Durham basically has replaced Dylan Shiel a player the Dons gave up 2 first round picks for

glad we won BUT once again any side that gets there running game going we are in trouble (lucky kicked 3 .6 in 3rd Q),the long bomb (kicked blindly) from defence is a huge worry happens a lot were the good sides get numbers back and with handball connection they run it out of defence ,hopefully we can play in this manner before finals.

Alex
Cincotta
First
Picked
Every
Week

_________________
If I want your opinion, I'll give it to you!

The fact that Cincotta got the opportunity to play at Carlton reserves shows that the net is cast far and wide.

Nick Martin wasn't 'unnoticed' as you say. Didn't get picked up in his draft year and was invited to train with the Eagles as a possible SSP. Was passed over at the time. Essendon* offered him a train on spot after his stint at Subi and grabbed him. It's why i'm confident he'll stay in Essendon* colours his whole career. Has no love for the Eagles after they basically said he wasn't good enough. Anyway ... how could you not notice his red nose and stupid haircut ... that shit couldn't go unnoticed if it tried!

Good win . The Dons had a purple patch in the third quarter and that was about it . I feel we can only get better .

_________________
All my dangerous friends

Are we talking about Martin or Sheedy?

_________________
#DonTheStash

Interested in Cazzesman’s brief take on how clubs monitor elite juniors vs suburban and country leagues
Can’t have eyes everywhere. Who do they rely on and how is it done.

That TDK spoil just before 3 qtr time was magnificent. Much needed too.

_________________
We are on our way back...

I thought we looked like a hard nosed, professional outfit last night, didn't just rely on the usual stars. Ground it out when they had the ascendancy, then kicked away. Dare I say I thought we had more of an appetite for the contest than the Brave Ones. Sure, we can improve and will, but the way we played is the type of footy that can win flags.

Yep - and Tsatas looks like a wasted top 5 pick.
Hobbs hasn't come on either.
Remember the hype when they selected Perkins, Cox and Reid all in the top 10 a few years ago?

_________________
There is no footy god

_________________
░L░I░N░K░I░N░B░I░O ░

Sorry Rick.............tooooo looooonnnngggggg out of the game now. When I was there it was a shoestring budget. Hughesy had a good-mates-network who would ring him about kids from the bush.

Nowadays it isn't really necessary. The pathway from Under 12's is mapped out for the elite kids. Once they hit 15, anyone half-decent is on the radar. Even those playing other sports that perhaps move from junior AFL to Soccer/Basketball i.e. Owies.

Lots of Country leagues have Rep games so the best gets seen there. VAFA has a good pathway, with plenty of ex AFL players as Players and Coaches. Those that miss the draft i.e. Lord, have an eye kept on them for a few more years, to monitor their progress and desire.

WA, Tassie, SA and NT can't hide any players away as the pot is too small. If they can play, they are known.

I suspect most AFL clubs would now have a 'Friendly' in each major League across Australia, 'Keeping an eye out.'

I don't think many get missed. I would say they get passed on, rather than missed. The issue is the limit to the List size, which prevents many from getting a look in.

Regards Cazzesman

_________________
Ricky Gervais - “Everyone has the right to hold whatever beliefs they want. And everyone else has the right to find those beliefs f***ing ridiculous.”

Maybe it's me, but I love a good read of *blitz after beating *.
It's hilarious
https://discourse.bomberblitz.com/t/bloos-v-dons-review/32566

_________________
The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

Ronald Reagan

Up there with Buddy, Roughy and Lewis.

We have won 20 from our last 26.

and what's wild is ... we're nowhere near our potential or have played our best. we keep eeking out wins and doing what we have to.

if we ever get fully fit, we could dominate.

Not sure if it’s been mentioned, but Jimmy Bartel said that Essendon* were brave.

_________________
THEY LIKE TO SEND UP!!!!!!!!

Until each team plays each other the same number of times, the AFL, as a fair dinkum competition, cannot be taken seriously.

He (Mr Swann) said the honour and pride associated with the club's traditional navy blue jumper was priceless.

A really solid, professional win last night against that stain of a club.
We started well, build a solid lead and generally held them at arms length albeit the third quarter was average
We didn’t get massive contributions from our best few so it was encouraging to see others step up - TDK, E Hollands, Hewett, Boyd, Cinc, etc
The back six were very good collectively given the high number of inside 50s conceded
Good to see us clinical going inside 50
A good way to enter the bye - 9-4 having faced the toughest draw in the competition and working through a lot of injuries
We’ve set the platform and given ourselves a good chance to go on with it post bye

In the lead up, I was completely confident we had the cheats measure. So much so I put a bottle of 20 year Canadian Club on the line with scummy mate, the first time I've put anything on the line in a decade. Essendon* have beaten no one. And really, apart from a brief moment in the 3rd quarter when I thought we were playing into their shit, never really felt threatened. We flexed in the first 5 minutes of the last and the contest was over.

It was ugly in the end but did what we had to. Essendon* threw their best shots, and we calmly dealt with it. I feel even if they'd managed to kick straighter, we had their measure comfortably and had gears to go up if needed.

Now we rest, and are in a fantastic position to attack the second half of the year. The ladder doesn't lie is what Voss said, and in our case, that is spot on. Every week has been a tough opponent and to sit 2nd is after being out of the 8 just 3 weeks ago shows how tough the competition is. Top 3 is crucial, as mentioned earlier, and we're in a good a position as (nearly) anyone to achieve it

_________________
Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.