Whispering_Jack

Sadly, the continuing situation with the discovery of new clusters is likely to put paid to this latest attempt to revive the VFL season. I can’t see much hope of Round 19 going ahead as plannned and think the AFL should start planning the finals without that Round. If they want to really be innovative they could consider a final 6 based on the current ladder that might then get the finals done in three weeks with the grand final played on the AFL Preliminary Final weekend.

I finally got around to watching the replay and endorse the comments about Chris Connolly’s sense of humour. He also had a very good football brain as well and was head coach in one of Freo’s most successful runs including their first finals campaign. An interesting revelation was the fact that he wrote the song “Come on Demons” which is now the theme song for the Demonland podcast. I hope the boys can get him on for an interview some time. However, I think Max’s interview was the highlight for me. He’s a great leader and he’s different. You can see that he loves the club and his teammates and I think the culture he’s promoting in his role has a lot to do with what we’ve achieved so far this year.

Last time the played, Adelaide kicked 15.5.95. Today, in half a quarter, they’ve kicked 6 points.

Haven’t we played them already this year?

Casey Demons are very stiff to be in this position. A little while ago they lost to the UWS Giants by 1 point in the game where the rested Ben Brown for three quarters because Melbourne wanted him right for the following week in the AFL, thus playing virtually a man short in a close game. Then, they lost their other game because half a dozen MFC players were flown as extras up and down the country to Brisbane - needlessly in the end. At the very least percentage would have been out of the equation but now they have a fight on their hands for a double chance.

Great victory to the Hawks 14 - 11 in the free kick count.

I’ve heard some good things about Amiss. Can our WA track watchers comment on whether he could bring that sort of goal kicking prowess into the AFL?

The National Under-19 Championships were postponed in July. They are now planned for later this month and the new fixture has been locked in. Hopefully, we’ll get the opportunity to watch the top players and a couple of MFC NGA prospects in Mac Andrew (Dandenong Stingrays/Victoria Country) and Andy Moniz-Wakefield (Northern Territory/Allies). The Allies have only been given two matches in the fixture. Fingers crossed that the country can contain Covid19 and end the lockdowns. Sunday August 29 Western Australia v South Australia, Lathlain Park, WA, Time TBC Saturday September 18 Victoria Metro v Victoria Country, GMHBA, VIC, Time TBC Friday September 24 Allies v South Australia, Venue TBC (VIC), Time TBC Victoria Metro v Western Australia, Venue TBC (VIC), Time TBC Tuesday September 28 South Australia v Victoria Metro, GMHBA, VIC, Time TBC Victoria Country v Western Australia, GMHBA, VIC, Time TBC Saturday October 3/Sunday October 4 Victoria Country v Allies, Venue TBC, Time TBC

Richmond dynasty over.

• SEN’s Sam Edmund said this morning that North Melbourne free agent Trent Dumont could be on the move at season’s end. He is seen as a “gettable” for rival clubs and has previously attracted interest from rivals including Essendon. Edmund believes a move home to Port Adelaide could make sense.

Melbourne isn’t the only club that has a highly thought of Next Generation Academy prospect. The Saints have two good ones in Mitch Owens and Marcus Windhager who are likely to be just outside the top 20 in the draft. Owens was a late call-up for July’s ‘Challenge’ match between Vic Metro and Vic Country at Windy Hill and produced an “outstanding” game that didn’t go unnoticed. The 190cm wingman and half-forward logged 29 disposals, took seven marks and kicked a goal. Windhager is a midfielder/forward who has a basketball background. Then there’s Fremantle who have a young key forward in their sights - Freo NGA prospect among tall talent dominating WA's draft pool

They finally worked it out with a full round to take place on the weekend of 21 and 22 August, Covid19 & state governments willing. Ladder to be decided on a match ratio basis and Casey Demons playing Carlton at some date, time and venue to be decided. Good luck with all of this. Drastic times, drastic measures: VFL ladder gets a COVID reconfiguration

I received an email overnight from Zero Hanger, an on line footy news site, that had links to a number of stories about possible AFL trades. I’m sure there will be more to come but here’s a summary - • after Adelaide delisted Tom Lynch, Kane Cornes was urging them to hold on to experienced players such as Daniel Talia to guide the youth through their current rebuild (the suggestion has been rejected and Talia has also been advised that he is no longer required at the Crows); • Lynch is a free agent and one scribe weighs up the clubs that might want him. Essendon, Geelong, Melbourne, Richmond and the Saints are mentioned as likely candidates; • still on the Crows, Matt Crouch is tipped to follow in the footsteps of his brother and depart West Lakes in taking up his free agency rights; • Fremantle’s Adam Cerra has narrowed down his playing future to just two teams with a decision to be made possibly within the next two weeks. He will either remain a Docker or request a trade to Carlton; • GWS Giants spearhead Jake Riccardi is being monitored by several Victorian clubs on his current contract situation, with Carlton named as one keen suitor for his services; • Jack Gunston is understood to be seen as a "gettable" trade option for rival clubs in the off-season; • Swans gun Jordan Dawson is reportedly on the cusp of signing a new deal with the Swans despite interest from a number of rival clubs; • Port Adelaide are showing preliminary interest in St Kilda free agent Jack Billings. AFL TRADE NEWS AND RUMOURS

The Spargo play on is the one that continues to amaze me after watching the vision again and again. The time difference between the whistle and the play on was minimal. It gave Spargo no time at all to assess the fact that he had been paid the mark and there seemed to be nothing to indicate that he was doing anything other than going back to take a shot at goal. Worse decision in a game where many poor calls were made. Was that Nicholls?

