Little Goffy

To quote the great master; "There's only one way out of this, and it's together. Whole club hurting; every component. That's what we talked about. Head Down. Work hard. ... There you go."

The trouble is, when you start these things there is no controlling which way the wrecking ball swings. You can lose Dean Bailey and keep Cameron Schwab, for example.

Good opportunity for a new coach to start with a win.

Like drinking four cups of cold coffee with slightly overdue milk. I feel extremely agitated and not well at all. That game has added outright embarrassment and shame to the tone at the end of an already thoroughly disappointing season.

This final quarter has been really annoying.

I'm going to speculate that it is a case of the rest of the team being forced to take collective responsibility. Lever's value especially was always built on being able to pay the reward for the whole team's defensive pressure forcing loose kicks that he could swallow and rebound from. Allowed to play that role he was gold, but exposed 1-1 on the like of Hawkins or Walker is not a happy memory. If the team plays well then Lever is a multiplier, which should not be confused with a cherry on top, a downhill skier or a passenger. However, that factor does make me doubt whether he can be an effective captain when so much of his own value depends on the team effort. That and the occasional brain fart, of course.

Viney getting a sniff of tackle count records now.

I swear Fritsch cradled the opponent's neck to ensure the head was supported as he brought him to ground. Good dad vibes. And on today's form if you had to drop a baby out of a burning window, you'd want him to be the one waiting below.

Running Bounce. He might actually be able to do them but it is on record he swore an oath not to. Maybe for the memes in his final game in 2031.

Disappointed that Gawn's hitout rate slowed a little. Halfwayt hrough that quarter he was on target for 100+ Still on the pace for a personal best, which would also be a top-10 all-time hitouts in a game. With all due respect to Marshall, he is out there more or less on his own and Gawn is already clunking contest marks in defense, and equal lead for clearances after the first, as well as racking hitouts all over. Could be a big'un for Gawn.

Viney really energetic early. Nice for him to grab a goal. Oooeee isn't Langford looking good early, too!

I suspect still several more than the VFL fixturing team can count to.

It has been about 15 years since a club accumulated so much early-draft midfield talent and got such little result for it. Currently Clarkson hasn't got close to Bailey and is barely ahead of Neeld. (expansion team caveat noted) The fact they've popped up for the occasional win when they seem to feel like it must make it all the more frustrating for North's remaining supporters and, dare I say it, any young players with serious ambitions.

Good to see West Coast staying in the game against Freo until the 25 minute mark of the first quarter. Rivalry round is AWESUM

Remember when it was all fair and reasonable that we never got good time slots because we weren't very good and/or we didn't draw crowds and/or our play style wasn't exciting? (depending on who you ask) The only really interesting thing about tonight's game is the old '186 watch'. Dogs can score frantically on their day and Essendon are perfectly capable of throwing in the towel.

Ahh, I knew I smelled a rat. A premium Versailles-inspired rat, to be sure. A rat Louis the XIVth would be proud to have crawling up his drain.

Must've scraped the mucus off a lot of horny dolphins to make those. If you sign up to their email marketing you get a free 'scented miniature'. I now have an ambition to get every member of Demonland to sign up and stockpile them.

Surely You mean "AnE".

Genuine concern for your mental health, but also blocked because nobody needs that [censored]

I recall thinking that one of Jack Watts' key weaknesses was that his butt was too high off the ground.

Somewhere between Coldplay lyrics and word salad. But I think I'm good with the general sentiment.

Good job Freo. Glancing at the other game, the chances of the Suns somehow missing the finals after ANOTHER pathetic late-season fade is looking very strong. Is there something weird going on over in Adelaide? Did lightning strike their pre-game huddle? How can a team that stacked for talent not even kick a goal in a half of football? I'm just glad we don't have Gold Coast's junk coach, whoever it is.

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.