Rogue

Yeah, cursed injury-wise back then. Plenty of other players, too; G Lovett, Tingay, Prymke, Sean Charles, etc etc. The fact he's 22 and we're already in June makes it unlikely he'll opt for LARS IMO. Disagree that Lever isn't a vital cog, but I agree with you re: where this squad is at. I've been saying that a flag for the Dees this year would be like Hawks winning in 2008.

Terrible for Lever. Also terrible for supporters. We've gone from a rough flag chance to a really rough flag chance.

Which midfielder currently in our side is he better than? As others said earlier in the thread, he doesn't have the flexibility/skills in other areas of the ground that other players do (eg. ANB). I've liked Tyson since he came to the Dees, but on the eve of the season I said he was in danger of being left behind. That time has come, IMO. He only warrants a spot as a mid and guys like Oliver, Viney, Brayshaw, Jones (and a bunch of players who run through there but also play elsewhere ) have squeezed him out. Good to have as depth, and not unusual to have a mid or two out injured, but no longer a lock on best 22. Having Garlett, Tyson and Hunt fit and not listed in our 26 for this week is quite something. It shows how much stronger the list is than at any time in the past decade.

Weid should be in the best multiple weeks in a row before getting a gig, especially if we're competitive at AFL-level.

I thought the post was pretty reasonable until I got to this. Sure, they might knock us off, but 'it's hard to see us [win]'? Seriously? However, regardless of whether we'd won or lost, I did have some of the same concerns re: how we played.

Ah, disappointments. The Tigers knew all about the disappointment of narrow losses last year, didn't they? How many close games did they manage to lose last year? It was a few, and resulted in their more emotional members calling radio talkback in a rage, and cutting up the membership cards. (They also won the flag).

That narrative changes completely based on one kick out of the hundreds in a game. The same people who are bemoaning the end of the world would have been on cloud nine had Gawn's kick not hooked left, and that's what I think is silly.

You've answered your own question: You love the Dees. Welcome to the fold, PommyRules - it's the perfect time to jump onboard!

So if Gawn kicks that goal then we're flying and the sky is falling on Geelong's season. Yeah, alright.

Seriously? We just lost by a kick to the team that finished 2017 H&A equal top.

I totally agree. IMO the talent pool isn't yet big enough to support a bunch of new teams.

Us wearing an appropriately coloured short - rather than the traditional white for away teams - would go a big way towards solving the problem.

I haven't posted much for a season or two, but I reckon you're still rolling out that same line. Hopefully you're saying that the season after our next flag! At the risk of repeating myself, it's worth noting that every grand final there are people who literally cannot get a ticket, despite being willing and able to buy one. That's what the guarantee covers. Fwiw I have not purchased one over the last decade, and $300 seems pretty steep to me.

What are you referring to as 'dispatches'? Plenty of commentators and players have said Schwarz pre-knee was a star, and that he would have had a career as one of the competition's dominant players if not for the three knee recos. Definitely agree with the posters who've said Schwarz in '94 was better than Oliver's '17!

What we did 10 years ago, or half a century ago, isn't very relevant. Whether it's a good bet or not comes down to how likely you are to get a grand final ticket if you don't have the guarantee, and how much you care if you miss out. People are throwing around the $1000/$1200 amounts like there's an easy way of nabbing a grand final ticket, but the sad truth is there are many supporters who'd happily pay that in their grand final seasons but miss out entirely. What's it worth to you to be at our next flag?

Isn't that a core benefit of a membership?

My understanding is that it's less about gate receipts and more about sponsorship.

That's great (I'll attend the games whatever time they're scheduled, too), but Friday night games bring in revenue. I've always disliked the idea of selling games and always said that once we were on the rise we should stop. I'm hoping we don't renew the arrangement - or reduce it to one game per year.

Anyone else disappointed that there'll be no double-headers this year? I thought it was a good way for fans to see two games in a day, and for the AFLW to motivate supporters to come along when they otherwise might not.

I don't know how much WB made, but they certainly started selling out membership packages where they hadn't done so before. They also started pouring money into marketing initiatives in an attempt to make hay while the sun was shining, but then fell down the ladder. Oops. I'll believe it when I see it. I went to a function way back when Stynes was Prez, and he was talking about the need for a long-term base because AAMI was inadequate. This may have even been before we signed up for the facility we're in now! Either way, it was pretty clear the Club knew they needed better than what they were getting.

We had a ton of injuries to key players, won't be losing much due to age-related decline and should see much more than that in natural improvement. It'll be Goodwin's second year in charge, and we've improved our list. I can't see why 14 is the ceiling, when we just won 12 (and were very unfortunate to lose a couple when we had mid-game injuries to our rucks). NB: In case anyone wants to put words in my mouth, asserting that I don't think 14 is a ceiling doesn't mean I think we're definitely going to win more than 14 or whatever.

We have our #1 ruck and two kids developing. It'd be nice if one of them was a bit further along with their development, though. I don't think you need 4+ on your list. Where would they all play? One in the AFL team, two at Casey with them both spending time up forward, and then what..?

Celebratory drinks will be in order.

Correct. However, that's a far cry from 'the MFC ladies never looked like making the final', old dee.

I know you said you weren't interested, but FYI; the Dees were second on the ladder on the last day of the season, and were heading to the grand final until Adelaide mounted a final quarter comeback in their final game...