buck_nekkid

Thomson, Simmonds, Jolly Bizzel,ward, pickett Robbo, Neita, Brock

Poor bloke. I know how he feels! I go in soon to get mine repaired. Hernias are hell whilst they are developing (feels like you are continually kicked in the balls..), but then settle down once they are finally ripped through the fascia. Couldn't imagine playing elite sport when it was flaring up! Dr says I can be back excercising in one week. Probably for a top footballer it would be 4 weeks max as it is only a laporoscopic repair. Not season ending by any stretch - nor career ending. Both of these things depend entirely on other circumstances!

Just saw this in the HUN: http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/com...5E20322,00.html Comments by Lyon and Schwartz very interesting. Lets hope the players heed Lyon's call and put in a big one against the Bummers....

For me, the big question is not if it is the coach or the players, but what is it that we need to change in the team (players and coach) - physical, mental, spiritual to get us the goal we all know is set - a Flag (or a series of them). Therefore, the club knows the goal but not how this group will reach it. Clarity from the board would be to set clear, minimum KPIs that have to be met by the whole football department. If 'Dusty Danners' and the rest of the group can't meet them, then they are out. Get in who can. Danners is paid to the end of the year, keep him there. Smarter would be to get his replacement in as soon as possible to learn what is really going on, so for Draft / Trade / Preseason, they are already fully aware and can begin exercising control. A winning culture should be a hungry vulture.

Thanks for the info, WD and Champ. It seems that it is between 2-5 years before a coach appointed to a new club can grab a flag- I suppose that is something to weigh up when the 'Dust Danners' call goes up (could he deliver before 2009, the earliest we could expect a new arrival to?) Either way, looks like we are in for a few more years of waiting .... (sigh!)

There is lots of talk on getting a new coach. I'm not here to speak against that, just some questions: How many 'first season' coaches with new clubs have ever won a flag? (ie, new coach, or experienced coach switching clubs, in their first year?) How long does it normally take a premiership coach in the modern era to win the flag from when they start at the club? Who has been the quickest, and how long did it take? I know there are some super stats demons out there - I think this would be a really interesting question, with the subtext "How long must we NOW wait if Danners is 'Dusted' "(thanks for the great expression Chairman!)

Thanks for your thoughts Haydo. Where do I start in replying to this? On second thoughts, I can't be bothered. Enjoy your time at the Sandy game.

this thread is as schizophrenic as our team... so first point - why we will win: Take a look at the team in isolation from the 0-8. We would expect that this team would have won this game last year (by a good margin). Rivers Sylvia and Mclean are icing on the cake. There were patches of 'good footy' against the Coke sniffers. I doubt the Poos have the capacity to hit back in 3-4 goal bursts like WC. Some good players have found a bit of form. BUT: We are a confidence team. Heads up, we are race-horses. Tails beween our legs, we are donkeys. It all comes down to what they believe as to how they will do. This is not about talent, it is about heart. (The confidence issue is why I reckon they are schizophrenic). Now, on ND. Does anyone thinks he says to the team "no one percenters this quarter, fellas." or "make sure you do one too many handballs and pass it to a stationary player", or "don't worry about defensive pressure, its over-rated". The problem is not the message, but maybe how it is being sent and received? If they have no confidence, and believe their performance is based on 'stats', then this is what you get. Change the B&F voting to the number of one percenters and see what happens. When is the 'right time' for a replacement? Not until the end of the year. And not until the board decides it is in the best interests of the club. Its up to them. (If we dont like it, we can change the board! - thats democracy in action for you!).

As an overseas demon, the best bets are: 1. Matchday live on AFL.com.au. The live audio feed gives you the radio coverage of the game. 2. Check the pay TV coverage - in Europe, the Eurosport 2 channel has a weekly package, but being in Thailand there may be something better. But even when the Dees run hot, we rarely get any coverage (guess who gets all the TV time??), and at the moment, there is little hope of coverage. 3. Log into Demonland and 'ology for a wide variety of opinion either during, or just after the game. The result determines the flavor! 4. Live video feed from AFL.com.au is not possible, and delayed coverage is available to international subscribers or bigpond members in Aust. Not plausible for one weekend. 5. The time difference is not that great, but keep it in mind for start / finish times for the match. 6. Don't feel guilty - enjoy yourself and catch up with the scores around your social program! Have a good trip!

Why didn't we pick him up.... Hes old, slow, injured, hasn't proven anything.... In perspective, he wouldn't get near our best 22. We are desperate with injuries, so he may get a game (of the bench) for us at the moment, but we expected to play with a much fuller list than will go onto the park tonight (Damn those injuries!). Next, we already have a pack of hard-nutters. We can all remember the calls from the footy department before each draft. Then what did we do? Make them soft and try to remake them into Steve Monaghettis. A bad idea in my book to give away one of our key success factors.... but Rodan would have been a long way back on any list of midfielders. We don't need FP or HFF types (we seem to have too many of them...) So.. Rodan - NO WAY. CAC has probably been one of the best at getting 'smokeys' from the draft. Rodan is no smokey, just a 'stinky'. Port may get a few good games from him (or even a season), but he is still damaged goods.

