Lucifers Hero

Watch all hell break lose this week when only about 15,000 of their 75,000+ members get tickets. (Plus their MCC and AFL members). The will really go absolutely feral!! At least the crowd will be more even. Can't imagine the die hard Ess, Coll, Carl fans barracking for Richmond. Hardwick has already started the sob story of being the underdogs looking for the fairytale wave of love the WB had last year from neutrals.

I reckon those structures and disciplines were built by McCartney and his 'tough love'. But the players couldn't handle the 'tough love' so he was sacked. Beveridge comes along and gives them lots of cuddles and they loved him for it and played their hearts out for two years, masking over the problems. And they were fired up enough to fluke the flag. In 2017 their problems rose to the surface and they couldn't handle them: football staff bickering, players jealous of Tom Boyd's $$$, in-fighting by two players over relationships, two other players on leave for mental health issues, other players with off field 'behaviour' issues etc. And that is just what is in the public domain. Not a happy place, the kennel. Anyway, I feel a bit sorry for Stringer. Never like to see someone made the scapegoat. But if WB think that will solve their problems, well...its just more masking tape!

A few years ago I lived 100mtrs from Bridge Rd near what is now the Sporting Globe Pub. All of Richmond will be insufferable this week. Thank God I'm not there now. It will be even worse when they lose next week!

He has nothing to fear from Richmond - it is the umpries he needs to worry about. They are likely to give the tigers a dream run like the did the bulldogs last year.

3 or 4 soft frees to tigers has given them all the momentum. None of the giant frees being paid. AFL sacrificing their love child in favour of another fairy tale. edit: terrible DOB free gifts another goal to the tigers

Do my eyes deceive me? Umpires wearing yellow tops? And the AFL worry about clash jumpers! Crazy!

My bad - I have confused the names. Thanks. Jake Kelly is son of Craig Kelly - Collingwood great. For some reason Collingwood didn't take him as a father/son and slipped thru to the Crows as a rookie. I bet they are sorry now. He is proving a real asset to the Crows and will cover the loss of Lever - they even look alike when they play...

They have already trained Jake Kelly to do the job - did fine when Lever was out injured. They got Kelly for zip as a B Rookie - I think he was an elite cricketer and a few clubs were after him. Yes they will miss Lever a little bit but they won't be crying about the trade.

The temperature is expected to be 25 when today's game starts and about 20 when it ends. This will have to favour the Giants who live in and train in warmish conditions a lot of the time. With their manic tackling style and the heat I would expect the Tiges to tire late in quarters and in the 4th. If so Giants will win!

Agreed. In these finals hardly any team has played a 'zone defence'. Sydney, Richmond and Adelaide have almost exclusively played 'man on man' when defending and kicking to position to control the ball when attacking. None of them have leaked goals 'out the back'. It is also how Hawthorn won 3 flags in a row. Like you RN, I worry about our game plan which relies on zone defence, manic running at all costs and happy hand balling. I am hoping our game plan quickly becomes more conventional - perhaps a bit more of the Paul Roos style of 'defence first', if we want to progress deep into September. It will be easier to maintain control and composure than our manic running style that has a higher risk of turnovers.

To get a view of what life has been like at the kennel in recent times browse thru these: 1) Re Liberatore's off field issues: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/tom-liberatore-in-hot-water-again-for-unacceptable-behaviour-20150702-gi3b85.html Among the interesting points in the article this was fascinating: "It's been reported that the 23-year-old was scheduled to travel to Europe with non-Bulldog friends, however the club intervened and instead diverted him to a country where they felt his rehabilitation can be better accommodated...That country is reportedly Thailand". Thailand isn't exactly where one goes to rehab from a knee injury. Have his issues improved? His 2016 performance says he has. His 2017 performance says probably not. Now, it would be a bit hard for the Bulldogs to dump the son of a club champion and Brownlow medalist. So I can understand the proposition that Stringer is the fall guy. Could it be that history will see their 2016 Premiership in the same light at the Eagles of 2006. 2) And for more off field issues: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/western-bulldogs-park-contract-discussions-with-jason-mccartney-but-deny-rift-20170918-gyjt2l.html It seems the List Manager and Recruiter don't communicate much and don't see eye to eye "... sparking speculation the pair have clashed over individual players and overall recruiting philosophy." The kennel is a bit of a mess of their own making. Maybe the whole club has a premiership hangover. Doubt they will win another in a hurry.

Touché !!

Would anyone notice

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2017-09-22/oliver-a-roughie-for-the-brownlow A great credit to the young man to be in the conversation for the Brownlow in just his second year. I figured out his secret! As soon as he takes possession of the ball he takes a little vertical jump and his arms and hands are out of reach of op even if they tackle him. No other player in the league does that. Usually they crouch but Clarrie leaps and gets his handball away. Love watching him play.

