Dees_In_October

Can't remember if I said this in the men's gameday thread, but was pleasantly surprised to see Goldrick still in town. Must be having an extended celebratory holiday? Assuming she didn't fly back from Ireland for the lap of honour 😆

Haha I completely forgot about that one!

Was pretty loud where I was, though to be fair, I was on the fence with other enthusiastic types. I guess we know by now that it's a passionate minority that follows both teams closely - and have had a VERY enjoyable few years. Yes, great ambassadors. Nice to see Birch at the forefront at home games. Just wish she could announce herself as a two-time premiership player as I think plenty are unaware...

It's a lock at this point, I reckon. So, the current list has 3 spots left (with Johnson presumably on the inactive list) and Caris un-signed.

Now THAT'S an epic re-signing announcement! This is us reaping the rewards for investing early in women's footy and taking a long-term view from the get-go. Well-deserved, if I do say so myself.

All quiet on the Melbourne front but a bit of movement elsewhere in trades and de-listings. Some clubs are also starting to announce re-signings (including 19 players at Brisbane). Plus a bunch of new Irish players being signed. Some pointed comments from the Lions coach. I would probably agree with his sentiment in his position but wouldn't be putting it about quite like that. I've been focused on us keeping our premiership team together, so have barely thought about the possibility of trading anyone in. Sign and trade ends Monday, so not long either way. As it stands, we have 2 list spots, so maybe we'll de-list a few more if there's better available from the mature-age draft/de-listings... I still kinda want Duffy back! https://www.womens.afl/news/118784/trade-latest-roos-land-hawk-as-port-cats-agree-to-shock-trade

This just reminded me of Kozzy trying to get Jetta to wear (or possible even have) his premiership medal after the GF. Great stuff.

I think we made it?! Now for the normal trade period (March 10-20).

And to give your heart a happy pang, keep on watching, bang bang bang (couldn't resist!)

Not much action today: Carlton's former #2 pick McEvoy to Sydney. I'd be so annoyed if I was a Carlton fan. Yes, they've lost ridiculous numbers of players over the years due to (in my view) poor investment, a part-time coach and the vicious circle of players leaving begetting more players leaving. But it's just wrong for them to have a top player poached by a team who finished a few rungs below them in the name of equalisation. That helps nothing. Probably next year, having realised this, the AFL will make a similar scheme only applicable to the top 4 or some such. Although something I don't really see discussed is the potential comparative worth of those 2024 compensation draft picks. How does a high 2024 draft pick compare, for example, to a high 2019 draft pick (i.e., McEvoy). Taking the resources spent on the poached player out of the equation, what's the quality gap? It's not like the men's where the draft quality from year to year is fairly stable ('strong' and 'weak' draft classes notwithstanding). The development, standard of coaching, sheer numbers of minutes played as juniors, especially as we get away from the covid impacts, will surely mean there's an upward trajectory for high picks some time. Which makes the TBA nature of it all from the AFL's perspective...interesting. If they're even paying attention, which is questionable. Anyway, 46 hours to go 🤞

The amount and level of players moving has me a little nervous but also... the worst case scenario, of Melbourne losing the maximum players and our main competitor losing none has perhaps already been avoided with Brisbane's losses. If we were to lose players on par with those gone from the Lions, then we'd be exactly where we are now (just a bit sadder). I think as fans we probably don't recognise our comparative depth enough, because the small list size doesn't really show it on paper. But once you get down the ladder a bit, most teams don't bat deep. Like, at all. Related to that, and obviously this is just the writer's opinion, but I found it interesting the players suggested for targeting from Melbourne in this article - Ivey and Wilson, both right on the edge of the starting line up. Even those players who turned out to be depth for us last season would be great assets to a lot of teams https://www.womens.afl/news/118354/the-10-players-clubs-should-target-in-psp

Current live footage of our players (hopefully!):

Wardlaw's Brisbane's leading all-time goalkicker and equal 6th in the league. Woodland's 3rd on Adelaide's all-time goalkicking tally and equal 8th in the league. All that to say, these are very good gets for the Saints and Power. And pretty big losses to Brisbane and Adelaide. So far, so good 🤞🤞🤞

