Dees_In_October

The Mackin Family candy store - love it! Sounds like she'll be playing forward, really exciting. Take full credit! :D Do your think clubs in Ireland will start taking measures to prevent this? They've been very accommodating with AFLW so far, but I saw somewhere that there are 11 new Irish signings for 2023, in addition to the players already on lists, so I'm wondering if there'll be a response. Although maybe there's already an unspoken agreement at some clubs (i.e., if you go to play AFLW, you won't have a spot when you come back)? Which would be understandable! Obviously if someone wants to go, you can't stop them, but it feels like they've made it easy so far.

Yep, rookies are included in the list of 30. To be eligible as a rookie, a player must not have played Australian rules football in the last 3 years or been involved in a talent pathway. So with the small list size, if you can get 2 rookies who are playing regularly in your team and performing well (i.e., last season we had B.Mackin and West), at this stage of the competition and in a strong team, it's a real bonus - one that we've made excellent use of pretty much every season to get some real talent rather than just development types. I'd also imagine that new rookies at least would be on the lowest payment tier, so that helps us out too. Presumably both Mackins will be the rookies for 2023, so yes, I think West will be elevated.

"Mackin is the older sister of premiership player Blaithin, with the two set to become the first representative siblings in the Demons’ AFLW program. Mackin, who also plays for Armagh in Ladies Gaelic Football (LGFA), will make the trip down under at the conclusion of the county’s 2023 Championship campaign. Mackin is regarded as one of the star players of the Gaelic competition, most notably recognised as the 2020 Senior Players’ Player of the Year – the equivalent of the league’s Best and Fairest or Brownlow Medal. She has three All-Star selections to her name, reflective of the AFLW’s All-Australian honours, as well as international experience in soccer as a junior." Love this! If she takes to the game anything like Blaithin did, we're in for something special. Also, we're presumably getting her as a rookie, so great for list management. That brings our list to 30, so we won't be participating in the Supplementary Draft on Tuesday.

True, good point. We definitely have players with that in spades and it's important to pass on. I also hope there's some consistency in game style and the coaching approach between teams. Yeah, there's certainly a big gap between the two levels. VFLW's been held back quite a bit by the COVID-interrupted years but hopefully can get stronger, which will feed into AFLW as well. I had #6 as Kirkwood too, which was as listed. Stats here: https://www.afl.com.au/vflw/matches/5105#player-stats

I don't know if there's any limit on how many AFLW players a team can play in total. So theoretically, I think you could have all your AFLW players have a game if they wanted to. For us, we seem to approach VFLW as an opportunity to look at untried talent, give the fringe players a go and get in the kind of development for younger players that you can't really do in a short and cut-throat AFLW season. And then mostly use VFLW players for any finals that eventuate. By finals last season, there were few AFLW-listed players involved. The common denominator for those mentioned by poita is that all are in the 0-40 career games range (for context, most of our core players are now at 40-65 games). Obviously the young ones are in there for development. West (25 games) might seem like an outlier in that she's obviously a key cog for us. But she's still relatively inexperienced. Goldrick is another one like that - she was excellent on the weekend, but the slower pace doesn't just allow her to have a big impact, it also means she can work on those flaws in her game that come from not growing up with it. Heath is the most experienced of the players mentioned but played midfield, so it's a way to build depth like that too I guess. Or maybe she just couldn't face not tackling anyone for six months?

Round 1 v Western Bulldogs Match report Casey appeared stronger over the footy and better organised early, getting out to a two-goal lead before the Bulldogs found some space to hit back. They profited off some quick ball movement off the turnover, while Casey generally looked better by foot. The second quarter was a bit of a stalemate, with both teams having their fair share of it. Casey’s goal came off the back of steady ball movement from end to end. The Dogs came out firing in the second half with a quick goal, but the Dees then kept the ball trapped forward for an extended period. When the ball did leak out, a double 50—brought about initially due to a Goldrick-wary Bulldog entering the protected area—resulted in a shot on goal for Woolcock, which fell short and was snaffled by the Irishwoman Burke who kicked truly around the corner to put Casey in front. A delightful three-bounce run down the middle by Heath soon after was a match highlight. Meanwhile, Casey was in control, though not yet on the scoreboard, with a three-point lead heading into the final change. Casey had much of the possession early in the last. When the Dogs did get it forward, the Demons were desperate. At the other end, however, many chances went begging without landing the final blow. There were some nervous moments when the Bulldogs went forward late, but a centring kick from Heath with a minute to go allowed Goldrick to dash through the corridor. After a bit of messing around in the forward fifty and a failed rebound by the Dogs, Heath brought the ball back inside where Conroy gathered a somewhat fortuitous bounce and nailed a spot-on handpass to Neal for the sealer—with mere seconds remaining. In a tale as old as time, the Bulldogs probably didn’t make the most of their opportunities when they had momentum, while Casey had the tank and structure to be in control for longer, leading to sheer weight of scoring chances winning out. FINAL SCORE: Western Bulldogs 4.4.28 Casey Demons 5.12.42 VFLW standouts: Neal – Prominent and impactful. 17 disposals, 7 tackles, 5 clearances and 1 goal. Lehman – Led up well and created plenty of opportunities. Lots to build on. 12 disposals, 5 marks, 1 goal. Hogg – A solid contributor as always. 16 disposals, 4 marks Kirkwood – A reliable performance. 14 disposals, 6 marks, 6 tackles Burke – Showed off a big kick and some nous around goals. 9 disposals, 5 tackles, 1 goal. AFLW listed: Gall – Played back and forward, reads it well. 13 disposals, 5 marks, 3 tackles Heath – Midfield, a class above. Team-high 23 disposals, 4 tackles. Gillard – Backline then ruck, a big presence there and at ground level. 10 disposals, 22 hit outs. Goldrick – Midfield but was everywhere, hitting the scoreboard, dropping back, deft passes by foot. 21 disposals, 5 tackles, 4 clearances, 2 goals. Chaplin – Backline and some midfield time. Her defend/attack balance is great off half-back. 11 disposals, 4 tackles. Campbell – Ruck and forward. Made some good contests. 5 disposals, 4 tackles, 11 hit outs. Disclaimer: I spent much of this stream trying to match numbers to players to positions, using the team sheet provided online, which was clearly not reflective of reality. I think I got it mostly sorted by the end. Next week: vs. Darebin Sunday 2nd of April, 2.30PM Casey Fields

