player in return plus a high draft pick. Suggested message to Oliver: you are going nowhere unless Melbourne get a fair deal in exchange, including a high-class midfielder. This club has bent over backwards to assist you and it is you who owe us big time. If there are further issues with fitness or conduct, prepare for a year in the stiffs at Casey.

If Oliver wants in, excellent. But then it's time for him to commit himself to us publicly and put an end to all the rumours. If Oliver wants out, it's time for him to tell the club he is ready to move if a deal suitable to Melbourne can be arranged. We know that would not be easy. If Oliver continues to sit on the fence and talk to other clubs (as reported), he will again be a major distraction for his playing colleagues and the fans in 2025. We need one of the first two scenarios to happen, and soon.

"For the Demons it was not a good Friday". A gentle way of saying that, like the AFL team, our AFLW side currently has almost zero depth when struck by injuries.

With Windsor and Langdon clearly ahead of him, he clearly didn't fancy another season at Casey.

Our trading policy over the past few seasons has unfortunately misfired badly, landing us with plenty of list cloggers such as Schache, Hunter, Billings, Fullarton and McAdam. Now I fear we will probably cave in and accept being shafted yet again when ANB's move to South Australia is finalised. And Casey's dismal performances this season suggest that the hopes being pinned on some of the younger brigade may not be well founded. (I would love to be proved wrong). If Tim Lamb doesn't get it right this time around, his role must come under serious scrutiny. Unless the Big Four (Gawn, Petracca, Oliver and May) all avoid serious injury and produce their best, our so-called premiership window may be firmly closed by the end of next season. That's not being a pessimist, just a realist.

Springfield is at least a half-hour drive from the Gabba on an extremely busy freeway. It is an excellent facility, but it is not even in Brisbane. Springfield is a suburb in the adjoining city of Ipswich.

The most wonderful aspect of this never-ending thread is how many people who have never met or spoken to Christian Petracca are confident that they know all his innermost thoughts and motivation during a period in which he has been traumatized by potentially life-threatening injuries. As long as he is with the club and gives 100 per cent effort on the field (which he has always done) he will have my full support.

Mark Twain famously said there were three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics. Now we can add a fourth category: AFL media lies.

The AFL has now made it clear that in these borderline cases of bump + head injury the benefit of the doubt will go to the injured player. So the player who chooses to bump takes the risk of a ban as the outcome. Unfortunately Kozzie has built up a bit of a reputation for the occasional reckless act, and Goodwin doesn't seem to have found a way to rein him in. Kozzie was a bit unlucky inasmuch as Moore ducked down very late, but by then he had definitely chosen to bump. So once again he misses the start of a season through an unnecessary action, this time in a match in which nothing was at stake except pride.

Outclassed all night.

6 McDonald 3 Gawn 0 Everyone else

Two minutes to go and Billings finds the perfect way to sum up the season, running unchallenged into an open goal ---- and missing.

It's hardly the fault of the umpires when our two defensive pillars are missing, Collingwood players are left in acres of space, Fritsch couldn't tackle a one-legged opponent, Tholstrup and Woewodin look out of their depth, we have no cohesion in midfield, and Nibbler chose just the wrong game to have a shocker.

Defence shambolic so far. This could get ugly.

Giving a team finishing 10th, usually after losing more than half its games, even a theoretical chance to call itself the season's premiers is simply absurd.

In business, which is what AFL football has become, a contract involves guaranteed rewards and obligations both ways. Players expect full payment for the term of the contract even if they lose form or get injured. In return, the club has the right to insist that a player gives of his best until the contract term ends. There is no doubt Nibbler has kept his end of the bargain by giving 100 percent effort and proving himself an outstanding clubman as well. But his request has put Melbourne in a very difficult bargaining position. If Port or (more likely) the Crows play hardball and offer minimal trade value (eg a third round pick), do we simply cave in and accept the loss of an important contracted player? Or do we also play hardball and tell ANB, despite his great service to the club, that he has to fulfil his contract unless and until we get an adequate return for his departure? Surely a second-round pick is the minimum return acceptable for Melbourne. If that can't be achieved, I don't see anything wrong in the club requiring Nibbler to meet his contract obligations. We will just have to hope a deal satisfactory to both sides will be arranged. Even in that case Melbourne will be the losers, because ANB is the kind of player and person that no club likes to lose.

I don't blame Tholstrup at all. All our players made plenty of mistakes but he happened to be the unlucky one who missed a potentially match-winning chance. It would just be unfortunate if a series of fluke results means that one late missed shot costs us a finals spot (which is still unlikely, anyway).

Given all the other results in this round, how important could Tholstrup's missed goal chance turn out to be?

There is still a mathematical chance of sneaking into eighth spot. Yes, I know it's a slim chance. But I do not believe any of our players would "check out" while that lingering hope is there. And even if we lose to Port, I believe the players have enough pride in the guernsey to give of their best. Sometimes, let's face it, even our best is not good enough. With May, Windsor and Petracca missing and even the over-worked and much-battered Supermax struggling, that's when the team most needs the backing of every true fan. Go the Dees!

If the Port-Swans game had been a horse race, the stewards would have launched an inquiry.

6 Langdon - busted his gut all night. 5 Gawn - solid all-round performance. 4 Rivers - our only classy midfielder. 3 Fritsch - accurate goalkicking but still lazy. 2 McDonald - mix of good and bad. 1 McVee - seldom rattled under constant pressure.

Woewodin, Kolstrup and Moniz-Wakefield out of their depth tonight (as were several experienced teammates). Zero selection pressure from Casey. So much for our much-heralded dynasty. Surely time to have a look at Jefferson. Any other changes meaningless.

May – under constant pressure Lever – all at sea Bowey – struggled all night McVee – composed but besieged McDonald – still worth spot Howes – not AFL standard Woewodin – not AFL standard Viney – years taking toll Langdon – tried heart out Moniz-Wakefield – not AFL standard Rivers – showed fighting spirit Neale-Bullen – energetic but limited Sparrow – solid but slow Kolstrup – judge next season Chandler – better option needed Pickett – too little effort Van Rooyen – had few opportunities Petty – wasted in forwards Fritsch – accurate but lazy Melksham – last hurrah time Gawn – couldn’t stem tide Oliver – off the boil Turner (sub) – couldn’t help much

Lots of posts blaming the umpires for this fiasco. Who are you kidding, guys? We have been sub-standard. End of story.