binman

With the work being done at Casy to the changerooms etc, are they allowed to train there ATM? If no, then they will have to train at Gosh's, which could mean more training reports this year.

I understand reflexive criticism of the game in terms of how low the scoring was in perfect conditions (apart from the crazy heat that is). But a critique based on the score alone is so simplistic and one dimensional. For one thing, from the perspective of a fully invested fan, the tension in that match was through the roof - which might help explain why i cried at the end of this game, not the men's GF win. I'm not a massive soccer fan, and don't follow any clubs, but i'm super invested when i watch the Matildas and the Socceroos. When you are invested in the result, the tension watching soccer matches is, it seems to me, part of the DNA of soccer, but really only becomes a feature of watching footy when the scores are close in the last quarter and each goal becomes more influential on the end result. But for me, i felt that tension right through the prelim and GF wins - and despite both games being low scoring i was never anything less than fully absorbed. Each goal had so much significance that it was not dissimilar to watching say the Matildas or Socceroos at a World Cup. The GF was off the charts in this regard. I thought that after the first quarter we were by far the better side, but the fact that we couldn't convert that dominance into goals (something that is so frustrating watching soccer when invested) meant that despite our dominance, one random, against the run of play goal late in the last quarter from the lions meant they could have pinched it (in the way the Germans salvaged a draw against Spain, despite being outplayed for much of the match). But the big factor critics that just focus on the score line seem to completely miss is that, unlike the AFL, in the AFLW, there is huge disparity between the overall standard of performance (inclusive of fitness levels, strength, skills, etc etc) and the standard of the defensive element of the game. Take the dees women's team. Mutiple seasons of exposure to elite level defensive strategies and systems - and of course elite coaching in these systems - have resulted in an incredibly effective defense - we conceded an average of 15 points this season, which is just nuts. Combine this with a rabid desire to win every contest and all team crazy pressure, such as we saw in the GF, and you have team that has elite defensive skills that in reality are well in advance of the opposition's overall standard (and ours too for that matter) and therefore ability to absorb, counter and score against. For a number of years i coached my son and daughter's basketball teams and found that we could be competitive even when other teams were more talented if we could be defensively strong, and the players understood and played their roles. The AFLW is this time a million. A perfect example of this phenomenon is Goldy. Her skills remain way off those of players such as Paxy and Hanks, but her commitment to defense, bravery, attack on the ball and understanding of our defensive system - and her role in it - mean that she is a key player in our team and a key reason why teams struggle to score against us. It will take time, but now that the women are being paid at least enough money to focus on playing footy, and more and more players are coming into the system having played footy since auskick, the gap between defensive skills and skills that support offence and scoring (eg kicking, marking, ability to give off under pressure etc) will dramatically reduce. And scores will go up. When we get there, a player like Goldy, for all her defensive brilliance, might struggle to get a game, because such a player will be competing with players who are coming into the system with an appetite for hard-nosed defence AND elite skills.

Agree on westy. Simply awesome. My favourite dee

Paging Webber. Need a new picture for the TV room

Agree on hanks. Pure is a great descriptor. Super smart too - makes such terrific decisions

Ah yes, good point!

Apologies if this has been posted already. Brilliant article. Daisy Pearce: the face of a generation intent on breaking AFLW premiership duck

What's your tip DIO?

To be honest, i don't have a great sense of how strong the lions are, having only watched them the once - when we played them. I get the lions will have a home state, if not a home ground, advantage. And probably have an advantage of having more training etc in the heat. So, they deserve to be favorites. But after the regular season, we were only split by half a percent, or some such. And teams have barely scored in the second half of our games all season, indicating both a strong defensive system, but also probably superior fitness levels. And whilst we may struggle a little with the heat, assuming the predicted potential thunderstorm doesn't come during the game, the conditions will really suit our running, give and go handball, high skill method. The lions are currently 1.39 favorites and their line is 9.5 points. Both seem well out of wack to me, and so the 2.92 you can get for a dees win is great value. But even better value is the 9 point start we are getting, a line that will surely shorten before game time. Yes, the lions are a high scoring side, but we have the best defence in the AFLW, as evidenced by the fact we gave up the least amount of points this season, a crazy low 184 (the lions were next with 193 and then a pretty big gap back to the crows on 217). And we are no slouch on the scoring front either, having scored only 19 points less than the lions in the regular season. We are also in much better form than we the lions rolled us by 15 points in round four.

Maybe, when she agreed to do the gig, she thought it was in some muti million-dollar mansion in Brighton?

That is so weird. I just lost 17 hours of my life. The last thing i remember, i was sitting on a train typing a comment into Demonland, and next thing i know i wake up at work reading Demonland. I wonder who the club is interested in drafting? Personally, i'm clueless about such things and happy to put my trust in the recruiting team to get it right (trust they well and truly have earned). Though i am wondering if they could ask Engorged Onion to do a psych eval of any prospective draftees to screen for mummy issues.

