Dees2014

Let all these clowns continue to under-rate us. The only evaluation we should be interested in is the Grand Final, and at the moment no club has the side to challenge us. All the rest of the noise (including this) is irrelevant. In fact the more we can sneak under the radar the better. But this will be very hard once the season proper begins. all you can say is “we have started well….”

I won’t argue with you: l’ll just point to the scoreboard towards the end of May. I also suggest you look at the pattern of signing on from one year to the next. Members do not necessarily automatically renew, but l bet nearly all of them will this year following our success, and most of this is done in the month either side of the season start, and that does not include the bonus of the new members who are new demon supporters who’ve want to join the premiership bandwagon plus the rub off of the womens’ potential success. Just look at the way Hawthorn went from having one of the smallest membership lists to one of the biggest on the back of their three premierships, which l think we shall more than replicate. We shall see, but l bet I’m closer than your pessimistic projections. Perhaps I’m just more optimistic about our continuing success than you!

Agree. Libby is such a smart footballer and has real leadership skills. An obvious replacement as Captain when Daisy retires and then presumably takes over the coaching job. Hope so anyway.

I predict we will be at 65-70 thousand by mid year particularly if we start well and the girls take out the flag. We traditionally sign up a lot of our members in the first 3 or 4 weeks of the year, and so it will be this year.

I agree. We seem to be building nicely. Will be great to get revenge over those two very annoying clubs Adelaide and Brisbane. We owe both of them premiership revenge, just as we did the Hawks and Eagles with the blokes. It is going to be an exciting climax to the season. as a footnote: l think Bannon is potentially one of our most exciting and influential players on either our Mens’ or Womens’ lists. I know she is still young and inexperienced, but it would be great to see her use her speed more to break open packs particularly around goals. She has done it a few time and is truly spectacular and game changing. Perhaps it will come with more experience, but a very exciting prospect with Pettraca-like potential to win games and flags for the Dees.

Obviously loves the Demons after having a couple of unhappy experiences in her two other clubs. Interesting the way highly talented but quirky individuals are so settled at the dees when they weren’t at other clubs (eg Ben Brown, Jake Lever) and therefore allows them to play great footy. Says a lot about the sophistication of our management practices - all credit to them and just adds to our credibility as an elite performance organisation. Ms Roffy - take a bow.

I think there will be a huge serge in wthe first couple of rounds as we celebrate the premiership., I’m still predicting 65-70k which will put us well within the top six. If we go back to back 2023 will be well in excess of 100,000.

I think the point about Max having an “elite” backup in Jackson is a good one. Jackson did almost half the ruck work in the GF (including of course almost all of the critical third quarter) and this of course affects the stats on which the elite judgements are made. l think though to make Champion data classifications more relevant there should be some consideration in things like leadership and game-changing plays for which Max is renowned, and is the best in the competition. Without that, l agree, CD judgements are a bit off.

He is a good player, but not irreplaceable. There is the other issue about this that we have a number of extremely talented youngsters who in the current circumstances if everyone remains fit like last year will not get a game. We need some movement in the list to bring continuous improvement in our overall game. Gus is good, but not essential. If he can go to another club on extraordinary money, then good luck to him. I’m sure the Blues could find a spot, they seem to specialise in acquiring good players whose performance deteriorates rapidly upon their arrival.

Thanks for your note Sydney Demon. In the 50s l was of course a young boy and we just accepted the Demons would win almost every week. l do vaguely remember going to the 58, 59 and 60 grand finals with my demon fanatic father sitting in the Greysmith Stand. I was also at the 64 grannie again with my father and elder brother (since moved to Sydney and defected to the Swans - the turncoat!). My abiding image of the 64 grand final, where we sat just next to the old Mezzanine Bar in the Members stand, was after Crompton kicked the winning goal l looked along our row to see Murray Weideman chain smoking and shaking like a leaf!! I dug my brother in the ribs and we had a good laugh… l also remember going to the game after Norm Smith was sacked (l think about round 9 in 1965) where we were sitting on top of the ladder undefeated with a huge percentage and Richmond thrashed us in the pouring rain , and that was unfortunately the start of decades of losing more than we won. Thank God for Simon Goodwin and his elite coaching setup, the current team, and first class administration. As l have said l think a new golden era beckons….. Since you asked, l probably should clarify my previous remark about being more confident about this current team than ever before, as meaning since 1964. I was 12 in 1964, and prior to that l certainly supported the Dees (as did the rest of my family), but l was simply too young to analyse what it all meant over and above my father’s “propaganda” - not that I’m complaining.

