Tarax Club

Glad you raised this Rab, a jargon or buzzword whose repeated use has irritated listeners here. Annoyingly it appears to be spreading. According to discussion on English Language and Usage , "Actually, learnings sounds terrible to native English speakers. I never heard of it being used at all until I worked with people from India." Perhaps propagators of its usage should be called Guru Bob or similar. Its etymology, grammatically correct or otherwise, can be traced in print at least to Shakespeare. In Cymbeline (1623) i. i. 43 The king..Puts to him all the Learnings that his time... as coach allows

Don't wish to turn a positive initiative into another negative. Meanwhile on the mean streets of demonland...

Pondered that one awhile! Given the lack of oxygen for forwards, in a dour gone to earth struggle. The 'leaks' in the context of the game were monumental 'F' for Freddy Ups. First quarter opposition player No. 28 marking virtually unopposed... Third quarter No. 17 Ratugolea initially foot passes ball and than umpire insists he has a goal kick, seconds meanwhile tick by, the goal mouth still remains open... Later in game? No. 35 Dangerfield marks from a well directed pass, appears to set up goal kick but passes to No. 22 Duncan who marks unopposed directly in front of goal, inside the arc, in a paddock. Accountability, Composure and leadership? Who left the gate open?

Joeboy - look on brightside! Gawn - hitouts need re-direction Viney - valiant but flawed Oliver - coal face warrior Petracca - offensive instincts wasted Tomlinson - last chance astray Brayshaw - opportunism has rewards Langdon - ever ready man Salem - kick to win Harmes - midfield best role Hibberd - provided needed physicality Melksham - needs kick up... Hannan - cameo performance today Rivers - second game blues May - punch and judy Fritsch - KFP too small McDonald - building personal momentum Lockhart - kept attacking game Lever - demonland pinup boy Hunt - strangely off kilter Pickett - add killer finish Smith - some positive signs VandenBerg - appeared to fatigue Goodwin - call Roosy now! MFC - melancholy flash cats

Zone defence without pressure on ball carriers leaks like a sieve. Standing 10 metres, clear of a direct opponent gave them a paddock to execute their skills. What is wrong with some old fashioned 'man on man' accountable defence? Midifield; Yiney, Brayshaw, Oliver, Harmes et al, all rallied heroically around the leader in the last 7 'Little Bighorn' minutes. Unfortunately the cavarly charged off the MCG cliff, with some 'fluffed' chances admittedly from difficult positions. We were momentarily having delusions of a younger Salem kicking the winning goal. Not going to can the endeavor though, skills? Rust it appears never sleeps.

Maybe we are seeing a sea change in the coaches' thinking re: forward line/goal scoring dynamics. With Tom's contribution being questioned and Sam Weideman not coming on as expected. As a poster reported earlier in this thread, tall forwards are not represented in the top ten goal kickers, thus far this season in the competition. Is the bomb it long and hope for a spectacular pack mark by a power forward being consigned to the same fate as the demise of the dinosaurs? With some canny defensive strategies coaches now have in place, largely negating taller forwards already limited opportunities. Intercept defenders who read the flight of the ball so well, paired with swiftly moving attacking rebounding defenders. Of course there could still be a gorilla keeper or two still lurking close-by. Reliance on medium sized and small forwards with their array of individual attributes and flashes of brilliance could be risky. Hopefully support will be forthcoming from the midfield, to lower their eyes and deliver the ball lace out. Some additional goals too, would also help the overall scoreboard In the post-game analysis of last weekends scratch match Whatwhatsaywhat's observation 'I can completely understand the team selection based upon watching that highlights package again having hannan, hunt, pickett and bennell in our forward line alongside t mac, fritsch as marking targets plus milkshake and avb bustling around COULD work' certainly resonated here.

Unleash the beast!

We're having dystopian visions (a la Maxwell Rockatansky) of the apocalyptic 2020 footy season. So a Jag may be difficult to keep on the road, a HQ Monaro or a Falcon XB GT is preferred. Custom spray-painted with a suitably designed racy motif. Red and MFC deep navy Blue colour scheme.

Fire Up the Demonland Pursuit Special! We're on our way!

No TKE, but we are Russianing for the next Flag! Before time runs out! We can recommend a refreshing Red label Smirnoff with a Black label Tarax on ice. Or for the more affluent Demonland posters 'Legend of the Kremlin' neat. All in moderation of course! ?

The dichotomy of views expressed in this thread and often across the spectrum of the zDemonland blogsphere. Brings to mind the glass half full v glass half empty conundrum, much loved by psychologists and their ilk. Our research has found where one sits is often not that simple. But on matters MFC we generally aspsire to option...

Melksham 4 Fritsch 3 Brown 3 Spargo 2 Hunt 1 Pickett 1 Bennell 1 Hannan 1 Bedford 1 Jordon 1 C Wagner 1 Not concerned about Tom from very limited vision. Seemed to play as a pivot at CHF found space and distributed ball well.

Yeah get out the cheap 'picnic at the 'G' furniture!

Must be about time to launch the Demonland surveillance drone then!

