Maldonboy38

Denis Pagan played for North Melbourne when it was the VFL. Edit - ooops, missed the tongue in cheek tone.

Looking like Ashcroft, Neale or Zorko for the Norm Smith. Hard to separate them actually. Ashcroft or Zorko for mine.

This is looking like us in 2021, from about 10 minutes to go in the third quarter. Nothing working for the Swans, everything working for the Lions. Lions running and playing full of confidence, Swans like a wombat in headlights.

Although he is doing a lot of ground work and follow up, in his main role he is being beaten by Fort.

The Lions are showing so much more intent and will to do all the demanding off-ball stuff. They are getting 2 or 3 extra players to each contest, they are spreading the Swans across the ground creating small spaces for them to do repeated 20m kicks, and so many more handball receives. Their field kicking is wonderful, leading to strong F50 marking. Swans looking lazy. Grundy being well beaten by an impressive Fort, Heeney being well held by Dunkley (illegally I might add, but umpires not noticing it), and the Lions midfield slaughtering the Swans midfield. Not a great game of footy to be honest.

His best is breath-taking. Power in close, goals on the run etc... Other players at both clubs he has played at have loved what he does on the field. Consistent, frequent goal kicker. He produces this best 5 or 6 times a season in match winning games where he does all his power/burst/explosive stuff which keeps him in public conversations. The other 17 games are 5/10 or below. I was club chaplain at one of his junior clubs (just after he left) and his amazing strength/burst footy was often talked about. But his emotional intelligence/social awareness/personal decision making was also often talked about (joked about). For me, 2 things dominate - 1) his lack of fitness, and 2) that he produces his best so rarely. Fit and consistent - yes. In current fitness and consistency - no.

I was 20 metres away when he did his knee in a practice match at Casey. At that stage, he was in the conversation about potential, but nothing more. Look what hard work can do. Tap ruck work better than Nichols, Farmer, Moore snr and Cox, as good as Madden and Dempsey. His early atrocious kicking transforms 10 years later into 1) outside F50 booming monsters 2) checksides 3) on the run across his body.. 5 in a Prelim! Around the ground team play including contested marking so influential that teams double team him, play around him, smack into the back of his head, drive knees in, crash into him off the ball. He gets up, gets to the next contest and excels again. Athletic work rate - the best ruckman ever. We talk about Langdon and ANB, Gawn's work rate is equal to theirs and gets so little mention. From the smoking lay-about to a thought-provoking, articulate, no nonsense public speaker who has the rare ability to not settle for the lowest common denominator of professional-sportsman-speak. e.g. the boys did well, great to get four points, lots of learnings blah, blah, blah. And as influential red and blue Dees man as Barassi, Ridley, N Smith, and G Lyon. Giant of our club and our game who is an unshakable presence. Well done Max.

Thank-you. My wife and kids don't rate me, but at least I now have you in my corner.

No, but here's a joke. Q. What's the difference between a constipated owl and a terrible sniper? A. One shoots, shoots and can't hit... I think my post above is brilliant, insightful, balanced, thought-provoking and should become the basic template for the 2025 season list management.

Sydney. Breath-taking to watch when they are on song.

I would hate to see TMac in another jumper - too good a club man who has shown the highest level of professionalism to re-invent himself twice. He stays. Retired - BBB, Brayshaw Absolute delist - J Smith, Schache, Hunter. Walk - Tomlinson (UFA) deserves to be playing somewhere weekly. Trade - Sparrow. I really like the kid but Adelaide will pay overs to get him and we need certain list changes. Consider delist - Farris-White. Melksham

Port can't make the most of midfield domination and easy F50 entries. Freo look strong down back and OK through the middle but look messy and confused forward of centre. If Freo can stop fumbling and hit a target inside F50 they win this easily. Otherwise the weight of Port's midfield will take over and cruise home. It's a close game but not a high quality one.

The quality of F50 entries can make or break good teams. Freo's F50 entries look appalling in this 3rd quarter. Reminds me of the Dees in 2019/2020.

