Macca

I see your point and the win today was the most satisfying since the '21 GF I just reckon they'll be better next time ... and we can be better too, more so in front of goal and with the inclusion of at least Oliver Petty will get back in but Smithy played quite well today and big Tomlinson was good too (especially in the last quarter) Bowey yes but someone has to make way ... Brayshaw, Rivers & McVee all gave us good drive from the half-back line Competition for spots heats up from here on in. Players will be well rested with 2 x 10 days breaks coming up Next assignment the Cats. Nothing can be done now but at least 60k - 70k would fill the MCG for that encounter Such a waste on a Thursday night at a construction site. Ridiculous in fact And here we are thinking that the AFL wants to maximise crowds???

We can't bank on any opposition being accurate or innacurate Take care of our own. Today our kicking in front of goal and our sets shots was below par You cannot do that in a final, not that that is likely but today was not the first time we've had the yips in front of goal I compare it to the batting collapse in cricket ... one follows the other, rinse & repeat. Many of the shots were to an open goal (not much of an angle) Don't get me wrong, we were by far the better team in nearly all aspects but our kicking for goal very nearly cost us the win Still, not nearly as bad as the Bombers in the '48 GF ... 7.27 to 10.9 (us) We won the replay haha!

Sidebottom was playing very well until injured. I rate him very high And we covered for Oliver in some ways with Viney Elliott might have a few injuries but not always. An extremely dangerous forward De Goey is a star Going into the game we had a bit of an advantage in terms of available high-end talent But against all that we had the yips something chronic in front of goal so kick straight and we win easily Don't be underestimating the Pies. We got the win but there will be a next time They've been up for a long time and this loss for them will probably do them the world of good Put it this way, if we underperform in front of goal like we did today (in a final) ... we'll lose But enjoy the win, we played very well and beat a worthy opponent

Their outs hurt them more than our outs ... by a fair margin. But if we'd kicked straight we win by 6 or 7 goals So even if their outs played (and Oliver plays) I reckon we still win Petty and Bowey are not in the same league in terms of pure talent and we covered for both quite well with Smith playing well up forward along with our running backmen collectively covering for Bowey Sidebottom & De Goey are stars of the sport and Elliott is a gun forward in big games We'll need to prepare well for a full strength Pies team (down the track)

All things considered a great win and very satisfying. Removed a few doubts We pressured them all over the ground (all game) and we hunted the ball extremely well and had many numbers at the contest (all game) Played very well as a team That's our best win in an age They had Sideottom, De Goey & Elliott out and they really missed those 3 players. We had Oliver out of course but Viney took up his role in magnificent fashion So what happens the next time we play them? They'll be better so we need to be better ... especially with our disposal skills (mainly early in the game) and our kicking for goal But we are one-up on them with a lot on the line today in terms of if we'd lost, we'd be back in the pack. In other words, if we're going to win big again we have to finish at least top 4 Another big test at Catland next. Bring the attitude, endeavour & effort that we displayed today to that game and we can win again. 10 days rest should see us cherry-ripe for that encounter In the meantime, we get the bragging rights over the Pies Enjoy!!!

We've beaten them in all aspects apart from our kicking for goal 26 shots to 17 normally indicates a decent margin of victory A most pleasing win and we are well and truly back in the hunt

Travis Head is now a Superstar! (official) Who would have thought he'd get this good? Aussies in a commanding position in the sense that it would be hard to lose this WTC match from here

It's a slow burn to become a big club but in the meantime we can still be in contention year after year. In the recent past the Cats, Swans, Pies and Hawks have all been in contention for a lot longer than the traditional 5 year window So why can't we be that same sort of club? The salary cap and being on top of recruiting can ensure success ongoing (if success is being perennial finalists along with the ultimate success when everything goes right) I've often felt that it's easier to remain in contention than it is to start all over again after bottoming out. Make the wrong moves when down near the cellar and you stay there. Support drops off and infighting surfaces Where as if you've got a strong list, never get complacent and keep improving the list. At the end of this season we'll have at least 4 draft picks in the first 2 rounds plus ... we can improve that position if we have a need to offload surplus to needs Adding a couple more midfield stars along with a gun key forward and maybe a top key back will keep us up there So the list is never complete. It evolves and must be improved upon year after year We need new young supporters and lots of them ... 10's of thousands in fact Do that and we'll be loud & proud (and big)

And the numbers ... my mate reckons he's dealt with in excess of 500 clients over a long period of time and only 2 or 3 demons amongst 500+ How many doctors & lawyers, Gonzo) Up around 500? Footnote; Same mate reckons we are the most marketable team if we have a long period of success The name, colours, the Demon, MCG etc etc

The game's a week away and we're in full-on competitive mode already That's the spirit!! My wish ... a one point win (after the siren) after Spargs receives a dodgy high contact free kick (with Ginnivan watching on)

Footy is full of lies But I'd rather be labelled as a snow-goer than simply known as the filth, scum or ferels. So there's an upside!

