chookrat

Looks like a great opportunity to me. Bring it on!

Change could also mean the players executing the game plan, which managed to get us a a prelim final last year. If we take Goodwin at his word along with what Viney, Brayshaw etc are saying its that we are not performing because the players are not executing as instructed. Our performance this season closely resembles last season (although we did manage an early win or two) and the club turned things around to win 6 in a row, before dropping off again after the bye only to come storming back, beat WCE and GWS and win 2 finals. We are a young side and have started slowly but on history I'm backing the coaches and players to turn things around.

Be patient Deesprate

In seriousness I don't see our problems having anything to do with Pert. We're simoly in poor form. I'm happy the club has backed in Goodwin and the challenges the team is experiencing will make us better. Both Hardwick and Buckley coaches sides were underperforming and under enormous pressure but their coubs backes them in and Richmond wone a premiership while Collingwood played in one last year amd looking the goods 3 rounds in. Be patient fellow Demons.

Could our losses be Gary Pert's fault? We were winning, Pert comes on board and suddenly we're 0-3. Also, he leaves Collingwood and they play in a GF and look even better now.

A bit early in the season to be talking about draftees.....

Re Joel Smith he did manage to kick 4 goals on practically 1 leg. When we're losing people analyse every decision, I say sit back, attend matches, support the club and enjoy the 'bumpy' ride.

I think Jack's doing fine. Played limited minutes in VFL during JLT2, 65% in round 1 and limited impact due to corkie, 75% in round 2 and I'd expect would build to 85% over the next few games. I reckon he will tear game apart for a quarter on Friday and will be primed for Sydney and St Kilda for BOG on Anzac eve v Richmond.

I don't think our situation is anywhere near as bad as it seems. Our aim is to win the Premiership, to do this we need to beat a WCE or Colliingwood in GF, to be able do this we need to to win at least two finals and to do this we need to win at least 12/13 games with healthy percentage. We can win the next 3 while improving to then take on Richmond for Anzac Eve and then we are 4 - 2 and back on track, with Lever, J Smith, Vanders and Hannan to work back in and establish in our best 22. All is not lost.

I have it on good authority that Jay Lockhart will line up for the red and blue on Saturday.

In fairness the peak Neeld years brought a certain novelty factor

I reckon we need to lose this weekend to sing up the 'ironic' supporter base and once they are signed we start winning to pickup the 'winning' supporters. Relax we've got this!

67% game time is reasonable for a first game. If he played 50% I'd be concerned but i think he'll build to 80+% over the next 2 - 3 rounds. He might simply be holding himself back while he builds match fitness, in which case if he had won would have been smart play but because we lost he's seen as the problem. I reckon we give it a few games to see a bigger sample and then we will have a better idea where Jack and the team are tracking.

Viney played 79 minutes according to AFL.com. He looked like he was focussed on just getting through the game but also looked like this when he come back the last couple of seasons before being unleashed to devestating effect. I'll back him to be one of our best in the next 2-3 games.

Agree with this wholly. We fell apart in the middle where our players didn't work hard enough defensively. Port had a heap more handballs and uncontested marks yet also out tackled us. Desoite being so poor in this fundamental we were in it for most of the game and only lost by 5 goals. Fix our focus and workrate in the middle of the ground and we will then start winning and be able to tweak our game.

Hogan will be fine at Freo. He gave us hope for several years is now back home in WA. I'll be wrapped to see him work through mental health challenges and have a long successful career, so long as its not v Melb in September. Get around the bloke, he has a big heart and has been through alot.

Is this actual footage of the May v Berry incident? Explains the medium impact assessment.

We probably would have paid under the soft cap while Neeld was coach

We will easily make 55k and 60k is possible this year. 70k next year if we win flag this year and continue form. Into next year.

Its pure speculation that the faces have bodies, i call fake news

I couldn't disagree more. The AFL cannot take an ethical stance on illicit drugs that only applies to the players. Im fine that PED testing should only apply to players but there is no justification to only subject players to illicit drug testing. Everyone under the AFL banner should be subject to the same cultural standards.

Part of the solution needs to be alchohol and ilicit drug testing not only for players but anyone while working for the AFL or Clubs, including coaching and support staff, back office personnel, media (while working at an AFL event or function) and executive management. As it stands the players would see this inconsistency and game the system, where as if you make sure whats good for the duck is good for mother goose then there is at least some integrity about the policy.

I'm not convinced with this 'new' approach of re-signing players before their contracts expire. It was muxh more entertaining when 'he who shall not be named' kept us guessing before going to GWS. And whats with not pinning our future on the draft. The off season was so boring this offseason. Rant over.

I see your point. Its horrible the way the AFL have set it up where Carlton could be outside the best four teams from a win and % perspective and play in the GF while three teams above them miss out.

I think Plough is right on this. If you finish third in your conference then you dont deserve the right to think about hypotheticals that you dont get to play a grand final because there are at least two teams that finished the regular season above you in your own conference. The farce we have now is that you could be the second top team in wins and percentage yet miss out on finals to Carlton with a win rate of 1/3 and percentage below 80%. The crossover finap would mean that Carlton would need to beat the second team in Conference A to play GF.