Maldonboy38

I hate the Bombers with a rabid passion.

Might be too big a call to be realistic, but there is something about the Roos 2023 that reminds me on Dees 2017. Emerging talent, some old time clubmen close to the end and others about to be delisted. The Cheezel and Wardlaw look really good, LDU is the next skipper, and a handful of emerging surprises. They need another forward to help Larkey, and another large gorilla backman but I would be hopeful if I were a Roos man.

Tonight's game will be a cracker - can't wait but also nervous. Pros Gawn and Grundy will dominate tonight's game. Apart from Cripps their midfield is tepid I am hoping Kozzie tears the game apart - they have no-one who can go with him. Concerns Curnow. May has been far below his best for a while now. Weitering will blanket JVR (no way do they risk playing him on Grundy) Cripps Opportunities Viney will love 2 teams going head-to-head over a contested game and will be BOG. Oliver is back. The best Dees player I have seen and I can't take my eyes f him when he plays. Go Dees - by 16 points

Re Josh Daicos - he is part of a whole new type of young player who have stunning kicking and decision making skills. I rate his kicking ability up there with Dusty, Tex and Lukosius, and his decision making is better. I hate the Pies but I like watching this bloke play. Some of his kicking last night was ridiculous in its brilliance. With one exception. He plays wide and sometimes chooses not to go in when it is his turn, head over ball, and smash in for the contest. Now this might be coaches instructions because McRae does keep Pendlebury, Sidebottom and the 2 Daicos boys about 10 metres off most contests so they can us their kicking ability without pressure. He doesn't need to be tagged, but if in this year's finals he is played one-on-one (both the Dees and Port did this to the Pies this year) his impact is lessend because he doesn't get time for his elite kicking.

Both teams having a red hot crack, but the Cats are chasing jumpers most of the time. Pies are getting +2 to almost every contest which means the Cats midfield has totally lost its defensive running. Umpiring in general has been good, but LOTS of throws not called. I reckon Tom Mitchell has done it 3 times on his own. Any game in which McStay gets multiple goals, you know the other team is struggling. Daicos can kick alright, eh! I simply cannot understand how Ginnnivan doesn't get a regular game. Natural footballer. Seems to have dropped all the ducking and d**head stuff too.

Nev Jetta in a Pies guernsey and Daisy Pearce in Cats gear. Great people to stay in football post playing career, but it's just not right.

I have tipped North to beat the Bombers - at Marvel, Bombers not playing great footy, North can challenge but rarely for 4 quarters. Tonight, they will do it for Cunnington. Collingwood tonight. Cats out of the finals is sweet, sweet bliss.

The "despised" descriptor makes it quite difficult by making it much narrower. So, just like our gameday votes I am going to rate them from 1 - 6, with 6 being the highest priority: 6. Tom Lynch. Our only genuine list hole is a power forward at this peak. And this bloke is a faux-thug, sniper, brilliant forward. 5. Toby Greene. Although now his stupidity and thuggery have diminished, I like watching him more and more. 4. Tom Papley. Worst over-celebrater ever, but a very good (maybe great by the end of his career) footballer. 3. James Sicily. I feel Steven May is just starting his slow decline, and Sicily is a star. 2. Horne-Francis. He did to North what Buckley did to Brisbane and I hate it. And he is a gun, star and 300 game match winning midfielder. 1. Draper. If he was still playing, Selwood by a mile. But I would have one of Fyffe at his best, Dusty 2019 version, or the Bont over all of the above.

I have watched a fair few Casey games, and really like him. His output isn't great yet, but he comes across as a genuine footballer, rather than an an athlete who plays footy. I don't think his size will hold him back, it is his base fitness. One more pre season and who knows what could be? I think of him as a young Jack Gunston - rangey, a bit lighter than most his height, mobile, smart. Not ready yet, but maybe as first call-up if there is an injury in our AFL team forward line in 2024.

I've always rated him more highly than many others around me, but I can't see where he fits with us. He is a very good utility or gap-filler, and I also reckon previous coaches have deflated his natural flair and instincts. I'm not against pursuing him, but reckon there are probably better options.

Blues & Dees are the 2 best contested ball teams at the moment, so I reckon any change needs to focus on the needs of the game on these terms. Although I love the way BBB straightens us up, he doesn't create enough impact in the contest any more. And Schache is a VFL player, and at AFL level is often a contested ball liability. OUT- PETTY Option 1. Grundy. Very competitive when rucking, and also very competitive when the ball hits the ground. But I am not sure this will happen. Option 2. Smith forward is athletic and competitive, Hibberd down back to replace Smith who is a defensive beast who can also run and carry. OUT - HARMES Oliver. No explanation required, but feel sad for Harmes.

