Miles from Nowhere

Old habits like Lever kicking across goal with an inaccurate kick with hang time an NFL punter would be jealous of? Old habits like Salem refusing to bend over and collect the ball, preferring dinky little toe pokes? Old habits like Fritsch unable to tackle?

Lever should be looking at the game passing him by. Increasingly injury prone, he has lost any semblance of pace. Supporters of his talk of intercept marking, but that is an error. Previously, he could play centre-half-loose because someone else would be accountable. But with the speed and accuracy of the modern game an intercept mark is most likely only coming about as the result of an opposition error. Let's face it, he would have had a million intercepts playing against a Goodwin coached offence. And the Freo game's reversion to old habits, kicking across goal inside 50 is just simply asking for a turnover. His distribution by hand and foot is unsafe. And standing, waving and pointing like peak Jack Watts leaves his teammates one short. Sorry Jake; good servant; premiership player; use by date.

Darren Burgess often made the point that he wanted three pre-seasons with young players for peak conditioning and fitness. I have heard him extend the comment further to encompass more experienced players – all of whom, in his mind, could benefit from a scientific strength and conditioning approach. To a degree, similar comments could be applied to tactics and game style – a change at the head of things will take time to show. A root and branch reassignment of the MFC off the filed leadership, coupled with a strategic restructure of the playing list will result in both opportunity and challenge. As a rusted-on member, I am a non-believer in the Petracca & Oliver blame game. And the coaches’ voting in 2025 reveals both these guys, although hardly performing at optimum were still at the sharp end of the playing list. A reasoned decision for the future can hardly be expected to have immediate success. So, one step forward, two (?) steps back. Caleb Windsor and Koltyn Tholstrup are showing green shoots from a third AFL pre-season. Their last years were poor when assessed against undoubted potential, however in Burgess time this should be no surprise. And to extend that thought, both Langford and Lindsay, on a very small, two match sample appear to be on a similar trajectory. Deep breath and patience and while I reject “back to Casey”, man management is important. Going back to an easy kill in the VFL is not worthwhile but an additional managed “bye” round may well be. The frustrated calls for dropping players is human nature, as is revisiting old list decisions. I cannot see that Casey is dripping with talent knocking at the door for game time. Reports from yesterdays’ game indicate that the cupboard, if not quite bare, lacks compelling ingredients. The injury list, while quite extensive, only has Viney and Bowey who might be considered starters - but o not add any speed. AMW had his return game at Casey, and on possessions alone stood head and shoulders above his Demon listed teammates. Heath allegedly went OK. Jefferson and Kentfield are still weeks away and personally give little excitement. When the list changes from 2025/6 are considered the age profile gives little upside. Certainly, there is a concerted effort to improve the “Pert culture”, which solid citizens like Steele and Mihocek strengthen. And yet with their playing bio, when stacked against a team profile at Fremantle – slow and ineffective by hand and foot, and critically between the ears. Foot speed is always going to be shown up when not in possession, but it was shown up glaringly. The successes of six days earlier, were out the window. Spread and run appeared a foreign concept. Even if the generational change comes quickly – excluding Max – is the group of Melksham, Mihocek, Steele, Lever, anything more than timeservers on field. Character they have, but kicks?? The difficulty for a coaching staff is development. Since 2021 GF who has progressed? Pickett, granted - but what about Sparrow, Salem, Rivers? Stagnating if not regressing. It’s a long winter.

Jiath was cleared by the poohs and wees for exactly that reason. His game in Ballarat was terrible; repeated dropped marks, errant disposal by hand and foot and running into trouble. He has Casey written all over him and if injuries mean he gets games, we are in trouble.

If a stock, or in this case a bet, is oversold it is too cheap. Sellers have driven the price down; it is a buyer's market. When a commentator says it is overdone it means that to their eyes there has been too much selling or not enough buying. Therefore, we are "overs" - in a market that is supposedly priced for perfection - the Demons are false odds. The price is too long for the reasons stated. I am no McLachlan apologist but in this case a number of posters have disappeared down the wrong wormhole.

He would have to be an upgrade on the Easter Island moai that is the current incumbent.

Any idea what the Carlton reject thought about the bruise-free football?

Absolute belter of a guernsey. Even my aint supporting wife had to admit it is the best of 'em.

I wonder what evidence there is for the supposed good list @ the baggers. Surely footballers with brains and heart would have pride in their performance. Meh, overrated rabble. "We're coming" - we're waiting.

Please, please pick Cox.

Almost regardless of his form, almost, Sam offers the MFC team structure more than Ben Brown - hell, Mitch Brown does too. Whatever skills Ben has displayed in the past, in a frankly pretty putrid Norf outfit, they are invisible in a 2021 game structure. Even the the Norf brains trust (an oxymoron if ever there was one) recognised it. Nothing to see here from a tempo destroying selfish player. Sam is team oriented; Ben is Oscar Mac with a crap haircut.

The problem for JKH, and Stretch for that matter, is that they fall somewhere between AFL and VFL standard.

I was 10 years old. Great uncle Bill was always able to get tickets in the days when you had to buy a series ticket. The pre game at the old MCG Hotel was the first time I'd ever sat in a front bar anywhere. As for the game itself, I'd always loved John Lord. It seemed unbelievable that a bloke as bald as grandpa was actually playing footy. And the revolting Gabelich clocked him - boo. Don Williams was a favourite though with the brycreemed, slick back hair and white ankle bandages. Sadly, the game is a mist. I remember celebrating but didn't that always happen? I mean Melbourne always won. So imagine how shocked I was 12 months later and they didn't make the four!

Freo?? FFS. What player with any brain at all would sign with that shower and play under Lyon? No matter how much cash they shoved at you.

Dom isn't a pick 25 at Melbourne.

Isn't it great how expectations have changed? Rewind to 2011 and if recruiting genius Barry Prendergast announced that he'd signed a tall kid who hadn't played since the under 14's this place would be in meltdown.

He was seen in a moonboot this morning at the club's "reeding in skoolz" programme. Really popular with the kids - signed a lot of autographs.

I had a haircut yesterday and the barber said that he lives next door to Dale Roberts grandmother. She says he barracked for the Dees as a kid. Idolised Woey.