Deeoldfart

The magpie in the gum tree out the front was warbling at 4:30 this morning .......... taunting me. But he's silent now!

This may be a cringeworthy comment for some / many / most, but for my many sins, I must live in an AFL 'backwoods' known as Canberra, and I'm extremely grateful to Demonland for keeping me in touch with everything, both real and unreal, about the Melbourne Football Club, as we approach September ........... (having said that, I may well hate Demonland come Saturday evening ...... lol).

Very difficult making ranking calls this week, but ....... 6. Hogan 5. Pedersen 4. Melksham 3. Jones 2. Hibberd 1. Oliver

Game day in August = mental anguish for me (and many others I suspect), but it's a hell of a lot better than contemplating likely draft prospects during the mid-year bye! I'm 'edgy' but confident that we will get the job done today, so long as we play 'our brand' for 100 minutes. Anything less could end in disaster! Go Dees. It's time to start the 'build'!!

6. Jones 5. Pedersen 4 . Harmes 3. Oliver 2. Brayshaw 1. O.Mac

Absolutely thrilled for Gus (and for the Demonland fraternity, of course). Before the game, all I was hoping for was for him to come through unscathed. I expected him to be 'rusty' and take a few weeks at least to 'find the pace' of the game, and I think I would even have understood if he had shirked a contest or two. None of that ............ his return was seemless. The fact that he was so influential, and in our best handful of players, is just 'wow' material! Couldn't be happier!

What is on the line for our team today is patently obvious. Whether they can achieve it is unclear. For this week at least, I've given up trying to predict the outcome. Next week it may not even matter. GO DEES, give it everything, as if your lives depend on it!

There's no doubt in my mind that the youth of our playing group, long term injuries to key players and a very demanding schedule in the back half of the season, are taking a significant toll. We've reverted to some bad habits, and it seems like playing footy has become a chore. Excuses? Of course they are! ....... but also real and understandable imo.

Just got home from Manuka. Bitterly cold, bitterly disappointed! We were 'flat' today .......... young team / back end of a very tough season perhaps? Lack of intensity around the contest, lack of spread, lack of pressure on the oppo ball carrier. We played like the Melbourne of a couple of years ago. Far too much circular 'self preservation' handball leading to inevitable turnovers, indiscriminate kicking into the forward 50 (often because of no viable options presenting), a multitude of elimentary skill errors and opportunities missed, slow and indecisive ball movement. Contenders or pretenders? Based on today's effort, definitely the latter. If we can somehow regain our confidence, flair and dare we might still make it, but not in the impactful way I was thinking mid season. Yep, I'm 'flat' as well!

6. Gawn 5. Jetta 4. T.Mac 3. Vince 2. Hibberd 1. Lewis

We'll be neighbours hardtack. By my (often flimsy) reckoning, the wind direction should see the ball in our pocket / flank for a fair bit of the day.

I like our selected team, especially given the expected conditions and the GWS 'outs'. The match will be won / lost in and around the contest, which has been our strength for most of the year. I'm confident of taking the points in what I expect to be a fairly tight, low scoring affair. Really looking forward to seeing what Corey Maynard can bring to the table..

Yes, and the ground is very exposed, with little wind protection provided by grandstands.

I've just returned home to Canberra, after visiting 'sunny' Hobart last weekend. For those who are interested, the weather forecast is on a par with what we had to endure in Tassie ........... max of 11 degrees, 70% chance of a few showers, mosttly in the morning, 30 to 45 kpm winds from the North West (Manuka Oval runs pretty much North / South). It's currently windy and raining steadily. Brrrr!r

I totally agree about Blundstone Nasher. We flew down from Canberra, and our reserved seating was abysmal. Three rows back and it almost seemed like we were sitting below the horizon. Half of our group migrated to the standing room area to get a bit of elevation so that we could actually watch what was happening on the field, and the rest of us watched most of the game on the large screen immediately behind us. You would need 20/20 vision to see anything meaningful on the small screen opposite, and even then I reckon you would struggle. Very disappointing, and not up to standard as an AFL venue. Yeah, and we played crap as well. Needless to say, we were not a happy group as we left one carpark, only to join another one for what must have been an hour because some traffic lights were malfunctioning and there were no coppers on duty establish any sort of order in proceedings. Anyway, at least we didn't have to go home and implement a 'recovery plan' to get Demonland back on line. Many thanks for your efforts on that front! Oh, and congratulations on your outstanding weather forecasting prowess. Far better than the BOM, and it came with a guarantee several days out IIRC.

6. Oliver 5. Lewis 4. T.Mac 3. Gawn 2. Garlett 1. Jetta

Cold and already breezy in Hobart this morning. Sky is dull and gloomy ......... a bit like my head after a solid night out. I fear that the weather forecast for the afternoon might be on the money, despite Nasher's confidence to the contrary in another thread. But I suspect that there's a more important forecast occupying the hearts and minds of most Demonlanders right now .............. from my perspective we are a far more mature outfit than when we were narrowly beaten by this mob a couple of months ago, and that alone is sufficient fo get us over the line. We simply won't let ourselves be beaten, no matter what the circumstances. Dees by 15 points in a hard slog. ps. I'm keying this while sitting on a very hard and cold wood and metal bench somewhere in Hobart's Centrepoint Mall. Red and blue scarves are currently outnumbering blue and white by roughly 2 to 1. Go Dees!

Hope to see you and the young fella there hardtack.

I can't answer your question Mazer, but a mall area in the cbd (Elizabeth Mall?) is decked out with large, blue and white banners reading something like 'Welcome North'. Glen Archer sat immediately in front of us on the plane this morning, and several total strangers have initiated footy discussions with Mrs 'oldfart and I as we wandered around the bitterly cold streets of Hobart in red and blue garb during the day. Non of them were North supporters (or Melbourne for that matter) but they all wished us well for Saturday. I'm pumped. Dunno what I'll be like come Gameday!

Fascinating! No need to elevate him now unless we intend to play him, I would have thought.

Like others, I'm comfortable with this, so long as our fixturing is reasonable and fair from a financial and playing perspective ....... and definitely none of the 'garbage' we were forced to endure a few weeks ago. It's great that we are becoming a respected Club again. We can now stand on our own two feet, and no longer need or deserve Collingwood's 'charity' thank you very much!

I'm currently in an area with very spasmodic internet access, so (sadly for me), I haven't been able to read much of this thread. I'm sure that there will be lots of enjoyable reading when I finally get back to civilisation (Hobart on Saturday ........yippee!!). However there's one small point I want to make about Saturday's win while I have an opportunity. That is that the first half was far and away the best footy we have played at the G this year. Like some others around here, I'd been a bit concerned that we hadn't been able to produce our best at our home ground so far this year, but that concern has now well and truly been put to bed. Sorry if this point has already been made above. Go Dees!

6. Hibberd 5. Jetta 4. Oliver 3. T. Mac 2. Hunt 1. ANB

I've driven 25kms in a remote area just to log onto this thread. It hasn't let me down. Well done all contributors. Love the optimism! Fortunately I have access to Foxtel this arvo, otherwise I would have found a reason not to be in this part of the world. I'm quietly confident of a win by a couple of goals. Our pressure and 'never say die' attitude should get us across the line, I reckon, and once again have the media talking us up. GO DEES!,

Sad he didn't quite reach the magic three figures, and see number 13. RIP.