Little Goffy

So let me clear this in my head, Essendon pantsing Port means that in the end, we didn't actually need to win a game to make the finals anyway? Well, I've had a dry chuckle about that. But, as my lovely other half so perfectly put it "Well, ok, but this way is much nicer".

And yet still nothing about pushing resources into the second tier and early development to increase depth of talent in the draft, from both young and mature sources. Sure, it would be fairer, improve the quality of the spectacle, nurture grass-roots support for the game and... Yeah, not this AFL HQ. A decisive reinvestment would cost almost as much as one NRL player making a fool of themselves.

What is definitely needed is more complexity.

I wonder if Petracca has a bit of the 'Travis Johnstone syndrome' (on-field only one hopes) of trying to do a bit more than he quite can. Johnstone of course spend his whole junior career being the best long kick anyone had seen and it definitely went to his head, and throughout his AFL career he would be mixing his beautiful kicks with kicks that were just never an option - centring the ball right in the middle of the ground to a complex mess. Nah, Trac's not that bad, but he definitely goes past his own limit once in a while. Still, the ambition and intent is always welcome and maybe it will translate into a desperate urge to develop his skills to the point he can really deliver the magic.

I think we all would agree with this. It is especially comforting and a good sign for the future that we are seeing growth from all angles, mature 'renovations', young kids passing expectations, and actual delivery on expectations as players hit that 22-24 year old range where they are supposed to be fully ready. An extra note, it has been quite something to see stints of VFL time have really positive effects on a few players. The obvious starter gun for that this year being Brayshaw. Seems like there is a good, confidence-building system in place.

Well, not a complete derailing. Dutton is a banana-bender after all. And much like this thread there is a vagues suspicion as to a question on his validity. One thing we do know, this thread will outlast whoever wins the grease wrestle on friday! Heh, it just occured to me, one of the joke measures of 'how long since the Demons made the finals?' is that there have been five changes of prime minister. Well, a tick over two weeks to go, we look likely to hit 6 and there's a real prospect of making it 7.

I blame Jack Watts for this thread.

Self-respect? Concern for reputation? Not wanting the responses to overheat the Demonland auto-censor?

On further thought, Chris Judd probably has a bit of an aversion to over-celebration having begun his career at a club which held Ben Cousins as its talismanic leader and captain, and then he moved to a club where the culture was dominated by Brendan Fevola. I still think he overreacted, but I'll accept that his thoughts are sincere and that his main thought is that the Demons are a prospect to hit the finals hard. Maybe he just hasn't had the doubt that the rest of the world has been throwing around? Could even be a fugazi thing.

I seriously considered starting a thread of "Should we pick up Goddard as a delisted free agent" just to watch people spit out their lunch.

Thre will always but a high level of uncertainty about the results, even though the Roy Morgan poll is one of the larger (note at the bottom of the table n=14,838). That 15k or so is then weighted against census data to give an estimate of the full figures. I had some great fun (ho ho what a lively time was had) some years ago going through a government survey with only a somewhat smaller sample size, and picking out some odd results created by that sample-to-weighting process. For example, the survey found that there were zero, nix, nil nada, metal polishers, migration agents, turf growers meat inspectors or chocolate packers (among many othr jobs) in all of Australia. It also found that in Australia there are 107 television presenters and they all live in Tasmania, along with Ausralia's entire supply of goat farmers and meteorologists. So, the annual variation in a survey even of this solid size needs to be taken with a grain of salt. And there are of course a bunch of other technical issues, especially with a privately run survey, that throw the data around almost at random - espcially with the underrepresentation of people who don't like to sit through long market research surveys! But, what we can take from it is that year in, year out, for a very long time now, this survey has produced the consistent result that Melbourne supporters are the most likely to have a membership and the most likely to actually get to a game, and that stood firm even in the worst of years.

Well, lets just put this on a merry-go-round and go mad. If Dunn were still at the club, would we be playing finals? Or pehaps more pointedly, would we be one step behind where we are now in terms of setting up a squad for a sustained crack at it, with an 'only adequate' 31 year old holding a spot in the backline and keeping presumably O.Mc out. Would Oscar have developed the way he has without the AFL-level experience and responsibility? It is great that his role at Collingwood has worked out well. Good for him and I hope he works his way back from injury for a couple more seasons. Honestly, except for a torn ACL, the situation worked out best for everyone involved.

