Holes in the list

[Watts Jurrah Dunn? 735]

Best post I have read on Demonland or Demonology in years.

Sums the list up brilliantly. It is always refreshing to see a Melbourne supporter accurately critique our players.

On his 2012 form Trengove would seriously have struggled to get a game in any top 8 side. Yes, we all hope that Howe turns into a player but people are very easily seduced by a few spectacular marks. We rubbish Naitanui as being a highlights reel but that is all Howe is too. Needs to do much, much more.

Only change I would make, if he can finally complete a full pre-season, would be including Sylvia as a walk up start in the middle.

[Jesse Christ 2,884]

Once again, Howe will be a walk up starter Round One 2013, but by 2014 we'll know whether he'll be a midfielder/forward, midfielder or forward. I don't think that's been solidified yet.

Ideally I'd like to see him spend most of his time in the forward line, with hands like his it would be negligent not to have him close to goals mr Adam

[Jordie_tackles 354]

Each to their own. Trengove will be a walk up starter for Round One. Don't get me wrong. But in two to three years? We'll see. I hope he is.

You see him going backwards in this time, from being a Captain at 20 to not getting a game in our side in 2-3 years.....

says alot, if not everything

edit and also listing Dawes and Byrnes who have not yet played a game in your team? are they definitely there in 2-3 years? we know Byrnes wont, and Dawes has no runs on the board as of now?

Edited October 17, 2012 by Jordie_tackles

[Jesse Christ 2,884]

Best post I have read on Demonland or Demonology in years.

Sums the list up brilliantly. It is always refreshing to see a Melbourne supporter accurately critique our players.

On his 2012 form Trengove would seriously have struggled to get a game in any top 8 side. Yes, we all hope that Howe turns into a player but people are very easily seduced by a few spectacular marks. We rubbish Naitanui as being a highlights reel but that is all Howe is too. Needs to do much, much more.

Only change I would make, if he can finally complete a full pre-season, would be including Sylvia as a walk up start in the middle.

I think you underrate Howe. He is much more than a player with brilliant hands. He has a dip, is an on field leader and if his set shot kicking was better, I dare say he could be considered very close to star potential.

[buyinorfoff 6]

Terrific post Adam. I notice in your Bio that you list some of the players you have left out as your favourites so I admire you for your un-biased view.

Lovely boy Trengove but wouldn't have got a game in the top 12 sides on 2012 form.

Lovely boy Jordie MacKenzie and a great trier but a very limited player. A team could probably carry him as a purely shut-down midfielder if it had a bunch of A Grade clearance players.

The point I take from your Post is that if we are going to be a serious Top 4 contender, we have lots of question marks.

[Binmans PA 26,246]

You see him going backwards in this time, from being a Captain at 20 to not getting a game in our side in 2-3 years.....

says alot, if not everything

No, not necessarily. I just hope he can lift his game. This year he showed leadership (leading the 1%s), which is fantastic. Next year he needs to do a lot more. Hopefully another pre-season under Misson will enable this.

[Binmans PA 26,246]

Lovely boy Trengove but wouldn't have got a game in the top 12 sides on 2012 form.

Lovely boy Jordie MacKenzie and a great trier but a very limited player. A team could probably carry him as a purely shut-down midfielder if it had a bunch of A Grade clearance players.

Couldn't agree more on both fronts. Thanks for reading!

[Gippsland Dee 367]

We need mids I can't see why we keep wanting 190cm + players, get mids now melbourne !!

Yeah we do need a few mids, BUT one of our glaring holes in our line up for half of this year was the fwd line. Not anymore! with dawes now signed up, pedersen* likely to come across and hopefully having clark at full strength and injury free we can begin to dominate defence lines at the start of next season. At least now if one of our 2 (3*) big men up fwd go down injured we won't be without a big target to kick it to. we also now have a small fwd in brynes and we can cycle him, barry and possibly sylvia and davey through that position too and then in 2014 hogan can slot in. With the fwd line likely sorted now we should be focussing, as you say on getting quality, 10 yr mids through this draft and possibly Ray in this trade period. Things are definitely looking up for next season and beyong for the dees!

