Last year I made this thread to see how we'd go in 2010.

After Bub's suggestion I thought I'd put a new one up. The season is split in two halves because you can only put 20 options in.

Can you change the poll to allow multiple answers? Otherwise you're assuming we win 2 games for the entire year...

  On 29/10/2010 at 01:55, 45HG16 said:

Last year I made this thread to see how we'd go in 2010.

After Bub's suggestion I thought I'd put a new one up. The season is split in two halves because you can only put 20 options in.

Depends on a couple of factors. Injuries and development.

Obviously we can't afford serious injuries to major playmakers (Jamar, Green, Davey, Frawley etc)

If Maric, Morton, Blease, Tapscott, Gysberts, Trengove, Scully, Watts and Bennell show significant improvement then we'll make top-six. Bailey's credentials are on the line here, as a teaching/development coach and if he does his job like he has with Jamar, Frawley, Garland, Dunn and Bartram, we'll be cooking with gas in 2011.

Fix the poll to allow multiple answers. I'd hope we don't only finish on top of one of those teams.

  On 29/10/2010 at 02:18, titan_uranus said:

Can you change the poll to allow multiple answers? Otherwise you're assuming we win 2 games for the entire year...

Actually I kind of like that. Just put in your one sure thing. A bit easy, but hey, I always go badly on these things.

Fixed.

I'm going to be optimistic and go for 13+ wins. I thought we underachieved last season and should have had 10-11 wins at least. We wasted a few games and that does not include Collingwood. So I expect that we will cancel out those disgraceful performances and add 2 or 3 more for the anticipated improvement.

No excuses with this draw at least. I'd hope for 13+ to be optimistic but there are a few boys to put game time into yet.

With the draw the way it is, I have us down for 13+ wins. I've given us a 50-50 with the Hawks given that the only reason they beat us this year was the rain. I figure one each way with them. Same with Carlton. I'm going with the notion that we'll improve as the year progresses, so in both cases it's a loss first up and a win later on. GC17 twice is a nice bonus. If we can't roll them there's something very wrong. Richmond will throw everything at us, but I think we're further along in our development and have more depth across the field, so we should handle them both times too.

This is also the year for us to break the interstate hoodoo. Port are crap and we should be able to get over them at both TIO and AAMI. The only concern there is the Laidley factor. He could influence the result.

All in all it's a great draw for us and I can see a very good year coming up.

I also went for 13+, in my head I'm thinking 11-12 is realistic, but I kept looking through our draw and kept getting 13 wins and that was with 2 losses to the Hawks, a loss to the Dogs, a loss to North and a loss to Port in Darwin (which we could easily win a couple of those) Then again we are sure to have off days and lose to teams we should beat with our stage of development.

If there one area of improvement that I haven't seen anything of yet is the elimination of the habit of "PLAYING LIKE MILLIONAIRES" syndrome when we've hit form and some confidence. Usually manifests itself when we play sides that we have a very realistic chance of beating and interstate against moderate opponents. This trait first appeared during the later stages of the Northey era and has dogged us ever since except for the recent very lean years when we were hopeless anyway. But it did reappear in full bloom again last season. I hope it will finally go away next season.

I know 45 is waiting for my prediction.

I can see 11 wins and I can see 15 wins.

Injuries permitting and we will be in that range. Luck permitting and we will be in the 13-15 range.

I had 7 teams better than us. Coll, WB, StK, Geel, Carl, Haw, and Freo - with those last three the ones we could threaten.

As a MFC supporter I am uncomfortable being so optimistic but, again, injuries and luck permitting we should be a very competitive team next year.

I found 13 wins, but scaled back the optimism meter to 11-12 to allow for lapses.

Having said that, we coulda shoulda woulda beaten the Dogs, Hawks, Pies (x2) and Freo this year if not for a mix of dumb luck, dumb decisions and the odd dumb kick. We'll be better in '11 and I've only got us beating the Dockers of that bunch so who knows.

Only one game at AAMI-geddon so that's nice. Need to learn to kick accurately at goal early over there. Always our undoing.

Premiers

Make another poll for the top 8 next year too. Would be interexting to see who people think will miss out next year at our expense

The manners on this site are appalling.

  On 29/10/2010 at 23:58, 45HG16 said:

The manners on this site are appalling.

purlease?

  On 29/10/2010 at 23:58, 45HG16 said:

The manners on this site are appalling.

Manners are for losers.

Do you think Collingwood care about manners?

Although they probably never learnt any...

Fine! Teach them proper manners and they wouldn't use them.

Case closed.

Since when were demons supposed to be courteous? I thought that would be the last thing a dark overlord would be concerned with.

  On 30/10/2010 at 00:23, nostradeemus said:

purlease?

Naww

Top 4 and winning Relentlessly against everybody on our home ground B)

I reckon the AFL is showing respect to Jimmy on a personal level and for the work he's done at a professional level to drag the club back from the brink. I see no other explanation for such a good draw (we looked exciting last year, but then again so did Norf). Melbourne should make the eight and win one final in 2011. We should've made the eight this year. The only teams I don't see us beating are Collingwood, Geelong and St. Kilda. Everything else is up for grabs (and maybe the filth, too, if we really get up for Queen's Birthday).

Carlton friday night, Essendon friday night, then Collingwood on Queens Birthday.

A reasonably 'soft' early run with little travel or top-8 (2010 obviously) teams.

I look at that set up and there's a part of me that thinks 'Big Opportunity', for the confidence of the players and the visibility of the club.

Overall, looking at the fixture and thinking about who we'd have a decent shot at 'competing well' againt is a very heartening activity. Feeling pretty positive and looking forward to 2011.

  On 31/10/2010 at 00:03, Ned said:

I reckon the AFL is showing respect to Jimmy on a personal level and for the work he's done at a professional level to drag the club back from the brink. I see no other explanation for such a good draw (we looked exciting last year, but then again so did Norf). Melbourne should make the eight and win one final in 2011. We should've made the eight this year. The only teams I don't see us beating are Collingwood, Geelong and St. Kilda. Everything else is up for grabs (and maybe the filth, too, if we really get up for Queen's Birthday).

Yes, and we are one of the most exciting teams to watch, period. Our quick movement, our flashy play- our X factor.. Vlad, like the general public know a Melbourne Demons match will guaruntee highlights.

We are going places and it is being recognised now. The way the 'draw' has been almost tailor made for our easy passage into finals must be taken advantage of, and I believe it will.

Next year is all stamping our brand in everyone's face! I cannot wait!

I don't like all this gushing optimism about the draw. Setting us up for a big dose of over confidence and already bookmarking "easy games" and "throwing in the towel" on others. I'd prefer to see every game as a unique challenge with its own variables. We don't yet know which opposition will have the form next season. I am a big believer in the "Take it one game at a time" philosophy.