pitmaster

True. Also, a club needs a headquarters to encompass a Hall of Fame where it can tell is own story on its own terms. Collingwood are regularly changing their foyer displays in order to highlight some part of their history as well as staging permanent displays. Melbourne could have a profound display, for example, to correspond with Anzac Day given the history of Truscott, Ball, Anderson and others. We could also tell the story of the emergence of women's football better than any other club given our pioneering role. The themes are endless. Carlton and Essendon both display 16 premiership cups at their homes, and it looks brilliant. We need something similar whether its 13, 14 or however many cups and the wonderful old pennants from the 1940s and 50s.

Once again an ill-thought-out AFL sponsored rule change triggers unintended consequences and is rapidly scrapped/modified/reinterpreted due to the creative ways of coaches and players. It is both amusing and predictable. It's a sensible change if you want 'stand' to stand, but really, who needed 'stand' in the first instance? Oh, and the protected area rule? I'm with DD. Scrap it.

Yeah but the winners were smashed the next week in the GF so it amounted to nothing in the end.

Phew...once I read passed the headline.

I enjoyed, and became absorbed in a couple of the WC contests this last week and had to admire the fine skills of the best players in the world...their judgement, control and creativity was terrific, but after a while I found myself asking "What's missing here?" and decided it was the variety of skills - especially high marking - and the ability to control an odd shaped ball that renders our game superior. And of course, whenever an Aussie Rules follower says it is the superior game the devoted soccer fan says "world game". Fair enough, but why is it the world game? Perhaps if Australia had colonised South America and Africa our game would be the world game. And there, to me, lies the truth of it. The spread of soccer, as exhilarating and exciting and dull as it can be, is a product of British and European (esp French and German) colonialism. Not so noble after all, eh?

It's pleasing to see the new MCC president Fred Oldfield appears to be a dyed in the wool Demon. On receiving an email about his appointment I went looking for his football allegiance and found it in a real estate article concerning the sale of his (gulp...$10.5 million Malvern) home which included a picture of his sports bar complete with MFC flag, framed Demons jumper and team photo. (Detail attached.) The MCC has not always been well disposed towards us and it was always a comfort when Steve Smith headed the joint but that's a few years back now. Despite our current comfortable position we need all the friends we can find.

Fitting that she sealed it so clinically.

Rode past Glenferrie on the train a few weeks back which was an opportunity to be reminded of what a rubbish venue it was and remains. Suitable for high school footy and not much else.

And now they have Dave Misson so they really are on our track. Good luck to them as long as they don't come up against us finals time.

It was Hunter who got them started in the GF second quarter with two goal assists.

Cannot help but feel some sympathy for Jaegar O'Meara. Once he was flavour of the month, missed two seasons with injury but was still sought after. Too bad his second club was the amazingly ruthless Family Club where the only welcome relatives are the young cousins. Older uncles - like Jaegar - are turfed once they hit 30. O'Meara is a talent and his reward has been to play in one (losing) final in a career of 140-odd games. I was snakey when he went to Hawthorn who at the time had the depth to take a gamble on his rehab. It was a risk we could not afford, but it's all one way with the Hawks in the Clarkson-Mitchell era. So now he is looking at a third club. At least he might see finals again if he lands with Freo. The bigger issue is what it means for the club. This strategy worked out for Clarkson a long time ago but it makes me wonder what it does to internal culture and fan loyalty to have so many respected players discarded seemingly without a moments regret.

Who were the players you would have thought during pre-season that we would have seen more of in 2022...Bedford? Chandler? Laurie? JVR? Turner? the Smiths? And what does your answer say about the potential for improvement in 2023?

Remember when speculation about sponsors occupied multiple pages and threads here, as often we didn't have any? Remember the forlorn, forgotten club hanging out for a lifesaver until a supporter drummed up a certain Russian tech group? Remember Jimmy courting a potential, and not to be named or patronised, sponsor only to have it snatched away at the death? Be grateful those times are past. This I can live with.

Clayton. The bigger question is - will he feel the need to apologise for a "sh$t speech" again, or has he been working on his presentation?

I don't think the issue was that we didn't recruit from other clubs. For mine I'd have liked more senior game time into the young developing players like Chandler, Bowey, Laurie and Turner. It is true of every coach. They have players they trust and those they trust they give extra opportunities to find form and these kids (mostly) haven't been give the opportunity. Petty to move forward and Turner to be the developing third defender with Bowey distributing the ball off half back appeals to me. Obviously JVR is going to come in to senior calculations although like others mentioned it's overdue. Hopefully he stars and we all have to eat our words as the footy department is vindicated by his readiness to compete at the highest level. I'm less keen about Grundy he is not our need but the brains trust knows plenty I don't. Baker has been mentioned here but he has not shown enough to be part of the discussion IMO. It was encouraging to hear Goody talk about changing the game plan. In hindsight we do seem to have been overtaken by several clubs.

This is so mistaken. We routinely did what Geelong did in the first quarter - won contested footy, won clearances, and won inside 50s, but we could not turn it into the sort of domination the Cats had with Hawkins, Stengle, Cameron, Smith all threatening to score. And they did it with Hawkins only 50% effective. Forwards matter and so does efficiency and that's where we have to make up ground.

Very dignified speech from Dane Rampe. Tough job very well done.

Best game I've seen Mason Cox play that wasn't against us.

Woods showing the value of efficiency. Should be almost out of this.

Partial screenshot from the Demonshop. For more about the book see https://www.betweentheflags57.com.au D-lighted with the club picking this up and running with it.

Cannot see enough of Zorko, Berry and McCarthy right now.

First heard of him 30 years ago so he's grounded in SA journalism, and is reputedly a Power fan as overt as Caro is a Tiger fan.

As well, as I indicated above, the lack of will to work others through the group so that by the time the finals came around the idea of the 'unified group' meant the walking wounded remained. (Some of course, like CP5, are simply irreplaceable.)

Probably more reflection of the fact that you can't stand still, and maybe we did. Teams like Collingwood took on our style and outworked it. Remember the two starting players off the back of the square pre-666? You do need to develop changes each year or you're overtaken. There was not much innovation in us this year. We certainly stayed fixated on the same group as well. It's only a guess but I think the lack of new players, or relative novices like Bedford and Bowey being given a chance in the last third of the year cost us in terms of energy and enthusiasm. Goody possibly stuck with the known factors too much. If at the start of the year you'd told me Laurie would not have played a senior game this year, and that Chandler would not resurface I'd have figured long term injury hit them. But no, they just did not get a chance.

JVR looking the goods. Turner good judgement, reads it well. Bowey's skills shining. TMac roaming like a battle cruiser. Casey will take this easing up.