I dont know him, but the Demons need every professional we can get - Im sure he is also pulling his hair out at how many of the players he can't work with through injury. We have half the facilities of the big spending clubs, so every bit helps. Jinx?? No idea, but it makes for a good conspiracy theory. My major problem is the idea that one of the BEST TACKLING SIDE in the comp last year were told to lighten up and become runners. Many posters have commented on how skinny the boys now are. We just gave up a KNOWN and PROVEN key success factor (our hardness) for an unknown benefit that doesnt fit the players recruited (anybody remember the need to recruit tough, in and under types???). We are seeing some of the results. Not BB's fault, he is only training the boys according to the plan. Who's plan is it?? I think we know.....

Sylvia Carroll PJ Petterd Miller Bizzell TJ Junior Bate Pickett Fergy Bruce Yze Dunn Davey White Moloney Green Buckley Bell CJ Jamar Something a little different. We leak like a sieve down back because we have no control in the middle. PJ is a great trier, and reasonably athletic, so play him behind the ball (stand the resting ruckman if he goes forward). Miller on Hall. Fergy to CHF - not a real need on the SCG, but he can roam and lead up the ground, aka the old Miller role. I would put Sylvia back and use his drive to bring the ball out. I would DEMAND that white dominates the corridor - and acts as a link man in the square. If he kicks anything less that 45 degrees off the goal to goal line, bench him. Get him to present to players coming off the half back, with Fergy posting up as the other option. Pettard in - lets see what he has. Dunn at FF, deserves it after last week. Give Nietz at least one more. Assuming TJ and Moloney are right to go. Pickett to squish kenally, then Bruce to make him look like an Irish backpacker lost from Fox studios. Buckley to come in if Moloney doesn't come up. Bate to prove lots of people wrong....

Here's a thought.. Aaron Davey is cheesed off that his brother, who trained with Melbourne over the summer, was not picked up. Instead he went to the Bombers. So, maybe he's not really happy and is expressing it in his play????... Hmmmm. Otherwise, how can you explain the 'hero to zero' path so fast?

Not even Chris Judd could save us. Would WC want any of the list the way they are playing at the moment??? Id say NOPE.

We are an absolute rabble at the moment. In summary: 1. Demons have no gameplan - Run and carry? Not one player seems to have a clue what to do with it. 2. Injuries are hurting us - no ones fault, but collectively costly. 3. Coaching seems limited and without any inventiveness (no plan B???) 4. They are weak as p&&&. Last year Dees were one of the hardest at it. This year many players dropped kilos over the preseason (to run the pants off the opposition) and now are soft. Can't hold a tackle, and cant break them. 5. No confidence and selfish play 6. Youngsters not selected - either not good enough, not ready, or....... Who is going to take RESPONSIBILITY for these failures? Who is going to stand up and turn it around???? It is going to be a long, painful, season.

Dear Old Rex... It is not overly hard to tip against the Dees this week: 1. Lost the first 2 games with no heart 2. Lost key personnel 3. Up against a side that won by a bucketload last week. On paper (and according to this site) we dont have the cattle. Or the guts. or anything else. But I still tipped the Demons (and I thought Rex was the dribbling idiot!)

Lets see how they line up. Who knows, maybe Fergie at FF, or Pettard?? Just because the team sheet says this, doesn't mean they will front like this. I would hope that there is a real reason for Sylvia not being out there, as it sounds like he put his case strongly at Sandy last week. The middle is the key. We could have Humphrey bear (or Barry Hall, they look the same) taking screamers at FF if we get it out and pump it long. If we play sideways or backward football, the backline can't hold the tide, the forwards dont have a chance to get free and we will be totally done by the cats. This week will be a test of the honesty and pride of the demons list on the park, and their coach. Lets get behind them and see if they can prove us right, or wrong.....

WW - thanks for your help, mate. Not the result we wanted but I really appreciate you spending the time updating me. Lets hope next week vs the Dorks is a bit better....

Lots of talk about Yze... how is he going?

79 for the saints I can accept... but 49 for us?? That is unbelievably bad! With the team we put on the park it should be 100+ points per game...

Fantastic updates... Helps but am looking forward to the demons revival...... And Brock! Not the news we wanted..

Thanks a heap! I really appreciate it.

Anybody who could post updates would be my hero! I can't connect to media over the computer I am on and therefore can't stream the game. Any updates would be brilliant!