Dees2014

Frankly, this outcome was always going to happen. The squalking from Essendon reminds me of the self justification nonsense from Donald Trump. Both have nowhere to go except into long term mediocracy. The verdict is in. They have no choice but to try and manage the outcomes. I understand the EFC are budgeting for $17m in compensation. I would suggest they should triple that and more once add-on costs are taken into account, especially if they also pay the settlements which will be directed at Hird and some of their Directors which no doubt they will be silly enough to do. This still has several years to run, but I am sure they will do everything they can to cover the consequences up. For us, the outcome is a just one, and the one many of us have advocated. Justice has been done. Time to move on.

Wouldn't you do the same? It is one thing for buddy to sign a 10 year deal with the swans. We have yet to prove anything, but clearly hoges thinks the signs are good. We should too. He will sign a 5 year deal when we consistently are in the top 4, hopefully starting next year. Well done Dees.

I asuspect they are not playing Salem because he has had so little football. I have no doubt he will be in the top 22 next year. He is far too talented not to be. Persobnally I think both Michie and ABN are list fillers at best. Serviceable, but will never be more than that.

Darren Jolley, Martin Pike, Steff Martin

Think 1987. No-one gave us any chance of beating anyone in those finals. Momentum is a wonderful thing and we will have heaps of it if the results go our way over the next fortnight.

Thanks for posting this. Very revealing. I must say having read a few bomber blitzes and collywobbles sites from time to time, these on the NM sites were almost civilised. Many though cannot believe they are in a competition with MELBOURNE (who they all refer disparagingly to as GoDees), which given our record against them over the last ten years or so. Is not surprising.

I don't think Garlett will play so the changes I would like would be: OUT: Garlett, Pederson, Harmes IN: JKH, Weideman, Salem i think that is getting close to our long term line up, although I personally would like us to play Spencer and Gawn in the same team, and play Max more forward than he does now. I think it is better balanced. It will be interesting to see whether they do that next week, particularly if the race for the eight is still alive.

I remember that is exactly what many demon fans said in 1987. What that really means it is the fans who are not ready. The club clearly was which showed in their very successful final series, and continued finals appearances for 15 years or more Get used to it ENYAW. It is going to be around for a while....

Salem for Harmes. Weed for Pederson. That team is now looking like a winning 2017 combination.

Try 1987. Very similar - let's hope a similar result

I think we are further advanced than that. I think our current mids are superior in potential to the dogs, Hawks, cats, crows. They will take one or two years to gain the experience to be superior on a consistent basis, but I don't think we need too many extras to get there. Personally I hope they don't trade out one of our high potential mids for some of those flakey youngsters from GCS.

I agree it has the feeling of 1987. Certainly for me 1987 was a wonderful surprise, but I didn't in any way expect us go beyond the first week of the finals. We got on a roll and absolutely monstered North and then the Swans. There is nothing like momentum and we certainly had it and should have got into the grannie. We feel as though we are building momentum this year.. Our consistency and skill levels seem to have improved in the second half of the season in stark contrast to last year. The fact that we have so many talented young players has helped in the rotation process, which has held us in very good stead as we move into August. Just another sign of the quality group of coaches Roos has assembled.

Agree. We can also improve the line up this week by bringing in Salem for Harmes. Salem seems to have been forgotten this year, but at his best is one of our half dozen young guns who will play be an important part of our bright future. Oh yes, he needs to play on the ball, either wing or half forward. Lets do it Dees. Great win today under difficult circumstances. I found it interesting that the summing up by the commentators at the end included: "the demons today have put themselves in a position where it is now possible they will make the eight, and if the do none of the other seven sides will want to play them. On this form, they play like a top four side" (or words to that effect). It is a very long time since we have had that said about us.

Starting to look like 1987. Will a Skilled Stadium be the new Western Oval?

What a great bandwagon! May it continue...

Right now, Max Gawn is our best player by quite some margin. Basically when he has an outstanding game, particularly his marking around the ground and his dominant hits outs to position we usually win. No- one else has that influence. This in the long term though is a worry. We really need another ruckman forward to not only take the pressure off him, but also to optinize his potential match winning forward play. i very much advocate we promote Spencil to second ruck. Combined they were an unbeatable combination last year against Geelong, they cal also be again in the long term. I know the argument is it takes away pace an flexibility up forward. It also though after a match up for the opposition which very few could match. Imagine jesse, weeds, watts and Maxy in the forward half on a bright sunny day (eg finals), no team could match that. Bring it on.

