Diamond_Jim

fermented shark can be a sometimes welcome addition to that luncheon.

same ... that Dockers game should have been a comfortable win in theory ... and ...... I had also pencilled in a win against Richmond so next week is a big one

A very pleasant day down by the bay preceded by some lovely fish and chips at the Pier fish and chippery. In the winter sunshine and with low winds Seagull Oval is a wonderful venue. Unfortunately the game from a Demons viewpoint was a great disappointment. Obviously they are trying to get the game plan of run and handball going but it seemed that every third handball in the chain was to a player standing still who was then heavily tackled. (Sounds familiar doesn't it.). The best part of the day's play was probably between Trengove and Brayshaw in the second quarter but even that good play was preceded by a fumble. In the third quarter and for some of the fourth I stood a few metres from the coaching dug out. The reaction of players when they come off is very different. JKH is very talkative. wheras Angus was always quiet and serious looking. It made me wonder if he is enjoying his football but perhaps that is his game psyche. As an occasional watcher I would not feel competent to comment too much on individual players save that none really stood out to me other than Pederson. He has a strong body and positions himself well. My gut tells me that he is not really the future given our game plan but I am starting to worry that the players as a group are not quite yet up to the game plan. Trengove had lots of the ball but I cannot really remember many flashes of brilliance. Angus fought very hard and played well without being outstanding. Casey as a team were outmarked and generally outdone around the packs and occasionally on the outside. The third quarter reminded somewhat of our third quarter against Freo on Saturday. That being said they were not thrashed today and with a few less misses on easy shots for goal they would have been a lot closer. All in all an enjoyable and instructive day. PS: The facilities were good and my AFL (Melbourne Support) got me in for half price ($5). Judging by the constant queue they obviously do a very popular hamburger etc.

thanks Xarron ... much appreciated... have not been on the Willy train in years

Must say I am thinking of heading along Train to the old Willy station a nice meal of fish and chips on the Esplanade and then off to the game. Only light winds predicted so it should not be too bad off the bay. The other choice is Hawks v Cats at the G but I may need a change of scene after Saturday's game. Some practical questions: Numbers.... how do I find out the numbers of the players AFL (Melbourne Support).... I suppose I still have to pay and how much please Suggested viewing spots ie good wind breaks Thanks PS and any luncheon suggestions

very painful memory ... this young nobody hopelessly outdbodied and out manouevered Dunn on the boundary line and kicked a goal. He has proved not to be a flash in the pan that Bont guy. Dunn was having a great season down back. All he had to do was push the ball over the line. Deliberate out if bounds was not a problem then. On Saturday it was way too early to try and close out the game when we hit the front. Sure we could have loaded the backline but they would have had plenty of time to penetrate and score. The best defence was another goal.

Darcy Moore... five kicks one handball...0 goals ... 1 behind He and Weideman continue to run neck and neck along the bottom .... which coach will blink first (perhaps they will both just shut their eyes). After this week I can understand the call for Weideman to go back to Casey and on balance I reluctantly agree provided they can give him some good match simulation. Weeks out in the wind of Casey are not really what is required. Brayshaw is the big question mark. Does he require a good or a top game to force his way back.

For teams who have Docklands as their home ground one would think that they should have good accuracy on goal from say 40 metres out anywhere between the 45 metre arcs but it does not seem so. No wind or other variables... just the walk up and the players personal aiming spot to counteract normal skew etc. Perhaps it is the lack of training on the ground or whatever but its an area ripe for the sports scientists.

sounds about right ... but worried that we don't seem to have the X factor to take us much further. Seems that when the youngsters come on the 4-7 year players just slip that little bit. Petracca and Oliver could be that X factor ... now we need the rest to maintain form Bulldogs winning last year shows what can be achieved but runs like that are the exception rather than the rule All in all I am upbeat about the next year or two but hell the MFC does test you !!

have we improved ... yes but the easy beats from last year have improved and some of the harder ones have gone down a little. Now... how much have we improved .... not sure

thank you so much PSD ... there used to be a listen live button and/or a little head set so I missed that play button. Back in Oz now and will be very interested if that little button still shows when I open the app overeseas thanks again

that sounds about right are we going to tag Martin and if so with whom?

An excellent summation. All I would add is that we also seemed to have more crucial turnovers than they which perhaps reflected our over use of the ball. Cannot remember too many uncontested marks in the MFC forward 50 that would reflect quick ball movement whereas I can easily think of several to Fremantle.

Most contracts have a base and a match fee component. Clearly they lose the match fee component. As to the base I am not sure but remember the base is a 52 week component and would be the same in and out of season.

the live radio is only available on the AFL website .... no longer on the app The radio stations should be complaining as they pay for the broadcast rights and internet streaming is now a very common way to listen.

Posted this on the Post Match thread: "At the game today and noticed they put Watts back for the last few minutes of the second quarter. Good idea but he was badly outplayed when the ball came to ground and well... we know what happened. Why didn't we putt Watts and a crumber back ... one on one ground play is and never has been Watt's strength"

At the game today and noticed they put Watts back for the last few minutes of the second quarter. Good idea but he was badly outplayed when the ball came to ground and well... we know what happened. Why didn't we putt Watts and a crumber back ... one on one ground play is and never has been Watt's strength

Wow.. that was some bad third quarter seemed we were just giving them marking practice including high fkying marking practice for a lot of it

GWS get it done again... hell one can be envious !

mmmmmmmm we certainly are not as crash hot as many thought we were but the outs were not helpful. Freo are a 10 and down team that are 3-4 goals worse in Melbourne than at home. At best we held our own with them so that is where we are at present. The saving grace is that there does not appear to be many stand out teams this year unlike last year when 7 or 8 teams quickly took a lock on the final eight. Watts played well as did Salem, Petracca and Oliver. Garlett was special. Spence did much better than I expected off the ball and is a very welcome addition. Hard to sound upbeat about that loss. Not sure what to expect against Richmond

so did WCE break their duck against us as well ? That would give us some title.... there was a world famous Oz band around the time of the Beatles and it wasn't the Seekers that springs to mind ! Time to get some revenge methinks

A quiz how many teams got their first win against us anywhere and how many their first win at the MCG? If I recall we were the first team to play Sydney at the SCG and well you know.. we lost. IIRC Freo was definitely a first time winner against us at the MCG.

the replays also seem to have disappeared from Youtube As a club that rarely features on free to air, the lack of an easy inexpensive way to access proper coverage is worrying for development of both our supporter and sponsor base

Interesting and valid point but when you take a moment to think about it very few of the world's top sports have a back up competition. No wonder the soccer players find it so hard to maintain form when they are not playing for the main team.

agree... not a great ad for football