Okay Demonlanders,

It's only 6 days until the season proper. Time to make your predictions.

Please, no arguments about proxy votes, poor recruitment or whether Jack Watts is any good.

Please just vote and move on. (Unless of course you would like to elaborate on your prediction).

We'll come home with a wet sail just like in '87 - 8th .

Now where's that other bottle of Jack ?

Cheers

Doesn't matter - I'm emotionally drained, embattled and bitter.......but, I'll be there cheering the boys on.

I love my Club.

Usually, I like to think anyway, I have a reasonable grasp on what is in store for us but I have no idea. I voted 12th.

More variables than usual it would seem.

Doesn't matter - I'm emotionally drained, embattled and bitter.......but, I'll be there cheering the boys on.

I love my Club.

Exactly how I feel. FWIW tenth is best case scenario.

I Believe Mark Neeld & Neil Craig's message will get through.....it may take awhile, they may "Get it" in the next 12 days...

Last Friday night was awful, but in the coaches box they may have been satisfied with the night....Young Leaders must step up though...

The old leaders just can't do it....Mark Jamar was superb....45 hit outs, But Sylvia got one kick??? Now i want Colin to make a full recovery but i question whether he Really wants to play at AFL level??

Edited March 18, 201213 yr by why you little

I went 10th, hoping for higher but not getting ahead of myself as that can be hazardous as a Melbourne supporter. The team is learning a new gameplan, it's quite clear they haven't worked out the kinks in it but they've shown it can be very effective when it works. The team will have to put in a lot of work to beat some of the top sides but they should certainly be challenging some of the teams just above and around them. I have no doubt this will be an exciting year though. The team will grow accustomed to this new game style and with the experience they get from this year they'll come out harder, faster, stronger, and better.

Will finish with a wet sail hopefully. But the first 5 games will determine our season. Could possibly be 4-1 or 1-4 IMO. Need to win 4 out of our first 5 to make the 8. i have said we will finish 12th.

i think that after a tough first half of the year - where we will be hammered by all for being 3-8.......... our confidence will be so smashed that we will go 5-6 on the way home and finish with 8, leaving us in about 13th.

Correct me If I'm wrong but Isn't one of our compo picks taken directly after our first pick? If that Is the case I believe once we've realised we are out of finals contention the tank will be on again and we will end up with picks 4 and 5 In the draft.

Correct me If I'm wrong but Isn't one of our compo picks taken directly after our first pick? If that Is the case I believe once we've realised we are out of finals contention the tank will be on again and we will end up with picks 4 and 5 In the draft.

I like the idea. Why not tank from round 1!!

Correct me If I'm wrong but Isn't one of our compo picks taken directly after our first pick? If that Is the case I believe once we've realised we are out of finals contention the tank will be on again and we will end up with picks 4 and 5 In the draft.

That's the spirit...It worked so well for us the first time....Striving to win all games i prefer going forward at the University of Football.

That's the spirit...It worked so well for us the first time....Striving to win all games i prefer going forward at the University of Football.

So do I...but remind me of why we are going backwards again....

That's the spirit...It worked so well for us the first time....Striving to win all games i prefer going forward at the University of Football.

I never said that's what I want to happen, lets wait and see...

Okay Demonlanders,

It's only 6 days until the season proper. Time to make your predictions.

Please, no arguments about proxy votes, poor recruitment or whether Jack Watts is any good.

Please just vote and move on. (Unless of course you would like to elaborate on your prediction).

Well my opinion changes weekly based on performance.

I want the opportunity to cast a new vote at the end of each round.

Failing that, lock in 6th.

I Believe Mark Neeld & Neil Craig's message will get through.....it may take awhile, they may "Get it" in the next 12 days...

Last Friday night was awful, but in the coaches box they may have been satisfied with the night....Young Leaders must step up though...

The old leaders just can't do it....Mark Jamar was superb....45 hit outs, But Sylvia got one kick??? Now i want Colin to make a full recovery but i question whether he Really wants to play at AFL level??

