Jump to content

Featured Replies

29 minutes ago, Moonshadow said:

I have a feeling a few on here are going to start loving Carey's workĀ because as far as the media goes IĀ think he is one of the most optimistic about Melbourne's future. Partly IĀ think because he is has a little bias toward a particular KPF :P

Ā 
On 8 June 2016 at 10:35 PM, Biffen said:

I'm predicting that most of our players will age in time.

It'sĀ a bold statement but I stand by it.

Let it never be said that you'reĀ not a risk taker Biff.

We've done it again, youngest and least experienced team of the round. Ā To be fair we played the 2nd youngest & 2nd least experienced team of the round. Ā But still....

Other interesting notes are the fact that GWS fielded the 8th most experienced team of the round which I think would surprise most.

Richmond & Freo seem to have made an effort to field younger teams and St Kilda also, however that was more by circumstance then by design. Ā Also worth noting that 6 of the top 8 teams were in the top 8 of oldest & most experienced teams that played. Ā Bulldogs areĀ the only team that bucked that trend on both fronts, GWS on age only (10th oldest).

AVERAGE AGE

North Melbourne - 28 years flat

Geelong - 26 years, 2 months

West Coast - 25, 9

Essendon - 25, 9

Carlton Ā - 25, 8

Sydney - 25, 6

Hawthorn - 25, 5

Adelaide - 25, 3

Fremantle - 25, 2

GWS - 25, 1

Richmond - 25 flat

Port Adelaide - 24, 8

Gold Coast - 24, 6

St Kilda - 24, 6

Western Bulldogs - 24, 5

Brisbane - 24, 2

Collingwood - 24 flat

Melbourne - 23, 5

AVERAGE GAMES EXPERIENCE

North Melbourne - 155.9

Geelong - 117.1

West Coast - 114.1

Hawthorn - 111.0

Sydney - 105.9

Essendon - 101.1

Adelaide - 96.0

GWS - 95.2Ā 

Richmond - 94.9

Carlton - 91.0

Fremantle - 89.5

Gold Coast - 89.5

Port Adelaide - 87.1

Brisbane - 73.1

Western Bulldogs - 72.7

St Kilda - 72.5

Collingwood - 72.5

Melbourne - 62.3

 

The average age/experience of the top teamsĀ really highlights that if we can keep this team together and developing over the next two years, we should evolve into something special as our boys age and gain experience.

Ā 

It's the 6th week in a row we have fielded the youngest team in the league


1 minute ago, deeflog said:

It's the 6th week in a row we have fielded the youngest team in the league

Ā 

Yup, we sitĀ 6-6 and 109% with the youngest and most inexperienced side in the comp. Ā It is very impressive. Ā Non MFC fans are gushing about us.

  • 1 month later...

After a loss like yesterday, this thread always helps me look at things in perspective.

Melbourne ranked 16th in each filed on the weekend with an average age of 23 years 10 months and games experience of 65.8. Ā Saints were 8th & 9th at 24 years, 11 months and 92.5 games experience.

These results will happen. Ā It's annoying, but the inexperience of the teams we're putting out there leaves this open. Ā Dunn & Garland's fall from grace, Lumumba's injury and Dawes inability to get back to some of his 2013/early 2014 form has meant we're playing a lot younger then most of us expected.

Ā 
4 hours ago, stuie said:

And we're back to using "alternative ladders'" again.. Yay.

Some people refuse to take of the rose colored glasses stu.

but, but, but, we are GOING to be so good!

We were a young team when we were playing all of our early draftees during the Baily/Neeld years,Ā and what happened then?

Ā 

To make matters worse, some of our older and more experienced players are some of our must vulnerable. Remove grimes, dawes from the list and there goes another few hundred games.

Ā 


4 hours ago, AngryAtCasey said:

After a loss like yesterday, this thread always helps me look at things in perspective.

Melbourne ranked 16th in each filed on the weekend with an average age of 23 years 10 months and games experience of 65.8. Ā Saints were 8th & 9th at 24 years, 11 months and 92.5 games experience.

These results will happen. Ā It's annoying, but the inexperience of the teams we're putting out there leaves this open. Ā Dunn & Garland's fall from grace, Lumumba's injury and Dawes inability to get back to some of his 2013/early 2014 form has meant we're playing a lot younger then most of us expected.

Put those four back in may not make any difference other than raises theĀ average age.

Point is they should have been our Dempster, Fisher, Gilbert, RiewoldtĀ etc like the Saints have to guide our young players through the season and make finals a possibility.Ā 

They haven't done that, for various reasons. As such we find ourselves where we are.

5 hours ago, AngryAtCasey said:

After a loss like yesterday, this thread always helps me look at things in perspective.

Melbourne ranked 16th in each filed on the weekend with an average age of 23 years 10 months and games experience of 65.8. Ā Saints were 8th & 9th at 24 years, 11 months and 92.5 games experience.

These results will happen. Ā It's annoying, but the inexperience of the teams we're putting out there leaves this open. Ā Dunn & Garland's fall from grace, Lumumba's injury and Dawes inability to get back to some of his 2013/early 2014 form has meant we're playing a lot younger then most of us expected.

