The glaring, glaring hole in the Sydney side is their ruck division, and lack of height in general. Really if Jamar cannot dominate this game

against a different code convert who struggles to get 5 or 6 disposals a game, and a backup (probably) in LRT, then he can quite happily seek

a new free agency home next year.

With no Goodes (or Kirk or O Loughlin anymore of course) and a first gamer picked at Centre Half foward, in conjunction with us naming just about

our best side on paper, I think we are a real chance.

Of course, they have one of the most inform midfielders in the comp in Kennedy. Since losing Goodes theyve lost to Adelaide, and were thumped

by the lowly Tigers.

Although I recognise that our midfield lacks class at times, and we also need one player with super pace, our problem is not in the players on the park. Look at Sydney's 22 and man-by-man we match them. It is the team football we play. Our forward spread and teamwork around stoppages is sub-par. If and when we start to get this right we will beat sides like Sydney, Richmond, Bulldogs etc...

Jurrah into the middle goes some way towards solving this once he's fully (AFL) match fit and may help solve it this week for say half a match or a little longer at least. Stronger at the contest and bigger than when i last saw him but still has the sublime skills and pace. Occasionaly pushing up forward for the odd assist and crumb.

I am a bit surprised to Bennell holding his place but maybe the coach saw something I didn't, or was looking for different things.

No he didn't see anything you didn't. He's still dazed from the under performance and not thinking straight. Tappy in for Bennell solves the "no contested possessions/no intensity/pressure at the ball and carrier issue" that Bennell fails to bring.

My other Changes.

Garland out for Martin. Martin had run, some intensity, composure and even some decent finishing skills that i saw last week. Seems stronger through the bod on his return too. Garland was deplorable in the 2nd quarter (that quarter being the critical turning point for us) of last week. Totally out of form and confidence atm. Needs a break downstairs IMO.

Dunn in before Watts. Dunn added some strong run off HB, got to many contests and i saw some reasonable heavy work in the packs as well as strong contested stuff too including tackles. Something that Watts is yet to deliver on. Dunn also on the outside last week and his long kicking to advantage helped in the win. Deserved a place ahead of Watts and would have allowed Watts to continue to find his mojo/mongrel/intensity at the contest at VFL level, although i guess Neeld is thinking of the time out in coming weeks given no VFL available. Fair enough.

I think I've finally worked out what that "something" is about Watts that e'ones been on about too. Laconical, lethargical, Casual are some of the descriptions i've seen bandied about (maybe by me lol). It's not till you see him close up and i've seen it before but not too often at the MFC. It's arrogance IMO. And i haven't seen that down at the Demon den since Garry/Jakovich were strutting their stuff. So we got a potential Garry in our midst, or hopefully a Dermie if he finds his grunt (Watts has the strutt). Just give him time to find the mojo and build a bigger bod and we're in for something special i reckon! Hopefully he finds a little of it this week. Still a pre-season away from making a big impact though i think.

Edited May 17, 201213 yr by Rusty Nails

i like this side. LJ watts add pace add green and the skill level of these 3 improves us drastically

Let's hope Green, Watts, and LJ have a good one. For varying - incredibly widely varying - reasons.

So very varying...

Valid point of course. He needs to be effective against Pyke.

Hope our "brains trust" took note of what Richmond did.

...played them at the "G".

Looking forward to watching my first live game for the season.

Great to have LJ back. Go the Dees

Looking at the Swans - this is off League Teams - Fox Footy: -

B: Mattner Richards Shaw

HB: Smith Grundy McVeigh

C: Jetta Kennedy Malceski

HF: O'Keefe Walsh Hannebery

F: McGlynn Reid Dennis-Lane

R: Pyke Jack Bolton

Int: Roberts-Thomson Bird Parker Johnson

Emerg: White Everitt Armstrong

I had Reid in my UF team and he's done squat to date this year after very promising signs in the NAB. The Swans have mature on ballers - Kennedy, Hannebery, Bird, Parker. They're honest as you'll get and hard to beat. But they're missing Goodes and their rucks. If our mids can lift a tad and our defenders stand tall, we could go close here. Big call I know. Obviously the likes of McGlynn , Dennis Lane will need to be kept in check but if we can limit their scoring, a chance.

$9 is value for the punters - I'd suggest the line what ever that is.

Melbourne +42.5pts....thats overs i would suggest.

Liam gotta start on the ground.

