Little Goffy

Gravel! Awsh, it's a good time for some these days. Nice life if you can 'ave it, ey. Prolly washed it down with fresh bitumen, you did. Oh, I'm a loyal man and a Demon through and through, but I'm not too proud to tell ya that if them Magpies came to me with a proper bag o' gravel and a contract I'd be out the door faster than a rash on a knee, I would.

Definitely hold on to that pick 5. As Sydney has shown through it's wild academy gains, access to that top end is priceless and far better than having a couple of late 1st-round or 2nd-round picks. If you've got a few serious guns running around it allows you to focus on needs with the rest of your draft/trade strategy. Even Hawthorn, who actually blew a surprising number of their very high picks, show how much difference it makes to have just a few outright top players to provide a focal point for a team. In this draft I don't think it'll make a huge difference to go higher than five. I think the 7 to 5 jump in the very final round has done us a great service, though. It is fun watching people debate who we should go for or hope to have slide when the debate is entirely phrased in 'this one is great in this way, and that one is great in that way'. I approach the draft without fear. After 5, I'm big on a mid first and early second round pairing. One to get our own choice of the cluster of talls in the 15-30 range, and another to get our favourite slider of the group. I hold onto my Whitlock+Whitlock fantasy. Edit: Spent a little time watching some Lalor highlights since a few other people have been getting excited. Seems unafraid to make the bold kick and also doesn't try to rely on perfection - happy to send it to advantage and allow for chaos rather than try to control every outcome. I value that mentality. Has a lot of initiative (the shared feature of our 2019 superdraftees). What I found amazing was that despite having a body shape that reminded me of Nick Sautner, those tree trunks really pumped hard and got him from tussle to tussle at a pace that surprised opponents as much as it did me. He's the fastest Ent in the Moot, to be sure.

Nick Maxwell, captain at a time when several players (by their own post-career confessions and unashamed reflections) were topping up with all kinds of wacky social ingredients, that Nick Maxwell? If we had the level of disorder, miscreant enthusiasms and plain old anti-social toxicity that Collingwood had then (and has had since and to forever, it would seem) we would be pilloried all week then up in a gibbet every thursday. Next thing someone will tell me Chris Judd was a cultural standard-setter. Max Gawn might realistically be the best captain in the AFL. A unifying and nurturing figure rivalling Jim Stynes.

At this stage I'm happy to wait for him to hand over the captaincy to George.

Who's got the Irish? We got the Irish.

When there's so much fine Irish to choose from, they picked 'tie me kangaroo down'.

I'm listening as best I can but is there anywhere streaming this?

Well, listen, you can't argue with results. @Swooper Northey for the Demonland poster trophy 2024. It's not actually a trophy, it's a poster of a trophy, being held by the poster - no, wait, I mean, it really is a trophy in the sense of a memento of triumph but not in the sense of being a physical trompy, because phyiscally it is a poster but psychologically it is a trophy, and in the poster there is a picture of a trophy which is not a poster but an actual trophy, except it is only a representation of a trophy, probably AI generated, and in this trophy poster which displays a trophy there is also an image of the poster who won the trophy poster of a trophy posing triumphantly holding the actual but non-existent trophy, which is a bit meta and just as well it isn't just another trophy poster of a poster holding a trophy poster because then this would go on for a while. But I hope Swooper appreciates it!

I'm weeping with laughter and joy having coming across this just minutes after the Petracca recommitment.

One hour to go and I can't find the gameday thread. Here's the AFL site link, for what it is worth. https://www.afl.com.au/aflw/matches/6802 I'm staggered The Corporation has made such a bollocks of AFLW again. It is almost as if there's some kind of disrespect for women in the AFL-Channel 7-Herald Sun nexus.

What is the world coming to when people politely make mild adjustments to how they express themselves to accommodate the sensibilities of strangers!? What a bastion of civilization we are on here! Much appreciated. I have read the letter ;) The sentiments are heartfelt and earnest and while not my personal proverbial cup'a'tea I would sit and drink a cup'a'tea (proverbial or literal) respectfully without interrupting while you shared them. We are a bit of a strange family around here, but still a family. Why, just the other day even Biffen made me smile, though I made sure nobody saw.

Unfortunately I'm so affronted by the idea of someone else writing a letter presuming to be on my behalf that I couldn't get past the first paragraph. The drama coming from all directions and nobody wants to miss out.

