The midfield is problem number 1

[jabberwocky 2,301]

We have been inside fifty 492 times in comparison to our opponents 620 times.

We have kicked 117 goals to our opponents 163.

It equates to a goal every 23% of our inside 50 forays, compared to our opponents 26%. In comparison to how we are travelling in other areas our conversion rate holds up ok.

I expected that our foward line would have a much lower conversion rate than our opponents. The main problem is getting it in there. We also average 5.6 contested marks per game, more than our opponents' 5.5 which is a bit of a surprise.

We are on the bottom in nearly every stat including tackling which is a concern seeing that the other team is in possession of the footy more than we are.

Our forward line has it's issues but IMO the midfield simply needs to get its hands on the footy more, we have a forward line that is being starved of opportunity.

http://www.pro-stats.com.au/psw/web/team_home?tid=109

[e25 5]

I think we average more contested marks because we seem to take quite a few in the backline - Warnock and Martin have been doing it all season long.

[DangerousDemon 3]

We have been inside fifty 492 times in comparison to our opponents 620 times.

We have kicked 117 goals to our opponents 163.

It equates to a goal every 23% of our inside 50 forays, compared to our opponents 26%. In comparison to how we are travelling in other areas our conversion rate holds up ok.

I expected that our foward line would have a much lower conversion rate than our opponents. The main problem is getting it in there. We also average 5.6 contested marks per game, more than our opponents' 5.5 which is a bit of a surprise.

We are on the bottom in nearly every stat including tackling which is a concern seeing that the other team is in possession of the footy more than we are.

Our forward line has it's issues but IMO the midfield simply needs to get its hands on the footy more, we have a forward line that is being starved of opportunity.

http://www.pro-stats.com.au/psw/web/team_home?tid=109

You are right mate and this was a huge issue against Collingwood where we did not have a centre clearence at all in the first quarter. This aspect was remedied a little in the second term however the stats will still indicate that we were smashed in that area. Rucks play an imperative role in centre clearence efficiency, however against the pies it was our lack of willingness to win the hard ball and their advantage in intent which really dictated the play. I feel we have the artilary there to make the clearance statisitc looks a lot better than what it is currently however the application and output and sometimes lacking. By this I mean that certain players tend to loaf a little when there is no sight of a win. Against Collingwood after the first three goals went to their advantage our attack on the ball diminished considerably.I thinjk it is a mental rather than a physical thing because we have realtivly tough bodies in there in mclean, Sylvia and Jones.

[jabberwocky 2,301]

You are right mate and this was a huge issue against Collingwood where we did not have a centre clearence at all in the first quarter. This aspect was remedied a little in the second term however the stats will still indicate that we were smashed in that area. Rucks play an imperative role in centre clearence efficiency, however against the pies it was our lack of willingness to win the hard ball and their advantage in intent which really dictated the play. I feel we have the artilary there to make the clearance statisitc looks a lot better than what it is currently however the application and output and sometimes lacking. By this I mean that certain players tend to loaf a little when there is no sight of a win. Against Collingwood after the first three goals went to their advantage our attack on the ball diminished considerably.I thinjk it is a mental rather than a physical thing because we have realtivly tough bodies in there in mclean, Sylvia and Jones.

Jones actually gets first hands on the footy a phenonemal amount of the time in the clinches unfortunately we don't tend to get a clearance out of it due to a number of factors. First reason is a lack of available options around him. We really only have one player that is capable of consistently delivering clean possession in traffic and that is Davey, he uses his speed, agility, and his ability to get into space. Jones, Mclean and Moloney can stand up in a tackle but who then do they get it out to if Davey is covered.

Collingwood however have a number of smooth movers who are capable of finding space to work with in close, Davis, Pendlebury, Didak etc.

[Ryan Dee 140]

I dont think anyone can be surprised by this. We all know our mids are just not up to scratch with the rest of the comp. Wont be to long till they get better.

Scully is ours so that will help in years to come.

Id like to see Nate Jones get more of the ball or kick a few more goals. He seems to be getting between 20-24 touches every game which is not that bad because he gets a lot of hard ball, but we need to see games where he can really make an impact once in a while so it proves he can evetually be a great player.

Mclean seems to be out on his legs a lot of the time, Could be an injury but we dont really know.

Moloney does his job and is a good player but will never be an elite one.

Sylvia has finaly added some class in there and its great to see. Just the sort of player we need.