Yes! Looks a goer! But can he deal with Daniel Levy? @Dee Zephyr & @Grapeviney will be well pleased I'd imagine

I don't believe so in a general sense but I heard somewhere that the Pies get the 'pouring' rights in the Western Stand (Ponsford Stand) ... for all their 17 or 18 games at the MCG Having a bit of money & clout goes a long way hey! Others may know better but we get some sort of cheque from the MCC for each of our home games at the MCG. However, break even might be 22k minimum And the Pies make a stack of money out of our home games against them. They sell more than 20k x $1000 premium memberships that allows them to attend away games (with reserved seating payments as well) So it's a myth that the home teams at the MCG (against the Pies) get all the cash

Ha ha! Collingwood often have 60k screaming fans like your goodself ... but they've probably got a million supporters Australia-wide But they are nearly always in some sort of contention finals-wise (despite only winning 2 flags in 65 years) Living proof that playing finals consistently delivers the numbers Bottoming out and staying down the bottom like we often did kills off support

Most Demon supporters are too old to yell anymore. Our supporter base must be the oldest in the league. By a stretch What we need is hundreds of thousands of new young supporters ... and that can only happen with at least a decade of sustained success When that happens we'll be a lot louder. Maybe 10 years away though so don't hold your breath

I've got a mate who is in the building trade (supplier) He deals with hundreds of people every month and those numbers are changeable The talk often revolves around footy with nearly everyone of his hundreds of contacts Zero Demon fans as contacts ... none! All Tigers, Pies, Blues & Bombers with a smattering of Dogs, Hawks & Saints fans In many ways we are like North Melbourne supporters ... scarce And that's what happens when you crud for decades. And we will continue to be that way unless we have sustained finals success for at least 10 years And that's on the club, not us. It's the club that needs to deliver (consistently) All we can do is fork out our money and support. And as far as I can see, our supporters have always fulfilled our part of the bargain It's the club that has often fallen short

Our defence line-up is looking mighty good and how good would it be if we could use Petty back? May & Lever have hit their straps and with Salem, Rivers, McVee, Bowey & Brayshaw (along with Petty or Tomlinson) we can push for another flag tilt Backline is full of class and a bit of dash The 2nd half against the Blues gave us a glimpse of the past (2021) and a vision of the future

It's not going to change in your lifetime so you may as well deal with it Since the 1960's I've been hearing the same thing so your evaluation is nothing new We won 5 flags in 6 years with a reserved and conservative support base ... in front of bumper crowds (100k etc) What wins games of football is pure talent and good coaching. All the rest of it is fluff and mostly bs

We are a quiet crowd and that ain't changing in a hurry We're reserved, conservative and dare I say it, civilised! It's a point of difference that doesn't bother me one tiny bit. It's who and what we are Urging otherwise is a waste of time and effort as I've been hearing the same thing since the 1960's

And I'd rather drink Grange over Ben Ean Moselle but you can't have everything

It's quite incredible how our own supporters fall-in to the ridiculous narrative that we don't turn up for games I'd like to know where all these supporters who don't go to games are? I don't know any Demon fan who doesn't attend games Seriously, the city of Melbourne is full of supporters of the big 4 clubs (Pies, Tigers, Bombers & Blues) It's a total myth that there are thousands of Demon fans that are fair-weather. It's total BS. Rot. And the ratio of members who attend games is about the same percentage for all clubs Again, the Pies have 5 times as many supporters as what we have ... they are everywhere. So they (by rights) should outnumber us 5 to 1 at our clashes. But that never happens ... it's more like 2-1

And with Sidebottom & De Goey out, it's advantage Demons Defence based with a return to our 2021 method. Do that and we'll have a more potent offence

Pies have 5 times as many supporters as what we have. Maybe more I've lived in Melbourne my whole life and there are Pie fans everywhere. Demon fans are scarce and I rarely come across them other than when I'm at our games They will obviously outnumber our supporters Most of our supporters are members but Collingwood have hundreds of thousands of fans who aren't members (in my opinion) If we can get about 35k of our own supporters at the game with the Pies supplying 55k, we'll have done exceptionally well on a pro-rata basis

Well done to the young bloke! Showed real maturity in the game last Friday evening. Cool and calculated and is really coming on Would love to see him play CHF and further afield (when applicable) as he has play-making attributes He's not just a goal kicking KPF

Looks like we've gone back to concentrating on defense first. We looked back to our best in the 2nd half against the Blues (Defence-wise) In an ideal world Petty rejoins the backline to make it even stronger But for that to happen we might need JVR to hold down CHF (I reckon he can do it) with Brown to come into the side as the FF. Either that or T-Mac finds some form (FF more so than CHF as he doesn't appear to have the legs up the ground) But Petty can hold down CHF if we go down that path ... he competes well, plays in front and brings the ball to ground for the small forewards. He doesn't have to hit the scoreboard frequently as the position (CHF) can be played in a variety of different ways If that is the pathway, Tomlinson can be used periodically as the trouble-shooter down back. Lever & May seem to be more freed up with another tall backman to help them out