I was just about to edit my post to say 'also, all a bit of a storm in a teacup really'. It appears he attended some kind of briefing, as a media figure with one of the major television networks, among a variety of others. That's all rather different to a one-on-one chat about the aesthetics of the game. Herald Sun keeping its standards where they are. I'm irritated that I got sucked in. And I'm also a bit irritated that this thread has become a Waleed good vs Waleed evil tossaround. The only issue here (that appears to not be an issue) is that the AFL had apparently (in Herald Sun report level of verifaction, which probably means an intern visited a facebook group) sought out a celebrity to get strategic advice on the state of the game after decades of smugly ignoring the earnest and good advice being shouted at them from every bloody direction.

I was unemployed when I tipped in $300 to the debt demolition campaign. And I have a general dislike of self-appointed cheerleaders giving sanctimonious little speeches which presume anyone, anyone at all on here is a soft supporter. Not at all your best moment, Fifty-5.

AFL now bringing in random minor celebrities they want to be seen with in the social pages, as consultants on the 'state of the game'. Quick test to see if Waleed Aly is in tune with the problems of the gamedoes he say, "The first thing you should do is stop inviting people like me for a chit-chat, and start focusing on the fundamentals". All very irritating.

lol. Bad call Juddy. And honestly, the club hasn't really overdone it. But the media sure loves the story, and so they should. We're the most interesting team in the finals, thanks very much.

I think my ideal (and plausible) premiership run goes Geelong at the 'G, so all you lot can have your fun. Sydney in Sydney, so I can finally go to a Demon final. Then back to the 'G to finish off Collingwood. And finally the inevitable contest with Richmond.

I just... the sweet sweet joy of knowing that Melksham was absolutely hated by Essendon fans, and now he's playing better than ever and it turns out the problem was Essendon all along.

Funny to think, wouldn't really call Gawn or Oliver 'x-factor' types despite the fact both have a knack for getting things moving and turning a total mess into a work of art. Ha! Suddenly I want to nickname Oliver 'Pollock'. Same problem for Brayshaw since he found form, though I also think Brayshaw is still underrated for his ability to significantly change a situation, and it is notable that a lot of our beautiful goal->centre clearance->goal doubles this season have been because Brayshaw is just so good at getting the ball forward fast from that situation. But surely the x-factor player has to be Melksham? That many goals, that many quality inside-50s and goal assists, that many smart breakaways to bang through a goal from point blank. One interesting feature I've noticed is that when Melksham has it, whatever happens tends to happen quickly - possibly an illusion created by the tendency to low passes and just the nature of playing half-forward. But it is entertaining. Entertaining is part of the x-factor equation, isn't it?

MY eyes watered but didn't leak. There was a lot of looking around in random directions and quite a bit of pacing back and forward aimlessly. As I was leaving a West Coast supporter up at the bar stopped and shook my hand and wished me/us good luck. In my delierium I swear he looked like Glen Jakovich, or possibly Thanos. What I've found most interesting is the repeated pattern all night of sometimes just stopping and looking around me, like I needed to do a quick check reality was in tact.

I think the pre-finals week off will be a massive deal for us. So many young players and quite a few 'old' players who all can gain a lot from a proper recovery period. Not to mention a certain ruckman who must be more than a bit battered and bruised by now. Plus, also, probable co-captain arrival may help. If he's ready. Every team but Richmond has had at the least some really shaky patches this season, and most of the top 8 are battling injury loads and inconsistency. Plus, you have to remember, the whole thing has been set by destiny for maximum EPIC Demon triumph.

Due to circumstances beyond my control and some bad timing, despite being an active supporter since the late 90s and a member most of that time, I've never been to a Demon final. I don't want to be too selfish, so here's the deal - we knock over Geelong at the 'G in the first week then come up and crush Sydney in the semi-final, so I can watch up close and ideally surrounded by the smug nufties who were at the pub the other week! Wait.. that's not actually what I was going to post about. Hmm, oh yeah, just noting that it took 5 years of clawing, scrabbling, grinding, incremental improvement each year to get to this point. I for one hope that culture of clawing for every tough-earned and seemingly insignifcant gain is now validated and ingrained at the club for a generation.

I can now use Harmes to explain to my girfriend what people mean by 'depth', 'fringe', 'best-22', and 'among the first picked', just by pointing to his progress this year. Useful educational resource, he is.

Incredible. And there is even a possibility that all three could play eachother! Richmond (1st) deafeats Collingwood (4th) Melbourne defeats Collingwood in the Semi, and finds their way to the Grand Final against Richmond. It would be like the finals were turned into a commemorative special event in honour of the MCG.