16 hours ago, Romey said:

Our game style has not allowed us to see the best of Ben Brown. As our key target, he has often been left to compete in two-on-one contests in a congested forward line. With Van Rooyen and Petty now the main targets it could free up Brown to play the third tall and support Gawn in the ruck. (At 200cm his height is exactly the same as Fullarton.)

 

Dear Romey I don't want to be condescending but please educate yourself about football a bit.

Either you haven't watched a lot or else you haven't watched BB play much. He is totally inept in the ruck, embarrassing in fact.

Anyone thinking BBB can ruck is clearly clueless about AFL. Ben is totally inept as a ruckman - even Mitch Brown was more competent.

2 hours ago, binman said:

I like this, as as i noted yesterday if Howes playing in defence he could take Mcvee's spot at HB allowing judd to move onto the ball.

 

Nice speculation but before you write a 3 volume scenario of possible permutations & flow on effects maybe wait until Howes actually plays 1 senior game then maybe see if he will hold down a senior spot before we all get carried away.

Howes has had big wraps on him for 2 seasons but so far has delivered SFA although he has been quiet unlucky with injuries. Even at Casey he has been solid rather than eye catching.

16 hours ago, jnrmac said:

A few slagging off JVO for undisciplined acts which is very unfair on the lad

I'm not aware of any other undisciplined acts so if people are castigating him for the two incidents above they need to chill out

You don't want to take out his physical attack. Its a weapon 

He got sucked in by Finlayson & cost us the Port A game & if he had played in the last final we may very well have won it so 2 stuff ups which cost us big time.

I love his attack at the ball but those brain fades were disastrous & I know there is a fine line between controlled aggression & recklessness & Jacob needs to find that balance.

On 02/01/2024 at 17:23, poita said:

Super debut season for Jacob, despite a couple of costly brain fades.

You don't want him to lose his passion or his attack on the contest but, if he can eliminate the really dumb acts from his game, he is going to be a very good player for this club over the next decade.

Spot on. Keep the attack on the ball - lose the bain fades.

42 minutes ago, Demonstone said:

You forgot the Demonland Cancel Culture warriors and Virtue Signallers.

16 minutes ago, Roger Mellie said:

I stand corrected - my numbers were definitely out of whack. I think the belief at the time though was that it involved taking a pay cut to prolong his career but who knows:

 

Don't worry. Lots of Demonlanders either make it up, re write history to support dodgy claims or just assert stuff without any evidence 🤔.

Love him but his kicking for goal has barely improved since he first arrived.

Has learnt nothing about the mechanics of kicking & shanks most of his kicks to the left.

2 hours ago, Queanbeyan Demon said:

@Cranky Franky . . . how you do'in Bro? Raining where you are?

Indeed -  it's bucketing down 😱😱

Weight is an important stat. In rugby league & union they noted the weight of players over the last 50 years & found the modern player was considerably heavier (and fitter) today.

This has informed rule changes & concussion protocols.

The Noah Yze thread that says nothing about Noah 🤣🤣🤣

Potentially an absolute gun. Play this bloke in the midfield he has the ability to step up.

Limited player, very nicely looked after by Goodie in 2022. 

Thought he struggled early on but was pretty good for us in the last two thirds of the year.

1 hour ago, Demonstone said:

This excerpt is from Fred's bio on the truly magnificent and highly recommended Demonwiki website:

After leaving Hamilton he coached Coleraine in 1953 and announced his retirement at the end of the year, but attempted a comeback with the Demons in 1954. After watching the pre-season matches he asked the club for a chance to win his spot on the list. He played one practice game but appeared well overweight at 115kg and only had one kick in the first half. He was not selected for the final list.

Fair enough but I don't think he qualifies for 2 stints at the Club.

4 hours ago, picket fence said:

Didn't he come back for 1 game?? In fact it was 1954 and played 1 practice match in an aborted comeback!

1954 ????

Wikipedia says after playing for Hamilton he finished his career at Coleraine in 1953 so I'm surprised to hear of an attempted comeback in 54 at 33 years of age - sources ????

44 minutes ago, picket fence said:

With all respect, I find Goodwins coaching feeble and uninspiring. Of course a fit Melksham is an automatic selection because he has some x factor. With regard to Shache this is an example of poor selection and even more so poor coaching by not dragging an insipid T.Mac of and at least giving him a go. You are 100% correct with the Ollie Holands scenario and that more than anything else may have cost us the game.

To be fair in 2023 the coaching panel did fix up some aspects of our game however I agree the coaching is generally conservative & inflexible.

