Little Goffy

Yes, we know.

Bizarre to think that of every team in the eight, there are only three established coaches (Scott, Fagan and Longmire) who haven't been seriously under the sacking microscope in recent years. Even they have had their brushes with ignominy, with Scott clearly squandering a dynasty, Fagan repeatedly failing in finals, and Longmire successfully navigating the politics of a tank...erm... I mean... a really very difficult two-year period in between qualifying final appearances.

The sweet irony of this coming after a loss to the resurgent, premiership-contending, Beveridge Bulldogs.

Footy Director at GWS from 2018-24. Hmm... on the scale of 'squandered dynasties' that sits just above the collapse of the Mongol Khanate.

Hmm I can see some issues with implementing this. We'll definitely need to introduce bumper boundaries which automatically fling the ball back into play whenever it goes out.

Essendon have Dockers, Suns and Swans at home the next three weeks. Could be interesting to see how their crowds go now that they've been out of the top 4 for two whole weeks. I It might hold up this weekend given they still have everything on the line, but a loss to the Dockers and their season is kaput. Essendon fans really don't turn up when it gets tough - their 2022 crowds included; 30k v Lions early in the season, then 25k v Crows 24k v Dockers 23k vs Suns 20k vs Port

'To award one Brownlow Medal to a player who should have been disqualified is unfortunate, to award two... looks like carelessness.'

I know it wouldn't be easy or likely - it would require us to win all four remaining games and for Geelong to drop two - but with both Collingwood and Essendon wilting while facing three top-4 teams still to come, could we please pull off the ridiculous miracle and sneak into finals at the specific expense of Geelong?

Oh no! The clue was too obvious! Up until that point I was sure it was something about their hair.

You have to give credit where it is due; Cranky Franky managed to complain, in a thread about the 2021 draft/trade period, about five of our players and four of Hawthorn's players without a single one of them being from the 2021 draft/trade period. Nine throws and not one in the dartboard. Right now I'm picturing Cranky Franky going into a KFC and demanding a Big Mac, and when they won't give it to him saying it proves they are too timid to handle his opinions on the cheese.

Be interesting to give him a game against the Bulldogs this coming weekend. "Okay, kiddo, our forward line has been our crucial weakness all year, and our season dies now if we lose this game, see what you can do."

On the topic of soft; https://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/tg-collingwood-magpies?year=2016 A 9 win season with a percentage of 95, and the Pies got 17k against the Suns in round 22, 20k against the Eagles in round 14. Out of close to 900,000 supporters. There's your soft.

It is possible we just hate games against GWS, and also games at Docklands, and games in the final round of yet another miserable season after seven previous miserable seasons. Because, after all, that was the only game that season where we dropped below 22k in Victoria. One might even note that in 2014, one of the most miserable year for any given club this century and following on from the undisputed most depressing season since Fitrzoy folded, we managed 17k against the Giants late in the season. So the entire difference between Melbourne's 250,000 estimated supporters in the depths of the worst slump in the modern era, and Richmond with 500,000 supporters in their very first non-competitive season in 13 years... is two thousand. In fact, if you looked back over the figures you'd find, comprehensively, that our crowd attendances are the least affected by performance of any club. Each of us can have a whole lot of reasons to not show up for a particular game, but 'soft' has never, ever been one of them. We've got to send that McGuire-led myth to its grave.

Two separate points. 1. Winter saturday nights are a TV slot and attract poor crowds unless the AFL specifically sets up a 'blockbuster'. 2. Giant super-huge mega-awesome club of hardcore supporter terrific whoopdie-doo-daa, Richmond, got 19k against GWS at the 'G two weeks ago. Shush.

I thought a 'character building' was a heritage listed property with no door on the toilet and a colony of possums living in the badly bricked-up chimney cavity.

Can't speak for others, but I was just avoiding you.

When they're nauseous then next two mornings and their spouse and family are questioning whether football is worth the cost, they'll care.

I didn't want to think it. I know there's no joy or comfort in it. I know it never sticks and everyone who didn't watch any given game will assume it is just one-eyed fan sour grapes. I was almost sad we got back within a margin that meant the umpiring was bad enough to be the difference. Even way back in our dominant first quarter, GWS were getting gimmes. Unfortunately, short of there being a recorded message on someone's phone which then leaks to the public, there will never be any way to press home the implication that the umpires are well aware of The Corporation's favourites.

That kid will probably have their own 12 year old before Essendon win a final. Chasing Collingwood's run at pick 4. It gives me great joy to know that this season we have broken the souls of both Geelong and Essendon. Well, soul-analagous synthetic devices, anyway.

The Carlton players must be a bit worried that their major injury concerns could be missed if someone else needs their strapping redone first. De Koning and Weitering both free agents next year. Just saying.

No doubt on that. I'm just watching the puzzle pieces fall. We are in control of our destiny as far as top 8 goes, but a home final would be nice and top 4 still conceivable, but only if other results play out nicely. Plus, at the simplest realistic level, we're clearly still getting our act together and even if we're hitting form by September and have a reasonable shot at finals, we'd want those puzzle pieces to fall our way. Also, It's Goffy. I may be somewhat odd, but not a little goofy!

Main things I learned. Jefferson continues to develop but as he grows in some crucial facets that people were very worried about like the contested work and leading patterns, an early favourable aspects in his set shots has suffered a bit. I feel comfortable with the progress in as much as it is the 'hardest to learn' stuff which he seems to be making progress in. Yze appears to be a legit prospect, which is nice. And if you drop an Yze sandwich on the floor you get a Gruzewski. And Casey needs go recruit and reorganise in a major way. And the VFL is being relentlessly disrespected by The Corporation.

Bittery disappointed Carlton couldn't get the job done against an opponent which had only a tiny margin of % ahead of us. Blues still a club relying too much on a handful of stars, but at least their fans will be able to say 'but but but we were missing the greatest players ever' and still believe. Port are still chasable not only because we play them, but their other opponents are Sydney, Adelaide, and Freo in Perth. Feels strange to be keeping at least a half eye on all of today's other games. We could do some kind of motorcyle stunt jump over both Scott twins in one day if Geelong and Essendon squelch it against their low-ranked opponents. Plus, no harm in St Kilda coming home strong and making Magpie fans nervous. An Adelaide win over Hawthorn tomorrow would also clean up the chase while bringing a Collingwood bottom-4 finish into the range of possibilities. come to think of it, Adelaide are our absolute best friends for the rest of the season, with four games being against our close positional rivals. Brisbane either fail and bring themselves back into the peloton, or they do the job and remove Gold Coast from the race. Either result is acceptable but I wouldn't think Brisbane could stumble completely from here, so it'll be better to have on less chaser to worry about.

Amazing. I'd love to hear your evidence for this. Actually, no, just go away. Does Demonland do bans for sheer wrongness?

Garlett, Frost, Baker, Bedford and Hunt. Pick any five players on our current list and make the switch, would we really be anything more than incrementally improved? Overall our team is faster than it was four years ago and in particular we've added considerable speed in recent drafts in every position. The anti-club Gish Gallop coming from some directions is getting more than annoying.