Little Goffy

I have a ten day old who calms down faster than some people on here! Disappointing result, but a bit of a fun game, really. On to next week and back to the task of making each part function well on the same day.

Interesting that there's now a clear top 9 within which even a current top 4 team could miss finals the end if the season. On the other hand, the 'also-ran' premiership at 10th place is wide open. If the kangaroos get over Sydney today even they are a mathematical shot. It isn't the greatest achievement in footbal but climbing past Port, Carlton and the Swans in the late season to finish in the much more respectable sounding tenth would be a worthy pursuit. Plus, every draft slot it costs Essendon is a bonus.

IF ...Jake Melksham has booted 14 goals from the past three matches and is on track for a career-best season-goal tally ... THEN ...it's fact he's in career best form. Will be 34 by the time the 2025 season is finished. Will definitely be playing in 2026. Wonder if it will be with Melbourne. Aaaaand that completes the letter C.

Given his time at Casey, maybe Max himself was McInerney's kicking coach. Be a bit like like living next door to Federer and getting chess lessons.

Crowd: 20,347 at Marvel Stadium It isn't as if their supporter numbers suddenly disappeared. They just don't care about regular games any more. It is a small step to them just not bothering at all. There's a lovely old expression which gets applied to many things, but especially the collapse of systems and states, like the Roman Empire, the Stock Market or personal bankruptcy. "It occurred very slowly and then all at once" Their balance sheet looks strong but their main assets are basically pokies clubs, and of course owning their own training base. Essendon has been in the 'very slowly' phase for a long time, but could very suddenly become a minor club where the only recent history of interest is also of pure shame.

His first 150 games had him tracking to break every inside midfield stats record that exists. Clearance, contested possessions, tackles, handballs, even Brownlow Votes. Prior to the slump he was also shaping as a near-unique mid capable of stealing midfield intercepts on a regular basis. It has been almost exactly 50 games since the injury and form slump that has him being just a very good midfield, to the frustration of all, not least himself. Celebrate Oliver for what he's done. Don't lose the sniff of what another 100 games could be in the event he has his mind and body in good order.

The 'article' offers so little basis that I just snorted and moved on. Then the conversation here got a little more interesting about what we actually want to do as far as turning over the list and looking to fit new structures, so I began to look at our list on footywire and realised something. They're cycling through our list in alphabetical order of junior club. Obviously excuding no-brand players or 'too much of a reach' stories. Once Pickett (Woodville West Torrens) was done, they had to come back to the start to Lever (Calder) and Fritsch (Casey). That would make the next junk articles about Demon's moving or being disgruntled; Jacob Van Rooyen (Claremont) Harvey Langford (Dandenong) McVee, Rivers and Woewodin as a job lot (East Fremantle) And then we're back to the cycle of Petracca -> Oliver -> Petty -> Viney -> Salem -> Sparrow.

It'll probably involve a bloodstained note using cut-out newspaper letters saying "Fritta. is. not. going. anywere.".

There are two deep reasons Melbourne should be expected to defeat Carlton this Saturday night at the MCG. Firstly, there's nothing at stake. For a generation, and even at their lowest ebb, Carlton found a way to ruin seasons for Melbourne. Ranging from 2006, when the Blues managed two wins over the Demons and only one more for the rest of the season and in the process cost Melbourne a top-4 spot in a wide open premiership chase, to 2023 when the Demon's coughed up a semi final to the Blues in a manner which marked the start of a serious stumble. Not that it did the Blues any good. At a most elementary level Carlton are currently relying on too few to do too much, with determined but exhausted Cripps symbolising the crisis whenever he is thrown to the ruck. Many of Carlton's more capable players are somewhat one-dimensional, meaning that when holes are created by injury or form problems, there is little to provide a patch up. With each passing week the sensation grows that Carlton as a club is fully aware of the oncoming storm and chooses to sail without urgency or alarm directly into it, with the Blues' famously contentious factions all imagining they will be able to seize control of the wreckage. The second reason is named Sam. A 55cm project player with a powerful kick and an uncanny ability to escape traffic, Sam has quickly begun accumulating disposables despite currently playing mostly from the bench and is expected to progress to more of a flank position in the near future. His leadership qualities are already showing through, with a 100% win rate since being promoted from the In Utero league on Friday. Demons to win a game which will have more than a passing resemblance to whack-a-mole as each team tries to exploit or cover their holes, with perhaps the most interesting contest-within-the-contest being whether Max Gawn can decisively put to rest the AA contention of Tom DeKoning, who has gradually faded since his potent early season form. After Xerri embarrassed himself with the kind of undisciplined moments that you'd normally only expect to see from someone poorly self-regulating their emotions following a head injury the previous week (ahem) the list of real rivals to Gawn is growing thinner.

Now now, we've been told quite clearly that there is no media bias which weights against Demons, making them less worthy of protection or justice while also more warranted for retribution. Just once I'd like to see a Demon do a firm but fair run-through of an offender - Not to injure, but perhaps to humiliate - and give an explicit post game interview that "The AFL has chosen not to protect us, so we must do it for each other".

I missed the game on account of this weekend I ceased being the littlest Goffy. (Heart explodes) So I am just going on stats and a quick browse of match feeds and the like, but here's my impressions ready to be endorsed or correct; Max Gawn continues to be Max Gawn. Jake Melksham has kicked FOURTEEN goals in three weeks! For real? Bailey Fritsch had his best and most versatile game of this season and possibly last season as well. Jefferson made a meaningful contribution and Van Rooyen was involved a lot. "A Harvey Langford type player" Oh, yeah, as my brother pointed out, littlest Goffy has a 100% win rate.

9/7/2025: AFL Umpiring officially passes the "Poe's Law" test and can now be registered as a religion.

They're going to introduce a 'new' rule where if the ball is shown to be touched before crossing the line, or if it is unclear and the umpires initial call was touched, then the umpire's call remains. Just to give clarity for the future.

That 2010 premiership would have to be among the least talented premiership teams in modern history. Six or so brilliant runners (19 bounces per game! Almost double the highest number of any club this season) a good ruck, and then mostly role-players who got their job done up forward or down back, especially the talls. It just demonstrates the kind of advantage that fast and quality ball movement can give. Also [censored], lots and lots of [censored]. Allegedly.

You'd have to wonder if Hayden McLean might want to move for more opportunity. Was beginning to show something and then has gradually gone backwards ever since Grundy came to the Swans.