Macca

If Nick wasn't so abrasive I'd be a huge fan because his actual tennis is fantastic to watch One of the past greats was talking about how he can change the speed of his forehand from 100k's to 160's without any discernible difference in hitting style ... similar on the backhand. He's got game alright With trepidation, I'll be supporting Nick tonight because I reckon (oddly enough) that winning might be a wake up call But to be honest, Novak is a better player and should win (but it should be a real contest) Against that, Nick's record against the better players is very good. Often, players who are ranked outside of the top 20 or 30 can't seem to trouble the best. But Nick can trouble the best. And he'll be well rested Looking forward to the match, LH

Could be a day for the tall forwards at Alice Springs next Sunday afternoon as well ... 22° predicted (and dry conditions) If we play Van Rooyen do we throw him in as the no.2 or in an easier role as the no.3? As it stands, Max plays forward a fair bit when it suits anyway I also believe we need to get Fritsch up into the play more as well. Play him on the HFF rather than predominantly as a FP

That's a good point We look great when we win the clearance from a centre square bounce down ... 666 is in operation so our forward line is full of 1 on 1's and/or there is space in the forward line (think PF & GF last year) But you are right when it comes to other times of the game ... I made mention of our boundary line play and slow movement of the ball (too much handballing) in the post game thread against the Cats But the conditions were slippery and we didn't have a workable structure up forward anyway With Van Rooyen, it's early doors but I don't see a player with a manic desire to play in front. He's ok (but not great) with that vital component required by a KPF That might come later but he's worth a shot anyway (either him or Weideman with Gawn playing the no.2 role)

Make no mistake, the opposition have done their homework on us and they can smell blood. Our forward line has been crowded by the opposition all year for good reason (in terms of that crowded forward line helping the opposition) So we need to counter We could debut Van Rooyen but I'd prefer to see that happen with him being the 3rd tall (not the 2nd tall) Or, if we give Weideman another shot, the same (3rd tall) I've got Ben Brown & Gawn as the 1 & 2. But with all 3 rotating with all 3 having stints at FP, FF & CHF This season, Ben has often worked to the front position only to see an opposition backman cut across in front of him as the ball arrives. That was happening last year as well. They know Ben is the key to our forward line functioning well We've tried replacing T-Mac with Weideman or Mitch Brown but neither player can play that role But Max can so we either do that or we can expect more of the same in terms of dysfunction. Our smalls are highly dependant on our bigs performing Fix the the main issue and the rest can work as a flow-on effect We need to get the structure right and give the opposition something to think about Playing Max forward (predominantly) also means we need Jackson to take the no.1 mantle in the ruck ... and he played that role against the Lions with aplomb. A small sample size but he's capable of playing the role looking ahead (at least in the short term)

I remember thinking at the time that fair enough, we probably deserved a penalty but it should have stopped with the penalties handed out to our club So we lose a pick but that pick can't be given to another club (except it was) But did we not come clean about the salary cap breaches without any prompting? Fremantle ended up with picks 2, 4 & 5 in that draft year

We need another tall marking option up forward so it's either Weideman again or we give Jacob an opportunity. And maybe Gawn in a more permanent role up forward But if we view the other marking options up forward more in terms of structure for team purposes, then needing that type of player to stand out and excel is not necessarily needed What we need is for Ben Brown not to be double teamed or triple teamed (constantly) when we target him ... the other teams are doing that (double teaming) because they know we don't have too many other options (if any) So keep Ben quiet and they keep our forward line quiet. We need to change things up and keep the opposition guessing. Another tall option is imperative and if we can't get multiple goals out of 4 small forwards, then that's having 1 (or 2) small forwards in the team too many F Spargo Ben Brown Van Rooyen HF Kozzie Gawn Fritsch Weideman could play instead of Van Rooyen if the MC believe that Jacob isn't ready. Either way, the 3 tall marking options could rotate (FP, FF & CHF) Neal-Bullen to rotate with the 2 other smalls Jackson to do 60%-70% of the ruck work around the ground (but not in the forward line - that area Max can cover) Our midfielders are good enough to win the ball (and be creative) even if we don't dominate the hit-outs So I've got an extra tall forward in the team as well as Max forward as well September is just around the corner and in the finals, the ball is often booted quickly forward from a stoppage to a one on one. You've got have to marking options within that scenario. Our forwards have to play in front too

Summed up your quintessential footy supporter ... both pessimistic & optimistic at the same time!

