Earl Hood

Doesn’t look like they had to remove any mature trees that I can see although I haven’t had a look at the Punt Rd side.

Gosch’s Paddock update. I guess the drainage & irrigation piping has been laid since my last inspection, now they have laid down a heap of sand and the surveyors were out this morning checking the levels. Seems like a heap of sand, so what’s next, a layer of soil or do we go straight to laying instant turf? Anyway things are certainly moving toward the May completion target date. Hanging out for training to return home. Casey is too far away for me and with the ground gates closed why would you bother to make the pilgrimage?

Good point I hadn’t taken that issue into account. However I remember they stripped back the other playing surfaces outside AAMI, about 3 years ago, did some levelling and then recovered with new turf. This is the training ground for Melbourne Storm and the Rebels. From vague memory they were back training on it within a month or so?

Rode past Gosch’s this morning as part of my new year’s resolution to get back in the saddle and lose some kilos. The good news is the works are due to be completed in May this year. Hopefully training gets relocated there from its current interstate location out at Casey! I rode over to the tennis centre and heard someone hitting balls on the practice courts on Swan Street so stopped to have a peek through the fence. A young Chinese woman was hitting up with a not so young male coach and she had very powerful ground stokes. But my eye was drawn to the male coach and the way he was so effortlessly hitting the ball, just a joy to watch and strong on both sides, hardly mis hitting a ball. The more I looked the more familiar he became, it was Pat Cash. He is 56 but from a distance he looks just as fit as when he was at his peak. His student’s name escapes me but she is ranked number 34 in the world.

That effort put an end to Leigh Matthews’ old maxim about goals behind > minutes remaining equals sure defeat. That is if your 3 goals down with less than 3 min to go you are stuffed. Not anymore it seems.

And 87! And Mathew’s decking Smith behind play and Giles and……I am just still bitter!

It would be great for the club to issue that photo with everyone named. I can’t pick a number of them. No Brian Dixon that I can see. Anyone know how Brian is travelling these days?

Great picture here but I can’t put a name to all of them. The guys to the right of Holland/Leoncelli I can’t place.

We need some confirmation of the date pronto. I will have to decline a Christmas function for a club event this week on the assumption the 5 December Demon Celebration is happening. I will be [censored] if it doesn’t happen on that day!

Chris Johnson comes to mind. Bailey wasn’t happy when he walked out. I hope his dad Alan is happy! Jeremy Howe?

Has there been any updates on talks with his management about extending his contract? There was some talk then it’s gone quiet. I want this kid locked in long term.

I was thinking N Jones.

Looked through that video, very forensic analysis of the centre square battle. My takes were Gawn just smashed the opposition rucks to set up our take aways in the 4th Q to put the game beyond doubt. In the 3rd Jackson managed to break even in the ruck contests but was able to follow up on the ground to great effect. And Viney was too strong inside for Treloar or Libba and was able to get the ball out to our receivers to devastating effect. And then we had 2 other bull, ball magnets in Tracc and Oliver. No team could stop that combo I believe. The analyst showed how the dogs tried to counter the onslaught over the last 2 quarters but it was all futile.

Watched that succession of clean centre clearances from mid third term and in the 4th again and Viney was pivotal I thought, a toe poke forward here, a pickup and handball to a receiver on the move there. Oliver, Petracca and Jackson are the obvious ones running full speed out of the centre square to bury the Dogs in an amazing blitzkrieg but Viney was vital contesting the ball and getting it moving our way, he out did Libba there. That frenetic contest at the ball in the centre given we had a dominant ruckman and several inside bulls and ball magnets, was what I was hoping we would get from the start with Yze coming in this season. But I don’t remember seeing centre clearance dominance that much during the year, in fact we at times outplayed in that area by lowly sides and covered that with intercepts at half back and attacked from there. But it did all came together in the finals series. Would love it if it becomes the norm next year which would see us hitting the scoreboard big time.

6 Petracca 5 Gawn 4 Brayshaw 3 Oliver 2 Fritsch 1 Salem

Centre clearances win finals!

Who runs with Bont when he drifts forward?

Got to get it up forward this quarter by hook or by crook then he can get going. First quarter were mainly clean entries, second quarter it hardly got up there. Midfield must lift.

It really is up to Oliver, Viney and Tracc they must get back control of the stoppages. Hopefully May settles down, really struggling tonight.

We are up on the free kicks 7 to 3 amazing!

Where is Demonfrog when we need him?

And I would assign Spargo to CDaniel to chase, tackle and harass at every opportunity to stop his drive out of their backline.

Eric Cantona 1996 FA Cup Final?

Good wing players or whingers? It took me 5 autocorrect attempts to actually write whingers! I hope we get the same umpires who officiated our Preliminary Final, they were very good and if they keep to their minimalist approach we can break even on frees I hope. Although Weightman is working at a different level, ducking at the first hint of contact. I wonder if a Sheedy type coach would be discussing it at every opportunity in the next fortnight, you know waxing hypothetically that they hope the umpires aren’t drawn into the same errors we saw vs the Bombers. You know no accusations just putting it out there. Hoping the umpires actually start to think twice before they see some blonde hair vibrate and assume an illegal tackle.

6 Gawn 5 Viney 4 Petracca 3 Salem 2 Oliver 1 Kossie