Demon Dynasty

After listening to Tracc on Howie's blog, he sounds like he is still in major flux mentally. While i'm certainly in no position to speak having no background in such matters, i would think the club might be 'accidentally' missing the boat here in terms of how Tracc reintegrates back into the fold and the bricks & mortar on his return. The after math of what happened to Tracc once he hit the hospital is by no means a normal 'footy type injury' that you just slip back into 'normal'mode. Even if it be a very slow burn. I'm sure the club gets this last part and has been very accommodating / understanding. However, has it gone the extra mile here in terms of psychological assistance and support both for Tracc and even immediate family to some degree? While i'm not suggesting Tracc should be held on a pedestal and treated as a god, given what he's gone through, have we left no stone unturned in terms of assisting him with his transition back to footy? The old 'bloke's world' traditional footy view of "she'll be right mate, ya just need to get back on the bike slowly" may not cut it here. Tracc appears to come from a very sensitive new age up bringing where he values a whole lot more than just playing the game itself at the highest level. He comes across as very very focussed about making sure his off field health & prosperity (and that of his partner / family) is equally well looked after. He wouldn't be alone here, but have we dotted all the i's i wonder? If we have then we need to just hold the line, keep working our way through his issues where possible and ask him what we can change to rectify matters? If we've done all that and he's still not happy then the issue falls back on Tracc coming to his senses and falling back into line at some stage. Like any adult relationship, both parties will probably need to compromise if they're to find common ground, forgive & forget and move on.

100% this but any trade would need to be great not good.

Is it a frustration though? Sure we've had a pretty poor year after Rnd 4, with few exceptions, but other teams are still well below us on the average attendance ladder yet you don't see / hear any of their stars making this an issue or cause for concern. Tracc being out also was a massive blow to any chances we had of making finals. Does he understand that i wonder? The Bont is easily up there or even ahead of Tracc in a star / performance / impact sense. There was talk of 'unrest' with Bevo early in the season. "He might not see out the season" etc. But you never hear of their super star or anyone at the Dogs being upset about crowd numbers and wanting to go play for a big Vic club for the sake of 'their brand'. That's not to say Tracc is doing so either but regardless why does this only get raised in the media when they discuss our club? Now i'm not saying Tracc doesn't see this as an issue. Maybe he does. But if he does, i'd say that speaks more about Tracc than it does about the club. Ok so raise it as a concern, but if you're a genuine team / clubman and just signed a 7 year multi million dollar deal, surely you look at ways to improve this side and sit down and work things out like adults? How much love do you have for your club and team mates? Hopefully more than many in the media would have us believe. Having said that i don't think this is at the top of his gripe list and may not be an issue at all. There must be other issues that has seen this alleged impass occur that are of more signifance surely? It would have to be something pretty mega for a club's equally biggest star to ask to break a 7 year comtract only 2.years in yes? Let's face it, Tracc could easily put any congecture to bed and come out publicly (alongside Goody?) and say so. Maybe he still will but the non-appearance on Fri night has sent the media into a frenzy. Let's hope the relationship is not beyond repair and they can all get in a room together and sort their stuff out. It seems ironic to me that one of our biggest stars, who was injured and put in hospital by a player from the filth who had genuine intent to hurt, then allegedly wants to join someone like the filth ie; with a culture that ended Gus's career and nearly ended his. This makes no sense at all and for me is a WTF moment if true. If you made this story up and posted it online as a scenario prior to the event, no one would believe you and you'd be called out as a nutter. Which then begs the question, how the hec did things end up here? There are two sides and many complications to every story. I'm happy to sit back and wait to hear from Tracc but surely if our NS premiership star has any genuine love left for his present club, he needs to move through this quickly and sort it. As the longer this drags on the worse things will be for everyone involved and may leave a scar that could take quite a while to heal over.

Ok ta

I can't see any Petracca thread Dazzle? Has that been removed?

Is that you Maysie?

Doggies pls. 1. My best friend is a dog 2. I had the pleasure of meetimg the Bont and he is as genuine & humble a bloke as you'll ever meet. It was like talking to a next door neighbour yet he's a super star of the comp. No airs, graces or pretentious stuff here. What you see is what you get. 3. The Doggies have taken on a few of our boys in Harmes and ginger Baker. My next pick is GWS for Hogan & Bedford's sake. Still hurts losing both of em.

No way. Laurie moves at snail pace and coughs the ball up quite a bit under little or no pressure. Laurie might be a good ordinary AFL player at some point. Reid is a fair way ahead even at this early stage.

