Little Goffy

Geez, that's some pretty serious symptoms. One head clash too many and you turn into Jack Watts. Aaaand - just getting in ahead of the Watts-bashers, it would explain why Watts is so reluctant to get his head over the ball. Ha! Meanwhile, I'm going to throw my agreement in with the people noting Brayshaw's neck injury as being maybe related to the concussions since then. If concussion is caused by the jolt to the brain and the bruising impact as it get's thrown against the inside of the skull, then it makes sense that any loss of flexibility around the neck might exacerbate the problem. It's like the 'crumple and cage' principle of car safety, or the way spider's webs work, having a space built to bend and a space built to stay strong. Coconut palms capacity to bend at the same time as being very solid are another example. Hard, soft, hard, soft. If Brayshaw's head and neck are 'hard-hard' instead, it definitely could change the whole way shockwaves move through his head.

I will say changing the rule mid-season is a bit unprofessional. But it is still an improvement on the multiple changes mid-game last week!

I was feeling pretty dismal after the loss, it was extremely disappointing. But to see people wailing like they've just waxed their nose hair genuinely helps as a reminder to keep some perspective. It is also interesting to note just how much of the pain is built on a sudden distorted massive ego ride. "Losing to these hack sides" and so on. Few fans have managed to race well ahead of themselves, which is amazing considering our history. Like a teenager really really really falling in love on the rebound! Well, in 2015 the Dogs lost 4 (including the Elim Final) by under 10 points. Premiership next year. Hawthorn in their 'reload' period had a few - 4 losses under ten points, and a draw, in 2010. Result - top 4 finishes for next half decade. 2004, Sydney started their season with a 2 point loss, and from round 3 managed three consecutive losses after being in front, by 12, 10 and 13 points. Troubles returned late in the season, with a 15 point fade-out loss to Geelong in round 16, and then they blew a 7 goal 3/4 time lead over North in round 19, to lose by 6 points. Premiership the next year. In 2006, Geelong copped three different 1-goal losses and a draw, to miss out on finals. They also blew a 3/4 time lead against Richmond (Richmond!?), kicking no goals to the Tiger's five in the final quarter. But the real comfort for the suffering is Geelong in early 2007. A 4 point loss to Hawthorn in round 4, and then a 16 point loss to the Kangaroos in round 5, which prompted a big club heart-to-heart honest conversation about not getting ahead of themselves and doing the hard work. They promptly came out and annihilated Richmond by 157 the next week, and lost just one more game for the season. The rest is history. So, there you go. Even within a single season, if the close losses make a club look at itself and decide what it wants to be, and what it can be, then yes it can be a catalyst for becoming one of the greatest teams ever.

Waaaah waaaaah waaaaah. I love these threads. The quick reminder to myself to harden up and move on.

Ok, as I'm reading this game, (optimistically), we're having our weekly 'go flat and give away a string of goals in one quarter' but have also managed to sneak a couple against the overall flow, so the damage isn't so bad. Interesting little jab to the throat at Oliver...

For the record, Nutella was 40% off this week and I've set my girlfriend up thoroughly. Hoping her 3rd quarter heroics from last week can carry through this whole game.

What's not to like about 'dodeditditdodedodeditditdodedodedo?

Why are we inconsistent? "Because we are a young, developing side." What is it that makes us a young, developing side? "We are inconsistent." I'm really hoping this week we can make another little bit of progress towards not being a young developing side anymore.

Wait for the next premiership club event?

Bit bizarre, people spending close to seven thousand to 'go to the football'. I think it is important to recognise that this is an event for the patricians to wink and nudge about bypassing development regulations, a bit of business-to-business 'informal selling' (that'd be cash-in-hand work, for us plebs) or getting a bit of insider trading done. It is really quite hard to get your quasi-black-market deals and closed-tender government contracts (pardon me, 'networking') done when there's someone in the room making people feel like they aren't the most special wonderful brilliant people in the world who deserve all this because only they are good enough. Seriously, if you're going to yell and chant at an event like this, might as well cut to the chase and sing the Warshavianka.

We'll see how the noise levels go in Darwin. Something about #raisinghell ?

Just on that site traffic thing - everybody remember that any time you go past your local library, drop in and use each available computer to visit the MFC website, and click on all the sponsor links and videos.

Well, being the underdogs would be polite, at least the first time. After that we can go in all stomping unchallengable beast for a few years. I think it might help a few people's 'triumph anxiety' to think of Melbourne as a binary system - we're either completely awful or completely unstoppable. The wheel just has to turn.

