Maldonboy38

Petracca has core strength to bullock through, push off and step away. He bullies attempted tacklers in the same way as Dusty, Dangerfield, Voss at his peak, Kennedy at the Swans. But his standout feature is that he also takes hold of huge moments in games and delivers. This is what takes him into the rare air of the genuine star he is. But Clarry's pace around the ball, and the way he reads stoppages is insane. I'm mesmerised by him. It might be hyperbole, but he reminds me so much of Judd at his peak at WCE. Quick hands, great decision making, and a better mark than people give him credit for. Neither are perfect and both have growth areas, but I do agree that Trac misses gettable goals from set shots, and they both miss gettable goals on the run.

Some of the greats exceed the sport they play. Jordan in basketball. Peter Brock in V8 car racing. Tiger Woods in golf. Federer in tennis. I will put my hand up as a test cricket tragic - loving it with a passion equal to following the Dees. Warne was on a different plane to all others. To watch him bowl you sat forward on your chair trying to see which small nuance of change he was implementing, or which batsman he was out thinking/outmanouvering. He was magnetic, brilliant, belligerent, joyful. He gambled, whored, smoked, ate rubbish food, dyed his red hair blonde, and messed up his family. His commentary was insightful, brutally honest and uncompromising. As for his cricket, it was the closest thing to perfection you could see. Possibly best summed up by quoting the poet John Keats: "A thing of beauty is a joy forever".

Very fumbly, missed tackles, really poor kicking skills, very greasy night. Carlton's smalls and mids looked OK but we never put any real tackling pressure on - maybe deliberate only being a preseason game. Tracc, Clarry and Viney all tried the extra bit too often and got tackled easily. Habits from the past. Brown, Jackson and later Weid were horrendous in the air. Everything looked slow, weak. Only lost by 5 points, felt like 6 goals. None of the Casey boys took their chance.

Thanks for all your work - a great time or reminiscing, evaluating and often nodding in agreement. I cried when Hardeman was beaten by Greig in the Brownlow: the bloke was a star but received so little media attention because the pathetic Dees constantly missed finals and were never on the TV. Other club supporters today don't know about him at all which really givers me the jimmy brits. I was a massive Greg Wells fan, but didn't realise he was so short. Strange how inaccurate long term memories can be. Can you imagine if the stars aligned and we had Flower on one wing and Alves on the other?Sstuff me, that would have been a joy to behold. Brett Lovett. For a plodding, big-bummed player with no x factor, he was a gun, pure and simple. In a team full of emerging stars and talent, he was consistent, almost unbeatable, reliable and more highly skilled than he looked. I have been saying for a while now that Clayton Oliver is the best midfielder I have ever seen at the Dees, and even after all the players on this list, I still believe it is true. I have seen players with as much skill, but the way he plays the game at full pace, runs away from a stoppage at full pace, hits the pack at full pace: I can't take my eyes of him. And Robbie. Some call soccer the beautiful game, because of Pele. Absolute BS. You want to see beauty in sport - wtach a highlight reel of Robbie.

I watched the live stream of the B&F for the first time. I reckon as an event, there are a number of things they could improve. But it was great to hear a consistent message, and such personal devotion to the club from one and all. I credit Max and Jonesy with the emergence of this as a cultural foundation. Clarry is a standout player (I rate him as the best MFC midfielder I have seen) and deserves all the accolades. In the post-premiership, post B&F glow, sitting down with toast and coffee after volunteering at Parkrun this morning, I can feel a huge admiration and respect emerging for Alex Neal-Bullen. He has massive respect from the entire 45 player squad, is loved by coaches and the football dept, and is finally leaving behind the whipping boy status that fans repeatedly hung around his neck. I really feel like 2021 is behind me now. I will enjoy Christmas and New Year and then switch into the sweat and tears of preparing for the 2022 campaign. I will have my eye firmly fixed non Sparrow - who I think will explode next year, and Sam Weideman who is working harder than ever to take TMac's spot. Stuff me, I could get used to this Premiers feeling!

Clarry "Bang Bang Bang" Oliver = B&F.

Standing ovation for Nathan Jones is genuine and moving. He represents our club like no-one else.

It is difficult for a football person to transcend football. Rare air up there with Smith, Barassi, Flower, Stynes and now Daniher. Feels right.

Very well spoken, Nathan Jones.

1. Oliver 2. May 3. Petracca 4. Gawn 5. Lever 6. Fritsch

Calm, skilled, and a whole lot tougher than he looks. He developed from a draftee to an AFL premiership player in 12 months and is locked in until 2024. Well done Dees, and well done Bowser.

Great day at the 'G. Robbo and Clint as hosts were really, really good. Replay was brilliant. The booing of Caleb Daniel, the brutality of Viney crunching opposition players, the crowd reaction to the 3 late third quarter goals was immense. 35000 Dees fans going off was brilliant. Singing The Grand Old Flag at the game's end was very loud, and I belted it our until I was hoarse. The kick for cash with Rigoni and Leoncelli was so well done because they both almost got it in twice. Robbo and his band: I was expecting cringe-worthy mediocrity. But they were fantastic. Great song choice which helped, energetic, and perfectly suited to the day. Past players were a real highlight. To have Steve Smith and Gary Hardeman carry it together really spoke of the agony of 57 years. A huge shout for Ox and Wiz as they handed it over to Brad Green and James MacDonald, who in turn gave it to Jones and Jetta. Garry Lyon was a wonderful MC. Funny, focused and inviting. Biggest highlight was the crowd reaction to Neale Daniher. Standing ovation that went on and on, and he himself got quite emotional. Big Max giving a great brief chat with that quirky grin on its face, and Goody given his chance at last. And the cup held high! And pre-season starts in earnest tomorrow - Carna Dees!

