The next 3

[deejammin' 2,065]

It’s always dangerous to look past next week for us Demons supporters but I feel we are about to head into a crucial 3 weeks for the club and knowing where we are at. (St Kilda, Gold Coast, Carlton)

There has been a sense of déjà vu about our first 6 weeks, a good hoodoo breaking win, a couple of flawed wins where we didn’t crush our opposition as we could have but got the 4 points, an honourable loss and a couple of deplorable losses where serious questions about our ability to stop opposition run ons and our forward line synergy have been raised. All very 2017. 

While most of us who were hoping for a genuinely good side this year would agree 3-3 is disappointing the reality is we are still right amongst it in a highly competitive season. With three games against sides we need to beat to make a serious push at finals ahead we have a genuine chance to set up our season and with a few important inclusions starting to come back  we could be a serious threat in the second half of the year. I see it like this:

3 comfortable wins with at least one big margin: sets us up for a free hit at Adelaide with a healthy percentage well on track for a serious tilt at finals with a (hopefully) full list. Also should put both St Kilda and the Suns well back in the race for finals and hopefully out of our way. 

3 close wins; sees us in a good position to push for finals but needing to put together some big wins in a harder second half of the year to seriously push for finals.

2 wins: not dead and buried, but in a similar position to 2017 needing a good win against a top 4 team team (Adelaide last year) and a few results going our way to scrape into the 8.

1 or 0 wins: in huge trouble, the media blowtorch will be applied to Goodwin in a way he is yet to experience. Unlikely to make finals and likely to hand over a decent first round pick to Adelaide. The club could still respond as we have a talented young list but it would be the first time in the Jackson tenure that there will be serious questions asked.

Im hoping for 3 big wins but MFCSS has me suspecting 2 and 1, what do you reckon? Are these three as big as I think they are? 

Edited April 30, 2018 by deejammin'
Typos

[What 18,810]

St Kilda, Gold Coast and Carlton...    surely we go 3-0.  Surely?

[SFebes 4,692]

8-3 not impossible IF we bring the good MELBOURNE.

[Bombay Airconditioning 5,875]

No we shouldn’t look to far ahead but it we don’t win the next three games we should start planning for next year. 6 and 3 would be a good result but we need to keep perspective on who we have beaten. By the time we play Adelaide they will be close to full strength so it will be the only real gauge we get over the next month.

[WattsUp2312 63]

3 minutes ago, Bombay Airconditioning said:

No we shouldn’t look to far ahead but it we don’t win the next three games we should start planning for next year. 6 and 3 would be a good result but we need to keep perspective on who we have beaten. By the time we play Adelaide they will be close to full strength so it will be the only real gauge we get over the next month.

Slightly disagree on the Adelaide full strength perspective. Hammy’s take time to recover and I think they’ll be undercooked by that point - example was Gawn last year - just didn’t get that fitness back. Good time to face them in my view.

on the post - we should be 6-3 (weather permitting). Bets are off if it rain s as we are rubbish in the wet.

[SFebes 4,692]

5 minutes ago, Bombay Airconditioning said:

No we shouldn’t look to far ahead but it we don’t win the next three games we should start planning for next year. 6 and 3 would be a good result but we need to keep perspective on who we have beaten. By the time we play Adelaide they will be close to full strength so it will be the only real gauge we get over the next month.

Crows don’t play the MCG well either - anyway not getting my hopes up as we have seen the bad Melbourne. It’s a good opportunity to build some confidence into a harder last half of the season though.

[Diamond_Jim 11,743]

Need to turn 7-4 at the bye so the next 3 are essential.

If we can better 6-5 in the second half I will be amazed. It's the stretch from hell.

[What 18,810]

6 minutes ago, SFebey said:

Crows don’t play the MCG well either - 

Alice Springs.

[Beetle 4,281]

7 minutes ago, SFebey said:

Crows don’t play the MCG well either - anyway not getting my hopes up as we have seen the bad Melbourne. It’s a good opportunity to build some confidence into a harder last half of the season though.

We play them in Alice Springs.

[DeeZee 6,731]

Win our next one then get Viney back and we should start to fly.

[DubDee 20,570]

Im worried about St Kilda. Those in the know Ive heard from say that the 4 day break doesnt affect you too much for the initial game, but it has a big impact on how players pull up the week after.  Im expecting  a flat performance against the saints but hopefully we have enough talent to win.

On previous form of the past 18 months, you'd expect the Dees to win 2 of the 3. we generally don't consistently win the easy ones.

