CHF

I was not looking at this a a permanent move from ruck to midfield but more a a move to mix things up a bit. We have not worked out center clearances vey wwell and this might just cause a few headaches for the opposition if he has to go there a few times game.

Going to be a 3 cheese board night at the selection meeting this week and unlike earlier seasons the discussion will not center around selecting for the future and building but how do we fit in the best, in form players that are available. Very different. Some decisions to be faced..... Defence where we need to get Lever back into the team to rebuild the structure with May and add to the strengths back there and what to do with the forwards? Personally I would drop Tomlinson and bring lever in. Smith has improved with each game this season and I liked his attack on the ball and confidence out of defence. Until Salem comes back I can see Brayshaw filling in there and rotating to the wing or middle as required. Rivers as the 7th defender. Bowey as the go-too distributer and the ever reliable Postman with his delivery. Midfield is the midfield and if they are all fit, leave them to do what they do. I find it interesting to watch the set-ups at stoppages and the variations we employ. The use of Petracca last week was interesting. With the tag he had he looked to me to be setting up more on the attacking side of the stoppages and not getting too involved in the close in grunt work. (small rant..... I hate the way that the director of the game telecasts delay the replay of the goal and minimise the view of the center bounce setup. one thing I enjoy is to see what the interaction is before the bounce.) At the opening bounce we sometimes see Kossie in there and I like that variation. as another variation I would have Max at ruck with Petracca, Oliver and Jackson at the opening bounce. Max tapping to Luke staying a bit wider with Petracca and Oliver running past. Bloody Wied! Went and kicked 4 and is now a viable options in the forward 50. If Brown is available I think he has to be in the team that will mean that there is not room for both Wied and Tmac, Tmac to miss if that is the case. With Weid and brown in the forwards it will be interesting to see the roles they are given. coaches will need to be very clear in the way they want them to interact. So, Lever and Brown in with Tomlinson and Tmac making way.

Must be some sort of a record for a Dees supporter, in my part of the world we had beaten the Cheats twice and the women’s team was though to the GF before I had finished breakfast on Saturday morning. 3-0... good way to start the weekend.

Just an observation… stats from the ALF Match Center show that Oliver…. BOG….. Demon …. gained 666 m during the game…. just an observation….

That was sweet..... love beating this mob... any time.....any where..... beat 'em like a drum. Did we play well? Not really... we know we can play a hell of a lot better than that..... Did we get the 4 points? We sure did! Petracca well held but it is a bit like Wack-a-Mole..... keep him down and Olive or others will bob up. Loved Brayshaw's game and players like Harmes, Bowey, Langdon and Rives just do what they do. Very nice. It was sweet. A few to come back in and a chance to re-build the structures and trust so we can begin to build our game to where we want it to be.

Beginning of the second quarter..... Demons 4 Horsemen, Gawn, Viney, Oliver and Petracca walk together to the center. Love it.

This mob are one of the teams that I really enjoy beating during the season. There are just so many reasons to dislike them. Dees look to have them beaten on every line on the team sheets but OI do not care about the margin..... 1pt....... 10 goals as long a we beat them. On a side note....the joys of a European Spring...... expecting a few inches of snow overnight and into the morning..... Game starts at 10.20 am my time. It will finish in time to prepare lunch and have a glass or two of wine. Go Dees!

I think that Max has not looked settled in the first 2 rounds of the season. I am not worried at all but I would like to see him relax into the game a bit more. I do not mean that he needs to take it easy, far from it. He has to get into the rhythm of the game a bit more and start to enjoy it way he looked to be doing last season.

Not I. Strange times that after so f’ ing long I have confidence in the Demons. There seems to be so much trust and respect between the players and also between the players and the coaching group. The coaching group have shown that they know what they are doing and the players respond the the coaches and the team leaders really well. They come out at the first bounce, play their game, assess what is going on, where the strengths and weaknesses are and make the adjustments accordingly. A well structured defence, a midfield putting pressure on at every contest and trusting one another to win the ball and a complete ground 22 man defence. Not a lot more you can ask. These days if we get beaten on the day, I think the other team will know they have earned it. hope that Max relaxes into this game a bit more than the last one.

