The Backyard Charizard

I must be wrong....

Maybe we wouldn't have any in our side....

Maybe we are happy supporting a team that has the depth of a kiddies pool??

I think not!

They might have 18 injuries, but how good are those players? I doubt those 18 players would all be guaranteed a start, like at least 7 of our injuries would. It's a big mistrial.

Rhett Biglands

Biglands played 23 of the 24 games for Adelaide in 2006, and topped the Crows’ hit-outs with 331

Trent Hentschel

A 2006 season that had produced 42 goals – including a haul of eight against Essendon – went horribly wrong when Hentschel wrecked his right knee against Port Adelaide in round 21.

Graham Johncock

Enhanced his reputation as one of the elite small defenders in the AFL in 2006, and was unlucky to miss All-Australian selection. Led the Crows in rebounds from 50. He played every game and finished third in the club champion voting, only failing to poll votes in the round 17 loss to West Coast at Subiaco.

Kris Massie

After struggling in 2005, the former first-round draft pick for Carlton enjoyed a much more consistent 2006 season. Picked at No. 7 in the same year as TJ, Ottens, Croad, Power etc...

Ben Rutten

Following his All-Australian selection and promotion to the leadership group in 2005, the unflappable full back produced another fine season last year, playing every game. His shutdown jobs on the game’s best key forwards are a key to Adelaide’s miserly defence.

Jason Porplyzia

The winner of the club’s emerging talent award in 2006, Porplyzia proved a difficult match-up as a small forward but also showed some promising signs in midfield bursts. His best game was a 25-possession effort against Melbourne in round 22.

Robert Shirley

His willingness to embrace a role as a tagger revived his AFL career and he continues to push his game to new levels. Although he has continued to take on some of the best midfielders in the AFL, he managed to still average 16 possessions per game. Shirley led Adelaide’s hard-ball gets with 75 and finished third in the club tackle count (85)

Mark Ricciuto

Best and fairest 1998, 2003, 2004; 3rd best and fairest 1994, 1997, 2000; Best Team Man 1994, 2003; All-Australian 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 (captain), 2005 (captain); International Rules Series 1998, 2000; AFL Rising Star nominee 1993; Premiership player 1998; Brownlow Medallist 2003; Pre-season premiership player 2003; Runner up Brownlow Medal 2004; AFLPA Best Captain 2005, 2006; Club captain since 2001.

We whinge and moan about our injuries but if we had the depth of Adelaide then all would be ok.... They are playing hard, exciting footy and winning games with these guys and more out of the side.... I am not saying we have nothing to whinge about, we do, but depth is important!!

I would gladly play any of these guys in our starting 22!!

Yes congratulations Cam!!

I am constantly defending you in conversations with my mates who say that you never get a hard ball or throw yourself into a contest.... I have witnessed you on many occasions being the only bloke who has the guts to get in the trenches and try and spark the team....

Get out there and rip it up! As always....

A long bomb from outside 50 after you baulk Carr to win the game!! Bring it on!!

Is Graz actually Neale Daniher in disguise???

A brief description of how I'm feeling

Well, it has been a few years since leaving Melbourne for good ol' Adelaide (please detect my sarcasm). Life in the big retirement village is frustrating to say the least... Getting coverage of my beloved Demons is even more frustrating! One cannot rely on the Adelaide media to report on anything other than Adelaide's "massive injury list" (maybe they could take solace by looking at ours) and the Power's "young, running brigade". I am paying more money on Internet bills than I am on electricity just so I can keep up to date with some real footy news!

I recently went back to God's country and caught up with some family 'n friends which was refreshing to say the least... While in Melbourne I managed to see our awesome (sarcasm again) display against the Hawks... It is so crushing to go to a game after 2 seasons away from the 'G and witness my boys struggling with poor form and injuries...