The AFLW website has been putting together hypothetical state of origin teams, and not surprisingly, there are plenty of Demons featured - QLD: Harris VIC Metro: Birch, Hore, Paxman, Bannan, L.Pearce [7 Dees or former Dees total] VIC Country: Zanker, Hanks, Purcell, Heath, Mithen (Depth: Sherriff) [11 Dees or former Dees total] Ireland: Goldrick, Mackin [4 Dees or former Dees total] Here's the link to the VIC teams. Would love to see this match-up: https://www.womens.afl/news/118292/our-aflw-state-of-origin-vic-metro-and-vic-country

@deanoxYeah that looks about right, though of course it's hard to know! And yeah there'd have to be players who've agreed to a lower tier than their worth as a sacrifice to keep the team together (or given their earning capacity off-season compared to other players) or with a promise for future promotion. I think players who value their progression as footballers would be keen to stick with us, especially off the back of last year. I can't imagine any of that group you listed (Lampard, Bannan, Gay, Heath, Gillard) being dissatisfied with their opportunities to develop or their progress (with McNamara being well supported it seems through a very difficult injury). @Lucifers Hero Agree re: seeing what the AFL's (trying) to do. In the big picture for the competition, it needs to be done. We've benefited in other ways from doing the hard yards early. That's the stuff (coaching - including by a head coach who's full-time at the club, professionalism, stability, leadership) we're offering instead of cars. I've got no doubt that AFLW players are highly attuned to the worth of all that in a sporting landscape edging ever-gradually towards professionalism. Fingers crossed our players are all earning well enough elsewhere to offset anything they can be offered. Hopefully though, even if we lose a couple of mid tier players, so do the other top clubs, and it's all relative. I just wish they'd gone harder to "equalise" the Crows when they were a one-state team getting first look at all of SA's young talent while losing basically none of their established team...but anyway. Pretty sure that's the AFL's motto, especially when it comes to AFLW.

Hopefully this is just a rinse and repeat of every other ridiculous expansion scenario that we've weathered so far. My concern was always that we'd lose our entire core in one fell swoop before winning a premiership and have to do a complete re-build. Through team culture and smart list management, we've avoided that at least. Of the mid/lower tier who are most at danger, that big focus on positional flexibility last season pays off in this regard as well. Though, there's already a squeeze on for some positions with McNamara and Colvin returning from injury. The players who replaced them or otherwise broke into the premiership team (Gillard, Mackin, Chaplin) have strong claims as well. Those positional questions won't be answered til preseason though, so I can't really see that affecting players' thinking in terms of being lured elsewhere at this stage. It would be an interesting exercise to try to guess which players are in each tier... Presumably we just lost a Tier 1 or 2 in Daisy. So there'll at least be some movement up the ranks. Transparency about a projected tier progression for each player over the next few seasons would be valued, and I trust the club's managing that appropriately. The players in danger who we'd most like to keep can probably be promised (if not immediately, then in a season or two) the same increase they'd get by moving anyway, so they'd have to be very unsatisfied with their role or something else for that to be worth it? Plus, there's a new CBA coming, so likely some pay increases through that. As it currently stands, I'm pretty sure our entire list is from Victoria (or Ireland!). Harris is the exception but surely isn't a flight risk. I continue to expect Caris to go, as she's waiting in a ruck queue that's only got longer with Harris in there. She was impressive in her game last season, so she'd surely have interest if she wants game time.

Trade period is getting closer and more details about the 2023 season are coming to light: https://www.womens.afl/news/118211/aflw-trade-period-looms-as-clubs-ponder-options-for-one-off-draft Trade period: late February or early March. Similar to previous seasons, decisions on some parts of the CBA will be prioritised so the trade period can be completed. Hopefully one day these decisions will be made with better alignment, so club's can plan list adjustments with the full details. Draft: April. Mature-age only - those born in 2004 or prior (due to the extra draft last year). The 2005-born players (18 in 2023) will then be eligible for the draft ahead of the 2024 season, fixing the clash with the end of Yr 12 that occurred last season for draftees. List size: "It is likely clubs will not have to take three open list spots in their squads of 30 to this particular draft (as has been the case in the past) given the special restrictions around mature-age talent, but the exact number is yet to be determined." Currently, after Daisy's retirement, our list stands at 29 players (at least 1 of which will be inactive for 2023, so really 28). In other off-season news, was pleased to here that our premiership coach has presented to the AFL Commission about the future direction of the comp: https://www.womens.afl/news/118228/afl-commission-asks-premiership-coach-to-weigh-in-on-aflw-comp-s-future