Poor Bruce - Can't gush over Danger and Selwood tonight as he is a Crows supporter!! His lack of gushing whenever those guys are near the ball is very obvious! Poor Bruce.

And the AFL turns a blind eye to it all!! While different to GWS/GCS, Bulldogs are just another AFL darling! Not good for business out west, if any of the players get 6 week holidays!

Updated for Vanb and Bernie re-signings and the changes from @red and blue forever. Thanks Something to note: From 2018 Rookies can play AFL without waiting to be upgraded for a LTI to happen. It will give clubs a lot more flexibility if cruelled by short tem injuries as we were this year. I would guess that the Rookies are safe and possibly King or maybe King becomes a rookie if we need the list spot. Suspect Kennedy may be gone by the end of the Trade/Draft period. Edit: Image deleted

Aaron vandenBerg has now re signed for 2018! http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-09-22/forgotten-demon-signs-on-for-a-fresh-start "...the Demons are keen to keep him for another season as they understand his value..." Well done and hope he has an injury free run next year. ps will mods change title to show this. Thanks

I suspect @spirit of norm smithwas bored with the lack of rumours so created one! So easy for people to believe this line: "Apparently Pies will ask for potential trade for Weideman. They see him as future Full Forward alongside Darcy Moore". Nothing whatsoever, to lend any cred to the claim. Its not even a rumour!

There is enough info in the public domain to show he is right in this case. WB have completely botched it and now realise they have shot themselves in the foot in the process. Too bad, I say. Let the kid go where he wants!

Maybe Beveridge isn't the great man manager he likes to make out. https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/media-watch-bulldogs-push-back-on-jake-stringers-right-to-choose-a-club-carlton-offers-tom-rockliff-a-contract/news-story/6f270b4e0267566da7da0173fc2c382a “There’s now internal acknowledgment within the Bulldogs that ... some layers of this story have been atrociously handled from within,” Barrett said...“From Luke Beveridge initially failing to personally tell Jake Stringer that he would be traded to Luke Beveridge going publicly. Gee, to not look the kid in the eye and tell him he would be traded, is poor form by Beveridge. From Stringers interview, he didn't know that at his exit interview. He said, afterwards WB football management met with Stringer's manager (not with him) who then told him. So he heard it 3rd hand. Now, its a bit rich for WB to decide where he goes. After all, they unceremoniously dumped him! Too bad, too sad that they have undermined his value and won't get the trade they wanted. The kid seems to want to do the right thing by his young family, to be close geographically and go to a club where he can perform at his best. I reckon he has the right to do just that.

Really happy Bernie is going round again. Not to worried about his lack of pace. His main value to us is when he shuts down a player like Sloane, Danger etc. In that respect Bernie is a high impact player which I value more than one who runs around getting lots of possessions. His presence and conduct on the field also protects our young players from too much rough stuff (soon they will be big and bold enough to protect themselves). Those elements alone make him great value - I can forgive the odd blooper.

I think Roos' love of the Dees is genuine: "This is my fourth year back in Melbourne, I grew up in Melbourne, I barrack for Melbourne, go to Melbourne games with a Melbourne scarf on when I’m not working..." He spent his football life batting for the underdog and finally won a Swans flag but only after resurrecting the 'The Bloods' spirit from the perennial underdog; South Melbourne. So it is not surprising that the creation of a silver tail team (Giants) would not cut the mustard with him. Roos will always be my hero especially after reading this: "....If they (GWS) were to win a premiership, fine. I’d rather Melbourne win it

Jay Clark's take on the horse trading for Leve rhttp://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/jake-lever-is-out-of-contract-so-melbourne-has-upper-hand-in-bid-to-land-adelaide-defender/news-story/77de2b236f1a797b08d5fb5016b1abee The deal sounds quite fair: "The deal will be five years at least on about $750,000 a year, instantly making him one of the top three of four paid players at Melbourne, and he’s exactly what Simon Goodwin’s men need to help jump into the top four...But they aren’t parting with two-first round choices without something else coming back and need only look back one year ago when the Crows refused to part with a pair of aces for Carlton’s Bryce Gibbs for some affirmation". He goes on to say that because Lever (unlike Gibbs) is out of contract mfc hold the upper hand and outlines some trade scenarios. On the down side he thinks it could go down to the 11th hour. I had thought both clubs would want it over and done with and move on to other deals. Adelaide have shown they can play hardball. Just hope we hold our nerve even if it does drag out.

Exceptionally well summarised. Yesterday, I thought the AFL should not campaign. Reading your comments has changed my mind as you've hit on the crux of the issue.