Nasher

In: Pickett, Lever, Turner, Spargo Out: Billings, McDonald, Henderson, Lindsay Open to a JvR Casey stint too. If AJ is the second ruck, there’s no justification for carrying Roo if he doesn’t give a yelp as a key forward.

I haven’t missed the feeling of looking at the upcoming match with dread. This is probably the first time I’ve felt it since the flag.

Feels like I’ve traveled 10 years backwards in time. Melbourne are 💩 and Hawthorn are back to their insufferable best. Terrible year to be a footy fan.

Same. I can’t understand why a Melbourne supporter would want to water down the ‘21 flag. We finished on top of the ladder and nobody got remotely close to us in the finals, including the team we supposedly pick-pocketed. It’s almost like a form of self-loathing. Just because we’re crap again now doesn’t mean we weren’t top notch in our flag year.

What chance have our hopeless forward line got when we get so badly spanked out of the middle, which is supposed to be our strength? I’m hopeful we can turn it around quickly with our issues in the guts, we know we have the ingredients for returning this to a strength once again. Pretty demoralising though, to get flogged two weeks in a row and our campaign already ruined so early in the season. I’m not used to it anymore.

Mistakes, poor pressure and woeful kicking for goal and we still finished the quarter ahead. Only need a 5% lift and we’ll blow this out of the water.

I was looking at the wrong table (the AFLQ one). It works out to either 5 or 6 activation points depending on if you think it’s “negligent” or “reckless”, which is 2 and 3 weeks respectively. Or 0 if it’s deemed “accidental” which I don’t rate - I think any act that injures someone should automatically activate some kind of grading. There’s no outcome that gives 1 week. What an overly complicated grading system. I like the AFLQ one better 😁

Would have thought Lobb was a clear Careless-Medium-High and therefore 1 week. It doesn’t matter that it was a “football act”. I’ll be staggered if he doesn’t miss games.

Who would want to watch Essendon? They’re awful.

Really disappointing result, but I thought it was promising signs. Our contested game looks sharp, pressure was good, Trac back to his best. The first gamers all added something. Lindsay is clearly already a gun. Going to be a fun ride this year I think.

Enjoying this game. It’s been a scrap because of the conditions but the contest and pressure is there and our best players are back at their best. And barely a kick and hope delivery in to 50. The Tommy Sparrow goal reminded me of something in a distant memory. Can’t quite put my finger on what it was.

Just turned on watched Adelaide fumble, drop, fall over, fumble again all the way forward, to then kick the easiest goal ever. If this is the resistance the Aints are going to offer, it’s going to be a very long year for them.

When I saw the AFL headline - “star out for Demons” or words to that effect, I panicked. I was oddly relieved it was May - while it’s obviously not great, the difference between him and the next best available (TMac) is much narrower than the gap between next best if it had been Trac/Clarry/Max. I’m going in to the match with an open mind and no expectations. Over a quarter of the team playing together for the first time is unprecedented I reckon. A complete annihilation is a possibility, but we have a strong enough nucleus, and the imports have enough maturity, that a strong performance is also possible. Looking forward to it!

I almost found out what happened if you didn’t have a valid email address. Guess who hadn’t updated his email address in about 15 years?

Onya Ralphy but in my mind that puts absolutely nothing to bed. Even of LJ believes that to be totally true now, and I’m sure he does, let’s see what he thinks about spending a year+ living on the other side of the country to his girlfriend. Long distance relationships are hard.

That was my reaction too. Don’t care if it’s true, I’m just enjoying the schadenfreude.

This October will also be 20 years on the Invision platform too. Or more to the point, 20 years since my 21 year old self, 6 months in to an IT career, somehow convinced you and Finks that I knew what I was talking about enough to set up and run a system like this one. It’s been a journey!

Hello! I’m alive and well. We will be looking to do a test run of the upgrade on a test version of the site early this week, then the live site later in the week all going well. We’ll give a more solid timeframe after the test run.

I also reckon if I’d been in a job in a cut-throat industry for 11 years, including during a pandemic when clubs had to slash numbers, without knowing what I was doing, somebody probably would have noticed before and moved me on.

Lever’s interview put my mind at ease about Trac. Our leaders signed contracts that will see them through to career close. We’ve got premiership players to farewell in ANB and BBB. Despite one of the most emotionally wild seasons in a long time and a lot of bitter disappointment, I’m feeling good right now. It feels like it has all come to a head. Get the job done against the Pies and I’ll end the season feeling content.

Oh no. There might be a year at the end of the contract of one of our best players ever where he doesn’t play much. Really happy with this news and loved the touch of the letter.

ThE cLuB iS fAlLiNG aPaRt

Yes to a farewell game. Gawn wins the tap. Viney on the deck, scoops the ball out to Neal-Bullen. Sizes up his options, hits the charging Rivers with the handpass. Long kick deep from the 50 - BROWN TAKES THE MARK AT FULL STRETCH! Winding back the clock! Brown from 30 out, slight angle. Takes his trademark run up… Goal umpire doesn’t move! The crowd are on their feet AND LOOK AT THE PLAYERS GET AROUND HIM! The premiership full forward! This game is a dead rubber. It's a glorified exhibition match. Let’s make it a feel good celebration. Surely we deserve that after this emotional whirlwind of a year.