Loved watching his old man taking a massive specie bring on SOS!

Will you and Wilson be celebrating at the Sunday Eve disco with a karaoke duet of "In the Midnight Hour" or commiserating with "Mama Told Me Not To Come"?

Rusty, Its encouraging to read a number of posts here that exhibit enthusiasm and passion for all things red and blue. Particularly if framed in a considered, intelligent and positive way. As it has indubitably been expressed here previously by other posters, that Demonland at its best is a 'broad church' that encompasses a wide spectrum of views and opinions from MFC supporters 'somewhat tolerably' (but not on all instances). As an insider one can understand the almost near universal angst here, over what may appear to an untutored outsider, that the club barely escaped a near death experience with last week's result. Simon Goodwin from all reports addressed that immediately after the final siren, by emphasizing to the team, the four points were in the bank despite Carlton's late heroics. Singing the team song twice or thrice? initially without Captain Max. As Steven May stated "a non-issue". As the unique circumstances of the 2020 season have and will unfold, teams, coaches and players best adapted to post Covid-19 changes will survive and eventually flourish. Successful evolution doesn't happen overnight or at the drop of a hat. Those championing a more revolutionary approach, by pillorying the FD, calling for the removal the coach, dropping, retiring or trading out players perceived as under performing, (without fair opportunity) tread a more dangerous path. In response to your post, many here seem to be already invested in the contributions, that a youthful Kysaiah Pickett and Trent Rivers can and will make to the team's success this season. Luke Jackson is also no shrinking violet, physically he appears to be well prepared for the rigours of AFL footy. Which is testament to the training, mentoring and development of young players in the elite pathway to AFL footy. Indeed your statement 'The shortened quarters means much less game time and more than likely favours the player who has a significant athletic burst edge.' nails it. ps. Fully support your call concerning our former captain 'give chunk one more run given it was his first game back > age factor.'

Many here have commented that Luke Jackson appears not ready for AFL including our good selves (see Joe Boy's 3 word analysis thread June 13th) "needs solid apprenticeship". Admittedly LJ had a rather modest debut both impact wise and statistically, but a closer examination of his contribution does reveal his considerable potential. He appears to read the flight of the ball well, as evident by him presenting for marking contests on multiple occasions and getting his hands on the ball. Only to have the ball slip from his grasp. However later in the match he did catch the Sherrin in a contested marking encounter against an opponent. As an acquired skill, a big grab in a pack situation must be one of the most difficult to master, especially in a fiercely competitive AFL game of footy. With powerfully built, match hardened opponents crashing in. As a previous poster on this thread wrote, LJ was the beneficiary of some free kicks for pack infringements. His very first free kick for goal was from a fair distance out, on the half-forward flank at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. It was a booming, confident kick almost goal post high and not far shy of the full points. Other weapons in his arsenal? His leap is extra-ordinary reminiscent of another youthful enigma with flowing blond locks, whose debut unlike Luke's was a spectacular triumph against the demons of old. Leaving the stratosphere and back on terra firma, LJ appears way more coordinated and graceful, perhaps reminiscent of an older Luke, (both have the basketball background). The best available AFL apprenticeship environment in 2020? "In this post Covid-19 season where the unusual is normal, give our neophyte stars the opportunity to ascend the AFL stage and strut their stuff."

Judging from this 'recent' training shot? Ball drop could be an issue! Anyway we'll back Bayley to get it right. Just fine tinker the bio-mechanics.

Agreed there's a lot of it about. Within the footy bubble and beyond. That being said there is certainly evidence of perceptive and insightful contributions here. Hopefully those in positions able to enact change choose wisely and provide creative solutions over time. Much prefer critical thinking over group think though, as this week's result fades into the rear view mirror.

Hopefully Sunday morning with a latte has kicked in and for some the emotion of a close shave has cooled to almost rational. The merry-go-round mentality of changes for next week that many here appear to ascribe to 'beggar's belief' (quote). Perhaps brainwashed at demondland is more apt.

As usual a most perceptive and insightful post Whispering _ Jack. We absolutely stole the chocolates and they're left with some rather over boiled lollies. Take an ugly ugly win any day to coming up one behind short. Query on your very first post today for GAMEDAY "Its been a long time coming". Were you channeling the great Sam Cooke, David Crosby or the Zutons?

Joeboy - hip hip hooray! Gawn - ruckman and rover Viney - lacked real impact Jetta - slowing down fast Smith - gyroscope went haywire May - play the percentages Salem - opponent won day Rivers - promising debut performance Harmes - wasted down back Tomlinson - use potential utility! Langdon - kept scrapping throughout Melksham - missing in action Fritsch - shotgun full forward McDonald - hardly raised canter Jones - disappeared down wormhole? Hunt - leading goal scorer Jackson - needs solid apprenticeship Neal-Bullen - influential first quarter Petracca - has midas touch Oliver - consistently cracked in Bennell - bravura cameo performance Lever - tall on tall! Brayshaw - lower your eyes Goodwin - caught short today MFC - miracle final counter

Only Carlton's inaccuracy saved @#X!$%?*'s head from the chopping block!