Dees2014

For pure skill l think hunt is class. We don’t have all that many very fast runners and he is one. I would very much like to see more pressure from him, and he will be invaluable with at half back or the wing. We need pace and we don’t have an abundance now...

The Weid can play well and take big marks. He did it regularly in the 2018 final series. I too think it is a confidence thing. He also in those games provided great forward pressure. l suggest when Max is back and Weid plays full time as a forward, that the confidence with his marking will return particularly if we deliver to our forwards as we did in this game. When on song, Weid is a key part of our game. I am confident this will continue.

No, Lewis was purely BOG last week at Casey. Demanded selection. At his best is clearly in our first 18. We still need to win games to build for next season and convince the competition we are still a force.

Respectfully, we are not a development team. We are in the premiership window, or should be. We need our best team on the park and when all are fit we will beat all comers. We should not go back into a developing team mentality because we aren’t.

That’s 13 off our list, and seven certainties for the senior team. Says a lot about our predicament.

He should, he was great in the twos, particularly the first half. I reckon he is worth a go, good back up for Gawn, and would help put more pressure on Martin.

My point entirely. Eddie had the ear of the Labor Government (this is not a party political issue by the way) and was ruthless about its conclusion. We could have been. The political naivety knows no bounds!

I agree LH. I am just staggered the way those on here are prepared to be pushed around by the powers that be. The Dogs, Pies, Roos, Tigers, Saints got world class clubs facilities, mostly paid by the public dollar, because they knew how to play the public game: ie to access the government dollar. Having been in this field for most of my adult life, l am staggered by how naive the MFC have been in this area. Our fate is Casey, away from our rightful heritage, unless we become very much more ruthless. State Government are always ripe for the picking by AFL clubs - it is simply we are yet to realise it, unlike most of the Melbourne competition. ruthless we are not! There are better ways for us....

I agree M5. Unfortunately l can’t see the Pies buying it, inspite of their “ancestral home” [censored]. Eddie is not that silly, although he does sometime have Trump tendencies!

I think the most common sense one is the head quarters by the Yarra adjacent to the current training ground. It would have to though included everything: admin, coaching, gym and recovery, player facilities, and club facilities for members. This means a bloody big garage underneath. l can’t see any other way. ld be more than happy to congregate after the game in the members bar overlooking the Yarra. Really can’t see why this can’t be done. It is also an area in melbourne where local residences are minimal, although the few people who live in Cremorne I’m sure wouldnt agree. Perhaps we should invite them all to be members!!

Yes. Seen Munro a number of times at Casey and always looked a class act. Also a great, accurate, long kick. Worth a punt l reckon....

I seem to remember when we made our breakout first finals appearance in 1987 after 23 years in the wilderness, we just scraped into the final 5 in spite of winning something like 8 of our last ten games (l stand corrected as to the precise details). Could this be a repeat? With something like 17 of our senior list on the sidelines ATM, the performance in Perth was really quite remarkable, especially considering we beat them inside 50s, and it was only because of our deplorable kicking that we lost. As we get our list back over the remainder of the season, we will get stronger. The next two games are more than winnable, then Collingwood awaits on Queen’s Birthday. By that stage we may well have half a dozen of our 1st 18 back, and then ripe for a crack after the bye. All is not lost. I must say l was heartened by Harmes comments after the game: something like “winning is not our only focus now, we want to play our game style, winning will come”. If this means they relax a little more and play their natural style, who knows what might happen?

Guys, take the win. It keeps us alive for the season at least for now. We have l think 6 MFC playing fit at Casey. We now have two more injured. If we can hang on until mid season and perhaps turn 5:6 and get a few players back in the meantime we are still in this. The side of last year has nor disappeared, but we do have a serious injury list. I was told the other day we had 17 players who had operations over the summer. We have come back underdone and it will take a while to recover. in past years we usually drop games we should win. This year we have got out of jail twice. It would be nice though if we see some of the form return from last year. Whilst it is doubtful we will make finals this year, it is important we come home strongly in the second half of the year. Anything more is a real bonus.

Yes, watched on FOXTEL the first two quarters then went to bed. Woke up at 4.30 and then looked at my iPad. Did not sleep after that watching the replay. Just confirmed to my beloved how “mad” l am!

