Healy seems to have rediscovered his connection to the Dee's. Seems on board at the moment - fair weather friend?

He is still a fIog.

16 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

I hope people don't bite your head because i think it could be legit. I am yet to see any improvement at all with McDonalds decision making and disposal in the 6 years he has been here. Also if its true that the club has questioned his attitude after the St Kilda game thn who knows.

Also i swear i read a Brett Anderson tweet the other day that Hurley and Steven May would be our number 1 targets over the summer.

I'd prefer Hurley and Sam Day to be our number one targets.  

38 minutes ago, chook fowler said:

Healy seems to have rediscovered his connection to the Dee's. Seems on board at the moment - fair weather friend?

The the skies must be clearing then indeed

 

1 minute ago, beelzebub said:

The the skies must be clearing then indeed

 

too late for mine

1 hour ago, AdamFarr said:

Now don't bite my head off. This is merely a discussion point.

If Tom refuses to sign a long term deal (note long term), does he become tradable at the end of this year? We need all hands on deck and as Healy says, we've shown the direction this club is going, show a bit of faith back the other way now, Tom.

Of course he does.

1 minute ago, daisycutter said:

too late for mine

No care for Gerald but it's  good the weather (Dees future) is getting sunnier

Happy for the bandwagoners to hop on - they are the ones that will get us to 50k members in the next few years and shore up the club.

As for Tom McD. He is up and down this year but his capabilities are immense and as soon as he and the backs can settle into how we are 'zone defending' at the moment the better. Also, the backs are getting blamed for goals that are more the fault of the mid and forwards that have effed up the press furhter up the ground - that's why there have been so many goals to opp players all by themselves in the 50. We gamble and it sometimes doesn't pay off.

Deal not having been completed with Tom seems very strange to me. He is a good to very good player with a few  limitations IMO, not big enough for the real  Gorillas however.

Has he already allowed himself into a Frawley, Scully like situation and is in reality playing games with his club and team mates?

Geez I hope not, could be a horrible black mark for him.

Really hope he and the club get to the table quickly. This bloke has been a lion for us and I hope he stays to be part of what is becoming apparent.

 

 

 

 

This thread sucks.

 

5 minutes ago, Ron Burgundy said:

This thread sucks.

 

Why.

We have the temerity to ask questions ?

Get real Ron

8 minutes ago, Ron Burgundy said:

This thread sucks.

 

You don't love thread?

Tom McDonald simultaneously needs to take a good hard look at himself while also getting a lot more support from 20 other team-mates (minus Jetta of course).

With his brother now on the list, and the way they have both shared this outcome with the club's media, do we really think he is, or would be, playing the Scully/Frawley game???

His up-and-downness is a separate question, I think. He was showing these tendencies even when he last re-signed, amid some fanfare about his (then) 'long term' commitment?

3 hours ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Also i swear i read a Brett Anderson tweet the other day that Hurley and Steven May would be our number 1 targets over the summer.

Referring to this DD?

 

Quote

Brett Anderson ‏@BrettAndersonIF May 15

@Pantaloons64 Go get Hurley or May. They had a big crack at Hooker.

I read it more as a suggestion, not that these were our #1 targets (though they should be - May moreso than Hurley)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My gut feeling is T Mac will play far better when we can install a better FB to take the lead down there. 

Take with a grain of salt, but word I've heard is we should expect an announcement around the bye with both Tom and Oscar signing longer term. 

He has the odd bad day at the office but he has been a bloody handy pick up at number 76 or whatever he was.

I find him more frustrating than Jack Watts.  The only difference between Tom and Jack is the pick we used to draft them.  Tom is always beaten one on one, can't spoil and is only good as that third man up marking defender.

I will bet you that every team in the AFL plan to get the football in Tom's hands.  They will sit in team meetings and plan out their forward defence, first would be cover Salem and Vince don't let them get the footy as they will damage you by foot.  Next will be don't worry about Tom McDonald getting the football if we are leaving an out happy for it to be Tom as he is the most likely to turn over or make the wrong decision that will allow us to apply maximum pressure.  Next would be to put a body up against him in the contest, he is easy to shift in flight and you can move him in a contest.  Isolate him deep get him wrestling.