This is true. The fact is, we have a younger team nowĀ than when Roos started.Ā More than a quarter of the team that played yesterday has played less than 20 games. Yesterday was disappointing for me because I thought we had taken the next step and could go on and have a crack at the finals, but clearly we are still a young andĀ inconsistent team. That doesn't diminish my belief that we'll be a formidable team in the next couple of years.

In 2 or 3 years we'll have 4 Jack Vineys running around - Track, Oliver, Brayshaw and the original. I reckon we'll be a fairĀ side when that happens.

Edited by Ricky P

5 minutes ago, Ricky P said:

This is true. The fact is, we have a younger team nowĀ than when Roos started.Ā More than a quarter of the team that played yesterday has played less than 20 games. Yesterday was disappointing for me because I thought we had taken the next step and could go on and have a crack at the finals, but clearly we are still a young andĀ inconsistent team. That doesn't diminish my belief that we'll be a formidable team in the next couple of years.

In 2 or 3 years we'll have 4 Jack Vineys running around - Track, Oliver, Brayshaw and the original. I reckon we'll be a fairĀ side when that happens.

Trouble is Free Agency will continue to erode our "Good" experienced players each year....

1 minute ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Trouble is Free Agency will continue to erode our "Good" experienced players each year....

That is where we must do what we can to keep them around. I am hoping that because we have such a big bunch of kids coming through together that even if lose some experience in the mean time we will have a big bunch of experience at the same time that should be having some success. That will deminished the effect of loosing some players and may make us a destination.Ā 

Optimistic I know but the alternative is to get depressed about it.Ā 


6 minutes ago, Chris said:

That is where we must do what we can to keep them around. I am hoping that because we have such a big bunch of kids coming through together that even if lose some experience in the mean time we will have a big bunch of experience at the same time that should be having some success. That will deminished the effect of loosing some players and may make us a destination.Ā 

Optimistic I know but the alternative is to get depressed about it.Ā 

I agree. But let's see what happens to TMac. We have lost 1 every year so far...

8 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Trouble is Free Agency will continue to erode our "Good" experienced players each year....

Haha I can't see us losing anyone we'dĀ want to keep in the next few years.

I'd also argue we've done pretty well out of free agency. We gotĀ Vince for Sylvia, Brayshaw for Frawley. Who'dĀ we get for Rivers?

58 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Trouble is Free Agency will continue to erode our "Good" experienced players each year....

Disagree. I reckon FA will be our friend in the coming 3-5 years. It's how we'll smooth the edges of our list.

43 minutes ago, Ricky P said:

Haha I can't see us losing anyone we'dĀ want to keep in the next few years.

I'd also argue we've done pretty well out of free agency. We gotĀ Vince for Sylvia, Brayshaw for Frawley. Who'dĀ we get for Rivers?

In a round about way - Kent.

Kent = the compensation pick we ended up receiving for the loss of Moloney & Rivers (and the acquisition of Byrnes) ... the compensation was pick 48 in the 2012 Draft.

Where we've lost out is not acquiring quality free agents in the last 4 off-seasons - but that's easier said than done and acquiring free agents would have affected our compensation in at least 2 of those years (which you highlighted, RP)

Going forward we need to be a player with regards to free agency.Ā  Picking up one good player per year (via free agency) is not a big ask.Ā  Here's the list of free agents (Not sure how up to date the list is)

Edited by Macca


31 minutes ago, AdamFphlebeb said:

Disagree. I reckon FA will be our friend in the coming 3-5 years. It's how we'll smooth the edges of our list.

Not if we keep losing games like yesterday.Ā 

That was a season killer

Managers will be on the phones today...

2 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Not if we keep losing games like yesterday.Ā 

That was a season killer

Managers will be on the phones today...

Losing yesterday will not be a deal breaker.

2 hours ago, AngryAtCasey said:

Point is they should have been our Dempster, Fisher, Gilbert, RiewoldtĀ etc like the Saints have to guide our young players through the season and make finals a possibility.Ā 

I think to some extent they are ... but off-field unfortunately. We were 5 points down in the last quarter, the game was there to be won, and we needed calmer, more experienced heads, to make sure it was, Jack Viney can only do so much off his own bat. (though thought Vince was trying). No accident to see Riewoldt step upĀ when the game was on the line.

Just don't think you can underestimate the kind of experience that the players listed above bring to a team. Let's not forget that St Kilda were in the finals consistently from 2004 - 2011, including successive grand finals in 2009 - 2010. That's a LOT of big game experience to draw on, even if it's only a handful of players.Ā 

I know people here talk about inside grunt and outside run and zone defence and coaches and game plans etc. etc., but it's this lack of real A-grade leaders (which isn't necessarily the same as A-grade players) that is our biggest Archilles heel at the moment. Hopefully it'll come over the next couple of years.

Ā 
17 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Not if we keep losing games like yesterday.Ā 

That was a season killer

Managers will be on the phones today...

The only free agent we have who hasn't signed is Grimes. I reckon his manager might've already been on the phone!

