Big Col

They might be picking two rucks in the AA this year.

Bowser reads the play brilliantly and makes good clean disposals. 200 gamer IMHO.

6 Melksham - we'll excuse his brain fade 50m penalty because the rest of the game was elite. You are a champion. 5 Rivers - definitely a midfielder 4 Bowey - best season ever, can rely on him when he wins the ball 3 Picket - an absolute game winner that we have to keep at all costs. 2 Trac - leading possession getter for the game but appears so low in the votes? Maybe we expect too much of Trac, but he was great again. 1 Langdon - back to his best Special mention to Fritta whose time as a sub felt like the message had finally hit. His 1 and 1/2 quarters were what we'd like to see every week!

My kids asked " how are the demons going?". It was so hard to keep my compusure and not let them see a grown man cry. We just beat the reining Premiers away from home. We're back in town, baby.

I'll didn't think I'd ever forgive Walls for having an open goal and missing in the dying seconds of the Rd22 1976 game Carlton vs Footscray where a Carlton victory would provide Demons with their first finals experience since 1964. The game was a draw. I was in tears as an 8 year old and vowed I would spend the rest of my life hoping Robert Walls would suffer immense pain for ever after. True story. By the time we'd made finals in 1987 I had forgiven him. My fondest memory of him is when he was coaching the Bears and they had to rely on the result of another game to know whether they'd made it. It was Rd 22 1995, the same game that Sean Smith took his mark of the century. The Bears won but needed other results to fall their way. The whole thing was so unlikely but the Bears got up and you could see the way Walls was so thrilled for his players - hugging them and back slaps and all. (He was retiring ). Rest easy Wallsy. I've forgiven you.

Possibly. It's certainly unsportsmanlike. Kos was running into an open goal and that was not a genuine attempt at a tackle.

How big will Thursday night's game be now?

Bringing JVR and Fritta back after their VFL performances and after our AFL performance would seem counter productive. Recognise and reward form. Only May (if fit) and then Mcvee (was solid on return) should come in to replace Turner.

I cried.

we need the crowd. Those extra 2 should help us crack an attendance of 1000.

There is an image of Trac from 2021 GF after he kicked his amazing goal where I saw a determination that I've never seen before in anyone. The camera focuses on him for an instance, there's sweat coming off him and instead of wild celebrations (as us fans were doing) we get to see him as he prepares for the next centre bounce. Truly f ..ng focused and committed. It was passionate, determined and powerful. It's hard to describe how I felt then when I first saw his face then and now compared to when I look back on it. Trac is elite. He would make a great captain.

6 - Chandler 5- Oliver 4 - XL 3 - Trac 2 - Henderson 1 - Salem

I get the disappointment over this, but WE know how good the Duke is, and the longer he's kept under the radar for us, the better.

This is close to the perfect balance IMHO. (Maybe less U/23 and more 23 to 27 if we're winning premierships)

Turner has been withdrawn due to illness, according to the MFC website. One man's misfortune is another's opportunity. El Jefe makes the team and Johnson the bench. Let's see what you can do.

Luke Trainor looked a star too.

They were $10.50 on Sportsbet at the start of the game. It would have been staggering the odds when 41pts down.

GWS have moved to 3rd favourite on Betfair. $7 Hawthorn $7.40 Brisbane $7.60 GWS Round 1 form is always overrated. Get on the Dees for next week!

Trac and Clarry putting in good games was a highlight. No JVR meant we had little up forward. Hope he's OK. Langford and Lindsay were quieter than last week, but Johnson showed promise. I'm cautiously optimistic for the season (as I always am).

My shout if my $1 bet comes off ... (Also have every combo of 2 legs ie 6 bets of $10. I think Roo winning the Coleman is the least likely but what the hell).

I think they could reduce rotations further (say, to 50/game or even less) and get rid of the sub. Fewer rotations means there's less disadvantage to someone being injured and more strategy in managing interchange.

In soccer they're all subs.

Unfortunately once we tumbled down the ladder - accompanied by the perceived issues at MFC - we lost the opportunity to recruit this year's premier target, Dan Houston. We were the front runners early on, but yeah... I think we've done the right thing by getting ourselves 2x top 10 picks. We still have at least 2 years of Gawn at his top, and if Petracca and Oliver (returning to form) in the team then we have another 4 or so years with them. If our picks are good then they could easily be a part of a premiership within that time frame. (think of the impact of jackson and Picket). BUT if we are sh*&# again next year and we lose either or both and we decide to rebuild then we're a year ahead of schedule - especially with Caleb, Kolt and Jeffo.

What a cutting comment! Can you be more blunt than that?

I got exactly these odds ($26) on the eve of the 2021 season. Put $25 on it. (But then I have bet on Melbourne to win ever since about 2001)