Macca

Windsor will be fine once he learns some poise & steadiness. He gathers the ball at top pace and is able to sprint away at top pace But the disposal often happens before he should be momentarily steadying Windsor needs to realise that he's got more time than he thinks he has

Ok, but he's now the enemy and the club is here to beat the enemy. No matter who it is I feel the same for all the other ex Demons. They are in the way of our team winning Of course I recognise his contributions but that's now in the history books A celebration for another day Make no mistake, when we play the Giants, Oliver will want nothing less than a win for his team ... and if that happens, we will be the losers Who wants that?

I reckon you're right, he bounces the ball early to steady himself. Once he's bounced it, he's bought the time to use the ball in a few different ways But isn't it a pleasure to be commenting on a player who has the ability to create separation in order to bounce the ball! In his first hit-out for the club. Impressive Tommy Hafey had a rule that the players needed to sprint 10 metres with the ball before bouncing the ball ... but the game was much more open, back in the day

He rushes his kicks these days so it looks to me like he's avoiding contact And he plays for the opposition now so he now gets looked upon in terms of looking for weaknesses in his game If he had put his head down and was a good contributor for the Demons, I'd be a full-on supporter of his He's no longer a Demon, Bobby

One if the main reasons why we lost 16 games last year was that we were wasteful with the ball We were boring to watch for the most part as well. So much so that we ended up sacking the coach along with a number of others in the FD And the 2 chief protagonists with regards to the long bombs have been let go Was Viney missed yesterday? (With his wasteful kicks) Our game style last season stunk to high heaven. We were a rubbish outfit Yesterday was a big step in the right direction, albeit in a scratch match.

Try and imagine 5 or 6 possessions covering 50 or 60 metres. And then imagine those possessions moving at a rapid pace It's still going to take a lot longer than one kick covering 50 or 60 metres We had Petracca, Rivers, Sparrow, Oliver, Viney and Gawn often hoofing it long, gaining lots of territory in a short space of time. And our backman often kicking long from half back So that's the reason the stats say that we move the ball quicker. It's not because of slick ball movement by hand or by foot In fact, if we were moving the ball in a slick way by hand or foot wouldn't we be praising the way we move the ball? Huh? Those clinging on to this supposed quick movement are clutching at straws

I would say to a high degree Some here are hanging on that obtuse stat as if to say "See, we are doing some things right" But it's a nonsense For the most part, we were a team that kicked long for territorial gain. Often down the line and often to create a stoppage But the tactic became obsolete when counteracted by the opposition Goodwin tried to change it up but apart from a few fleeting moments (the Freo, Lions & Doggies games as pointed out by @Adam The God ) for the most part, we were a hoof it long outfit I reckon that old habit cost the team 4 or 5 wins last season. If we'd just taken a lot more care, we win those encounters It's a bit of a half-truth that we weren't far away (as pointed out by Goodwin last year) Closer to winning more games but not as a genuine threat So instead of 7 wins it should have been 11 or 12 wins Ban the Bomb It's lazy football

And our mids should be sprinting into the forward line space as part of the chain of possessions (to create another option other than leading forwards or forwards that have created separation) *The extra handpass or short pass should be the order of the day So often we have seen 3 or 4 possessions ending with the hoofed kick from outside 50 The wastefulness was extreme and a good example was the KB clash against the Pies last year Turnover after turnover from the hoofed kick into the F50. Not very scientific (to say the least) Previously, it's like we were playing old style suburban football

If the Caulfield proposal falls flat then I don't know why we couldn't embrace Casey, lock stock and barrel There's a huge community of more than half a million people in that area and improvements to the facility could be made at a much lower cost than say, Caulfield A stand or 2 could be built over time and do we really need the Admin close by? Why? So they can watch training? And hang on to Gosch's for the foreseeable future I or (at the most) 2 training sessions per week at Casey shouldn't be an issue travel wise (it's not like the travel would be at peak-hour) 15 or 16 contact hours at training (or for meetings) for the players is part time hours anyway To my way of thinking, there's nothing wrong with Casey especially if we embrace the area

That's not my point Did you read what I actually said? I'll say it again ... from an overall perspective, we have previously moved the ball quite quickly, all based on a long bomb game So in effect, with all those long bombs often eventuating in turnovers, we were wasteful (constantly) And we more often than not kicked long down the line from half back So the stats say we moved the ball quickly but it's another rubbish stat

Daicos is super-elusive much like Robbie Flower (RIP), Gary Wilson & Kevin Bartlett were None of the 4 were (or are) physical players nor did they need to be Oliver has lost his ability to be super-elusive and that's why he rushes his kicks so often these days