Yes to Lalor also Reid also has the moves, a turn of speed and disposal is first class.

Team & Player Ratings H&A Season 2024 vs H&A Season 2023 That's a wrap fellow minions. Player 2024 Rating 2024 Rank 2023 Rating % Change vs 2023 2023 Rank Change in Rank vs 2023 C Petracca 4.476 1 4.707 -4.9 2 1 Max Gawn < 4.132 2 3.350 23.3 7 5 Steven May < 3.741 3 3.213 16.4 8 5 C Salem < 3.421 4 2.993 14.3 12 8 T Rivers 3.391 5 3.696 -8.3 5 0 C Oliver 3.364 6 5.002 -32.7 1 -5 Jack Viney 3.178 7 3.707 -14.3 4 -3 Jake Lever < 3.103 8 3.131 -0.9 9 1 Ed Langdon 3.089 9 3.057 1.0 10 1 A N-Bullen 3.000 10 2.532 18.5 20 10 T McDonald 2.967 11 2.054 44.4 27 16 Judd McVee 2.816 12 2.320 21.4 22 10 J Bowey < 2.755 13 2.820 -2.3 15 2 A Tomlinson 2.753 14 2.915 -5.6 14 0 T Sparrow < 2.517 15 2.811 -10.5 16 1 K Pickett 2.433 16 2.101 15.8 26 10 J Billings < > 2.430 17 - - - - B Laurie < > 2.425 18 2.235 8.5 24 6 M Hore > 2.343 19 - - - - B Howes 2.341 20 - - - - C Windsor < 2.275 21 - - - - K Chandler 2.223 22 2.265 -1.9 23 1 T Woewodin < > 2.052 23 1.406 45.9 34 11 J V Rooyen < 2.026 24 2.170 -6.6 25 1 A M-Wakefield < 1.933 25 - - - - K Tholstrup < > 1.898 26 - - - - J Melksham > 1.850 27 1.599 15.7 32 5 L Hunter* < 1.838 28 2.939 -37.5 13 -15 B Fritsch 1.746 29 2.324 -24.9 21 -8 H Petty < 1.701 30 2.718 -37.4 19 -11 S McAdam* 1.483 31 - - - - D Turner < > 1.393 32 1.825 -23.7 31 -1 Ben Brown < 1.391 33 1.941 -28.3 28 -5 C Spargo* 1.200 34 1.886 -36.4 29 -5 J Schache* 0.700 35 1.525 -54.1 33 -2 K Brown* > 0.125 36 - - - - Team Rating 65.17 69.86 -6.7 Top 6 22.53 24.43 -7.8 Bottom 6 14.04 15.17 -7.5 * Played less than two full matches (in total) < Subbed out at least once or more (player rating could be somewhat comprised) > Subbed in at least once or more (player rating could be somewhat comprised) Stats courtesy of footwire.com & wheeloratings.com

The Saints must've been in front for about 90% of that match. Fitting result in the end. A few very soft frees and 50s in that second half to even up the numbers.

That is correct and Simon has no answer as he has not taught or brought this tean to play a high pressure game against the best teams for long periods of time during a match. The fact that we've rarely brought AFL average pressure ratings in most matches is a clear indicator of how far off the best teams we are in this regard. Against certain opponents, you need to be able to bring 1 v 1 early or in moments when the oppo starts to gain momentum In order to wrestle the game back on your terms. And i'm not talking 1 v 1 across the park or for an entire match. However it has to be there from the get go against highly rated and / or very in-form teams on key players and in areas of the ground (mostly corridor) when needed. You can still have some players defendimg grass umder a 1 v 1 switch up scenario in areas of the ground you're happy to give away. Generally skinny, not corridor. It's also about how you position the structures around stoppage. Particularly at the start of a match and again when the oppo get a run on. Goodwin continues to insist on giving up a plus one around the ball against the better teams and instead almost always plays an extra behind the ball. You can get away with that against mediocre or lessor teams. Against the better teams or top liners you're gonna get torched most of the time, especially when the oppo has a quality mid line up such as the Pies, the Blues, Port, the Swans and now the Hawks (at least when Will Day is in there). Our mid line up is also still a little too one paced and lacks the capability to spread quickly and chain the ball away from stoppage very often with clean slick ball use. We are a massive turnover team in this area, even under not much pressure. When pressure gets turned up, well eveyone's witnessed where we're at here this season. Hopefully the inclusion of Rivers might help here but we are also still one agile, speedy, classy finishing mid away from correcting this imho. Hopefully we can trade this in over the off season. Clarry back to his best would also be super handy as we need an alternate part time extractor to relieve Vines. The off season trade and draft has to be about mids mids mids unless a real opportunity arises to snaffle someone like Waterman as a forward. Someone like Waterman would be a good get. At present most of our forwards, bar Melk & Tracc, are opportunists. They aren't really going to win many 50/50 comtests unless it's delivered to them on a platter. JVR might bring more of this in 25 but we need to move him out of the chop out ruck role to do so. Smacca looks like a bust but with a full pre-season you never know. Jeffo might slowly start to filter through as the season progresses but he'll need a huge pre-season in a muscle / frame sense and also with his follow up work at ground level. There's much more than the above of course. It's a tough game and you need solid drafts/trades plus alot of luck with injuries which we didn't have this season in a mid field sense (ie: Gus, Clarry & then Tracc).