The forward line looks amazing if all could find form and cohesion. Davey and Clark, the generals up forward, are critical. And On a small ground the mids will be talk to grab it and bang it to 40 out where Clark should be the focal point with Davey, and LIam at his feet and freaking out the Swans defense. Watts and Howe playing to also bomb it in and negate Swans rebounding defenders...

Still have doubts on the midfield, big statement made to Sylvia during the week by his coach, and only an big response will suffice. Time to play Col, we all know you can. et tu Moloney.

Play Blease as the sub and bring him on midway through the third. Boy needs to want it and earn it. Love to see him do well.

Like the team.

Go Demons

Edited May 17, 201213 yr by PaulRB

Just watched the replay of Casey vs Box Hill. If you didn't know who Jack Watts was, you'd be pretty surprised that he got the call. All I can do is trust Neeld

Jurrah must be the sub, it compromises Neeld's defensive ethos to have him starting when he's very likely to still be underdone.

I completely disagree. If there's so much doubt over his fitness that we don't believe he can play for more than a quarter and a bit then he should not be in the side. He's picked and named on the field - that's an indication to me that the coach wants him to play, not to warm the bench for 3/4.

Also, I already asked this but it went ignored - doesn't the sub have to come off the named bench i.e. Blease, Bennell, Watts, Green?

Jeez a win would be good. Getting pretty desperate for something to go right.

I love the look of this team on paper, and if it were last year I'd put some good money on us to win this game. However with the different game plan, low confidence, and out of form players, I'd be happy to get within 30 points. I think Blease will be the sub...Jurrah needs to start the game and get the players energized. He can do things that lift the whole team, and if he can do some of those things early on in the game it will set a tone for the rest of the team to follow.

That is a big ask.

One has not done it in 53 games and the other is a baby with 6 games to his credit.

And one was subbed off in his last appearance. The other should have been (he was subbed at his previous outing). I have no confidence.

There's no way in the known universe Jamar will ruck all game. Neeld has signalled with this side that he intends on playing Clark in the ruck for 5-10 minutes a quarter. I don't like it either, but there's no viable alternative at the moment when all the other choices have flunked this year.

Being this is at the SCG I expect that Jamar will ruck almost all of the game with Clark doing no more than 3-5 minutes if any. I expect the ground size would also have been a factor in the decision to risk Jurrah and Green on limited match fitness. Side on paper (not performance) has our best balance of grunt, skill and speed for the year.

Just watched the replay of Casey vs Box Hill. If you didn't know who Jack Watts was, you'd be pretty surprised that he got the call. All I can do is trust Neeld

Disagree. He was the second highest possession getter and most was clean with a fair percentage in traffic. Again would like to see more urgency but it was obvious to me he would play this week.

Disagree. He was the second highest possession getter and most was clean with a fair percentage in traffic. Again would like to see more urgency but it was obvious to me he would play this week.

Agree. He is too good at VFL level and can win the ball in a canter. Prefer him tested here.

Jurrah into the middle goes some way towards solving this once he's fully (AFL) match fit and may help solve it this week for say half a match or a little longer at least. Stronger at the contest and bigger than when i last saw him but still has the sublime skills and pace. Occasionaly pushing up forward for the odd assist and crumb.

No he didn't see anything you didn't. He's still dazed from the under performance and not thinking straight. Tappy in for Bennell solves the "no contested possessions/no intensity/pressure at the ball and carrier issue" that Bennell fails to bring.

My other Changes.

Garland out for Martin. Martin had run, some intensity, composure and even some decent finishing skills that i saw last week. Seems stronger through the bod on his return too. Garland was deplorable in the 2nd quarter (that quarter being the critical turning point for us) of last week. Totally out of form and confidence atm. Needs a break downstairs IMO.

Dunn in before Watts. Dunn added some strong run off HB, got to many contests and i saw some reasonable heavy work in the packs as well as strong contested stuff too including tackles. Something that Watts is yet to deliver on. Dunn also on the outside last week and his long kicking to advantage helped in the win. Deserved a place ahead of Watts and would have allowed Watts to continue to find his mojo/mongrel/intensity at the contest at VFL level, although i guess Neeld is thinking of the time out in coming weeks given no VFL available. Fair enough.