Let's see if we've gotten better!

[hells bells 2,022]

9 minutes ago, DubDee said:

I Those in the know Ive heard from say that the 4 day break doesnt affect you too much for the initial game, but it has a big impact on how players pull up the week after.

Interesting DubDee.

I just checked, all 4 teams lost last year the following week after the short break due to Anzac Day.

[In Harmes Way 7,492]

1 hour ago, SFebey said:

8-3 not impossible IF we bring the good MELBOURNE.

I’m loving your positivity Febes

can I have some of your pills?

[SFebes 4,692]

3 minutes ago, small but forward said:

I’m loving your positivity Febes

can I have some of your pills?

All depends which Melb turn up mate and how were coached. Not getting my hopes up that’s for sure as it always leads to disappointment 

[In Harmes Way 7,492]

19 minutes ago, SFebey said:

All depends which Melb turn up mate and how were coached. Not getting my hopes up that’s for sure as it always leads to disappointment 

Yep. I look forward to the day I can be an arrogant [censored] supporter like Richmond’s, banking wins before games.

[Rob Mac...... 605]

I’m curious, does anyone know when we last won 4 or more games straight?

[DeeWiz 285]

2 minutes ago, Rob Mac...... said:

I’m curious, does anyone know when we last won 4 or more games straight?

You'd have to go all the way back to the 2017 season where we won 4 games straight from Round 10-14.

Edited April 30, 2018 by DeeWiz

[Lord Travis 10,163]

Need to win all 3. We are currently in the easiest part of our draw for the year, so we need to take advantage and not only win, but add percentage that we butchered as we're currently ranked last of the teams on 3 wins. Second half of the season is our tough run, so need to get wins on the board now and build momentum for the tougher period.

[Chook 14,471]

From round 1 I thought "We'll have to just see how we go till McDonald and Viney come back." Win this week and get our chief back while at 4-3 would be huge. With Viney back we go up a gear due to more than just his skill. He makes his teammates walk 10 foot tall, so to get him back while still ahead on win-loss would be huge for us and would set us up for a big year.

[Chook 14,471]

12 minutes ago, DeeWiz said:

You'd have to go all the way back to the 2017 season where we won 4 games straight from Round 10-14.

The best Melbourne side I've seen since 2006. Goodwin should go back and have a look at those tapes to see what we did so well back then.

To me it boils down to: Viney lead like a bull, McDonald gave a huge bullseye to aim at, Pedo was on fire, and Bugg did Bugg things (I don't know why, but he made us hard to stop in that month).

Edited April 30, 2018 by Chook

[Rob Mac...... 605]

12 minutes ago, DeeWiz said:

You'd have to go all the way back to the 2017 season where we won 4 games straight from Round 10-14.

Thanks DeeWiz, I forgot that.

The relatively recent MFC Dark Ages when we rarely won two in a row, still have  me conditioned to disbelieve we could win four in a row now.

 

[DV8 2,271]

2 hours ago, Petraccattack said:

St Kilda, Gold Coast and Carlton...    surely we go 3-0.  Surely?

 

all away games, in the light blue.

 

* under the roof @ Edi'shat  -  Saints

* Gabba  -  Suns

* away @ the 'G'  -  Blueboys

 

Take none of these games lightly.   We are not in a position to get ahead of ourselves.

 

 

[Bombay Airconditioning 5,875]

2 hours ago, WattsUp2312 said:

Slightly disagree on the Adelaide full strength perspective. Hammy’s take time to recover and I think they’ll be undercooked by that point - example was Gawn last year - just didn’t get that fitness back. Good time to face them in my view.

on the post - we should be 6-3 (weather permitting). Bets are off if it rain s as we are rubbish in the wet.

Ok, driving home today I was listening to SEN, they mentioned Tex would most likely sit out this week and I thought they said Betts and Sloane would return in the next couple. Matt Crouch returned last week, not sure about Brad but with the addition of Gibbs and the emergence of Doedee they have a pretty strong side.

[Bombay Airconditioning 5,875]

2 hours ago, SFebey said:

Crows don’t play the MCG well either - anyway not getting my hopes up as we have seen the bad Melbourne. It’s a good opportunity to build some confidence into a harder last half of the season though.

I think the game is at Traeger Park.

[SFebes 4,692]

2 minutes ago, Bombay Airconditioning said:

I think the game is at Traeger Park.

Yep it is mate, others told me, my mistake just saw it was a home game at the G. Might fly up for it