All is not lost though, as I believe that we will only get better as the season progresses (God knows we can't get any worse) and once we get a decent 22 on the park we will win more than we lose... I must say that I had pumped myself up for a massive start to the season (like all of us did) and the start we've had has been soul destroying! We can all [censored] and whinge about injuries, but they are part of the game we love and they haunt all teams in a cyclical style, this just happens to be our turn

One thing that is really beginning to [censored] me off is our coaching staff's lack of faith in our youngsters! It is now that we should be looking at playing at least one draft pick every week and have a good look at how they respond under pressure and without many of the clubs leaders on the ground.... We could unearth a future leader in the next month or so and playing the likes of Ward, Whelan, Holland, Yze, Brown etc. isn't really helping us win games (or even lose them gracefully for that matter)

I hope that either Petterd or Garland get a run this week against the Fockers and we can at least see how they go against a side that is also struggling through form and injuries... A young kid that gets drafted into league footy wants nothing more than to run out on the MCG and get a kick! Neale, give them that thrill and they may repay you in ways you never thought they could!

I would love to see us come out and smack the Fockers all over our hallowed turf, although being a realist I think they may have too much strike power up forward for our backline to cover....

Finally I would just like to say that all the people that make DemonLand possible should give themselves a massive pat on the back! Border jumpers like myself thrive on up to date information on training sessions and match reviews.... Actually reading ND's match reviews on my members emails is driving me to drink a hell of a lot more than I used to! Stop being so nice and grow some testicles! My footy coach is not my best friend! He is actually a scary bloke and a bit of a [censored].... But that is the reason we are a tough local side that no-one takes lightly!

Stay true to the Red 'n Blue! B)

All pre-season I was hearing how well we are training and how fit the boys are looking.... Apparently we were not going going to fade out towards the end of the season, due to the fact that our mixture of strength and endurance training has turned us into "hard, running machines"

What a load of crap!

I sat on the boundary line on Monday (right where Robbo went down) and I the Melbourne side I saw were far from running machines!!

I don't care how strong/lean/fit/tough our players are..... I see absolute LAZINESS!!

Apart from a couple, no-one is willing to run hard to present an option....

Apart from a couple, no-one is willing to run hard to keep check of their opposition.....

Apart from a couple, no-one is willing to chase down a player.....

Apart from a couple, no-one is willing to lay a shephard for a teammate!

If a football team is not able to do these simplest of things in the game, then bottom 4 here we come!

You people may turn around and say "Hang on, It's only Rnd 2"..... But it is sad when the supporters seem more excited and comitted than the players so early in the season....

One last point....

When Brad Miller leads.... KICK THE BALL TO HIM!

Enough with the Ben Holland saga..... The bloke took some marks and had some posessions in a match where anyone floating across the defensive 50 would have done the same! The bloke obviously needs to learn how to suck selectors salami (along with poor PJ) but all is not lost....

Bizz should be an automatic inclusion for Ward... I was bewildered at the fact it has taken until the 2nd round to work this out! Bizz has had a great pre-season and deserves his spot.... We all know that once he gets a game, barring injury, he will be there to stay!

Godfrey will play and I think will get a tagging role on either Crawf or Mitchell.... I hate this fact, but it will happen! Another of ND's love children!

Brown Dog will miss out because they will give CJ another few rounds to prove himself.... If he fails to impress then I actually think Warnock should get a gig before anyone else....

Only the humble opinions of a MFC tragic!

whilst we happily nail away...others are screwing us over !! me thinks he has the wrong method

Maybe we need a coach who has vested interests in companies such as DeWalt, Hitachi or Milwaukee!?!?!

Out with the hammers.... In with the 28v Cordless Hammer Drill....

Neale Daniher, 211 games coached 106- won , 104-lost 50.47 win/loss

a little more than just the one loss I put it to you !!

he's the coach...he's responsible...thats what he's paid to do... Coach, Inspire, Lead !!

and I just dont see a hell of a lot of it going on!!

He is paid to give the players the hammer.....

He is not the one responsible for hammering the nails in!!!!

I can't believe it either.... ND has done nothing but good for our club and yet anytime we put in a lack lustre performance, he is the first one that everyone blames! The fans have no one to blame but the players, and the players have no one to blame but themselves!

