The Chazz

In recent weeks, they have been playing Scott Selwood as a defensive forward. I can see him tagging Salem, so I think we will need to have Fritsch sweeping across half back to make sure we are hitting targets coming out.

Without doubt they will try and intimidate us. I'm certain they will also try and physically take Gawn out of the game, especially given he will likely dominate against Abbott. The challenge for us will be how we respond. Oliver does get a bit distracted with this stuff, so this is where our leaders will need to keep an eye on it. The other thing will be the likely match-up for when Danger goes forward. Does Hibberd go to him? Could this be why Joel Smith is being considered?

I can't see any other changes than Viney and Hannan in for Kent and JKH. Viney picks himself if fit, and Hannan has shown he just kicks goals, even with a low possession count. It will likely sound unfair, but I think he is a safer pick in a final than JKH. I'd be very hesitant bringing Smith back in, but the FD see more in him than I do. I just don't see what match-up he needs to be rushed in for, unless he can go with Dorkins when the Dork goes up the ground.

RP, you're as likely to know the answer to this than most on here, but when was the last time a past coach given this honour, and not a past player? Just curious to know as I have no idea and could either make a case for or against ND doing it.

I'd have Melksham tag Stewart, then try and isolate him one out in the F50. Stewart was terrible in last year's finals, and will get bloody nervous again if the ball keeps coming in his direction in a one-on-one capacity. I really think Stewart is vulnerable one-on-one, so I'd be playing our best one-on-one forward on him. I'm going to be interested to see how Scott plays his talls (at both ends). They have Hawkins, Henderson, Blicavs, Taylor and to some degree Henry. If they play 3 tall defenders (likely to be Blicavs, Taylor and Henderson), then our forwards should be too quick for them. Blicavs is the only one they have that can go with Tom, so we're going to need a huge game from Sammy Weid as I'm certain Henderson will go to him. Playing him in that traditional lead-up CHF role, taking Henderson away from his comfort zone, will help open up the F50. It's because of this that I think they play 3 tall forwards (likely to be Henry, Hawkins and possibly Taylor), then I wonder what we do about the third tall. Frost to Dorkins, Oscar to Taylor, then maybe Hibberd to zone off on Henry, then have Fritsch play that rebounding role that Hibberd normally plays. Tuohy and Bews are my biggest concerns in their back half. Do we bring in Bugg to tag Tuohy out of the game, or do we give that job to ANB? Personally, I could see ANB playing on Duncan, leaving Hannan for Tuohy/Bews. ABSOLUTELY VITAL that we go 6-6-6, and not allow them a loose defender.

Don't get fancy. It's RDB, and only he. All due respect to The Rev.

While I have had a man crush on Bernard for a while now, it's not in the same league as the crush I have on his sister.

Oliver and Gus for me. Oliver for the fact that he is so very, very special. Gus, partly because of the issues he's had to overcome, but also because he just seems like a great kid. I remember seeing him carry off Daniel Cross' kid after Crossy's last game, and I though then that Gus had quality about him. I also like to try and find a diamond in the rough after each draft, and remember being very impressed with Nibbler in his first preseason. There was a video about him not long after her was drafted, where he explained he was studying disability studies (or similar) because his grandma is in a wheelchair, so he wanted to learn about it more and work in the field. (I think that's close to the story). Thought then that he was a quality kid, and when I saw him at his first Maroochydore training camp, I could tell then that he had something about him from a footy perspective too.

I bought 6 tickets on 3 barcodes, Saty. I can assure you, no one of my 6 will be found on Ebay. A select group of family and friends (2 of which are members) will be attending, all wearing Melbourne gear. You really are a grumpy old man.

Important to remember that he didn't play against the Cats last time we played them. Would Tuohy have taken that last mark with Pig down there? We will never know. But I sure as hell think he would've found himself in the right spot when the ball started coming their way.

I got 6 seats in M2, Row N, $68ea. Absolutely stoked! Good luck to those still trying.

And people will still question ANBs spot in the team...

He did that (both played on Ablett and slaughter him) last time we played them, but then had to get moved to Dangerfield and Selwood at other times. I'd like to see Viney go to Selwood. The one area that they killed us the other week was their intercept marks. A couple of names were mentioned above, but the other play that had a day out against us was Bews. He often plays loose in defence, and just takes mark after mark.

Would love to see someone with time and ability do a "Ladder vs Top 8" now. Spoiler alert - Collingwood would be on the bottom hang only beaten us out of all the finalists.