I think I've finally worked out what that "something" is about Watts that e'ones been on about too. Laconical, lethargical, Casual are some of the descriptions i've seen bandied about (maybe by me lol). It's not till you see him close up and i've seen it before but not too often at the MFC. It's arrogance IMO. And i haven't seen that down at the Demon den since Garry/Jakovich were strutting their stuff. So we got a potential Garry in our midst, or hopefully a Dermie if he finds his grunt (Watts has the strutt). Just give him time to find the mojo and build a bigger bod and we're in for something special i reckon! Hopefully he finds a little of it this week. Still a pre-season away from making a big impact though i think.

I must be looking at a different game to you Rusty but.....

Jurrah in the middle does not address the midfield problems. He lacks fitness, contested ball winning skills and accountability. Jurrah's class is in finishing and one on one contests not contested scraps.

If there was not such pathetic performances from Bate, Fitz, Bail and Petterd, Bennell and Sylvia would have been in jeopardy. Clearly Neeld has selected him so he does see something. Having both Bennell and Blease will maximise foot speed but they will have to win the ball.

Martin for Garland is crazy. Garland has been very good this year in a warzone. Martin cant play back or forward and cant hold marks.

And although Dunn had 20+ possessions in the VFL he did not get selected. Given he has been in and out of the side this year, it would seem his candle of hope for his AFL career is flickering out. 8th season and he should be delisted at y/e. Dunn for Watts is backward step. And as you have claimed Watts has it and should be selected.

But arrogant?? Watts is more crash and bash than arrogant. He isnt crash and bash

Ha ha gotta love the weekly cycle of Demonland:

Saturday/Sunday - "we are a disgrace" "We're the worst team since Fitzroy" "Sack Neeld", "Drop Watts" Sylvia is a joke etc...

Thursday night -"best side this year" "Neeld was brutal at selection, good on him" "we can sneak a win here"

Saturday/Sunday - "we are a disgrace etc........

At the start of the year if you would've given me this week side, I would've been confident of a win and excited by that forward line.

Ha ha gotta love the weekly cycle of Demonland:

Saturday/Sunday - "we are a disgrace" "We're the worst team since Fitzroy" "Sack Neeld", "Drop Watts" Sylvia is a joke etc...

Thursday night -"best side this year" "Neeld was brutal at selection, good on him" "we can sneak a win here"

Saturday/Sunday - "we are a disgrace etc........

At the start of the year if you would've given me this week side, I would've been confident of a win and excited by that forward line.

Different posters, different views.

Saturday/Sunday - "we are a disgrace" "We're the worst team since Fitzroy" "Sack Neeld", "Drop Watts" Sylvia is a joke etc...

Thursday night -"best side this year" "Neeld was brutal at selection, good on him" "we can sneak a win here"

Saturday/Sunday - "we are a disgrace etc........

Denial for the sake of maintaining sanity. A loss not being a foregone conclusion morphs in to (possibly misplaced) optimism. I'm all for it - when a loss is a foregone conclusion (the West Coast game this year is one where I felt that it was) is when it stops being interesting.

the side does seem to have a good structure

solid at back midfield good mix and talls and shorts on forward.

It remains to be seen if the intensity that is needed can be shown early to get the confidence up and develop the run that is there

I like Clarke and Howe as the big leading forward making space and the flyer in the goal square

if Watts can play mobile across and around Chf leaving the space for Clarke to run into and give some delivery into those spaces or deeper to Howe we may have some exciting scoring paths and with Davey and Jurrah scouting anything could happen

I sense it is also important to maintain that forward line pressure and if the team can runboth ways as has been stated evrywhere a win is certainly on the cards

I'll be picking em again even tho my tipping has already been deestroyed

Great reports and thoughts and still plenty of enthusiasm Its all good

GO DEES

I love how hope springs eternal. While we like to wallow in misery here, it's the excitement of the pre-match threads that helps me stay motivated to keep tuning in for the inevitable weekend ruined.

Anyhow, it does look a good and well balanced team on paper. That's all I'll say. Go Dees.

The sub can be anyone named in the 22

I am clutching at straws, but I have a gut feel about this game based on the selection. It is the first time all players on the Demonland Banner have played together this year.

theyve lost to Adelaide, and were thumped by the lowly Tigers.

lowly tigers?

not sure which year your reffering to?

Besides the wins against us and Port Adelaide, the Tigers have beaten the Swans at the MCG, which even we managed to do two years ago. They are still lowly to me until they beat a credible side...