DEE fence

In the NFL Sean Payton was stood down for a year, the New Orleans Staints had a $500,000 fine and loss of draft picks for the 2012 bounty system on opposition players, Collingwood would want to be very careful.

I'm ready to put another $100 on he plays next year as well/doesn't retire. It is still raw for him, he has just lost his young man's cloak of invincibility, which I am sure a few of you can remember... He is practically a god, his physical condition is phenomenal, and in his mind his body has just betrayed him, it is a big adjustment, give him a minute. But everything about him suggests he is a competitor. I don't think he has spent six years lying about how much he loves the club and his team mates and his sense of identity is tied up in that. He ain't quitting yet, although I am very sure the people who love him would probably prefer he did. And there is the crisis, the thing that people love him for, gives him identity and purpose also puts him in peril, however it is not like Gus's injury which is at a tipping point, i.e. structural irreversible brain damage. Trac will heal, his identity will take over and he will play again. While I have never been an elite athlete, and If I'm a god it's as Bacchus, but I have been to hospital as a result of sporting endeavors (10m fall onto concrete anyone), motorcycle crash at turn 4 Philip Island (and a few others that have done ribs etc), I can tell you my first reaction is - I'm done, never doing that again, famous last words. Trac has buckets more of competitive instinct, he will be back.

100%, how cool were all the ex-players watching with Dad. Not least Yze turning up to watch his mate's son play. Think of all the pressures Yze has in his life and made time for his mate, class act that bloke. But Nathan telling his son that he hope he gets to sing the song had me fist pumping (and misty eyed).

Watched the IV, he's still a Demon, totally open about it still being raw, everyone should stop tilting at windmills though, as he said hindsight is great. $100 says he's a Demon next year.

Thank you Trac, really appreciate your effort. Get well soon.

Thanks for the feedback, I have no argument against anything you say but curious for thoughts on our gameplan. All the players you mentioned are contested animals, our gameplan is not playing to our strengths. Also cannot argue that heads dropped, but the why they dropped is not just personal, and not typical of the last 4 years.

Something is missing, yet to see anyone who has nailed what it was. Over four years we have seen pride and effort in the jumper, that is the reality, last Sunday was a confluence of diabolical events that I am yet to understand. Re the gameplan it worked fine against St Kilda, and there have been glimpses of it coming together this season, but there has to be a rational non emotional reason our execution was so abysmal, it wasn't just the game plan that had us playing [censored]. I was ready to sack McQualter after the game, now I'm scared that the team has lost sone unity for some undisclosed reason. I was hoping to hear that they had a bug. Not an excuse but with the number of new players this year we are actually witnessing a mini rebuild. Painful and never perfect, I just hope it's not going to miss the output of our older stars. Also it does kill me that Port have 3 mecurial mids: Rozee, Butters and JHF and we have none. Windsor maybe in 12 months + could maybe be that mercurial mid (or McVee but I don't see it). Pickett is impact only and the rest are all broadsword, fierce and proud) but having holes poked in us by the rapiers. Sydney seems to have a fleet as well. Tying this to the gameplan, we have to bring play back to a contested game, our strength, something about our gameplan does not play to our contested ball strength.

That 50 was a disgrace to the game, I defy anyone to hate Essendon more than me, but that is a shambles. I did love Essendon losing though.

So be honest, how many times have you watched Darcy creme the Merde, I'm losing count. Sam Darcy gets my 6 points in this week's votes.

Have these been requested/taken already for the final?

Hard to separate 'want' from 'think' Carlton (hate this) Dogs (Never going to get an easier free hit) Hawks (Not convinced re Snowtown) Weagles (yo yo phase of rebuild, whereas Saints DGAF) Geelong/Richmond (50/50 Geelong has been a bit off for a month according to the sage, in other words they stink) Us, just, we like Alice, but Freo has had our number for awhile. However I'd like to think our improved rebound wasn't just a Saints thing but a plan coming together GC, easily, home factor is something.

Cursed the moment they hired Cipriani as the marquee player. I like Union, am old enough to remember Gregan, Ellis, Nobody and of course Campese. Was genuinely excited when Melbourne got the Rebels, but the operation has been the antithesis of the Storm. Rugby has been a hard watch for awhile now, entitled, brattish players who are superstars before they have paid their dues, little team culture etc. If they don't fix it we will be (or are) a middle tier country like, Italy, Georgia etc.

I spent many years getting nervous watching Melbourne rebound effectively. JMV has been a brilliant replacement for Hibbo and even better for my heart. Please can we leave him where he is, he saves certain goals all the time. I was super interested in the vision shown on 360 of all the collingwood mids bar one grappling to give one player a one on one contest in the middle, I'd rather we tried that, because Clarry or Trac 1 v 1 i would think would fall to us 70% of the time.

Not sure if your as old as me but Madden had way more space that Gawn had. Watch 4:15 through to 6:00. While Madden had to deal with much rougher play, Gawn got huge defensive pressure with blocks and holds, no coach is ignorant of what Max can do. While Gawn/Grundy didn't have the immediate result we wanted, I seem to remember Gawn kicking 5 in a prelim.

Is no disrespect to those awesome Demons to acknowledge Max as GOAT. Madden was very very good, but also played one out, We would win by cricket scores if Max played one on one in the forward line.

