Dr. Gonzo

I'll say this, if we beat the Pies I'll go into the bye full of confidence even if we lose to Carlton this week.

And if Port kicked straight we get belted last week. Even if we had have fallen over the line due to kicking straight it wouldn't change much. Falling over the line against a middle of the road (at best) interstate team on your home deck - I feel were just making up the numbers this year. It's not about the results it's about how we're playing.

I've generally been pretty positive even back to 2020 when we underachieved but something is off and hasn't seemed right for a while. It's not the losses it's the way we're playing that is the issue. The games moved on and we haven't, Collingwood will run rings around us in 2 weeks. We're just not playing at the level required anymore.

Serious? We were on the southern wing as always and bemoaned the fact they constantly play the members wing so we can't see anything.

A threat to what? I doubt we make it past the semis again, Collingwood, Brisbane and Port are all playing far better and I still think the Cats will come home with a wet sail like usual once they get some more players back. I'm really dreading the next two weeks now, lucky I can't go Friday but king's birthday is going to be painful.

They don't have the burn anymore. There is no ferocious attack on the ball and pressure. Our small forwards were one of our keys in 2021, now their pressure and crumbling is non-existent. Our defence was impenetrable now teams isolate Lever and he can't stand up. Thank god for May and Hibberd back there. The only other ones seeming like they gave a stuff were Petracca and Viney, at times Sparrow. The rest are just coasting.

Bin this season, we suck again ☹️

What, he's gonna let you deal with the ferals on your own!

I'd love to see us incorporate something with the Reach Foundation - it wouldn't just be tokenistic either considering Jim Stynes' history. Have it called the Jim Stynes Centre for Underprivileged Youth or something like that (but with a better name).

@Demonland loved your evasion of the profanity filter at the end - we were all thinking it when @binman said Freo were 4th in the comp for clearances 🤣

Hopefully it has a snowball effect too - in future more people will reserve seats earlier so they don't miss out meaning it will become a fully ticketed event in perpetuity. That's the hope anyway (for this and Anzac Eve).

One of the great mysteries in life is why my dad didn't sign me up for an MCC membership at birth! Been an MFC member since I was 7 (before that was the VFL Squadron kids passes - showing my age haha). So for now it is the AFL members which is an absolute zoo when we play the Pies. Hopefully one day before I die I will get to enjoy sitting amongst fellow Demons in the MCC with my kids whose dad did the right thing and signed them onto the waitlist when they were still young.

That's not how GA memberships work. There's always the asterisk "subject to capacity".

AFL members is sold out I think so it will be full. It just depends on MFC reserved seat holders as to how full it gets. Should crack 90k you'd think.

Should crack 90k

8 tickets in M19, got on at 2pm on the dot, seamless. Will be a bumper crowd, I'd be surprised if AFL members isn't a sellout and MCC will be packed to the brim. Would be amazing if we come close to the Anzac day crowd.

And that's saying something when you have the Sunday Footy Show still running 🤣

I thought his work against Port was great especially further up the ground when we couldn't find a link between the 50s

Hunter was able to stop to the point he could turn and stand his ground - he could not stop on a dime to completely move out of the way (and nor should he). What you are suggesting would have resulted in a severe head clash, far worse than the incident which actually occurred. Just because something is worthy of a free kick does not make it worthy of a report/suspension. You can accidentally get someone high without it being rough conduct. The rules of the game allow for physicality. Hunter was playing the ball and turned to protect himself and his opponent at the last second when it was clear he would not beat his opponent to the ball. These incidents are inevitable in a 360 degree contact sport played in the elements.

You're forgetting Chandler

Since our glorious drought breaking flag we have a less than stellar record against top 4/top 8 opposition. Have we been freed from desire? We seem to have lost the hunger and pressure that was a hallmark of our 2021 campaign (namely around stoppages and inside F50).

We didn't do that either. Our team lacks mongrel and it is infuriating. Look at how Collingwood went after Langdon last year. Look how they responded when Daicos was targeted. We could learn a thing or two from them about mongrel and desire.

He's had foot problems all year hasn't he? Seemed OK vs Port but I guess don't know how he's pulled up.

Yep, similar to Viney on Lynch all those years ago.

Rozee should've turned his body so that any collision was side on. Players these days just lead with their heads expecting the other player to move out of the way or at worse they get a free kick. No consideration for their own safety. Hunter was attacking the ball as he is entitled to do and upon realising he was going to get their second, turned to avoid a head on collision. You can say he should've stopped completely and waited for Rozee to collect the ball and tackle him but on a slippery night in bucketing rain stopping with that momentum would be impossible.