Grapeviney

May out, Smith in ? That's what I'm hearing, and no, I don't know any more re: May

This is going to sound absolutely nuts, but I foresee a game where we’re 6 goals up in the final quarter, and then the match gets delayed by a freak lightning storm, giving our opponents time to rest and launch a comeback! Probably never happen I guess..

That term is anachronistic at best. More broadly - and i say this knowing that many people don’t punctuate properly online - the word ‘Indigenous’ should always be spelled with a capital I when referring to people. It’s great to see @Colin B. Flaubert, @deanoxand others articulating the case so clearly, and not giving up on the discussion - this is what Eddie Betts is imploring all of us to do as allies. Repeating empty platitudes and saying the right thing isn’t enough; it takes persistence and patience and hard work to change hearts and minds.

Cannot fathom this attitude at all. Think of the many older fans who’ve been waiting a lot longer for a flag than 1990, some of whom might not even be around next year. RDB is getting on, as are the other remaining champions from that era, and the Rev is on borrowed time. Besides, bird in the hand and all that. This is our season and I don’t care if we have to play on the moon to win it.

I think he meant it keeps happening in the game, rather than to Kozzy. Agree with you though - it was hard watching Eddie tonight. He was really hurting, and at times like this, must feel like all his work and words over the years count for nothing.

It's happened again - this time to one of our players, on social media following last night's game. The club has just released this statement. There is no room for racism, ever. The hurt and trauma caused by racism has sadly, once again been at the forefront of our game in recent times. Despite the best efforts of many, we continue to see people subjected to racial abuse on the football field, in the stands and increasingly, on social media. We have heard so many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people talk about the pain, the hurt, the exhaustion and the anger inflicted by racism. This is not okay; we must do better. This week Eddie Betts said, “no matter who you are or what you do, when it comes to racism, everyone should be held accountable.” It is not enough to simply condemn racism when it occurs, we must work as a club, an industry and as individuals to be anti-racist, and to educate those around us on how they too can play a proactive role in stamping out racism. We may not be able to silence every person who hides behind their keyboard or a fake profile, but we can utilise our own voices and platforms to proactively and consistently, educate people on and celebrate Aboriginal and Torre Strait Islander culture. This week and beyond we ask you to join us in being an active ally for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through education, the amplification of Indigenous voices and in calling out racism whenever you may witness it. As part of the club’s commitment to ongoing education and allyship, our coaches, players and staff will sit down together this week and watch ‘The Ripple Effect’. A powerful documentary primarily centred around St Kilda legend and proud Noongar Nicky Winmar's generation-defining stand against racism at Victoria Park in 1993. We encourage people to join us in watching the documentary here.

Really? I also like @Wadda We Singbut I’m not sure he’s Australian of the Year material.

Given that Nev and Kozzy have already posted about it on social media, I'd say the answer from the players is a resounding 'no'. Which means there's nothing more to discuss.

The Herald Sun is describing the hearing as 'farcical'. "Jack Viney’s tribunal case descended into farce on Tuesday night as the Melbourne ball winner pleaded guilty to serious misconduct without knowing the full wording of his charge and then asked to cancel that plea at the end of the hearing. "Viney pleaded guilty to serious misconduct – but not guilty to the particulars of the charge. In bizarre scenes, tribunal chairman David Jones stood down the hearing as the phone hook-up went off line in the wake of the Demons claiming they had never seen the wording of the charge as they attempted to renege the guilty plea. I'd be interested to hear from @Redlegand other legal eagles on here whether the club might be able to challenge on procedural grounds.

I think the Jones twins are due in September. And Gawn Jnr is due in October if the season is delayed. It's that old saying - 'don't count your AFL players' babies until they've hatched'.

Enough with the politics and media. Most people don't care and this is a thread for footy-related covid news. And yes I'm aware there's lots of politics posts but mods can't be in here all day. Please stick to footy talk.

