13thFlagIsComing

Let's get the important stuff out the way first All matches are live on Fox Footy & streamed through the AFL App. Sat Feb 27 - Port Adelaide v Melbourne - 1.35pm CDT - Playford Alive Oval - Adelaide Sun March 6 - Western Bulldogs v Melbourne - 2.05pm - Highgate Reserve - Cragieburn Sun March 13 - Melbourne v St Kilda - 4.10pm - Etihad Stadium Link to the full fixture here.. http://www.afl.com.au/fixture/nab-challenge

58,000 last year -From memory the minimum attendance required to make it a success was 50,000. This year should aim for 65,000 as hopefully both teams get off to a good start and more supporters will turn up after seeing the success of last years game. The pre match service was more reserved and slightly haunting with the flame and the last post. FYI Eddie - A fair amount of European countries celebrate 2 Christmas days!

12.05pm: DEMONS DONE Melbourne's crew of Josh Mahoney and Todd Viney have just left, with the departing comment: "Nothing to report - we're done."

Parker for 7?

Having been down to training the past couple seasons i can say that Toump looked the goods on the track. Rarely missed a target, ran hard and vocal. On the field he was a deer in the headlights who tried too hard to be fancy when he just had to execute the teams fundamentals. Good luck to him at Port. Hope he goes well...just not against us.

Trade Period = A. Not for the fact of the players and picks that we have managed to get but by the attitude in which we have got them. Can't say i can remember a trade period where we got on the front foot and planted a flag. Here's my prediction for the next few years. 2015 - I thought 6-8 wins. we got 7. Should have won 9 but you gotta lose some to win some. 2016 - i'm thinking 9-11 wins to set us up for a massive trade period next year to bring in some top end talent to add some polish. May sneak in or just miss out on finals . Ladder 8th - 11th. Crowds back up, membership up, the love is back. Hogan signs for another 5. 2017 - Lock for finals. 1st year of Goodwin's reign. Close final win / loss first week. Ladder 5th - 8th. Massive off field signing to catapault us on and off field. 2018 - Top 4 smokey. Ladder 3rd - 6th. Will win first final. Lose in heartbreaker in second week.. The premiership clock is at 10 PM. Our window opens now. A 2007 Hawthorn type year here. Goodwin extends by three years after 2018. 2019 - The years of buildup and patience now start to show. A top 4 lock. Ladder -1st - 4th. Goodwin's 3rd year playing attacking exciting football. haven't had this feeling since the days of "Run and Carry." Will make prelim. Injuries get us at the end of the season and we just couldn't sustain it. 2020 - It's 12 o'clock on the premiership clock. Our core that came through in 2013/14/15/16 are in their prime. Top 2 finish guranteed with the competition having us as favourites. It's an Essendon 2000 type of year. We just want it more than anyone else. This is Goodwin's team now. membership at 54,000. The siren sounds. The drought is over. A 6 goal win. Let the party of a lifetime start. We won this for Jonsey and the warriors who kept the flame burning through the dark times. We can all die happy now. 2021 - Do you think we would stop at just the one? Top 2 lock again. fly through to the Grand Final where once again our class and experience are just too good in a scrappy game. A 5 goal win. It's back to back . Goodwin doesn't say it, the players don't say it but we are all thinking it? 3-peat? 2022 - ?

Howe= One trick pony cashing in on it while he can. Toumpas = A deer in the headlights anywhere near the ball.

Totally agree. Lived in HK (well Tin Shui Wai...not exactly HK Island) for two years and always felt safe. Very surprised to read about this.

I've heard that Melksham is such a popular player that he brings all the boys to the yard.

I think that's a nice way to end this thread. Roll the closing credits Demonland....

Levi has the one thing that Dawes doesn't have...the ability to take one grab marks. Dawes has the one thing that Levi needs to work on...a decent kicking action. Take your pick but i'll take Levi.

Roosy is 100% right when he said we havent offered 10 m over 6 for Danger. We could offer 9.9m or 10.1 m and he wouldn't be lying.

Big Fish Barramundi Mundy from Freo! Game Over. Shut this thread down. Roll the Credits.

Donald and David Cockatoo-Collins?

Totally agree. Used to have a small affinity for the Cats due to the amount of brilliant players who couldn't crack it for a flag. Was happy they won in 2007. That affinity was blown out of the water in 2008 when i went with my girlfriend (now wife) to Geelong. Walking to the ground we both had our Demons scarves on when there was a lady with a tin rattling for homeless kids of Geelong. So i put a dollar in and even though she may have meant it as a joke she said "Thanks for that. i hope your team loses today." That put me off the Cats and now i cannot stand them. Those smug, moronic, Billabong wearing flogs.

Just waiting for the Geelong Advertiser's 100 page Special Edition when Paddy heads to the Cats..with your official Paddy face mask too!

5 years for 4.7? - 940,000 a year? Doesn't sound enough but i'll happily take him for that price!

Only reason you would leave the house dressed like that would be for a Dutch toga party.

Friend of the family was Crossy's player sponsor at the Dogs for many many years. He was shattered when he came to the Dees as he knew that we were getting the ultimate professional footballer who would try his best week in week out. What I'll remember the most is not the dedication on field but an article about coming back from his fractured leg and how he ate bone broth for about 2 months to strengthen his leg. That's the commitment I hope has rubbed off on the playing group about what it takes to get the best out of yourself.