6 - Gawn - God mode activated, I deeply love and am moved how it takes the game so personally. Flower and Barrassi hold a place in the pantheon that can't be touched. But Max is the best Captain ever for the MFC, and I think the best ruck ever. 5 - Viney - Looked 10% faster today, really feel like he's been carrying something since the Port game that he has just got over today. He also looked god-damn happy, sometimes he just seems to be suffering for the team, he looked like he was free and having fun. 4 - Tmac - playing with authority. 3 - Neal Bullen - Looked like he belonged in the middle, how much did you love him telling Petracca to have a ping at the goal, made me smile. 2 - Tomlinson - Has leaned up, looked like '21 pre knee version, after that game, Howe, Turner and Hore move back in the queue. (I also don't mind how tall we are down back because our mids defensive efforts help with fast smalls). Way to take your chance and not sook 1 - Salem - This game makes me think he will be right for finals, after the loss of Bradshaw we badly need his QB +10 votes for Lever celebrating May in the box. McVee - that was a flex on the goal line with the one hand ball hold I gave Salem over Langdon and Viney preference because I though we were much better set up coming out of the back half. Also Hunter had a go. Trac looked great, Oliver improving, Could have given Kozzie a vote, we look so much better with him starting on-ball, being a papa suits him, and he has cleaned up his game heaps , no stupid niggle.

Not to put a mozz on it but Lever out and we still have just given up 5 goals to 4th qtr. Great coaching.

Was listening and every time I hear his name though I thought the cats had it #too old. Cats press conferences have become must watch TV, only a matter of time b4 it replace drip tray on Front Bar and they bring back under the pump.

I want to like this, I really do.

Really pleased Collingwood has lost the Midas touch in close finishes. A loss would have been funnier though, Collingwood would have blown up about the time wasting free

From Saints board, made me laugh. (Btw we have a fair number of guests (lurkers) on-line… Hello there (-; Have to give them credit, they’re quicker than us

I have to say I want doggies to do well against all but us. I hate the way the media goes after Luke, always feels feral. I thought GW on 360 was surprisingly honest when he spoke of a media campaign in certain quarters against him. And they have several players who are silk. Of course they are cheating throwing basterds when they play us.

Fair play to WCE & Simpson, they had a plan for Max, blocked him perfectly. Goody got it wrong today, could have tried something else but they didn't have an alternate. But am not with the OTT criticism of the coach, Simpson got one over him, I'm not throwing the baby out with the bathwater. As a coach he's tried a new game-plan, he has a good track record in this department, especially after his blitz was thrown in the bin by 6-6-6, we're struggling with cattle to execute, but those cattle were Wagyu beef, and have recently turned into something Jack would sell for magic beans. Also e are taking our turn with the injury stick at the moment, I can't see Waterman kicking 5 if Lever plays all game. Likewise JVR being out hurt us. Also look at how many blokes have been given a chance this year, there is a mini rebuild going on right now, give it a chance. Billings has shown glimpses all year, but we now have a definitive sample size to say not best 22, (which is a shame I was hopeful) not excited about Hunter coming back either. Langdon please come home. Lever was a kick in the guts, I would have liked to see Rivers swap to Rick's role instead of the run and carry that was frankly like Hunt on a bad day. Oliver is having an annus horribilis, at least he's still with the club, so many guns have had a bad year (Stephen Coniglio etc), let's not reach for the bolt gun just yet. These midfield issues are compounded by Gus of course, that was hardly a Goodwin coaching booboo. I am ready to trade Sparrow ATM, have been reviewing previous seasons, and I feel like he out of the current team, has a touch of bathwater gin. Needs to get his head right fast, and he needs to trim up. Petty is having a bad run with injuries, this has happened to cream like Cameron can we give a bloke a chance to get right. Watch the 21 Finals series again, in fact any of the matches from 21/22, he was a stone killer, 23 finished badly, people knocking him have recency bias. Not saying he's Cameron level, but Cameron had a couple of shocking years, didn't stop Geelong going all in. Salem is looking better, going through thyroid issues atm, we were so close to losing him on medical grounds, we should all be saying thank you to the medical department. Bowey has underwhelmed me for awhile now, I think his confidence is off. Anyone have a clue what is up there? Tomlinson will be back I think, I liked how Marty Hore was coming along, hopefully he's ready soon Lastly on JJ, we all knew he was good, but rightly he wanted a starting role, not professional sub, he was hardly shown the door, and based on 2021 Trac, Viney, Oliver and Sparrow (who has fallen far from his 2021) were all ahead of him. We are not done yet, we have hit a rough patch, the effort/pressure rating in the first half though was 220 (massive) the execution wasn't, so calm the farm, we are far from done. I still don't get those ready to right off the whole season, we're just barely halfway. I had us down for a 10 goal win so am filthy and frustrated. Lastly nothing to do with today, but I think some of the frees we give away are coachable, there has been a shift and we're not reading the green right, this I think McQualter should be addressing, I don't want to be the new Richmond that gives up a ton of frees. Also we're staging a bit too much (hate to say it) this is killing the game and needs to end, As every teams is generally much sharper, people are looking for the smallest edges, we don't want to go down the soccer path. (stopping here as this could be a 1000 word rant)

How good is his bounce at speed, mad skill level.

Bedford Jordan and Grundy, would love that depth, I think Jordan plays a more accountable game than Sparrow. Good luck to them all, not complaining just observing.