Deeoldfart

Like all of us, I’d love to have been celebrating 4 points, but it was at least a comfort to see several of our ageing leaders showing the way. My assessment: Gawn - Great to see our Skipper fight off adversity, and get back to some solid form. Work ethic was exemplary, and did lots of little things that often don’t get noticed (as borne out by his stats sheet shown by @spirit of norm smith above). Thanks Norm. May - The ‘dam wall’ would have broken much earlier if it hadn’t been for Maysie’s staunch defence. Great to have him back, and back in form. McDonald - Tommy wasn’t very far behind Maysie in deferring the inevitable last quarter breach in our once impenetrable defence. 3. Oliver - A fair way off where we know he can get to, but that just shows how good he is at his best. He’ll get there, I reckon. Chandler - Busted his gut all night, applied pressure and I don’t recall any significant errors. Our only season-on-season improver imo, and it’s mostly based around fitness, work rate and consistency. Langdon - Worked tirelessly as he always does, and disposal was ‘iffy’ at times, as it often is.

Well, at least we showed some heart ❤️💙 ,which is a huge improvement on the previous two weeks. Skills are another matter, but ……

I hope the following helps @jaydenh10 , from the MFC: "…….join the Dees for open training, player signings, giveaways, and family fun on Friday 11 April from 3–5PM at Hisense Stadium.”

Disappointing fade-out by Casey, after being very competitive for all of the first three quarters. Fullarton staked a claim with 5 goals and some solid work around the ground (but did no ruckwork). PS. Verrall is improving.

IF we can all get on the same page, execute skills to AFL level, and show genuine pride in the jumper, then we are a real chance! We will find out this evening whether our beloved Dees have it in them! ❤️💙

Jeremy Howe and Luke Jackson are two who moved to the ‘dark side’ for all the wrong reasons! On the other hand, I’ve moved to Demonland’s ‘dark side’ for good and valid reasons. Thanks @Demonland for giving me the choice.

We are all different, and each to their own. Personally, I love the ‘stats files’ and relating these details to the performance of the team we all love.

Another fantastic pod fellas. It’s obviously a very tough gig given our horrible start to the season, but you continue to front up with a very enjoyable and balanced program. Well done and thank you!

My (perhaps naive) observations: our ‘pressure’ across the ground has been abysmal across the last two weeks; likewise, our ‘skills’, often under no pressure at all; similarly, there seems to be a lack of ‘awareness’ and ‘communication’ and (perhaps) confusion between our players; and, (dare I say it) sometimes a lack of ‘endeavour’. I’d appreciate your thoughts on these observations. Is it a question of youth and inexperience of many in our playing group?, the new game plan?, lack of confidence?, players being played out of position?, lack of trust in teammates?, or some other obvious reasons? Perhaps all of the above? Sorry guys, but this is doing my head in! PS. I’m not asking you to speculate on anything controversial outside the field of play.

Outstanding news for XL, our Club and us supporters. I’ m about to open a fine old Shiraz to toast the lad, on behalf of all of us 🍷.

Sadly, contributing my ‘two bob’s worth’ to this thread is becoming harder, and harder by the week. Such a bloody shame, especially after a pre-season that had me brim full of confidence ……… but anyway, here goes: 6 - Bowey: stood up, where most of his teammates failed. Showed loads of courage, awareness and anticipation, and used the ball very well under pressure. 5 - Langdon: ran all day, put his head over it, and won plenty of hard ball. Might have challenged Bowser for our best if he hadn’t given up possession so often by ‘bombing away’. 4 - Langford: showed plenty to like in his first full game. Great footy IQ and skill beyond his youth. Lots to build on! Chandler: great work ethic, and a very solid performance following last week’s best ever game. Gawn - probably broke even with a very good ruckman. Oliver - never gave up, and fumbled and bumbled his way to a not particularly productive high(ish) possession count.

Any chance we can win a clearance, hold a tackle or even get on the same page a teammate? Simply gut wenching to watch!

I’ve got the old ‘head says / heart says’ debate pacing through my veins this morning, but you can’t hold this ❤️&💙 heart down! Dees by 17 points.

Looks and feels great! Huge thanks for all your hard work and commitment to this wonderful site @Demonland and @Nasher . Donation forthcoming.

Thanks for another insightful Pod guys. It must be a tough gig after an inglorious performance by our team, but you called it as you saw it, and didn’t attempt to ‘sugar coat’ our performance. Let’s hope that your job is made easier by a win over GCS next weekend!

PLEASE give me with something positive, no matter how small, on which I can pin my hopes in the lead up to GCS. Thanks in advance Binnie!

This is a tough call, unfortunately for all the wrong reasons. 6. Chandler: A four quarter ‘workhorse’. Ran hard all day, put his body on the line, and kicked three goals. One of his best games. 5. Oliver: Slowly working back to his best. Never gave up against the odds. 4. Salem: Solid defensively, despite that he seems to have lost a yard. Mostly precise delivery, and a few nice second efforts. 3. Bowey: Solid game, spoilt by a couple of costly clangers. 2. Lindsay: Very mature and composed for his age and experience. A big part of our future. 1. Henderson: mostly nice vision and neat execution. Will be around for a while, I expect.

This time last week I was proud. This week I’m embarrassed to the core!

If there’s any such thing as a creditable loss in the AFL, last week was it ……. BUT there will be no room for faint praise this week. A win is an absolute must! Fortunately, we seem to have the tools to beat them, or at least break even, in most parts of the ground. After an even first half, I expect us to prove the nay sayers wrong, and win emphatically. Dees by 54.

Very enjoyable listening guys - both insightful and balanced. Thank you!

Welcome back guys. As always, I’m really looking forward to tonight’s Pod. My question: I understand the logic behind playing Fritta further up the ground, but I’m not sure we can afford to play our best goal kicker away from the goals. I’d love to hear your views on the long term prospects of this move please. Thanks.

A good even team performance, which was great to see. 6. Gawn - outstanding, as always 5. Lever - a ‘rock’ in defence 4. Petracca - still bleeds red & blue 3. Salem - injury free, and showed why we’ve missed him 2. T.Mac - seamless late addition 1. Petty - back where he belongs * Bowey unlucky to miss out. ** Plaudits to all our debutants, lead by Lindsay ⭐️ The early signs are very promising!

I’m obviously disappointed, but I’ve rarely been so proud after a loss. ❤️💙

So the new season begins, with six fresh faces wearing our beloved red and blue. I don’t quite know what to expect today, but I do know that my excitement and nervous tension is akin to what it would be if we were playing in September. Just give it everything Dees, and make us (and Jimmy) proud! ❤️💙

As an interstate member, Demonland, and it’s much celebrated Pod, are my lifelines to the AFL and our beloved Dees.