Don't like this. Don't like it at all.

After an 11-3 season before bowing out in the Prelims in 2022 (after two finals losses, in an absolutely wild finals system!) Casey will be looking to go a few better in 2023. The Casey VFLW program has been a great launching pad for players in recent years, with many going on to be signed on either at the Demons or elsewhere. This also means there's been a fair amount of turnover in players heading into 2023, with lots of new faces to join some long-standing stalwarts. This season we've got an influx of Irish players, and if the senior team's anything to go by, maybe we'll unearth another couple of premiership players. Rest of the squad here: https://www.melbournefc.com.au/teams/casey-demons/squads/vflw Leadership group: Ally Kirkwood (c), Mel Hogg (vc), Ali Dowler, Kaitlyn Carew and Brooke Borchard. Round 1 vs. Western Bulldogs Sunday 26th of March, 12.30PM Mars Stadium (Ballarat)

From seasons gone by, we tend to add in some younger/less experienced AFLW players in the middle of the VFLW season and cycle them through. Not sure of the caps on that - probably stricter with all teams now in the AFLW and no need for a 'practice run' for teams like Essendon and Hawthorn like last season. With AFLW pre-season now overlapping, like last year, I imagine it will mostly be the VFLW list to compete in any finals. I should start a VFLW thread...

She served us well and I enjoyed watching her play - always gave her all. Was sorry to see her go at the time but in retrospect it was one of several trades around that time that set us up for success and showed our recruiters' savvy about the way the league was trending in talent and skills, while other clubs lagged a bit.

Late to the game here, and others have it covered, but since you asked, my straight-up reflex answer also would have been "Go Dees". I believe it's the collective noun for multiple Melbourne players haha. It's nice not to always be qualified by your gender, ya know? They've heard all the "lay-dees" punny ones before and I would hope we've moved on from the novelty factor of that ever so slightly. For what it's worth, "girls" doesn't actually bother me personally in this casual sporting context (can only speak for myself, of course). And, yeah, it really is all about context. Like, it's jarring to hear 25-year-old male players being called "boys" after some unseemly incident, as a way to emphasise their youth and deflect accountability. Much of it's in the tone too. Women know when someone is using "girls" to belittle them, and I doubt a passionate binman calling over the fence celebrating our club's second premiership in two years would give that effect. BUT if you're not comfortable in yelling "Go girls!" but want to be respectful while saying something gender-specific for whatever reason (like, I don't know, the men's team is also walking past and you don't want to support them haha?!), a tried and true classic that will signal to the players that you "get it" would be a hearty and enthusiastic "Yeah the girls!" That's become a bit of a rallying cry for supporting women's sport generally that our players would recognise and appreciate I think. Even better, you could always just get really specific with a "Go Paxy, Go Birchy, go Goldie" and so on. Or "Go Jules" for maximum niche nickname points.

Caris is stepping away from football after 6 games with the Dees to focus on netball. "Caris was signed on as a training partner with the Melbourne Vixens last year, while she was also selected in the 21 and Under Australian squad." https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/1287524/caris-to-depart I was certain she'd go to another club in need of a ruck, didn't realise netball was in the mix. Best of luck to her.

Seems to be a bit of divided opinion about Harmes's game. Thoughts on his output and role? I feel like he's often a slow starter (in games and in seasons), but with pressure on spots... Also don't forget to mention the epic re-signing announcement for the women's team - I know you won't miss it, but there's so much to discuss, so just making triple sure. That was some intense solidarity in the face of some (relatively speaking) big bucks.

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