Deeoldfart

6.  Gawn  -  top ruckman, best leader in the game.  Fully deserved his medal.
5.   Lever  -  best game for a couple of years
4.   Langdon  -  the Lingers of 2021
3.   May  -  solid as a rock
2.   Pickett  -  always dangerous, forward or mid
1.    Turner  -  the turning point

Apology:  Rivers

Thanks for your great report Kev.  We now pretty much know tomorrow’s team!

Many thanks as always @kev martin. 
Two questions please?  Did you sight ‘Disco’, and if so, was he back or forward?  Thanks.

Another fantastic pod guys!  As an interstate member, the pods give me far and away the most informative and balanced overview I can get of every Melbourne game, without actually attending most games (I 100% agree with @binman view of the football media).  Thanks once again for your great work!

Fantastic and timely signing.  Still young and learning on the job.  Has many traits of a future star kpf.

On a very disappointing night, that we’d all rather forget:
6.  Gawn  - a clear 4 quarter winner (such a pity that we couldn’t take advantage of his dominance)
5.  TMac  -  dependable in the face of an avalanche of entries
4.  Langdon  -  ran hard all game, without much support     
3.  Lever  -  mostly solid throughout 
2.  Sparrow  -  deserves some credit for being our best pure mid
1.   Rivers  -  worked hard, and added a bit of spark when moved to the middle in the last.

Another great pod guys.  Comprehensive, informative and balanced, as always!  Thank you.

Really looking forward to the pod to keep us company on the long haul across the Hay Plain from Adelaide to Canberra.   Thanks in advance guys!   

Q:  Some of Billings’ tackling / pressure vs Adelaide was not in keeping with the Melbourne DNA.  On the other hand, we have seen that his ball use can add an important touch of class in an area where we need it.  Is this an acceptable trade off?  If not, what is the answer?

Great work as always George, but I can’t not comment on the following paragraph which I think sums up the Port and Crows victories perfectly:  “…….. it was interesting to hear Steven May at the end of the game say something like “we came over here on a business trip”.  In other words the Gather Round was not a weekend celebration, but rather, part of the job description for a professional team with a strong culture.”

Brilliant!  Never a truer word spoken.

It’s the ‘double standards’ (eg. the Pendles vs Koz comparison re potential to cause injury) that really (censored) me off.  I think we should take it to the MRO, just to see what weasel words are used to justify the decision.

6.  Petracca     
5.  Gawn      
4.  May    
3.  Lever     
2.  McVee 
1.   TMac
 

Very relaxed vibe amongst the players and staff at yesterday’s Captain's Run.  The drills were no more than 3/4 paced, and there was very little contact work.  I reckon we will be as fresh as we can be coming off a 5 day break, but I still worry a bit about this aspect.
Having said that, the Crows have shown no form to worry about this season, and I reckon we have them well covered.  No doubt they will come out firing, and the crowd will be their ally (until we shut them up!) but they will need more than that.  I don’t think it will be an ‘easy kill’, but a kill it will be.  Dees by 21 points.

On 02/04/2024 at 11:20, Dee*ceiving said:

Without wanting to count eggs late or hatch chickens early one has to think our change in gameplan makes Kozzy and Chin far more dangerous now we aren't continually cutting the ball off on the wings and banging it back into a packed F50

Yep, and I’d add that the addition of BBB has been very important on that front as well.

1 hour ago, Demon Dynasty said:

Who else thinks the "Viney is ill" rumour is all part of a cunning plan to shake the tag!

Not me! I don’t think we play those games!
Jack certainly wasn’t training with the group this morning, and the media who were present were all over it!  The Dee’s fans who were there were abuzz with the rumour.   
I did hear a fellow Dees fan ask a player whether Jack would ‘get up for the game’ and the response was “We don’t know at this stage”.   
 

Great work as always guys. Thank you! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Listened intently this morning, as I wandered through the Adelaide streets and parklands, on a long stroll back to my accommodation from training.

I thought our win over Port was outstanding.  If we can come away from the Adelaide ‘Hub’ with 2 wins, it will set us up beautifully for the season ahead.

Go Demons!  Go Redleggers! 

2 hours ago, Bendigo_Demon said:

Team doing full ground movement drill, 16 vs 12, everyone involved, moving ball out of backline, seems to be more about finding open player, no contest, every player involved, doesn’t seem to be any issues with injuries. Concentrating on running in waves, which the opposition seemed to do to us a lot last year. 

Agree @Bendigo_Demon.  Lots of direction, pointing and encouragement from the coaches, and applause and talk from the playing group when things worked well, which it mostly did.

Chin, BBB and TMac all seemed to be moving freely, and at solid pace when needed.  All will play, I reckon.

1 hour ago, Demonland said:

 

I asked Maisie if he would be playing tomorrow.  Responded with a cheesy grin: “I think so, if it I get hit it will hurt, but I’ll just have to wear it”.

He was involved in a few (light) contested marking drills vs Roo.  Roo won most of them, but Maisie appeared to be unhindered.  He did seem to struggle a bit when the ball hit the deck, but he often does that.

My guess is he’ll play.

On 30/03/2024 at 22:37, KingDingAling said:

I wouldn’t say an A grader. However, he’s an improving playing even at his age. It’s more the mental now. ANB is athletic, with a tank, but a cooler head than we see. He is aging well, and he will improve. 

Grange Hermitage!

On 30/03/2024 at 22:37, KingDingAling said:

I wouldn’t say an A grader. However, he’s an improving playing even at his age. It’s more the mental now. ANB is athletic, with a tank, but a cooler head than we see. He is aging well, and he will improve. 

Grange Hermitage!

20 hours ago, leave it to deever said:

Port fans whinging.

I'm so happy.

Victory from the jaws of defeat against a team with such nice supporters.

Can't stop giving likes to everyone.

I’m not a lip reader, but it wasn’t hard to interpret what Fritta said to the crowd (after receiving an earful from them) when he kicked a clutch goal from the boundary in the last.

What a game!  What a win!    
Again, it was a very even team performance, with most of our boys having an impact on the result at different stages, but I’ve never been happier than I am in awarding 6 votes to  the most underrated player in the AFL

Votes:

6.  Neal-Bullen  -  BOG and best game in a long career for this stalwart.  Can’t ask for more than that!
5.  Gawn  -  a colossus, whether in the ruck, forward, back or as a leader.   
4.  Lever  -  our ‘one legged’ general in down back, without his usual accomplice ….. phfft!      
3.  Petracca  -  powerful and lnfluential, as is his norm.   
2.  Langdon  -  back to his 2021 best.  Say no more!   
1.   Brown  -  provided the front-half structure that we’ve been craving, and kicked clutch goals.

I won’t attempt to list my ‘apologies’, because I’d get RSI keying them all in.  However, it would be remiss not to mention Caleb Windsor, simply because he will be this round’s Rising Star nominee.

It’s quite a big ask, but we’re up for the task …… for Jack!  

Dees by 11 pts.  ❤️💙

Jack is a legend, who has played a huge part in dragging our great club out of the doldrums, to where we sit today.  
Thanks Jack.  Long may the opposition continue to cower at the sight of your shadow.

Many thanks for another insightful and enjoyable pod guys!  It kept Mrs DoF and I totally engrossed for a couple of hours, on the first leg of a road trip from Canberra to Adelaide for Rounds 3/4.  Go Dee’s!