Little Goffy

Gropey, boozed, and a long way from drug testing when you have a track record of sexual harassment, unhinged drinking and a bit of [redacted] stuff going on as well. Also; Jason Horne-Francis getting hacked at for, literally, visiting his mother. Anyway, I predict this will greatly help Petracca's form, as De Goey was basically put on this earth to provide a cautionary tale of what Petracca's life would be like if he just half-arsed it as both a player and human being. A real 'ghost of Christmas present'.

Petracca's little run of ordinary form has made our midfield look a lot less potent, despite Oliver's efforts and Viney's notable lift in form over the last 4 weeks. Viney just doesn't punch holes the same way Petracca can. Outside that core three it has been a mixed season for the other players who contribute to the midfield with any regularity. It will be an issue when we come up against teams which bat a little deeper for true midfielders, like, dare I say, Carlton when their Cripps/Walsh/Cerra/Hewett engine is operating well. Brayshaw is now doing spectacularly well across half-back, but once Salem fully settles and May comes back, and presumably Rivers steadies his kicking and returns to AFL level, we actually have a pretty rich selection of smart interceptors and rebounders. The place where we most need the special talents kept inside Brayshaw's helmet is right in the middle of the ground. Going both ways - to delay, confuse and repelling the fast counter-attacks which are our greatest weakness defensively, and giving us much smarter movement across half-forward and inside 50. I think an in-form Angus Brayshaw would be just about the best true centreman you could ask for.

North don't look like turning things around. Insert a couple of paragraphs about the sheer variety of ways they are a mess. Meanwhile, Horne-Francis is copping grief from all directions while under all kinds of unreasonable expectations at a club where every reputable leader is on the brink of retirement. He's in serious danger of getting the full Jack Trengove experience. No point waiting six more years to then limp home to Adelaide.

Obviously we are a better than even chance in every remaining game of the season. After the bye with May back, Petty getting some rest on his 19 different bumps and lumps and Gawn getting to take a deep breath and so on, tipping rationally, game by game, would mean tipping no further losses! On the other hand, if we haven't regrouped and refreshed after the bye, our next loss could very likely be our next game, against Brisbane. Our last five games will all be against top 8 teams, and the top of the ladder won't be decided until the final round when we play Brisbane. My overall prediction is a 17-5 final count, first on the ladder regained in the last game, and that the 2022 finals series will be epic for all involved.

We've had all kind of bumps and niggles this year that weren't such an issue last year. Would be very much hoping to smooth them out by August. Throw in the couple of weeks of missed pre-season due to playing all the finals, it all fits with a picture. Also, an intercept mark in defence and a nice clean rebound takes a lot more energy to deal with. That equation has been reversed these last three weeks; instead of making our opponents scramble back to cover the long smart kicks of May & Lever etc, we are having to rush to deal with rebounds up the middle because our opponents are getting a ridiculous number of easy intercept marks. Also, opposition has figured out the way to attack us is going for broke up the middle, which, relies very much on getting a fast, clean rebound 50. In short, I think we are a little less fit than last season but the true issue is still that we aren't getting proper contests at the ball when we are attacking.

Van Rooyen looked a lot like a proper forward a couple of times there. And this game is looking like good early fun. Is there a lot of wind or are we generating our own?

Live broadcast is available on afl website: https://www.afl.com.au/vfl/matches/4258

We should probably take a little heat off Bailey Smith and direct a little more at the Bulldogs. Teenager in predraft interview: "I've got some mental health issues which I sometimes struggle with." Football club: "Great. That'll be really useful for spin later. We'd definitely encourage you to go on a Gold Coast party bender shortly after a bitter disappointment. AFL: Yep, best option left after we stripped back all progress on player welfare resources to cover Covid losses.

Cheer up Mandee. I'm just having a little merry poke at the culture of hypocrisy, prejudice and entitlement that sets the tone of the private school alumni world and routinely costs outsiders all kinds of opportunities. Nothing to get wound up about.

I love that being punched by Campbell Brown is considered a 'prior offence' on May. Not only that, but he is on record as having been punched in the head by Tom Hawkins in a manner for which Hawkins was not culpable, ergo it must have been May's fault. Clear pattern emerging. As for Smith, let's be fair, he did go public discussing his mental health problems long before there was any 'leverage' in it. He even raised it with clubs before he was drafted. But if there's one lesson we should all take, it is another reminder to be wary of those private school types when drafting.

All I'm going to do is reflect on how proud I am that the first source to tell me about the Demon's dinner fiasco was the club itself.

I really think people are just confused because normally a team on a high gets bigger attendances as the fair weather fans jump back on. Doesn't apply to Melbourne because we farewelled our last soft supporters long ago. I'm joking but also serious.

One coached Fleamantle and the other Sidanhee. Even though I was just having a laugh, I may still have to ban myself from posting for a few days, there isn't a forehead-slap gif powerful enough. Jebus Chroist's extruded colon. I've spent at least a decade thinking they were brothers.

The Cairns disaster games which cost us finals in 2020 were against Sydney and Fremantle. Our two losses in the last couple of weeks were also, of course, Sydney and Fremantle. Those four losses to Longmuir-coached clubs account for one half of all our losses since September 2020. Does anyone else want to help with a GOFUNDME for a special Longmuir family vacation? I'm thinking a month-long cruise of the Norwegian Fjords, starting at about the end of August.