One thing for sure is that the players who are reserving their judgements about whether they will re-sign (McDonald T, Hogan) will be motivated to do so by wins like this. The almost universal take out from all of this by the expert commentators was not that we won't so much, but the sheer brilliance of it and what it means for the balance of power in the AFL competition. An almost universal comment was the Demons are coming and will arrive earlier than everyone thinks. It is fantastic to be building respect like this. Will be even more so if we can win our last 3 games, which I suggest now is a distinct possibility, particularly if Geelong cannot influence their ladder position one way another when we play them in the last round. We ought to be able to beat Carlton, and after Port's thrashing this weekend they are now very vulnerable. Go Dees!

Well, I can't believe so many on here are so negative. It was a professional win, a win you would expect a good side to accomplish, one we so often stumble over in the past. We have some like ones coming up, particularly St. Kilda next week, a side we should beat easily, but IMHO probably will not given our record at Ethiad. If we do, then I would say we have really turned a corner, and we are on the way to being a good side. Some comments: i think Pettraca will take another two years before he becomes the superstar of the competition which I have no doubt he will be. I think in this context we should acknowledge what a gem Jack Viney is: he has been a star from his first game at the club, and has stamped "leadership" all over himself from day one. There are very very few players in that catagory and even less that are got at draft 24 ( albeit through father son). This season has seen a wonderful maturing of players who have been around for a while who many of us though they would never achieve their potential A grade status: Gawn, Watts, N. Jones, Tyson, Vince, Hogan. All have shown this season they will form the basis of our next premiership team, and are at it near A grade status now. It is a very very long time since we could say that. We also have a number of young players waiting in the wings who have the potential for A grade stutus and are already immensely talented: Salem, Trengove, Brayshaw, Weideman We can be immensely encouraged by this, but I detect the hierarchy are getting impatient about our win loss record as could be seen from the less than flattering interview at half time with our Chief Execuitive. It is very encouraging that we no longer will tolerate second best. It is about time! .

And with his speed and agility, Frost can play like a medium mid fielder anyway. Also with Max's current form he is certainly getting mid field stats, as well as his creative handballs. Although I would have preferred Grimes for Omac, I think we will be ok. In some ways big bodies can be an advantage in the wet, and If the rain does ease off we will have a huge advantage - they will not be able to go with us. Let's rid ourselves of yet another hoodoo.

Agree, maybe Clayton Oliver who has been relatively quiet in recent weeks but is still a gun in his clearances. Jack though has earned a recall.

I think the introduction of this league shows more than anything I have seen for a long time how the MFC is changing. The sort of stand taken by Daisey Pearse reminds me of the ruthless attitude of Elliot's Carlton , and the early days of Eddie's Magpies. Totally uncompromising, and totally ruthless. Also, the leading role we and the Dogs have played in this innovation indicates we are not only going to be ruthless, but we are also going to show a willingness to embrace innovation and risk taking. All power to the senior management and the Board, and of course those courageous and extremely talented women who have made this happen, as well as some of the senior players like Jack Grimes who has played a key role as a skills adviser for the team. We all should be extremely proud of this.

Whilst some of the reactions on here were bordering on the chauvinistic, I agree reading them back that overwhelming on Demonland itself they have been positive. Pity the same cannot be said on much of BigFooty and some of the individual supporter sites from Victorian clubs, their main point being that let the girls play if they want as long as it does not cost the AFL anything, and no-one will take it seriously anyway, and is therefore irrelevant to the main AFL. Change will always be resisted by some, and it seems particularly by Blues and Pies supporters. Whether it can be put down to mysoginy or simply ignorance is a matter for the individual. It certainly looks like an irrational dismissal of things female common from certain sections of the Australian male population to me. Predictable, but sad nevertheless. For us males who disagree with this, we should call it out for what it is. Fortunately the AFL in general, and the original clubs in particular (Dees, Dogs) clearly don't agree and we are all better off for the fact.

I find many of the reactions to our womens' team on here concerning. I cannot think of a better example as to why so many of our women find us blokes insensitive, boorish and mysoginist. I had hoped we were better than that but clearly many of us have no idea. All I can say is go girls, and the sooner you deliver the red and blue a premiership the better. I for one will be shouting from the rooftops barracking you on. The MFC have distinguished themselves in promoting this, and all power to them. I am really proud of the Club for having such vision in this, in spite of the chauvanisti attitudes of many supporters as has been clearly shown on this thread.

Agree generally, although Grimes at his best IMHO is definitely AFL standard. The others are back ups. The others at Casey last week who are AFL standard are Garlett, Spencer and Pederson, and those on the injury list Brayshaw, Salem and Dunn. In addition we have some terrific youngsters learning their craft who I think will make it: Huelett, Weideman, Smith. We are not badly off for back up - as strong as any in the AFL (at least in the Victorian clubs) and that I guess is why we are on top of the VFL Ladder.

Which they wear when there is a clash of jumpers and they are playing away. It is not a policy to which we always adhere.