I've always thought that the best offensive team I've seen were the 1989 Geelong side. The best defensive side were the 2009 Saints. If they squared off against each other in a Grand Final....what philosophy would win? Blight / Bailey 's offence vs. Lyon / Neeld / Roos defence? Just goes to show that you cannot be entrenched in one philosophy but have to be masters of both and there is the issue. You need a game plan that is both offensive / defensive at the same time (eg. Clarkson's Cluster / Spatial Zoning @ West Coast). We are getting there with a possession based defence established with a semi-slingshot / run and carry offence. Issue is the two way gut running required won't be there for at least 2 years with the current squad.

The important thing in any organization is the creation of a soul which is based on pride. George S Patton

If your sitting at your desk at your workplace and watch 360 on Monday nights enjoy this. A mate sent it to me and it sums up my workplace perfectly. GW: It’s Monday night on 360 and that only means one thing. It’s time to get the coaches in and dissect the events of the past week. Paul Roos. Welcome… PR: Evening Gerard. Evening Robbo. GW: And Nathan Buckley welcome to 360. NB: Evening Gentleman. MR: Roosy. I have to start with you. When you are going through the tapes during the week, reviewing the game with players, breaking it down into critical moments; how frustrating is it when someone doesn’t refill the photocopier with paper? PR: I think it’s the hardest job in football. Sometimes we focus too much on areas like defensive pressure and midfield setup that we sometimes forget that we need paper to print these strategies on and if we run out of paper, we rely on staff to pick up the slack and refill the paper tray. Clearly that’s not happening at our football club. NB: At Collingwood we are lucky that every staff member has their own photocopier so when you have the responsibility of your own copier, it’s important that the message gets through and to the guys credit they have been excellent in focusing on refilling when required. MR: Roosy, I don’t mean to bang on about it but how is it that a professional team, paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year…doesn’t even have the…for lack of a better word…brains to know the situation and say to each other “guys, the photocopier tray is empty, someone needs to get back to the stationary cupboard and get some paper.” PR: That’s a very good question and the simple answer is our guys weren’t aware of the situation and they didn’t get themselves back to the cupboard and clearly there was a communication failure from my office to the players. NB: But in Roosy’s defence it shouldn’t be up to him all the time to tell the staff how much paper is left in the copier. That’s where you expect strong leadership on the office floor and staff to step up and say “even though I didn’t use the photocopier last, I’ll refill the paper tray as it’s what’s best for the team.” GW: Would you be open to the suggestion of increasing the number of copiers in the offices at Melbourne? PR: That’s something for the CEO to discuss with the football department in regards to resourcing but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter if you have 1 photocopier or 100. Paper needs to be refilled and that’s the message I’m trying to get across to the players. We aren’t doing the little things that make a difference. MR: Bucks, you’ve been at Collingwood now for what 4 years. Have you seen the difference in staff when it comes to them asking you pointless questions that you don’t have the answer for? NB: I still get silly questions asked my way every day. For example I had a staff member ask me last week where one of the assistant coaches was. Now if the staff member read their email he would have realised that this assistant coach was on leave for a week. Just today as I was coming here a staff member asked me why hasn’t the biscuit tin been refilled? It does get frustrating… MR: Bucks, who is the worst at re-filling this biscuit tin in your office? NB: I’m not going to name names Robbo but needless to say some of our senior staff need to step up when they see that the Scotch Fingers, Choc Chips and Butternut Snaps are all gone and all that is left are Kingstons and the lone Monte Carlo. PR: And remember staff are under immense pressure to hit targets, be efficient and get the numbers ticking over and as a result the little things get missed. Personally I love the Kingston so I don’t mind if they are at the bottom of the tin. It’s when they have been sitting at the bottom of the tin for two days and start to get stale. That’s what disappoints me. GW: I’ve heard from pretty reliable sources that dishes are left in the sink for up to a week. Given this is a potential OH&S issue, should there be harder sanctions for staff who don’t clean their dishes? PR: Even when I was at the Swans we had issues with the staff kitchen. On any given day there would be a dirty cup or dish in the sink and it wasn’t until we suspended players from the team for these indiscretions that the message got through that everyone has a part to play to keep the staff kitchen clean. GW: Well time has gotten away from us and I’m sure there will be more next week. Paul Roos, Nathan Buckley thanks and see you next week.

Maybe we should just go with The Beta Band...

Just thinking about the Danger to Dees scenario. Actually wouldn’t be a bad option for him. He’d get serious money. At least 1.0 – 1.2 million a year. Maybe a 6 – 7 million over 5 year deal. Cash will be freed up so I would say there would be some serious front loading to assist us keeping Hulk, Viney, Gus etc later on. Got a great young midfield to teach (Viney, Brayshaw, Patracca, Tyson, Stretch, , Neal-Bullen, Newton?...maybe) Got some experience in there as well (Jones, Cross, Trengove… if he’s right). He wouldn’t have to play in and under as much as we have grunt but not enough polish. Good for his body as it’s taken a battering. He’s only 25. Give him 5 years, takes him to 30. Would have some connections to the Crows (Goodwin, Vince) Deliver it lace out to the Hulk. Who wouldn't want to do that!? Can go forward and work with Garlett, Neal-Bullen, JKH as a small forward. I would say our list is in a better position than Geelong & Adelaide's in the next 5 years as we have done a lot of work with the next generation coming through. Wouldn’t be surprised if the AFL are massaging the club to help them get Danger over the line. Crowds up, sponsorship etc. Plus Moggs Creek is only a couple hours away. Set him up nicely to retire @ 30...lucky bugger! If by some chance this does happen, I'm buying shares in Kleenex as there will be a sudden rise in tissue sales!!!

$38 @ the TAB, $41 @ Crownbet....just saying.