[Moonshadow 16,273]

Each to their own. Trengove will be a walk up starter for Round One. Don't get me wrong. But in two to three years? We'll see. I hope he is.

Well done Captain Obvious. Trengove will be selected in round one, but your not sure if he will be picked in three years. No one can possibly know if any MFC player will be getting a game in 3 yrs.

As you say, each to their own, but the probability is that he'll still be playing and be our captain in 3 years..

The term 'walk up starter' is such rubbish. Supporters brandish it around like they know whether or not player X will get a game.

We'll see, indeed.

[Deecisive 1,652]

Neeld has solved the main areas of concern with our forward line, we now should have the players to contest, mark and kick goals, if its not marked then we should have a couple of crumbers available who can gather the ball and kick goals. The mids do need work, but while many feel our backline is our best line it still has a lot of work to do. We had trouble all year getting the ball out of the backline when the press was on and I would love to see stats of goals against us from stupid turnovers in the back half. We need someone like Ray to help break the lines. As for the ruck, I hope Jamar still has something to give, a few of the games I saw he was pretty ineffectual in the ruck, we didnt get first touch to the ball often and when we did our mids were too slow to get rid of it.

[Jordie_tackles 354]

No, not necessarily. I just hope he can lift his game. This year he showed leadership (leading the 1%s), which is fantastic. Next year he needs to do a lot more. Hopefully another pre-season under Misson will enable this.

He was also second in either kicks or total disposals and top 5 in the other. high up in tackles

Edited October 17, 2012 by Jordie_tackles

[Deecisive 1,652]

He was also second in either kicks or total disposals and top 5 in the other. high up in tackles

but those stats were comparing him to his fellow melbourne players, how well did his stats measure up against other midfielders in the competition? I dont know how many times I saw multiple opposition players with 30+ stats but could not find a melbourne player with 20+

[ILLDieADemon 804]

I only thing I agree with is we have no crummers, we need a dynamic [censored] like the wizard was in the early 2000's.

I miss watching that guy light up the MCG.

[deelicious_9 3]

my point of view....

Grimes, sylvia and howe are very intresting talents as the posses the ability to go mid or eith fwd\bck.

These players are highly important regarding rotations and opening up alot more options (obviously)

in saying this, i beleive howe should play mostly up foward, and have goes on the wing. Grimes as mostly a running halfback defender, similar to what i hope watts does and what luke hodge did for the hawkers. and sylvia to rotating through the foward line, playing most of the game in the mid as i beleive his has the "x factor" and class we need in the guts. saying that my team round one suggesting all are fit would be:

FB: backpocket fullback backpocket

colin garland frawley bartram

HB: halfbackflank halfback halfbackflank

watts tom Macdonald grimes

c: wing centre wing

bail tengrove gysberts

HF: half fowardflank halffoward halffowardflank

tapscott mitch clark howe

FF:fowardpocket fullfoward fowardpocket

bynes dawes blease

Rov: Ruck ruck rover rover

jamar Jones sylvia

Int:viney, mckenzie, struass :davey

hahahah help me out people

[Lord Travis 10,184]

We lack outside midfielders, small defenders and small forwards. The ones we have are either poor or non-existent due to injury/form. We need a serious injection of classy smalls and running mids, as we are far too top heavy at present and lack skill.

[Jordie_tackles 354]

but those stats were comparing him to his fellow melbourne players, how well did his stats measure up against other midfielders in the competition? I dont know how many times I saw multiple opposition players with 30+ stats but could not find a melbourne player with 20+

I think for a 20yo 3rd year player he did quite well.

Last time i checked he only had to earn a spot in out team competing against those on the MFC list or has this changed?

edit - probably got tagged in out team also.