That's probably true but somehow it was all tied in with White thus Freo got our pick 5

And then 2 years later we got done for exceeding the salary cap which was apparently related to the salary we were paying White So in 1999 we forfeited our first round draft pick (pick 5) to ... Fremantle And they drafted Leigh Brown with pick 5 who eventually played in the Pies 2010 Premiership team

I can't see how a deal can be done comfortably (if Luke seeks a move) so a stalemate is on the cards The club will rightfully play handball and if we view draft picks in a realistic way instead of the way picks are often overvalued (busts are often viewed as club choice mistakes, not system errors) then we could demand a top 5 pick, another pick in the top 10 and a 3rd pick between 11 & 20 (or thereabouts) Or 2 picks and a decent player That seems about right to me considering that the odds are that at least 1 of those 3 picks could easily be a bust. Maybe even 2 of the picks. There are no guarantees with teenage talent, never has been, never will be, despite what many might believe Why should we take risks on the unknown as opposed to what we might view as known with LJ? Jackson is our player and a player who we have put 3 years of hard work into. He's already advanced as a player of his age and could be an A grade elite player down the track And if a salary offer elsewhere is overs, then that equates to decent compensation for the Demons But how on earth is any club going to come up with those picks anyway? That's even if any club would want to pay that much As previously stated, if a move is on the cards, a stalemate is a very real type of outcome that could eventuate

Players managers are here to stay ... clubs just need how to work them (if that's possible) I still remember Roos' comment not long after he arrived at the Demons. Words to effect that the player managers were running the show (at the time) Jason Dover (who manages Jackson & Brayshaw) is part of TLA Management who have quite a number of clients (including Goodwin, Yze & Garry Lyon I believe) Stand corrected on that though

I'm only speculating, but if we just follow the money and how much might be available, it could be that Brayshaw's management (which is the same as Jackson's? Jason Dover?) knows that there might be more money in the kitty for Gus if Jackson departs And what if the management knows what lies ahead? (or, has a fair idea) If Jackson does depart, we might be happy to receive draft picks only in return. And as we know, draftees are on minimum salary's

Reality is that more than half the team were down on their best last night The MC might be happy to go with the same 22 with a message to make amends If we want to point the finger at individual mistakes made by all & sundry, there would be a lot of finger pointing As a team, we weren't up to scratch and that includes the coaching dept. Too much handballing and we were indirect

High pressure and intense encounter but not the best in terms of showcasing the sport If the game was played under the roof at Docklands we would have seen far better skills and way less fumbling (wet & slippery conditions vs a dry surface) And a lot more supporters from both teams could have attended the game If I wasn't a Demon supporter I'm not sure I would have watched the game. For most of the match it was a messy spectacle The diehards might disagree but TV needs lots of neutral fans

Credit to Geelong ... they've made a noticeable change to their game style which involves a ton of pressure on whoever has the ball on the opposition And we couldn't deal with it tonight. For a good amount of time we couldn't get past the centre area. Also, we played the boundary line way too much If we are going to win away from home we have to take risks and that involves using the corridor But there is always a next time and you'd like to think that we'll be better prepared on our next encounter No excuses either, we just got beaten by a better team. We didn't give up but they were the better side The road to the premiership is a tough one and the other teams have done their homework on us. That's 4 losses out of our last 6 played So we need to learn from this loss and then improve and get better There's no point plucking out names. As a team, we were outplayed. Outcoached as well as tactically, the Cats knew what we were going to do once we had the ball