Yes, l have heard Pert on the media since he took the MFC job and he seems incredibly full of himself. It seems all about him, and not the team. His cameo during the Pies practice game on the video was simply narcissistic nonsense. It was all about him and he did not ever talk about “us”, meaning the MFC. Such a contrast with Jackson, who was so completely committed to the Dees. It won’t end well...

As l previously posted last week, Max will be targetted and defeated by superior forces. He was today. To not field Preuss to give him some heavy hitting backup was stupid in the extreme. At this rate, we will waste our biggest asset. Every side from now on will employ the same tactics, unless we retaliate big time Mid-list at best...

I agree. From what I have seen of the team so far this year they appear to be quite uninspiring,. I know it is early in the season, but the zip from last year seems to have gone missing. 3 and 3 in the first six might be optimistic. Hope l am wrong, but l fear l am not. Usually l am optimistic this time of year....

Yes, l think it is a matter of team balance. Weid and Tommy seem to play more complementary roles than Weid and Jesse for some reason, and l think this will be greatly enhanced by pruess this year, with Max also playing more down forward given our additional genuine ruck strength. A combination extremely difficult to match up on l would have thought particularly in dry conditions.

The Preuss/Gawn combination to dominate the AFL, particularly in the drier months, and September. No team has the cattle to match up on them, so Viney, Brayshaw, Lewis, Harmes, Trac, Jones get silver service for the whole game and not just 70% of it. Max turns himself into a Paul Salmon style Ruck/Forward and kicks 40 goals for the year. Preuss has an outstanding year rucking and resting on bench. May wins all Australian, but Lever struggles with knee all year. Hunt returns to form off half back and gives us the run and carry we have been looking for, gets his kicking accuracy sorted out and kicks over 20 goals for the year. Dees win grannie by 37 points from the Pies going away in the second half!

My best 22 for 2019: FB Jetta. May. Oscar HB. Hunt. Lever. Hibberd CC. Salem. Jones. Harmes HF. Patracca. TMac. Brayshaw FF. Pruess. Weideman. Neal-Bullen Foll. Gawn. Oliver. Viney Interchange: Vandenberg. Lewis. Spargo. Melsham Emery: Garlett. Stretch. Frost Fritsch Hannan Kolodjashnij Excellent side. Think Hunt on half back if back in form and has tightened his defensive skills, could provide a real springbord. Fritsch, Frost, Hannan Garlett all very unlucky, but all will get their chances in 2019. The more l think about it the more l think the Preuss move is inspired. Very few sides have the cattle to match up on it, and lm sure it will allow Max to go to the next level. Extremely good value for an admittedly very good player in Tyson, but one surplus to our needs now.

Agree. Preuss trade opens up a lot of options for us: 1. Max playing a defensive role down back when we run into an Eagles type ambush again. 2. max playing a Paul Salmon type role - more round the ground and up forward. 3 max gets to rest more up forward. Preuss is already an accomplished ruckman who is a similar size to Max. He will learn a huge amount from the star no. 11. The eagles proved how effective two ruckman can be in finals. I think this is a really smart move, and is not a mystery at all. Can’t see Preuss playing too many games at Casey, except on very wet days.

I agree our ball movement is terrific and speedy. Intimidating at times to opponents, and fabulous to watch, but with a few honourable exceptions don’t think our players are particularly speedy across the ground, but our game plan more than makes up for it.

I really hate to say l told you so. I find it sad the way on here where you wear your heart on your sleeve and say what you really feel, the way that prompt$ unbelievable vitriol from fellow Demonlanders. Still l guess we should always remember we are on the net, and you take what you get in dealing with those mindsets!

In my view they are, as Champion Data has been saying all year, playing a superior brand of football. Their best l have no doubt is surpases all comers, the question we all have is can they deliver on the day? I have been madly following this football club for 50 years, and for the first time in my living memory before a big game l have an innerving calmness about the result here. Gone are the nightmares they will fall into a hole. Their brilliance is just so good, that somehow or other you feel they will get it done. It is wonderful... Go you mighty Dees!