deejammin'

Gary? Is that you?!

Three of Richmond’s changes are forced though, they’d love Taranto, Rioli and Banks to play, if they were fit they wouldn’t change them for run. I’m more staggered we haven’t gone with someone to play on Lunch but at the same time I love that King backs in what we’re doing and plays to win.

Thats really sad if true but understandable, being in a neck brace for that long it must have been a really scary injury. I hope he stays around the club as he’s an awesome bloke and great mentor for our boys. Our VFL program especially will be significantly worse for it, TC was huge last year and I think we saw what will happen without a big powerful ruck at VFL level last weekend. All the best to TC and his family.

That’s fair enough. You’re entitled to your opinion. I disagree on the VFL performance, the team was poor but Tom did everything that was asked of him and kicked better than I’ve seen him for a while, including some difficult risky ones. I think we got belted as we were light on for AFL players and some of our VFL top ups couldn’t go with Brisbanes supremely fit and healthy AFL listed players. I enjoyed Menthas game also. Agree to disagree on Ton, I think he’s shown enough. We wait and see. Its phrases like “cooked” “done” “finished” which you used earlier in this thread and in the selection thread that I object to and would define as bashing. Your opinion is as you say above he hasn’t shown enough form yet, fair enough, it also seems your opinion is you worry he won’t get back there, fair enough, but don’t throw around phrases like “cooked”. It’s unnecessary. Anyway sorry to derail Ghosty’s excellent training thread and ripping anecdote on Kolt, I’m looking forward to your many teams I’m sure you’ll be posting soon. I’d like to see what you’d do if Riv, Salem, Viney, Bowey and CJ were all available. Cheers

From the horses mouth: Tom McDonald (23 disposals, 8 marks, 2 tackles) “Tommy was fantastic and did everything we asked of him. “He won his position convincingly, used the ball well and made strong decisions with it. “It was a big tick for him in his return to VFL football.” You’re entitled your opinion, you don’t have Tom in your team, but the absurdly negative rhetoric you’re throwing at a champion of the club, premiership player and great club and team man is getting tiresome. He may play, he may not, you want to go small against Lynch, Lefau and Ryan, risky but fair enough, that’s your opinion. Stop bashing our players. I also find you’re the only person who says they’ve watched the VFL game that doesn’t have TMac in the best. Everyone from the coach to AFL.com to multiple demonlanders did, maybe, just maybe, you’re biased against him and not seeing things objectively. Happy to agree to disagree on selection, not happy to read you constantly dragging our players in every thread. Ease off it please.

In 2025 8 wins and a percentage of 96 got you into 10th, 16 wins and a percentage of 109 got you 6th and 16 wins and a percentage of 125 got you top 4. If we go 3-3 or 4-2 for our next 6 we will be either on the amount of wins that gets you finals (10th) this year already or one win away. And we will need to go 7-4 or 6-5 in our last 11 to be right in the hunt for top 6 or even 4. I’m backing us to beat Tigers, WC and GWS and hoping we sneak one, probably against Hawks at the G. Crazy times.

He covered a lot of ground and moves well in a straight line. He’s the TMac we’ve known for years.

Did anyone calling for TMac not to come in and calling him “cooked” actually watch the VFL game?! I watched the whole thing TMac was clearly BOG for us in a disappointing performance. He beat his man regularly, ran all day and even though I flinch every time he kicks the ball he hit his targets. If Petts is out TMac plays. Richmond have Sampson and Lefau, we need a big defender, also TMac did some great things in our win over the suns, how quickly we forget. Otherwise Laurie is stiff but Lindsay comes in and Lingers goes back to the wing, we need the run, Ed will be Freshened up as is Lindsay. In TMac Lindsay Out Petty (if concussed) Laurie

With Bowey, Riv and Lindsay(needed a rest but I’d back him in long term) still outside the team, there’s some serious talent on our list.