What's that, an executive with a few really obvious ideas, radically disproportionate notions of their costs to implement and real impact, and a whole lot of 'I'll let you people fill in the details', offering long commentaries on minutiae and not even proof-reading their writing, and now wants to tell everyone how much they lack 'vision' for not standing up and clapping. Never seen that before.

Is that you, Schwabby?

It's a magical new era where 'annus horribilis' is a 4-4 record with a percentage of 111, and win basically guarantees a climb into the 8. Not long ago 4-18 result that avoided the spoon would have been an improvement! Of course, if 'annus horribilis' means that absolutely crappackage of major injuries, personal crises and brain-damage anxieties the players have had to work through, then I'm absolutely with you. I guess it's a bit like a farmer expecting a bumper crop, only to have it wrecked by a late season flood, but still being able to get a 'ok' harvest out. English is missing a word for this situation.

Fair calls, I'll put it down to not being able to watch the game live/properly and all that. Very hard to 'see' pressure efforts when so much happens off camera. For what it's worth, I do think Hannan is a valuable piece of the puzzle that is coming together, something just seems right about him. I'm sure one day he'll be the loose element in a final that the opposition plan doesn't quite account for. I'm also not a Bugg hater - I love his pest quality. Some goals he kicked last year, I swear he did it as much to annoy his opponent as to add points to the scoreboard. Strange times indeed. I wonder how long it would take for people to forget their vendettas? Sometimes I wonder if their dad was a serial killer or something, there's so much hate for that family. If Tom plays forward a bit more for a while, particularly as Hogan beats his illness, he would actually become the only legitimate key position 'swingman' currently playing AFL. Maybe Jeremy McGovern the only rival?

I'm comfortable with Hogan coming in for Weideman is Hogan's body and head are ready. I don't mind Weid coming in and out of the team. Normally I dislike that hovering on the edge, but I'm sure he and his family understand that he is 'closing in' on AFL and warrants games when there are gaps, but isn't quite there yet. As long as his mind is set on the 'learn the roles, build your strength, fitness and knowledge, and soon enough you'll be a regular'. I prefer Nibbler over Bugg. Despite the poor disposal, I like his level of effort and I always respect a good tackle count. If Hunt is sore, I'd have Stretch in. I think Stretch should be in anyway, thought he was coming along nicely and giving a good consistent performance. Hannan needs a rest and reset at Casey. So in total - In: Hogan, Nibbler, Stretch Out: Wied, Hannan, Hunt (if sore) or Bugg (if Hunt is ok)

We did pick up some spud whose own club didn't rate better than a 4th round pick, in just this recent draft. That reminds me, Garlett is having his best season ever. Thanks Mick! Seeking our Stuart Dew? I wonder what role we most need to fill - is Ryan O'keefe considering pulling the boots back on?

I think it will have set in the minds of the players, and the coaches, that they really are not only headed for finals but likely to 'to some damage' there. I think it was also a big deal for shaking out any sense of 'no Gawn, no Demons' or that this middle part of the season is just about holding onto respectability. Doubt was creeping in about whether we were really going to make it to finals, whether we were really rising. I think the doubt is set aside for a while, and that means players [cliche alert] 'buying in' more enthusiastically.

The question really is, with the ferocious and fast play we turned up with, would Hogan have kicked 6 and we win by even more? But seriously, Hogan is quite a smart and hardworking forward who makes an effort to offer connections up the ground, as well as being pretty effective as a target close to goal. Football is an odd thing - you could argue that if only Gawn, and not Spencer, had been injured we would have missed out on Pederson's amazing return playing his awkward role so well and proving so important. Instead we'd have an ok ruckman doing ok. I think it is similar with Hogan being out - we've been forced to try alternative methods, and discovered that we can make them work. Over a 22 (25? 26?) game season though, I can't imagine 'Team with no Hogan' would be able to keep pace with 'Team with Hogan'.

Anyone else getting the same feeling, 5 goals up with a quarter to play, as being one goal up with a minute to play. I've got butterflies in my stomach, but they are all projectile vomiting.

Remember, Adem Yze turned up for his first game at Shepparton Juniors, playing in trackies, and kicked 17 goals.

Demons have kicked six (correction seven) goals in a row since my girlfriend started eating Nutella for dessert. It's a new jar and I'm not letting her stop until it is empty!

Well, there's the traditional 5 in a row to the opposition. Now, time to peg them back to be behind by just one goal at the final siren.