A good move by us...but Melbourne? Meh..maybe...would still be a huge event, but I say give us those brown and gold cheats or brad scott and his farkrattling mob.
Either way the joint will explode when Trav runs from half back with four bounces and drills it from 50 to put us in front in the last.
As for StKilda and the Dogs; sorry, but you’re just not big enough for this ride; you couldn’t fill one bay of the G.
I reckon it is a clever choice:
The AFL will like the idea of Melbourne being boosted by a potentially annual block buster
If we can get it annually it will be a guarenteed Melbourne based opening to the season
The Neale Daniher connection is one that deserves celebration and could be an MD fundraiser
We often seem to have very competitive games against Melbourne
The tradition of the march could be established, having already started
I would argue that it marks the day that the EFC as one showed we were not beaten by the ASAGA , and this was the first day of our emergence
Dees at the G is a great idea, and needs to be a home game so the guys returning can wear the black jumper with red sash.
However the cynic in me thinks it’ll be a Sunday twilight at Etihad away game against a tin rattling team. The AFL know we’ll all turn up en masse anyway, and it’ll be a financial kickstart for the home team.
AFL crowds and ratings well down this year… AFL may not like us but they do like the almighty dollar and they sure as hell want to keep those TV stations happy so it becomes of a case of “frenemies” imho.
A big blockbuster Friday night game with the “up and coming Demons with new coach Goodwin (EFC coach at time of saga etc), new players Melksham and Hibberd versus the old firm of EFC with their banned players returning” is a ratings dream. Channel 7 would be all over it… hence why we probably leaked the idea to the press… put a little more pressure on AFL.
I don’t think we are going to be buried in the grave yard for another year. AFL learnt a big lesson this year… pissant clubs don’t draw crowds or ratings even when they are playing well… so don’t give them blockbuster games.
I actually don’t mind interstate rd 1 games. I think if you are going to have to play interstate, that is the best time to do it. All players are fresh and fit, and for some reason that is hard to pinpoint, the home ground advantage doesn’t seem as great (umpires in Perth excepted). It would be interesting to take out some stats on the success rate of travelling clubs in rd 1 v overall.
Re the march, I don’t really think it is a good idea to repeat it. It was a oncer, borne out of the supporters wanting to express their support in the face of unprecedented persecution of the club and its players.
Nonetheless, if it is going to be an annual thing, I would welcome the opportunity to express a continuing protest at the treatment the players received.
It would give real meaning to the “never forgive, never forget” resolve.
I know there is a prevailing club philosophy that we have to put it behind us, and so not talk about it, but this supporter would welcome the opportunity to remind the football world of what I think.
And for me, the wish to turn out in force to welcome back the suspended players is best satisfied at training at the TVSC, rather than in a game. Not sure why, maybe just because it will be in house, and Essendon supporters only. Fark the rest of the football world, this is something for us.