Quite a few have said that this is "make or break" year for Col .

Cheers

What is a make or break year? Given the heady expectations on Colin since we took him at No3 in 2003, there has been this aura of potential on Sylvia. Every year in the past 5 have been make or break for Col.And we have just signed another contract wit him for 2 or 3 years so it is not the final countdown yet. He may well get better (much better) as a player going forward. It would be great and its high time in his 9th year but I am not sure he will. Col has a number of plusses and minuses which deliver just what we see. Maybe that can be improved by a change in role that magnifies the plusses and mitigates the minuses. But the hope of a "break out" year for Col may not be the case. He may well be as good as he will get with some marginal improvements here and there.

i think the same opportunity for Moloney and Sylvia applies. If Moloney could impact games against good oppositions like he does against the weaker minnows then Beamer moves up a category in performance.

This one is going around in a circular fashion .

Beamer is our best midfielder and won the club best and fairest

That is a great effort and everyone should be really happy

For Beamer i am but for the Melbourne Football Club i am not

Moloney is a passionate demon and plays to the best of his ability even if that can be inconsistent

In the big picture I rate Beamer as a B Grader at best

For Melbourne to go forward we had better hope we develop a few A Grade Mids that eventually become classified as Elite

To win Flags you need a fair share of elite players and recent history shows most of them play as midfileders

This is the toughest competition in the country and it is ruthless at finding out who has flaws and who doesnt

It is one of the reasons the realistic supporters think we are 2-3 years away from being competitive against the best

Agree, but puncuation please.

The little person inside my head nearly died of a lack of oxygen after reading that post...

Spends a lot of time barking orders and never seems to have an opponent. Part of the problem, not part of the solution IMO. Sadly we don't have suitable replacements.

I thought he was OK at times tonight - at least he moved around the stoppages instead of standing still. But I didn't realise he didn't lay a tackle, and that is a really poor stat.

I posted in the game day thread as it happened that Brent will be rubbed out for the elbow on Dalhaus. It was late and indicative of his head space.

Not good Beamer. Have another week off.

Yeah , and you're just a laugh a minute !

How's your 'mate' Brent going ? Oh , hang on , sorry if I got you confused with 'Lutz'

You just keep scapegoating your own players . How does that feel by the way ? Educate me .

If you want to talk Moloney, maybe you should take it to the locker room...

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/paul-roos-enough-is-enough-melbourne/story-fn7si1vl-1226341132568

Now, who do you think Paul Roos might be referring to here?

Far too many of the Demons experienced players love playing the game on their own terms.

They run forward of the ball, rely on opposition turnovers and seem capable of starring only when they are not tagged and get silver service from ruckman Mark Jamar.

There is no shortage of talent at Melbourne. However there is a shortage of the commitment to the standards required to be, firstly, a great AFL player and, in turn, a great AFL team.

I'll give you some initials - BM and CS.

If you want to talk Moloney, maybe you should take it to the locker room...

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/paul-roos-enough-is-enough-melbourne/story-fn7si1vl-1226341132568

Now, who do you think Paul Roos might be referring to here?

I'll give you some initials - BM and CS.

Accurate account from Roos. Certainly in BM's case. And supports Hells Bells and MaldonBoys posts just above.

Accurate account from Roos. Certainly in BM's case. And supports Hells Bells and MaldonBoys posts just above.

Yes.

And I hope he can turn it around, but I really think Beamer will struggle.

Moreso than a pup like Morton.

Yes.

And I hope he can turn it around, but I really think Beamer will struggle.

Moreso than a pup like Morton.

What a joke. Beamer is about the only player in our midfield that you can rely on to usually put an effort in (contested possession and decent disposal). His disposal is usually first rate. Has a proven track record and won our last best and fairest. Had his first few seasons at the Demons not been ruined by injury we might have seen a lot more from Beamer. But your saying he will struggle based purely on this season (which is likely to have also been injury effected).

Then your saying that Beamer (proven player as per above) is more likely to struggle than a pup like Cale Morton - an unproven player who despite being pick 4 in 2007 has barely been able to break into the side, has had zero impact when he has, and who walked out this season after the recall aware that everyone was waiting to see how he endevoured for the contest and what his second efforts were like and got more of the same... A player who we are told had to 'earn back' the trust of his team mates due to past poor performances.

So I know where my money would be with who out of the two 'will struggle'.

Dont get me wrong, perhaps Morton's problems are confidence and lack of development and there are instances where you can see why he was rated at one pouint but at the end of the day Beamer hasnt turned out to be another Scotty Thompson, but he is out best midfielder by a long shot.

Edited April 28, 201213 yr by Norm Smith's Curse

What a joke. Beamer is about the only player in our midfield that you can rely on to usually put an effort in (contested possession and decent disposal). His disposal is usually first rate.

His "effort" is exaggerated by all the poorly conditioned and subsequently tired young bodies on the field around him.

His disposal is so far from first rate that it's not funny.

He can kick the odd long goal, but beyond that it is decidedly ordinary.

Has a proven track record and won our last best and fairest.

Is that it? The Beamer champions seem to rest on their laurels with this.

A B&F in a year when we lost by 186 points in a match, and finished 13th.

He also won some brownlow votes, in a side where there were precious few to steal any from him.

Excuse me if I don't give that much currency.

Had his first few seasons at the Demons not been ruined by injury we might have seen a lot more from Beamer. But your saying he will struggle based purely on this season (which is likely to have also been injury effected).

Nope, been saying it for years.

