btdemon

Not dead, just more realistic. This is a young team and we all got swept up in the bullish media hype. "Are they the Real Deal" and "Dees could go all the way in 2017". The "lid was off" for me BUT, not to the extent of playing in the last two weeks of the finals. I hoped we would make finals and maybe win a game. After that, it was probably unrealistic and not necessarily good for the trajectory of the team in the long term. There are still big gaps in the list and the Swans showed us a little bit of finals strength around the ball and composure under pressure. Hopefully guys like Oliver, Petracca and Hunt will learn from this. We will struggle over the next few weeks now with the injuries we have. Making the finals is now the goal again rather than overblown hype about Grand Finals. For the moment, the lid is back on for me.

Exactly what I'm saying. The guy clipped him with his elbow and now Clarry is the villain. Bulltish

Media tryhards attempting to paint Clarry as a stager really p!ss me off. He wasn't looking, wasn't expecting it and don't tell me he would have the presence of ind to instantly stage something he didn't see coming. While not a massive hit, it obviously connected with his jaw and surprised him. Suggesting he is overplaying it are a slight on his character and we know that to be very tough and combative. Many questioned the veracity of the punch that knocked out Sonny Liston in the first round of the Ali vs Liston rematch. Liston didn't take a dive! He was wobbling all over the place. I'm not saying that Clarry was badly hurt at all but it obviously caught unaware and to suggest he staged is BS.

Imagine.......... it was us who had taken Paddy McCartin over Christian Petracca. In his third year with patchy form, limited impact, injury worries and a cloud over his long term health, he would been lynched on this site by now. In the wider football public the club would been ridiculed for adding to its pantheon of bad early round draft picks. The Saints would have Petracca, who would be now beginning to star. We would hate his talent and arrogance and secretly wish we had him........... WELL WE DO! YESSSSSSS!!!!! What a 'sliding door moment' that was

"Pencil in"? I dont pencil in any game with the Dees

It was interesting to hear him interviewed after the game. He used all of the team cliches - "lucky to get on the end of a few" etc, etc. The fact that he is using the team language suggests that he has really "bought in". A couple of years ago he was much less focused about why he had a good game. He is really working for the team now and the chasing and tackling are really working for him. He must be aware that he is now in the top performers for "forward pressure" and that makes him feel pretty good. We are so lucky that he is happy in the Dees team environment. He's an enormously valuable player for us now. Our leading goal kicker and most reliable avenue to goal. He'll hopefully improve further when Hogan is back the the forward structure settles.

corrective spelling thingy. Mozzzzz

The most ferocious player in the competition. We have not seen such a bulldozer at the Dees. I don't remember Barassi that well. He must have been similar in his determination. Viney is up there with Sellwood and the former Swan, Paul Kelly.

Tonight's win represented the best team effort for a long time. No outright stars, just amazing pressure all over, against all odds. A watershed game that we may well look back on. I hop I don't put the moss on next week.

Never again!

I've done my ladder predictor so many times now and it makes less sense the more the season progresses. The recent upset wins and losses like GWS and the Crows makes it even more difficult. The bottom line is, we need to win games. It doesn't matter who we win against as long as we start to rack up the four pointers. So far we have lost games we should have won. Now we have to win some where we aren't favourites. (Statement of the bleedin' obvious, I know.)

Viney is a crazy terrier but he's never been a sniper

Mike McGear - (Real name Mike McCartney, Paul's brother)

Thanks Dan. Like most of us here I went to bed feeling devastated and pizzed off. I was convinced that the season was finished annoyed that the commentators were carrying on about what a great fighting come back the Tigers had made. Not that the Dees were on top but down two key men. It was obvious we were unlikely to hold on. I woke up this morning determined to see the positives. Very much against my natural tendencies. The fact is, I think we are in good hands and heading the right direction. The challenges of injury can help define the character of the team and help build a fighting spirit. I do think Goodwin is a keeper. Go Dees!