Really? Do you really think Colin lacks the ability to get more kicks?

1. As has been stated many times, we aren't going to have a much greater focus on defense than in the past.

This is one thing Colin hasn't been great at. He has been accused at times of running one way.

Do you think maybe the coach asked Colin to prove to him he can perform a role within our defensive structures?

Also, do you think that adhering to these defensive structures may reduce his ability to get the ball in the midfield and around stoppages, depending on the role he has been given?

2. I happen to know that the coaches' focus and setup around stoppages revolves around our first priority being denying the opposition a clearance, second is to try to create a secondary stoppage, and then finally win a clearance ourselves if we can.

Offense created through defense, but overwhelmingly defense first.

As it should be, in my eyes.

3. The game style we have been playing (set up defensively and bang it long when we get the footy) hasn't exactly been conducive to getting a lot of possessions the way he would have previously.

Really? Do you really think Colin lacks the ability to get more kicks?

1. As has been stated many times, we aren't going to have a much greater focus on defense than in the past.

This is one thing Colin hasn't been great at. He has been accused at times of running one way.

Do you think maybe the coach asked Colin to prove to him he can perform a role within our defensive structures?

Also, do you think that adhering to these defensive structures may reduce his ability to get the ball in the midfield and around stoppages, depending on the role he has been given?

2. I happen to know that the coaches' focus and setup around stoppages revolves around our first priority being denying the opposition a clearance, second is to try to create a secondary stoppage, and then finally win a clearance ourselves if we can.

Offense created through defense, but overwhelmingly defense first.

As it should be, in my eyes.

3. The game style we have been playing (set up defensively and bang it long when we get the footy) hasn't exactly been conducive to getting a lot of possessions the way he would have previously.

For Colin's sake i hope you are right.

I also think Friday nights game gave the coaching staff a chance to see who the leaders are out there. So if Col was following instructions, good. But it didn't look too good from the outside.

13 days of hard work ahead.

We are playing like a bottom 4 side currently, however, feel we will improve as the season goes on.I feel we will finish around 14 on the ladder at the end of the season.

15th......at a push. Horrible season ahead. Or maybe that's 'opposite world' !

Not reading to much into the preseason, I'd say 6th

This is harder to gauge than it has been for many years. We have not seen anything like our best 22 in any one preseason game so far. I reckon we will be 3-8 or 4-7 for the first half of the season, and then a strong finish with 6 or 7 seven wins. 9th or 10th probably. However, if the gameplan kicks in earlier we could be a lot stronger than this.

Edited March 18, 201213 yr by Maldonboy38

Im not going to read too much in the pre-season. Im not going to take away too much because of injuries a and events either. I think the club ( a sin playing group ) have a year of hard learning ahead. I just get the gut feeling thescoreboard wont particulalry be kind or reflective of anyimprovements we make, well not immediately.

Theres going tobe a hardening up of some, and others will be pushed aside or cast aside. Some wiil step up and emerge as the new face of Melbourne.

What I will predict is we will finish as a team very different to how we start, but just cant see the ladder being any kinder than about 12th this year. 2013, thats another thing as we will come from a different starting position as a playing group. This year there are still those who DONT get it.

Brace for pain, but there IS light at the end of the tunnel.

I have to say I'm rather surprised (or maybe not) that only 13 voters believe we will finish in the 8 while 49 believe we will finish outside it. I have opted for 7th simply based on the fact that we are a much better side than last year when we were very close to making the 8 despite the finishing position and the loss that must not be mentioned.

If we based things off the preseason.... we'd be ahead of Carlton at least

I think we have a pretty tough season ahead of us, I don't think we will get smashed too often and we'll be competitive, but I realistically think we will be between 14th and 10th on the ladder, again the first 6-8 weeks will define this.

Through my normal lenses, I see us no better than treading water this year, as we take time to adapt to the new game plan and sort out which players have the ability and desire to be part of the future. But hell, I have an old pair of glasses which I put on around this time every year, and somehow the world looks more rosy when I wear them. 8th position with 12 wins for me.