I am sure we will make amends for our pitiful performance in Round 1, but I just hope to god it is sooner rather than later...

We all know that the Dees are a force to be reckoned with when we are up and running, but obviously it takes us a bit longer to gather up some pace....

A look at our game against the saints as opposed to our averages from '06 :

Kicks

167 (R1) v 207 (2006 Avg.)

Handballs

145 v 125

Marks

80 v 107

Hitouts

23 v 32

Tackles

44 v 57

Frees For

17 v 17 (Surprise, surprise! The maggots still hate us)

Frees Against

28 v 16 (2nd to the ball will always result in giving away free kicks)

Final Score

9 Goals 5 Behinds v 14 Goals 8 Behinds

Looking at the differences between our Round 1 performance and our Averages from last season, it is plain to see that we were WAY below our best... Actually if we played the way we were last year, then we would have WON by 2 points in what would have been a ripper of a free flowing game!

All is not lost MFC supporters.... We just need to rekindle what we know we are capable of!

The season is a Tour de France, and we can't dwell on losing the first hill climb....

Neil Patrick Harris -- AKA Doogie Howser MD

Brock's comments are absolutely spot on! We have always lacked that killer (go for the jugular) instinct at Melbourne and I think it is about time we find it....

Brock has it...

Sylvia has it...

Carroll has it...

Neitz has it...

Hell, even Miller has it when he wants it....

But all too often I see us waiting till we are behind the 8-ball before we get some real aggression in the game! I don't want the boys to go out and start brawling, but at least let's stand up and fight for the Red 'n Blue! A proud club, with a proud history that has been the easybeat, laughing stock of footy for way too bloody long!

That was by far the worst 1st round of upsets in a long time.... I didn't get a 3 all season in 2006....

It is very nice to see that not many others in the Land went much better.....

I am over the loss against the Saints (either that or I'm in denial)..... I think we will beat the Hawks quite comfortably on Monday!

We will play a hard, running game with Moloney, TJ, Green and Bate bursting long bombs into the F50.... I think we will win purely on our F50 entries! I would not be surprised to see us enter our attacking zone no less than 60 times!

People may laugh, but in my opinion the Anthony Rock factor had a lot to do with the game on Friday night and throw in the fact that we bundled them outta the finals, it was no surprise the Saints got up....

But Hawthorn will feel the force of our loss! And in my opinion it could not happen to a better team! The years of '87 & '88 will long be etched into my brain! Different players, same baby poo colours!

GO DEES!!!

i also think miller presented well and althought his confidence was low it looked promising and he appeared to try very hard.

Anyone got a free kick count .... football has been ruined

we got umpired out of it 2night

Frees Melbourne 17 , STK 28

You are right, we were hammered by the maggots, but that is the least of our worries! Miller presented well in the final quarter when all was lost! The boy needs to get an iPod and listen to some hardcore beats before he runs through the banner!!

That is a good point. We seemed to be laid bare as though StKilda new what was coming and we played straight into their hands. The loss of McLean and Wheels took a real edge off us also IMO.

Yes, both boys were a huge loss! But at the end of the night would it have made much difference? I would like to think it would, but I am not so sure.... I think we were exposed badly by Rock and the Saints.... He would know what works and what doesn't for our running players, and he would also be well aware of our lack of decision making skills in the tight contest!

I was so psyched for Round 1 and now I feel sick!!

I think the game plan will be looked at pretty damn closely after the Saints exposed our lack of judgment and skill....

Yes, we can be skillful in patches, but overall our decision making in a tight contest (apart from a few) is pathetic!

We should be looking at playing our natural attacking game and run the corridor, bang the ball in long and tackle hard! Our fitness levels look really good and we ran the game out well, but bugger me I will not sit there and watch us put team mates in suicidal situations all year!!

Yes that was crap against the Saints, I think we have all established that...

