pitmaster

When I was last at training, six weeks ago, he was moving and kicking sweetly. Looked ready to go then so hopefully he is only a few weeks away now.

Totally. Coming after injuries to Fritsch and Petty, losing Melky was the killer blow.

Stop projecting. (This was your initiative. And as for rude: try blah, blah blah.) With pleasure.

Well I did say it was from memory...

Here's the four previous meetings to Sunday: Round 1, 2023 MCG Freo 79: Melb 72; LOST Round 20, 2022 Perth Stadium Melb 85: Freo 39; WON Round 11, 2022 MCG Freo 94: Melb 56; LOST Round 1, 2021 MCG Melb 80; Freo 58 WON Don't you just hate it when you correct someone, mock them, and then it turns out you're the goose? I guess not, because from memory you have form in this regard.

The only thing I would add to this is that it was an opportunistic hit entirely. It started as an attempt to smother - legitimately - but once the ball beat him Skunkhead saw a chance to take out an opponent and did so with intent. Turning of his body was the give away.

Caleb Windsor?

Never let the facts get in the way eh? Freo's bunnies? How so, since we'd won 2 of the previous 4, and 4 of the previous 7 going in to today's debacle.

The problem is we have plenty of tall defenders. Tommo covered well for Lever today but when Lever's fit Tommo will be straight out. Unless TMac is going forward again there'll be no room for Petty down back. However, as he has not fired up forward TMAC forward to go alongside JvR is probably all we have left. Then yes, Petty can be banished to defence.

Unlike Daicos senior, who carries on like a two bob watch in a kind of look-at-me way when one of his kids does anything, Darcy senior behaved like a mature and serious observer of the game when his son put a dagger through the Magpies' black hearts. I loved everything Darcy junior did last night, from hitting Maynard to sealing the win. He is going to be one heck of a player and there will be a time when he gives us cause to hate him, so when that time comes I'll need to remember this game as consolation.

Responding from afar (have only seen the stats) but six tackles from McAdam suggests he was making a defensive contribution.

Loving the anguish over a free paid against Cwood because they didn’t return the ball correctly. Seen it paid against us plenty - most recently when it was returned to the wrong player - and no commentator gave a hoot.

The G has been cash free for yonks PF. When did you last get to a game?

Everything they tried against us worked. Even the ball ran for them. Average players played the game of their careers. Even Hipwood impressed (briefly) before fading back into irrelevance in the second half. Even without considering our lead-in work load, it was just one of those games. Let it go.

21 disposals last week and 20 tackles. Seems he knows what is wanted from him, and he's just been given a 2 year extension from memory, so clearly not on the move.

One of my all time favourites was Adem, so much so that I installed 13 as the first two numbers for my PIN in my bank card. (That card has since expired, y'all.)

That HTB against Draper at the finish is not clear cut as it might first look. Watch how Tex hurls himself into Draper's back. It's potentially a free to Draper as well, but what the incident highlights is the really crummy tactic of jumping on a player to lock the ball in. Why is that rewarded when at any other time we look down on teams playing for frees? In any case it's not clear from the vision that it is Draper who pulls the ball in. Hilarious to see Tex mouthing off at the finish. I just wish the umpires had the strength to umpire against the crowd when we're playing the Crows over there. They have cost us two wins in the last few years with cowardly non-decisions or outright blunders.

Our Irish initiative is explained in the book Between The Flags. Dick Seddon said we started it because it was relatively cheap recruiting with no transfer fees involved. There's a story in there about some soccer genius who Seddon put up for a while over here to try Aussie Rules and who eventually went to a Premier League soccer giant, wasn't happy there and asked Seddon if he could come back to the Demons to try out some more. Seddon told him 'no way: Arsenal (or whatever club it was) will want a big transfer fee'. The kid went on to play 100s of games and represent his country. Once he was in a system we could not afford him. It was an advantage for us because we were first, but everyone is on to it now.

Agree. I am also going to see the Pies go down. If they're looking good at the 20 minute mark last quarter, I'm outta there.

Interested to learn your feedback layzie. (Fever Pitch is a cracker, too.)

So while Jeff Gleeson runs the tribunal it seems when the victim plays for Melbourne no penalty applies.

Harmes' pass to Fritter to turn the tide gave me goose bumps. Always does.

Brisbane had 3 games in 14 days.

Chandler was clearly in some discomfort. Walking, sometimes limping and under observation by two physios. He was not hiding it and at one point was heard to say "that doesn't hurt as much". Right knee strapped from thigh to mid-calf. Melky fielded a few questions and suggested he was a couple of months away. Feeling very good. Was kicking sweetly both sides with his rehab group.

Just like Hawthorn to let you down.