Looking forward to seeing how we go in a true, nothing to lose game. The boys are free to go out and play a game of footy with no significant consequences. Playing with freedom can produce amazing things, and so can momentum. I am extremely confident about this game. Was feeling the same last week, and the opposite the week before. Bring on the Cats!

All good. Thought you were being harsh on an 18 year old Cat B rookie by calling him a downhill skier! I thought we only did that to our 18 year olds, not other teams!

Please explain?

Thanks for mentioning this - I didn't see that. I knew a bit about Tom when I lived on the Sunshine Coast (which is where Tom grew up), more from a basketball perspective. He was a very talented basketball player - from memory, he had been invited to some camps in the USA. Not surprised to hear he was on the Bullets roster. Was a good kid from a good, down to earth family. Good luck to him.

She's probably ours (without the official title).

Didn't Western Australia abandon ship long ago? Could've sworn it was a different country over there. Just on that, do you guys have your own Prime Minister over there yet, or are they still trying to work out how they can make Alan Bond a posthumous PM? Couldn't be any worse than what we are dealing with in the Eastern states...

Curious to know if you actually watched the Adelaide/North game? I saw minimal given a lot of it was being played when our game was on. Also, you can't deny that Grundy didn't have a huge game. Personally, I thought Grundy's impact was equal to, if not greater than Gawn's impact this week. Doesn't change my view that Gawn is still the best ruckman in the league.

This is a separate debate.

Let's think about this, there were two results the AFL needed to go a certain way last round; 1. Essendon beating Richmond, as this meant the Friday night Port vs Essendon game would've been a blockbuster, as one team would likely make the 8. Now it's a dead rubber that I will have no interest in watching. The umpires tried their best too - 27 frees to Essendon, 15 to Richmond. 2. West Coast beating Melbourne, would've meant that our GWS game on Sunday twilight would've required us to win to lock in a spot in the 8, with one of Essendon or Port missing out. Because the results didn't go that way, the Top 8 is now locked and loaded, with some of the games in the last round more about shuffling of finishing positions, and the rest are dead rubbers. From a ratings point of view, this weekend has gone from massive games/results everywhere, to minimal interest across the board. So I ask this, would the AFL prefer feel good stories involving the Demons, or ratings bonanzas to continue to line Gill's pockets?

Wasn't overly impressed with Kent's game to be honest. Yes, he kicked the sealer, but he should've kicked the left foot snap from the goal square a few minutes earlier. I like Hannan, but I'm starting to learn not to look at his total possession game, and look at the goals scored and tackle count. I do find he can drift in and out of games a bit. This is where we are up to our ears with this year's finals series. Our bottom 6 do contribute a lot more than most other teams' bottom 6. I rate our bottom 6 as the 3 mentioned above, plus ANB, Tyson and Spargo. We bat very deep.

Hi all I've been a member of Demonland since September 3, 2009. In that time, we've experienced very few highs (if any), but a tremendous amount of lows. On Demonland, I've had many a great discussion, sometimes heated, sometimes just a general disagreement of opinions, and many times just a great chat about a particular topic. Having this forum to vent has definitely made dealing with the tough times a little bit easier to cope with. Since I joined, I've had my father, the reason why I support this great club, pass away. I've also sired two terrific kids - keeping my family's tradition alive with my young bloke being a Demon. It's been some journey. To the likes of Old Dee, Sir Why You Little, RPFC, Beelzebub, you guys were here before I started, but I've enjoyed may interactions with you all. To Andy and the Demonland team (Nasher, Whispering Jack, et al), thank you for creating a place for us to call home. In recent years, the fun and frivolity that Uncle Bitter, Moonie and Biffen bring has been priceless, as has the honesty of Pro Dee. But now, for the first time since I've been a member of this wonderful forum (approaching 9 years), we're in the finals! Making the finals is a great achievement for where this team has come from. There were absolutely times that I wondered if my young bloke would grow up being able to support the same team as his dad, like what his dad did too. We're still a long way from the pinnacle, but for this year, as Chris Scott keeps saying, we've made the "tournament" so who knows what will happen from here. Congratulations to all posters for sticking with the club. Yes, some of you may have threatened to shut up shop, I have probably felt it at times myself, but deep down, we're all Demons, red and blue, through and through. We deserve to get excited about the next few weeks, and even if it doesn't last as long as we hope, we've made a significant step in 2018 to becoming a relevant club again. Enjoy the ride. Go Dees.