[drdrake 3,037]

The big problem with our midfield is they don't work together at stoppages. You watch the top 8 teams there is so much off the ball shepparding/blocking to create space for an effective clearance to be executed. Jones does get his hands on the footy, why can't someone put their body between Jones and his opponent to give him some more time. It's not only Jones, Mclean also they seem to get the footy only to be tackled for a secondary bounce or free kick.

Even Richmond did it a few times on Saturday night they create a path for Cousins to get a clear path at stopages.

[H_T 2,941]

The big problem with our midfield is they don't work together at stoppages. You watch the top 8 teams there is so much off the ball shepparding/blocking to create space for an effective clearance to be executed. Jones does get his hands on the footy, why can't someone put their body between Jones and his opponent to give him some more time. It's not only Jones, Mclean also they seem to get the footy only to be tackled for a secondary bounce or free kick.

Even Richmond did it a few times on Saturday night they create a path for Cousins to get a clear path at stopages.

You're quite right. In addition to that, they're just not efficient and quick thinking enough compared to the better midfields in the opposition - not just with the 'pill', but when their teammate has the 'pill'. Daniel Jackson (of Richmond) revealed in the AGE that prior to Saturday nights game against West Coast, Ben Cousins spoke to the players and it was his opinion there was not enough of helping out teammates in blocking, shepherding, etc around the stoppages. I guess Melbourne should take note and take this on board as well.

[Mondê 525]

Tom Scully.

Clearance machine.

That is all.

[Dr Jekyl & Mr Hyde 0]

Tom Scully.

Clearance machine.

That is all.

Tom Scully = Chris Masten. <_<

[MikeyJ 60]

Masten didn't dominate the U18 championships like Scully's doing this year.

Masten also had the luxury (as did Cale Morton) of playing in an utterly dominant WA side in his top-aged year. Now it can be argued that Morton benefited more from his side's superiority as he is more of a finisher than Masten, but the fact remains that it's easier to look good in a dominant team.

In contrast, Scully's Vic Metro team has won just one of its three games and Scully has been head and shoulders his team's best in two of those games. One a win in the first week of the championships, the second in last weekend's heavy loss to WA.

They might be similar sorts of players, but Scully excites me much more than Masten ever did.

[Mondê 525]

Tom Scully = Chris Masten. <_<

That must be a joke. Tom Scully is better then Masten in every facet of the game. And I mean every facet. You wouldn't be able to tell if Scully was a lefty or a righty because he is equally as good on both sides. He is explosive, beautifully balanced, and sees the game one step ahead of every other player on the field. I will be very disappointed if we don't inject him into our midfield using our number 1 draft pick.

[Freak 100]

I'd almost prefer to have pick 1 then to have picks 2 AND 3 such is Scullys brilliance. Best handball i've seen since simon black

[Dr Jekyl & Mr Hyde 0]

That must be a joke. Tom Scully is better then Masten in every facet of the game. And I mean every facet. You wouldn't be able to tell if Scully was a lefty or a righty because he is equally as good on both sides. He is explosive, beautifully balanced, and sees the game one step ahead of every other player on the field. I will be very disappointed if we don't inject him into our midfield using our number 1 draft pick.

You obviously:

a) never watched Chris Masten as a junior, or

b ) You are seriously wrapped up in the Tom Scully hype

Scully is a very very good footballer, who uses both sides of his body and sets up play - but to say he is at a superior level than what Chris Masten was at his age is something I don't agree with.

Masten might have been underwhelming so far in the AFL - but as a junior (at 17) oozed class playing against Grown Men in the WAFL - OP has cut him down.

But you're right.

Melbourne need Scully in the guts.

[rpfc 27,449]

Good stuff, Dandeeman.

Most fans believe our forward line is the reason our midfield is poor; they have no-one to kick to.

But they are too forgiving of Moloney, Sylvia, and Jones and their distribution into the forward line - they have 126 Inside 50s between them and only 26 assists. Davey, because of his precise kicking skills, and Bate, because of his footy smarts and ability to put the ball in the right areas, have 67 Inside 50s and 31 assists.

McLean doesn't have 30 Inside 50s - that tells me that he isn't getting on the end of enough handballs in the middle. He is not running hard enough. He isn't quick, but that does not allow selfish running. He is coming from a short pre-season and his inside work has been Sewell like of late, so he gets a repreive but he needs to do more.

Moloney and Sylvia are great kicks and Jones is adequate, but they need to kick it to the right side of the forwards and not on top of their heads.

Otherwise, good luck Jack, Liam, Russell, Michael, Brad, Neville, Austin, or anyone else that wants to kick some goals...

