Little Goffy

My main concern is that this season we only ever lost games to teams that finished the season below us.

If there's a way to view it without giving the scumrag any revenue, let me know.

I'm thinking back, and did people really 'hate' the Lions during their epic period? I recall mostly amazement and respect. Even with the salary cap bonus they received. Random other thoughts; - Obviously beating Essendon and then Collingwood twice meant everyone had a bit of gratitude for the lions services to football in general. - Another element is the sheer level of respect for that team and the fact that in a couple of those years they overcame significant injury problems and even a form dip dangerously close to the finals in 2003. - Will people really hate us if they are enjoying our football whenever we aren't playing their team? - As far as I can see, none of our players are very annoying. We don't have anyone like Toby Green or Dustin Martin who gives people the ****s even when they are being brilliant. We don't particularly duck or dive, we don't drop people behind play, we don't even do much trout-faced imploring for frees. - Our coach doesn't sook in the media or try to play politics with tribunal results. As a club, even on the occasions we've contested tribunal decisions we've done so in a low-key manner without grandstanding. - It seems to me that our only serious risk of becoming hated is our residue of silver-tailed entitled coterie ******* which includes an unfortunate smattering of smarmy politicians who might campaign with a Demon scarf to try to be more 'relatable'.

I'd argue our most urgent need is another key forward prospect. I think I posted somewhere else that I'm quite pleased to see several respectable 'Hibberd' types on the draft projections between 15-25. I think moving up the board that far is a realistic goal and being able to secure a disciplined medium-sized defender is an opportunity we should grab. That would likely leave us with only very late picks after that, and I can see them being used on a collection of tall kids with good attitudes who can be given a few years to develop. Some won't progress, some will. For the first time that I can recall, we have a brief moment of luxury where we can give them a little time to mature. That all points to a pretty quiet trade period unless some bonus opportunity comes up.

I think there's something to be said for winning a premiership before a bunch of player hit their absolute premium contract periods! If enthusiasm and the opportunity for greatness in a great team is worth even 10% off contract expectations, that's a couple of extra players in our best 22 we wouldn't have been able to afford if we'd spent another two years being 'really good' but not quite breaking through.

I'm always a little staggered whenever anyone makes a decision based on money after the point their income breaks $10,000/week. All just seems a bit silly. " I'm a 29 year old who has already paid off a lovely house and has a million dollars worth of other personal savings. I know I'll be coming home to my wife and kids miserable and distant every day, but the extra 10-15% on the contract makes it all worthwhile."

Maybe it is a silver lining to the game itself being in Perth. We will have full license and good cause to go nuts celebration in the preseason (fans only of course) and to really lose our minds in round 1.

So... my wife knew the result before the game even began. As they were bringing the premiership cup out, not only did the ribbon on the Bulldog's side of the cup slip down, but after they tidied it, it slipped down again and was left there on display. Game over. Not only did it predict the result it even predicted the progress of the game.

Even taken with many grains of salt, I noticed one thing I liked about Twomey's projections. There are a few respectable medium-sized defenders mentioned in the late first early second round I'd make a confident guess that we'll be trading up to the end of the first round and making sure we get Jason Taylor's favorite out of the four candidates; Tom Brown, Darcy Wilmot, Campbell Chesser, Josh Sinn. After that, it'll be a late draft party for minimum salary cap and the joys of speculating.

I've watched that set of goals so many times now I think I've started to develop a crush on the girl on the left. Every time I see her I feel great.

CRYSTAL BALL I was wrong about Melbourne. Since 2018 I’ve been waiting to see them kick on since making the preliminary final, I thought they were ready to challenge for a premiership in 2019 and 2020. But I now believe this group can’t win a premiership and a major change in direction is needed in their list management and recruiting strategies, and a big list cull and rebuild to find players that bring those four non-negotiable traits – skills, footy smarts, competitiveness and character. WE MUST ENSURE THAT GARY BUCKENARA PREDICTS WE WILL HAVE A MASSIVE PREMIERSHIP HANGOVER