First time I have ever watched the draft - and the last. Bat poo boring. Tigers got a steal with Gibcus, as did Bombers with Hobbs. I can't believe these 2 were let slip so far through.

I found a bloke on the internet doing his own graphic designs of MFC premiership stuff, and printing them onto clothing. THIS is what I wanted. A simple white tee shirt with this moment on it. P.S. I cut my head out of the image to ensure I didn't frighten any Demonland juniors!

1. Home base 2. 75,000+ members 3. AFLW flag 4. Massive home game attendance average. 5. Our 5 current main sponsors (Zurich, Hertz, Jaguar, Beyond Bank and New Balance) being locked in long term like Ford used to be with Geelong. I reckon we will lose NT connection to the thieves at Gold Coast due to AFL pressure. 6. Genuine Premiership contenders at least twice each decade (like Swans and Hawks).

I can see Richmond doing a Geelong over the next 2 years - annoying the carp out of the entire competition because their older players are absolute guns who hate losing. They will ride high and hurt teams because their top 8 players really are (have been?) great to watch, but they will only be strong enough to then lose in the Semis or Prelim. Dees - then daylight. Dogs, Tiges, Swans primed and ready to have a genuine crack. Lions and Port up there but I remain unconvinced about either of them. And there is usually a bolter or 2. Bombers or Saints possibly.

This is a classic case of "accidentally on purpose". No way were GC blindsided, Mark Evans is overseeing this and he is as shrewd as anyone going around. This is externally saying "we will delist you to re-list you", while internally hoping "(please, please, please, someone take him!!!!". I'm glad he is happy and I actually rate him fairly high, but I personally hate this kind of reading period BS.

I highly regard this bloke. His coming to the Dees as a player never really worked. But he took on other roles including the runner and it appears as if the players really like him, respond to him, and were eagerly embracing him after the siren went. Couldn't see Nev moving straight to this role, but maybe after a brief stint at the Pies he could be lured back.

Hey fellow Demonlanders! My MFC premiers hoodie arrived yesterday and I was devastated. The blue is so dark it looks black - nothing like MFC colours at all. Actually, and this is the part that annoys me, at first glance you might think it is a Bombers premiership hoodie!!! Has anyone else had this with clothing merch?

Set shot goal kicking was an issue from the first game versus Freo, but I don't think it is our major flaw. We won the flag so can't complain too much, but if I look at the 3 defeats and the draw, or even the periods in the finals games where the momentum was with the opposition, the same weakness was dominant: i.e. lack of defensive pressure through the middle of he ground, when we didn't have the ball. At a turnover, or at a stoppage where the opposition won the ball, or even at our half forward where the opposition took an intercept mark, if our mids, wings and half forwards were too slow to respond, goals were kicked easily against us in runs of multiple goals. After the round 19 loss to the Bulldogs, there were very few games where this defensive slow response hurt us too much, but I reckon other teams will try and exploit us on the turnover, because it is - as far a I can see right now - our only weakness.

Absolutely agree with this. To uphold the integrity of a system that is village-like, each club should simply be trying to draft the best available player according to their plan. That way the player managers, players, list managers etc... can look each other in the eye and not end up with future trading blocks based on narky nasty carp from years earlier. If North think Daicos is the best player in the draft, try and get him. If the gap between him and Horne-Francis is really narrow, go for either etc...

Great natural footballer, loved his aerial work and thought he was a decent team player. I loved watching him play, and not just his marking. I met him and Jared Rivers on a golf course once, had a good conversation with them both and were great to chat with. Neither of them were full of themselves or w**kers. He clearly did not fully endorse the Roos/Goodwin philosophy and game plan, and possibly wanted to find a role as a high flying forward (which he never got and in my opinion was not suited to). The lure of Collingwood was too much and he jumped. I don't have too much loathing for people who jumped from our basket-case club, looking for success. These blokes are professional sportsmen and they need to be where they can play their best. Scully is the one exception. What he did and the way he did it - I hope he looks at the Dees now and re-thinks his entire GWS/Hawthorn underachieving.

I keep watching the 3 goal burst at the end of the 3rd quarter - the best footy I have seen. We won it, playing a kind of football I have only seen 3 other times in my life - Hawks 88, Lions 01-03, and Geelong 07-09. But the general feeling is one of serenity. The pressure is off. I am totally relaxed, and I enter the 2022 season not giving a rats ar*e about too much at all. We are the best, everyone else can go get stu**ed. The trade period = whatever. Draft = whatever. Super chilled, no knot in my gut thinking about the next season. I could get used to this.

He looks so awkward and gangly most of the time, with elbows and knees out of alignment with his arms and legs, a jerky running style, and looks to be out of position. I have to admit that at times, watching him play makes me want to look elsewhere due to the lack of smoothness. But he has 3 traits I just love: He attempts to mark the ball at the highest point of his leap, the one thing defenders find difficult to combat, and even makes it difficult for the third man up trying to spoil. When he is looking awkward and out of position, he gets an arm in here, his body in there, runs across someone ensuring the ball comes to ground: he does something to try and get the ball to ground. He leads in a straight line, demanding the ball. Half the time he has concrete hands, but his leading is a thing of beauty. And stuff me, I can not for the life of me figure out why North were so keen on letting him go. We can build a very powerful forward line around this bloke for the next 3 years.

I don't remember us "going" the first time, so maybe our first date was a bit bland, or that I hate tattoos. In refence to Petty, I agree he is a very good and natural defender, but my point remains: until Tomlinson went down he trained with the forwards and was being shaped for that part of the ground. It remains wait and see, and he could play either or become a swingman. Good problems to have.