dee-tox

Just as well that the captain of the club is a Mackinnon Secondary College lad then!

Part of our worshipping of the MFC is we crave adulation, especially when we are winning. Adulation helps justify our mostly irrational support of our club. When we don't get enough of it we take it as a personal afront even a conspiracy against our club. For me the adulation is there. After Friday night I listened for over an hour Garry Lyon, Nick Riewoldt and Jonathan Brown rave about the Demons including an insightful interview with Steven May. After that I heard Nick DalSanto and Joe Montagna thoroughly analyse our win. I've heard Matthew Lloyd and others praise our defensive structures, plus numerous radio commentators disect our win. And in the last two or three days I've heard from May, Petracca, Oliver, Fritsch, Petty, Harmes and Goodwin. Perhaps I'll need to watch On the Couch tonight to see if I'm missing anything!

Yeah, I know where you are coming from but if Langdon is out for only one week then maybe vanders is a better option than Baker who seems too timid for AFL. And if the game is played on the smaller SCG where you almost bypass the wings then maybe it is a good defensive option?

This post might upset a few people but hasn't Vanders regularly played wing? Heard he was back fit again. While his kicking is miss and hit, you can't deny he brings a certain physicality to the game. I'd much prefer him to Baker particularly if it is a one-off..

To be fair Rigatoni plenty of BS (big statements) are made on Demonland. You learn to let them pass...

When it comes to knowing footy the Bulldog fans are right up there.

I think you are right with Baker but I am very afraid!

Salo didn't look his usual busy self last night. Doubt he missed for 'general soreness'...

Have a look at the Coaches votes on Monday. Clarry will be top like he is with most supporters. He had eight score involvements to half time!

This was a defensive masterclass. So much so that it forces us fans to look not at possessions, metres gained even goals anymore, but how well we nullify the opposition. Such defensiveness used to be the mantra of Paul Roos. Goodwin came in and thought it was better to attack. We did that for five years. For some reason we've now turned full circle and we are defending even better than we were under Roos. It's feckin brilliant!

Thought the umpiring after quarter time was decent. Before quarter time, 720-degree spins must be holding the ball! Ray gets plenty of stick but he was excellent tonight.

The structure, dare I say the gameplan, is sensational. Forced them wide and outnumbered them in defence. Hit them hard on the counter. It's like we have a German football manager coaching us! Was great to get back on track after last week. Shutting out Libba at the source exposed many of their midfielders as receivers. We dominated them in every way and with some straight kicking could have been up by seven goals at half time. Special shout out to Brayshaw, HArmes, Jordon, Spargo, Fritta, etc for their defensive efforts. TMac and Fritta for three goals each. A magnificent team effort.

No change.

6. Brayshaw 5. Oliver 4. Petracca 3. Harmes 2. Lever 1. Gawn

A keep it simple footballer who can be extremely useful because of his running ability. Every team needs their share of workhorses. He's in his prime so you could probably give him another two-year deal.

Interesting proposal. De Goey should be a lot better player than he is. He's kicked four in a prelim final and three in a granny so the talent is there. Not sure exactly what has held him back but fitness and attitude appear the obvious things. Lying about breaking his hand in a bar fight and getting done for drink driving hasn't helped. By the end of the year we should know whether the Weed is worth spending any more time on. With only a handful of decent games in five years it might be time to cut him. Not sure De Goey is the answer though.

If at the MCG I would be more confident. Salem is critical. A fit Viney would be handy to nullify Libba. The Tiges made the Dogs look ordinary by upping the pressure on their ball carriers. We can do the same. Bont, McCrae, Daniel, etc will need to earn their possies.

Interesting that Lockhart and Baker were in the best. Always wondered if Lockhart gets an extended go at AFL level whether he can make it. Has pace, courage, can mark the ball and is a neat kick.

Agreed, the mediocrity of umpires is an age old problem. As supporters we've been complaining for years. But the MFC or us as supporters venting our spleen isn't going to change anything. Even publicly acknowledging the umpires made a mistake won't change anything. Its what the AFL do to move the conversation away from the umpires. My point was as a club you might as well concentrate on things that can make a difference rather waste energy on things you can't.

Gutless? Nah. Maybe you could label what the Saints served up last night as gutless but losing by one point away in very good game is the antithesis of gutless.

Weird thread. Will a please explain by the AFL ease the frustration of losing? Will it help distort the reality of what happened? Will a please explain help the players move on to next week? Control the controlables Umpiring ain't one of those.

No forward (TMac, Weid, Fritta, Kozzie, Spargo or ANB) won their position or even came close to doing so. So what did Adelaide do to make this happen? Must be a game plan thing. None of our forwards were given a centimetre of space to move...

Bit over the top DD. Injuries have meant he has hardly been able to get a good run at it.

My issue with Gawn is: Taking good marks and then allowing opposition to set up by taking too long. Dropping sitters. Not giving first option. Spoiling team mates that are better placed to mark. Taps to opposition players in dangerous spots.

Gawn's stats are decent but his ball use is one of the main reasons we lost