Pates

Yeah Petracca is going straight into the guts to kick off his year in the middle.

Everyone seems to be making assumptions, fact is we don't know what the issue is. Someone could've stood on his foot for all we know. Let's cross our fingers and hope for the best.

The amount of injuries and who they're affecting is a little concerning however touch wood right now we haven't had major setbacks (ie season ending). We're still a lot closer than last year to having our best 22 available for round one (not including Bennell in the conversatio until he's able to get himself to the right level of fitness).

Same, I'm actually quite happy they're providing a behind the scenes look at the pre-season. For one it goes against the narrative of those who think they don't care about the season we had. But if nothing else it shows you the level of preparation they've been putting in. I'm really looking forward to next episode with Bennell being given his opportunity by the club. Like you my only issue is the title, and perhaps the narrator. I feel like the story could've been told by captions and the players/coaches talking us through what was happening.

I’m backing Petracca to have his best year with us, a lot of media pundits like to mention the fact that he’s in his final year of his contract so this is the time to shine. But how about the simple fact that he is getting into his peak years and as an age group our club is getting into their peak years. Now is the best time for him to shine because it has the potential to bring others up along with him.

And journalists (at best) mislead. It wouldn’t surprise me if he actually heard from a credible source that Hogan may not play another game for freo, but he’s got to exercise a bit of journalistic integrity about that information. Firstly we’re dealing with a young man that is taking time out due to mental health issues. Is there any room for compassion? Secondly it’s actually not that much of a stretch to say it with nothing to back it up. Given everything he’s gone through, and the fact that we recently had another young player retire from mental health problems in Tom Boyd, it’s an easy thing to say and I’m sure people were already thinking it. The way he’s chosen to go with this story has shown himself to be nothing more than a gutter, tabloid journalist who wants to have his name quoted in multiple news sources.

His first year was an unmitigated disaster and he knows it, I get the sense he's a very proud person and wants to prove himself to be every bit the big recruit we expect him to be. I'm not sure if him being at the club got us over the line with Harley but having him and Langdon can't have hurt.

I understand the talk from the club wanting to sell hope, it's a fine line between selling hope and just beating your own drums until everyone is deaf. The pre-season doco isn't a new concept by any stretch, sporting clubs have been doing it for the last few years and it gives people an insight into how things work behind the scene. The title "To Hell and Back" maybe a touch on the nose for the fans given everything we've been through. Living in the UK it's hard to know but I feel like we haven't exactly been front and centre every week on the news/papers? Bennell has probably been our biggest off season story (and Gawn giving the collective supporter base a heart attack!).

This is the really damaging and potentially dangerous thing about those footy journalists proclaiming what they had heard from the cousin of the best mate of the Freo boot studder. Whether or not there is truth to it we are dealing with a young man who is struggling with mental health issues and has recognised he needs to take time out to get himself right. As I said earlier, broadcasting these claims (whether they happened or not) to the world before Jesse and his family have had the chance to sit down and discuss it with the club does nothing but bad things for his mental health. It's disgusting disregard from Hagdon to not consider the person before starting down this path. He might well have played his last game of footy, and you know what I would completely understand that decision after this latest garbage from the media.

Probably also the ones who had massive hard on for Jack Martin despite him not wanting to come to us and showing very little to justify his price tag.

I think your better one to look at would be seeing if you can punt on how many games he'll feature in this year. I still doubt we're going to see much of him in the first half of the year.

Very well deserved, onya Jonesy!

I know he lives in a footy bubble city but I really wish the press would give it a rest, as I'm pretty sure they did with Buddy. No matter how much he's trying to block out the media he will still get these stories and if these are matters yet to be discussed by himself and the club this will do nothing but bad things for his mental well being. Whatever is going on with him is personal and he should be given the time a space to deal with it. One day the media's pushing will go too far and lead to something really bad happening.

I can't remember Hunt's shot, I'd actually blocked out Weid's miss last year (though like Max not after the siren). Sam's miss there just typified how putrid and depressing our season really was.

For those that can see past the pay wall, how many times have we had the opportunity to win it after the siren? I'm sure it hasn't happened in the entire time I've followed the Dees, though we've had some close ones like with Maxy in 2018 ?.

Absolutely, Geelong in particular were very keen to get him while he also met with Sydney, these are clubs that you would easily have in the category of desireable or destination clubs, but we won out with getting him to the Dees. It would be a sensational good news story for us if he gets out onto the MCG and I can imagine there would not only be extra media attention but probably an increase in crowd. If he manages to kick his first goal in front of the Demons faithful I reckon there'll be an almighty cheer! But as you said the good news it has already generated is a positive for the club.

I hope the Demon faithful continue to get behind our womens team this year, the game has a long way to develop but you've got to start somewhere. Just on this conference style, the AFL have to be very careful that they don't differentiate the way the game and season is played between the mens and womens game otherwise I fear it could go a similar way to AFLX. I think it was a massive mistake by the AFL to expand the amount of teams, much better to have less teams, with a proper season of playing each other, and a more concentrated pool of talent than to expand and create this weird conference system that just seems to have unfair written all over it.

I've never been a fan of the Calrton vs Richmond opening to the season, particularly during the years the Carlton were some of the purest [censored] the AFL has seen for a while (and they're still not good). Richmond brings a big and raucous crowd every time so I don't have as much of an issue with them being there. A grand final replay is too potentially problematic with some of the fixed games through the season. I partially agree with the OP that Melbourne should be opening the AFLW every season with the Doggies as the other team. We were the trailblazers of the competition and it's in no small part because of Daisy Pearce and the way she promoted the womens game prior to its inception that we're here today.

Best of luck to him, could end up being one of the best gets for the club, but if he doesn't end up playing many (or any) games then ultimately what have we lost?

It might well be that his definition of full training could be a little different, could be more full rehab training as compared to competitive training involving drills. As you said there hasn't been much of an indication that he would be joining the main group any time soon.

I liked Frost, but my personal description of his would be fast, unpredictable, and (with the ball) unreliable. In a contest he was good but he got caught out of position several times due to his "Frost Ball" style. I'll say this though, it was a damn sight better to watch than others in the team seemingly going through the motions.

Knock on wood that is really good news, I'm not expecting to see him until the second half of the season at best. I suspect should we give him a contract (which appears close to certain now) it will be a very slow burn in giving him game time to get him used to the nature of match fitness. But it sounds like they have a plan for him and all he can keep doing is putting his best foot (or calf) forward!

It's funny you say this, I remember Max Gawn being described in a similar way and when he did put the hard yards in to become who he is today he certainly did bring others along for the ride. I think Petracca will always be a bit of a big kid in being energetic and a bit of a lampoon at times, but if he puts the right attitude in at the right times then I think he will reach some of the hights we all hoped for him (and will hopefully bring a few others up as well). I noted that in his interview he mentioned two trips, one with Salem and one with Clarry. Two guys that you would argue are big futures for our club and it sounds like they didn't just sat back knocking down beers.

Petracca's name has definitely been popping up a lot in the pre-season training conversation, whatever happens in the season proper he's giving himself the best opportunity to show what he's capable of.

That video on the Dees FB page of him kicking it right through the big sticks from outside the boundary is reason enough for us to give him a rookie spot. He just looked at the camera as if to say, “so what”. Think about the impact Vanders had at the end of 2018, if that’s the time Bennell gets fit and we are in contention. What a weapon to unleash!