Well, i had forgotten both as instructed. But now i won't be able to forget them.

Who?

We have won 100% of our interstate grand finals, so very confident about Sunday.

This article is about women's soccer, and Sam Kerr. But reading it I couldn't help but see the parallels to the AFLW. I’d never missed the start of a men’s World Cup. Sam Kerr changed all that

The wind was crazy strong. if that game was at Casey it would have been ridiculous as the stands offered some measure of protection at PP Favored the royal parade end (we were kicking to that end in the last quarter), though was actually blowing diagonally across the ground which made it even trickier

99 problems, but fritta aint one...

You couldn't fly down? Jokes. No, 2300 is not a great turnout. But as much anything it is probably a function of how the AFL has stuffed the AFLW around, squeezing in a season that finishes in Summer! Most fans have well and truly tuned out of footy. The AFL deserves credit for what it has done with AFLW, and i truly believe women's football will ultimately be a critical part of ensuring Australian riles football maintains its position as the number one sport in the country (which will mitigate the risk of simply not having enough elite players for the AFL to thrive), but geez they seem all over the place in terms of running a proper AFLW competition.

I read it more as a critique of the women's team's (or women's footy in general) ability to attract spectators as opposed to critiquing fans for not rocking up. But that is probably a misreading on my part.

Like so much of the analysis of footy, I reckon this is yet another example, like the old soldier out soldier in trope, of applying 1990s logic to the game. Injury has long been the key determinate of the chances of the genuine contenders of winning the flag. Yet more often that not it gets downplayed as a factor. Im increasingly of the view that almost as significant a determinate is fitness. The game is just so aerobically challenging now that teams will not win a flag if they ate not at peak fitness come finals. Fitness is nor just downplayed, it barely seems to register as a key factor. Of course fitness and injuries are interrelated injuries disrupt training programs, and training programs might result in injury, or exacerbate soreness As an example of the latter, it would appear we were very banged up after the lions game. Yet in the bye week we replicated what we did in tbe pre gf bye in 2021 - all squad, full contact match sim. Tracc was on 360 that week sporting a split lip. No doubt others copped knocks. Maybe a full contact match simulations was a mistake? It's worth considering that there was no pre finals bye in 2021, so if Griffiths was following the Burgess template for his program, which I suspect he was, then the timing of that break was different this season.

Compounding the draw was the fact thst unlike Geelong we essentially played three finals before the finals. The pies and blues games were insane in terms of their pressure, intensity and brutality. The lions game, both teams were playing for top 4 and the do7ble chance, in front of a sold out gabba and was fierce all game, even though we were on top. And the lions came our with a plan to physical target us (did they have intel about our injuries?) No wonder we came into the finals banged up. The cats on the other hand had a dream run into the finals- much like ours in 2021 (we had the one tough game).

That goal from bannon was special. And I enjoyed it on a personal level - I backed her for most goals and that goal won me the bet!

I went Friday night, and i have to say it was one of my most enjoyable experiences footy wise for a long time. Just loved it. It was like a throw back to another time (fun fact - the men' team played the last ever AFL game at PP - in 2005 against Fitzroy of all teams). Getting the tram up royal parade, with a stop right in front of the ground (Waverley park says hi). Princess park nestled in arguably Melbourne's most beautiful, and certainly most extensive, parklands (if you include the zoo, golf course and other parks stretching down to Flemington road). The weather was perfect, the ground was in brilliant nick, the crowd was in great spirits, the vibe was awesome and the noise was bearable during the breaks, meaning i could actually talk to my mate and enjoy the breaks. The AFL should progress the idea of making Princess Park the epicentre of women's footy in Victoria. Invest in infrastructure. Put in some permanent things for kids. And play say half of all Vic game there and/or perhaps specific marquee games. And most of all, the game was just so damn enjoyable to watch. Both teams played with incredible spirt and courage. Fearless. I was amazed none got seriously injured, such was the crazy brave energy. And under that pressure, some amazing skills and individual efforts. To top of a great night, i walked out, a tram came straight away got the tram to Flinders street and only had to wait 3 mins for my train. Princess park on a Friday night to my door in Altona in 75 minutes. Gold. Bring on the prelim.

Maybe next season for the deees? This article shows two things - you cave in funding for editorial standardsa and 'newspapers' of all stripes go to pot. And the aflw has a ways to go to fully be accepted and supported by the media (note: it is not just an erroneous headline. The article is wrong too. Doesn't even mention the dees. Beggars belief) https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/nov/05/brisbane-lions-outclass-richmond-tigers-for-aflw-grand-final-spot?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other