I'm intermittently working on some day publishing a paper - working title 'The Curie-Johnson effect' named after Marie Curie and NASA's Katherine Johnson. It is not specifically about women but it examines the idea that where a group is generally excluded from participation or progress in a particular area, then it stands to reason that the exceptions must be, well, exceptional! I like to imagine it as an alternative to the highly problematic methods such as 'affirmative action' and tokenistic recruiting, in that to the extent that a person has overcome resistance to achieve in their field it is a valid demonstration of both their ability and their character which can legitimately be considered in a selection process. Right now, with the likes of Daisy Pearce in commentary and Kate Roffey in club leadership, the AFL is seeing a breakthrough wave of women who have had both the ability and the resilience to push to the top against all kinds of resistance. For a while there will likely be a pattern of women outperforming men at the very top level roles in football. With time as women's presence in football leadership is normalised (touch wood) the women in leadership will also just be 'normal' at the same standard as men. Women can't all be Daisy Pearce... somewhere out there is the female equivalent of BT. The horror.

As far as I can gather the fastest ever individual goal from a center bounce was 6 seconds when Riewoldt was awarded a 50m prior to the first bounce! The instant and completely uninterrupted breakaway goals from a center bounce seem to range around 9 to 15 seconds. I assume that it has happened before at some point but even so, it would require both to be right at the pointy end of that scale when you consider there is always a couple of seconds after a goal before the all-clear and time stopping. If there have been faster runs of three goals, it could only be by a few seconds. With another odd goalkicking record in mind now - Tom McDonald must be the first person ever to kick a goal after the siren in a grand final from 45 meters out while 15 other guys were in a dry-humping pile about 5 meters to his left!

Performed well in two winning finals. Didn't drop his head in a losing final. There's not a thousand people in Australia who can say that. I daresay he'll look back on his five years at AFL level without regrets and proud of the character he showed throughout.

"Macrae didn't poll in the Grand Final" says it all. Surely the simple solution is that all players get their three best games counted. Done, issue over. Still fair to the four-game players without giving any ridiculous advantage.

It'll be iodine pills next year. Must say, there would have been a little bit of concern about club revenue problems from having the Grand Final in another country but if you crazy people are anything to go by the club will be in a position to buy Google during the off-season.

There were just enough 'either way' calls to make me nervous that it might be beginning to tip to the Bulldogs, but even early in the third I was still not having any serious 'grrpmh, umpires' thoughts. I actually think the most important single moment in the game was that the team didn't go into any sulk mode after what should pretty clearly have been a free against Caleb Daniel for his late/dangerous/sling/off-the-field-of-play tackle on Gawn. Of course, by halfway through the final quarter the umpires could have been penalising us for having asymmetrical neck hair and it would have neither mattered nor upset me.

Unfortunately there are only 16 cannon shots in the 1812 overture or it would be the perfect music for our second-half highlights reel.

I was thinking the other night about ways that Nathan Jones is the same as Melbourne supporters; - was often hard to see buried under a pile of other team colours - sometimes it felt like he was almost the only one doing his share - never really considered switching clubs even though it would probably have been much easier and more fun - wishes he could be there tonight - will probably have to get up a couple of times during the game to change nappies. Any others?

"In the 18 months before the 2000 season, three of the club’s Team of the Century members had retired: Jim Stynes, Garry Lyon and Todd Viney." On will be presenting the cup, one has their son on the field, and the other has become the deepest spirit within the club.

I finally cracked. The weight and emotion of the last 15 years in particular hit me in a wave. I'm not actually nervous now. There's a certain calm acceptance that it is out of my hands but also a slightly savage demand for the very best from those who can shape things.

Best typo ever. "Pope Pervious IV, known for launching the crusade against those little holes in public toilets." But returning to the point... I feel reasonably confident that the Demons are walking the right side of the line in that they won't be soft and certainly won't allow themselves to be dominated, but aren't going to go out looking to inflict any thuggery. Besides, from either team it would be quite confected and against the usual style so the mental switch would be counter-productive.

"He's Melbourne's modern-day Barassi" "Goodwin's future was under a real cloud this time last year." "The Dogs have won it before from outside the top 4." "Hasn't Optus Stadium put on a great show." "Beveridge will have his team really fired up for this first quarter." "Daisy, I'll have to cut you off because I need to make some non-verbal exclamations here." "Lever is vulnerable if they can get him one-on-one"

Magnificent effort to get that much gear organised. What's the method for getting the broadcast in Cambodia? Any tips for how to get a broadcast for my vast group of Vietnamese in-laws? (Without buying a crazy long-term subscription?)

It is late September and I'm trawling through a trade rumours thread looking for distraction. Good to know some things don't change.