spirit of norm smith

2nd qtr 🤮Langdon kick into z50. Turnover 👏👏👏Langdon to Melksham ☠️umps. Johnson two tackles not rewarded 🤮Fritsch miss from 25 metre out 🤮Oliver fumbles and fumbles 🤮Fritsch miss from 40 metre out ☠️umps

Yes do your blood pressure a favour … errors and turnovers killing us

1st qtr 🤮Henderson turnover 🤮Oliver turnover 💔Lindsay knee injury - subbed off 👍🏻Sharp to Chandler 🤮Ump free and fifty50 (Oliver brain fade) 🤮Petracca 30 metre out -miss - kicking for goal (looked unsure) 🤮Fritsch - turnover 🤮Langford miss 👏👏👏Langford to Bowey 🤮🤮🤮rivers poor handball - asleep Noble goal 🤮Trac kick suns 2v1 🤮May error dropped mark Suns 4.5.29 Dees 1.4.10

Who’s missing? (From best 22) Pickett. Lever. Windsor McVee Throlstrup

Surely there’s an experienced sports administrator available and willing to take the job. Bizarre that it’s vacant to be honest.

Starting to feel the dreaded Dees injury curse again Injury & Suspension List: Round 3 [player, injury or suspension, estimated return] Jake Lever — ankle / fitness test Steven May — larynx / test Jake Melksham — hamstring / test / likely Casey Kysaiah Pickett — suspended / 1 week Matt Jefferson — hand / 1 - 2 weeks Caleb Windsor — infection in his foot / 1 - 2 weeks Koltyn Tholstrup — back / 2 - 3 weeks Judd McVee — hamstring / 2 - 3 weeks Jai Culley — foot / 2 - 3 weeks Marty Hore — calf / likely 2-3 weeks Luker Kentfield — illness / 3 - 4 weeks Shane McAdam — Achilles / next season Andy Moniz-Wakefield — knee / next season ——————————————————- ps Darren Burgess - fitness coach at the Crows. Their injury list is two players probably ranked in the last few on their list

MFC COACHING STYLE

“Players wanted to see the uplift in their coach and being happy “ constant dialogue around the players growing and reaching their potential. lots of words around the journey and learnings and being your best and love and openness etc etc etc basically all the phrases like you hear from a “life coaching consultant”

How can 2025 be successful “Curiousity Create fun Love and allow people to show their strength Love and healing and connection Put the pieces together to create Feeling intensity to succeed”

On Clarry … “Thoughts were … do we need him to have a fresh start and considered that we got it wrong that we didn’t discuss with Clarry first … we looked at trade options for Clarry but now he feels happy and excited about the year ahead there were worries in pre season 2023 that he’d be playing footy going ahead “

Petracca injury in 2024. The hurt what was the issue? Trac didn’t feel the love from the club We hope he feels the love now !! we were worried that he might seek a trade and had to lean into it … so we had honest and open conversations and had to show the love and every player can feel they can feel the best that can be

Low points two of them 1- “2019. The doubts as a coach. But out of darkness you find strength and mentors and learnings !! “ And 2… not discussed

“Lost two finals in 2023 by goalkicking. Successful years !! (???)” my words … heartbreaking years!!

Keep thinking about this “Melbourne's scoring efficiency from their inside 50s is currently the league's poorest. The Demons have scored from just 35.7 per cent of their inside 50 this year. If the season were to end now, their conversion rate would be the worst since North Melbourne's in 2020. Questions have hovered over whether Melbourne's emerging talents can progress, as concerns over the Demons' options in attack loom large. So far in 2025, the concerns have been proven valid”. last week … inside 50s Dees -56 times. 9 goals. Kangas - 53 times. 19 goals. fyi Power. 56 times. 21 goals Crows 63 times. 25 goals. Three years and still no solutions !!!

Charlie Spargo has become one of many players. Too good for VFL Footy but not contributing enough at AFL level. Hoping he can get back match fitness after missing 2024 and if he can add more.

If the job was vacant today … the media list would be something like John Longmire Adam Simpson Jaymie Graham James Hird Leon Cameron not sure Nathan Buckley would even raise an eyebrow!!

Also wanted to call out young Mitch Kirkwood-Scott. He was at Sandy Dragons last year and I mentioned him several times as a young player with elite disposal and ability to kick 50m+ easily. Plays as a small defender. Captained Haileybury last year and excelled in the APS. Great to see him at Casey and see how he develops.

Blockbuster of TV tonight. Switch the phone off and get the popcorn ready.

Agree. Assume Johnson will replace Jefferson but I wouldn’t mind seeing what Fullerton might offer as tall forward/2nd ruck relief. Need to see why he was traded in and what he has to offer.

B: Lever, May, Bowey HB: Rivers, Petty, Salem C: Langdon, Oliver, Windsor HF: Sparrow, Johnson, Sharp F: Fritsch, JVR, Chandler Fol: Gawn, Petracca, Viney IC: Campbell, Lindsay, Langford, Chandler Sub: Henderson in. May. Windsor. Johnson. Campbell. Langford. outs. Tmac. Howes. Woey jnr. Spargo. Jefferson on thin ice … Fritsch, unavailable. Pickett (suspended)

Anyone tell me why Bailey Laurie is still on the list. I know we have to give youngsters chances to shine but he’s had chances & is going backwards. I saw him in the under 18s and he had a yard of pace, was smart and could hit a target in left or right foot. Seriously has not developed at all and I couldn’t see why we extended his contract. Given what he shows, this has to be his last year.

Ditto. No excuses for players who can’t hit a target. It’s a disgrace. Most butcher if even with little if any pressure. Even Bowey has gone backwards since he started at the club. He was an elite kick in 2021 in his first year but now can be unreliable at times.

Goalkicking practice this week. Mandatory!!

It’s just the end of Round 2 only … too early to panic !!!

CASEY DEMONS B: R. Bonner (52), J. Adams (26), M. Gregory (57) HB: N. Yze (49), M. Hore (27), M. Kirkwood-Scott (51) C: J. Billings (14), B. Laurie (16), T. Edwards (58) HF: K. Brown (41), T. Fullerton (33), R. Mentha (39) F: K. Windsor (66), C. Lewis (70), O. Sestan (38) R: T. Campbell (29), H. Langford (19), R. Baldi (56) INT: A. Lual (74), P. Cross (64), C. Doultree (61), W. Verrall (28). 23rdman: J. Craven (75) 11 MFC listed , 12 Casey listed missing - Casey: Deakyn Smith (susp) Mitch Hardie (?) Dees (9 unavailable) : Pickett, Johnson (susp) , Melksham, May, Windsor, McVee, Throlstrup, Culley, Kentfield Roos have recruited strongly and probably go in as favourites with MFC and Casey missing so many