It's the Pink Lady match this week in support of the BCNA breast cancer cause, which the club has been involved with since 2005 iirc. The connection is personal for the Dees on a couple of levels. Oskar Baker's mum was a breast cancer survivor, who sadly lost her life to bone cancer a few years later. And the ambassador this year is Fraser Rosman's mum Trudy, who was diagnosed just before COVID hit, and whose past year has included 16 rounds of chemotherapy, surgery, 15 rounds of radiation, Fraser finishing year 12 and then him being drafted by the MFC. From the HS article: As Covid hit Melbourne, Fraser waited until after 10pm – once everyone had gone home – to do his running training at a local football ground to keep his immune-compromised mum safe. They spent his 18th birthday together with a supermarket cake at the kitchen table, because Ms Rosman was so sick after chemo. “He was my absolute rock. I had times when I was certainly down, and days where I just didn’t want to go to treatment,” she said. “He would tell me, ‘you got it early, you can do it, you’ll be all right’.” For Fraser, knowing his mum had finished treatment when he fulfilled his football ambition as pick 32 in the AFL draft, helped atone for the tough year. “When my name got called out I was ecstatic. When mum was told she was cancer free, that was spectacular as well,” he said. Ms Rosman said while news of being cancer free didn’t instantly erase the lingering worries and treatment side effects, she was looking forward to turning her attention to Fraser’s football ­career. “I do feel some guilt over the last 12 months and what he’s had to go through. It’s not really fair. He was only 17. It was a lot on him,” she said. “I can’t wait to sit back and see where this footy journey takes him.” You can donate to BCNA here: Pink Lady Match

You're in the Redlegs section (similar vantage point on the opposite flank) so the seats are fine. Ticketek has been grouping Redlegs, Tridents and Legends as one category, and then as each bay is exhausted, you get shuffled to the next area. Now that's OK for Redlegs and Tridents, but Legends really get shafted under this system, as they pay top $ for the very best seats in the ground (a few feet in front of the coaches box). Not sure what happened today because, unlike previously, I wasn't able to select a bay this week - all those seating areas, which are usually highlighted, came up as unavailable, even though i was on there at 1.01pm. Thankfully ended up near my normal seats but can't wait for this hassle to be over. Got a Hawk supporting mate coming with us this week, but he's already promised to sit quietly. To be honest, if I'd seen us win 74 premierships, I'd also be pretty chill.

An extra quarter would be good, too. 5 x 40 min quarters.

Me making breakfast this morning

My highlight is the same week after week. It’s watching the opposition stalled at defensive 50, looking sideways, backwards and every which way, with nowhere to go, before an eventual dump kick under pressure which invariably lands in our hands. I wasn’t fussed that we started poorly - our defensive game was on from the first bounce and as @A Fpointed out, when that happens we usually win.

New bub is healthy and well, and even visited dad at work today, as per MFC twitter. Unfortunately, Jack Viney's little one was also there, and the Viney family don't play well with others, which led to this.

It's not so simple. Some great players have either flourished despite their anxiety / fear, or used it to their advantage. Nev Jetta has spoken of the fear of letting his team-mates down being a motivating factor. Glenn Archer was so sick with nerves he sometimes used to throw up the night before a match, even at the end of a long and distinguished career. All he could think about was failing. "I spend a lot of time sitting at home [wishing] I didn't have to go to the game, because of getting nervous." Of course, there's a balance with these things, but those kinds of anxieties are probably quite common in elite sport.

No, this thread isn’t a whinge about the lack of a ‘big win’, it’s a place to celebrate our miserly backline and team defence. Bang on again last night, conceding the standard 59 points (including only 2 goals after h/t) and racking up eye-popping intercept numbers. One of the things I’ve noticed in how we defend the ground is the position of the player (usually one of the wingers or half forwards) nearest their ball-carrier when the opposition is clearing the ball from defensive 50. We don’t press their player hard, but nor do we push all the way back, and while at first it appears they have time and space to clear, it kind of splits the difference and puts doubt in their mind. We’re set up well anyway, but it gives the rest of the team that fraction more time to get where they need to be. We’ve ‘guarded grass’ before, but not as effectively as this. The positioning is just right. One of the other tactics we’ve perfected this year which BT picked up on was holding the ball up for as long as possible at stoppages before giving it back to the umpire or player. We’ve been doing this all season, and again, it gives us a few more crucial seconds for everyone to get in position. We have more than enough talent up forward to match it with anyone, but it makes it fairly easy to kick a winning score when you’re restricting the opposition to just 60 point a game. Roosy would be most pleased.

Everything's going to be fine.

I’m so confident these days I don’t even bother to check who we’re playing. Are our opponents today any good?

I wrote a song about him. It’s called ‘Up There Kozaly’.

Up There Kozaly

I and three of my friends just completed the survey, but only 2 of us voted yes for Thursday night team announcements. Based on that, does the percentage go up or down? Asking on behalf of @Sir Why You Little Edit: removed appalling grammar