We are the Navy Blues, We're entitled to win and again we lose. We're the team that always lets you down. Lygon St is quiet down in Carlton town.

Howler of a free kick against Cripps, but if Carlton now lose by under a goal, there is a part of me that will be deeply pleased.

Now our season is over, I simply want to impose my grumpy-old-man-ness on the 2024 finals series. Richmond are already hopeless = huge tick. Geelong have made finals = huge boo. ANY chance that Carlton, Essendon, Collingwood and Hawthorn could all miss finals - please, O please footy gods make this happen. I can't be bothered going through all the necessary mathematical variations to see if this is possible but if I can't watch the Dees in the finals, I give myself full permission to revel in the disappointment and agony of these teams I despise.

Love BBB, and up until half way through this year believed we were still a better team when he was in the side. He was such a vital cog in 2021. But send off games are best reserved for ex-Captains, or other more significant players. So unless one of the current tall forwards are injured or being managed, no, to a send off game. Lets acknowledge him is some other way.

If they could hit a handball target, and stop fumbling, it might be a game. But even the Blues are looking bog-ordinary.

Yeah, I see a forward line of JVR, Fritsch, Turner and Jefferson. Petty May and Lever down back. I am a huge fan of TMac, but can't see him in the 22 next year (having sad that, he keeps surprising me). Like you, Turner looks on the edge of busting the game apart.

After the ridiculous feeding frenzy that was the media/commentary on our club, THAT is what leadership looks like. Brutal, tough, inspiring, uncompromising. I 'dips me lid' to Viney, ANB, Gawn, Lever for showing commitment and pride to our jumper and club. Even more so, I am loving the spirit and grunt shown by our large group of your fellas. Turner, Tholstrup, McVee etc... A real strong group of younger players reminding me of early days under Neal Daniher. But it was against a very, very disinterested Gold Coast.

My goodness, what a snooze fest. The old aerial ping pong between the arcs with midfielders doing all the work, backed up by the commentary being about pressure and tackles because nothing else is happening. 2 ordinary forward lines. Sydney's run and bust game has almost totally disappeared.

OPTIMISM I am not sure about our current window closing or being closed. I see more than a second window is already opening. No way did I see our 22 having one or all of McVee, Tholstrup, AMW, Turner, Howes, Windsor or K Brown in it this season. I agree that our list management strategy was a fail, but our development program (formerly the weakest part of our football department) has once again produced great fruit. I hope Verral has a huge preseason because I see him being a very good AFL ruckman who can step in to emerge behind Max. Jefferson will be primed and ready to go. Really looking forward to seeing him beside JVR, Fritsch and Turner. Good health & preseason for Trac and Clarry. Our draft strategy usually lands us with 2 draft positions inside top 20. PESSIMISM Kicking skills / decision making under pressure. Remains our achilles heel and I can't see it changing unless we change players, philosophy , and skills training personnel. Max, May TMac getting older. Schache, McAdam, Billings & Hore remain on our list and might have to stay on there due to last year's list management decisions.

The saying "everything rises and falls on leadership" is so true of Max. He has influenced the entire club and supporter base and has a massive profile (in a psychological sense). When he does step down, it will be a monumental change of leadership and will ripple trough the club. There will be a void is his wake for some time. I can't see Trac as our Skipper. Great player with leadership traits - yes, but not as Club Captain. Lever looks a standout, but I would have Rivers. This is pure blind opinion because Rivers has done little publicly to show lots of leadership capacity. His footy is maturing, and when he has spoken on media, he is articulate and has a good understanding of the broader game.

Sydney's stoppage and clearance awareness looks to be way off. So many Pies players running through a contest unmanned or unmarked. But maybe even more telling is the form of Heeny, Gulden and Warner: fumbling, missing targets by foot, and little zip. They were breath-taking only 6 weeks ago.

Big game player, strong and fair, quiet and humble, rarely beaten, and amazing game awareness. Among all the accolades, I reckon there is not enough mention of his field kicking. Hitting ridiculous targets on the run with low penetrating 60m passes. The sound of the ball striking his foot - wow. What a gun.