I like it! A better and younger side than the premiership combo. Interesting idea have Jackson/Gawn resting at CHF, but let’s see where we are come March/April when the season begins. Exciting times…

Here here Sydney Demon. This is a meritocracy at any point in time, and and the players picked at any one time should be based on the best available which I’m sure it will be. I agree with your comments re McDonald - he is one most at risk of being dropped. I suspect the Weid would be a much better medium term prospect, but as always it will depend on current form, as well as development potential of the team. The way the club is currently run, l have no doubt this meritocracy will continue as will the success of the team.

Disagree! We should always pick the best available and that is the clear job of the selectors. As it happens there is one (Hunt) or perhaps two (Tomlinson) who would have been in our best 23 come grand final time last year. If that is so at the start of our new season, then they should be selected. Once we start playing favourites (ie the 2021 GF side) we are on a very slippery slope indeed. Fortunately l have no doubt our elite management has no intention of going down that path, and the selectors will continue to fulfill their role of choosing on merit and what is best for the short and long run development of the side. Whilst choosing the GF side again has some romantic appeal, we are not in a sentimental business, but in a thoroughly ruthless environment where our superiority has been hard won, and it should not (and won’t be) surrendered without an almighty fight.

The point l was trying to make with this thread is I don’t remember for the last 60 years (yes l have followed the Dees that long and then some) when we have been in such a favourable position re our list and general general strength of our club. There is really no reason why this should not continue for a number of years, so maybe DeesFlag2020 prediction above is not so far off the mark. It is a very different position than rusted on Demon supporters have been used to for most of their adult life and l for one like talking about it, even though it does bring out the inevitable knockers and sceptics on this site. Unfortunately, the web is full of them!.

Assuming all our list is available for the first round, who do we think will be in the side: FB. Hunt May Lever HB. Salem Petty Rivers CC. Langdon Pettraca Brayshaw HF. Fritsch McDonald Sparrow FF. Kossie Brown Harmes FOLL. Gawn. Oliver Viney INTER. Jackson Spargo Bowey Neal-Bullen EMERG Hibberd. Melksham Tomlinson Jordon Dunstan Weideman CloseCalls: Weideman for McDonald, Tomlinson for Rivers I must say all of the Emergencies would be first inclusions in almost all other AFL sides. We have a huge job in keeping them all motivated and ready to go as inevitably they will need to be in this coming COVID ravaged season. It is a wonderful position to be in.

We shouldn’t and we won’t. There is no need, great talent is knocking our doors down. We have the luxury of picking and choosing - a legacy of our success. Let them come to us, and pay reasonable price if they improve our overall strategy, but let Geelong and Hawthorn pat over the odds for recruits 30+ which won’t set them up for premiership success.

I think this year’s draft picks do this very well. And they are teenagers! Great to see the Dees continue to be one of the youngest lists in the comp, in spite of their success. I have great confidence in our recruiting strategies, in contrast to Geelong who seem to want to stick in the present with expensive recruits 28+. I much prefer our policy of recruiting elite talent and developing them. Geelong will remain in the 8 with this strategy, but won’t get past the second week of finals. We are much better set up for finals success, which delights me as l can’t stand those supercilious bastards at Kardinia Park!

I have one change: Hunt for Dunstan. We can do with JH’s speed, hardness and skill. Don’t get me wrong, l think Dunstan is brilliant recruitment, and as we go through our inevitable injury cycle he will get plenty of opportunities. In any case, we need to give Choco academy time to teach him to kick……

Couldn’t agree more….the present set up does not reflect ourselves, although a lot would have to change in Canberra for the political will to change a la Canada.

If we played the Pies, Cats. Blues, or Tigers, we would get 90k+ at the “G”. Why not optimise our current pulling power?

I was also 12 and sat in the olympic stand on the day next to the Mezannine Bar with my father and brother (now sadly lost to the Swans!). When Froggy Crompton kicked the winning goal l remember looking along at the end of the row we were in and seeing Murray Weideman smoking a cigarette with his hand shaking like a leaf! We had a good laugh….

I rather like the Rich-Hibberd match-up. Clearly we need someone to tag Rich and Hibbo has done done it very effectively before….

One of the aspects of Tom’s game which is not widely recognised is his elite kicking ability: regularly kicks accurately 60+m, on the run or set shot. A great weapon in the positions he will play in the future

I think we have more than 3: try Oliver, Petracca, Gawn, May, Salem, Lever