Nasher

Regarding the emergencies, so long as the team is remaining unchanged, I expect all the viable choices will just continue cycle through and change every week. Not about who is “closest” per se, just meaning they minimise the disruption to the emergency players. Pedersen would be the exception as he is the only viable tall available at present until Weideman gets going at Casey.

Exactly. Huge chance to poll very well this year if current form continues.

There were plenty of wise heads on this forum in the early years who said this was how it would pan out, in that if we could convince him to stay in the early years he’d eventually grow out of the idea of returning to Perth. A strong bond with his teammates, a Victorian girlfriend, a club that has actively supported him during his more homesick periods and a bit of team success would (and has) created a sense of home in Melbourne. In my opinion the risk of him going has now completely evaporated. It may resurface when he’s a 30 year old, 200 game player looking to transition his life and spend his last contract at “home”, but by then with 3 flags and 2 Brownlows to his name, I’ll happy wave him goodbye with thanks, knowing he was a loyal Demon when it mattered.

It’s a circular argument: we’ve beaten teams by this degree because they’re poor but they’re poor because we’ve been them by this degree. Adelaide are suddenly nobody because we thrashed them; before the game all the talk was that this game was our test. It’s still all just noise, in Riewoldt’s case it’s just well measured and articulated noise. People can say whatever, as long as we keep winning I couldn’t care less.

I’m still spewing for not selling you hope while it was at a huge premium. The stuff is everywhere now and my stock is worthless ?

It’s so hard to have this conversation with a straight face.

Maybe they’ll bully him when we play them like Adelaide did with Lever.

I feel like I should be worried, but I am 100% not. We haven’t seen this Melbourne side before, past embarrassments are irrelevant. My only problem about this game is it’s still sooooooo far away. I am itching.

*sniff* smells like blood...

See, I don’t give a rats that Parish is a choirboy type. Sam Weideman is too, with the neat hair and soft features. I’ve seen 8 year olds that look tougher than Jayden Hunt, but the correlation with his football style is precisely zero, current form notwithstanding. It’s the not being good at football part that puts me off Parish. Or if I’m to give some benefit of the doubt, not yet as good as you would hope for the level of investment and underage promise. The baby boomer men’s obsession with the appearance of young footballers gives me the irrits big time.

Think the boys invoked the mercy rule and didn’t kick him while he was down there. If there was still heat in the contest, they might have. He’d have been in a pretty lonely place sitting there dwelling on it by himself anyway. It was an awful fumble and everyone saw it.

I tried to screen grab that but Bull Smith was in the way. Would have been a great “v2” of my previous avatar of a post game Brayshaw/Petracca hug from Gus’ first game. Gee that feels like a long time ago.

Wouldn’t normally be mine either, but this team feels different.

Watched “all the goals” before and the way the whole team swamped him after the goal at the end made my hair stand on end. The boys clearly love him and that last goal was just a fantastic exclamation point to bump his 9/10 game to a 10. So happy - both with him and for him. I was always confident he’d turn in to this player, but even I was starting to wonder if this confidence was misplaced. It’s definitely been worth the wait.

When we were up 31-0 in the first quarter.

Imagine if we’d drafted the disappointing Parish and were watching Clarry running around in a Bummers jumper. Those poor chaps must be seething ?

Spargo: yes Goody, actually I am feeling pretty tired. Please rest me - I know I probably won’t get my spot back since the side is in such good form, but I’m not enjoying belting sides on a weekly basis anyway. I wouldn’t want to be the only first year player in all of history to play 6 games in a row.

I reckon Spargo would say “I’ll rest when I’m dead” if you asked him. As jacey points out, anyone who hands over their spot in the side risks not getting it back. If Spargo is rested he’ll go kicking and screaming I think.

Coaching for Collingwood - same thing I guess.

I know a few of the Casey watchers were all over him, but the impression I got was that he was an undersized key forward with a better than average leap. I was expecting a poor man’s Jeremy Howe, which didn’t excite me much. Nobody told me he would be a gun wing. He covers heaps of the ground, plays a tough brand and is so clean with the ball. I can’t believe our luck. By the way I reckon it’s a huge endorsement for the Casey system. The fact that players like Fritsch and Smith chose Casey as their clubs of choice to get noticed by the AFL system, then both got selected by Melbourne, sends a loud message to all players wanting a shot: come play for Casey; if you’re good enough, you will be noticed and given the chance to develop. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Careful Steve, you are in happy clapper territory! It’s okay, @Wisebloodand I will let you stay for a bit.

No coincidence that the team averages victory by 100 points since we moved to the new server. This one appears to not have a habit of falling over whenever there’s a few hits at once either. Winning!

Viney had 35 disposals. If he is out of touch, god help the rest of the comp once he finds his touch.

I’m tipping a disappointing 70 point victory. And no change, obviously.

Funny Clint, was thinking about this exact exchange before. Gotta be happy with the percentage now!