Round 24, 2024 MCG - Demons vs Magpies Easily our worst Team Rating for the season. The last time we performed this poorly was 2020. Player Rating Rank 2023 Season Rating % Change vs 2023 C Salem 4.175 1 2.993 39.5 M Gawn 3.925 2 3.350 17.2 T McDonald 3.775 3 2.054 83.8 Ed Langdon 2.850 4 3.057 -6.8 J Billings 2.550 5 - - K Chandler 2.550 5 2.265 12.6 K Pickett 2.550 5 2.101 21.4 A Tomlinson 2.350 8 2.915 -19.4 T Rivers 2.075 9 3.696 -43.9 A N-Bullen 2.050 10 2.532 -19.0 J Melksham 1.800 11 1.599 12.6 B Howes 1.650 12 2.235 -26.2 H Petty 1.650 12 2.718 -39.3 K Tholstrup 1.600 14 - - D Turner 1.550 15 1.825 -15.1 M Hore 1.500 16 - - B Laurie > 26% 1.500 16 3.131 -52.1 Jack Viney 1.400 18 3.707 -62.2 J Bowey < 31% 1.275 19 2.820 -54.8 T Woewoden 1.225 20 1.406 -12.9 J V Rooyen 0.950 21 2.170 -56.2 B Fritsch 0.825 22 2.324 -64.5 J McVee 0.500 23 2.320 -78.4 Team Score 45.78 69.86 -34.5 Top 6 19.83 24.43 -18.8 Bottom 6 7.18 15.17 -52.7 < Subbed out TOG % > Subbed in TOG % Magpies Player Rating Rank N Daicos 7.025 1 J Daicos 5.650 2 P Lipinski 5.625 3 E Allan 4.250 4 J Noble 4.025 5 S Sidebottom 3.675 6 W Parker 3.525 7 B Hill 3.300 8 S Pendlebury 3.300 8 D Cameron 2.950 10 B Maynard 2.925 11 J Elliott 2.825 12 F Macrae > 51% 2.650 13 J Richards 2.550 14 J Crisp 2.450 15 I Quaynor 2.400 16 J Howe 2.325 17 B McCreery 2.275 18 W H-Elliott 1.550 19 C Dean 1.400 20 M Cox 1.325 21 D Moore < 34% 1.275 22 L Schultz 0.000 23 Team Rating 69.28 Top 6 30.25 Bottom 6 10.15 Combined Ratings Player Rating Rank N Daicos 7.025 1 J Daicos 5.650 2 P Lipinski 5.625 3 E Allan 4.250 4 C Salem 4.175 5 J Noble 4.025 6 M Gawn 3.925 7 T McDonald 3.775 8 S Sidebottom 3.675 9 W Parker 3.525 10 B Hill 3.300 11 S Pendlebury 3.300 11 D Cameron 2.950 13 B Maynard 2.925 14 Ed Langdon 2.850 15 J Elliott 2.825 16 F Macrae > 51% 2.650 17 J Richards 2.550 18 J Billings 2.550 18 K Chandler 2.550 18 K Pickett 2.550 18 J Crisp 2.450 22 I Quaynor 2.400 23 A Tomlinson 2.350 24 J Howe 2.325 25 B McCreery 2.275 26 T Rivers 2.075 27 A N-Bullen 2.050 28 J Melksham 1.800 29 B Howes 1.650 30 H Petty 1.650 30 K Tholstrup 1.600 32 D Turner 1.550 33 W H-Elliott 1.550 33 M Hore 1.500 35 B Laurie > 26% 1.500 35 C Dean 1.400 37 Jack Viney 1.400 37 M Cox 1.325 39 D Moore < 34% 1.275 40 J Bowey < 31% 1.275 40 T Woewoden 1.225 42 J V Rooyen 0.950 43 B Fritsch 0.825 44 J McVee 0.500 45 L Schultz 0.000 46 Stats courtesy of footwire.com & wheeloratings.com