Edited October 17, 2012 by Jordie_tackles

[deeflog 679]

Once again, Howe will be a walk up starter Round One 2013, but by 2014 we'll know whether he'll be a midfielder/forward, midfielder or forward. I don't think that's been solidified yet.

you are dilussional AF

Howe will be a star of the AFL in 2014 and beyond

[tonatopia 278]

No Sylvia?

Your tripping.

[Hannibal 5,814]

The OP agrees with another poster that Trengove wouldn't have got a game in the "top 12 sides", but wants his pedestrian analysis to be taken seriously ?

Whether it be Conca or Ellis at the Tiges; Myers, Lonergan or Melksham at Essendon; Curnow and Armfield at Carlton; all the way to Parker at the premiers, Trengove would have got a game at nearly every side. And to say that it's "unknown" whether he'll be a future fixture makes me question whether he can remember what he had for dinner last night. Do people not remember his first two years, which were both clearly better than his third ? Half a dozen clubs courted Caddy, who hasn't shown half of what Trengove has shown.

The OP has supporters for his thread, but he has no feeling for the game.

Edited October 17, 2012 by Ben-Hur

[DemonWA 3,448]

The OP agrees with another poster that Trengove wouldn't have got a game in the "top 12 sides", but wants his pedestrian analysis to be taken seriously ?

Whether it be Conca or Ellis at the Tiges; Myers, Lonergan or Melkshan at Essendon; Curnow and Armfield at Carlton; all the way to Parker at the premiers, Trengove would have got a game at nearly every side. And to say that it's "unknown" whether he'll be a future fixture makes me question whether he can remember what he had for dinner last night. Do people not remember his first two years, which were both clearly better than his third ? Half a dozen clubs courted Caddy, who hasn't shown half of what Trengove has shown.

The OP has supporters for his thread, but he has no feeling for the game.

Chill out mate, you've nit picked his sentence about trengove and then disregarded a pretty nice analysis of which areas we could do with some more talent.

I don't understand why people write negative posts like your one, this is not a competition about who knows the most about footy or who has the best feel of the game. If you don't like it, or agree, read another thread.

[Hannibal 5,814]

Chill out mate, you've nit picked his sentence about trengove and then disregarded a pretty nice analysis of which areas we could do with some more talent.

I don't understand why people write negative posts like your one, this is not a competition about who knows the most about footy or who has the best feel of the game. If you don't like it, or agree, read another thread.

Don't waste my time.

[Philthy 284]

With another Pre season under his belt..Trenners will star next year.

[DemonWA 3,448]

Don't waste my time.

Mods, can we get a dislike button!?

[dtrinh 71]

Yeah it's great to see an unbias Melbourne supporter who really has a grasp at the talent in our team. Great post Adam.

With the small defender I'm hoping that Nicholson can develop further and fill this role for us. I think that Bartram's days are limited and Nicholson even then provides a better option. Watching games this year, Nicholson plays quite well one on one with small forwards, is quite physical, works hard to get to the contest, provides second and third efforts and is very quick. I do understand his disposal efficiency is questionable but I hope that can improve.

With our midfield I think you correctly point out the lack of depth and stars present. If Melbourne are able to sign Pederson, I think that Howe might spend more time on the wing? He is very athletic, takes contested marks around the ground which helps us maintain possession especially along the wing and apart from his set shots on goal doesn't has a terrible kick. He still has a long way to go to play in the centre square in relation to his clearance work, that I agree with you.

Great analysis Adam!

[Binmans PA 26,246]

He was also second in either kicks or total disposals and top 5 in the other. high up in tackles

JT, it's almost as if you think I don't rate Trengove. I love the bloke. He's one of my favourite players. I'm just not going to settle for the year he had. Yes, there are extenuating circumstances why he hasn't reached the heights of others taken his draft year (training loads, captaincy, playing in a rubbish team etc). But I'm not going to be happy with what he delivered this year if that's the peak. He has the ability I believe to impact the game in a bigger way. He needs to improve and I hope he does.