Party like it's 2009.

Neil Craig! Tuesday, 23 July 2013 Max Gawn signs a new two-year deal with Melbourne. "I didn't want to go anywhere and when [acting general manager of football operations] Josh Mahoney called me last night, he said 'We managed to get a deal' it put a bit of a smile on my face, so I'm rapt," Gawn said.

Right, can we please get the Ollie Wines thread really going now? 'Rumoured to be keen for the opportunity to play alongside his best mate' and 'While Port have a deep midfield of stars, Melbourne could do with another powerful body in the middle as they look to regain the clearance dominance that was a hallmark of their premiership and to nurture a variety of young potential stars in less physically brutal roles.' and 'Would allow for efficient coverage of Melbourne's loss of Neal-Bullen, who's desire to return to South Australia would also be the foundation of a clear win-win deal for both players and both clubs'.

All Australian in every season where he has played more than 15 games. No, wait... he got an AA selection in 2020 with just 14 games. Amazing! NO, WAIT! TRAVESTY! How did he miss 2023? FOR SHAME. I blame Brodie Grundy. But seriously, so proud our club is led by such a lovable cuddly unstoppable colossus.

Danger! Danger! You'll start another argument about in-season loading! But it is an interesting conundrum. If you are sure you're going to get drafted, there would be no reason except ego to strive to be at the really pointy end of the draft so you might well, you know, spend more time on your schooling or play out of position a bit to develop your game. Those who remember the years where osteitis pubis ruined the start of several careers would have a lot of sympathy for taking it easy for spells during the season. There might even be a bit of altruism involved if you want to give a less prominent teammate a run in your usual position.

I see where you're coming from. That 'and sometimes you don't' comment definitely could read as 'nah, don't bother', particularly to the person it was aimed at. In fact, that's how I'm reading it now, too. I guess picture it as if I was walking by and heard just that part of the conversation and it triggered my PTSD from watching really 'confident' people wreak havoc while looking down on anyone who expressed doubts. Which is clearly not what you're doing here. Because you're not a public service executive! I call it splash damage. Like when Akermanis referred to the 'monkey's upstairs' and it was interpreted as racist because the particular execs upstairs were Indigenous, when he was of course referring to media execs generally. Anyway, returning to your point in 100% agreement; the margin between 11 wins and 15 wins is not even two goals a game so the people shouting about a megacrisis drive me insane. Not least because it is a distraction from the real task at hand. We almost need to bring out the Rick and Morty psychiatrist scene here. 'Being a football club is work. Some people are okay with that. Some people would rather turn their football club into a pickle, and die. Everyone gets to choose.' 'And if you have any friends or family who [play for Essendon] and would like to stop [playing for Essendon], here's my card.'

Can we change the thread title to 'Kozzie misses his family amd would love to have them around more with the baby, but is also a serious professional who understands the reality of AFL careers and is fully committed to the Melbourne Football Club which has been great at including family in the club environment'? Also, I really think we should revisit my case for the club to acquire a small private plane to do round trips collecting the Petty, Tholstrup and Pickett families from their far-flung outposts! 3 Mil to buy, 700k annual operation cost if busy, call it 1mil per annum operations and finance. It'll save that much in salary cap by the time you add up the different delighted players. Plus, epic branding. Imagine the extras we could add for NT trips or special superfan rewards flying down to Tassie games. Handy corporate 'offering', too. Flying with the board to an interstate game. Lol, too much?

Oh, I'm thoroughly in the 'things can definitely be turned around with work not drama' camp right beside you. My reaction was in the more general sense because I find the 'winner winner' and 'you give up too easily' culture really obnoxious. In fact, related to that, as a personal favour could @Demonland please add 'gumption' to the blocked words list. Gives me the skin-crawling horrors.

Please tell me more.

First time I've really wanted to be at a B&F. Want to tell Nibbler how much I've always appreciated the post-goal hug patrol he clearly takes very seriously, and Angus, well, he shall remain my favourite footballer.

I got a message from hotmail congratulating me on our 25yr anniversary. Hmm, by the logic of some on here that means I should have a say on how Microsoft is run. I must say, watching this thread and its "Gish Gallop vs Sealioning" battle of wills has become fascinating in a petrie dish kind of way.

This thread is amazing.