Little Goffy

Yep, the Sydney pub I ended up at was all about the Rugby League, barely an AFL person, let alone a demon. But even that crowd was cheering during Hannan's run-in - possibly helped draw some attention when I momentarily lost it when his opponent slipped and I yelled "RRRUUN" like some kind of horror movie cliche.

Yep. Yep.

Oooh, adding to the bottom-6 Hall of Fame, Nathan Carrol's tackle on Fraser Gehrig, the single most important moment the last time we won a final. By coincidence I found the Demonland match report when I was looking for video of the incident.

I actually agree with your general point but it did remind me of something my brain dug up from the archives. And since the topic is the 'importance of the bottom 6', well, is there any better case for it than the great, the only, the unique, Simon Godfrey. 2006 Demons with Simon Godfrey - 10 wins 1 draw 5 losses 2006 Demons without Simon Godfrey - 3 wins 3 losses. Come to think of it, any chance Demonland can bring him in for a podcast. Maybe ask him if he ever forgave Robertson for stealing the 3 votes in his epic game against Richmond that year, and any tips for tagging Ablett, who happens to be the only player still active from the 2005 final.

2004 Josh Mahoney! (kind of our very own, or is now, anyway)

I think in the end the strength of the 'bottom 6 importance' case is that it necessarily includes the whole team. Not so much an argument of 'these specific six players must do well' as it is about looking at the contribution that can be expected of any player in the 22. Illustrated by the debates in this thread about who is in that bottom six. Fritsch, Vandenberg, O.Mc. I would reckon that when our bottom six becomes full of players that can be debated about as having too many merits or playing their roles too well to be considered bottom six, we'll be laughing all the way to the trophy cabinet!

Correction: Carlton would have been romping their way through finals if the top FIVE were what mattered. Also, I've seen some silly arguments in my time but to argue that the best 6 are what matters by listing the best 6 and noting that they are the best 6 is taki g circular reasoning to an impressive level. Is it enough to point out that the best 6 at Richmond has been much the same since almost as far back as Terry Wallace times?

Let's call it the Stephen Armstrong Principle. Your 'bottom six' don't have to be great players but they need to play their part effectively and not be leaving slack which your top players have to pick up. If your best six won finals, Carlton would've been romping it home for a decade.

The main thing I'm taking from this is that we have a lot of genuine quality players who fill their role really well. That and it gives the list a whole new look to have a few of the absolute top bracket players. I wonder where we'd slot in some of the players from our previous 2004-5-6 finals? Not sure many would make it in, which is kind of exciting.

His peak value will also be when he is a restricted free agent. So how about we all calm down and let this settle itself in time.

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 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.

In my mind, for a long time all stadiums in Perth are Subiaco. No matter how many times they rename it. It would appear this prevented me from remembering that there is actually a new stadium. Well, after sunday it will be renamed The Sam Weideman Picnic Ground...

People forget that having really smooth skin and a nice tan make you look a bit skinnier than you are. Weideman is being brought in to fill a role, rather than be a star, and if he focuses on doing the team things then the he'll do fine and get a couple of opportunities by weight of numbers in that big wide Subiaco spaces. 3 goals, no behinds, and a couple of occasions of keeping the ball trapped in the forward line that ultimately results in a goal, is my tip. I just have a good feeling.

No contact between the senior coach and a star player, while the star player is in crisis, and you're planning to include the player in coaching duties... Either it is just not the truth (a West Coast coach lying? Shock!) or Gaff is surely gone.

Yeah, bugger it, we're no good, trade veryone with currency, time for a rebuild.

Can we get David Neitz to say Ben Brown is going to Gold Coast on big money to replace Lynch?

I dislike paying big money for players unless they are really, really structurally useful. There's definitely an argument for Gaff to provide the blade in a midfield full of hammers, but I'm not convinced it is completely necessary, not to the level of cash it would take to prevent Wet Toast from matching. And we simply don't have the draft picks to make the trade happen. On another level, all talk of having separate 'inside' and 'outside' midfield responsibilities always makes me nervous, remembering how that mindset so profoundly shaped Terry Wallace's Richmond. Isn't our team mantra something about flexibility?

Seeing Brayshaw so involved and playing smart football the way he does was a real pleasure in an overall very enjoyable afternoon. I'd love to say I told you so but I have to be honest and say I am always taking the sides of players who I think are being written off unfairly and I doubt I've got a high % in my favour over the years... but hey, this year it seems to be working out for me!

Can anyone help me clear this up once and for all - Is Charlie Spargo in any way related to former board member, vice-president, acting president, acting CEO and Foundation Heroes organiser Peter Spargo?

If we're comparing Lever to Rance, it is only fair to point out that Weidman is tracking about the same as Matthew Lloyd after the same number of games... we definitely should be anticipating a big round 1!

Is it just my impression or has this thread moved along at close to a post a minute? Incredible. Can a mod put a 'sticky' on the first page to update any actual news, just so nobody feels a need to slide through dozens of pages?

Taking a moment to confirm Redleg's background is law, not medicine. I mean, obviously you're thinking of the remarkably similar treatment for tinnitus.

There were too Ajaxes (Ajaxs? Ajaxi?) in The Iliad. Couple of Burly Brutes, Ajax the Greater was physically the mightiest of the Achaeans. Ajax the Lesser was really only 'lesser' next to Ajax the Greater. Sucks to be him, I guess. Bit like being Alexander the Pretty Good. Also, I support Whispering Jack's sentiment - I've had an embarrassing kick around or two on quiet afternoons at Brunswick Street Oval and it really is quite picturesque. And you can always visit the little bourgeois-ironic shopping nearby. (Oh, I'm so poor, all I can afford is this old desk lamp from the 80s which I paid $40 for. #bargainhuntwins #authentic)

Straight swap for Melksham. If the Swans try to play hardball about it, we can throw in Lamumba.