A few points that I noted in our loss tonight :

1. Need I mention handballing to a bloke under pressure?? I think not!

2. Our tackling was nowhere to be seen until the last quarter! Las year our tackling was brilliant and I am just going to put tonights effort down to the fact that it was Round 1 (and yes I know it was Rnd 1 for the Saints aswell)

3. Where the hell was Bizz?? (Will harp on this until he is cemented back in our 22)

4. Has Bate lost speed?? He looked so slow!! Even when he didn't have the ball he was moving like a gorilla! Big pre-season on the weights??

5. Neitz had a pretty good game I thought.... Never gave up and under some heavy double and triple teaming all night.... Great effort skipper!

6. Welcome back Beamer! He looked a little under-done, but all in all it was a sight for sore eyes to see him getting posessions!

7. Miller gave us nothing until the last quarter when all was lost... The boy needs to produce that right from the first bounce... It's not that hard Brad... Just pretend that we have already lost the game before it begins and you should win our best 'n fairest!!

8. I believe Anthony Rock had a big influence on the Saints game plan tonight and it worked a treat!

I could go on foreve with things that annoyed me about our performance, but I am going to bed with only 2 things in mind....

1. We ran the game out pretty well, which says a lot for our fitness.... Again we have bugger all skill, but we ran hard to the end!

2. There is only one way we can go from here.... And that is UP!!!

Bring on the Hawks (I sincerely hope ND does some homework during the week!)

I read this article this morning and I must say that it brightened up my day!!

I was already reasonably optimistic about our chances this season but after reading his points on "why" he thinks we will be in the top 4 made me realise that this could be a fantastic year for us!!

Now let us all pray....

A few years back I had a mate who suffered from the dreaded BiPolar Disorder and I wouldn't wish it upon anyone... He could go from being borderline ADHD to being almost suicidal during the course of an afternoon.... We had to walk on eggshells around this guy because it was almost as if he was Schitzophrenic! Unfortunately after a night out on the [censored], after we drove him home, he decided that enough was enough.... RIP Matty!!

I have mad respect for Jonathon Hay for giving us an insight into what took him from All Australian footballer to the "Medication/Lithium ruined" bloke we saw on the Footy Show.... In my opinion he will never play AFL football again, but as long as he manages his mental state and remains in that "happy place" he described last night then in my eyes he is a winner!

For those who may not be totally aware of what BiPolar Disorder is then here is a brief description from BiPolar.com :

What is Bipolar Disorder?

Everyone has feelings of happiness and sadness once in a while. Feeling high and feeling low are part of life.

But for someone with bipolar disorder (sometimes called bipolar depression), these feelings can be extreme:

These ups and downs can be too much for a person to cope with.

They can interfere with daily life.

Sometimes they can even be dangerous.

The ups and downs

One day you may feel so depressed that you can't get out of bed. Work may seem impossible.

On another day you may feel great and full of endless energy. You may feel like you’re getting a lot done. But other people might think that what you are doing is dangerous and out of control.

Bipolar disorder is a lifelong condition. It can be hard for healthcare providers to diagnose. But it's nothing to be embarrassed about. Learning more about how to manage the condition can help.

Can't understand how Ward can be put in the backline before the Bizz!!

I have already joined the DemonLand Comp on the official AFL DreamTeam, but am just wondering if anyone knows of a competition I can join in the Herald Sun SuperCoach site??

I will happily go into a public league but just thought it might be handy to see if anyone at DemonLand has any leagues running....

Thanks....

Definately pumped!!

9/10.... Only 1 off a perfect score, but that is due to the fact that I no longer live in Melbourne

I can't wait for Friday night to get here, not only to see how we go against the Sanints, but to see how The Ox speaks about us on live TV.... Will be interesting!!

BRING IT ON!!!

I'm in as Dee Enforcers

Good Luck

The media hates us.... We all know this already, but I can now see why blokes like Sheehan and the likes rate the Bulldogs so highly when they have 5 blokes in the top 50 and Cooney doesn't even get a mention!

Similar to Brock, but not good enough to get in over Griffin??

That list is crap!