Little Goffy

Given every advantage short of the nepo-baby academies, on and off the books, and have an unmistakably exceptional list, but have fallen short so many times. Geelong's motto should be The Spirit of 2008!

Starting to look like a discount brand Tom Scully situation. Miserable experience and disruptive to the club, but in the end he is not a crucial player. I'd still be happy if it turned out Cal Twomey had it wrong. I suspect a Jeremy Howe style mirage would strike him, where he thinks he is going to fill Fyfe's role, but actually replaces Aish.

The 'inside bulls who feed it to the users' conception is a trap. The lesson of Terry Wallace's Tigers struck me deep - his 'types' became pigeon holes and the moment any cog in the machine wasn't in its exact place, the whole thing [censored] up. Neither Petracca nor Oliver nor Viney are excellent users outside of the clearance chaos, but we've seen the power that can come even from a 'clumsy' but direct and dominant set of clearances. Also worth noting that our big run to glory rode a wave where Petracca and Oliver both had significantly good form on their disposal efficiency - whether because the team systems worked or because they just had their eye in for that time, I won't say. But, putting it all together - Petracca is a powerful inside midfield extractor who also drives the ball forward effectively, whether or not it looks pretty every time. That is tactically invaluable for any team, and any coach.

So, I got home as they were getting ready to come out from half time, so I take full credit. It's not like I'm a Lions fan, but if this is the cats finally going over the cliff then I am willing to turn a blind eye to those who gave the push. Awwww... aren't the cuts to Scott in the box so saaaaaad. Sad sad saddy sad sad. And next season he won't even have King, who is clearly the brains and charisma of the outfit.

Walked past a pub during lunch and the game was on, so annoyed I can't call Friday done. Is it real that Hore is going at a clearance every second disposal? And 550m gained by early in the 4th for Maeve Chaplin seems like a lot. Does that seem like a lot to you? It seems like a lot to me. To also have half a dozen tackles makes me think we've got something special here.

From Bontempelli's goal, start aging the extended intro version of 'the only thing they fear is you'. Actually I can just about do that and watch the highlights in my head. Pretty sure the last 45 minutes of that game do not conform to conventionsl space-time. Several things feel like they happen over and over, like going back to the chorus.

Well, he was Casey coach, not development coach. I've got no problem with the reassignment, except I'd seen all the recent hype about super-developer Nigel Lappin at Geelong and had thought he might be a chance. Or maybe Lappin is ready for a return to midfield?

Does he get a podcast invite? He's certainly had an interesting career and might have plenty to reflect on.

I love these stories. Just a joy to see the threads of a community weave in and out over the course decades... almost a century in this case! My grandad always claimed he played some kind of reserves grade for the Demons 'between the wars' but he never supplied evidence and nobody actually believed as they nodded.

Putting these two thoughts together; Brisbane 6, Geelong 6, so just shy of 50% of grand finals this century have included one of these teams. In fact 2025 tips it over the half. Didn't expect that parity of appearances, actually. Brisbane had something like 15 years of struggling in there. I enjoy knowing that overall Chris Scott really has underperformed in finals.

A side note on the McAdam trade, if I recall correctly it was for a future (2024) second round draft pick, and it would already have been known that draft was going to be wildly compromised (first pick for round 2 was pick 29!) and wasn't looking very strong either. In itself I think it was another very low cost trade for a player we had reasonabke hopes for as we tried to find that 'bottom 6 but AFL grade' depth we needed, and the attacking diversity we desperately needed. But when it sits side by side with the Nibbler trade you just have to feel screwed. The only way that works in our favour would be if Nibbler's contract was -massively- back ended, and enabled us to front-end a couple of other contracts which now might make it possible to get a good trade value for them. Regardless, it's not McAdam's fault and there's only upside to him having a great 2026 and pressing on to only retire after our 2028 premiership.

Ist ein fleishenwundin?

Kind of an optimal result, really. Credit to us for crushing an opponent so decisively, and also credit to coach Daisy for being able to convince a thrashed team to come out and give something substantial in the final quarter.

PisaYES.

So I sez, I sez, "I can't wait for the moment our whole forward line stands up on the same day.' Wuz wut I sez. Just waiting for Bannan to bring her fitness to bear and dominate the late game, then we've got pretty much a full set. McNamara had been everywhere, would only be fair for her to snag at least one goal.

At this stage the only thing that would make this thread worth the trouble is the creation of a new perfume brand featuring scents inspired here. Sideline hugs body mist; for when it's time to hit the showers Grosse oeuf; eau de visage L'attendree Juddot; a signature scent inspired by Beckett

I never really thought of it before, but I wonder if his last thoughts were "Well, that's just shoddy workmanship."

That or Mylanta ads.

Who wants to watch football when you can watch a man's slightly urgent expression for three seconds before moving on to another one? "I'm ready for my close up now, Mr Spielberg." Hadn't heard Bailey Sniff before and do appreciate it. And BDA, no, no no no no, us not getting Jack Martin is the defining failure of our list management strategy since 2022, don'tcha know it?

