Little Goffy

So... you're the reason the game is not in Melbourne, are you? I call BS. Send me a message if you have any basis for that claim, but let's not have any debate in a thread that is supposed to be about making the most of the situation we're all in.

The timing of this is superb. It's a low-key reminder that the future is still going to happen whatever the result on the 25th and that we have the right people attending to it. I'm definitely a little less anxious now.

For his birthday some troll online put together a video of all of the times he screwed up during the finals...

Well, we've got two weeks to pass and we're in lockdown. Anything that creates a sense of a crowd and community is welcome. It's time for team "Get random celebrity endorsements from around the world." Points awarded for both quantity and quality.

Unless his wife is giving birth at that exact moment. Or... especially if his wife is giving birth at that exact moment?

Sometime in the third quarter I suddenly started calling Charlie Spargo 'Banksy' and I like so I'm going to keep doing it. Nobody knows who he is and he keeps producing little works of art in unexpected places.

Any last minute tips for any unexpected heroes or special moments?

I think that B. Smith is actually Brock Smith - yet to play a game after being taken at 33 by Brisbane. The B.Smith of fame and fortune was in the 2018 draft.

Continuing the theme where a club pushed itself up to the peak through a series of draft boosts; both Hawthorn (Rioli) and Geelong (Selwood) had that one last super pick right before their premiership breakthrough who played most of the season with real impact. Not sure Bowey quite counts as that for us but it is an interesting pattern.

Did you know (yeah, you probably did but let's make it explicit): In finals the Western Bulldogs average 50% more free kicks than their opposition. Under Luke Beveridge, Bulldogs have lost every final where they lost the free kick count, and won every final where they won the free kick count.

Obviously I'm posting this as a joke but it is always a good idea to read these things because first aid is constantly improving. For example, the 'Heimlich' maneuver has been out of date for a long time despite it still constantly appearing in movies for dramatic/comedic effect. Even Heimlich himself stopped recommending it years ago. https://www.ausmed.com.au/cpd/articles/choking-aged-care Older Adults and Choking Did you know that older adults over the age of 65 are seven times more likely to choke on food than children aged 1 to 4 (Cichero 2018)? Loss of muscle mass and strength - which is a natural part of the ageing process - affects muscles related to chewing and swallowing, increasing the risk of choking (Cichero 2018).

Ease up. The facts do the job and are well known.

My mother finally got back to her Art when she retired and her first exhibition was of fine tonal pointilism, titled 'Ellipsis'. Just thought you'd like the wordplay. That's all. Also, it is as clear as day that in five years Kalani will be an elite mobile ruckman who will come in at the perfect time to develop flawlessly under the tutelage of then two-time All-Australian ruckman/forward Jackson and newly retire / appointed assistant coach Gawn, with White going on to be the best of the three. Obviously.

It's okay, Demons are just resting Nibbler for a week to prevent him being suspended for Selwood's neck-to-the-throat fend-off and/or off-the-line-of-the-ball bump to the side of a bent over opponent's head a couple of weeks before that. Hard to imagine Nibbler being able to focus with that much scrutiny on him.

Ahh, those pre-season reports were an age ago. Much appreciated, too, Mr Fence. Someone should ask the club if there have been any slitherers out at Joondalup. We also need a rating on the pies/bacon and egg rolls. Bit of grassroots connection would be a nich touch while we're all going mad.

I'm never going to forgive the nuffies who didn't take Covid19 seriously. Nathan Jones having to choose between being with the team in Perth or the fabulous wife and imminent twins in Melbourne is just another reason. Far from the worst thing going on, but it got under my skin perhaps because it is symbolic of the most common cost that we are all paying.

For me, it is gone. Mysterious, inexplicable, and I don't know exactly when. I'm just not afraid any more. Not in the MFCSS way. For any given week or during any given game I'll be riding the details hard and feeling all the highs and lows, but I don't have that steady fog of anticipated miserableness. I worry about a bad game, I don't worry about a broken and humiliated club.

I'm not convinced he even understands what an 'If/then' statement is. As far as I'm concerned his journalistic range stretches from 'listicle-maker' to 'nosy vicar' and not much else. Just another media passenger weighing down the game.

Very happy to have other teams' supporters getting enthusiastic about us. It's not like they are going to be taking credit. I will not be happy when they instantly switch back to smugness and condescension if we slip. It's our own players who can decide the matter, though.

I still can't get over the fact that Carlton sacked Teague after 50 games (including a half-season as caretaker, a 17-game messed up season, and this year which he spent half-sacked from about round 4). He brought Carlton 21 wins in 50 games after the Blues' previous 40 games included just 4 wins. That's notably better than Paul Roos managed at Melbourne (21 wins from 60 games). One question remains - was it Teague or others who pursued the strategy of bringing in a multitude of speedy, high profile and high cost rebounding types without defensive mettle? Because if he can wash his hands of that major error then his record is pretty good for coaching a dysfunctional club that can display hubris even while winning the wooden spoon. It does also make me reflect on the priceless quality of the 'enthusiastic humility' which seems to be driving value at Melbourne now. We must support that attitude above any other single factor.

I had to think about that and I now really resent being made to think about that.

I have no problem with McRae which makes we sad because in three years' time I'll either have a problem with him or he'll be chewed up and spat out by dysfunctional Collingwood.

I think the extent of people's confidence that we will play Geelong also kind of indicates why it would be more convenient to be playing GWS. Seems our principal vulnerability is to small forwards so GWS without Toby Greene doesn't feel very menacing. I recall a very old anime movie where the bad guy was immortal and kept coming back to life so the hero was just beating his head in with a heavy blunt object over and over. "Why don't you just die!?" That's pretty much us to Geelong at the moment. Ahhh... here we go - the headbutt to death scene.

Pretty sure Demonland's own crystal ball was more accurate and more adventurous, too. We are the experts, after all.

I've decided to wait until we can discuss whether this is the best Demons side of the last 58 years. It's going to be a long week off and I am going to shrivel without a Demon game to focus the anxiety.