Pates

Also how would Gus feel about playing side by side with the bloke who broke his little brothers jaws and flattened a bunch of his front teeth? I have a feeling each of the Brayshaws will have him in their sights next time they see him. They seems quite a tight bunch of brothers. I’m predicting 6 weeks. He was looking directly at him, it’s not an accident and young Brayshaw is gone for the year and in the hospital. I feel for Mrs Brayshaw, she’s just dealt with Gus’s concussion issues and now she sees this. Plus she’s got another son in the army!

Every game is crucial, but ultimately we just have to keep our focus on week to week. We win next week vs GC and it's well and truly laid out in front of us. I'm feeling better in that I think on our day every game in front of us can be a win, but we've been burnt so many times it's hard not to be hesitant about being too optimistic. Treat every match as if we're playing the reigning premiers.

I actually think they’ve got that and more inside them, it’s all mental barriers now. Whether they can break through those barriers this year remains to be seen. I think they are haunted by past demons (no pun intended) dating back to times they weren’t even alive. Because they shoulder the hopes and dreams of a club thats been struggling in the wilderness for so long and laughed at by the competition (and continues to be laughed at) they have to overcome those issues as well as their own. But Richmond did it last year, and I honestly feel like we can do it this year (though not to their achievements).

I know it’s probably an obvious thing to say but I really feel like we are one big win away from this team kicking into the next gear. And I don’t mean big win in terms of margin against a lower team I mean getting a win against a contender that will give the players the confidence in themselves and each other. I’ve still become pragmatic about this season (I guess it’s MFCSS) but it does still keep that little spark in my heart alive!

Oops so he was! Point is I always heard when his contract was coming up that he would leave Perth but it never happened.

About bloody time, though as you point out it’s none of the key/star players. How do you think they would go with Rance out for the year (Lever) and Cotchin (Viney) out for an extended period of time. Would they still be cruising easy on top? I’ve said it so many times you can’t win/compete for premierships without luck and they have had it in spades. Not taking away from their achievements because every premiership team every year has had it.

Gawn was far and away the most influential player on the ground. If he can't see that he shouldn't be a football commentator anymore, he was a great (and thuggish) player back in the day but that's not this day anymore. These last bunch of games will be a true test of our club. We haven't really beaten anyone of note, we have to now.

We've seen it enough times when we're on the wrong end, sometimes teams will be missing players but they'll see it as a challenge rather than defeat. Round 23, whether it hinges on our making the finals or not (I really hope not) is going to be a huge game. If it does end up that way I'm on board with the stand alone Monday night fixture.

Normally this is true and he's got a very accurate long kick, but boy there were some shanks on the weekend. Don't get me wrong he was fantastic for us, and he was a key part of our third term destruction of the dogs, but that one that came off the side of the boot and went out would've made Simon Godfrey himself blush! Loving seeing Gus play great footy, gives me a warm fuzzy feeling every time I see him singing the song. He's done it the hard way, and boy he deserves it.

Jeez the wording in the title was really similar to the Jack Viney thread, I was worried he'd turned up on Monday complaining of a sore shoulder and being put into surgery or something! In terms of him leaving us to go back to Perth I wouldn't put any credibility on Harvey's word, he's not a former player turned reporter with his "ear to the ground" he's just giving his opinion which is based off other opinions. All reports say he's very happy in Melbourne and honestly if he didn't go back to Perth after everything that happened last year I feel like he'll be less inclined as the years go on. He also looks like he's enjoying his footy at the moment (why wouldn't you when you're hird on the Coleman medal), which to me seems a bit different from his last couple of years. Last year his head was obviously not in it, understandably so. Remember everyone said it was a foregone conclusion that Pavlich would return to Melbourne.

This upcoming match against Geelong is one of the most important games for us this year as it’s a team we are very close to on the ladder and the ramifications for a wins vs loss are huge. We are also very similar in ability, both teams have shown their best and worst although we are yet to get a win over someone else truly in contention other than Adelaide. That round one loss against the Cats must sting, we were a little lucky to be kept in it when they could’ve put us away but they were equally very lucky that Maxy missed a chance to win it for us while we dominated the inside 50s and didn’t make the most of it (seems to be the theme for the year). Bottom line is we owe them for that loss and the Cats are one of those teams that inflicted so much pain on us for so long that I want us to give some back. We can definitely beat them on their own turf and if we do it could be the making of this team. One week at a time, let notch up our first big contenders win for the year

I feel like we'll make it, but not easily. The only thing that'll change that is if we pull out an unlikely victory against the cats. I still honestly feel like we have the capacity to play some great footy and be a real threat, but we just don't seem to bring it when it matters. The tigers were in a similar position last year having serious questions asked about them, they turned it around because they seemed to come closer together as a group and decide near enough wasn't good enough. I hope our players have a similar resolve somewhere inside them.

