Supermercado

I'd like to put in a word for Saraid Taylor, who has been really good in the homebrand backline. Still don't like our chances of beating the top teams, but for now happy to beat up on the strugglers.

Some element of every fanbase in the competition would've disgraced themselves in the same situation, but it gets ugly when overwhelmingly one-sided crowds feed off each other negatively. Most of them probably didn't turn up intending to carry on, but got swept up in it. Reminds me of that documentary about the riots in Vancouver after they lost the Stanley Cup - normal people came to watch a game, and next thing they're tipping over police cars and looting shops. Along with not having to queue to take a whizz, the lack of a mob to spill into mob mentality* is one of my favourite things about following Melbourne. * Yes, I did enthusiastically get into the anti-Scully sentiment the first time we played against him, so direct accusations of hypocrisy to PO Box 666 in your capital city.

Looks like the science is settled on the spelling of his first name, so I'll be editing the title of his page on Demonwiki.

I think there's a good argument for him based on performance and contribution to the team. Players won more flags in the 30s/40s and 50s/60s, but they were part of great sides. 50% of Gawn's All-Australian selections* have come in non-finals years. I'm trying hard not to fall for recency bias, but captaining the breakthrough premiership puts it over the edge for me. Norm Smith still our greatest overall figure for playing and coaching combined, but there's still time for Max to get into coaching and deliver a few flags. *It's a bit unfair to use modern All-Australian numbers when past players didn't have the same opportunity to be named in the side, but trade that off against Gawn not being able to win state selection.

Madison Ibrahim (ex-Essendon VFLW) was one of the two top-up players in the practice match squad against Adelaide, so would make sense as the first (possibly of many) rent-a-player recruit this season.

More importantly, how long after the siren do the stories obviously planted by agents start? Will be lucky to get to Wednesday without a Petracca one.

One career goal, one absolute belter at a crucial time of a game. Good strike rate. * and one ludicrously proportioned video.

Buckley is so desperate to coach again he'd accept an offer from Fitzroy.

He would do well in a decent forward line. Agree he has improved since last year, but only so much you can do in our version of the Bermuda Triangle.

Knowing the Casey wind, the helicopter will probably swirl around and change directions a few times.

"We'll do for you what we did for Energy Watch"

Now we're picking the senior side to help Casey avoid a wildcard game. What a time to be alive.

I don't doubt the famous 'lack of alignment' made things difficult overall, but it didn't cause us to blow back-to-back finals campaigns due to lack of conversion/killer instinct, or lead them to persist with an awful forward structure while the season was still on the line last year. And I'm confused by the bit about he talks about a club in transition but he didn't play a first gamer after Round 1, Laurie got a quarter, Woewodin (who may not be up to it anyway) had one game and was forgotten, Rivers and McVee never get a decent go in the middle, van Rooyen was in and out of the side when Petty played about 10 awful games as a forward last year and couldn't be blasted out of the forward 50 with dynamite etc... There may have been gameplay tweaks at the end, but I thought it came across more like he was coaching to prop things up this year rather than building for the future.

I have no opinion on whether Buckley would be a good coach or not, but he's done great PR to become favourite by being the only person to express an interest in the job. P.S - How many two team coaches have ever moved to the club they had their last win against?

It's the new cycle of life - Dunstan replaced by Billings, replaced by Windhager, replaced by [?]

It's weird treating somebody like an end of year delisting certainty when he's got a year left on his contract. I doubt Laurie will ever going to be a star, but it's harsh that he's only had one quarter out of 80 to prove himself in a dud season.

46 just doesn't have the same oomph. I don't know why, but 186 is just a perfect number to be shorthand for misery.

I'm into having a senior assistant to a first time coach, but can we put two people under the cap while still paying Goodwin next year? Maybe they could reshuffle a couple of other FD roles to make room for it.

No pressure on the new CEO, but the five month wait between hiring and starting (taking in almost the entire season) will leave people expecting that he's got some amazing super moves up his sleeve to make the wait worthwhile.

Have a valium first I reckon

I agree on Petty not being a forward, but based on the Carlton game if Jefferson tried to scratch his head he'd poke himself in the eye.

I may be the stupidest person in Australia intending to go this game, but for anyone else who has problems finding the barcode to unlock tickets it's nowhere (that I can find) in the mobile app. The website says the barcode can be found under the page for that event, but there is no page because it's a Marvel home game. Eventually I got it by logging into the web version of the MyDemons page and absolutely hate myself for going to this much effort for what may be the sloppiest slopfest in the history of slop.

Surprised we're so far in the positive when spending most the game aimlessly chasing opponents and not making contests in the forward 50.

It could be the CEO if you can wait another month for him to start the job he was appointed to months ago.

I still only rank this #2. The circumstances were horrific but the game meant nothing - just having to beat a lowly Collingwood to make finals for the first time in 10 years then going five goals down after barely laying a tackle in the first quarter deserves more scorn.