Little Goffy

Flicking channels... check the score. Hmm, low scoring quarter. "And here are the players coming back out from the rooms." Took a moment to process that reality.

During the week I found it genuinely amusing any time I ad flicked past claiming that tonight's game was a major contest between two big rivals. Essendon v North is the clear 'who cares' game of the round. Even Demons v Eagles can we watched with an edge of 'will the Eagles break through and send the Demons back into crisis, or will the Demons continue the grinding turnaround of their season.' But this... EXCITEMENT: Can Essendon continue their 12-game streak of being between 9th and 16th on the ladder? Only a low-margin win can keep them safe!

Yep. Just adding to the noise. Tom McDonald is seriously respectable. I suspect I say it so often that it bores people, but I love that level of player who always contributes solidly without ever being a top star. Having said that, he remains, and I suspect shall remain, the only player to have kicked a goal after the siren in a grand final while 17 adult men dry-humped in a pile just to the left of the mark. That, at least, was spectacular.

It could be a genuinely even rising star award by the end of the season. Levi Ashcroft has been very good but not an instant explosion like his brother. Murphy Reid is playing his role superbly but might not accumulate enough attention to 'win' the award. Over at Essendon Archie Roberts has been pretty consistent and punctuated that with some big numbers in a couple of games, while Kako and Caddy are both doing fine but will of course be overrated due to the Bomber hype-machine. Sam Lalor's numbers go up and down but he seems to always contribute, and his best as an attacking mid rolling forward is huge. 2 goals and FOUR goal assists against the Lions is nonsense for a teenager. Then there's about half a dozen players which their clubs would be perfectly pleased about their progress and contribution, but who aren't standing out as being competition leaders. I'm not sure where Langford and Lindsay fit into that. I do know that I like the way they play and that they both have been improving with each passing game. Very interesting to see Langford getting the hang of his de facto wing role, averaging 400m gained in the two wins. Final note on our two guns is time on ground. We are managing our kids' time much more conservatively than other clubs are, with 64% for Langford and 62% for Lindsay, compared to 75-80% for most of the award contenders. Who knows, it may result in a more durable first season from them as others fade a bit late in the year.

Fun bump. Nice to visit a thread from before MFCSS was formally added to the official Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. 'Demon Deragement Syndrome' was a valid competitor, but MFCSS is what will go down in history. Much like Max Gawn. Did anyone else notice late in the Richmond game a moment where a pack collapse with Gawn in the middle of it and bodies dropping everywhere, and Gawn hits the ground and for a moment he is just watching the chaos around him with this happy grin like he is watching his kids figure out a new toy? You can also see the same kind of joy in the gif Demon Disciple posted above. You don't often see players just smiling like they are having a good time. I'm glad he is literally the best ruck of a generation, because otherwise I'm sure some sour-faced twit or cleansed-toned-moisturised potato in the media would be having a go at him for 'lacking intensity'.

Sinnema, White and Walsh. Jason Taylor must be investing all his effort looking at the 2026 draft already, just to look busy. "Why yes, this year I really would like four picks in the early second round, thank you."

Unlikely to work. No spirit to communicate with.

Had to brush some dust off the archives to verify that one.

Realistically, there was only one way the Hawks would lose to the Eagles, and a start of 2.8 has briefly opened that door.

Mathematically, "The Bulldogs" is a set contained within the set which is "The Bontempelli." The Venn diagram would be a smaller circle inside a larger circle.

This Swans-Suns game is becoming a worry. Swans may need some extra draft picks. And I don't like to be the bearer of bad news, but if Geelong and Hawthorn also win today, we're probably out of running for the top-4. 3 wins and percentage on at least two sides is a big ask. Top 8 still wide open, of course. ;)

The James Webb Telescope is actually searching for Bulldogs on other planets by attempting to detect traces of Bontempelli in the upper atmosphere.

Tonight's game raised an interesting grammatical problem. "No Bontempelli; No Bulldogs." Is basically sound. Or at least accepted as a convention. But... "Yes Bontempelli; Yes Bulldogs." T'is a weird one.

Got a mid-season target for option B, wouldn't mind a nice follow-up in September. I'll let you know how it compares.

That friend who shows you the final season of Game of Thrones and then suggests binge watching the rest from the start. Even if they turn out to be right, it isn't a rational decision to trust their taste.

I've never once seen him lose his calm. He has a bad habit of bumping and that is literally it. It matters, it needs correcting, but it is not some kind of personality defect.

It'll depend very much on how the old bodies hold up over a season, both for injuries and fatigue. I still think they are very suspect. Brittle enough to not even reach finals. #bigcall

That is actually a missing lyric from 'What does the fox say?'

Losing interest now. Collingwood winning is boring and joyless and only Essendon being humiliated could give it flavour. Time for a nap and then some history of early modern medical-botanical science in the Netherlands. Is something only Demons fans say.

Cutting him some slack sounds like we're doing him a favour by just not hanging [censored] on him. He is definitely working himself back into form bit by bit. Did some important non-stat work, demanded attention, kicked a couple of goals. I feel confident about how his 2025 will progress. The real issue remains the weakness of our 'true' key forwards.

I really want him to work out. I have a lot of sympathy for his 'journey' and all that. We don't need him to be a star, just a role player. He showed some value last week. But... at 200cm you should be able to take at least one mark in a whole game of football, even by accident. Sometimes I worry that in the presence of a hero like Gawn, others in similar roles start to spectate rather than emulate. Most of what makes Gawn the greatest is a matter of choice, not magic.

6 Max Gawn. Clearly cooked and time to retire. SnorkSnorkSnork. 5 Jake Bowey. Has emerged from the workshop with major upgrades. 4 Trent Rivers. Because I give extra when players fight their way out of a form slump. 3 Christian Petracca. I recognise this Petracca. 2 Kade Chandler. Quietly becoming a more complete footballer. 1 Tom Sparrow. I've been on his case this year, but like Rivers I like to reward turns in form.

Anyone else flick over to 7 and just get static and blips and boops? I mean, pre-game it is a better broadcast than usual, but I would actually like to see the game when it starts.

"Another star rejects Freo" and "Go home factor fading across the league" should be the subtexts for Warner's decision to say in Sydney. Forever the optimist, in football. But seriously, have Freo broken their window? How important are/were Fyfe and Walters? Did they overdo it to get Jackson, Bolton, and even Hogan? How much did Will Brodie's inflated salary affect them? Anyway, whatever comes, it is nice of Pickett to get himself into career-best form prior to any potential trades!

I love Spargo because he is eminently team-first and has moments of true football genius, but gee I as he was just that little bit stronger, a little bit quicker and could kick that little bit further with the same effectiveness. Just a few tweaks and trims and he'd be Brent Harvey level small mid-forward, but as it is he is just barely sustains a place at AFL level and if he is off even a little he drops well below. I guess you could say his advantages come in moments while his disadvantages continue all game.