I mostly agree with with, but he took his eyes off the ball and looked at his opponent for a moment. The players know that if they do that they run the risk of giving away a free kick. He needed to disguise it more.

I definitely feel like he should be dropped, that passage play where he gave away the 50m penalty is not good enough from a leader and it's massive momentum killer. I think should we still make the finals like we all hope he will be a very important player for us, but for there here and now that kind of behaviour must be addressed as simply unacceptable. I would also add that if it was a one time affair then I'd let it slide but in the two years he's been a Demon he's done it more times than I can think of than any other player and it has cost us at times.

You'd struggle to find a better first 50 games from any player to pull on the red and blue let alone the competition. The kid will be a genuine superstar.

Unbelievably I agree, Petracca still flashes in and out of games whereas Gus played 4 quarters yesterday. Petracca has more upside and if he can pull everything together could become one of the premier players in the comp but right now it’s not happening. Gus is playing where he always needed to play, in the guys getting the ball tapped down his throat. Half back/forward was never going to work.

Back to what we know he could do. He needed confidence in himself and these games will do him (and us) a world of good.

Oscar has been flying under the AFLnradar this year but for the most part he’s been very good. He looks more confident in his ability to take marks (similar to how big bro developed) and more incredibly his field kick is much better. I still have kittens when he looks around for kicks but he’s more poised now and is making better decisions. If our defenders start to improve their communication with one another we will look much more solid down there.

Not in my list of people to be dropped, thought he was ok without being amazing. He’s got skills in him and did some good things.

He was very far from our worst, when he got the ball he did some good things. ANB and a few others in front to be dropped IMO.

It's difficult for the club, they don't want to undervalue the seats by making them too cheap but at the same time I think it's important to have sections on the bottom southern stand filled. A $5-10 members only additional match day fee (purchased at the membership tent) to allow access to that section (but not a reserved seat) would be perhaps a good way to go. You don't get a guaranteed seat as those who have paid for the specific seat get priority but people can find somewhere to sit and fill the area up. Just my thoughts at least.

Sadly if the attendance isn’t as good as we hope it’ll likely be because of the MFC reserved areas. For whatever reason they never seem to be filled and I always notice it on QB where the southern stand and Ponsford stand bottem level always have empty patches. I notice the club is offering upgrades, IMO they should’ve made it free and first in best dress. Do what you can to ensure it’s filled from the bottom to the top. [EDIT] Didnt want it to be a negative post, so we’ll done to all involved getting us over 40k so much earlier. If we win this weekend the lid could come off on the supporter side and we could get some excellent numbers.

I've never been a massive opponent to pokies being involved in the footy club revenue. If people wish to use them they do so on their own volition, as long as there was no active advertisement of it then play on I felt. It's more the sports gambling with sportsbet, TAB etc that I've had issues with, particularly the odds being discussed/shown during the telecast. There should be a blanket ban on that side of things and I'd support no sponsorship by those betting agencies being allowed. How much space do the pokies take up at those venues? I hope they're considering creative ways to utilise the space in order to drum up additional cliental.

FWIW this topic wasn’t designed to create a new whipping boy thread. I liked what I saw from him at the back end of 2016 and I can see talent in him. I just find it strange that a high draft pick entering his 3rd year had such little written about him. He may just be someone we have to be patient with, but with TMac our I hope he views this as an opportunity to find his way back in the team.

So with TMac out until rounds 6-8 (at best given no match fitness) it means there is an opportunity for someone to step up into the forward line. Weideman showed a lot of promise at the end of 2016 but 2017 proved to be difficult for him and was arguably played when he shouldn’t have. I’ve heard a lot about plenty of other players but I’ve heard next to nothing about Weids. He was a high draft pick and showed some promise in his debut, I hope the coaches are telling him to work his ass off to aim to force himself into the side.