Callum Twomey reports that potential No.1 pick Jason Horne has changed his name to Jason Horne-Francis, as a nod to the role his step-father and former AFL player Fabian Francis has played in his life. Francis was originally recruited to play for Melbourne but played only 1 game before moving to the Brisbane Bears (22 games) and finally to Port Adelaide (86 games). Horne-Francis is a certainty to end up at North Melbourne.

Does anyone know how Tim Stanes who was a founder of Demonology is traveling? We used to see him at various combined Demonland/Demonology functions including the pre game get togethers at the Mountain View Hotel but it’s been a while and last time I heard he was unwell.

And look at that! Our 2 remaining games are against teams in the top 4. A disgrace.

Wonder how retirement will effect Adelaide’s Tom Lynch in his game against Melbourne this week. Always liked him as a player and thought he might have fitted in well with us a few years back.

Melbourne approached the game like millionaires and paid the price. It was also a day of infamy for the umpires. THE TEAMS ADELAIDE B: T. Doedee 39 J. Butts 41 N. Murray 28 HB: B. Smith 33 C. Jones 1 L. Brown 16 C: L. Sholl 38 B. Keays 2 P. Seedsman 11 HF: N. McHenry 25 T. Walker 13 S. Berry 21 F: J. Rowe 31 R. Thilthorpe 7 D. Fogarty 32 Foll: R. O'Brien 43 R. Laird 29 R. Sloane 9 I/C: J. Kelly 8 S. McAdam 23 D. Mackay 14 H. Schoenberg 27 Emerg: B. Frampton 22 W. Hamill 17 A. McPherson 36 R. O'Connor 37 In: N. McHenry N. Murray T. Walker Out: B. Frampton (omitted) W. Hamill (omitted) A. McPherson (omitted) R. O'Connor (omitted) MELBOURNE B: M. Hibberd 14 S. May 1 J. Lever 8 HB: N. Jetta 39 H. Petty 35 J. Hunt 29 C: A Brayshaw 10 C. Petracca 5 E. Langdon 15 HF: J. Jordon 23 T. McDonald 25 A. Neal-Bullen 30 F: C. Spargo L. Jackson 6 B. Fritsch 31 Foll: M. Gawn 11 C. Oliver 13 K. Pickett 36 I/C: J. Harmes 4 J. Melksham 18 T. Rivers S. Weideman 26 Sub: T. Sparrow 32 Emerg: B. Brown 50 K. Chandler In: L. Jackson N. Jetta T. Sparrow Out: B. Brown (omitted) K. Chandler (omitted) C. Salem (groin)

6,5,4,3,2,1 please

Longest quarter in AFL history?

The irony is that any result in that game wasn’t going to do much for the participants. The Hawks went from pick 2 to pick 4 and Collingwood’s first pick stands at 37 - the Pies sold their original first pick to GWS Giants last year never thinking they would finish so low. They will struggle to make much impact in this coming draft once they use up most of their points to get father-son Nick Daicos.

A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since the last time we played a game. Victoria went back into lockdown, Jack Viney had his brain fade, the Olympics came to an end and there have been upsets galore among many of the fancied AFL teams. Melbourne knows full well the heartache of defeat at this point of the season to teams placed below them on the ladder as much as it does the value of victory tonight in the West. Bring your pressure game, attack with ferocity and know that top spot is there for the taking!!!

The bidding system for father–sons and academies works this way - * we assume the player is eligible as a father–son (and has accepted nomination to the club) or academy as the case may be. • Each draft pick is assigned a value (with No. 1 starting at 3000 points, declining exponentially until No. 74 which has no value), which is regressed from historical player salary data. • During the draft, any club may bid for a father–son eligible player with any draft pick. • The father's club, if it wishes to select the son, must then use its next one or more draft picks until the total points value of the surrendered picks adds up to the value of the draft pick used by the bidding, less a discount – which is either 20% of the bid value or 197 points (equivalent to pick No. 56), whichever is greater. Any points left over after reaching the bid value result in the draft pick being shuffled down the order. • The club which originally made the bid then has the next selection in the draft. The same bidding process also works for the academies with the exception that in the case of clubs other than the New South Wales and Queensland clubs, a bid for draft selection cannot be matched by the club to which the academy player is attached. New bidding system for father-sons, academies

Bigfooty’s Ed Pascoe (eDPS) who has a thread on the draft hopefuls has to date left Andrew out of his monthly Top 20s. He was asked about him and this was his response:- “He is in the 15-30 range for me at the moment and could find his way into my top 20 next month still. He is very raw I can’t recall a player as raw as him being talked about as a top 10 pick in my time of covering the draft, he will take a very long time to reach his peak and when you have all these midfielders who will no doubt come on a lot quicker it would take a brave club to take him ahead of day a Ben Hobbs who could be a high level midfielder for over 10 years where as Mac could be one of the best talls in the game in half that time. “No doubting his athletic ability and talent but for me he is far to raw to even consider in the top 10 when you have so many midfielders in this draft impressing.”