They also tagged our best Mid, Vines, who ended up with a player rating a mile off the off-the-charts rating he put up against the Suns last week. Barely fired a shot. If it's not Clarry it's Vines and that makes sense as he is our main extractor. Chandler is also another run with option for Nick. Not a great year for Mr Goodwin i'm afraid. The Pies have been doing a number on Simon since the final round in 2017. He's learned nothing in 7 seasons.

Hawkins to replace Stafford pls. If Luke Hodge was out of the media and doing the rounds at club level i think he'd make a superb Assistant Coach or something like head of game day strategy / review etc. Has a fantastic football brain and would be worth every cent paid imho. A bit like Choco but would come with a more recent pedigree to boot. One as long as your arm. He could've been a great head coach also if had ventured down that path.

Durham is a quality player. As much as i hate to admit, the peptides did well grabbing him in the mid season draft.

I also feel we didn't learn here. The way Scott managed his older brigade through 2022 was pretty impressive. You need luck with injuries too of course. The quality of depth just wasn't there although i thought K Brown and Fullo could've been swapped in on at least a few occasions.

Thanks Dazzle

Thanks L. I try to remind myself of all the lucky things i have and that so many have a much tougher time of it. We are living in a land of plenty as they say but in the end you have to still deal with whatever stress is thrown your way. All the best with your issues also. Life amd circumstances can be pretty cruel at times or it can also turn on a dime the other way of course and end up turning around. Surround yourself with good ppl, family and friends where possible and keep moving towards the light etc. My mantra when following the Demons often keeps me sane in a daily sense as well... "hope for the best, prepare for the worst!" 😊

I agree BoBo but our PR team could / should / would have vetted the interview and ran it by Tracc beforehand surely? He wouldn't have agreed to go ahead otherwise yes?

I understand if he's disillusioned with the game in general after what he went through Daz. But if he needs more time away from it then just take it until 110% ready to jump back in mentally & physically yes? Wouldn't the club be allover this and vetted him big time to ensure he hasn't returned too early? For his sake and his teams mates etc? No point coming back half baked with the wrong mind set or being too restricted physically? Maybe he'll never be the same and we'll get an NQR Tracc 2.0 from here? Agreed though, the longer any speculation continues, without being refuted by him directly, the more likely it is to hurt our chances as a destination club for those who might be weighing their options as this season ends.

Many times Jaded. The black dog's paid me many a visit over the years and suffering one of the worst episodes of late. I'm well versed unfortunately. In today's world though you just have to soldier on one day at a time and try to dig your way out. You have no choice, especially when you know your kids / family's welfare depends on you getting up each day, facing the music and bringing in the $$ to feed, keep roof over head etc. At least from a $$ perspective, most footballers don't have that awful worry hanging over them. They at least have that to be thankful for in that most will be set for life if they last about 8 to 10 years in the circus and use their coin wisely. Tracc's appearance was built up all day. It was even on 7 news pre-match, it was one of the upcoming highlights. "We'll be speaking with Petracca pre-match blah blah blah". So he must have agreed to do so i assume yes? If you're that far out of it, surely better not to commit at all? Pulling out just means even more speculation and more pressure on himself surely? I'm not questioning that he hasn't experienced massive physical or mental trauma and a huge cathartic type experience. I get where he's coming from. I'm just saying, from where i sat, the body language and no show on 7 might not auger well in terms of where his future lies as a footballer be it with us or wherever. Time will tell of course and hope i'm wrong.

Yes that's a good point Earl. Saying we should try and change / improve our system is probably a lazy statement that infers we know what we're trying to do. I still recall the comversation i had with Sparrow earlier in the year after he returned to the mid field role after a few horror games in a row. When i asked him what role / position he was supposed to be playing in those earlier poor games he said "no idea really".

He pulled out of the 7 interview. Could've put the naysayers, media nuffies and speculation to bed in 2 minutes and chose not to. You have to wonder why that doesn't happen. He's a grown maturing man and a leader of the team who is now back at the club and should be capable of speaking for a few minutes by now surely.

Wouldn't be surprised if Tracc may be gawnsky with a no show on 7 tonight and sitting way at the back with hoody on when BBB was being cheered off. Almost hiding. Not looking good.