I reckon if the club's not going to keep training info up to date, they shouldn't announce it at all. Just causes problems. Then maybe have a few sessions over preseason that are 100% set in stone as fan days, so people travelling/bringing overseas guests to convert/with kids/planning a strategic sick day can make plans with confidence. They should see it as another marketing opportunity. Seeing the players train would be more appealing to a lot of fans as an alternative to a Family Day type event, for example, so they'd be engaging another market. All easy from the outside, I guess. Meanwhile, trackwatchers will figure out the pattern and find their way to other open sessions with the same degree of confidence that they currently have... By posting times, the club's created the expectation that fans should know when and where training is, always - and consequently, any other looky-loos. I'm not sure that's necessarily ideal from their perspective. But perhaps it's a normal expectation from modern fans to have that kind of access?

Just came in to make sure everyone is panicking. ✅ Carry on!

Interestingly, I actually remember reading/hearing Daisy talking about the connection between the women's and men's programs being something that she and the club were working on improving. Not that she was saying it was bad, just that it was something that they should work to evolve, with things returning to a level of stability with Covid. It was pretty important to keep separation between the lists for a few years there, so I can see there being lingering effects of that. I recall there being several events involving both teams before that (training, social stuff), but there's been significant list turnover in that time. The constant up-in-the-air nature of the women's season and the fact that they're not contracted for the vast majority of the year probably doesn't help. The contact hours they have with the club are limited and really need to be maximised carefully for on-field success - though the new CBA for Season 7 did allow players more scope to attend the club more often, which was great and I'm sure taken full advantage of, with great results on-field. It really has been a pretty hectic few years at club land, so I can see how this stuff isn't top of mind. From a fan perspective, though, I reckon we do the "one club" mentality increasingly well... But I don't get the sense that there's been much opportunity for cross-program exchange from a playing group perspective. Or even that it's something that (most) members/fans might value? Maybe some Demonlanders will get an insight at Family Day, assuming both teams will be in attendance. It's still pretty new territory, really.

The tributes are flowing and yet it's hard to capture Daisy's immense impact across women's footy, men's footy and the media landscape, and as part of the MFC. The vast, vast majority of players in the AFLW today would have been directly or indirectly influenced by Daisy's career on some level. She's shaped the culture of women's footy at every stage, from Darebin in the VWFL, to VFLW and AFLW. In some ways it's amazing to think how much of her playing career actually occurred before AFLW, given her huge impact as the face of the game. Those 55 games at AFLW level are the tip of the iceberg, and we can only dream what might have been if her opportunities had come sooner. I've said it many times before, but thank god she was a Demon. And she has epitomised all the best parts of our club: pioneering, history-making and competitive yet humble. A couple of stats: And some highlights from that era before the spotlight came: VWFL/VFLW Darebin captain: 2008–2016 10× VWFL/VFLW premiership player: 2006, 2007, 2008 (c), 2009 (c), 2010 (c), 2013 (c), 2014 (c), 2015 (c), 2016 (c), 2017 6× Helen Lambert Medal: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 VFL Women's best and fairest (later named partly in her honour): 2016 2× Lisa Hardeman Medal: 2005, 2014 5× Darebin best and fairest: 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012

Yeah, I snapped up a few things. Sold out pretty quick. Lucky you to get Goldie! Although to be fair, I'd be happy with any of our players.

Based on what we've seen for other premiers in previous seasons, I wouldn't expect there to be anything else released at this late stage. Strike while the iron's hot and all that. I'd love a t-shirt or whatever with the '21 and '22 cups on them, but I guess that's pretty niche. I did get a magnet with the premiership team on it for renewing my membership back in early December, which was a nice touch from the club that could be done inexpensively I spose. I'm sure they'd have extras if you don't have one already. Mine came with a thank you note from Gillard and I was amused to imagine they'd saddled the kid with all the signing duties!