I can't think of anything stupider than bringing in 2 talls for a wet game in Alice Springs.

3 hours ago, Slartibartfast said:

I want to just balance the views here and point out that those suggesting Schache or Grundy play instead of Tom are in a no lose situation playing Monday morning quarterback. You'll never be proven wrong, but you aren't correct either.

Grundy was tried forward and couldn't do it, he couldn't do it even partially.  He doesn't know how to play the position, he can't judge the ball well in the air and therefore doesn't reliably bring it to ground when it's in his area.  Just look at how Phillips completely outpointed him in the Gather Round last year.  Grundy is a ruck only, we know that now, so to pick him in the team or as sub would have been silly as he's only a back up for Gawn.  If Gawn plays Grundy doesn't.

 

Goody & the selectors have been extremely inflexible, risk averse & conservative in the last 2 years.

When a selection option is available they always go for the tried & safe option.

The dumbest selections in 23 were dropping Tommo after the KB game and bringing in 2 talls in Grundy & BBB on a soaking wet day in the Alice.

Lovely bit of writing there. And by all accounts he was a modest person & didn't have tickets on himself.

A great loss for Australia.

6 hours ago, daisycutter said:

56. Graham Hunnibell

http://www.afltashalloffame.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/156.-Graham-Hunnibell-187x300.gif

Player Inductee

North Launceston/Melbourne/New Norfolk/Clarence, Ruckman, 1974-91

12 games, 2 goals for Melbourne, 1978-80
Around 90 games for North Launceston 1974-77, 1981
Around 70 games for New Norfolk, 1982-85
Around 100 games for Clarence, 1986-91
New Norfolk captain-coach, 1984-85
Clarence captain-coach, 1986
North Launceston NTFA premierships 1975, 1981
New Norfolk TANFL premiership, 1982
William Leitch Medal, 1985 (TANFL Best and Fairest)
Melbourne reserves Best and Fairest, 1980
North Launceston Best and Fairest 1977, 1981
New Norfolk Best and Fairest 1982, 1984, 1985
Clarence Best and Fairest, 1989
17 representative matches for Tasmania, 1977-1985
Lefroy Medal, 1982 (Best Tasmanian interstate player)
Tasmanian State of Origin Carnival representative 1979 (Perth)
NTFA representative 1974, 1977, 1981
North Launceston ‘Greatest Team’ 1945-1999 (Forward Pocket)
New Norfolk ‘Greatest Team’ 1947-2001 (Ruckman)
 

One of the most decorated Tasmanian footballers of the past 50 years, Graham ‘Moose’ Hunnibell won almost every award and accolade there was to win in a stellar 16-season career in which he was widely regarded as the premier ruckman in the stat

Hunnibell’s impact on Tasmanian football was enormous, and it therefore came as no surprise when he was named in both North Launceston and New Norfolk’s Greatest Teams in 1999 and 2001 respectively.

Geez what a career. Unlucky to go to Melbourne when we had Garry Baker & Carl Ditterich.

5 hours ago, Sir Why You Little said:

After last September i am staggered that he is going around again 

I love Tom, but we played those 2 Finals a man down…

Blame Goodwin for picking him when he had the option of Schache & Grundy.

We chose to give Tom a contract till 2024 so we wear it.

He's still handy to have as depth even if he mainly plays at Casey. Can pinch hit in the ruck or any key position. 

Great team player & always gives 100%.

He was ok but has lost a yard of pace. Overused the ball at times. Hopefully he will be challenged for his spot by a youngster.

1 Post Modern Historian to tell us light bulbs are a European construct and therefore responsible for the evils of colonialism and that the PM should make a public apology for the use of light bulbs.

32 minutes ago, kryton101 said:

Rewatched the 21 GF in which he played, though you’d be excused for thinking he didn’t get on.  In Casey games I’ve watched he seems to avoid the hard contact and doesn’t do so well in contested marking. 

Spot on. Unfortunately it seems that "mongrel" or even desperation on the field cannot be taught. You either have it or you dont.

If he could even learn to play with the desperation of ANB or McVee he would be fine. However he's one of those players that lopes around half arsed & will never do the desperate 1 percenters.

On 22/12/2023 at 18:05, Redleg said:

Lucas Cook was a different kettle of fish.

My son watched his first training run with us and told me that Cook would never play a game with us, or in the AFL with anyone else.

I laughed at the comment, as he was a high pick and it wasn’t possible we could get it so wrong.

My son got it absolutely correct.

Matt Jefferson is no Lucas Cook.

I certainly hope he's not another Cook but I was pretty underwhelmed by his first year.