Good selections and it continues Goodwin's apparent policy of keeping the team settled as much a possible. We now have 3 of the premiership defenders back out of the 7 that won the big one. the defence looks solid as long as they keep their structure and systems. plus they will have the experience together of last week to build on. Lever back in next week? Midfield looks great as does the forward 50 group. A very attacking interchange group with a flexible tall Ruck/Forward, a small Forward and a couple of mids that can cover inside and out. if a small defender goes down we might be thin but we do have Tmac to swing back there if required with one of the taller defenders required to play smaller. Dees by 5...... goals

Last season we started with a settled back 50 and a settled midfield with no idea of what would happen in the forward 50. The adjustments were made and players stepped up at the beginning of 2021. This season we are thin of the ground for defenders with 5 premiership defenders out R1. We had the personnel to cover that against the dogs with the midfield pressure adding a lot to the 22 man defence. I would like to see Lever and Rivers back if they are fit and ready to go. Brayshaw back to a primary role on the defensive wing with Bowey used more as the outlet/connection player. He has the kills but may not yet have a fully developed tank. In the midfield Goodwin seems to like matching Oliver against the best mid of the opposition. Not a hard tag but a run with role on Rowell. I would be interested to see that. Harmes to switch there if Rowell is getting away too much. Think we have got them covered..... Dees by 5.......Goals

Have to say I have been scratching my head over the predictions that the Tiges were going to bounce this season. I just could not work out where that was coming from. after watching a bit of that game I just cannot see them making the 8. Too old....Too slow.... To predictable. I was going to refer to a Dead Cat Bounce but might save that for the [censored]..... Blues are looing to improve and on that showing have gained on the field, will need to step up a few more to really challenge..... a couple more seasons for them to hit their straps.

Well, that was enjoyable. Just back from 10 days in the sun,playing a bit of golf and enjoying excellent food and drink. Got back last evening a bit weary, a bite to eat, a glass of wine, some reading and then a good sleep in my own bed. one of the best things about living over here in Europe is that when the Permiers have a night game I can have a quiet breakfast and then settle down to watch the game. A delightful way to pass a morning. not as good as sitting in the G watching them. We had the dogs covered the whole game. Petracca BOG then daylight to the next best. Our midfield did not need to get out of 2nd gear to win this one. It was an even performance from the mids with a lot of improvement to come as the season develops. Let’s talk about depth… defence missing Lever, Hibberd, Rivers and Petty with Salem going down mid 1st quarter. That is 5 of the 7 Premiership defenders. Slot in a few replacements…. Drop Tmac back for cover with May directing traffic and the players and the system held up against the doggies forwards. With the mids running both ways hard I was impressed with the defence. very satisfying to beat them again….. with us scoring the first 4 of the match we had scored 21 of the last 22 goals in play against the dogs….. love that.

On the basis of the game tonight, Bevo's Presser and the 70's porn star mo, I'm calling it now...... the Bulldogs will not make the 8 this season and a new coach next season.

Prediction: Sparrow to show signs of becoming our 4th horseman to join Petracca, Oliver and Viney.

I have no problem with Harmes being named at HB, after all they have names Viney in a forward pocket. Hunt on the bench, Kossie on the bench. Not fussed. Back six are May, Lever, Salem, Smith, Hunt, Bowey with rotating cover from JJ, Brayshaw and Sparrow. the game to be won in the middle and I believe we have them covered there.

No points up for grabs in this game but it will offer us another opportunity to work our systems towards making them an automatic response. I find it very enjoyable to watch the team play, not just because they are a winning team but because they look to enjoy it so much. They are enjoying not just their own success but look to enjoy their teammates play and support. Had a look at the team sheet and was surprised at my response to have 5 best premiership players missing from the defence. Looked over the team.... worked through the defensive players and thought... "Yeah, They can do the job. Look forward to seeing how they go." Then I thought ahead and had a similar reaction if this team was named in R1. Strange, after all these years to have great confidence in the depth of the list. It is an old cliché, I know, but I expect a game of two halves against Carlton with both sets of coaches trying a few things. I think we will run out with our best available 18 at the opening bounce as will Carlton. The first quarter, quarter and a half both teams will be looking to test out their structures and play proactive footy. After that I could see some changes made so that the coaches can have a look at a few different setups and rest a few players. Kossie to spend a bit of time in the center with Bedford/Chandler/Spargo up forward. Would not be surprised to see Brayshaw, Sparrow and Harmes line up at a center bounce a few times. Jordon/Baker/Hunt to run a wing? Baker off Half back? I do not expect to see all of these at the same time but the positional changes will be slotted into the existing structures to see how the players respond under the conditions. Look forward to this game and even more to Round 1 vs. the dishlickers.

Good for her. Daisy obviously has ambitions to coach a footy team and I am sure that she would want to do so at the highest level. This would be a learning stepping stone towards that goal. I have no doubt that her heart belongs to the Demons but this could be a very important step for her. The Cats, the Dogs, the Bombers...... does not really matter.