There’s a lot of talk about how good Essendon’s second half was without mentioning that the dogs lost Tim English half way through the third, Artie Jones for the whole last quarter and Ed Richards before the game replacing him with McNeil who completely ran out of puff in the second half and finished with only 2 kicks 6 handballs for the game, mostly in the first half. If any supporter group should know the risk of honourable losses it’s us. Maybe Essendon improved, their pressure was better and they get some good players back for our game, however they only won the last quarter by 1 point when the dogs only had 3/5 on the bench and had clearly gone into finish the game mode. Also the dogs kicked 7 behinds in the third quarter, it was as much their inaccuracy as Essendon improving to kick four goals two behinds. They had chances to belt them. Regardless it’s a danger game for us, we must not switch off or take them at all lightly. No idea on the changes but I’ve been thinking a lot about our depth. In our team that on the weekend beat the suns we were missing: Four premiership players: Viney, Bowey, Fritsch and Rivers A few talented players pushing hard: CJ, Max Heath, AMW, Jefferson, Kentfield, Johnston, Cross, Henderson, Adams. Some young guns who will probably play games this year: X Taylor, Matthews. If we have some luck and everyone gets fit I have no idea how what our best 22 even is. I can’t even get the Premiership players in and I think they play. A good problem to have.

Do the pies get fined for that? I thought I remembered some thing about stopping clubs playing funny buggers with fines but maybe I’m losing my mind.

Am I living in a bygone era or are there fines for taking a player out of the team that you list on the ground? Was that ever a thing?

Oliver’s first game for GWS was outstanding. He was either extracting the ball from contest or linking up in handball chains, running hard both ways, hitting targets by foot and kicked an excellent goal. His next three games he’s still getting the ball and linking up but the team is struggling and GWS’s clearance work has been messy. He’s getting a lot of it and doing his great in close handball stuff, he’s also getting to link up in more handball chains from hard running than last year, seems fitter, but is rarely the kicker and when he is tends to still do the up and under kick into the forwardline. He’s been one of if not GWS’s best player, but they’re not the team they once were and sit 1-3 so it’s hard to tell how much positive impact he’s having. I don’t think he’s hit his peak 2020-2022 form if he even can get back there. Very disappointed he didn’t show up for Max, he has every right to be mad/frustrated with Steven King and the club but after everything Max did for him he should’ve been there. Tomlinson, Hunt, Spargo, Marty Hore, Jeremy Howe and many others that showed could have had reason to not want to show but they did it for their mate and to retain the legacy of the good times they had at the club. Clayton should’ve done the same, I hope he does in future.

Sounds like we won’t get a chance to find out given Cross has reportedly been sent for a thumb surgery that will keep him out for two weeks. It’s really not complicated. We have a 34 year old, GOAT of all time ruck who is our captain and must play every game who is playing over 90% game time in a physical role and needs to be given a chop out for longer periods of time to keep him going all season. I don’t have a problem with Kentfield ahead of Heath but I don’t think his body is ready for AFL yet, he needs a VFL game post knee injury. In this case GC are a tall team with 200+cm backs and a powerful ruckman in Witts and we have a short turn around to our Essendon game where we will need Max cherry ripe for a game he should dominate and we should win. We also play with fire having a KPD playing pinch hit ruck, as we saw with the Freo game if a key back man goes down our team balance looks terrible. Heaven forbid Max go down and we have to play the game down both a ruck AND key position player. Max and Max will play together eventually, unless the plan is to give Gawn a full week off at some point (which I hope it isn’t!), or the club waits for Kentfield to be healthy and ready for AFL again which could be the option, but it’s still another big. I think it’ll be Heath this week. Hardly lunacy.

He would be very stiff I agree. I also don’t generally believe in bringing guys in for one game and dropping them. However, 1 goal and 1 goal assist, 1 pack crash, 2 kicks, 4 handballs, one mark and zero tackles in four quarters of footy is droppable. Max Heath would also crash packs, probably more effectively, and would also give Gawn a chop out in the ruck that will freshen him up for Essendon. He can also take a mark which Cross only took one of for the whole game. We played Cross as a key forward for the last quarter and he did some good things, I don’t WANT to see him dropped, but I reckon it’s time for Heath against a tall GC backline. Mac Andrew and Collins are standing in the pack under that ball Paddy crashed to Fritsch and it’s an intercept mark. Just my opinion but he’s the one you can drop up forward to bring the Moose in and I think it’s time.

