Ron Burgundy

I just hope Lewis Hamilton is cool with this.

I would love to humiliate these dudes.

There’s an argument that this will be the toughest season ever in which to win the Flag. So yep, in short - absolutely!

As much as it sucks, there’s an argument that we should only want the same draw as every other club - not easier or harder - just the same. I’m ultimately cool with this. I just hope we manage to play at least 17 games this year.

He’s a thinker. And a visionary.

Gerard Healy summed it up perfectly last night IMO. Just get as many games as you can get in before it all gets too disrupted - and then seek to continue the season as responsibly and appropriately as possible adopting agility and flex in relation to the fixturing etc. These clubs are all training together, presumably daily - the medical experts cannot presently see any material difference between the clubs continuing to do this and playing each other in empty stadiums. I say, bring on round 1. Next week.

The kick in from May to Gawn from the goal square, which immediately led to Langdon sprinting down the wing and then delivering it to Fristch, who converted skillfully on his left, was great to watch - but, on so many levels, it also represented the significant difference between this season and last. That so many industry observers and commentators (most notably The Roar) fail to recognise these differences surprises me. Injuries permitting, we should definitely be in the mix this year. And a critical factor in this will be the May and Lever partnership - both of whom I’m hoping will be in the AA conversation by the end of this season. I reckon they’ll both prove themselves to be fantastic recruits for this club.

A big wave.

Didn’t The Roar predict that we’d finish top 4 (or better) in 2019?

I reckon Hunt’s okay. He’s very a good player, he just needs to be used appropriately. He’s best 22 IMO.

Bring out the Scotch! This is good news.

Good to hear. It's not as though he's been dumped by the club though - he remains one of only 2 official leaders, and is the club's Vice Captain. It feels that the club is getting things right at the moment i.e. it seems to be actively addressing all of the issues which arose last season. I suspect Viney may very well be a better Vice Captain than a Captain - it just seems to be more his role.

Sign him up. Give him 10 years if need be.

Put your house and kids on it. There's no way this could possibly go wrong.

I can feel a flag coming on.

Whilst I pride myself on being a fact-based, logical thinker - the reality is that footy is absolutely emotional and probably completely illogical. I loved Epsiode 2. Cornes can get stuffed. He is not a Demon. He doesn’t know our journey. Not remotely. Geez I hope Harley Bennell makes it.

I’m an absolute sucker for this stuff. I love this club.

We were dead set certainties to play finals in 2019, prior to round one at least. As always, there will be some teams which slide and some which over achieve - and these changes won’t necessarily be altogether obvious. For instance, I reckon Port may finally come good. I’ve not seen many pundits talk them up yet.

If we miss the finals this season, it’s clearly a fail. The corollary of that must be that making finals is a pass. That said, I want to see more than that. In particular, I’m interested to see how Goodwin goes in terms of the game plan and getting the most out of all the players on our list. Good coaches tend to get the most out of all players especially the not so talented ones - through playing them in the right position, giving them realistic roles, instilling confidence etc. In this regard, there are several players on the list who I don’t know, but it seems from the track reports that they are developing nicely - and with good coaching, they could make an impact this year, eg, Bedford, Jordan, Sparrow, Chandler etc. Add to that our new recruits through the recent trade and draft period, and perhaps also newly available existing players coming off the long term injury list, and I think the coaching group now has enough to show their true ability. In short, the 2019 excuses, which I regard as reasonable, are no longer present this year. Goodwin simply has to perform.

It’d also be mildly interesting to see how many very good players we’ve overlooked only for them to have been picked up by other clubs who’ve then gone on to win flags, (eg, Dustin Martin to Richmond with pick 3, the MFC having had the first two picks in that draft), and who wouldn’t otherwise have won anything had they played with us during that time. As a club, we don’t get sufficient recognition for the charity work we’ve done for other clubs and players alike since 1991. Plainly this has been due to good naturedness and a concern for others on our part, rather than absolute incompetence as many not ‘in the know’ seem to think.

Just watched the first episode. I quite liked it. I’m much more concerned about our growing injury list.

This guy looks like he is about to kick that ball into a distant galaxy. Serious question - how far can this bloke kick a Sherrin?

I’m currently in Byron Bay for my wedding anniversary. It’s raining cats and dogs. Biblical proportions. Being an old fashioned romantic, I’m drinking single malt and reading Demonland. I just read this entire thread. We’re going to win the flag in 2020. I’m convinced of this. Thanks for the reports.

I firmly believe May will prove himself to be a wonderful recruit for this club.

This is a great news story. There’s little to no downside risk in this, and it seems he’s positively and actively contributing to team culture and morale, and that he’s been embraced by the entire player group. In short, it’s an absolute no brainer. Geez I hope he makes it.