poita

Compared to Casey Fields, the Kennedy centre is less than half the distance to the MCG (where both teams play), the bayside suburbs (where most players live) and the geographic and population centre of Melbourne (providing decent access for fans). The players might be happy with the facilities once they get to Casey Fields, but spending two hours a day in the car to get there and back has to be a major negative.

Good luck to Tayla but, removing the red & blue glasses, her mark is arguably the third best of the three. Surely Montana Ham's goal is light years ahead of the other two nominees for GOTY.

Fixture looks fine to me - plenty of Saturday & Sunday afternoon games and 5 away games in Melbourne. We shouldn't fear any of the teams we are playing twice. Of course we'll get smoked if we're rubbish again, but the coach and president don't believe we will be. We can't expect to be playing in marquee time slots when we've played terrible football for two years. Sure there is a different rule for Carlton and Essendon, but we should just focus on getting our own house in order.

Does it really matter what our away games are? We know we're going to travel interstate 7 - 8 times, so I don't really care if it is to Launceston, Adelaide or Coober Pedy. My hope is that we avoid Thursday nights, and I'm happy to play as the away team on Friday nights.

Just bizarre that Richardson can stay in his role, with a confirmed end date, and have as much power as he does. Hopefully he is put on gardening leave as soon as a suitable Head of Football is found.

That's all great, but why wait until the year end interview? If warranted, he (and the rest of the side) should be getting that type of feedback on a weekly basis. It seems pretty clear to me that Goodwin had checked out for most of 2025, despite claiming to be blindsided by his removal.

The club needs to come out and clarify the Zanker situation for the members, because something doesn't add up at present. I reckon we should play Beasley this week, even if she can only get through half a game. That's still going to be a much better contribution than we got from half a dozen players on Sunday.

Just a really poor decision to renew Laurie's contract so early in 2024, and clearly one that the senior coach wasn't privy to, given that Goodwin clearly put a line through his name last year. Sadly he doesn't have any traits that are of genuine AFL quality, and certainly none that overcome his lack of size and speed. Maybe King is willing to give him a shot, but more likely he prefers others.

In 2021 West Coast and St Kilda finished 9th and 10th with 10 win / 12 loss records and percentages in the low 90s. It was devastating for all concerned that such deserving sides missed the finals, and it is fantastic that the AFL have acted to ensure that such heartbreaking events never happen again. Seriously, this is yet another blatant cash grab that devalues the achievement of making finals and rewards mediocrity. I've been to every final we've played in Melbourne for the past thirty plus years, but I won't be giving the AFL a cent to watch a wildcard game.

I agree that we are playing (at least) one tall too many. We need to be able to match Brisbane's work at ground level, and our defence is a worry for me. That said, there is not much experience amongst the potential inclusions.

Great post and I heartily agree with the sentiments. This team is not perfect, but they will never lose due to lack of effort and commitment.

I didn't want to be the first to criticise this, so am glad that others have jumped in. I'm sure the timing is great for retirees, the unemployed and preschoolers - everyone else, not so much. I get the feeling that at times the club is more concerned with being seen to do the right thing, rather than actually doing the right thing.

Has anyone watched North this year to see if Birch is worthy of an AA nomination? I wouldn't have thought the ball went into North's defence often enough for them to be getting multiple defenders nominated.