Then your saying that Beamer (proven player as per above) is more likely to struggle than a pup like Cale Morton - an unproven player who despite being pick 4 in 2007 has barely been able to break into the side, has had zero impact when he has, and who walked out this season after the recall aware that everyone was waiting to see how he endevoured for the contest and what his second efforts were like and got more of the same... A player who we are told had to 'earn back' the trust of his team mates due to past poor performances.

So I know where my money would be with who out of the two 'will struggle'.

Now you're misrepresenting the argument, in an attempt to "win" it.

It was "struggle" in terms of changing his ways, since Beamer for so long has done one thing really well, and ran one way, then believed that was enough and that it made him a star.

People like you perpetuate it, when it is not the case at all.

You're also exaggerating Morton's ineptitude.

His first 2 seasons were actually very good - far from "zero impact".

Since then he has struggled with injuries, form, confidence and the inability to settle into a set position on the field.

Not all of it his fault.

But he still has the raw tools to make a good footballer, with time and a deliberate development program.

Dont get me wrong, perhaps Morton's problems are confidence and lack of development and there are instances where you can see why he was rated at one pouint but at the end of the day Beamer hasnt turned out to be another Scotty Thompson, but he is out best midfielder by a long shot.

Our best midfielder... when having the ball served to him on a platter by Jamar.

Ever paid attention to what he is like defensively?

Ever see him run down the opposition in a tackle?

Ever see him get a lot of the football in general play?

Confidence, experience and lack of physical maturity can all be improved.

But ever heard the saying "can't teach an old dog new tricks?"

Well, it's not always the case.

But I've seen how bad the attitude is up close, and I've experienced how sharp the bloke is mentally... and unfortunately I don't have much hope for him changing much, if at all.

He did dominate clearances for a while when there was a changing landscape within the game, but now in the congestion around stoppages, his lack of agility cancels out his bullocking frame and he is left with precious little else.

He has a long kick, but not accurate and slow hands.

He is not fast and he is not agile.

And unlike Simon Black, he is not driven to succeed by a constant fear that he will not be good enough.

This is how I see it.

In my opinion, his value is growing less by the round.

Let's hope he proves me to be very very wrong.

I've been waiting years.

LOL - Ive been waiting for many to prove me wrong after many an argument defending them. Lets see how they go tonight.

Edited April 28, 201213 yr by Norm Smith's Curse

LOL - Ive been waiting for many to prove me wrong after many an argument defending them. Lets see how they go tonight.

Haven't we all.

I'm aware that I could make a case similar to this for just about any player on our list...

But in the end, I see hope for some, and not others.

You gotta know when to fight, and when to cut your losses and walk away.

Obviously in Morton's case, I think it's worth continuing to fight.

And In Beamer's case, unfortunately I think the best thing for the club to do is to move him on.

I really don't think he helps us. And I don't say it lightly.

Beamer needs a big game tonight against a class midfield..

If he goes missing i doubt he will survive into 2013 on our list..

Our midfield has been shocking this year & Moloney is right in the gun....

Beamer's ability to stand up in tackles and get it out has been important so far. Should finish strongly.

He wasn't bad tonight, but I want more from him.

He should have kicked a 2nd goal, but skill errors you can forgive from time to time.

Decision-making was poor, but hopefully that will improve in time as he adjusts to the gameplan.

Still was running ahead of the ball at times, hoping for an easy kick. Needs to reign that in.

Now, just to be clear I am not a Moloney fan, but after reading this

http://www.theage.co...0528-1zebe.html

He (Andrew Walker) also singled out midfielder David Ellard's shut-down job on Brent Moloney.

"I think he had 30 odd touches and he had Moloney for the day and I think he kept Moloney to maybe 13 touches so that was a real standout for me," he said."

(Last paragraph) it appears as though Moloney had Ellard tagging him, and did a job on him. Also after listening to Neeld's press conference after the game he said he doesn't have concerns about effort and attitude, it's just he isn't in great form.

I don't think Moloney has ever been great at shaking a tag, but (for those who get to watch games live) have teams been putting a heavy tag on Moloney and could this be a significant part of why he seems ordinary so far this season? He is our current Bluey winner, and polled well in the brownlow, I wonder if teams have decided to put a hard tag on him this season and our other boys in there (with the exception of Jones) have not been able to cover the loss of his clearances as a result?

As I have I don't get to see a lot of games live, but it would be interesting to note from those who have been to our games this year is this happening? or is it too simple a reason ?

Edited May 28, 201213 yr by Oucher

I want to remain a Demon: Moloney

looking forward to the club getting on the front foot and signing up a few of the boys so we dont get another saga in the same vein as last year

A great article and provides a good insight into how Moloney was personally affected by the changes around the club. Glad he wants to remain a Dee to the end.

Great post......Go Brett.....see ball, get ball.

More than happy for him to stay at the club - I have not been his greatest supporter when it comes to his consistency, but he is a Demon at heart and it is heartwarming to hear that he is buying into the new regime and his new role, which won't be under Jamar's palm all the time - Grimes, Trengove, Jones, and McKenzie look ready to keep him out of there.

Excellent...His new role on the half forward flank could be the go...can receive the ball and head straight for goal or set up a better option..ala Chapman.

Could cause a bit of extra havoc up there with his mate Col Sylvia.

Excellent...His new role on the half forward flank could be the go...can receive the ball and head straight for goal or set up a better option..ala Chapman.

Could cause a bit of extra havoc up there with his mate Col Sylvia.

From where I sat, in my lounge room, it looked as though Moloney would start high and attempt to crowd the footy on the offensive side so the other team would find it difficult to get it 'out the back' and then he would try to link up and get the ball into the 50. He had 20% of our Inside 50s. That is a big share.