[Mondê 525]

I watched Masten during the U/18 championships in 2007 and at the time I remember drawing comparisons to Bartel. Workhorse, gets the contested ball, gets clearances for his team, but very one paced. On the other hand when I see Scully I see some of the brilliance that GAJ serves up week in week out. Just the explosive pace away from the contest and making the right decisions on a regular basis. An instinctive midfielder who tears away from the contest and then finishes is what we are crying out for.

[H_T 2,941]

I watched Masten during the U/18 championships in 2007 and at the time I remember drawing comparisons to Bartel. Workhorse, gets the contested ball, gets clearances for his team, but very one paced. On the other hand when I see Scully I see some of the brilliance that GAJ serves up week in week out. Just the explosive pace away from the contest and making the right decisions on a regular basis. An instinctive midfielder who tears away from the contest and then finishes is what we are crying out for.

Yes. We don't have any of these instinctive midfielders who tear away from a contest, although Sylvia's been ok of late. They are a rare commodity within the AFL. A must for a team of Premiership aspirants.

[toughdemon 0]

I LOVE how everyone pins blame on how poor our forwards are doing

IT ALL STEMS FROM THE MIDFIELD

everyweek we get hardly any iside 50s

it is RARE TO SEE ANY KICKS go into the forward cleanly and direct

BECAUSE OUR UNTOUCHABLE MIDFIELD is no good

HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO KICK GOALS!

WE NEED NEW MIDFIELDERS quick and skilled. we have an excellent backline - we have some forwards developing

but our midfield need to learn to deliver passes into the forward before MELBOURNE CAN MOVE FORWARD

CHANGES NEED TO BE MADE

[Yencks 8]

I think we definately need a skilled ruckman more than anything atm

[Roost It 1,434]

I LOVE how everyone pins blame on how poor our forwards are doing

IT ALL STEMS FROM THE MIDFIELD

everyweek we get hardly any iside 50s

it is RARE TO SEE ANY KICKS go into the forward cleanly and direct

BECAUSE OUR UNTOUCHABLE MIDFIELD is no good

HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO KICK GOALS!

WE NEED NEW MIDFIELDERS quick and skilled. we have an excellent backline - we have some forwards developing

but our midfield need to learn to deliver passes into the forward before MELBOURNE CAN MOVE FORWARD

CHANGES NEED TO BE MADE

Agreed. There's no room for Mclean, Moloney and Jones all in the same team. Personally I think Mclean's been the worst of the 3. Moloney is still one dimensional. Jones has age and a sound body on his side and also seems determined to improve as a footballer. With Scully and Grimes coming into the midfield it's going to be impossible to play all three. Personally I think Mclean's finished. I will say that I'd never thought I'd say that so early but he's slow, his disposal has become poor and his decision making has deserted him. Moloney will still get games but off the bench. Our midfield must become elite if we are to win a flag. I've never seen the MFC with an elite midfileld. I hope they can pull it off, our future may well depend on it.

[Roost It 1,434]

I think we definately need a skilled ruckman more than anything atm

Who's he going to tap it to?

[Its Miller time 6]

Agree the midfield is problem #1. This is also where the majority of games are won and lost. Look how good West Coasts midfield of Cox, Judd Cousins and Kerr made the rest of the team look.

If we significantly improve our midfield we automatically improve both our forward line and backline. The backline would find it so much easier if it could defend against hurried kicks bombed instead of players with time and space pinpointing players. The opposite effect would also make of forwardline function.

Pick the best players available and when in doubt go a midfielder.

[rpfc 27,449]

Moloney, Jones, and McLean might not be able to all play together but I would prefer they kick the ball to the forward line better and see where that takes us.

Jones needs to lower his eyes like Moloney has done, Brent needs to stop handing it off when he has space to kick it himself, and Brock needs to run more and get the pill forward of centre (he has 28 Inside 50s to Jones' 43 and Moloney's 41).

[Carn dees 108]

i agree that i cant see moloney mclean and jones in the same team too often when we start pressing for finals.

[Je Roos Salem 661]

I agree- we don't have much depth in our midfield. We need someone to step up in the middle and lead the team. Moloney, Jones and McLean are all good but they just need to get some consistency into their game. Players like Green and Sylvia aren't much help because they are better in the forward line. Hopefully Grimes can be rotated a bit more through the midfield, and become a key mover- and please, no one mention Tom Scully yet because he can't help our midfield at the present time.