A bit more seriously, just to illustrate the diversity of sources and consistency of ideas, a couple of comments about how a commander (or coach, or anyone, really) should seek counsel. Each has their own context and style. The most consistent theme through all the authors on this topic is that the leader must be energetic in seeking counsel to ensure that they are always the one taking initiative, rather than other people feeling they can be the ones to drive these conversations. Machiavelli's The Prince (15th century, Italy) The only way to safeguard yourself against flatterers is by letting people understand that you are not offended by the truth; but if everyone can speak the truth to you then you lose respect. A shrewd prince should adopt a middle way, choosing wise men for his government and allowing those the freedom to speak the truth to him… he should question them thoroughly and listen to what they say. Then he should make up his own mind, by himself. A prince must, therefore, always seek advice. But he must do so when he wants to, not when others want him to. Kautilya's Arthahastra (~3rd century BC, India) No deliberation made by a single person will be successful. He shall consult three or four ministers. Consultation with a single minister may not lead to any definite conclusion in cases of complicated issues. A single minister proceeds wilfully and without restraint. In deliberating with two ministers, the king may be overpowered by their combined action or imperilled by their mutual dissuasion. But with three or four ministers he will not come to any serious grief, but will arrive at satisfactory results. With ministers more than four in number he will have to come to a decision after a good deal of trouble; nor will secrecy of council be maintained without much trouble. Maurice's Strategikon (6th Century, Byzantium) For what should be done seek the advice of many; for what you will actually do take council with only a few trustworthy people; then off by yourself alone decide on the best and most helpful plan to follow, and stick to it.

Just to get the examples started on a light note rather than dumping 1000 words of 'the art of counterattack from samurai duel to massed artillery'. Ibn Khladun, the great 14th century North Africa philosopher, jurist and sociologist, weighed in early on the 'team of champions' versus 'champion team' debate. “Al Turtushi mentions that one of the reasons for victory in war is that one side may have a larger number of brave and famous knights, than the other. For instance, one side may have ten or twenty famous heroes, the other only eight or sixteen. The side that has more, even if only one more, will be victorious. He states this very emphatically… but he is not right. What is the fact proven to make for superiority is the situation with regard to group feeling… the side with a united group feeling is stronger than and superior to the side that is made up of several different groups.” And Sun Tzu always knows the essential truths. Yes, this is a real quote; "...the side with more points will win."

Hello Demonlanders! It’s a project which has been brewing for a very, very long time, but now is at a point where it must come out of the shadows in order to grow any further. The Sword and the Sherrin. Inspirations from the great strategists, for Australian football. Apparently I hate myself enough to write a book. Over many years I’ve trawled in detail through the writings of dozens of history’s most notable strategists from all over the world. Inspired by the deep agreement shared by many of these strategists on many topics, I’ve assembled a collection of insights and quotes on themes ranging from practical organisation to tactical maxims to deeper thoughts on human character. The sometimes profound similarities of observations and advice come from sources as varied as Vegetius, Machiavelli, Ibn Khaldun, Clausewitz, Sun Tzu (of course) and even the Vedic Arthahathstra. Such a deep consistency of agreement between strategists, across thousands of years, across continents, cultures, and contexts as opposite as a Soviet mass operations analyst or a legendary Samurai, suggests there are some universal lessons to be extracted. But it is also clear is that on its own this is very dry content, and I am neither a brilliant nor famous author capable of overcoming that. So, the plan is to involve proper football people and create a kind of ‘round table’ discussion where football experts interpret and apply the ideas shared by the historical strategists. My part, more or less complete, has been to gather the key themes into appropriate chapters, such as tactical topics or more institutional ideas about authority and decision-making, then to add context and to clarify anything a bit obscure in the language or historical reference points. From that point, the conversation can really begin. For example, a major theme is the importance of defence being founded on counter-attack, the vital action of constant harassment and anticipation of the reversal. This has been written upon by everyone from Julius Caesar to Che Geuvara and naval historian Julian Corbett, with endless variation on details according to the context. There is also, in football, never a shortage of opinion on rolling zones, forward press, interceptor roles, slingshot football and so on – all of which apply the strategic principal in different modes. One former coach might closely identify with the constant harassment and sudden concentrations of force of Corbett’s ocean-spanning naval doctrine, while a current assistant would endorse Jomini’s love of sending aggressive detachments to create an implied menace, and a media pundit might be amused by Sun Tzu’s art of leading the opponent into dead ends by ‘offering’ them easy but actually worthless gains. The intended result would be a book with actually relatively little text of my own, but producing a kind of moderated conversation between the great strategists of history and the best minds of modern football. So, the big question is, how much interest do people have in this book? I’m also keen to hear suggestions in the search for who these ‘best minds of modern football’ might be. At a personal level, despite my dashing good looks and charming small talk, I’m entirely unmarketable, so who out there has the brains and the brand to make this the kind of book people impulse buy for their sport-and-history ranting uncle? Whose opinions would you want to hear? Cheers, Little Goffy

Yep, rightio, who else wants to use us as a bargaining gambit to pump up their contract? I don't mind it. The attention is nice. In high school one of the official 'hot girls' was all into me for almost two whole weeks for much the same reasons, and I wouldn't say I was suffering.

It is a well established psychological fact that happiness recalibrates to where you are. Perceived or even anticipated movement from your current condition, for better or worse, will drive happiness more than your actual current condition. For example, many Demons found 2022-2023 excruciating because it felt like not only a disappointment but had the anticipation of ground giving way under us. The emotional baggage of so many disappointments made it all the harder to maintain a unified club. All you have to do is think back to the messiah complex we had as a club - only some great talisman could get us in line and we craved it everywhere and resented all who failed to deliver. MFCSS is real, but just by being able to name it we have made great therapeutic steps. Our new coach doesn't have to be Paul Roos come to save us, he just has to be capable and committed. Harvey Langford might yet be the best player of his generation, but he doesn't 'have to' be. We're able to imagine ourselves functioning even if he is just very good. Max Gawn being the greatest ruck of all time is a joy to savour, not a necessity to cling to. We're a different fan base now. Same people, but changed. We're a different club. Most of all we're a lot less fatalistic. We've restored something of an internal locus of control.