At this point things could have been very different had we not been hampered by injury and lack of discipline. We could still play in September if we can hang together for the next few weeks and be creative in relation to our ruck strategies We have improved as a team and are playing an exciting, attacking brand of football. It is vulnerable and requires a frenzied attack on the ball. This is difficult to sustain for 4 quarters but we should have won at least two of the three games we have lost had we not kicked poorly, had injuries and lost key players due to undisciplined acts. We should be 4-1 or 5-0. That all adds up to IMPROVEMENT. Despite us losing these winnable games we are building a great ethic and an a more even contribution across the team. There is some over possessing going on but it often involves attempts at dinky handball and flukey taps. This can appear foolhardy but they must continue to do this to perfect it. It is a weapon in the modern game. We have a number of good players down on form. Viney, Tyson, Hogan We still make some poor decisions, but believe it or not, I think they are less frequent Watts has learnt how to compete in a way hat he has never done before. This injury crisis has been a watershed moment for him. He should be in the leadership group next year because he is showing that on the field. A strong Watts is a great indicator for out team and the culture. Oliver, Petracca, Salem and Hunt will be stars. Vince is still useful and has been playing under duress. I would have had him harass Dusty last night but Goodwin had other ideas. Lewis will help out down back T Mac had a shocker against Riewoldt. Riewoldt is a very clever player. Despite the current gnashing of teeth, I think Goodwin is a very good coach in the making. Creative, innovative, a good communicator and the players PLAY FOR HIM and believe in the gameplan. We know that this is crucial. You can see it in the frenzied attack on the ball. The team is the youngest in the comp. I expected to to win somewhere between 8 and 14 games but certainly didn't expect to roll into the top half of the eight in September. We can still make it if we don't lose the plot We need to have plans to replace the older players. Bernie, Jones. We also have to plan for the next age group decline. Watts, Jetta, Pedo are all in the 26-30 bracket and while they may continue to improve for a couple of years they will then begin to taper off We need at least one more project ruckman (this is very wise after the event). Obviously Flipper is nowhere near it and King is raw and not match-hardened. We have to learn from this experience. Thank god we didn't delist Spencil as some posters would have On other teams Richmond aren't that good and thy'll lose next week against the Crows Neither are Geelong but they will finish top four because of the draw and good luck. Both teams have great starts to the year and that helps Giants and Crows are the clear leaders. Essendon worry me next week but hopefully we will have a backs to the wall win. We sure deserve some luck I've done the AFL ladder predictor many times already and this is the most unpredictable of years! My last one had us eke out 12 wins and scrape in to 8th spot

I don't like union busting tactics. I wish he'd stay out of it. People who think unions have too much power should look at the history of the past forty years - a rapidly widening gap between rich and poor. There are very few powerful unions in Australia today. This is a result of the effective strategies employed by conservative governments and employers in combination with the changing landscape of the economy. There is much less job stability and the employment environment is constantly shifting. The numbers of unionised workers is fraction of what it was in the 1970s. Unions are by and large, much less powerful. Nowadays, when a union appears to have any semblance of bargaining strength, they are roundly pilloried by the conservative media. I'm not suggesting that AFL players are poor but that they have every right to negotiate a CBA which protects them, sets up a reasonable pay structure which is commensurate with the very profitable industry they work in. It is a high risk, high reward career. Their careers can be very short lived and they deserve some security.

These inconsistencies are going to happen. his team is young and we still don't have the depth of experienced players and the on field leadership (it would have been handy to have Lewis to help turn things around) to lead the team when things go awry. I like the noises that Goodwin is making and I see him using these past four games as learning experiences. As much as I want us to figure prominently in September this year, a pass mark would be to improve consistency, win as many or more games as last year. This may get us in to the finals but may not. What I do see is a different game style and one which has the potential to win more games. If he can patch up the leaks then we will be on the road.

I admire Nev tremendously. A footballer who made the very most of his ability with pure determination and discipline. Love him

He needs to 'use the first option' until he finds touch. He is great at finding the ball but so often holds on to it too long looking for options. Then turns it over because he doesn't have the kicking skill. This makes him look very selfish. Frustrates the hell out of me sometimes. If he could correct this aspect he would be very damaging.

Giving Watts some ruck responsibilities was great for his game last year as well. It gets him into the game, bangs his body around a bit and stops him being so reticent about the physical contest. If he used stronger hands when marking it would improve his game further. That goal out of traffic was one of the goals of the year IMO

people are forgetting Darcy Moore and Nakia Cockatoo. In the same draft as Petracca, Wright and McCartin. Both of these guys could be stars IMO

"It's going to be the most tremendous stadium...sniff....Crowd capacity will be 100,000......1,000,000.......10,000,000......100,000,000..........1 BILLION!!! people" - Donald J Trump

Fake news stories on the big screens

AFL's first artificial turf surface..............orange

Bailey was an innovative and attacking coach. The game plan did seem susceptible when under attack but i must admit i really enjoyed it when it worked. Think back to the attack which included Liam, Aussie and Robbo. Exciting time. On the other hand, I wonder if 186 against Geelong would have occurred if the club had had the structure and discipline from the board down that it now has. There is no doubt that Bailey didn't have the resources, the support or the stable structure that now exists. I do feel that he was short changed.