So much riding on our backline vs their forward line and whether the conditions effect their forward line marking power If their twin towers start to influence we might have to use Max in the backline And if that happens our forward line will be dependant on our 4 smalls having a decent influence (along with Brown & Fritsch contributing) Regardless, we'll need to lower the eyes with our inside 50 entries. Our midfielders hitting the scoreboard would be a big plus Their average score against is 69 points but they've got a couple out with Stewart being a big out

That is not going to happen As previously discussed, there is a bias towards certain clubs and that's not likely to change And the only way we'll get into that category is to become a club like that (which will take a number of years) The fixture is more of an arrangement and has been for at least 2 decades The media aren't going to help out either. They are in tune with the AFL to a nicety We've got the 5th highest attendances this year and we're either 1st or 2nd with regards to percentage increases in crowd numbers since we all got hit with covid (Bulldogs are the other team) But of course myths become folklore in the AFL. Perceptions read as the truth. However, a lot of what we read is total bs Only 500 Demon supporters can attend tomorrow night ... and that is the truth

Reckon we've set ourselves for this game a long way out. The quintessential 8 point game

With memberships at an all time high it seems the AFL are now only concerned at looking after the money coming their way (broadcast rights dollars) Gate receipts would be negligible in many cases (for a lot of the games) so maybe that's why the maximising of crowd numbers isn't high on the agenda

Meanwhile, those looking for sensible debate on important sporting matters (such as the one being debated on this thread) are left out in the cold Again, my main beef is that 10's of 1000's of football members & supporters (from both clubs) can't attend the game (which, by any definition, is a blockbuster fixture) n.b. I'm of the firm belief that our team can win anywhere against any opposition at any time (if we bring our best) I'm not at all concerned about playing Geelong at Geelong in terms of our winning chances

Well as expected, our premier midfielders needed to adapt and rove to the opposition ruckmen (for the whole game) ... this we did very well and we ended up controlling the game after a time But not before the Crows took it up to us ... we were caught playing from behind for a time and they switched the play and used the corridor quite well until we overpowered them with superior skill (after half time) Our team has excelled in 3rd quarters for quite a while now so it was no surprise when we put our foot down A comfortable win in the end but not having Gawn & Jackson or any recognised ruckman meant we had to find another way. We might have been in a bit of trouble if we were up against a good set of opposition midfielders Both Clarrie & Trac were fabulous with Langdon & Gus not far behind But the Steven May led backline again kept the opposition to 65 points which coincidentally, was the average score against us last season (this season the average score against us is 63 points)

It was a lot different when we weren't very good ... we were in that lower bracket of Melbourne teams shunted around everywhere. Like it or not we had to cop it until we came good But we're coming off a flag and despite what the naysayers would have you believe, our crowd numbers have been more than acceptable this season We are pushing 65,000 members yet only 500 Demon supporters can attend the game played on a wintry Thursday night. Terrible scheduling I'm all for more prime-time FTA games But they need to get the right match-ups in the right city's on the right days Demons at Cats on a wintry Thursday night doesn't come into 2 of those categories It wasn't so long ago that maximising crowd numbers was no.1 on the agenda So we get to watch a game at home or at the pub when the venue is 1 hour away Play the game at Docklands under the roof and compensate the Cats home ground loss with a higher dividend when they hand out the cash at year's end Mind you, anywhere, anytime, anyway still applies with regards to the winning of the game. But that's not my point It's the people's game so allow the supporters to attend a blockbuster fixture Rant Over!!!

Not much of a defence My biased view is a lot stronger ... it's as if the AFL couldn't care less about supporters attending the matches

Even with a totally unbiased view, this game should not be played in front of 21,000 people Because it's on a Thursday night, the game is by default, classed as a blockbuster event plus ... it's 1 vs 2 If they are going to schedule a game in Melbourne's winter on a Thursday night, at least play the game under the roof at Docklands where 50,000 can get to see the game live

Coverage of the Tour de France starts tonight at midnight with the time-trial in Copenhagen! Overall winner of the tour should come from Pogacar, Roglic or Vingegaard (or perhaps Thomas, Vlasov or Martinez)