Tony Tea

Well, I agree with the Pie.

It came to an abrupt end in the middle of 2022.

Carlton are rolled gold certainties next weekend. We're cooked.

We had one pretty great year.

We're not winning it this year. Look at West Coast. Simpson came on board for the 2015 season and with a system similar to ours (bouncing off McGovern and Barass) built to a flag in 2018. Not that WC had to do as much building as we did, since they already had a lot of good players. But then a few teams sussed them in 2019, more in 2020, more again in 2021... 2022, 2023 and now they are a shambles. As the losses and injuries and age profile took their toll, the gameplan static, confidence and hunger ebbing, virtually no players improved, they became easy-beats as other clubs streamed past. That's what we have to avoid. Our current players must get better, our gameplan must evolve, our ability to deal with opposition adjustments must improve. Last year we struggled to beat the strong, well-organised sides; same this year. Collingwood on face value is a much better side. Brisbane hard to toss. Port up and about. Freo getting their mojo back. The Saints with their defence first mantra will be a challenge for our dodgy-fwd-entries. Even the Dons made us look silly. The Dogs are on the improve. Adelaide will chip it around and avoid bombing to May and Lever - separating the defence becomes meat and potatoes for competent oppositions. If all we are doing now is trying to fine tune 2021's style we are cooked. I'm not calling for wholesale changes, but wholesale sameness doesn't cut it against hungry challengers. Well, perhaps I am calling for wholesale changes, and all that that implies. We're already hovering on the verge of FTB status. Dare I say it - 2021 was a weak year. Or was 2021 our Hawks 2008? Have we got two or three more years of development before we back up with another flag or three?

Collingwood's tactics can be summed up by the old military maxim: get there first with the most.

Yeah, but Carlton losing. Every cloud...

Happy we won't enter next week's game at 10-0.

Yes. He's our best user, and he's one touch.

I saw this at the time and said to the bloke next to me it was NQR, and asking for trouble.

Yes. There's no point sitting still like we did last year (in my opinion, to pay the faithful from the flag side); we need to come up with variations. Hopefully those variations aren't revealed too early in the year and we have something up our sleeve for the big games at the big end, because good teams will clog our transition, and we'll have to win with our one-wood.

Teams have gone to work on our clearance game, but our clearance players have prioritised joining in the transition game. It's an interesting dilemma - win the clearances and lose the transition, or win the transition and lose the clearances. We will be busy finding ways to win both. And that's what matters at the business end.

"Melbourne is clearly thinking" looks suspiciously like pretending to know something.

When this photo was doing the rounds a few years ago plenty opted for Sicily, but it's no contest. Clarry by an ear.

There are a few Demons in Castlemaine, including a hardcore Demon who lives across the street from us.

Perth was a powerhouse in the 70s, but since they lost the potential-three-peat 1978 grand final in a major upset (in pouring rain, despite Bosustow starring for the Demons, and with Perth favourite son Barry Cable captain-coaching East Perth) they have been the league's underachiever.

Premiership Shemons.

It has always seemed to me that Clarrie gets marked harder than his peers. It's almost like pundits will jump on the first hint of a reason to mark him down, as if they want to mark him down. However, a third spot in 2022 is not the end of the world.

A freak, but I don't reckon he would suit our current game style.

Ironically, the Herald Sun is Australia's leading listicle paper, which makes Bucky a listicle clogger.

Welcome to Demonland, Josh. Always loved you. I hope I wasn't out of line with that crack about a spewing Nibbler.

Is LG trying to sneak back in?

Freo gave away Pick 1 and mid range picks to Hawthorn for Trent Croad and Luke McPharlin. Croad went back to Hawthorn and played in a flag with Hodge and Mitchell, who the Hawks got with the Freo picks.

Whitfield is what we need - clean sweeper, quick, beautiful kick.