My gut feeling agrees. I've having a looking now at who we've played when. Thoughts; This season we've already played 8 games at the 'G. There's no denying that while we were getting the job done we weren't blowing teams away very often. Our two games against opponents in disarray, the Eagles and Kangaroos, were both away from the G, while our two games where we were messed around by disruptions etc were at the G. There may also be an element of coincidental timing - our run to the premiership last year coincided with our forward line getting organised, With Ben Brown and Bailey Fritsch combing for five and a half goals per game in the period after the loss to the Bulldogs in rnd 19, and Pickett adding almost two a game as well. In that period we only played once at the MCG, which was a solid 41 point win. In contrast, our mid-season slump last year (taken as the six games from the loss to Collingwood until the loss against the Dogs) coincided with a large chunk of MCG time. 4 of those 6 games were at the 'G, out of the season total 11 of 25. Outside that slump period in 2021 we only lost one game, by one point, and due to an umpiring error! So, I'm not too worried about the MCG, though I'd prefer if I was 'actively enthusiastic' about our presence at the 'G. What DOES have me worried is the Longmuir family. Since September 2020, half of all losses by the Melbourne Demons have been to a Longmuir.

Such luxury! I have some feeling that way but would like to keep my hopes up that there actually IS a good option out there for the recruiters to pick out. I'm glad someone else went there so I wasn't tempted. We are basically looking for exactly Jesse Hogan but not Jesse Hogan! I've been irritated by Walker for ten years. He's in the 'punchable face' basket for me! Talk of recruiting him just sends my mind to the Fevola to Brisbane zone. That is really well gone up the river for me! Need to assemble a set of options first, but yes, a poll should be added.

Yeah, Fritsch was our only designated forward to kick any goals against Sydney. And here's what trouble's me most about that - if he can get them, then they are possible. So why did Brown and Brown, combined, had seven kicks and six marks? Meanwhile, our fleet of crumbers simply weren't getting forward to put enough pressure on to cause the rushed rebound-50s that are so crucial for our intercepting and counter-attacking game.

Seems to me that it isn't our very best players showing signs of complacency, though. I wonder if there's a few lesser lights who are just kind of coasting now - maybe feeling very much like passengers. I don't mean that necessarily in a lazy or irresponsible sense, so much as they are struggling a little with motivation when they know they are 'Player 19th-25th'. The bye is coming at a good time (as always) but I'd like to see us get the system back working properly against Collingwood and get a solid win just so we have a little positive reinforcement.

His final quarter against Sydney was just extraordinary. He finally got a pace ahead of the ruck-tagger that had (wisely) been stalling him all night and took, what, four, five important marks? It is very much like having an extra player, but tonight with the tall defenders depleted and disordered, and the tall forwards entirely failing, it was too much to ask him to be both ruck, extra forward, AND extra intercept defender. Considering he had a couple of 'just very good' games in the first half of the season, his sheer volume of work accumulated this year is extraordinary.

I've shuddered in horror every time I've seen the 'Taylor Walker possible recruit' thread on the main page, so I'm looking for reassurance that there are better options out there. I'm keen to hear people's opinions on possible next key forward options for the Demons. It is clearly the next item on the list management, erm, management list. Respectable veterans slightly younger than our current ones to cover the impending hole? Mid-career club-switch prospects? Young key forwards who aren't getting games but could provide an honest contest? If I can figure out how to add a poll to the post later, I'll take in people's nominations and create a poll. So, who have people got an eye on for this essential part of any 'dynasty creation'?

I lied just a little. But I figured I deserved some time off for 2012-14. Also, my wife is in the age group I selected, and I definitely 'belong to' her. So, in an Obi Wan kind of way, it is true. From a certain point of view.

Out: Flu? In: Oxygen? The Tomlinson-Langdon-Harmes-McDonald additions seem natural and a dramatic difference. Touch wood on May but as others have noted, concussion protocols probably mean no sighting in six days' time. I'm wondering how many weeks left until Salem is back? Would obviously replace Hunt, although I don't mean to be harsh on Hunt as he was just completely out of comfort zone today. Yhere was obviously something wrong with Petracca on the day and it really robbed our midfield and made it possible to tag Oliver and have it mean something. Viney was very good but Dunstan was pretty limited in accumulation as well as effect. Far too often the ruck - Jackson and Gawn - ended up chasing their own hitout instead of being part of any organised onball system. Anyway, it's not so bad. It is bad, though.

Olisik - Literally no posts between march 11 and two hours after our first loss of the season. Gotta love him. But I'll bite for the actual topic. The forward line is an issue. Brown has down days about as often as Weideman has good days - if you average it out that would mean that if both played a full season that would mean we had one good forward out there consistently. Unfortunately today they both had absolute u-bend sludge days and when that combines with the heavy disruption to our tall defenders due to concussion and a wonky ankle, we were always in trouble. Petracca up forward for most of the game and not even reaching contests is also 'of note'.

I can't see us wanting him, so it is allegedly a club in the premiership window, but not the Demons? Very short list.

It'll be fairly tight early, they'll seem a little on top of us but only score a few goals without preventing us from grinding out a couple ourselves. The margin will be small in their favour at 1/4 time. In the second quarter we'll peg it back a little and by half time scores will be basically level. In the third quarter we'll push ahead a bit, peventing them from scoring much while adding three or four of our own. Early in the final quarter the game will open up just a little, both sides will kick goals, but then we'll get a couple on the trot, they'll realise they are beaten and then we'll kick the last three of the game, pushing the margin out to 50 points without anyone even noticing. [picture of a metronome]