Have we? Hoofing the ball long from all parts of the ground means the ball will travel quicker than a passing game will So the stat that we move the ball quickly is total BS For instance ... A 50 metre kick might take 4 or 5 seconds from go to whoa But 4 or 5 short kicks or handpasses covering the same amount of ground will take a lot longer I keep hearing that we move the ball quickly but it is all based on our previous long bomb game. It's BS

When you're in amongst it, young players can't help but notice how the senior players go about it ... both on and off the field Whether they get influenced or not is another story but in a well run club with strong leadership values from the senior players being par for the course, then that can rub off in a positive way Where was our leadership group in the last few years? Seems like it came down to Gawn and that was about it

As an example @Ghostwriter At the end of this season if you were to ask Bison, XL, The Duke & Kolt about their year at the club (2026) as compared to 2024 & 2025 The atmosphere, the leadership, the coaching, the mateship, the teamwork and their general enjoyment If we have the year that I reckon we might have, their view of 2024 & 2025 might be somewhat condemnatory* *Thanks, AI

My trepidation was not the club itself, but the influential players, including those bringing undue attention to all and sundry As an 18yo, those sorts of things can be quite the eye-opener Beforehand, a young player might only know those players as top players, but when in the midst, a different picture can emerge

Yes, Gus was the glue that bound the team together. He could play so many roles including as a breakaway attacking mid or as a mid who played a kick behind the play. Mr Versatility Losing LJ & ANB were big losses as well ... more so when LJ had his mind on the job ($$$$'s elsewhere became a distraction) ANB is still a tireless worker but Bowey & Chandler (together) have overcome his loss, to an extent The kids we've got could be anything. Add on 2 more in the 2026 draft (with at least 2 x First Round picks) and our future, post 2026, looks very exciting 2026 the bridging year? Might be somewhat better than that, if things click into place

Northey's 2nd year as Coach - Prelim Final Balme's 2nd year as Coach - Prelim Final Daniher's 1st year as Coach - Prelim Final Goodwin's 2nd year as coach - Prelim Final King's 1st or 2nd year as Coach - ?????

In his final year with us Harmes wasn't getting a regular game and then the Bulldogs offered him a 3 year deal But there are a number of ex Demons playing elsewhere and quite a few are very good players ... LJ, ANB, Hogan, Oliver, Petracca, Bedford, Jordon etc The list has undergone a real transformation since the flag year It's like we're back at Paul Roos' 3rd year as coach again (which was 2016)

Putting the coaching aside, I reckon that the reason that we only won 7 games last year was because of the deadwood & non team players that influenced the side so much. A huge distraction on game days Many here (and elsewhere) zeroed in on the Coach (and that's fair enough) but a few here were more looking at the make-up of the team and the old habits that couldn't be shaken At last count there were at least 6 players on the list that went off the rails, post the premiership. That's 6 too many when often there's not even one player who bucks the system at a club. And that's the ones we know about 2 guilty at a restaurant (amongst numerous other indiscretions by 1 of the 2) A wingman from another club who was a bad influence A utility forward who went rogue And the much discussed 2 mids with their numerous issues Outside our control was the loss of ANB, Gus & Luke Jackson With all that going on, it's any wonder that we lost our way As good as the premiership was, things started to go pear-shaped not long after Players like Windsor, Kolt, Langford & Lindsay must have wondered what was going on, upon entering the club. By contrast, Steele, CJ, Heath, Mihocek, Taylor & Latrelle have entered the club with a new regime in charge. Trouble has exited the building But even so, the senior players need to lift and to lead the way. Without that happening, we could become too reliant on the youngsters, too soon The kids that we've recruited in deserve a proper foundation

Clayton's future rests with Clayton himself. He's responsible for his own actions He ran out of excuses

Let's not forget that both the old & the new regime at the club tried to off-load him But it was only when the new regime realised that we had to virtually give him away, that the deal was done And if GWS didn't some to the party, we'd still be stuck with him and his childish antics. Thanks, Giants And with at least half his salary freed up, we were able to secure Steele (an absolute upgrade) I'll call that a definite win

We did help him (for 3 years) and then rightfully, ran out of patience He was given numerous chances His demise from the club is his own fault And it's hard to see him having a blemish-free run at the Giants. Sooner or later, trouble will rear it's ugly head

Oliver [censored] on the club which paid him handsomely And just about everyone in the football world knows and accepts that, except you In fact, he stuffed up so badly that only one club wanted him and even then only wanted him if he came virtually free of charge You are defending the indefensible

You did offer up those figures as an outcome scenario. Worded in a way where that outcome is likely

He's a lousy kick and always has been He can get it and hoof it forward but most of us here could do that (apart from the getting it) Can you imagine him in the Vic state team missing targets left, right & centre or with his useless scrubber kicks aimed at the pockets He's now like the Crouch Bros. Accumulate possessions but do nothing with the ball For all the footy he played with us I just can't ever remember him hitting up to a leading forward It was just up and under bombs along with his sidekick, with his sidekicks