Was a good hitout for the team after the short pre-season that they have had. Looked to me that they were just in second gear for much of the first quarter and took their chances when they presented. They then stepped up a gear or two and instead of waiting for the chances to present themselves they went out and hunted the opportunities a lot more. Still a few more gears to go through for them. Players like Petracca, Oliver, Gawn, Salem and May will always perform. Even when they are a bit out of form they will still manage to produce some quality. I watched the game and will watch the game next week to see how the other players are coming on. Loved the look of Sparrow's game. He is going to seriously difficult for opposition teams to match up on. He is behind Petracca, Oliver and Viney in the pecking order and I can imagine there are plans in place by the coaching panel to bring him into the game when one or two of the others are wearing tags. J Smith and Tomlinson are looking good. I have not been a wrap for Smith but will go with him if he is selected by the match committee. I see his good bits but he has just missed so much consistent footy that I have trouble evaluating he skills and quality. Tomlinson looks fit and driven and I think he will carry that through the season. I liked the job Petty did but he might find it difficult to reclaim his spot if Tomlinson works hard. Chandler, to me, is the Almost Man. He fits between Kossie and Spargo in my mind. has a spark but not as bright as Kossie. has the defence but not as tough as Spargo and, on the limited time I have seen him, is behind both on skill of deliver into the forward 50. Hunt has grown into a good footballer. I loved the way he runs and connects through the wing with Langdon, Brayshaw and Salem. There was a real connection growing there last season. It showed the way that the team wants to play with quick turnover reaction and layered overlap running to receive or position. Next week against Carlton I expect we will see a R1 preview team and we, and the players will know the situation with the contest for spots on the team sheet.

It will be interesting to see where some of the players get a run during this match. No points up for grabs so I would imagine there will be a few trials of thoughts and ideas that have developed over the off season. Will be interesting to see Turner getting a run. Not just to see his skill levels but also to see how he has been schooled in the defensive structures. Of most interest to me will be to see who runs through the wing positions, Jordon, Baker are obvious but we might see Hunt get a run there as well. They might give Gus an extended run in the center. With the forwards there are a lot of tall options to rotate through there. Will be good to see some footy and I hope there are no injuries to either team.

I watched that game yesterday and noted that both Max and Luke left NN behind a few times. He just does not look fit enough to play out complete games.

Heard a whisper that he going to sign in the near future for a further 2 years. Heard it via a friend who usually has good mail. We shall see........

Let me unpack this and work out if Scott is serious...... Cats isolate upon arrival in Perth and, I assume, are extensively tested due to Covid. One player has to isolate for a time during this period. A number of players pick up a bug in the week prior to the game. I am sure that the AFL was all over this due to the circumstances. None of the tests for Covid showed any positive results. The AFL asks a question.... not sure what question was asked.... no one has said. Cats select their team and close to game time alert the AFL that they may have to make a number of changes because of the bug. The changes to the selected side do no occur. Therefore, in the opinion of the Cats coach and selectors they fielded the best team available at the time. Comprehensively beaten. 4 months later or at sometime after the match the Cats coach thinks it might have been a good idea to ask the AFL to postpone the match. (something that was never going to happen given the circumstances) All facts. To my mind it is a bad reflection on the Cats football department and the coach in particular. They are collectively responsible for the fitness and presentation of the team come game time. Scott is not serious...... or, if he is, did not think it through properly before offering it as an excuse for their sub-standard performance.

Showoff? Nah just an just a mug golfer that happened to be in the right place at the right time to meet up with this group of guys... Elitist? Nah to that as well.... I have played a lot of 'ordinary' courses as well, including Brighton, Yarra Bend and Sandy courses in Melbourne. If I really wanted to showoff I could list the strange countries I have played golf in.... golf provides endless stories......

just for the golfers out there ……. I’ve been living in Europe now for many years and was lucky enough when I arrived over here to fall in with a good group of guys that organised a golf weekend each year. I have been involved with it since the early 2000’s and we have played some great courses. Been to Scotland a number of times and played the Old Course at St Andrews as well as most of the other courses in the area. Also have played Turnberry, Troon and Prestwick in Ayrshire. A highlight was playing Royal Dornoch in The North. Off to Scotland again this year. In Ireland we have also played some classics such Portrush and County Down. In the US we have been to Pinehurst a couple of times and that is a great place to have a golfing holiday. It has 9 top quality courses with No.2 the site of the US open a number of times. Played Whistling Straits and Eden Hills a couple of times with Whistling Straits rated the most difficult course I have played. Great course but long and hard. Off a 14 handicap I managed to shoot a 95 and was very happy with that. played in a few other places in Europe and the Us but the ones mentioned were wonderful memories.