8 minutes ago, Ricky P said:

The only free agent we have who hasn't signed is Grimes. I reckon his manager might've already been on the phone!

Perhaps the response was something like "don't call us,Ā we'll call you"

Edited by america de cali


Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

Featured Content

  • PREVIEW: Brisbane

    And just like that, we’re Narrm again. Even though the annual AFL Sir Doug Nicholls Round which commemorates the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture to our game has been a welcome addition to our calendar for ten years, more lately it has been a portent of tough times ahead for we beleaguered Narrm supporters. Ever since the club broke through for its historic 2021 premiership, this has become a troubling time of the year for the club. For example, it all began when Melbourne rebranded itself as Narrm across the two rounds of the Sir Doug Nicholls Round to become the first club to adopt an Indigenous club name especially for the occasion. It won its first outing under the brand against lowly North Melbourne to go to 10 wins and no losses but not without a struggle or a major injury toĀ  star winger Ed Langdon who broke his ribs and missed several weeks. In the following week, still as Narrm, the team’s 17 game winning streak came to an end at the hands of the Dockers. That came along with more injuries, a plague that remained with them for the remainder of the season until, beset by injuries, the Dees were eliminated from the finals in straight sets. It was even worse last year, when Narrm inexplicably lowered its colours in Perth to the Waalit Marawar Eagles. Oh, the shame of it all! At least this year, if there is a corner to turn around, it has to be in the direction of something better. To that end, I produced a special pre-game chant in the local Narrm language - ā€œnam mi:wi winnamun katjil prolin ambi ngamar thamelin ambā€ which roughly translated is ā€œevery heart beats true for the red and the blue.ā€ >y belief is that if all of the Narrm faithful recite it long enough, then it might prove to be the only way to beat the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba on Sunday. The Lions are coming off a disappointing draw at Marvel Stadium against a North Melbourne team that lacks the ability and know how to win games (except when playing Melbourne). Brisbane are, however, a different kettle of fish at home and have very few positional weaknesses. They are a midfield powerhouse, strong in defence and have plenty of forward options, particularly their small and medium sized players, to kick a winning score this week after the sting of last week’s below par performance.

      • Thumb Down
    • 5 replies
    Demonland
  • REPORT: Hawthorn

    There was a time during the current Melbourne cycle that goes back to before the premiership when the club was the toughest to beat in the fourth quarter. The Demons were not only hard to beat at any time but it was virtually impossible to get the better them when scores were close at three quarter time. It was only three or four years ago but they were fit, strong and resilient in body and mind. Sadly, those days are over. This has been the case since the club fell off its pedestal about 12 months ago after it beat Geelong and then lost to Carlton. In both instances, Melbourne put together strong, stirring final quarters, one that resulted in victory, the other, in defeat. Since then, the drop off has been dramatic to the point where it can neither pull off victory in close matches, nor can it even go down in defeatĀ  gallantly.

    • 0 replies
    Demonland
  • CASEY: Footscray

    At twenty-four minutes into the third term of the game between the Casey Demons and Footscray VFL at Whitten Oval, the visitors were coasting. They were winning all over the ground, had the ascendancy in the ruck battles and held a 26 point lead on a day perfect for football. What could go wrong? Everything. The Bulldogs moved into overdrive in the last five minutes of the term and booted three straight goals to reduce the margin to a highly retrievable eight points at the last break. Bouyed by that effort, their confidence was on a high level during the interval and they ran all over the despondent Demons and kicked another five goals to lead by a comfortable margin of four goals deep into the final term before Paddy Cross kicked a couple of too late goals for a despondent Casey. A testament to their lack of pressure in the latter stages of the game was the fact that Footscray’s last ten scoring shots were nine goals and one rushed behind. Things might have been different for the Demons who went into the game after last week’s bye with 12 AFL listed players. Blake Howes was held over for the AFL game but two others, Jack Billings and Taj Woewodin (not officially listed as injured) were also missing and they could have been handy at the end. Another mystery of the current VFL system.

    • 0 replies
    Demonland
  • PREGAME: Brisbane

    The Demons head back out on the road in Round 10 when they travel to Queensland to take on the reigning Premiers and the top of the table Lions who look very formidable. Can the Dees cause a massive upset? Who comes in and who goes out?

      • Like
    • 136 replies
    Demonland
  • PODCAST: Hawthorn

    The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 12th May @ 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we dissect the Demons loss to the Hawks. Your questions and comments are a huge part of our podcast so please post anything you want to ask or say below and we'll give you a shout out on the show. If you would like to leave us a voicemail please call 03 9016 3666 and don't worry no body answers so you don't have to talk to a human.

      • Haha
      • Love
      • Like
    • 52 replies
    Demonland
  • POSTGAME: Hawthorn

    Wayward kicking for goal, dump kicks inside 50 and some baffling umpiring all contributed to the Dees not getting out to an an early lead that may have impacted the result. At the end of the day the Demons were just not good enough and let the Hawks run away with their first win against the Demons in 7 years.

      • Thumb Down
      • Like
    • 376 replies
    Demonland