Whispering_Jack

Still heavily pixellated but the male studio commentator is our very own Wise Monkey who just seven days ago captained the Demonland/Demonology team to victory in the Forum Lightning Premiership! He's going to talk about that game to 3 billion Chinese. We're famous!

Shanghai Dee has arrived at the stadium and reports: "Lovely green surface. Narrow and a bit short. Late news flash is that Flash is out (ed: I didn't think he was in in the first place). Hot day and the team well watered. Supporters in concrete stand with no shade. The red and blue colours are dominant. The music being piped through the speakers at the ground is aweful. Let the game start."

First message in from Shanghai Dee: "Left the hotel on the way to the match. Lots of red and blue primed for action. Reserves include Shwarter, Neita, Robbie, Tangles and Dicko. Next report from ground. Traffic heavy must be sell out." Heaven help us if we're relying on Max Walker. He hasn't played for forty years.

Hppens to me al the tim espcialy whn I use an iPone. Back on topic (if I may) I suspect that a number of clubs including our own will shy away from Darling on the basis of the no dckheads rule.

Despite the above examples, you don't generally see many players recruited out of the VAFA these days. I suppose it's because many of the ammos are fairly laid back in their attitude. Still, I've seen some terrific footy at amateur games I've attended and every once in a while I wonder why more players at that level don't make it to the elite AFL. Probably because most have prioritised their real professions and they simply don't have the time. On the subject of players from unusual places I would really like to see us revive our interest in the Irish experiment. I recently met an Irish gentleman who works in Canberra in the diplomatic area and he knew of Jim Stynes and mentioned there was a lot of interest over there in the Irish players in Australia. Given that we started this in the first place with Sean Wight, Phil Earley and Jimmy and Brian Stynes, surely it's time to bring out another player from over there?

The reality is that this year we have no control over our first pick. At selection 12 there's a wide and even field of candidates after the first three Gold Coast selections and any given player could go anywhere. The next month should be interesting as speculation mounts as to who we get at 12. I'm fairly certain we'll get good quality there but the real test of our recruiting people IMO will be what they do with their later selections and from the PSD (if we're involved) and the rookie draft.

When fully fit he was half decent and he did in fact play a few good games early on in his career which suggested he might turn into a very handy ruckman one day. Unfortunately, that would have been four years ago. Now, his body is shot and it's all over.

No probs DOF but just to correct you on one point. No game in which the boys don the red and the blue is ever "meaningless". As the last game of the season between two AFL teams this fixture has been accorded the status of a grand final. Forget that encounter between Collingwood and St. Kilda a fortnight ago. This is the real thing!

Done and much appreciated. Good luck with your call of the game. Also, given that you're in China, it might not be a good idea to mention "tanking".

I'm trying to make contact with a Demon fan in Shanghai for the game so that, at the very least, we might get ¼ by ¼ scores and highlights if the SMS and Chinese authorities permit.

I expect Flash to make a big and bold go at the club captaincy. I believe he's very popular with the playing group and has developed the necessary leadership attributes to make it!

I remember the day when the five were drafted. The Tigers celebrated with a BBQ at Richmond President Clinton Casey's plush Avon Court mansion in Hawthorn which was sold last year at what was then a record price. Coach Terry Wallace was ecstatic and all at Tigerland were looking forward to a period of sustained success. I don't think any of the personalities involved are traveling as well as they were then.

The problem with the concept of best available is that it seems reasonable when approached on a theoretical level applying objective criteria to the selection process but in practice it's a different story altogether. When you actually get to the draft table, decisions will often be based more on subjective criteria necessarily involving some consideration of a team's needs. Apart from very early in the piece when the so called "best available" is usually obvious, there might be three or four candidates under consideration of roughly equal ability. In 2009 the circumstances favoured our selection of midfield types ahead of tall KPPs. This year our needs are different, our draft position is different and the types in the available pool of players is different. Hence, our draft strategy will also differ to that adopted last year. However, I don't believe that this means our FD is going to compromise on the qualty of player it will seek to bring into the fold. I prefer to look at it therefore as meaning that the player selected will be the best available to suit the particular needs of the club.

From Jimmy's Twitter Thinking of you Jimmy. Good luck. JIM STYNES' SPIRITUAL SMOKE 'BATH'

Those who know me would attest to the fact that I am a reasonably tolerant person but enough is enough. I'm closing this thread and I'm closing deesforspoon down for good. Firstly, we have anti-trolling rules and secondly, he's starting to give me the sh..ts.

You have poor memory. That fellow might have been 200cm tall but to my knowledge never played VFL - unlike Casey reserves player I. Fridman who represented Saintsational a couple of times. We had no objection to him playing.

Sounds like sour grapes to me. It's not as if historically a player hasn't combined being on an AFL list with year 12 studies before and we know that AFL clubs are very careful with ensuring that their young players have a properly measured transition into the game while also concentrating on getting their studies out of the way. I may be wrong on this but I understand that Jack Viney isn't due to be drafted until the end of 2012 which will co-incide with the end of his year 12 studies anyway. If I'm right then it means that the folk at Adelaide are not only mistaken in those comments but they haven't been showing the proper regard for the youngster's welfare anyway.

Actually, everything's off the agenda in China, particularly social networking if this report is correct - Brisbane Lions' Facebook ban for China trip. The report says that "players and officials have also been warned hotels have an additional internet filter and not to bother spending hours trying to set up a proxy server to circumnavigate the restrictions". Can you imagine the Fev working away at his lap top in some Shanghai hotel trying to set up a proxy server?

I suppose this means that young Jack will attend the school he attended before the family moved to Adelaide, Carey Grammar and might possibly play for the Dandenong Stingrays, coached by his father's former teammate at the Demons in Graeme Yeats? Would make a great combination.

No disrespect Demon_Tingles but I'm moving this thread to the Trading and Drafting Forum Board. Cheers, WJ

Demons and Lions ready for Shanghai showdown

As a matter of fact the only VFL listed player that I'm aware of who played in a forum game in which the Demonland/Demonology team was involved was a guy who played a couple of the early games for Saintsational but we never complained. Do you have a guilty conscience over this?

The new draft order list is here - 2010 NAB AFL Draft - Order of Selection

See this thread for a more up to date draft order - http://demonland.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=22481&st=40 As mentioned above, it will change tomorrow and again, when all of the delistings are done.

Can we expect one of your entertaining and absorbing reports on the events of today?