Lucifers Hero

...recently engaged ... 😉🙃

While we are out of the running the top 8 is far from set. The biggest loser from since round 18 is Carlton; from second to 9th. Lots of permutations. Even Syd can fall from top spot. Sadly it looks like Geelong will end up top 2. Depending what happens with Hawth and Carlton the possibility raised in the op, of needing 14 games to make the 8 can eventuate. Anyone care to predict the grand finalists ...

dustin-martin-calls-time-on-decorated-afl-career One of the greatest players: elite talent, humble and fair. Classy farewell statement. He will be a much deserved AFL Legend. Travel well Dusty. The article above has been amended to include the retirement of Hawkins. This link is just about Dusty and deservedly so. dustin-martin-retires-calls-time

My guess is most would be disappointed which includes players, coaches and fans. I went to each of those 4 finals and what I saw were players who gave their all in difficult circumstances.

The first para is unfair to all the posters who present well reasoned observations on games and the season(s). And gee whizz they sometimes use stats to back up those observations! 'Myopic' could equally apply to those whose view is thru the narrow lens of looking for 'reasons' however removed from cause and effect those 'reasons' might be. Thankfully, most posters fit between the myopic extremes. For the second para how many people are trying to constantly place blame? It is generalising and imv unfair to most posters. Nonetheless, I 100% agree with you that everyone at the club is constantly looking to improve and we have seen good signs of improvement. The third para. The 'lofty expectations' were set immediately after the final siren of 2021 when our Captain et al openly talked about 'dynasty', win it at the G, for our families, for the fans etc. Therefore, It wasn't unreasonable for fans to adopt those expectations nor is it unreasonable for them to be disappointed and express that. Also few would say that 2022-2024 has been a 'failure' but it would be fair to say we have under performed. There is a difference. 😇

My optimism is over

No 'smarts' or IQ needed - just lateral thinking.

The last line looks more of a diversion than a clue 🙄

No way!! Fans want the team to be ruthless and not have a 'losing' mentality. We are blooding the youth. They will get so much from a final at the G packed with demon fans. And what difference does a few places in the draft order make especially in such an even draft. This is a very even finals race. My hope is to make the 8 and win a final then Que sera sera. If we don't so be it, I'll be happy with the season. Fight the good fight, Demons!!

I agree with you that we can make the 8 and 🤞 about 5th. Not sure many DL's do.

A good summary of where we are at. And agree about our amazing core. I'm just worried about the recent approach of getting only who we can afford and end up with fringe players. imv this approach needs to change asap altho tbh I don't know how; 4 years of (imv) relatively poor trading won't be easy to recover from. I don't want to be too harsh on lamb as list management is a team effort and decisions are made within the context of the FD (Richo/Goodwin) game plan. But TL is the one who finds and sells mfc to the candidates. Until the end of 2020 our trading was handled by Lamb, Todd Viney and Josh Mahoney. I find it difficult to understand how we have not attracted any B+/A level players since they left, while we were the reigning and recent premiers. I feel we are missing the negotiation skills of the latter two and the less tangible gravitas they brought. And perhaps their administration skills when it came to sal cap managment.

Very good pick up😊

This thread has gone very quite so I assume posters think we are out of the running for the 8. My optimism and predictions for last week were way off the mark. Nonetheless we can still make it. A few of the top teams sustained significant injuries last week so I have included some info. Plenty of 8pt games. Top 4 not yet set. Port/Ess could slide out of the 8 with WBD/Dees/Hawks to replace them. Coll almost fully fit but very tough run. Our destiny is still in our hands - lets see how much the team wants it.

I usually share your views but not so much on this. Such prioritising is a risky strategy as a number of those mentioned (Petracca, Brayshaw, Oliver) aren't available or not healthy and who knows if they will be. There are also doubts over the ongoing fitness of Viney, Gawn and Salem. All were/are on long-term contracts. Unfortunately they are in our top 10 best players. Their specific injuries/illnesses could not be foreseen but a risk analysis would show say may not play out their contract. Known risks: Salem and thyroid, Brayshaw and concussion , Oliver and ADHD and related issues , Gawn and age. If we can only get fringe players that we can afford that suggests poor sal cap management. The result of such prioritising is a number of our highly paid players aren't fully available and cheap fringe players can't get a game or are subs. Do we even have 30 players that are currently AFL standard to make up a regular 22 (exluding players yet to play a game) when we have the odd injury? So imv our list is unbalanced for age, skill, position and depth. I wouldn't put it all on TL but it is his job to identify trade targets and negotiate them into mfc. Our traded in players in the last few years a rather 'meh'. I'm not using hindsight here as in my experience risk analysis/due diligence are essential parts of any planning. As is a risk based allocation of a $ budget.