If I was Brisbane, I would play Merrett on Tom McDonald, he is the type of player that will towel up McDonald

2 hours ago, Biffen said:

He has the odd bad day at the office but he has been a bloody handy pick up at number 76 or whatever he was.

Biff, the # coming in is irrelevant. Your value is on and of the paddock. He's  frustrating. Always 2 steps forward X steps back. He's the 2nd tall having to play the main-backs role, for which he's not best at. At CHB ok... otherwise  he's  stretched....and makes silly errors.

He needs some big assistance back there.

3 hours ago, drdrake said:

 

I will bet you that every team in the AFL plan to get the football in Tom's hands.  They will sit in team meetings and plan out their forward defence, first would be cover Salem and Vince don't let them get the footy as they will damage you by foot.  Next will be don't worry about Tom McDonald getting the football if we are leaving an out happy for it to be Tom as he is the most likely to turn over or make the wrong decision that will allow us to apply maximum pressure. 

 This is such a nonsense.

I am big critic of some of Tom's decision making and very iffy disposal but let's get it into context.

Firstly, I find him very frustrating as the brain fades are horrible and he does make poor decisions and dispose poorly at times.

Some perspective please -  he turned it over a few times on Sunday  - he kicked out from fullback straight to opposition ( why on earth he took a kick out is beyond me). He also had 25 disposals of which you could count 5 that were horrible and that is way too many but to suggest that "he is more than likely to turn it over or make the wrong decision" is absolute nonsense.

Now if you asked if i preferred that Tom give the easy dish off to Salem,Vince or Jetta who rarely if ever dispose poorly then the answer is a resounding yes but lets get his disposal into some sort of context.

Its more that it seems he turns it over either at crucial times or when the attempted pass was beyond him.

When he plays within his limits he is usually good.

15 minutes ago, nutbean said:

 This is such a nonsense.

I am big critic of some of Tom's decision making and very iffy disposal but let's get it into context.

Firstly, I find him very frustrating as the brain fades are horrible and he does make poor decisions and dispose poorly at times.

Some perspective please -  he turned it over a few times on Sunday  - he kicked out from fullback straight to opposition ( why on earth he took a kick out is beyond me). He also had 25 disposals of which you could count 5 that were horrible and that is way too many but to suggest that "he is more than likely to turn it over or make the wrong decision" is absolute nonsense.

Now if you asked if i preferred that Tom give the easy dish off to Salem,Vince or Jetta who rarely if ever dispose poorly then the answer is a resounding yes but lets get his disposal into some sort of context.

McDonald actually isn't as bad as what people perceive, it's how bad his poor disposals are which makes it seem much worse, ie straight to an opposition player.

drdrake mentioned Salem and Vince in his post so here's their disposal efficiency for the 2016 season along with T Mac's.

Salem 74%

Vince 68%

T Mac 83%

8 hours ago, beelzebub said:

My gut feeling is T Mac will play far better when we can install a better FB to take the lead down there. 

Totally agree with you Bub

12 minutes ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

McDonald actually isn't as bad as what people perceive, it's how bad his poor disposals are which makes it seem much worse, ie straight to an opposition player.

drdrake mentioned Salem and Vince in his post so here's their disposal efficiency for the 2016 season along with T Mac's.

Salem 74%

Vince 68%

T Mac 83%

I has stated elsewhere that D/E is a fluff stat. Tmac's D/E is always going to look better as he does drop right back and is involved in those easy cheap switch kicks back across the field deep in defense whilst the opposition is zoning off. Vince and to a lesser extent Salem get way more possession with heat on so their D/E will be down.

Where you are 100% right (IMO) is "how bad his poor disposals are which makes it seem much worse, ie straight to an opposition player".

But I would suggest that even on his really bad days it may happen 3-4 times maximum. Yes  - it looks terrible and can even be a momentum killer but the suggestion that " he is more than likely to turn it over or make the wrong decision" is absolute nonsense.

Having said that  - it is frustrating to watch and you want it out of his game.