Ins: Rivers, Heath Outs: CJ (inj), Cross (stiff but it’s a team balance issue and Chandler, Fritsch and Latrelle have more weapons).

Such clever work from King with Kolt this weekend. Over the preseason I think many of us, including me, were wondering why he was playing back and then it’s revealed it was to prepare him for the NAS tag for over a month. Super clever. And while Nas had his moments so did Kolt, I just wish he’d kicked that goal and it would’ve been the an excellent tagging game. Onwards and upwards for the Kolt but good to see him add tagged to his game, makes him much more likely to get picked in an increasingly selection process.

Of that list if there’s two best 23 out, Viney and Bowey (although it’s a tricky exercise to work out which mid to drop for Viney), and MAYBE one of Jefferson, Johnston and Kentfield would’ve got a game, but all three can’t play together. Casey’s depth will be challenged but only 2/3 best 23 missing from the 1s is a hell of a lot better than we were looking a month ago and leaves us with a pretty damn good team which will have some tough choices at selection. Also with AMW available we finally have the small lockdown defender many have been crying out for, if he can find last preseasons pre-injury form lookout. I wouldn’t want to have to pick the team this week, some very good exciting players will miss.

The 2021 premiers. Saints one flag was…. Not recent 2010 choking? Last year? Year before. We’ve At least made finals and won a flag recently

I reckon his ability to get a quick handball and get the ball out to the running power GWS has looks very good in the second half. Put Callahan and a few others in there and he’ll be a weapon.

Of that list who’s a chance to get back for round 1? Gawn, Melksham, Petty, Culley maybe? AMW maybe? Get Gawn, Culley and Melksham in and I’m not sure Petty is ahead of TMac right now and that’s a pretty good team. Bowey’s absence hurts the most, Viney a close second. I don’t think TC, Hendo, McAdam, Johnston, Matthews, White are in our best so they’re hurting our depth, development and Casey more than best 22 and we looked better with McDonald ahead of May last year so maybe that’s not so bad. All in all if we get those 4 players back for round one I reckon we’re looking pretty good. Saints will be tough but they are also great chokers and were young and an unknown quantity with King at this stage.

Good start to the death ride, yes it’s a practice match, yes GC had a heap of stars out, but they still have the same problem as last year, they leak scores. Also it was in GC right? Thats pretty pathetic considering. That St Kilda team looks good but is not the best team they’ll face this year, probably mid tier. Keep it up GC, pick 8 would be lovely!

Great ins but geez GG and especially Denby are stiff! I thought Denby had some game saving and breaking moments last week and is in a lot better form than Lampy and Banno as much as I love them playing.

Great game. Super proud of all the girls, Hore, Tahlia, Heath, Lise, Paxy, the Taylor’s, Blaithin and Goldy, Harris, Cambell and Witherspoon with the key moments in the last. The umpiring was bordering on match fixing, the fifty simply wasn’t there, the Adelaide player ran into Paxy for the reversed free kick the spoil was close to perfect and that was a dropped chest mark if ever I saw one. It was game over without those clear blunders and it didn’t come back our way. There was some similar stuff in the second quarter last week. I would be shocked if there wasn’t some bias from the umpires towards trying to make a closer game or keep more interstate teams in it it was that bad. Ok tinfoil hat off. I went with my son and mother and father and had a great day, yes it would’ve been nice to have a bigger crowd but I’m not sure chiding each other or continuing the Melbourne’s crowds suck talk is going to fix it. Go Dees, who knows what happens next week, on paper the Roos win but the week off and both teams on a neutral ground with us hopefully getting more stars back in Zanker in particular who knows. I just wish we could see what would happen if Purcell, Chaplin, Beasley and Zanker were all available, fully fit and playing. I actually think that team would beat the Roos.

And while we’re at it what’s wrong with “ground” or “Melbourne Cricket Ground” or “Self contained breathing apparatus” or just “apparatus” or “Australian football league” or “Melbourne Football club”’and “demons”! Ban all acronyms and nicknames!!! We should say everything in full or not at all!