I take that little cryptic throw-away line as a positive. 😊

I'm trying not to read too much into what we see/hear, be it +/-, in the media. We have no way of knowing what is happening inside the club. I just hope all goes well now and in the future for him and the club. I'll always give him the benefit of the doubt.

Last year Clarrie sulked a bit about not being allowed to play, argued with Selwyn, left hospital when he shouldn't etc. Later Pert said in his Press release that Clarrie had to learn to respect club staff and teammates. If he is sulking about starting on the bench and not liking his role that is neither showing respect for staff nor a team first attitude. Having said that I'm not going to hold any sulking' against him as he is a proud person and it could easily be the side effects of the ADHD medication.

I'm no fan of Cornes or McClure but is it so impossible to imagine a Clarrie trade? A recent precedent is Grundy to Melb for pick 27 (which went out into the 30's) with 5 years to run on a $1m+ contract and Coll picked up about $400k p.a. Clarrie has 6 years to go on a $1m+ contract. Grundy doesn't have the achievements of Clarrie but he was/is no slouch. The Grundy deal would set the parameters for any potential Clarrie trade. That is the logical me speaking. The emotional me 🥹says: I want him to be well. I don't want him to go. I want him to be a demon forever. I hope he doesn't go...

Maybe but I seriously doubt the leak came from the club. If they wanted to distract from the loss they could have released it themselves.

On re-reading it is a bit harsh... just doesn't seem a nice human. um ...what does the second line mean?

Calling him a journalist is an insult to those that are. I'm not surprised. It is exactly what I expect from his type. That doesn't mean I have to like it. I don't! Especially if it hurts my club. I find everything about him repungant.🤮🤮🤮

There is every chance the club wasn't ready to release it. Morris is a known low-life, ambulance-chaser and has at various times released mfc info they didn't want in the public domain. I'm guessing his courting clubs didn't know either. HIs 'scoop' has robbed the club and Petty of some valuable positivity and PR. Before people assume there is a leak within mfc, Morris could have his info from any number of sources. Who knows where his type lurk. 🤮

I discount the last few games. Last year poor kicking cost us 10.12 to their 12.7 while missing Oliver, Hunter. Now we don't have Petracca, Brayshaw and Gawn but we do have Melksham, Oliver and a bunch of really enthusiastic youngsters. A line up that is unpredicatable. We know how Jackson plays. Darcy has been in and out of the team with injuries and played only 9 games this year. Run him ragged and he will tire especially if ground is damp. Not worried about our lack of rucks. This year's game in Alice we missed Lever altho he wouldn't have stopped the belting, maybe saved a few %. We looked all over the shop. The team now seems galvanised with a team first attitude. I detect a steely resolve that was there at the start of the year and in 2021. And, the crowd won't be as one sided as a WCE game ... hopefully some of the 2021 GF, WA fans come out for us today. Oliver is on the verge of his best game for the year could easily be BOG in a Dees win hopefully good enough to take us to 4th. If not 4th consolidating a top 8 position will do for this week.

Can't say that I agree. If we lose the next two games to teams above us but win the last 3 to 4 vs teams below us we will make the 8. In fact beating the teams below us helps our cause making it harder for them to dislodge us. My view of the teams below us and their chances of making the 8: Port on the same W but have to get past Carl, Syd, Dees and Freo. Low chance Coll and Hawks have incredibly difficult draws and a W behind us. Very low chance GCS has only two games of 6 at home. They are also a W behind us. Low chance WBD has the best chance of taking our spot but a W behind us. So I'm still optimistic of making the 8 but will keep the lid on 😊

I think that @Sir Why You Little is also considering the impact of travel to NT vs playing another game in Vic.