Herald Sun Phantom Draft (Chris Cavanagh) - probably only available to subscribers. https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/afl-phantom-draft-who-every-club-will-pick-in-the-first-two-rounds-of-the-2025-draft/news-story/6a2eb3e6c910d247ce77e4a76d8d3c79 11. SAM CUMMING184cm Midfielder/Forward, North Adelaide Drafted: MELBOURNEWe say: There is a question mark over whether Cumming gets past Essendon, with the Bombers also believed to be keen. But the Demons would be delighted if he does slip through, with rival clubs believing he is Melbourne’s No. 1 target. A fierce competitor who has been likened to former Crow Rory Sloane, Cumming has power, speed and plenty of class. Originally from Wentworth in New South Wales, he moved to Adelaide for school and served as a vice-captain of South Australia at the under-18 national championships. Cumming looks to be an ideal pick for the Demons as the club seeks to rejuvenate its midfield after the off-season departures of Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver. He would be a third high-end midfielder drafted in the past two years, following Harvey Langford (pick 6) and Xavier Lindsay (pick 11) last year. 12. LACHY DOVASTON178cm Forward, Eastern Ranges Drafted: MELBOURNEWe say: While the Demons are all over Cumming, what they do with their second pick is a touch less clear. They have been linked to a tall and have done their work on Schubert, while Archie Ludowyke has been another name floated. But if Essendon get to Schubert first, Melbourne might change tact. The Demons have been linked to small forward Latrelle Pickett, who is a cousin of Kysaiah and a player they would love in their line-up. But it might be a bit early for that. It is not too early for Dovaston, though, who is the best small forward in the draft class. Compared to Nick Watson, he applies good pressure, works hard up the ground and has great forward craft to hit the scoreboard in different ways. Dovaston kicked 38 goals from 16 games for the Ranges — the second-most in the Coates Talent League — and took out the agility test at the draft combine. He has also been linked to other clubs including Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs, but the Dees have the chance to get in first. 34. CAMERON NAIRN188cm Forward, Central District Drafted: MELBOURNEWe say: The Demons would love if Latrelle Pickett slipped through to this pick, but that doesn’t look likely. They may still be able to add a quality forward in Nairn, though, who has drawn comparisons to Bayley Fritsch. At 188cm, Nairn measures exactly the same height as Fritsch and similarly possesses vice-like hands overhead, a big leap and an accurate boot. The South Australian recorded one of the best individual performances at the under-18 national championships with a seven-goal haul in a match against Western Australia. Along with his strong hands, he also has strong endurance to outwork opponents and finished fourth in the 2km time trial at the national draft combine.

Every time you think the club is (slowly) moving forward in terms of communicating to and engaging with members, you get this sort of thing There are still far too many amateur performers in every part of this club, and it's not good enough.

But we couldn't and we didn't. More than the actual result, it was how completely clueless the players and coaches were throughout that final quarter that showed how far away we are from genuinely competing again. Sure, you have days when things go your way and you look like world beaters. It is how you respond when things don't go your way that really matters.

Because, like it or not, this club is in the entertainment business and the product that has been delivered in the past two years (arguably past 3.5) has been woeful. Aside from winning just 12 of our past 38 games (31%), the brand of football we play has generally been horrible to watch.

Once again, why were so desperate to trade out of this draft last year if we are now looking to find additional picks? Did Lamb, in all his wisdom, ever think that some of those picks that he threw away in the Lindsay deal might have had some value? Even the extra picks he gifted GC for Petracca could have been handy.

Sure, then we can link up with City of Melbourne to highlight some fun activities in the CBD: Join a protest and throw stuff at the police Tag a building (bonus points for MFC related content) Dodge the homeless people in Elizabeth Street Ride a train without paying and avoid the PSOs Sing along with the buskers in Bourke Street Mall

Can we delist McAdam and forget to re-rookie him? Or Laurie?

The last time we kicked more goals than points was round 2. It's now round 11. I think that sums up where we're at - effort generally good, but execution generally pretty ordinary. The lack of contribution from our bottom 6 or so players probably means we are not genuine contenders, and arguably not even top 4 with a tougher draw. We needed to hit the draft to freshen up the list, and we've done that (with mixed results), now we might need to look at bringing in some experience.

Just basing on what I have seen and heard, I think the chances of Tigga Johnstone being an AFL player would be basically zero. That's not a criticism, just an acceptance that some kids want to enjoy playing sport with their mates and don't have the drive (or perhaps the ability) to be an elite sportsperson.

Why would you even bother trying to recruit and retain a WA kid in this environment unless he is head and shoulders above everyone else in the draft pool? You spend so much time and effort trying to make them feel at home, then they go home to mummy at the first opportunity.

It's now not only about being able to field a competitive side this week, but also a race against time to build some form and match fitness prior to the finals.

I believe that the proposed purchase of the land was announced in December 2016, with initial planning starting back in 2015. https://www.afl.com.au/news/866406/this-is-a-gamechanger-hawthorn-hawks-to-commence-construction-of-100m-facility The above article anticipated construction commencing in early 2023 with a partial move in the first half of 2024. They have obviously missed that by a fair way. Conservatively, that is a good six years of planning, approvals and fundraising, followed by almost three years of construction. We'll be lucky to get into Caulfield within five years.