The Pies midfield was annihilated, I thought that it looked like the 3 main areas: clearances, contested possession, and in transition. But the team stats indicate that it was workrate. More possession, more marks inside 50 etc... Interesting.

I can't turn the Pies v Hawks game on and haven't since half time - I don't want to jinx anything. If the Hawks pull this one off, look out Mrs Maldonboy!!

Dear Garry Lyon. As a Dees man, I love what you have done for our club, and you were a gun when you played for us. Just a note though - there are 2 teams playing in the Hawks v Pies game and THE PIES ARE ACTUALLY BEHIND. The Hawks are playing better, and thwarting the "rampaging" Collingwood. Any chance you could mention some of the tactical nouse that the Hawks are using to thwart the Pies? Or even their great in-close pressure? Or their team defence. As much as I hate the Hawks, their play deserves respect.

I feel filthy shouting "come on" to the TV when the Hawks get a goal. I might need counselling. But if it means seeing the Pies lose, I suppose the lesser of two evils...

Hawks are actually a well drilled team, they just can't sustain it. They often start really well only to get overtaken half way through the 3rd quarter. Watching them now, their midfield play is really strong, and those young guys are sprinting to the next pace over and over again. High quality. The Pies are playing loose (again), and the Hawks are pressuring the kicker rather than the ball carrier. Let's see if the Pies can reverse this earlier than the last quarter.

I have been doing some light gardening, listening to the Crows v Suns game via the AFL app, choosing the ABC stream hoping it wouldn't the biased carp we get from 5AA. BIG mistake! You would have thought they were getting paid by each compliment they could give Crows players, with passing mention of anything the Suns did.

There are a large number of us Demonlanders who watch multiple games across the weekend, and most of us are probably on the mature end of the age scale. So over the years we get to see some great footballers who stand out. I was a huge fan of Paul Kelly from the Swans and would watch Sydney games just to see him. It's the same with Bontempelli. Watching him makes me love the game. Fair, strong, ridiculously skilful, natural leader, match winner. I put him up near Robbie Flower for the graceful way he plays the game. Last night he was at his best.

A few reasons why I want us to annihilate North with no mercy: Boomer Harvey running amok against us for 20 b****y years straight David King The brilliant but horrible Alistair Clarkson This rabble of a club having a dedicated home base and we don't

No way do we risk Clarry against North in Tassie. Clarry can't help himself, and has to go at 100% so he will never "ease" into anything. Perhaps give him 60% game time, and sub him out early if they do decide to play him OUT: Gawn, Viney, (both rested) Harmes, IN: Grundy, Sparrow, Hibberd

6. Gawn 5. Petty 4. Viney 3. JVR 2. Lever 1. Petracca Rivers and Melksham very stiff.

Post game, I got drenched walking to Flinders Street Station, then we had a protestor on the line, holding up the train (full of steaming wet supporters from both teams) to Sunbury, into the car and now home in central Victoria. Under other circumstances I would be wet, annoyed, grumpy and ready to rant - but not tonight. Pumped!! That was a great win. In the first half, to be honest it felt like a casual boring game without much oomph. The Tiges were killing us at ground level and our half back line were getting annihilated by Richmond's small runners. Didn't look like a Dees game at all with lots of free ball movement and few tight, contested passages of play. Taranto, Martin and Prestia were running amok seemingly with little effective response from us. Enter one M Gawn. To see him dominate like that in a game with so much on the line will be a lasting memory in my footy-loving life. Leadership, skill, influence, and left nothing to chance. Got to contest after contest and made us win. To see our forward line mark and kick like that was so, so satisfying. Petty, JVR and Melksham were brilliant, but so were a lot of the smalls. An incredible team effort, and the tigers had no answer. Jack Viney should canter across the line in our B&F - he is everything we want, and everything I go to the footy to enjoy. Got crunched a few times heavily, and simply got up, shook it off and ran to the next contest. And in the last 5 minutes he was still sprinting to the next contest. Not sure how it came across on TV, but Lever was instrumental in our backline tonight. Genuine leadership. And JVR is my new favourite player. He just chucks himself at it - marking contest, ground ball, ruck play - he just launches and takes no prisoners. Great win, great day, I'll go and get dry now. Go Dees!

Ah, the beautiful sound of the inbreed cats fans booing when the umpires don't favour them. Entitled [censored].

Absolutely, Chook, and this is how we beat them on KB'day. AS long as there is not an overlap player, let then run and carry. Just pressure their kicker. And cut it off at half forward. I have to admit, Voss' coaching and game plan ha been very good tonight.